Harris and Waters dominate Northants

Scorecard
James Harris and Huw Waters took three wickets apiece as Glamorgan bowled out Northamptonshire on the opening day of their County Championship SecondDivision clash on a seam-friendly wicket at Cardiff.For Northamptonshire Stephen Peters and Andrew Hall both struck half-centuries but after being put into bat the visitors were dismissed for 253 in the penultimate over of the day.Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple would still have been disappointed hisseamers had not got the visitors out for under 200 with the batsmen playing and missing on countless occasions.Glamorgan named the same side which beat Worcestershire inside two days meaning there was no place again for veteran off-spinner Robert Croft, who has figured in just one of Glamorgan’s first five four-day matches.Niall O’Brien, who had only just returned from the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last Friday after Ireland’s exit, led the Northamptonshire batting with 41 as new-ball bowlers Harris and David Harrison struggled for a consistent line and length.It was first-change bowler Waters who slowed Northamptonshire’s progress taking two wickets in the space of four balls. He first removed O’Brien with a brilliant, one-handed reaction catch by Gareth Rees at short leg and three balls later Mal Loye went for a duck after being trapped leg before half forward. Northamptonshire reached lunch at 83 for 2with opener Peters crawling to 22 in the 30 overs before the break.In the afternoon session, two fine slip catches accounted for both David Sales and Rob White. Sales was snaffled by Mark Cosgrove low down at first slip off Jim Allenby, who then dived to his left at first slip to remove White.Peters eventually reached his fifty, off 147 balls, but then perished to Dean Cosker’s third ball. The slow left-armer had Peters caught via an inside edge on to pad by Rees at short leg as Northamptonshire reached 173 for five in the 59th over.Hall and captain Nicky Boje rode their luck to take Northamptonshire past 200 before Allenby, during a spell of 9-5-9-2, took a second wicket to bowl Boje through the gate.After reaching his half-century from 95 balls Hall went caught at first slip off Cosgrove, who took the catch at extra cover to dismiss James Middlebrook. And before the close both David Lucas and Lee Daggett were both bowled by Harris and Waters respectively.

Tamim and Siddique build on Shahadat's five

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Shahadat Hossain picked up 5 for 98 to deny England the honours on the second day at Lord’s•PA Photos

