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When a second-session downpour ended play on the third day of the Test in Hyderabad, India had New Zealand following on in their second innings at 41 for 1

The Report by Sharda Ugra25-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIndia spun a web around New Zealand, again•Associated PressOnly the combination of torrential rain and New Zealand’s best batting form of recent months could possibly thwart India’s thunderous march in the first of ten home Tests this season. When a second-session downpour ended play on the third day of the Test in Hyderabad, India had New Zealand following on in their second innings at 41 for 1. New Zealand were all out for 159 in their first innings, losing their last five batsmen before lunch.Only 38 overs could be bowled today, enough for India to seize control of this game. Play began late on the third day, due to the heavy rains that had beaten down on Hyderbad in the hours preceding the scheduled start time. India, though, made the most of the overs available to them, especially when they had before them the lower order of a team that had come into this series without a warm-up game.When play was called off an hour after lunch, New Zealand had put in a seemingly more thought-out second-innings batting performance, losing just the one wicket in18 overs. This, after a morning on which their bottom half had fallen over in just 19 in their first innings.India’s spinners picked up nine first innings wickets between them in the first gig, Ashwin finishing with 6 for 31. Both Ashwin and Ojha used the the dipping length of the floated, spinning ball, slow turn off the track and the uneven bounce on one side of the pitch to keep up their interrogation of New Zealand’s fortitude in adverse circumstances.Following on, with Ojha opening the bowling, the New Zealand openers batted like the better of the India middle order had. With circumspection, patience and certainity. Brendon McCullum was batting on 16 off 59 balls at stumps, after unluckily losing his partner Martin Guptill, ajudged lbw off Ojha for 16.Guptill, New Zealand’s in-form batsman on their last tour of the West Indies, had batted for almost an hour with McCullum and hit Ojha for two consecutive boundaries with the spin. He tried to nudge a third past the slip cordon only to nick to Virat Kohli at second slip, but he couldn’t seize the chance. Two overs later, Guptil padded up to Ojha, fullstretch to a ball that may have hit him in line with off stump. Replays indicated it was spinning away from the stumps. This has been the only piece of misfortune in New Zealand’s batting so far in this Test match. The situation they find themselves in has otherwise been of their own making.Ashwin had begun the second innings on a hat-trick, introduced only in the 18th over, the last before the downpour. Off the three balls he got in, McCullum spanked one tossed-up, outside-off delivery for his first boundary in 58 balls. It was an unusual kind of McCullum innings, but his approach was not a bad way to attempt to erase the memory of what New Zealand had managed in the previous two sessions.When play began today Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav opened the bowling in what appeared to be a warming-up formality. Yadav took the only New Zealand wicket that didn’t fall to a spinner, Kruger van Wyk leg before in the second over of the day. Yadav made use of the inconsistent bounce at one end, getting van Wyk while he was trying to execute the pull. He was struck above the pad, given out as he crouched – the ball would have hit the stumps as vanWyk is not the tallest of men.Doug Bracewell survived competently for four overs against the two-man seam attack. The eighth ball that he faced against Pragyan Ojha though, he was in knots, caught between the intent to charge and the necessity to defend. He still scored two with a lofted drive over cover. He followed up by stepping out again, but his heave missed the line completely as the ball looped away. Dhoni’s stumping splayed the wickets.If Ojha got his wicket in quick time, Ashwin, brought on in the 16th over of the morning, needed only three overs to get rid of the three remaining batsmen. Patel reached out for a drive, only to offer a low return-catch to Ashwin’s left. A ball turning in front of his bat got Trent Boult inside edging to shot leg Gambhir. The No. 11 Chris Martin did defend, but only got the thin air in front of his bat as Ashwin’s off-break cannoned into the stumps.All that stands between India and New Zealand and their varied hopes in this Test match, now, is the weather.

