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Kohli’s unbeaten 77 off 46 in vain as India’s top order wilts against England’s searing pace

Andrew Miller16-Mar-20211:53

Gambhir: Buttler one of the best T20 batters in the world

England 158 for 2 (Buttler 83*, Bairstow 40*) beat India 156 for 6 (Kohli 77*, Wood 3-31) by eight wicketsIt was a contest defined by fast bowling of the highest quality, in particular from Mark Wood, but it took a Duking between the two star batsmen on either side to settle the third T20I, as Jos Buttler’s 83 from 52 trumped a masterful 77 not out from 46 balls from Virat Kohli, to re-establish England’s series lead in the third T20I at Ahmedabad.Between them, the two men made 160 unbeaten runs from 98 balls, compared to 137 from 132 from the remaining nine batsmen on either side – a reflection on another tricky two-paced surface, and a ratio that might have been more comprehensive still but for Jonny Bairstow’s late flurry of boundaries, as his 40 not out helped seal England’s second eight-wicket win of the series with 10 balls remaining.The margin of England’s victory proved to be as dominant as their opening gambit, but they were made to work harder than might have been anticipated at 87 for 5 after 15 overs, with Wood’s figures of 3 for 14 in three overs confirming the extent to which he had scorched India’s top-order with speeds that touched 155kph/96mph.Powerplay permutations
There hasn’t been much in the way of cat-and-mouse antics when India have been batting in the powerplay – more dog-eat-dog. And for the second time in three matches, either side of Ishan Kishan’s pyrotechnics on Sunday, it was England’s red-hot fast bowlers who made India’s top order go “woof!”From 22 for 3 on Friday, India limped to 24 for 3 today – including a remarkable 25 dot-balls out of 36 – with Wood, who sustained a bruised ankle in the first game, proving his fitness beyond any doubt with a furiously up-and-at-em display.Even the slowest ball of Wood’s first two-over spell was too quick for the awfully out-of-sorts KL Rahul, who played all round a pacy inducker to be bowled for a four-ball 0 – taking his tally for the series to one run from 14 balls after 1 from 4 on Friday, and Sunday’s six-ball duck.Jos Buttler’s strokeplay is no-holds barred•BCCI

In hindsight, the decision to shunt Kishan down to No. 3 was an error from India – not least because it encouraged Eoin Morgan to throw the opening over to Adil Rashid once again, who served up a diet of cautiously negotiated googlies to the right-handers and conceded five runs in a tidy agenda-setting over.Rohit, back in the team after a post-Test break, was never able to settle in his 17-ball 15. Jofra Archer and Wood both missed return catches in his skittish stay – the latter a significantly sharper chance than the first – but in the end, the two quicks combined in a canny piece of pace bowling, as Wood followed his quarry down the leg-side, and cramped his attempt at a pull for Archer to swallow the top-edged chance.Kishan, meanwhile, found himself faced with a wholly more problematic scenario than he had faced on Sunday. He was made to hop from the outset as Wood greeted him with a trio of splice rattlers, before Archer in his followthrough came close to pulling off a run-out one over later. Instead it was Chris Jordan who sawed him off, banging in the bouncer for Buttler to run back for the top edge.Imperious Kohli
His team-mates struggled to make any headway on a difficult deck, but Kohli showed once again – in his second imperious half-century in as many games – that haste and speed are not remotely the same thing. His poise during England’s first-half surge transmitted some much-needed calm to India’s dug-out; but his acceleration at the back end was astonishing, as India’s run-rate began to spike like Gujarat’s Covid cases.Kohli had ticked along to 28 from 29 balls by the end of the 15th over – and at 87 for 5, a total in the region of 120, much as they had made on Friday, seemed the upper end of India’s ambitions.They had lost two more wickets in that time too – Rishabh Pant, run out for 25 after responding too slowly to a fumble from Buttler, and Shreyas Iyer, whose scalping at deep backward epitomised the Route One violence that had put England so firmly on top – a shimmy this way, a shimmy that… it made no odds to Wood, who simply pounded the middle of the pitch once more, and extracted a flappy upper-cut.But then, as Archer returned for his third over, Kohli flicked the switch for India. His first six of the night was a streaky top-edge over fine leg – a direction of travel that Archer had said after the first game he was “at peace” with, because at least it implied he was winning the battle. Kohli’s next two, back to back off Wood, were extraordinary – a huge pull over midwicket as he shuffled two metres outside off to pre-meditate the short ball, then a drill over long-off as he correctly anticipated 150kph yorker.Virat Kohli went for his shots early•BCCI

