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Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

Rain and gloom ensured that just 14 balls were possible on the final day at Lahore as the curtains came down on a record-filled Test. Virender Sehwag completed a supreme 254 off 247 balls, the highest-ever Test score at over a run-a-ball, but his dismissal soon after meant that a 50-year-old record, for the highest opening partnership, stayed intact. It was an anti-climactic end to a dazzling run-fest, one where the weather and the pitch had a big part to play.It was a day when little could happen. Overnight showers delayed the start; bad light forced an early finish. In between, they managed to squeeze in 2.2 overs, under floodlights, and there was only one incentive left to play for – beating the 413-run opening partnership set by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy against New Zealand, at the quaint Corporation Stadium in Madras. Sehwag got closer, bringing up his 250 with a flicked couple to deep square leg, and then threatened to race towards it with an almighty slap through the covers, burning the grass on the way to the cover fence.Three balls later, he was gone, trying to carve a short one from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who he had smacked to smithereens yesterday, and edged to Kamran Akmal behind the stumps. It was strange to see him walk back to the pavilion disappointed, having swished a most astonishing knock. Only John Edrich, in his 310 at Leeds in 1965, had managed more fours and Sehwag had managed as many as Don Bradman had in his never-to-be-forgotten 334. When put in historical perspective, and considering that India were up against a monumental total, it was one hell of a riposte. But it will ultimately be judged by the surface it was clattered on, as well as the context of the match.Dravid didn’t manage to add to his overnight score, remaining unbeaten on 128. If analysed in isolation, factoring in the opening dilemma, it was a tremendous knock, but when put alongside the five other hundred-plus scores in the game, three of them stunningly over a run-a-ball, it may just be seen as one more century. With intermittent threat of rain at Faisalabad, and light likely to be as bad, the two teams may have to wait till Karachi to even contemplate a result. Until then, young kids in Pakistan, traditionally keen on picking up the ball, might just try their hands at whacking a few with the bat.

Matthew Hoggard extolled the virtues of attritional cricket at the closeof the first day’s play at Port Elizabeth, after his wholehearted effortshad lifted England into a promising position on a less-than-responsivepitch. Hoggard, who gave his entire team a shot in the arm with thesecond-ball wicket of Graeme Smith, grabbed 3 for 41 in 15 overs, after England were asked to bowl first.Renowned as an anxious performer at times, Hoggard admitted that the earlystrike had settled his nerves nicely, but denied that the identity of hisvictim was of any great relevance. On South Africa’s last visit to Englandin 2003, Smith ended Nasser Hussain’s reign as captain with a magnificent277 at Edgbaston, before setting up a famous win at Lord’s with scores of259 and 85."Obviously it was nice to get the South African captain early," said anunderstated Hoggard, "especially after what he did to us in England lasttime. But it’s always nice to get anyone early, and it put us in theascendancy."Hoggard went on: "It was a good day of toil. Even when we were getting no wickets, South Africa were not allowed to get away. There was a workmanlike ethic from everybody out there." In particular, it took a sterling performance from Andrew Flintoff to keep England from melting away in the heat, and Hoggard was quick to praise his performance."It was a massive performance from Fred," said Hoggard, after Flintoff hadbroken through in the afternoon with the wickets of Jacques Rudolph andZander de Bruyn. "He’s come on in leaps and bounds this year, and hisperformance with the old ball brought us back into the game."South Africa’s hero was Rudolph, who was jolted out of his seat by Smith’sdismissal in the first over, but remained steadfast for more than four hoursto top-score with a hard-worked 93. "To be honest, I prefer coming inearly," said Rudolph. "I don’t enjoy sitting in the changing-room."He may have been unfazed by his early arrival, but Rudolph’s eventualexit, seven short of a deserved century, was a disappointment, as he lateradmitted he had been unsettled by a huge appeal for caught-behind fromFlintoff’s previous ball. "It affected me a little bit," said Rudolph,after he had flinched a rising delivery to the keeper. "I probably wasn’tas switched on to the ball that got me out. I shouldn’t have played thatshot, but I’ll have to learn from it."As for the state of the game, Rudolph admitted that it had not been SouthAfrica’s day, and blamed that on the inexperience in their side. "It wouldhave been nice to get 400," he admitted, but tomorrow we’ll be aiming for350, and then anything after that will be a bonus."Andrew Miller is assistant editor of Cricinfo.

