All posts by csb10.top

Match facts

Thursday, August 2
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT)Will England’s bowlers be tripped up again by South Africa in the second Test?•Getty Images

Big picture

The equation for England going into the second Test is simple: if they’re going to beat South Africa, they will need to play at least ten times better than they did at The Oval. An average of 31.25 runs per wicket might not look too bad during a wet English summer but it was dwarfed by South Africa scoring 637 for 2 in their one innings on a dry, sun-baked track. Turning two wickets into 20 against such obduracy is a trick that will take some pulling off.It is almost a year since England ascended to the top of the rankings with an innings victory over India in the second week of August but, despite talk of establishing a dynasty, the crown has never been far from slipping. Many would say that South Africa have not needed the ICC’s imprimatur to be recognised as Test cricket’s best side but victory at Headingley will seal the series and confirm their rise to No. 1 anyway.While Graeme Smith has again revelled in his role as England’s tormentor, Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower have faced fresh questions about tactics, skill levels and the balance of the side. It may be that England had one on day and four off days but that is not a switch that can just be flicked. The much-vaunted attack’s plan of “bowling dry” was enough to send many watchers to the bottle, as South Africa showed how to resist temptation; while on a flat track, the batsmen arguably performed worse. They’re accustomed to brickbats but for the bowlers this represents a fresh challenge.South Africa have not won consecutive Tests since early 2010 but they look to be in a comfortable place, the team happy to lark about in fancy dress on their first night in Leeds. Having crushed England on the same weekend that Ernie Els won The Open, South Africa’s Olympians currently lead Great Britain on the medals table, after Chad le Clos pipped no less a swimmer than Michael Phelps to gold in the pool on Tuesday. Perhaps they are unbeatable?

Form guide

England LDWWW (Most recent first)
South Africa WDWDW

Watch out for…

The fifth man to occupy No. 6 in the batting order, James Taylor is undoubtedly the smallest (he’s 5ft 4in). After the middling efforts of Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Jonny Bairstow and Ravi Bopara, the weight of expectation might not be great but Taylor has long been marked out for international cricket and his every stroke will be closely studied. An unbeaten 163 in his last first-class innings suggests a slow start to life at Nottinghamshire is behind him.Alviro Petersen is the South Africa player under most scrutiny after a lean tour in which he has scored 42 runs. He also averaged just 21 from 11 first-class innings for Essex earlier in the season. Nevertheless, Petersen has produced under pressure before, having already scored two Test centuries this year to defy his critics and in opening partner Graeme Smith he has the perfect example of how to succeed in England.

Pitch and conditions

After England were severely burned by preparing a dry, dusty pitch at The Oval, there is a definite green tinge to the second track of the series. The forecast for Leeds over the next five days is patchy, with rain and overhead cloud likely to feature, though whether that will benefit England or South Africa more is open to debate.

Team news

England have a rightly praised record of stability in selection so the presence of Taylor, confirmed as Bopara’s replacement, may well be the only change. Rotating in one of Steven Finn or Graham Onions – probably for Tim Bresnan – or playing an all-pace attack are other options, though it was against South Africa at Headingley in 2008 that England broke a record, six-Test run of picking the same XI by including Darren Pattinson, so don’t rule out a surprise.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 James Taylor, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnVice-captain AB de Villiers doesn’t believe South Africa should make any changes to the team that bent England so severely out of shape at The Oval and, with Smith back after completing a round trip home to attend the birth of his daughter, a familiar line-up is expected for the second Test. JP Duminy and Jacques Rudolph, like Petersen, have not spent a great deal of time in the middle but confidence in their ability remains.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Stats and trivia

• England’s most recent Test win in Leeds came against West Indies in 2007.
• South Africa have only lost once in four Tests at Headingley since readmission, winning on their last two visits by 191 runs and 10 wickets.
• Dale Steyn’s seven wickets in the first Test took him past Jacques Kallis to fourth in South Africa’s standings, with 279.
• Kallis’ best bowling figures in Tests (6 for 54) came at Headingley in 2003.
• August 1 is Yorkshire Day, though even that may not be enough to keep Bresnan in the England side.