The counter-punches kept on coming as England tried to claw their way towards their 20-over exit. Hardik Pandya, more hit-and-miss than his magisterial captain, still landed two vital wipes in his 15-ball 17 as Jordan and Archer offered too much width on their short balls. But the finesse was all Kohli’s, as he ramped Archer over fine leg, then unfurled arguably the shot of the night in Jordan’s final-over, a wristy clip through wide long-on to combat a well-disguised legcutter.Kohli’s agony at handing over the strike via a penultimate-ball leg bye was palpable, and sure enough, Pandya couldn’t connect well enough as Archer completed a good running catch in the covers. Nevertheless, his highest T20I score against England had established a target of 157 that was riches in the circumstances. And had it not been for Buttler’s masterclass, it might conceivably have proven competitive.Buttler stands on no ceremony
After the deck-hitting dramatics of England’s quicks, Jason Roy can’t have been the only person to be taken aback by the hooping movement that Bhuvneshwar Kumar extracted in his opening Powerplay over. He responded by slashing two boundaries in Kumar’s second over – the second an ambitious ramp through third man – then holed out on the reverse sweep two balls later, his short but sharp stay confirming the sense that India’s total was significantly better than it appeared on paper.Buttler, however, was in no mood to wait around. Yuzvendra Chahal was greeted with a pair of wafts over long-on for six in his first over, and a brace of fours in his second, either side of a 16-run over off Shardul Thakur, whom he cuffed over square leg for another six to drive England along to 57 for 1 in the powerplay – more than double the total that India had mustered, for a third of the damage.From 43 from 17 balls, Buttler’s job in the short term had been done, and he visibly reined himself in thereafter – priming himself to be lurking at the death if needed, and challenging his team-mate Dawid Malan to set the tempo in the interim. In the wider context of the contest, Malan’s 18 from 17 balls was a perfectly adequate contribution. However, his solitary boundary was a top-edged swat for six, and the manner of his departure, stumped off Washington Sundar in his first visible attempt to force the pace, did little to assuage the concerns that he might not be exactly the player England need at No. 3. When a No. 1-ranked batsman with a higher T20I average than Kohli is a team’s most notable batting concern, it’s fair to surmise that that department is in good order.

India’s reserve opener made 92 to further establish his red-ball credentials; Nair ended the day unbeaten on 78

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2019Stumps Vernon Philander, Lungi Ngidi and Senuran Muthusamy, three bowlers who could line-up together in the XI for South Africa’s first Test against India in Visakhapatnam, had to go through the grind on the first day of South Africa A’s second four-day fixture against India A in Mysuru. They managed just one wicket between them in 35 overs as the Indians got to a healthy 233 for 3 in 74 overs before bad light forced early stumps.Shubman Gill, who is unlikely to feature in that Test but is part of the India squad, provided yet another reminder of why he’s rated so highly. Opening the innings, he struck a 137-ball 92, courtesy 12 fours and a six, before becoming the third Indian wicket to fall. Karun Nair, the man with whom Gill forged a 135-run third-wicket stand, continued his good form from the Duleep Trophy to remain unbeaten on 78. His first-class scores for the season before this one read: 20, 90, 166* and 99.ALSO READ: Shubman Gill interview: ‘Mindset, not game should change.’When play ended for the day, Nair was batting alongside India A captain Wriddhiman Saha, unbeaten on 36. Rishabh Pant’s Test position isn’t yet under scrutiny, but with a potentially tough examination coming up against South Africa, Saha, who has been named the second wicket-keeper in the Test squad, will have an opportunity to further press his credentials.Abhimanyu Easwaran, who opened alongside Gill, and Priyank Panchal, who came in at No.3 with Gill opening, scored 5 and 6 respectively. Abhimanyu, coming off a match-winning 153 in the Duleep Trophy final that potentially set him in line for a Test call-up, was the first to go lbw to Ngidi in the sixth over. Panchal followed 11 overs later when he was out to Wiaan Mulder’s medium pace.From there, Gill and Nair drove home the advantage before Gill fell eight short of his fifth first-class century, shortly before the tea interval. In his 15-match first class career, the 21-year-old now has two centuries and two double-centuries, the last of which was an unbeaten 204 against West Indies A in a second innings, which lifted India A from the pits of 14 for 3 to set up a declaration and eventually push for victory.