Bangladesh more than held their own on the second day at Lord’s, reaching 172 for 2 at the close – 134 runs away from the follow-on – after Shahadat Hossain’s 5 for 98 saw England bowled out for 505 after Jonathan Trott hit 226. Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal added 88 for the first wicket before Junaid Siddique guided the visitors to the close with a determined, unbeaten 53 alongside Jahurul Islam.England had been expected to dominate the day when they started on 362 for 4 but it didn’t quite transpire that way even though Trott reached a career-best first-class score and equalled Kevin Pietersen’s 226 as England’s highest Test score since Graham Gooch’s 333 in 1990. Shahadat’s effort kept Bangladesh in the game and also made him the first Bangladesh cricketer to be included on the honours board at Lord’s.Tamim then shrugged off concerns about his injured left wrist with a half-century compiled in his own inimitable fashion after the visitors came out to bat midway through the second session. He got going by slashing Tim Bresnan over the slips and hammering a pull through square leg from consecutive deliveries, but also flashed wildly every so often to keep the bowlers interested.Kayes was found out by the short ball during England’s tour of Bangladesh, and it wasn’t long before Bresnan and James Anderson were testing his technique. But as the shine started to come off the ball, things became easier and Bresnan was removed from the attack after Tamim took to him with three marvellous strikes in one over.Tamim brought up his fourth half-century in five Test innings against England with a powerful pull through midwicket. He celebrated with a superb pick-up over square leg off the front foot, but two balls later took on Kevin Pietersen’s arm with a risky single and was run out for 55 by a direct hit from point.With his wicket, Bangladesh suddenly seemed more vulnerable, having collapsed after similarly promising starts countless times before, but this time they showed they have the grit and determination as Kayes and Siddique built another solid partnership. However, Steven Finn’s pace and bounce eventually proved too much for Kayes to handle, as he gloved a nasty, neck-high bouncer to be easily caught by Andrew Strauss at first slip for 43.Again, England felt they had their opening, but Siddique and Jahurul buckled down and defied everything the hosts could throw at them. Siddique had started aggressively, striking four boundaries before he had reached 30, but reined himself in after Kayes’s departure while Jahurul, determined to survive until the close, was in no hurry at all.Siddique passed fifty with a firm push to the midwicket boundary off Swann and as the end of the day approached both batsmen retreated into a defensive shell. They had some luck too, as the odd ball nipped past the outside edge and an inside edge from a tentative prod by Islam shot just past the stumps in the final over, but Bangladesh will be mighty pleased with their efforts.They had desperately needed a good start after a weak showing on the opening day, and Shahadat responded with a determined opening spell as he found movement through the air with a newish ball and kept tight off-stump line to trouble the batsmen. He was quickly rewarded with Eoin Morgan’s wicket – edging a flat-footed push to be well caught by a tumbling Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps – and also hurried both Trott and Matt Prior’s defences with his probing line.Bangladesh were gifted their second breakthrough by some witless running as Trott placed the ball through the covers and Prior charged back for a second run, only to see his partner wasn’t responding. Unperturbed, Trott progressed in much the same vein as he had on Thursday.However, Shahadat continued to impress after lunch to break a 63-run partnership between Trott and Bresnan, changing his line of attack to round the wicket and forcing Bresnan to push away from his body at a delivery angled across him to edge a catch to Siddique at a wide first slip.Graeme Swann wasted no time in getting going, but Bangladesh struck again when Trott opened the face of the bat to guide a ball straight to backward point to end his 349-ball stay before Shahadat secured his pride of place on the away dressing room wall by rattling Anderson’s stumps. Bangladesh left the field with a spring their step and ended the day in equally high spirits.

Pakistan deny West Indies sweep

Scorecard
Pakistan rounded off their preparations for the ICC Women’s Twenty20 with a big win against West Indies, one that denied the home side their second successive series sweep. Pakistan kept West Indies to just 105 and then knocked off the runs with eight wickets remaining in St Kitts.It was a disappointing card from a side that had dominated Sri Lanka over three Twenty20s and Pakistan in the first two. Corel Jack top-scored with 46 after Pakistan opted to field on a hard surface and no other batsman crossed 20. Pakistan captain, Sana Mir, led an accomplished bowling performance with 3 for 17 from three overs. In reply, the opener Sajjida Shah then anchored Pakistan to victory with five fours in an unbeaten 51 from 54 balls.The Women’s World Twenty20 begins on May 5.

Jolted Delhi look for consistency

Match facts

Friday, March 19
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Dinesh Karthik has more captaincy experience than Suresh Raina•Getty Images

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Neither side will be with the services of their influential and much revered captains. The man picked to lead Chennai Super Kings in MS Dhoni’s absence, Suresh Raina, has limited experience in the role and certainly zilch when it comes to marshalling players of international caliber and with decades of experience. Neither has he fired yet with the bat. Dinesh Karthik, Delhi Daredevils’ vice-captain, has plenty of leadership experience but his stature in the side does not match that of Gautam Gambhir. Both sides have conundrums, and that presents the biggest challenge for two power-packed sides searching for consistency in all three departments.
Chennai have, statistically, been a far better team on the road and thus they should look at the Feroz Shah Kotla, where Mumbai Indians racked up 218, with a degree of excitement. Raina, Matthew Hayden and Justin Kemp have yet to hit form and this could be the place for them to do so, and against an attack missing Ashish Nehra and having been deflated by Sachin Tendulkar, Saurabh Tiwary and Co. Chennai’s two matches, a 31-run loss to Deccan Chargers and a 55-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, leaves room for improvement and they don’t look the strong side of the previous two IPLs. Not only has Dhoni been Chennai’s main batsman in their two games this season, but his leadership played a big role in the side bouncing back after losing the first encounter. If they can rise to the occasion in his absence, it will be a real test of their strength and proof of whether they are semi-final contenders this season.Semi-finalists on two occasions, Delhi cannot afford to lose consecutive games at home. Tipped by many to go all the way even before the IPL started, they looked good while picking up wins over Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, but received a walloping at the hands of Mumbai yesterday. They are bruised, and not having Gambhir and Nehra around has left them smarting. Delhi have a chance to go one better to get to the top of the table for if they win, but for that their catching will also need to improve. Their three matches have seen a mix of incredible takes and sloppy efforts, and up against a strong batting side they can’t afford lapses. Chennai minus Dhoni is just not the same, and Delhi must capitalise on that.

