A superb unbeaten 133 by Nottinghamshire skipper Chris Read was finally upstaged by a six-wicket haul for Graham Onions

03-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Chris Read hit a superb hundred to rescue Nottinghamshire’s innings•PA Photos

A superb unbeaten 133 by Nottinghamshire skipper Chris Read was finally upstaged by a six-wicket haul for Graham Onions as County Championship leaders Durham took a first-innings lead of 90 at Chester-le-Street.Both Onions and Callum Thorp were on a hat-trick at the same time when the visitors’ first four wickets all fell on 21. And Onions ended the innings by again taking two wickets in two balls to finish with a season’s-best 6 for 95.Despite a fifth-wicket stand of 178 between Read and Adam Voges, Nottinghamshire were all out for 261, losing all their last four wickets to Onions for 21 runs. Their surprising decision to send in two debutants to open backfired as 18-year-old Sam Kelsall could have been out three times before Onions had him caught behind for 11.He got off the mark by edging the sixth ball of the innings for 2 via Paul Collingwood’s left hand at first slip, then was almost run out twice. When Riki Wessels played back to a good length ball and lost his middle stump Onions had taken wickets with the last two balls of an over. Then off the third and fourth of the next over Thorp had Durham Academy product Karl Turner lbw for nine before PhilMustard took a fine catch diving to his right to send Steve Mullaney packing. Read played Thorp’s hat-trick ball confidently through mid-wicket for three and scored the first 25 runs in his stand with Voges.The Australian survived another chance to Collingwood off Onions on 5 and went on to make 80, one more than his previous best of the season. Ian Blackwell bowled poorly in his first spell, with Read cutting him for three fours in his first over to race past 50 off 69 balls.After 47 overs without a wicket, Thorp made the breakthrough when Voges shaped to turn the ball in front of square and lobbed a catch to Dale Benkenstein at straight midwicket. Thorp also troubled Read after tea, but when he dropped short the visiting captain punched his 15th four through the covers to reach his second century of the season off 158 balls.Blackwell improved and was handed a wicket when he bowled Paul Franks through a reckless slog. Onions swiftly cleaned up the tail, although the first victim, Graeme White, indicated that he had hit the ball when given out lbw.Andre Adams sliced a steepler to deep backward point after completing his own five-wicket haul in the morning, also reaching 50 championship wickets for the season.Earlier, Durham resumed this morning on 272 for 7 and Mustard and Thorp scored 30 off the first four overs, mainly off Mullaney, before Adams bowled Thorp. Mustard was left stranded on 88 when Durham were all out for 351, but would have been happy with four bonus points after going in at 197 for 6.

ESPNcricinfo previews the one-off Twenty20 between England and India at Old Trafford

The Preview by Andrew Miller30-Aug-2011

Match facts

Stuart Broad keeps his eye on the ball in training•PA Photos

August 31, Old Trafford
Start time 1800 (1700 GMT)

Big Picture

A week of relative downtime, and India’s tour of England is finally up and running. Three low-key county fixtures – against Sussex, Kent and Leicestershire – have given a bruised squad a chance to rediscover that winning feeling, and with a trio of hard-earned victories to fall back on, attention now turns to the limited-overs leg of their campaign, starting with the one-off Twenty20 at Old Trafford on Wednesday.As far as India are concerned, a change ought to be as good as a rest. A chance to swap their benighted whites for their familiar blue one-day outfits is an opportunity to draw a line under their shortcomings of the Test series, and revert to the mindset of champions. After all, less than five months have elapsed since that night of nights in Mumbai, and no matter how poorly they may have fared in the interim, they’ll always have that achievement to fall back on.Wednesday’s fixture, however, is unlikely to prove much about the mindset of either set of players. In Twenty20 cricket, it is England, not India, who are the reigning world champions, although their squad has little in common with the one that triumphed in the Caribbean in 2010, and has been selected very much with a view to next year’s defence in Sri Lanka.A trio of youngsters – Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes – are vying for an opportunity to present their credentials, under the leadership of Stuart Broad, whose captaincy career started edgily against Sri Lanka in June, but will doubtless have benefitted from an injection of confidence courtesy of his Man-of-the-Series performance in the Tests against India.As for India’s line-up, it’s a pragmatic blend of old and new. Gautam Gambhir heads back home, and Sachin Tendulkar will sit this match out, but Rahul Dravid, at the age of 38, will make his T20I debut – in recognition, perhaps, of the liveliness of English wickets and the fallibility of some of his batting colleagues against the moving ball. With no Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir or Harbhajan Singh, among others, there’s an air of experimentation on display in India’s selection. But, ahead of the serious business in the ODIs, this is clearly the game in which to test the waters.