Australia were hit by a concussion to Alyssa Healy, their Player of the Match in the last three games, that ruled out her participation in the chase

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan17-Nov-2018India’s spinners choked out a weakened Australian line-up with relentless accuracy to send them crashing to 119 all out, and a 48-run defeat in their final Group B game at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The win meant India finished atop the Group B table, undefeated after four games. They will now face the loser of West Indies v England on Sunday, while the winner takes on Australia in the semifinals.The win was set up by Smriti Mandhana, whose belligerent 83 hauled India to a competitive 167 – their highest in T20Is against Australia – after they had elected to bat. Known for her free-willed stroke-making, Mandhana capitalised on some erratic Australian bowling to set the foundation for a winning score.Australia were hit hard by an injury to Alyssa Healy, the Player of the Match in their last three encounters. Healy was involved in a nasty collision with Megan Schutt, as both bowler and keeper went for a catch in the 19th over of the Indian innings. Healy seemed to cop a hard blow around her left shoulder as Schutt crashed into her before spilling the catch. She went down immediately upon impact and was taken off the field, handing over the gloves to Beth Mooney. It was subsequently revealed that the wicketkeeper-batsman had suffered a mild concussion and wouldn’t take part in the chase.Even with her absence, India needed to bring out their best game against the might of this Australian line-up. Their chances always hung on how well their slower bowlers would be able to tie down the opposition. And sure enough, five of the six bowlers used by Harmanpreet Kaur, including herself, were spinners.India trialled with pace just for one over first-up – the very first of the innings – and immediately Australia hit their groove, Mooney finding the boundary twice and pinching 11 off Arundhati Reddy. The message was clear: deny Australia pace and take them out of their comfort zone.Getty Images

Kaur heeded to it the very next over, bringing in Anuja Patil, the offspinner. It cost just three, further reinforcing the strategy. From there, India unsparingly kept the leash on. When Villani pulled Deepti Sharma’s offbreak into the hands of deep midwicket at the start of the fifth over, it became clear that Australia were in a scrap against lack of pace. Mooney’s start was snuffed out next ball, when she was bowled around her legs.The only time Australia found any momentum was against the easy pace of Reddy. As in her first, she was taken apart for a brace of boundaries in her second over, the last of the Powerplay, which also turned out to be her last.The passage immediately after the Powerplay marked the worst of the slowdown. After Ashleigh Gardner launched Poonam Yadav for six over long-off in the ninth over, Australia went 34 balls without a boundary. They also lost two wickets in the interim.Radha Yadav, bowling from several yards behind the crease to slow it up even further, had Meg Lanning caught at deep midwicket when the Australian captain tried to force a sweep. And when Gardner was out, trying to clear long-off, to Poonam in the next over, the heart of Australia’s batting had been ripped out. Ellyse Perry dazzled with an unbeaten 39 thereafter, but with the rest of Australia’s line-up crumbling in the face of a mounting required rate, their resistance ended in 19.4 overs.These struggles were a far cry from how India had begun their own innings. Mandhana launched a boundary-laden assault that offset the early loss of Taniya Bhatia in no time. Mandhana boldly stepped down the pitch to pace and moved sharply around the crease to make room when the bowlers tightened their lines. Australia fed her strengths with a generous mix of full and short balls, and Mandhana didn’t let a single one go unpunished.The loss of Jemimah Rodrigues in the seventh over only eased some of the load on Mandhana, as Kaur matched her aggression with some imperious hits of her own.Known for her blazing starts but a tendency to not capitalise on them, Mandhana showed she was in for the long haul this time around, when she raised a fifty, off 31 balls, in the tenth over. The duo’s partnership was thrown a lifeline when Healy missed a stumping, with Kaur on 26. Kimmince broke the stand at 68. But Mandhana continued to strike them big and hard, in the process becoming the second-fastest Indian batsman, after Mithali Raj, to 1000 T20 international runs, as she put the game beyond Australia.