Team talk

Gambhir injured himself during last night’s match against Mumbai and was on the field for barely 10 minutes during the 98-run loss. The team has confirmed that he will miss tomorrow’s game. The loss opens up a spot for another batsman, and frankly it is time Delhi got in David Warner. A specialist Twenty20 opener, Warner would bring to the side a velocity that they so desperately need in Gambhir’s absence and the poor run Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers are having.The overseas player to bow out would then be Farveez Maharoof, who in three matches has gone for a whopping 9.91 runs an over. Delhi could easily draft in Aavishkar Salvi as a replacement fast bowler. If, however, Delhi do not opt for Warner, then the likely scheme would be for each batsman to move up a spot and for the allrounder Rajat Bhatia to figure in the puzzle. But frankly, Delhi have kept Warner on the bench too long.Chennai have no other fitness worries apart from Dhoni, and so they should be able to field ten of the XI who beat Kolkata. Dhoni’s replacement behind the stumps will be Parthiv Patel, who has some experience opening with Hayden in previous editions of the IPL, and so he could return to the top. Parthiv has also been in good form on the domestic circuit, so that would mean M Vijay having to step aside. Chennai have the Tasmanian batsman George Bailey in their squad but it’s unlikely they’re fretting about Hayden’s poor form so much as to bench him.

Previously…

The first IPL saw the teams win a game against each other: Delhi beat Chennai by eight wickets away, and when Chennai visited they won a humdinger by four wickets off the final ball of the match. In 2009 the results were the same: Delhi won the first game by nine runs, Chennai the second by 18 runs.

In the spotlight

Raina and Karthik: Neither has hit form with the bat, but both find themselves in leading roles. Raina shot to fame during the first IPL but struggled to recapture that glory in the second, and his form in two matches this past week has not been convincing. A good player of spin, Raina could trump the likes of Amit Mishra and Sarabjit Ladda who, despite going for runs in the last game, should hold his place. Karthik, a vital member of Delhi’s shaky middle order, should move up a place in Gambhir’s absence. He’s a skilled Twenty20 player and has bailed Delhi out of a few holes in both the IPLs. This could be his toughest test yet.The compatriots: Watch out for the two turks from South Africa facing-off. Albie Morkel, who is AB de Villiers’ team-mate at their domestic franchise, the Titans, may have the rare opportunity to bowl against him. Morkel has struggled with the ball this season, and de Villiers with the bat. Who trumps who could make for exciting viewing. Similarly, the Sri Lankan pair of Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilshan stand to square off … if Dilshan lasts long enough, that is. He has two ducks and a breezy 17 to his credit, but he’s not hung around long enough to face the spinners. Countering a wily old fox could just be the antidote to poor form.Chennai’s batsmen against spin: Delhi have preferred going in with two spinners. Amit Mishra is the specialist slow bowler, but Ladda has been expensive in two games. If he is benched, Delhi could turn to the former India offspinner Sarandeep Singh, who has been relegated to carrying drinks in three matches. The bowlers will be demoralised by the treatment they received at the hands of Mumbai’s batsmen, but they haven’t been exposed to Hayden, Raina, Kemp and Morkel. Regaining their confidence against a formidable batting line-up will be a challenge and makes for compelling viewing.

