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New Zealand fight back with bat and ball for eight-run win in series opener

Madushka Balasuriya28-Dec-2024It was a heist for the ages in Mount Maunganui as New Zealand secured an eight-run win in the first T20I, and with it took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. But more importantly it was a lesson in fight from the hosts, one the visitors would do well to take note of.For much of the game it had looked Sri Lanka’s to lose. The first instance was when New Zealand were reeling on 65 for 5 midway through their innings, and the second when Sri Lanka were cruising after a 121-run opening stand needing just 52 off 40 deliveries.On both occasions New Zealand fought back, and hard – initially through a 105-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell to post a competitive 172 for 8, and then finally through a late strangle that saw Sri Lanka lose eight wickets for 38 runs after being in total control of proceedings.Jacob Duffy was at the heart of the collapse with a three-wicket 14th over, as he set the wheels in motion for a sterling New Zealand comeback – which also earned him the player of the match award. Sri Lanka though will be at a loss for words in attempting to explain how they let this game slip.A collapse for the agesSri Lanka thought they had done enough – and by all accounts they had. A 121-run opening stand in chase of 173 would in most cases have been more than enough. After all, when Kusal Mendis fell for a brisk 46, Sri Lanka needed only another 52 runs off 40 deliveries with nine wickets in hand.Sure, three balls later that equation changed to 52 needed with seven wickets in hand, after Duffy had made sure Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis followed Kusal to the dressing room. But, surely not?Nerves were eased a bit as Charith Asalanka joined Pathum Nissanka in the middle to chip away. But when he fell with 28 still required off 16, more doubts crept in. And then when Matt Henry removed Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the span of a few deliveries, all doubt was removed. Sri Lanka needed 19 off 8, but only Wanindu Hasaranga could be counted on to strike the boundaries needed.Hasaranga being run out without facing a ball in the final over summed up Sri Lanka’s disastrous end to the game.Binura leads Sri Lanka’s early chargeMitchell Santner had been concerned about about a “green tinge” on the surface having been put in to bat, and after the first ten overs his concerns seemed warranted as New Zealand had stumbled to 65 for 5.Pathum Nissanka’s 90 from 60 balls seemed to have put Sri Lanka firmly in control•Getty Images

Binura Fernando, playing his first T20I in nine months, proved the most effective of Sri Lanka’s three seamers despite never clocking more than 130kph. He showed admirable control and found consistent movement in the air despite bowling mostly on a good length or slightly further back; the wickets of Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra were just rewards, and he might have had another had Charith Asalanka not spilled Mark Chapman at mid-off.Binura’s opening burst of three overs went for just 12 runs, before a Hasaranga double-strike in the 10th over really rammed home Sri Lanka’s early dominance.Mitchell and Bracewell counter brutallyIf the first half of the innings belonged to Sri Lanka, the second was well and truly New Zealand’s. After a couple of overs treading water, Bracewell signalled his intent to shift gears with a pair of boundaries off Maheesh Theekshana in the 14th, before unloading on an off-colour Matheesha Pathirana an over later – a flicked six into the grass banks and a monster loft over wide long-off the highlights in a 22-run over.Bracewell’s power was on total display from then on as Hasaranga and Binura were also both taken for maximums over the next few overs. And there would be no respite for Sri Lanka at the other end either, as Mitchell struck in lockstep with his partner, the pair even bringing up their respective fifties off consecutive deliveries.In total, 107 runs were struck between overs 10-20, with 85 of those coming off the six-over period from 13-19. Only an excellent final over from Theekshana, where three wickets fell for just three runs ensured New Zealand were kept below 180.Pathirana’s off dayFour overs for 60 runs and a solitary wicket marked a bad day at the office for Pathirana, but it’s the three no-balls (and subsequent free hits) that will no doubt have Sri Lanka’s coaching staff pulling their hair out. That one of those accounted for the wicket of Mitchell, when he was on eight, will be particularly grating.Pathirana also struggled with identifying an effective length, constantly bowling fuller than ideal – surprising considering the success Binura had had by hitting the deck harder, not to mention the success Pathirana himself has had with similar lengths in the past.