Thisara Perera will captain Sri Lanka in their Nidahas Trophy matches against India on Monday and Bangladesh on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2018An over-rate ban will force Dinesh Chandimal to miss Sri Lanka’s last two round-robin matches in the Nidahas Trophy. Match referee Chris Broad imposed a two-match suspension on Sri Lanka’s captain, and fined the team’s players 60% of their match fee, after ruling that the side fell four overs short of their target during their match against Bangladesh on Saturday.The allrounder Thisara Perera will captain Sri Lanka in Chandimal’s absence.Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah, meanwhile, has been fined 20% of his match fee, and the rest of the team 10%, after the side was ruled to have fallen one over short of the time target.According to the ICC’s code of conduct, a team falling short by up to and including two overs is said to have committed a “minor over rate offence”, and a “serious over rate offence” if it is short by more than two overs. The team’s captain receives two suspension points for a serious over rate offence, which equates to a ban from one Test, two ODIs or two T20Is, whichever comes first.Chandimal pleaded not guilty to the offence, and Broad announced his verdict after a hearing on Sunday afternoon, involving the match officials and Sri Lanka’s team management. If Sri Lanka commit another serious over-rate offence in a T20I within 12 months of this offence with Chandimal as captain, he will receive between two and eight suspension points for committing a second offence.

South Africa joined New Zealand as the second quarter-finalists from Group A after they dumped defending champions West Indies out of the tournament

Shashank Kishore in Mount Maunganui17-Jan-2018South Africa joined New Zealand as the second quarter-finalists from Group A after they dumped defending champions West Indies out of the Under-19 World Cup in Mount Maunganui.The result capped off an incredible evening, where South Africa were comfortably behind the game for the first 40 overs after being put in. Then, in a ferocious display of lower-order hitting, wicketkeeper Wandile Makwetu made an unbeaten 99, with 37 of those coming in the last three overs off which South Africa blasted 58. The last 10 overs fetched 112 as they posted 282 for 8.Wandile Makwetu unleashed an onslaught•International Cricket Council

On a cold, rainy evening where there was enough moisture underneath the surface, South Africa’s pace bowling trio of Gerald Coetzee, Thando Ntini and Akhona Mnyaka came hard at West Indies. By the 21st over, the top four were dismissed for 87. As the asking rate spiralled, Kirstan Kallicharan and Alick Athanaze fought back to put together 90 for the fifth wicket to bring the target close to double digits.But in a bid to hit out, Kallicharan, who oozed class and confidence in his 50-ball 44, was trapped lbw by medium pacer Hermann Rolfes off the third ball of his new spell in the 39th over to leave West Indies 177 for 5. It left the lower order needing to rally around Athanaze.But they had other ideas, looking to tee off instead of rotating strike and bringing the well-set batsman back on strike. This resulted in two more wickets in quick succession that helped South Africa close out the game. Athanaze, who took a while to set himself in and consolidate to make his second youth ODI half-century, was the ninth man out for 76, trying to take it upon himself to inch closer to the target.It left West Indies wondering what may have been had the middle order shown a little more application and better shot selection. The final nail was drilled by Coetzee in the 46th over as their campaign went pear-shaped with one to play. This meant a potentially high-voltage match between New Zealand and South Africa on Saturday was reduced to a dead rubber.South Africa had started cautiously and had progressed to 77 for 2 by the 18th over when the game came alive courtesy a controversial decision. West Indies had opener Jiveshan Pillay out obstructing the field when they appealed for what seemed a harmless pick-up of the ball from the batsman after it had stopped besides the stumps off an inside edge.This led to a break in play for four minutes as the third umpire deliberated the matter with the on-field umpires. Pillay, who carefully constructed 47 to keep South Africa chugging along, accepted the decision and walked back without a trace of dissent even as most at the ground were stunned by the very basis of the appeal, even if West Indies were within their rights to make it.South Africa’s lower middle order didn’t let this passage of play distract them. While run-scoring was difficult, they took the innings right till the end. In what turned out to be a game-changer, Jeavor Royal put down a sitter at deep midwicket to reprieve Makwetu on 49 in the 44th over. He would go on to smash 50 more in an exhilarating passage where West Indies’ bowlers kept missing their lengths.