Prime numbers

  • Justin Kemp may not have clicked with the bat, but with the ball he has taken three wickets at an average at nine runs each, the fourth best of the IPL this season. Kemp also has the best economy rate, 5.22.
  • Dinesh Karthik has the most dismissals so far, four.

    Chatter

    “The blow to the elbow, that put him out of action for the next few matches, leaves us without the biggest asset a 3-in-1 champion in dynamic form.”
    “The captain plays an important role. He should understand the game and should be able to take quick decisions. So many captains have been fined for slow over-ate in this tournament and we need to be careful.”

  • Kings XI Punjab sign on Rusty Theron

    Juan ‘Rusty’ Theron, the South African fast bowler, has signed up with Kings XI Punjab for the third season of the IPL. The right-arm seamer was in top form in the MTN40 domestic one-day series, leading the Warriors to the title with a tournament-high 21 wickets at 18.80, and backed that up with a solid Pro20 series.Theron, 24, hasn’t played internationals yet, but was named in South Africa’s preliminary 30-man squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean starting April 30. He will fly out to India to join his Punjab team-mates after taking part in Friday’s Pro20 final against Lions, who also have IPL-bound players in Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher.Punjab need fast-bowling cover since two of their overseas quicks, Australian Brett Lee and West Indian Jerome Taylor, are injured, with Taylor out for the entire season. Their bowling depth is depleted further by the fitness concerns of Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan.

    Jenner completes Zimbabwe spin clinics

    Terry Jenner, the legendary legspin coach, has said that he was pleasantly surprised at the talent displayed by some of the up-and-coming bowlers who attended his spin coaching clinics held in Zimbabwe over the last two weeks.”There is definitely a platform from which to develop the skill, especially among the school boys,” said Jenner during his last clinic at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club on Thursday, adding: “There is certainly a bright future for Zimbabwe’s spin department.”Pupils from Emakhandeni, Christian Brothers College, Luveve High and Mtshingwe College in Bulawayo, and from Prince Edward, St George’s College and St John’s in Harare, as well as junior spin bowlers from Takashinga Cricket Club, were given training on the fundamentals of wrist spin bowling during the clinics.”The turnout was phenomenal and the schools cricketers are especially privileged to have this kind of training at such a young age,” said Shingai Rhuhwaya, ZC’s Head of Media and Communications.

    Kent sign Malinga Bandara

    Kent have signed Malinga Bandara, the Sri Lankan legspinner, as their overseas player for the second half of next season.Bandara, 30, has played eight Tests, 31 one-dayers and four Twenty20 Internationals for Sri Lanka, and worked with Paul Farbrace, the Kent coach, when Farbrace was assistant coach of Sri Lanka. Bandara will arrive in May in time for the first Twenty20 match of the season. He will share overseas duties with Australian Stuart Clark, who is with Kent for the first half of the 2010 season.Farbrace said he is looking forward to teaming James Tredwell, who was selected for England’s Test tour to Bangladesh, with Bandara next season. “I’m absolutely delighted that such a high quality cricketer has chosen to join Kent. I’m thrilled at the prospect of him teaming up with James Tredwell and creating a high quality spin attack. Malinga is an experienced cricketer and will add great knowledge to our team; both on and off the field.”Bandara has taken 391 first-class wickets at an average of 24.96 and has a handy record as a lower-order batsman, with a first-class average of 19.97. He joins a Kent side looking to continue their good progress after they won Division Two of the Championship last season.