Cameron Bancroft took a blinding catch at slip on the final day to cap a fine match

AAP29-Oct-2023Joel Paris ripped through South Australia’s batting to take a career-best 11 wickets for the match, bowling Western Australia to a 200-run Sheffield Shield win in Adelaide.After WA declared overnight and set South Australia 355 on the final day to win, Paris claimed figures of 5 for 39 to have the Redbacks all out for 154.Paris took the first two wickets, before coming back to finish the job early in the final session. No South Australian passed 30 in their second innings, as they surrendered inside 63 overs.Related

• Bancroft builds Test case with another Shield century

• New South Wales' Sheffield Shield misery continues with MCG thrashing

After taking 6 for 74 in the first innings to have the Redbacks all out for 264, Paris was a handful on Sunday in his first Shield match of the summer due to a hamstring injury.While his career has been stalled by injury in recent years, Paris has never been far from selectors’ thoughts after playing two ODIs for Australia in 2016.So highly is he regarded, he was told during this year’s Ashes to be ready to join the squad as cover for Mitchell Starc if the left-armer went down with injury.The 30-year-old set the tone early when he drew South Australian opener Kelvin Smith’s edge, discarding him for a duck. Paris also had Daniel Drew caught pulling, superbly taken by Hilton Cartwright with one arm above his head at midwicket.Liam Haskett made an impact on the final day against South Australia•Getty Images

Cameron Bancroft also took a great catch off Paris, fully outstretched to his left at second slip to remove Jake Lehmann for 6.If Paris was Western Australia’s best in the match, Bancroft wasn’t far behind with 57 in their first-innings 241 before he hit an even 100 in the visitors’ second dig.Considered third-in-line at the start of the summer to replace the retiring David Warner after the Sydney Test, Bancroft is now averaging 92.50 this season.With his fielding also on song, he is making a compelling case to move ahead of both Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw in the eyes of Australian selectors.”He’s doing all he possibly can do at the moment,” WA coach Adam Voges said. “He was outstanding all of last season, he has started this season like he did last year. He is the premier, form batsman of the competition.”After Bancroft’s neat work in the field, Paris then returned to finish the match after tea when he took the edges of both Harry Conway and Wes Agar.WA’s other left-armer Liam Haskett took 3 for 31, while spinner Corey Rocchiccioli claimed 2 for 59 in the side’s second Shield win of the summer.The loss marked South Australia’s second defeat in three games to start the season, leaving them in fourth spot on the ladder.”It’s pretty disappointing,” coach Jason Gillespie said. “In three Shield games, we’ve had seven individual scores above 40. We just can’t keep having these performances. We need to be better.”

India A will play three four-day games and as many List A matches against New Zealand

Shashank Kishore16-Aug-2022The BCCI is set to resume the India A programme in early September, with incoming tours from New Zealand, and possibly, Australia. It will be helmed by VVS Laxman and his NCA support staff group of Sairaj Bahutule and Sitanshu Kotak.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that New Zealand A will arrive in India by the end of August for three four-day games and as many List A matches, with all of them likely to be held in Bengaluru. The BCCI is also contemplating the possibility of a pink-ball fixture during the series, but a final nod is awaited.New Zealand A played a pink-ball game on their previous tour to India in 2017-18. That game in Vijayawada, though, was a day fixture despite being played with the pink ball. And if the game in the upcoming series next month does go ahead, it will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.The New Zealand A tour is expected to overlap with the Duleep Trophy, the zonal first-class competition, which will open India’s domestic calendar for the 2022-23 season. The six-team tournament will be played from September 8 to 25 in Chennai and Coimbatore.The home series against New Zealand will be India A’s first assignment since their tour to South Africa late last year, just prior to the national team’s three-Test series in December.The BCCI is also understood to be in negotiations with Cricket Australia for a tour towards the end of the year – most likely in November – prior to the start of the Ranji Trophy and India’s next Test assignment, which will be in Bangladesh.The Bangladesh tour, consisting of two Tests, will be India’s penultimate World Test Championship (WTC) assignment. They will culminate the current leg of the WTC with a four-Test series at home against Australia in February-March.