The new committee will identify “exceptional and extremely limited areas of difficulty” in the implementation of the Supreme Court’s order of July 2016 and the passing of key Lodha reforms

Arun Venugopal26-Jun-20171:49

‘Areas of difficulty with Lodha reform will be brought before the CoA’ – Choudhary

Nearly a year after the Supreme Court judgement approving a majority of the Lodha Committee recommendations, the BCCI has set up a committee of its own to identify “exceptional and extremely limited areas of difficulty” in the implementation of the reforms.The committee’s suggestions will be presented to the Committee of Administrators, a court-appointed panel tasked with running the board until fresh elections under the Lodha guidelines. No CoA representative is part of this new BCCI committee, which was announced during the board’s special general meeting in Mumbai on Monday.

‘Wait till selection of the World XI’

BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary was non-committal when asked if India’s players would be available to participate in a proposed T20 series in Lahore.
The ICC Board, on Friday, extended its support to the idea of a World XI side playing Pakistan in Pakistan as part of efforts to bring international cricket back to the country. Choudhary, however, said it was premature to discuss if India will play any role in it.
“We should wait till the selection of the World XI because it is possible that if those matches are scheduled alongside any of our series than obviously none of our players will be eligible, will they?” he said. “So, we will have to wait for that. I think it’s fair.”

This move seems likely to delay the implementation of the reforms, which were approved by the Supreme Court in July 2016, but the BCCI acting secretary, Amitabh Choudhary, has said it was formed with the intention of examining “how best to quickly implement [the recommendations].” Choudhary stated the committee, whose members will be named on Tuesday, will offer their report in a fortnight.It is understood that apart from Choudhary, who will play the role of the convener, acting board president CK Khanna, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary and a member from a north-east association are likely to be among the “five or six” members of the committee. They will have to come up with a decision on this matter before July 14, when the Supreme Court is set to hear the case again.”The house deliberated in detail and with a view to completing the implementation process, constituted a committee which will examine how best quickly to implement [the recommendations],” Choudhary told reporters. “The committee should have its first recommendations in a fortnight’s time. So, that’s as far as the implementation of the principal judgment is concerned.””The committee will go into each and every action point necessitated by the principal judgment and then only those exceptional and extremely limited areas of difficulty would bring it to the notice of the CoA, which will thereafter decide the course of action.”Choudhary added that another SGM would have to be convened to approve the proposals of the committee which “will start its work in two days’ time and the rest will follow.”The BCCI is likely to have another special general meeting to approve the proposals put forward by the panel looking into the difficulties of implementing key Lodha reforms.•PTI

The BCCI is inclined towards incorporating most of the Lodha committee’s recommendations, a board official told ESPNcricinfo, except for policies such as the age cap of 70 years for office bearers, the tenure cap of nine years with cooling-off periods in between, the one-state-one-vote policy and the trimming down of the number of selectors from five to three.These recommendations had drawn opposition from the BCCI even before the court’s order last year and on Monday a senior state association official from the west zone indicated nothing had changed. “How can I let go of my vote?” asked the official. “These are the recommendations that the committee will have to sit down and decide on.”Some of the delay in the BCCI adopting the Lodha reforms has been because the state associations are averse to them, but when asked to list the recommendations that have been met with objections, Chaudhary said the board would convey their thoughts to the Supreme Court directly.For a while now, the CoA has urged the board’s member units to identify a few points of objection, which could be raised with the Supreme Court even as the other recommendations were implemented. A CoA official sounded optimistic of the BCCI toeing the Supreme Court’s line after the meeting on Sunday.”They understand that implementing Lodha is not an option [but is mandatory],” he told ESPNcricinfo. “So what is the point in obstructing and dragging it further? What we have told them is if you adopt the report with the two-three points you want the court to consider then the court will also look at it favourably. Otherwise the CoA will be left with no other option than to ask the court to enforce.”