Wally Edwards, the Cricket Australia chairman, will be seeking a unanimous vote in favour of governance change when the game’s Australian custodians sit down in Melbourne on Friday to continue the march towards independent board directors

Daniel Brettig16-Aug-2012Wally Edwards, the Cricket Australia chairman, will be seeking a unanimous vote in favour of governance change when the game’s Australian custodians sit down for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in Melbourne on Friday to continue the march towards independent board directors.South Australia has remained outspoken in its opposition to the proposal for non-state-aligned CA directors put forward by the Crawford and Carter Governance review and accepted by the other states, however the measures will go through even if the SACA again raises a dissenting voice at the EGM tomorrow.Edwards said his strong preference was for a unanimous vote to ensure the path towards a new governance model would be smooth and united.”I’d prefer it to be unanimous obviously, we have to go forward as a united business and that’s what we’re trying to achieve, a one business mentality right across Australian cricket,” Edwards told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s the next phase after governance, to make it a better business and be more efficient, more dynamic, and deliver more services for less dollars – set the business up for the next 50 years.”We know where they [SA] stand, I don’t expect them to change their position between now and the members meeting. What we’re voting on is something they agree with fundamentally so we’ll just wait and see whether they decide if they want to vote no or yes. Hopefully we’ve got enough votes to get it through.”Edwards revealed that the SACA had used the ICC’s governance model – itself in a state of some discussion following the raft of changes recommended by Lord Woolf’s governance review – as a reason why it was opposed to the prohibition of CA board directors also holding positions on state association boards.”They think it’s a better system, that’s their belief and you have to accept that,” Edwards said. “They think it’s a better system to have someone connected from their board to the CA board and they use the ICC as an example of that of course, where we are connected.”I can understand where they’re coming from. They pretty well agree with everything else that we’re doing. It’s just a fundamental disagreement there and that’s their right.”Irrespective of SA’s opposition, the wheels for change are very likely to gather motion at the meeting, where the board will also consider the plans devised to select its first three independent directors in October.A nominations committee will decide on the trio, with the committee to be composed of two state board chairmen, two businessmen not formally associated with Australian cricket in any way, and Edwards.

ESPNcricinfo previews the South Africa and Pakistan Super Eights World T20 match, in Colombo

The Preview by Firdose Moonda27-Sep-2012Match facts September 28, 2012
Start time 1530 local (1000 GMT)Imran Nazir was ruthless in Pakistan’s previous game•AFPBig Picture
What appears to be the tougher of the two Super Eight groups gets underway with a repeat of the 2009 World T20 semi-final, a match that is remembered as one the most thrilling, in a format where almost anything can be labelled so. Historically, these two make good opponents: the unpredictability of Pakistan against the sometimes uber-predictability of South Africa. But things have changed.Pakistan still implode at times but tend to bring some of their best games to major tournaments. They have also tempered their fiery side with reason and both have been on display in equal measure in the group stage and even before that, in series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Combined, those two contrasting styles could result in a Pakistan side that consistently performs as well as they have done of late.They defended a decent total against a determined New Zealand line-up and then turned on the heat when they hunted down Bangladesh’s score ruthlessly. Importantly, their top three all have runs to their name and each of the bowlers, particularly Saeed Ajmal, have seen success.South Africa also take confidence into this round. They have had one all-too-easy encounter (against Zimbabwe) and one severely reduced match (a seven-over-a-side shootout against Sri Lanka) and managed not to get carried away by the former or spooked by the latter. Their philosophy when playing major tournaments appears to have changed. AB de Villiers spoke about not needing to win every game but building to a crescendo but South Africa have so far won and built at the same time.Having been on tour since the beginning of July, Gary Kirsten has stressed the importance of being fresh to his men. They had two days off in Bentota before they resumed training, which was describe as “lengthy and intensive” by the coaching staff. Surprisingly, they do not have a certain starting line-up as they try to keep an aura of mystery about them in their bid for ICC silverware.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWLWW
Pakistan WWLTWWatch out for
South Africa will not have fond memories of playing against Shahid Afridi after he was solely responsible for stopping their march at the 2009 event. Afridi was a one-man act as he destroyed a Graeme Smith-led side that had not lost a single match in the lead-up to the semi-finals with both bat and ball. He is a man for a big occasion and even though the contest is not a knockout, to make a statement of intent against one of the favourites may be just the stage for Afridi to perform as he did on that day.Power is the quality that most batsmen want to be able to use to score runs in the shortest format, but Hashim Amla has chosen a different route. Small adaptations to his game have allowed him to keep the class and still become the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman. Flanked by the strength of the Richard Levi and the experience of Jacques Kallis, Amla is the calm in the South African batting line-up, something they will need as the tournament goes on.Team news
Pakistan played the same XI in both their group matches and with two good results should keep the same team.Pakistan : 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Yasir Arafat, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed AjmalSouth Africa also won both their matches, although they fielded different XIs, with the change being in the batting line-up. Faf du Plessis was given an opportunity to bat at No. 3 against Sri Lanka and scored 13 in a reduced game. He is the likeliest to be left out as South Africa opt for two spinners on a pitch that should take more turn than was on offer in Hambantota.South Africa (probable): 1 Richard Levi, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Albie Morkel 8 Johan Botha 9 Robin Peterson 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Dale SteynPitch and conditions Albie Morkel expects a more typically sub-continental surface in Colombo compared with what he called “home conditions,” in Hambantota. The pitch is said to be much slower, with little in it for the quicks. A 60% chance of rain should lessen as the afternoon grows longer but the chance of another shortened match remains.Stats and trivia Three of the top four wicket-takers in World T20 are all from Pakistan. Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul are on 29, 27 and 27 wickets respectively. South Africa and Pakistan have played against each other in five T20s, twice in World T20s. South Africa have a better head-to-head record, winning three of the five played overall. Quotes “The beauty of our batting line-up is that we have a lot of variety and different sets of batting skills in our line-up. Guys can use their feet, guys can sweep, guys can reverse sweep; so we have some very good options in our line-up.”