Kraigg Brathwaite the biggest mover in the Test batsmen’s table, up 21 places to No. 43

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2021Fakhar Zaman’s 155-ball 193, which almost took Pakistan to an unexpected win over South Africa in their second ODI before it ended in controversial circumstances, has helped him move up seven spots to No. 12 in the men’s ODI rankings for batsmen. Also moving up after two big innings – 123* and 60 – was Rassie van der Dussen, up to a career-best 22.van der Dussen, however, had to skip the final match of the series – a decider in Centurion on Wednesday – after picking up a quad injury, but Zaman has the chance to build on his position on the table.Of the others to gain on the table, South Africa’s new ODI captain Temba Bavuma’s 92 in the second ODI took him up to a career-best 88th spot among batsmen, while Anrich Nortje’s 4 for 51 and 3 for 63 in the two games, before he left for the IPL, helped him get to 73rd place, also a career-best position.The rain-curtailed final T20I of the series between New Zealand and Bangladesh also took place in the period under consideration, and in it, Finn Allen smashed 71 in 29 balls to lead his team to a 65-run win and a 3-0 series sweep. That helped him enter the top 100 after just three matches, while Tim Southee’s 3 for 15 in that game meant he remained the top-ranked fast bowler in the format, at sixth place.Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus, meanwhile, scored an unbeaten 62 in the first T20I against Uganda as his team won 3-0, and that helped him get to 66th place, the best for his country.The major mover from the second and final Test of the West Indies vs Sri Lanka series, which ended 0-0, was Kraigg Brathwaite. The new West Indies Test captain scored 126 and 85, and went up 21 places to 43rd. Oshada Fernando’s 66* in the second innings took him 11 places up to 61, while Jason Holder remained the best allrounder after hitting 30 and 71 not out and picking up two wickets in the first innings.

Australian left-arm seamer set for fourth stint at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2019James Faulkner, the Australian left-arm seamer, will return to Lancashire for his fourth stint at the club for next year’s T20 Blast.Faulkner first appeared for the county in 2015, and has been one of their overseas players in the Blast since 2018. This season, he took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.88 as Lancashire topped the North Group, but were beaten by eventual winners Essex in the quarter-finals.”I am thrilled to be returning to Emirates Old Trafford for next season’s Vitality Blast,” Faulkner said. “It feels like a home away from home for me and I cannot wait to get started again in May.”We were unlucky not to progress past the quarter-finals last year and we are all determined to put that right in 2020. We will be going all out to repeat the success of 2015, which remains one of the proudest memories in my cricketing career.”Emirates Old Trafford is an amazing place to play cricket and I can’t wait to reunite with the squad next summer. I’m determined to win the Vitality Blast trophy back for the Club.”Paul Allott, the club’s director of cricket, said: “James is a fantastic, well-rounded cricketer of significant experience and we are delighted to welcome him back to Emirates Old Trafford for a fourth season in 2020.”He is the very definition of an all-rounder. He can bowl in any situation, which he has done successfully for us at both the beginning and back end of an innings, and is still a powerful batsman, not to mention his outstanding ability in the field too.”His enthusiasm in representing the Red Rose is evident and he has established himself as a key figure in our T20 side. He is a proven winner and a great role model to the younger players.”

The 38-year-old allrounder has informed the selectors that he wants to focus on his limited-overs career

Umar Farooq04-Dec-2018Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, 38, will retire from Test cricket after the ongoing third game against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, having informed chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq that he wants to focus on his limited-overs career.”Today, I want to announce my retirement from the Test-match format so that I can focus my energies on playing for Pakistan in the white-ball formats,” Hafeez said after the second day’s play. “I am eyeing to represent Pakistan in the ICC World Cup next year. I feel honoured that I represented the country in 55 Test matches, including the opportunity of captaining the team. I feel satisfied that I performed to the best of my abilities in my 15 year-long Test career.”I wish the Test team the very best for their upcoming assignments starting with the tour to South Africa, the team management especially the coach and captain have worked very hard in forming an exciting core of players that can serve for long.”PCB chairman Ehsan Mani paid tribute to Hafeez, saying his contribution in Test cricket “will be remembered for a long time”.”Hafeez gave some memorable and matching-winning performances for Pakistan in the Test match format,” Mani said. “He lent great balance to the XI with his bowling abilities.”One of the longest-serving international cricketers left in the game, Hafeez made his debut in both Test and ODI cricket in 2003. He marked his international debut with a half-century in a seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Sharjah that April, in Pakistan’s first ODI since their disappointing showing at the 2003 World Cup.In all he made 10 Test hundreds in his 15-year career, all of them coming in Asian conditions, including a best of 224 against Bangladesh in Khulna in 2015. His highest score elsewhere was a hard-fought 95 against England at The Oval in 2006, that would surely have set his team up for victory but for the subsequent forfeiture of the match due to a ball-tampering furore.Hafeez announced his decision after he had managed only 39 runs in four innings and went wicketless against New Zealand. Having been dismissed by Trent Boult for a duck on Tuesday, he could have one final chance to add to his 3644 Test runs, should Pakistan return to bat in their second innings.Hafeez’s international career appeared to be winding down after he was downgraded in Pakistan’s central contract list in August this year, and he even contemplated retirement. But his wife Nazia, along with the former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, talked him out of it.After a late call-up to the Pakistan Test squad for their two-Test series against Australia in October, Hafeez marked his return with a hundred in a double-century opening stand with Imam-ul-Haq. Their 205-run partnership in the first Test in Dubai was was only the 10th double-century opening stand made against Australia in Test cricket. However, in seven innings since his 126 in Dubai, he has not passed 20.