England v South Africa, 1st Test, Edgbaston, Day 1

This was not a day of turning points, of twists and turns. It was a straight road to South African domination. They ended the day on a monstrous 398 for 1. Last week Australia scored at 3.45 an over on a similarly slow pitch against Bangladesh; here South Africa flew at 4.37. It was England’s worst start to a series since 1999-2000, when, amid a riot of fends and edges, they careered to 122 all out in Johannesburg.The worst of the carnage came between lunch and shortly after tea. From 100 for 0 at lunch, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith blazed past 300 before England’s 12th man had even thought about preparing the post-tea drinks. But the most spectacular session of the day was not the most important, and the key to what Gibbs did after lunch lay in what he didn’t do before.A natural strokeplayer, Gibbs’s batting often walks the tightrope between the carefree and the irresponsible. His reputation for misjudged flashes outside off stump is matched only by his reputation for misjudged asides to the press, the latest of which revealed that he treated his six-month ban for match-fixing as a "holiday". But before lunch he watched countless deliveries whistle past off stump, took 25 balls to score and never gave in to temptation. His restraint was a study in willpower. The time he took to play himself back into form allowed him to change the tone of the match in the afternoon, when he scored 96 in a session and pulled the attack apart.What was disappointing for England as the tide turned against them was not that Gibbs and Smith hit boundaries, but that the boundaries were smashed to every corner. Gibbs scored 77 on the off side, 102 on the leg. Though wickets weren’t coming, England could still have stemmed the bleeding by bowling on one side of the wicket, but no-one seemed able to do it. For the first time in an England shirt Anderson, who was smashed for nearly eight an over by Gibbs, looked what he is: a 22-year-old who was still playing for Burnley last year.And leaky bowling was topped off with butterfingers. On a day when England beat the bat less than 20 times, three dropped catches were three too many. But they can take heart from history. In the last three series where they have bowled first (Australia in 2002-03, Sri Lanka in 2002 and 2000-01), England have tripped up by conceding at least 470. But only in the recent Ashes debacle did the first innings set the tone for the summer. In both series against Sri Lanka, England hauled themselves back and eventually won the rubber. So, while the first day was a disaster, there may be a few twists and turns yet.Wisden Bulletin – Gibbs and Smith put South Africa in complete control

Dion Nash is out of the tour of Australia and will be replaced by Canterbury’s Shane Bond.A worsening of the abdominal strain he suffered earlier in the tour is the reason for his return, not the back problems he has previously suffered.Nash, who must be medical insurance’s worst nightmare given his propensity for injury, was only passed fit following a fitness test to assess his abdominal strain, further strained the original injury when diving full length in the field.It is yet another blow to Nash’s career which has been notable for him picking himself up off the canvas than a punch drunk boxer three years past retirement.While he went wicketless during the Test, there were occasional glimpses of Nash at his best with balls beating the bat and also moving around. His pure competitiveness will be sorely missed.Manager Jeff Crowe said everyone involved with the team was bitterly disappointed, particularly for Nash who had only recently returned to the side after a back injury.”Dion has worked incredibly hard to get over his back injury and to strengthen it so he could come back and play to the best of his ability for his country,” Crowe said.”For him to be ruled out of the tour with a totally unrelated injury is extremely frustrating.”Nash’s misfortune is Bond’s good luck and after making a significant impression on unresponsive Indian pitches with the New Zealand A team earlier in the year he could have a great chance to make an impact on the tour, although he is still likely to be behind Daryl Tuffey and Chris Martin in the selection pecking order.His form in the match against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval will be his only chance to make an impression.However, looking further ahead, Bond’s batting makes him an ideal prospect for the CLEAR Black Caps one-day team for the VB series starting in January.Bond is to join the team in Australia today.