Dhoni slighted?

In a bizarre incident, India captain MS Dhoni was stopped from entering the area where the ECB had organised a photoshoot for the Indian players. When Dhoni walked to the indoor centre inside the Old Trafford ground, he was refused entry by a Lancashire county official since he was wearing spikes. “It is the manner in which he spoke to Dhoni that is annyoing,” Shivlal Yadav, the Indian team manager said.
The official remained adamant despite Dhoni’s attempts to explain his case. According to Yadav, at that point Dhoni decided to walk away. The Indian management has reported the matter to John Carr, the director of operations at the ECB.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England LLWWW
India WWWWL

In the spotlight

In the build-up to their triumphant World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, England stumbled upon a pair of hard-hitting openers in Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb almost by chance. The challenge, with a year to go until the defence of their title, is to find a combination that can prove equally as explosive. Kieswetter endures, even though his problems against the moving ball appear to hamper his effectiveness in English conditions, but Lumb appeared to bid farewell in a flaccid final outing in Bristol. Into the breach, therefore, steps the young Nottinghamshire slugger, Alex Hales, whose raw power has proven effective even in the naturally swinging environment of Trent Bridge. At the age of 22, his time is now.It’s a young man’s game, so they say, but not if that man in question is Rahul Dravid. Back in 2007, when India first fell in love with Twenty20 cricket, Dravid, along with Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, opted out of the epoch-changing campaign in South Africa. He didn’t even play in India’s last World Cup victory, the 50-over version at home, but now, with his country in need of a solid batting presence on the most abject of tours, he’s finally been given his bow. In the circumstances, it’s little surprise he’s announced his retirement from the limited-overs game at the end of this tour. But before then, we’ll have a chance to see one of the game’s smoothest operators get to grips with the rough and tumble of the fastest format.

Team news

With the probable selection of Alex Hales at the top of the order, England are set to field their 19th opening partnership in 38 Twenty20s. The bowling attack is set to have a familiar look to it, with Jade Dernbach’s performance in a rain-reduced game against Ireland having cemented his value in the shortest form of the game. Jos Buttler, who once again demonstrated his big-hitting credentials for Somerset on Twenty20 finals day, could find himself squeezed out of the reckoning by fellow newcomer, Ben Stokes.England: (possible) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Ben Stokes / Jos Buttler, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Jade DernbachDravid’s debut coincides with the end of Gautam Gambhir’s tour. He has not been himself since thwacking his head on the Oval turf while dropping Kevin Pietersen in the fourth Test, and has finally bowed out with a concussion. Parthiv Patel, the diminutive wicketkeeper who first made his name on the 2002 tour of England, is set to open the innings, with the twin spin attack of Amit Mishra and R Ashwin also likely to get an outing.India: (possible) 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt / wk), 7 Amit Mishra, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 R Vinay Kumar

Pitch and conditions

Old Trafford had a reputation as being one of the quickest decks in world cricket, until the square was rotated as part of the ground’s redevelopment. Since then, the pitch conditions have been somewhat subcontinental, although that didn’t aid Sri Lanka in their ODI-series-deciding loss earlier in the season. The weather, ever a factor in Manchester, is set fair. Which is nice.