“We are blessed with some of the greats in T20s, especially Ajmal and Afridi. This is our main strength even though we also rely on our fast bowlers.”

Otago scored a crushing 82-run win over Wellington at the University Oval in Dunedin

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2012
ScorecardOtago scored a crushing 82-run win over Wellington at the University Oval in Dunedin.Openers Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom scored half-centuries in a 105-run opening stand that laid the path for the daunting total, which was followed by a 29-ball 60 from Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate. In reply, Wellington’s openers Tamim Iqbal and the in-form Jesse Ryder also played aggressively, but both departed by the eighth over, which was followed by regular wickets that sealed the contest.Wellington, after opting to field, were behind in the game right from the outset. They achieved their first breakthrough in the 11th over, but by then their opponents were already going at more than 10 runs per over. After a calmer period in the middle of the innings, ten Doeschate added 37 in 3.4 overs with Michael Bracewell, and at the death smashed 41 runs off 11 deliveries, in the company of Ian Butler, to push the score beyond 200. Three of Wellington’s bowlers were dismissed for at least 10 runs an over.Wellington’s response, apart from the opening stand, lacked resistance. Spinner Nick Beard claimed figures of 4 for 16, as they were bowled out for 122 in 17.4 overs. Seven batsmen scored in double-digits, with only one of them, Ryder, scoring more than 14 runs.With the result, Wellington are tied at eight points apiece in the points table.