ScorecardFile photo: Akshath Reddy hit seven fours and a six for his 73•PTI

Goa and Services continued to play attritional cricket in Porvorim with the hosts scoring only 205 runs on the second day. Opener Swapnil Asnodkar ground out his 11th first-class century to guide Goa but their progress was stalled by late wickets.Overnight batsman Dheeraj Jadhav managed to add only two runs before he was bowled by Poonam Ponia. Asnodkar then put on partnerships of 62 and 99 with Darshal Misal and Rahul Keni respectively as Goa nudged past the 200-mark. However, Goa lost four wickets for 22 runs, slipping to 259 for 8. Pacers Diwesh Pathania and Poonia shared six wickets between them. Shadab Jakati and Rituraj Singh hung around to close out the day without any further damage. Goa finished at 268 for 8, still trailing Services by 134 runs.
ScorecardResuming from their overnight score of 40 for 1, Hyderabad crawled to 207 for 8 in reply to Kerala’s 401. Opener Akshath Reddy and B Anirudh made fifties at strike-rates of 30s to prop up their side after they were reduced to 97 for 3. Hyderebad, however, were done in by the lack of substantial contributions from the lower middle order. Reddy was dismissed for 73 by Karaparambil Monish, who then cleaned up the tail to claim his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Monish wheeled away for 43 overs, bowling 10 maidens and finishing with six wickets. Anirudh, though, was still unbeaten on 54 off 142 balls.
ScorecardHimachal Pradesh’s 23-year old batsman Nikhil Gangta scored his maiden first-class double-century to drive his team to a commanding lead against Jammu & Kashmir in Dharamsala.Resuming on 111 on the third morning, Gangta went on to score 203 at a brisk pace, hitting 20 fours and seven sixes. He was the seventh wicket to fall with the score on 514, having added 168 with Bipul Sharma. Sharma remained unbeaten on 117 off 154 balls, driving Himachal Pradesh to 554 before the last wicket fell in the 143rd over.The Jammu & Kashmir openers added 58 before Sharma dismissed Waseem Raza for 38. The visitors ended the day on 85 for 1, trailing by 176.

Scorecard

It took all of three days for Mumbai, led by Ramesh Powar’s second five-wicket haul in as many matches, to seal their first win of the Ranji Trophy this season by beating Tamil Nadu by eight wickets at the Gurunanak College Ground in Chennai.After a steady fall of wickets in the morning, R Ashwin’s fighting half-century and a composed 47 by K Vasudevadas kept Mumbai at bay, but the home side’s inability to string together sufficient partnerships ultimately led to their undoing, leaving Mumbai just 104 to win with an entire session to score the runs.Aavishkar Salvi and Ajit Agarkar, lent support to Powar and scuttled out Tamil Nadu for 214 by just sticking to the basics of line and length. Some alert fielding within the circle also contributed to the home side’s downfall.The slide began off the second ball of the day when Agarkar got one to swerve in with the angle and take Dinesh Karthik’s middle stump. Agarkar charged in with intent, exerted himself and looked a different bowler from the first innings, firing in the occasional yorker.With the luxury of time at hand to play themselves in, nightwatchman Vijay Kumar Yomahesh and captain S Badrinath put their heads down and strung together a stand of 45. Yomahesh was solid in defence and that allowed Badrinath to play with more freedom at the other end. He made his intentions clear with a big six off Powar, over the sight screen, and also took Salvi to task with an imperious hook, followed by a flick past midwicket.However, Tamil Nadu’s hard work was undone by Powar yet again as he plugged away with the wickets of Yomahesh and R Prasanna without the addition of a run. Yomahesh edged one on to his stumps, failing to cover the turn, while Prasanna padded up in front of the stumps. It was déjà vu for Badrinath as he edged one on to his stumps, identical to his first-innings dismissal, this time off Salvi, leaving half the side back in the pavilion with another 16 required to make Mumbai bat again. R Srinivasan was beaten for swing and had his off stumped shaved by Salvi, who looked in good rhythm, coming back after a back injury.Ashwin and Vasudevadas then crafted Tamil Nadu’s most impressive passage of play in the entire match. With the low bounce continuing to test the concentration of the batsmen, both made it a point to get behind the line and rotate the strike without getting bogged down. The positive vibes lifted the spirits of the Tamil Nadu camp, as Vasudevadas drove Agarkar past point, and swept Powar to the square-leg boundary As he gained in confidence, he used his feet to the left-arm spin of Iqbal Abdulla and fetched a straight six.Ashwin, regarded as a promising allrounder, was at ease against pace and spin, getting to the pitch of the ball and getting the placement right on many occasions. The pair added 50 in 120 balls, wiped off the deficit and Ashwin brought up his own half-century with a flashy cut past point.