Joe Root has called for the ICC to consider introducing umpiring reviews in Twenty20 internationals to guard against a potential outcry during the climax of a tournament

Deivarayan Muthu31-Jan-2017Joe Root, who was incorrectly adjudged lbw in the last over of a nerve-wracking chase in Nagpur, has said that the introduction of DRS in Twenty20 cricket could help prevent such umpiring errors. Root echoed his captain Eoin Morgan’s frustration with the umpiring decisions that went against England in their five-run loss, which left the scoreline at 1-1.England needed eight runs off six balls when Root inside-edged an attempted pull onto his back thigh. Umpire C Shamshuddin did not spot the nick and ruled him out. Root walked off fuming and after his dismissal England managed only one run and a bye and also lost Jos Buttler off the last over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.Shamshuddin’s other error of the day – he handed India’s captain Virat Kohli a reprieve on 7 when he was pinned in front by Chris Jordan in the third over of the match – cost England 14 runs.”It was frustrating and there were obviously decisions throughout the game that went against us, which could be crucial,” Root said on the eve of the series-deciding T20I in Bangalore. “It’s time now for some sort of DRS in Twenty20 cricket.”The flip-side is that DRS would slow down the tempo of T20 cricket, but Root proposed a review for each team, in line with the regulations for one-day internationals.”I know you want to keep the speed of the game, but with such small margins it is important to get things right with bat and ball,” Root said. “If you miss a yorker, you disappear out of the park and that can change a game because of how quick and short the format is. It is just as important to get the right decisions from the umpires as well. It will be quite nice to see maybe just one review for each side in my opinion but we are where we are at the moment.”Root hopes the suggestion will be considered at the ICC’s four-day quarterly meeting in Dubai, which begins this Thursday.”I’d like to think it will be raised by a few different members at the ICC meeting. If it isn’t, then I am not an official of the game. I don’t know what is best for the sport. I am only offering my opinion. I can’t speak on the behalf of rest of world cricket and even for the rest of my team, but you know that’s something I believe in. I am sure there are others who can agree with me.”Umpire Shamshuddin, seen here during the Women’s World Cup, is now sheltering from criticism, not rain•ICC

Much like Morgan, Root did not have sympathy for the home umpires who were officiating in front of a packed crowd in Nagpur, but said he would have no protests if Shamshuddin officiates in future games involving England. Shamshuddin, in fact, will be the on-field umpire for the Bangalore T20 international along with Anil Chaudhary.”I have no problem with him umpiring in any of our future games,” Root said. “As a player obviously you are going to make mistakes, you are going to get things wrong. As an umpire you are going to do exactly the same thing… If that [umpiring error] was at a major tournament and we get knocked out of the semi-final or lose a final from a decision that does go against us we feel bitterly disappointed and I don’t think it would fair on him as an umpire standing in that game to have to deal with the aftermath as well. I am just trying to think of the best solution for everyone, every party involved.”Root stressed that he had no wish to make Shamshuddin feel slighted or criticised for his errors.”Umpires are as much under scrutiny as we are. If you make consistent errors, you get found out and you might lose your international status. I don’t think that’s for us to worry about as players and we know that the best umpires available are going to stand in games for us.”So, it would be wrong to make him feel uncomfortable – or unfair. He should be allowed to do his job as we are ours. I think he will be under enough pressure – external pressures from what happened the other night – anyway.”Root, though, chose not to take the gloss off India’s death bowling and was especially warm in his praise for Bumrah, who closed out the game for India with pinpoint yorkers and well-disguised cutters.”I don’t want it to overshadow the way the Indian bowlers bowled at the back end there,” Root said. “I thought they played exceptionally well and Bumrah deserves a lot of credit for the way he held his nerve; he defended seven in the last over.”England have a chance to secure their first limited-overs series win in India since 1984 on Wednesday, and Root said the decider in Bangalore would tune up the side for the Champions Trophy, which is five months away.”It was probably frustrating and disappointing to finish the way it did,” he said. “But we have an opportunity to put that right now in the final game of the series. It will be good pressure for what will be an excitable and entertaining crowd. It will be a great preparation for major tournaments.”