A wrap of the third day of the eighth round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2012
ScorecardYet another five-wicket haul for Pankaj Singh•Rajasthan Cricket AssociationPunjab gave themselves a chance of winning their fifth game of the season – no side has won more than two – but before that, Uday Kaul gave them the first-innings lead as he added 31 with the last man Sarabjit Ladda. Punjab began the day on 227 for 7, still well behind Gujarat’s 266. They were 237 for 9 when Ladda, playing his first first-class game in two years, joined Kaul, who pushed Punjab to 268 before falling to Rush Kalaria on 93. Ladda then picked up four wickets as Gujarat, on the lookout for quick runs to try and force a result, were dismissed for 232. Manprit Juneja led the way with 79, but he had little support. It was left to Kalaria’s unbeaten 33 to drag Gujarat from 148 for 7 to set Punjab a chase of 231 on the final day.
ScorecardMumbai took the first-innings lead in Indore against Madhya Pradesh but slowed down considerably in their second innings despite desperately needing to push for an outright win. Ajit Agarkar struck early in the morning to remove Satyam Choudhary when MP resumed on 191 for 5 but Harpreet Singh and Ankit Sharma resisted. Abhishek Nayar, as he has done through the season, delivered the crucial wicket of Harpreet, bowling him with an inswinger which the batsman left alone. A couple of poor decisions brought the end of the MP innings on 244, giving Mumbai a lead of 60. With Kaustubh Pawar steady at one end, Aditya Tare and then Wasim Jaffer made quick runs, but Mumbai got stuck after the duo fell. Hiken Shah took 75 balls to make 18 and Suryakumar Yadav 28 to make 5. Ishwar Pandey was again among the wickets after his six-for in the first innings.
ScorecardFourteen wickets went down in Hyderabad as Railways collapsed from a strong position and Hyderabad limped past 100 in their second innings. Railways, on 145 for 2 at the start of the day, were dealt twin blows by Ashish Reddy, who dismissed the captain Sanjay Bangar and Nitin Bhille. Offspinner Amol Shinde took over after that, taking five of the remaining six wickets as Railways crumbled to 213. Hyderabad had a big lead in the bag, but it was now the turn of the Railways spinners. Karan Sharma and Murali Kartik took five wickets between them after Anureet Singh struck with the second ball of the Hyderabad innings. Hyderabad closed on 130 for 6, but their overall lead was a healthy 254.
ScorecardPankaj Singh’s 17th five-wicket haul in 67 first-class games helped Rajasthan take a decent lead against Suarashtra and fifties from Sourabh Chouhan and Vineet Saxena gave the visitors a target of 306 in Jaipur. Saurashtra began on 213 for 7 in reply to Rajasthan’s 299 and Pankaj needed less than four overs to dismiss the remaining three batsmen. He bowled Kamlesh Makvana for his overnight score of 54, and did the same to Sandip Maniar. Chouhan retired on 6, and Rajasthan lost the captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar for a duck when he was bowled by Maniar. First-innings centurion Ashok Menaria came in and made a breezy 46. Chouhan returned to join Saxena after Menaria fell and was seventh man out with the score on 220. Rajasthan declared on 234 for 9, and Saurashtra reached 11 for no loss at stumps.

A round-up of the third round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2013
ScorecardKarachi Blues’ medium pace bowlers, led by Akbar-ur-Rehman, imposed a crushing 10-wicket win on Sialkot on the third day in Karachi. Akbar finished with eight wickets in the match and played a crucial role in dismissing Sialkot for low scores of 124 and 249, only 19 more than Blues’ first-innings score when put together.Sialkot started the third day at 18 for 3, following-on and still trailing by 212, and managed to take a minute lead of 19, led by Ali Khan’s run-a-ball 82. Akbar struck with four wickets, supported by two wickets each from Tabish Khan and Azam Hussain.Earlier, Blues chose to bat and were in trouble at 192 for 6 before their lower-order batsmen rescued them, scoring 162 for the last four wickets to take them to a respectable 354. Sialkot batsmen were not allowed to settle down as Akbar and his team-mates struck regularly to skittle them for 124, making them follow-on. Sialkot provided some resistance in the second innings but barely managed to make Blues bat again. Blues achieved their target of 20 with ease and took nine points to move to the top of the table in Group I.
ScorecardIn a low-scoring match also played in Karachi, Karachi Whites wrapped up Rawalpindi for under 200 for the second time in the match and achieved victory with three wickets to spare. Rawalpindi were leading by 89 and had five wickets in hand in the second innings on the third morning before losing their remaining wickets for 78 runs, setting the hosts a target of 168. Since neither of the teams had crossed 200 in three innings, 168 was not an easy target.Whites got off to a shaky start, being 1 for 1 and then 17 for 2. Opener Khalid Latif anchored the innings on one end and scored a half-century to ensure his team was steady and did not collapse during the chase.Rawalpindi were asked to field by Whites after the toss after which Atif Maqbool’s five-wicket haul reduced the visitors to 153. Whites could not achieve a huge total either, scoring 185, but a 32-run lead proved to be crucial at the end which got them nine points and the top position in Group II.