Worcestershire have given themselves an excellent chance of securing promotion after a third successive County Championship victory

George Dobell at New Road15-Sep-2017Worcestershire have given themselves an excellent chance of securing promotion after a third successive County Championship victory.It may have taken them longer than anticipated – entry to New Road was free on Friday with a possibility that matters could be settled within an hour, but play ultimately stretched until around 3.20pm – but the result takes Worcestershire top of the table with only a couple of weeks of the season remaining.The result from Cardiff means promotion is not assured as Northants have a game in hand. But the worst case scenario means Worcestershire will require a maximum of 11 points from their final match against Durham. As their captain, Joe Leach, put it: “It’s in our own hands.”With Northants needing to defeat Nottinghamshire next week to sustain their own promotion hopes, it is entirely possible Worcestershire’s promotion will be guaranteed before their next match begins. If so, it would be their fifth promotion in 11 years under director of cricket Steve Rhodes and the first time in the history of two divisions they will have found themselves in the division above Warwickshire.It is a scenario that seemed unlikely only a few weeks ago. After the fall-out of the Tom Kohler-Cadmore affair and a gruesome T20 campaign – no team won fewer or lost more games – it seemed their Championship form was falling away. They won just one (and lost three) out of six Championship games in the middle of the season.But a brief break and the acquisition of Ravi Ashwin has given them renewed life. While Ashwin’s figures are relatively modest – he has claimed 13 wickets at an average of 33.46 in his three games to date – his presence has lifted the side. He is clearly relaxed in the environment – he is enjoying walking around the city without being recognised – and has inspired some of his young team-mates to this revival. Ashwin was the only man in this side not to have graduated through the Worcestershire system.They are a couple of exceptional young players in this Worcestershire side. In 19-year-old Josh Tongue (who has 45 first-class wickets this season) they have one of the outstanding fast bowling prospects in the country – it is a long, long time since such a bowler came through the system here – while in 21-year-old Joe Clarke (who has 850 first-class runs this summer) they have one of the outstanding young batsmen. Both are set to be included in performance squads this winter.”To be top of the league with predominantly home grown talent, we are very proud of that fact,” Rhodes said afterwards. “To pick up maximum points with 10 Academy players makes you feel very proud.”The new-ball spell on Thursday, when Leicestershire were reduced to 10 for 4, was a pivotal moment in the game.”They did not have life completely their own way on the final day. Leicestershire’s eighth-wicket pair, coming together with the lead only 22, put on 103 in 23 overs as Worcestershire’s ploy of testing them with the short ball backfired. Zak Chappell, in particular, produced some nice pulls as he recorded the second half-century of his career – the first, an innings of 96, was made on his first-class debut – with Lewis Hill adding measured support.They played Ashwin well, too. Chappell brought up his 50 from 63 balls with a straight six back over the off-spinner’s head and, as the lead grew beyond 100 and rain necessitated a couple of brief interruptions, Worcestershire nerves began to grow.Finally, the short ball worked, though. Chappell and Doeter Klein pulled long-hops to midwicket before Lewis, left only with the No. 11, slog-swept to the square-leg boundary where Brett D’Oliveira held on to a well-judged catch. Leicestershire had lost their last three wickets for the addition of just six runs and Worcestershire required just 132 to win.The pursuit was not entirely straightforward – D’Oliveira missed an attempted scoop, Daryl Mitchell played on and Tom Fell, with a top score of 39 in all formats this season, looks as if he needs a holiday – but the pitch remained true and Leicestershire, without a win this season, lacked the belief to turn the screw as some sides might have done.It was, though, a day that offered some encouragement for Leicestershire, too. In 21-year-old Chappell they have one of the most outstanding prospects in the county game: an allrounder capable of bowling fast. He is raw, certainly – he is prone to fall away as he bowls and he doesn’t seem to gain much lateral movement – but he has the potential to be fine player.And in Callum Parkinson, who followed his eight wickets in the first innings – the best haul by a Leicestershire bowler since Devon Malcolm took 8 for 63 against Surrey in 2001 – with two more in the second to claim a first 10-for, they have one of the best young, left-arm spinners. Mark Cosgrove, the Leicestershire captain, went as far as describing him as “the best spinner in the game.” While that might be wishful thinking, he is one of the players that provides hope of better times ahead for long-suffering Leicestershire supporters.”Everyone’s attention was on Ashwin, but Parky outshone him quite easily,” Cosgrove said. “He’s got a massive future in front of him and hopefully we can get the pitch to turn at Grace Road.”They could do worse than learn from Worcestershire. While some clubs look for their cheque book when they require a player, Worcestershire look to their youth teams. The England management and selectors talk of Rhodes as the most helpful and committed of all county coaches, one of the few who never questions why a player might be called into a Lions squad or rested from a key match. He, and the likes of the academy coach Elliot Wilson are producing players who could serve their club and country with distinction. For that, the entire English game should be grateful. Promotion seems a just reward.