However, Vasudevadas’ error in judgement, shouldering arms to one that came straight through from Salvi, broke the partnership and an excellent piece of fielding by the same bowler – effecting a direct hit from the region of square leg – sent Ashwin packing. Powar wrapped up the tail and Tamil Nadu’s total of 214 was a disappointment.Mumbai, led by Prashant Naik’s scintillating unbeaten 57, raced to the target with little fuss. The spinners, Ashwin and R Ramkumar were in for a pounding as he launched Ashwin for three identical sixes over deep midwicket. He ended the match with a flourish, launching Ramkumar for three consecutive sixes, finishing on an unbeaten 57.

Michael Hussey is quickly becoming Australia’s most complete batsman after steering the side through some unexpected trouble with an unbeaten 74. Pushed up a spot to No. 4 after Damien Martyn’s exit, Hussey grabbed the role as successfully as he has with most of his tasks since entering the Test squad a year ago.Only the Western Australians who laud Martyn would have missed him as one of their other local heroes coolly avoided the early trouble of a moist surface and then increased his rate as the juice disappeared. After crawling to four from 46 balls he stepped up as his team-mates fell to Monty Panesar and Steve Harmison and were dismissed for a disappointing 244.Andrew Flintoff and Sajid Mahmood were crashed for stunning off drives and Monty Panesar was regularly worked for square-driven boundaries as Hussey showed his shot-happy team-mates the way to succeed on his home ground. The half-century was Hussey’s eighth in his past ten innings and he was only cut short of a century by the lack of support from the rest of the order.The innings continued an impressive streak of 86, 91 and 61 not out in the series and he is not concerned by the absence of a three-figure return. “It would have been nice to get there but it’s been nice for me to contribute in a positive way to the team,” he said. “I’ve been able to contribute and we’ve won two Tests.”Hussey said he would bat anywhere if it meant he could play for Australia and he slipped easily into the No. 4 slot. “It was a bit different and I got nervous a lot quicker,” he said. “Usually I can kick back and relax for at least the first session, but I did enjoy getting in there early and getting into the fight.”England produced their best bowling day of the tour and Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison were particularly difficult when the pitch suited them in the opening session. “It was a good battle,” Hussey said. “There was plenty of moisture in it early but as it dried out I found it less challenging. I found it hard to get any rhythm in the first session then it slowly got better and better.” He expected it would become easier for batting as the game wore on.Australia started the day with a 2-0 lead but England finished it with a third-Test edge as they cut the advantage by 51 for the loss of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell. “We’re going to have to get early wickets tomorrow,” Hussey said. Australia are eyeing the long tail created by the inclusion of Panesar and Mahmood and are desperate to make inroads.

Northamptonshire have signed Matthew Nicholson, the New South Wales quick bowler, as a replacement overseas player for Damien Wright. Nicholson, who played one Test for Australia against England in 1998-99, will add some much-needed fire power to the Northants attack following the departure of Johann Louw.Nicholson said he can’t wait for the challenge: “I’m really pumped about getting a full time contract with Northamptonshire. There have been a fair few enquiries over the years from counties but I feel now is the right time to commit to a full season in England. I’m looking forward to working with Kepler Wessels and all the guys in making 2006 a successful year for Northants.”The Northants chief executive, Mark Tagg, added: “We were disappointed to initially learn of the injury of Damien Wright who was tremendous for us last season taking 53 Championship wickets and 33 one-day wickets. Damien was a top guy off the field as well as on and will be missed by all at the club and his many supporters.”We believe that in Nicholson we have a more than able replacement who is capable with both bat and ball and will be a key member of the team as we continue to move forward.”