The last round of matches in Group B of the Women’s World Cup may not contain the intrigue of those in Group A, but there’s plenty at stake in Cuttack

Amol Karhadkar in Cuttack04-Feb-2013The last round of matches in Group B of the Women’s World Cup may not contain the intrigue of those in Group A, but there’s plenty at stake in Cuttack. Australia and New Zealand have already qualified for the Super Six, having won two games each, but the winner of their contest will carry forward more points to the next stage of the competition. The match between Pakistan and South Africa, however, is a knockout. The winner goes through, the loser plays for seventh place.As a result, Australia and New Zealand had an intense training session at the DRIEMS Ground, as did Pakistan and South Africa at the Barabati Stadium, despite all four teams playing two games in the last three days. The Pakistan batsmen put their heads down and tried to block as many balls as they could, while the South African camp focused on catching drills. With good reason.Pakistan scored only 188 runs for the loss of 20 wickets in their first two games against Australia and New Zealand, getting dismissed in 33.2 and 41.2 overs. South Africa dropped far too many catches, especially against New Zealand in their tournament opener, which ended in a 151-run defeat.Though the South Africans put on a much better display against Australia, their death-over batting prevented them from achieving the second upset of the World Cup, after Sri Lanka shocked England in Group A. The improvement, however, left South Africa upbeat ahead of their contest against Pakistan.”There are a lot of positive from those [two] games,” former India captain Anjum Chopra, who is South Africa batting consultant, said. “We made a few silly errors against New Zealand and that cost us dearly. We came back and rectified those errors in the game against Australia. We would have liked to have the result going in our favour, which could well have been on the cards had we gotten about 30 to 40 runs more. We were about 144 at the end of 36 overs and we finished at 189, which is not very satisfying.”If we start getting tighter and tighter and taking our chances, we can go through. Every game we have had to go out there and take more than 10 wickets [due to dropped catches], and in international cricket you can’t be doing that every day.”The contest at the DRIEMS ground will be intense too. Rivals Australia and New Zealand have faced each other frequently in the past – six times since the beginning of 2012. Australia have the edge in terms of head-to-head contests, but New Zealand are tough opponents on current form.”We have had two challenging matches against Pakistan and South Africa. It’s good preparation,” Alex Blackwell, Australia’s vice-captain, said. “We’ve got to do few things better, particularly with our batting. Against New Zealand, we have got to get it all together.”I am really impressed with what the New Zealanders are putting out, both with the bat and ball. They look like a very good all-round side. Players in form, Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine coming back into form and adding some guts to their batting, and Nicola Browne as well, so we’ve got to work out ways to get them out. We normally play on fast and bouncy wickets either back home or in New Zealand. But coming up against a very familiar opposition but in some challenging conditions [will be testing for both teams].”

In a reminder of what the Australian team is missing, Ricky Ponting was deservedly named Sheffield Shield player of the year at the state cricket awards in Hobart