Quotes

“There is a steely determination among the troops to show we are better than we were last week. It’s going to take a lot of guts but I am confident we have that.”
“It’s important that we don’t get too far ahead. They have the capabilities of beating us and we are trying not to get too caught up in what is going on across the fence.”

PM Rungta, a former BCCI president and head of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, has died at the age of 84 at his residence in Mumbai. Rungta had been ill for a while and had been recently operated on. He had served as BCCI president from 1972-73 to 1974-75.”Mr. Rungta was an individual who lived and breathed cricket,” N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, said. “He served the BCCI with distinction as its president, and was an invaluable guide in later years. He will always be missed.”Rungta, who was nickname was “Bhaiji” (big brother), was “crazy for cricket”, according to former India captain Ajit Wadekar, whose career overlapped with Rungta’s time as board president. Wadekar said Rungta was very accessible to the players while he was playing. “We could approach him directly and not have to go through the proper channels,” Wadekar said. “He would take decisions on his own.”Back then the board was not the financial powerhouse it is now, and the players often had to rely on the largesse of individual board members for uniforms and equipment. “He [Rungta] used to spend from his own pocket quite a lot – clothing and other things like caps and ties,” Wadekar said. Rungta also used to host a farewell party for the players at his house in Mumbai before every overseas tour.Rungta was also on the BCCI’s disciplinary committee that banned six players, including Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri, for a year for playing friendly matches in the United States and Canada after a poor tour of the West Indies in 1989. That decision led to the players challenging the board in court for the first time, a battle they ultimately won. After facing criticism from all quarters, including the Supreme Court, the board relented and withdrew the ban.Rungta’s brother, Kishan, is a former first-class cricketer and chairman of the national selection panel, while his son Kishore is a former treasurer of the BCCI.

ScorecardJoe Gatting’s wicket was one of four to fall in only six overs of play on day two•Getty Images

Stuart Meaker led a Surrey fightback with three wickets during the two brief spells of play possible on the second day of their Championship match against Sussex. Surrey, who had been bowled out for 124 on day one, took four wickets for nine runs in the six overs that were possible on Thursday to reduce Sussex to 90 for 6 before rain washed out play.The 23-year-old fast bowler, who could add to his two England ODI caps in the series against Australia later this month, struck with the first ball of the day when Sussex captain Mike Yardy could only fend a well-directed bouncer into the hands of Mark Ramprakash at gully.In his next over Meaker ripped out Joe Gatting’s off stump with a ball of full length before a shower forced the players off after just 2.2 overs. They returned 40 minutes later when Surrey took two more wickets to further undermine Sussex’s vulnerable-looking middle order.Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik got in on the act by dismissing Luke Wright for 1 as he pushed forward to a ball which turned. Wicketkeeper Steven Davies, who had only just returned to the ground after being released by England when Matt Prior passed a fitness test at Edgbaston, took the catch. But it was Meaker’s morning and he had reduced Sussex to 87 for 6 when he pinned Ben Brown leg before with an inswinger, giving him figures of 3 for 3 from three overs when the rain returned, leaving Luke Wells unbeaten on 38 and Naveed Arif yet to score.With rain setting in during the afternoon, umpires Peter Willey and Neil Hartley called off play at 2.30pm, although with the game well advanced and a better forecast there is still every chance of a positive result with two days to go.

Match facts

Monday, April 23, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)AB de Villiers has played a lot of unorthodox shots this season•Associated Press

Big picture

A week ago, Rajasthan Royals played Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium as underdogs, but Ajinkya Rahane’s century and Siddharth Trivedi’s four wickets gave them an easy 59-run victory. Most things have remained unchanged since then. Royals’ batting has consistently fired to give them a chance in every game while Royal Challengers’ bowling has struggled to stem the flow of runs. Virat Kohli’s indifferent form in this IPL has fetched him just 113 runs, putting extra pressure on Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.One thing has changed in the last week though – Gayle storms have become frequent. His last two innings have been 81 and 87 and have included 12 sixes. Royals would be wary of Gayle but if they can get past him, their task becomes considerably easier.Jaipur has been a fortress for the Royals and Rahul Dravid would hope for a strong batting performance again. Brad Hodge, second on the leading Twenty20 run-scorer list, hasn’t had many chances as the top order has been consistent. But he can be a dangerous batsman in this format and there is a case for him to come ahead of Ashok Menaria.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals LWWLL
Royal Challengers Bangalore WWLLL