The worm turns again. There is some wonderful Test cricket being played at the moment and the Edgbaston Test could bubble up into a humdinger after Alastair Cook and Alex Hales wiped out Pakistan’s lead with an unbroken stand of 117

The Report by Andrew McGlashan05-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook continued his fine form with another half-century•Getty Images

The worm turns again. There is some wonderful Test cricket being played at the moment and the Edgbaston Test could bubble up into a humdinger after Alastair Cook and Alex Hales wiped out Pakistan’s lead with an unbroken stand of 117 on a day that England showed commendable resilience.Cook closed on 61, during which he become England’s leading run-scorer across all formats – overtaking Kevin Pietersen – although of more immediate relevance was the assurance with which he played, reaching fifty off 67 balls. Hales was less fluent, but showed the determination he had against Sri Lanka earlier in the season and brought up his fifty from 116 balls off the final delivery of the day. The century stand was this pair’s first in Test cricket, in their 18th innings together, and England’s first since Cook and Moeen Ali in Abu Dhabi last October.Pakistan’s eventual advantage of 103 was good, but perhaps short of what they would have hoped for late on Thursday before Azhar Ali edged the final delivery of the day. In total, their last eight wickets fell for 143, with the last five managing just 42 as the flimsy lower order was exposed once Misbah-ul-Haq’s diligent half-century was ended.England’s seamers bowled well (Moeen was only entrusted with two overs in the day) although James Anderson was ordered out of the attack after encroaching on the danger area for a third time – the second time in the year he had been removed having also transgressed in Johannesburg. But by then Pakistan were eight down and England were able to soak up his absence. Chris Woakes continued to impress to finish with three wickets while England earned another scalp through their fielding when Yasir Shah was run out.Unlike the opening day, England’s openers were able to start in sunshine and the surface remained placid. The Pakistan seamers fed Cook with too much width early on and the fifty stand came up in the 15th over, with Cook contributing 36 of them. The pace did not slow, aided by Hales also finding his groove after some hard work, notably when he flicked Yasir over the leg side. There was little help for Yasir, although he did spin one to bring an lbw appeal against Hales which went to review but had pitched outside leg.It was Hales who took England into the lead with a textbook back-foot punch off Sohail Khan who struggled to replicate his first-innings performance. Mohammad Amir was the pick of the quicks, but Misbah will need a telling contribution from Yasir on the fourth day. When the players walked off, with nine overs unbowled due to various delays, there was a very different feel to the match than a few hours earlier.A key element to this match could yet be the control England managed to exert with the ball, meaning that even when wickets were not falling the innings did not run away from them. The third morning, which began with Pakistan 40 adrift, started in a similar manner to the previous day with them willing to soak up the pressure: Anderson’s opening five-over spell cost just four runs and while Pakistan had plenty of wickets in hand they were content, but their approach did mean the lengthy tail remained a get-out for England if they could break through.Younis Khan was slightly less jumpy than in the first two Tests but could not escape his rut, providing England their first wicket of the day when he glanced Woakes down the leg side – a similar dismissal to the first innings at Old Trafford off Ben Stokes.Misbah continued to leave and defend against some tight bowling, only occasionally breaking free when he drove Stuart Broad for consecutive boundaries, in a manner very similar to how he has played throughout this cluster of England Tests in the last eight months. By lunch, the runs had started to come more freely.Asad Shafiq started brightly at Lord’s but has been slightly less productive since and could not break the shackles in an 18-ball stay before losing his off stump when Broad made a delivery nip back which he was late on. At that point, Pakistan were yet to take the lead and England sniffed a chance to keep the Test even.Not for the first time, Sarfraz Ahmed’s appearance brought energy to the innings, both in his punchy strokeplay and eagerness to keep the strike rotating. Misbah’s early caution was also rewarded as he moved from 7 off 39 balls to a half-century off 93, although one of his boundaries came when an edge flashed past Joe Root who was stood at a very close third slip.His dismissal had a dose of bad fortune about it, although Anderson was unlikely to see it that way, when he defended at a ball which then came off pad and boot into the stumps. It gave England an opening at the lower order and brought a period where the umpires were in the thick of the action.A superb piece of fielding from Woakes at deep square beat Yasir attempt to come back for a second, Jonny Bairstow doing well to gather the throw and break the stumps with his elbow – a dismissal which led to a thumbing of the Laws: it was perfectly legal, a run out can be completed by hand to arm providing the ball is under control.Amir’s wicket also needed the intervention of the TV umpire when Woakes rightly thought the lbw shout had struck pad first, while Sohail was lbw walking across his stumps at Broad. By then Anderson had been removed from the attack by Joel Wilson, following further feedback from the third umpire, and his over was completed by Steven Finn who was destined to end wicketless again when Cook added to England’s list of dropped catches by shelling Rahat Ali at slip. It was the last moment that did not go right for them.