A round-up of the Georgie Pie Super Smash matches on November 26

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2015A four-wicket haul from Andrew Ellis and a 43-ball 76 from Peter Fulton were the headlining performances in Canterbury’s six-wicket victory with 21 balls to spare against Auckland in Christchurch.Auckland had made a steady, if not rapid, start after choosing to bat. Riding on Brad Cachopa’s 49, they had progressed to 115 for 2 in 15.4 overs, with plenty of wickets in hand for the final surge. Then they collapsed to a spate of run-outs and Ellis, who finished with 4 for 17 in four overs. Auckland lost seven wickets for 18 runs and ended with 133 for 9.Fulton ensured that Canterbury did not struggle for momentum in the chase. Coming in at 18 for 2 in 2.1 overs, Fulton hit seven sixes in his innings, making more than half the runs in the chase of 134. He was unbeaten when the winning runs were scored in the 17th over. Auckland fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan took three out of the four wickets that Canterbury lost.Northern Districts chased down a target of 171 with two wickets and four balls to spare, handing Central Districts their fourth loss in their six completed games in the Georgie Pie Super Smash. Northern Districts were steered by 70 off 47 balls from opener Anton Devcich, before No. 7 Nick Kelly exploded with 36 off 16 to power the team home.Devcich had strung together handy partnerships with his top-order partners, putting Northern Districts on course at 126 for 3 in the 14th over. But three quick strikes – including that of Devcich – reduced them to 135 for 6 by the end of the 16th, and it was nervous times in their change room. Kelly hit away those nerves, though, slamming four sixes even as he lost two lower-order partners for ducks to get the side across the line.Central Districts’ innings was built around an anchoring 76 off 52 by their overseas opener, Mahela Jayawardene, after they had lost George Worker off the first ball of the match. Worker was taken out by Scott Kuggeleijn, who, with 3 for 24, ended with the best figures on either side.

Ryan Carters, the wicketkeeper-batsman who has played 11 first-class games for Victoria over the past three seasons, has signed a rookie deal with New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2013Ryan Carters, the wicketkeeper-batsman who has played 11 first-class games for Victoria over the past three seasons, has signed a rookie deal with New South Wales. Carters, who is originally from Canberra, did not have his Cricket Victoria contract renewed and instead has joined the Blues as one of the five rookies in their large squad for the 2013-14 summer.Batsmen Tim Cruickshank and David Dawson and the spinner Luke Doran have been delisted by the Blues, who also confirmed Test spinner Nathan Lyon as their major interstate import. Lyon was keen to return home to New South Wales having established himself as a domestic and international player with South Australia.There were no real surprises in the New South Wales contract list, with the fast bowler Gurinder Sandhu predictably upgraded to a full deal from his rookie contract after winning the Steve Waugh Medal last summer. New rookies include the wicketkeeper-batsman Jay Lenton and the left-arm pace-bowling allrounder Ben Dwarshuis.”Even with seven New South Wales players being contracted to Cricket Australia, Cricket New South Wales has still been able to name a very talented contract list for 2013/14,” John Warn, the Cricket New South Wales chairman said. “The addition of Nathan Lyon to our squad to play alongside a group of younger players that are developing rapidly, plus having someone of the ability of Trevor Bayliss to bring the group together, means that we have the depth and experience to challenge in both forms of the game next season.”New South Wales squad Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke (Cricket Australia contract), Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins (CA), Brad Haddin (CA), Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Scott Henry, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon (CA), Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Lalor, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc (CA), Chris Tremain, David Warner (CA), Shane Watson (CA). Rookies Nic Bills, Ryan Carters, Harry Conway, Ben Dwarshuis, Jay Lenton.