Scorecard

Sri Lanka found themselves victims of New Zealand’s miserable summer, so far at least, when the opening game of their tour was rained off after only five overs of their innings at New Plymouth’s Yarrow Stadium.Sri Lanka won the toss and asked Central Districts, the New Zealand one-day domestic champions, to bat first. Most of the interest hovered around how Jamie How, the season’s standout performer so far, would fare.But both he and and Craig Spearman, the former New Zealand opener, were dismissed for two runs by Nuwan Zoysa, the left-arm fast bowler. At 10 for 2 the pressure was on the home team. Mathew Sinclair batted down the order at No. 4 but scored only 4, and it was left to Ross Taylor to provide a typically dynamic innings of 36 before he was forced to retire hurt.Jacob Oram and Glen Sulzberger kicked on from that point, and added 123 for thefourth wicket with Oram maintaining his cracking form for a breezy 74 off 78 balls. A rain shower forced the teams off the field for nearly half an hour, and that was sufficient to end the stand. Sulzberger scored 39 before he, like Oram, fell to Upul Chandana. Some spirited late resistance came from Ewen Thompson, who flogged 30 off 19 balls including one huge six, as CD finished with 220 for 7.Of more concern than the CD recovery for the Sri Lankans was the finger injury suffered by Zoysa while fielding. The finger was put back in place, but there was a deep cut and he was taken to hospital for a full check-up with CJ Clark, the physio. Zoysa remains a doubtful starter for the first game on Sunday. Zoysa had looked very dangerous during his two bowling spells, and had two for 22 off eight overs before he left the field. Nuwan Kulasekara finished with 2 for 27.Even as the Sri Lankans began their innings a hint of rain was evident. When it arrived they were in trouble with Saman Jayantha and Kumar Sangakkara dismissed with the score was 14, both falling to Lance Hamilton, the left-arm medium-pacer.Two attempts were made to get back onto the field, but more showers prevented the resumption on both occasions.

Zaheer Khan, spearhead of the Indian pace attack over the past few months, has impressed Dennis Lillee, director of the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, where Zaheer is currently training.”I have not seen any mistake in his bowling,” said Lillee to the Press Trust of India (PTI). “Before the end of this week, we will analyse video clippings of his bowling, including his action and then advice him on improvements.””Zaheer is bowling at 140 to 150 mph speed now. Very few in the world bowl at this speed. Perhaps he is only one level below Brett Lee’s speed. In the olden days, bowlers like Jeff Thompson, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts were termed as ‘express’. Zaheer is also excellent.”Lillee was also confident that Zaheer would slip smoothly into the role of lead bowler, hitherto played by Javagal Srinath. “For a young man like Zaheer, who is fresh in mind and body, it will be easier to handle competition at the top level. What I have seen of him in the last four years makes me feel that he has the potential to handle any situation. However, it is all upto him and no one can do the work for him.”Zaheer is currently at the Pace Foundation to “further his skills” under Lillee. “I have come here because the MRF Pace Foundation has the best of facilities,” he said. “I cannot live on my past performances. I have to keep improving and perform well consistently.””It is a good opportunity for me to be back at the academy, where I have spent time since 1998. Such visits always helps in fine-tuning skills. I am here basically to work on my fitness. I am working towards peaking in my career. Fitness is very important. If I get some advice from Dennis it will help me perform better,” Zaheer said.Zaheer too was asked about Srinath’s retirement and his own role thereafter. “We hope that he does not retire immediately. If he does so, we have to maintain the standards set by Srinath, who has played for a long time. We are keeping our fingers crossed”.India’s new crop of young pacemen, said Zaheer, are “doing really well. It is a good sign. Pace academies like MRF and a few others, started recently, have been doing their best in this regard. It augurs well for India. Perhaps these youngsters derive inspiration from seniors like us.”