Players to watch

Kevon Cooper is Royals’ leading wicket taker this season with ten wickets. With the kind of luck that he has enjoyed, Dravid might want to pit him against Gayle early.AB de Villiers has scored a few boundaries and sixes in the reverse ‘V’. By his own admission, he has struggled to hit the ball in front of the wicket and therefore, has cleverly used the pace of the bowlers. Royal Challengers’ would hope him he fires again as he is one of the two in-form batsmen.

Stats and trivia

• Royals have scored their runs at 8.56 per over, the best this season. Royal Challengers are next with 8.15
• For batsmen who have scored more than 100 runs in the tournament, Hodge has the second best strike rate of 157.31, only 0.38 behind Gayle
  

  Quotes

  “Probably, we have been playing well till three-quarters of the past few editions to keep ourselves in the hunt but have slipped in the last quarter.”

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan leg-spinner, has refused to attend a meeting requested by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s integrity committee over charges in the UK against him relating to fixing. His legal team has instead cited its desire to focus on his disciplinary hearing in this context with the ECB, scheduled for later this month.Kaneria faces charges of breaching the ECB’s anti-corruption directives during his county stint with Essex and disciplinary proceedings will begin on May 21 in England. His legal team has submitted a preliminary reply to the ECB, once again denying the charges against the bowler.Following his questioning by the Essex police with regards to this issue in March last year, he hasn’t been considered for selection for Pakistan, and will only be picked once cleared by the board’s integrity committee. The PCB’s legal advisor, Taffazul Rizvi, said the committee had summoned him in this regard. “He is still a Pakistan bowler and has been playing domestic cricket. He is due to appear before the integrity committee but his counsel has refused, hence the matter of his integrity is still undecided,” Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. “We are awaiting his reply to our queries regarding [Mervyn] Westfield and the spot-fixing allegations. We contacted him, asking him to submit to us the documents and investigation tapes or transcripts of the police investigation in England, but he is yet to respond.”Kaneria’s lawyer, Farogh Naseem, said it was ‘uncertain’ why Kaneria had been summoned by the PCB. “We have been approached by the PCB for an uncertain reason,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t know what their intentions are, but we would like to go and contest the ECB’s disciplinary case alone without engaging them [PCB].”There is no point in appearing before the PCB, as we are focussing on the ECB hearing. We have submitted our preliminary reply to the ECB disciplinary panel. There are a number of unfair charges and we will contest them during the hearing.”After his questioning by the Essex police, Kaneria was released on grounds of insufficient evidence. He has since been implicated in the matter once again, after he was presented as the influential figure who led Mervyn Westfield (his team-mate at Essex, who was jailed for four months after being found guilty of spot-fixing) astray in a London court.Kaneria, 31, has claimed 261 wickets in 61 Tests for Pakistan, making him the fourth most successful bowler in their history. ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB wants to take a call on the bowler, and would like to give him an opportunity to defend himself and explain the issues marring his reputation before taking their call.