    Intikhab calls for fielding camps in Pakistan

    Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan coach, believes the Pakistan board needs toorganise specialist fielding training camps across Pakistan in order toimprove standards in the national side.Pakistan’s fielding through tours to New Zealand and Australia has reachedan all-time low and at a conservative estimate they have dropped at least25 chances through the six Tests. Most of the chances here in Australia have beencritical ones; both Shane Watson and Simon Katich were dropped in thefirst session of the series in Melbourne, both scored nineties; MichaelHussey was dropped thrice at Sydney on the way to a matchwinning hundred;Ricky Ponting was dropped on zero in Hobart and went on to score a double-hundred.Intikhab and Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s captain, have struggled to stemthe rot, insisting there is no need for a specialist fielding coach butnot offering any tangible solution otherwise. Intikhab has consistently -and justifiably – called it a grassroots problem, arguing that the lack ofcare for fielding at domestic level instills poor habits into players whomake it to the national side.”They should organise 10-20 days fielding camps for the players in whichcatching, throwing, fielding and all things are practiced,” Intikhab said. “We have coaches at every level. Put these camps up in Karachi, Lahoreand Islamabad. Have 15-day camps and just get players from all levelsto practice there every day.”Waqar Younis is currently appointed to the side as a bowling and fieldingcoach, but that is, for now, only till the end of this series. There hasbeen talk of appointing a specialist fielding coach and Pakistan didbenefit a little during the coaching stint of Geoff Lawson, when they hadhired Mohtashim Rasheed as one. But his services haven’t since beenretained.”These camps really need to be organised,” Intikhab said. “Whenever a guycomes into the Pakistan side, then only they are taught how to field andthe basics of fielding, like how to bend for a ball, how to attack a ball.We have to emphasise this and work on it otherwise it will not getbetter.”

    Tasmania win final-ball thriller after Cowan century


    ScorecardEd Cowan’s 152 helped Tasmania secure a thrilling victory•Getty Images

    A final-ball boundary from Brady Jones delivered a heart-stopping one-wicket victory to Tasmania in one of the most memorable finishes to a Sheffield Shield match in recent years. The Tigers needed five runs from two balls with one wicket in hand when Jones edged to third man, where Brett Dorey collapsed with a calf injury that handed Tasmania four runs.It meant that with one ball remaining, Western Australia needed one wicket for a tie or a dot ball to secure a draw, while Tasmania had to find a run to steal a thrilling victory. The Warriors crowded men around Jones, who managed to get Ashley Noffke away for a boundary behind point to confirm the win.Tasmania had been set 348 from 85 overs for victory after Adam Voges declared Western Australia’s innings closed at 4 for 201. Voges left himself just short of a century, on an unbeaten 90, having earlier combined with Shaun Marsh (70) to give the Warriors what looked like a safe buffer.However, the opener Ed Cowan scored his second century of the season to give the Tigers a chance and when Tasmania’s captain George Bailey scored 43 from 48 balls their intentions were clear. They entered the final session still needing 201 for victory with eight wickets in hand but a run of breakthroughs gave Western Australia hope of taking the game.Michael Hogan (3 for 64) had Bailey caught behind and then took a catch off Dorey to remove Cowan for 152 to leave the match in the balance. When the ninth wicket fell, the Tigers needed six to win and Jones (9 not out) and Tim Macdonald saw them over the line.

    Happy to have got 293 – Sehwag

    Virender Sehwag has said he is happy to have got “at least 293 runs” and was not disappointed at missing out on a record third Test triple-century.”Not many people have got two triple centuries and followed that with 293,” he said after the third day’s play at Brabourne Stadium. “So there is nothing to be disappointed about.”Sehwag had moved from his overnight score of 284 to 293 when he tapped a flighted ball from Muttiah Muralitharan back to the bowler who took the catch on second attempt. “I tried to take my time, but maybe the ball was not there to be hit,” he said. “I misjudged the length and the ball went straight into Murali’s hands.”I always tell myself to bat the full day, and if there is a ball to be hit, just hit it. If I’m able to bat the whole day we will be in a good position.”Sehwag’s innings, an unbeaten century from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a string of half-centuries by the middle order fired the hosts to their highest-ever total of 726 for 9 declared, in reply to Sri Lanka’s 393. The tourists, trailing by 333 runs on the first innings, were 11 for no loss in their second innings at stumps on a wearing track and Sehwag was quietly confident of his team’s prospects.”Sri Lanka are a good team and they will play well, but the pitch is not going to be easy,” he said. “At the same time, we will also need to be patient for our wickets.”