Stats and trivia

• England’s most recent Twenty20 against India came at Lord’s in the 2009 World Twenty20, when Ryan Sidebottom’s aggression on a lively pitch helped to defend a middling total of 153 for 7.
• The only other Twenty20 between the two teams came in Durban in September 2007, a match made unforgettable by Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over off England’s current captain, Stuart Broad. Yuvraj finished with the fastest half-century in international cricket, as England were knocked out of the World Twenty20 in the group stages.

Quotes

“The Test series is hard to forget because from an England point of view we played very well and confidence is high. But it’s different in the white-ball game, they have a
few new players and we have to be aware of that.”
“He went to an eye specialist today and it seems he continues to suffer from concussion.”
Shivlal Yadav, India’s manager, on the end of Gautam Gambhir’s tour

David Masters carried his Championship haul of wickets to 71 for the season as
Essex gained the upper hand against Gloucestershire on the second day of the
County Championship match at Colchester’s Castle Park

18-Aug-2011
Scorecard
David Masters carried his Championship haul of wickets to 71 for the season as
Essex gained the upper hand against Gloucestershire on the second day of the
County Championship match at Colchester’s Castle Park.The 33-year-old paceman, the leading wicket-taker in the country, took four
wickets for 50 runs as the visitors finished on 176 for 6 in reply to their
opponents’ total of 363 all out.Masters’ nagging accuracy and ability to extract lift made him a difficult
proposition and he was on course to register his sixth haul of five wickets or
more in an innings until rain arrived to end play at 3pm.It came with Gloucestershire still requiring a further 38 runs to avoid the
follow-on – far from a straightforward task on a lively pitch. Masters struck in his second over by getting rid of Hamish Marshall with the help of Tom Westley at second slip.Then, after lunch, he had Chris Taylor caught behind before removing brothers
Alex and Will Gidman with successive deliveries. The dismissal of Alex Gidman was not without incident. After the visiting skipper was given out lbw when he had scored 29 – which included two sixes in one over from off-spinner Tom Westley – he moved forward to remonstrate with
umpire Steve Gale for a few seconds before turning and heading back to the
pavilion.Gale had yesterday reversed his decision after giving Essex century maker Ryan
ten Doeschate out caught behind. It was an unsavoury incident and no doubt one which will be reported to the appropriate authorities. Certainly it took some of the gloss off a fine effort
from Kane Williamson.The New Zealander batted with an assurance his colleagues failed to match and
was within sight of a century when Graham Napier trapped him on the back foot
for 83. It was an effort which spanned 107 balls and included 10 fours.Napier had earlier got rid of opener Chris Dent – with Westley again accepting
a slip catch – but it was the evergreen Masters who claimed the day’s honours.Earlier in the day, Jon Lewis claimed the final Essex wicket after the home
side had resumed on 359 for 9. Tom Craddock was bowled to give the fast bowler figures of four for 46 from 15.5 overs and his dismissal left ten Doeschate unbeaten with 124, which
contained 10 fours and one six and spread over 182 deliveries.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Champions League match between Mumbai Indians and Cape Cobras in Bangalore

The Preview by Nitin Sundar29-Sep-2011

Match facts

September 30, Bangalore
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will Harbhajan Singh feel he has a point to prove after being dropped for the upcoming one-day series against England?•Associated Press

Big Picture

The race for semi-final spots from Group A intensifies as Mumbai Indians and Cape Cobras clash in Bangalore. MI are on top of the table with two scarcely believable wins, while the Cobras are stuck in mid-table traffic after suffering an unlikely defeat at the hands of Dwayne Bravo and Chennai Super Kings. Another win for MI will confirm their passage to the semi-finals with a game to play. A Cobras victory, on the other hand, will open up the group and leave statistics experts fiddling with calculators to figure out the permutations.

The Cobras will have to recover quickly from the defeat but can take heart from their fluent victory against New South Wales in their first game. They won’t mind the true bounce and the quick outfield at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, but will first have to shake off the slow-and-low hangover from Chepauk. Dale Steyn, who got clobbered by Bravo in his final over in Chennai, will look forward to a fresh start at his erstwhile IPL home venue, too.Mumbai Indians have already played a game in Bangalore, the madcap low-scoring thriller against Trinidad & Tobago, and would have picked up valuable lessons from that outing. They will be hard-pressed to explain their position in the points table, given how abysmal their batting has been. In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and now Davy Jacobs, the top order is bereft of quality and confidence. Their bowling has been incisive, though, with Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh doing the damage, with the support cast doing an adequate job.