Daniel Brettig20-Mar-2013In a poignant reminder of what the Australian team is missing, Ricky Ponting was deservedly named Sheffield Shield player of the year at the state cricket awards in Hobart.At the close of another season dominated by seam bowlers, Ponting claimed the award for his 875 runs at 87.50, two votes ahead of the South Australia swing bowler Chadd Sayers and six clear of the young New South Wales seamer Gurinder Sandhu and the Queensland batsman Usman Khawaja.Ahead of this week’s Shield final, in which he has the chance to win a domestic trophy with Tasmania in person for the first time, Ponting was at peace with the decision to call time on his international career late last year.While he admitted that 2012-13 had not been the season he had hoped for at its beginning, as a poor series against South Africa pushed him towards retirement, Ponting did not give much thought to the idea that he had been hasty.”International cricket’s long passed me by and I’ve been really excited about giving back to Tasmanian cricket whatever I could this season, Ponting said. “I’m playing a bit of cricket through the off-season as well, which will probably get me over another pre-season, so I’ll see how we go as far as playing for Tasmania next season is concerned.”The decision you make to retire when you do is a very big one and I know I put a lot of time and thought into making the decision that I made for all the right reasons.”As for the recent travails of the Test team in India, Ponting reminded all those present of his own struggles to adapt to the subcontinent in his earlier days.”The first three or four tours there I couldn’t score a run, our players will learn a lot for next time,” Ponting said. “I’ve tried to distance myself from watching too much international cricket since I retired. We’re all a bit disappointed the team hasn’t played a bit better. Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur have both been round block a few times and know how to bounce back.”Among other awards, Aaron Finch won the limited overs trophy after a strong year for the Bushrangers, while Nicole Bolton took the garlands for the Women’s National Cricket League. Members of the Bulls squad were notably absent from the teams of the year nominated by their peers, something that raised Ponting’s eyebrows.”I must admit I’m very surprised not to see any of their guys in the teams announced here today,” he said. “But no surprise for me to see the two teams that you’d say from the outside have the best culture and work ethic around the country find themselves playing the Sheffield Shield final this week.”Sheffield Shield Player of the Year:Ricky Ponting (Tas) – 18 votes (8 games, 875 runs at 87.50)Chadd Sayers (SA) – 16Gurinder Sandhu (NSW) – 12Usman Khawaja (QLD) – 12Limited overs Player of the Year:Aaron Finch (VIC) – 15 votes (7 games, 704 runs at 84.00, SR 98.05)Kane Richardson (SA) – 14Phillip Hughes (SA) – 12James Faulkner (TAS) – 12WNCL Player of the Year:Nicole Bolton (WA) – 17 votes (6 games, 330 runs at 55.00, SR 81.28)Meg Lanning (VIC) – 17 (6 games, 394 runs at 65.66, SR 102.33)Alex Blackwell (NSW) – 16WT20 Player of the Year:Jenny Wallace (WA) – 27 votes (11 games, 246 runs at 24.60, SR 87.85, 3 catches, 5 stumpings)Alex Blackwell (NSW) – 26Alyssa Healy (NSW) – 24Other awardsToyota Futures League Player of the Year: Nick Winter (ACT), Lord’s Taverners Indigenous Cricketer of the Year: Nathan Price (NSW), Cricket Australia Umpire Award: Bruce Oxenford, Benaud Men’s Spirit of Cricket Award: Tasmanian Tigers, Benaud Women’s Spirit of Cricket Award: NSW BreakersACA Teams of the YearSheffield Shield: Chris Rogers, Phillip Hughes, Alex Doolan, Ricky Ponting (capt), Callum Ferguson, Moises Henriques, Brad Haddin, Ashton Agar, Luke Butterworth, Chadd Sayers, Jackson Bird, Mark Cosgrove (12th man)Limited overs: Aaron Finch (capt), Phillip Hughes, Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Johan Botha, Nathan Coulter-Nile, John Hastings, Kane Richardson, Gurinder Sandhu (12th man)BBL: Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch (capt), Brad Hodge, Ricky Ponting, Ben Rohrer, Adam Voges, Tim Paine, James Faulkner, Ben Laughlin, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dirk Nannes (12th man)WNCL: Meg Lanning, Nicole Bolton, Alex Blackwell (capt), Jess Cameron, Jodie Fields, Lisa Sthalekar, Lauren Ebsary, Erin Osborne, Jude Coleman, Jemma Barsby, Holly Ferling, Elyse Villani (12th)WT20: Meg Lanning, Leah Poulton, Alex Blackwell (capt), Erin Burns, Jodie Fields, Lisa Sthalekar, Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Coyte, Briana Binch, Sarah Aley, Molly Strano, Jess Cameron (12th)

Sussex’s commitment to mending broken players is seen again their signing of Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Jordan for the 2013 season