Cricket has made its first-ever appearance at ESPN’s annual awards, the ESPYS, after an acrobatic catch by West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo at the IPL was nominated as a ‘Best Play’

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2015Help Dwayne Bravo win cricket’s first ESPY by voting hereCricket has made its first-ever appearance at ESPN’s annual awards, the ESPYS, after an acrobatic catch by West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo at the IPL was nominated as a ‘Best Play’.Bravo was recognised for a leaping, one-handed take on the boundary to dismiss Shane Watson in Chennai, a feat that also earned him the IPL’s ‘catch of the season’ award. He sprinted to his left from long-on to get in line with what seemed a certain six from Watson, before jumping and arching back to pluck the ball over his head, and then kept his balance to avoid the rope.”I admit I am still shocked on many levels,” Bravo said. “Firstly, I am shocked and happy that cricket is being recognised by the American market, and on their biggest and most prestigious night in sport. Secondly, I am in a category with athletes that I look up to and admire, titans of their sports, and I am humbled.”Bravo is also the first ESPYS nominee from Trinidad & Tobago. “I am proud to represent my country and value every opportunity to showcase the talent that exists here,” he said. “Of course I would love to win, so I take this opportunity to ask my fans around the world to vote, not just for me but for our beloved cricket.”Bravo’s effort was among a shortlist of 16 plays from a variety of sports. Other nominees include Lionel Messi’s mesmerising goal against Athletic Bilbao in May, plays from NFL, NBA, lacrosse and more. The winner will be determined by a public vote, and the contest follows a bracket format. Bravo’s immediate challenger is a last-minute Hail Mary pass in a college-football game.The ESPYS, which were first awarded in 1993, is an annual event to commemorate the past year in sports, recognising both sport-specific achievements, such as Best NBA Player, and best-in-sport winners, such as Best Team or Best Female Athlete, that pit nominees from different sports against each other. There is no specific category for cricket, and Bravo’s nomination is the first time the game has featured at the ESPYS. The 2015 ESPYs will be awarded on July 15.Help Dwayne Bravo win cricket’s first ESPY by voting here

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

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