Kevin Pietersen’s exile from the England side has ended with his addition to the squad for the tour of India

David Hopps18-Oct-2012Kevin Pietersen has been added to England’s squad for the forthcoming Test series in India, so bringing to an end one of the most extraordinary stand-offs in the history of the game between a star player and those appointed to rule.It has taken 73 days for England and Pietersen to patch up their differences since he followed up what should have been one of the most triumphant moments of his career – a stirring century in the Headingley Test against South Africa – by talking of deep and perhaps irreparable divisions with the ECB and some members of the England dressing room.Once the parties began to talk, the “reintegration process” of Pietersen into the England side took only a couple of days. It just took them an extremely long time to talk.Pietersen flew back to England from the Champions League in South Africa this week for a series of meetings in Oxford and London with Andy Flower, England’s director of cricket, the captain Alastair Cook and key England players with whom his relationship had become increasingly fractious. Even a delayed flight could not prevent the speedy patching up of their differences.Confirmation that the Cold War was coming to an end came in Colombo a fortnight ago when Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, flanked by a nervous Pietersen, pronounced that it was time for “forgiveness” and a reintegration into “our society.”Hugh Morris, England cricket’s managing director, made what followed all sound eminently straightforward, saying: “We were keen that Kevin should hold a series of face-to-face meetings with team management and senior players before the Test squad departs for the UAE and India next week.”The meetings were constructive and cordial and all outstanding issues have been resolved. All the England players and management are now keen to draw a line under this matter and fully focus on the cricketing challenge that lies ahead in India.”In their desire to impress upon Pietersen that no player, however talented, was greater than the team, England lacked their most destructive batsman and arguably failed to qualify for the World Twenty20 semi-finals in Sri Lanka while he was employed instead as a pundit in a Colombo TV studio.Considering the political machinations that have gone on behind the scenes, the announcement by Geoff Miller, the chief selector, of Pietersen’s return to England’s fold could not have sounded more deadpan.”We are pleased to welcome a player of Kevin’s proven international calibre back into the Test squad for such an important Test series,” his statement read. “As we anticipate that Ian Bell will return home for the birth of his first child around the time of the second Test in Mumbai, the team will benefit from having an extra batsman in the squad and all players who were originally selected for the tour will fly out as planned next week.”The addition of Pietersen will give England more options at the top of the order, bringing the possibility that he cdould bat at No 3, so allowing Jonathan Trott to be considered as an opening batsman in preference to the two other batsmen originally earmarked for the role, Nick Compton or Joe Root.Pietersen has been given licence to fulfil his Champions League commitments with Delhi Daredevils before joining up with the squad. He gave his reaction on Twitter: “BOOOOOOOOM!! The happiest days of my career have been playing cricket for ENG. Long may that continue! Thanks everyone for your kind words.”Pietersen returns then, but he returns on very different terms. It could not have been made more apparent that Flower, as England’s director of cricket, must be entirely respected, whether in judging how hard he trains or what training top he should wear to do it.Flower, who had seen the last England coach, Peter Moores, lose his job after Pietersen, as captain, encouraged and then led a rebellion, will now expect unerring loyalty.The England hierarchy is convinced that their uncompromising stance has brought Pietersen to heel and that their assertion that the team ethic is more important than any glorious individual achievement has been pronounced from the rooftops. Pietersen now has what England see as a final chance to harness his abilities to the demands of the team.Clarke, in his announcement in Colombo, made it sound as if Pietersen had been released from imprisonment. In that case, we can presume that, in England’s mind, he is still tagged, his every move watched for evidence of regression.Pietersen is back, but who knows for how long? Relationships with several England players remain frosty, particularly with the Nottinghamshire pair of Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad, who captained England in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.He has played his most exceptional innings when he has felt the adulation of the crowd and acceptance of his fellows. Exuberance, overstatement and an arrogant belief in his own ability are part of his DNA. He must now perform for England in India in an atmosphere, irrespective of the “success” of the integration process, which will not be healed overnight.It remains to be seen whether he will find inspiration from that or whether England, in taming their most unpredictable talent, may also have damaged him beyond measure.