George Dobell05-Apr-2013Last year: 4th, CC Div 1; Semi-finals, T20; Semi-finals2012 in a nutshell: Such has been the success at Sussex over recent years – they had won seven major trophies in the previous decade – disappointment over a season that finished without tangible reward was inevitable. But Sussex again pressed hard in the limited-overs formats and finished above many larger clubs in the Championship. They were in a bit of trouble after winning just one of their first seven Championship games, but then threatened a top three finish before losing the last two games to slip back into mid-table. They topped their group in both the CB40 and FLt20, but lost to Yorkshire in the T20 semi-final of the T20 and Hampshire in CB40. Steve Magoffin – with 57 Championship wicket at 20.05 apiece – led the bowling manfully, supported by the decidedly sharp Jimmy Anyon and the relentless Monty Panesar. Ed Joyce and Chris Nash led the way with the bat in the Championship, with Luke Wright – who made three CB40 centuries – exceptional in limited-overs cricket. Matt Prior and Scott Styris were both excellent in T20, with Michael Yardy back to his mean best with the ball. Murray Goodwin was released at the end of the season2013 prospects: Sussex may not have the bowling depth to mount a sustained Championship challenge, but they remain a very dangerous limited-overs unit. In keeping with their reputation as a mender of broken players, they have brought in Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Jordan, two highly-talented cricketers who had lost their way a little at Surrey. Andrew Miller, a tall seamer who previously represented Warwickshire, has joined, too. But John Hastings has pulled out of his T20 contract through injury, Kirk Wernars has taken a year off to explore other career opportunities and Luke Wright will miss the start of the season on IPL duty. They will require more runs from Joe Gatting and Michael Yardy this year, while Ben Brown’s wicketkeeping also remains a work in progress. But with the likes of Nash, one of the unsung heroes of English cricket, contributing with impressive consistency, they should have enough quality to avoid relegation. Off the pitch, the club continues to be particularly well run and understand its role in the wider game under a new chief executive, Zac Toumazi.Key player: Monty Panesar. It’s not just the wickets he takes, it is his ability to perform the role of stock bowler. Should he be required by England for lengthy portions of the summer, Sussex will have a huge hole to fill.Bright young thing: Luke Wells is a batsman with a great deal going for him. Blessed with a similar temperament to Alastair Cook but, perhaps, more elegant, he seems to have the ideal game to step-up to Test cricket. A lack of limited-overs experience – he has only played one T20 and six List A games – cannot help, but this is a 22-year-old who could go a long way in the game.Captain/coach: Ed Joyce, 34, probably takes on the captaincy at an ideal stage of his career; established, experienced and with little more to prove as a player, he will be able to dedicate his energy towards the role. Mark Robinson, the head coach, will continue to coax the best out of his eclectic squad with a calm and quiet wisdom that, in a shrill world, could easily be undervalued.ESPNcricinfo verdict: Chris Adams described Sussex as the ‘benchmark team’ of the Championship; a description that makes sense: finish above them and you are challenging; finish below them and you are in trouble. They are likely to be very competitive in the limited-overs formats.

Preview of the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur

The Preview by Sidharth Monga30-Apr-2013Match factsMay 1, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Jacques Kallis hasn’t been fluent with the bat this season•BCCIBig PictureTeams usually go into the IPL targeting one win more than half the matches they play, and then take it from there. Nine has been the magic number all captains have been talking about. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils have played nine games each, and are six and seven wins away from that magic number.The phrase captains quote most is about doing things right and letting results take care of themselves. Knight Riders and Daredevils haven’t quite been able to do that so far. Knight Riders have relied on spin, but their local batsmen have let them down. Daredevils have the big names in both the batting and bowling department, but they haven’t fired as much as they would have liked.They don’t have much time left, and need to start winning consistently to keep the league interesting. The halfway point is way too early for teams to be ruled out of the playoff stakes.Form guideDelhi Daredevils WLWLL (most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LWLLLIn the spotlightWhat has Twenty20 reduced Jacques Kallis to? In the last match, bogged down by his tournament strike rate of 106, with others failing to make up around him, he premeditated a ramp, and ended up playing from well wide of off with eyes nearly closed to get dismissed. He looks stylish when he bats, he is a classy batsman without doubt, but he shouldn’t have to resort to such ugly shots.Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner and Morne Morkel usually take the three overseas slots for Daredevils, but they haven’t been able to sort out their fourth foreign player. They have tried Andre Russell, Johan Botha, Jeevan Mendis, Ben Rohrer and Roelof van der Merwe without any success. Will they go a step ahead and play with eight Indian players?Stats and Trivia Gautam Gambhir is the second highest run-getter in all IPLs, behind Suresh Raina, but he has hit the most fours: 280. In nine matches, Daredevils’ wicketkeepers put together have registered four dismissals, the worst per-match rate in the league. Quotes”Hi guys, continue your support, KKR flight has hit slightly rough weather….am sure we’ll soon take control. Need your wishes”