ScorecardSamit Patel pressed his case for an England Test debut after Ravi Bopara suffered a strain that will prevent him bowling•Getty Images

England won their second tour match in Sri Lanka against a Development XI by four wickets, overhauling their fourth-innings target at almost a run a ball with encouraging contributions from several members of the batting line-up. Samit Patel, in particular, pressed his case by scoring 72 and may have pushed himself ahead of Ravi Bopara in the selectors’ thoughts for the first Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on Monday. Bopara made 66 but a side strain picked up earlier in the match means he is unlikely to provide England with a back-up seam option.There were also half-centuries for Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior but Ian Bell’s run of poor form continued. Opening the batting with Pietersen – first-innings centurions Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott sat out the chase to give their team-mates extended practice – Bell made 11 before edging to the wicketkeeper down the leg side. He has now scored just 130 runs at 10.83 from 13 first-class innings in 2012 and could find his place in the Test side under threat. Bopara and Patel, as well as possibly Tim Bresnan, were already vying to replace Eoin Morgan – who was dropped after the Pakistan series in the UAE – but Bell’s struggles may open up another slot.If selected, Bopara’s medium-pace will not be an option, however. “Ravi Bopara strained his left side in the first innings and is unlikely to bowl during the Test series,” an ECB spokesman said. “He will be available for selection as a specialist batsman.”Although England’s bowlers ran through the Sri Lanka Board XI in their first tour match, they struggled this time around, albeit without the services of James Anderson and Monty Panesar. If England stick with their preferred four-man attack, the inclusion of an allrounder will be essential due to the heat and humidity; and Patel, who bowls left-arm spin, proved his form ahead of a potential Test debut with a buccaneering innings.The Development XI, resuming on 44 for 1 overnight, quickly slipped to 77 for 4, as Bresnan, Graeme Swann and Steven Finn picked up wickets, but, aided by some declaration bowling from Trott and Bell, declared 15 overs later on 199. That set England 359 to win off 64 overs and Pietersen began in aggressive fashion by sending his second and third balls for four. After Bell’s dismissal, Bopara was involved in partnerships of 69 with Pietersen – whose 52 came off the same number of balls – and 83 with Prior. The wicketkeeper was particularly dismissive of the Development XI bowling, striking 13 fours and a six in his 60-ball innings.Thilina Kandamby, captain of the Development XI, said he had not expected England to chase down the target but that Prior’s knock was crucial for the tourists.”Because of Prior’s innings we couldn’t do anything. He was hitting each and every ball out of the park and that made the difference,” he said. “I know as a SSC cricketer that it is not easy to defend a total on this wicket. Up to tea it was OK and they needed to score over 200 runs in around 30 overs. But the innings was changed course by Samit Patel and Matt Prior. They batted very well.”Patel kept the momentum going after Prior’s departure for 84 but, having hit two sixes in three overs, he was bowled by Tharanga Lakshitha with 34 still required. That brought Swann to the crease, who perhaps chose to release some of the frustrations of a difficult match with the ball by walloping five fours and a six in the 12 deliveries he faced. Victory was welcome for England, but there were still one or two questions to be answered.

ScorecardCharlotte Edwards struck 20 fours in her unbeaten ton•Getty Images

Driven by a blistering century from Charlotte Edwards, England Women cruised to a 59-run win against New Zealand Women in Lincoln, sealing the three-match one-day series 2-0 in the process. Edwards, the captain, picked up on her fine form from the previous match, stroking 137 not out from 88 balls in the rain-hit match that was reduced to 26 overs a side.England’s total was built around two substantial partnerships – the first was a 98-run stand between Edwards and Sarah Taylor for the second wicket that came at nine-and-a-half runs an over, followed by a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership, complied at over 10 an over. Such was Edwards dominance, that Lydia Greenway contributed but nine runs to the latter stand.Chasing an imposing revised target of 224, a target that required them to score at 8.62 runs an over, New Zealand cracked. Five of their top six got into double figures, but only Amy Satterthwaite could manage a half-century, top scoring with 69 as the hosts folded for 164. New-ball bowlers Anya Shrubsole was the most effective of England’s bowlers, claiming 3 for 28.”We went out there with a mindset of Twenty20 cricket and it paid off,” Edwards said after the match. “It was great to contribute myself. I feel I’m in the form of my life.”It’s a great wicket here, so we went out and got stuck in and to get 219 was a fantastic effort. We knew that would always put New Zealand under pressure. We bowled and fielded well on a good pitch. It was difficult conditions in the wind and it was cold, but the bowlers bowled well with Anya up front.”The final match of the series will be played at the same venue on March 5.