Watch out for …

The doosra remains elusive but the floater is back, and there are fleeting signs of the trademark loop too. Harbhajan Singh has bowled well, and has also been proactive with his field placements. This time, however, he will be taking the field on the back of a personal reversal, having been dropped from the Indian team for the first time in years. Can he put the setback behind him and help continue his side’s unbeaten run?

Twenty20 is the most fickle form of the game. Ask JP Duminy who batted attractively and bowled a crafty spell of offspin to derail CSK’s chase, before shelling a sitter from MS Dhoni in the end overs. The drop did not cost Cobras much – Dhoni exited soon after without doing much damage – but it was the first sign of panic in their camp. Bravo sensed the opening and bulldozed his way through to victory. Duminy will want to shut out all escape routes against Mumbai Indians, coincidentally his one-time IPL side.

Team news

With the exception of Ambati Rayudu, the MI top-order contributed a handsome 21 in the game against T&T, including two ducks. They can only pray for a revival on Friday. T Suman might be shunted down the order, in which case Rayudu could open the innings. The team management hasn’t yet named a replacement for Jacobs, which means Rayudu will continue to keep wicket.

The Cobras didn’t do much wrong against the Super Kings, and will want to stick with their combination. Steyn may not be too keen to bowl in the slog overs, though.

Stats and trivia

• With four wickets apiece, JP Duminy and Vernon Philander are currently Cobras’ highest wicket-takers in the tournament
• Lasith Malinga has been Mumbai Indians’ best bowler with three wickets at 17.00. He has also been their highest run-getter with 52

Quotes

“We hope Malinga doesn’t have to do it with the bat again.”

“I guess it was just my day. I pitched the ball in the right areas and they hit it to the fielders. I’ll take the credit for that.”

Queensland grabbed a second domestic limited overs victory in as many matches by shutting out Tasmania’s batsmen in their chase for 263 at Harrup Park in Mackay

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2011
ScorecardRyan Broad’s 92 set Queensland on the path to a decent total•Warren Keir – SMP Images

Queensland grabbed a second domestic limited overs victory in as many matches by holding Tasmania’s batsmen narrowly short in their chase for 263 at Harrup Park in Mackay.The Bulls restricted the Tigers to 8 for 257 and so won by 5 runs, a slim margin made possible by the strong batting of Ryan Broad and Nathan Reardon at either end of the innings.The young seamer Alister McDermott and the Test paceman Ryan Harris also deserved credit, bowling with variety and enough economy to take the early wickets that always had the Tigers’ batsmen chasing the game.Ed Cowan and Evan Gulbis did best among the visiting batsmen, while Jason Krejza made a desperate final charge towards the target.Tasmania’s chase began badly when Nick Kruger was lbw in the first over delivered by the Test paceman Ryan Harris, playing his first state match since recovering from a hamstring strain suffered on the tour of Sri Lanka.McDermott then struck twice to remove George Bailey and Mark Cosgrove, forcing Cowan and Gulbis into a careful partnership to regather the ground. Both would be dismissed in the 60s, and though James Faulkner, Matt Johnston and Krejza fought hard, they were always likely to fall a handful of runs short.Queensland had lost Steve Paulsen in the first over of the day after winning the toss and batting first, Ben hilfenhaus finding the opener’s outside edge. Broad then shepherded the first part of the Bulls’ innings, forming useful partnerships with Andrew Robinson, the stand-in captain Peter Forrest and Reardon.Broad’s departure at 4 for 167, lbw to a Faulkner yorker, was followed by a collapse as the hosts slid to 7 for 187. However Reardon, Brad Ipson – who retired hurt with a leg strain and could not bowl – and Harris helped Queensland to a decent total with a few lusty blows.