All posts by h716a5.icu

Rajasthan Royals have said the franchise’s co-owner Raj Kundra will be suspended and have to “forfeit his shares” if he is found guilty of any wrongdoing

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2013Rajasthan Royals have said the franchise’s co-owner Raj Kundra will be suspended and have to “forfeit his shares” if he is found guilty of any wrongdoing. Kundra, who according to Delhi Police has admitted to betting on IPL games, is a minority shareholder and has no part in the running of the franchise, according to a statement issued by Royals’ chairman Ranjit Barthakur and CEO Raghu Iyer.”Mr Raj Kundra is a minority (11.7%) shareholder, and he has no involvement in the running of the franchise. We believe that [he] is a law-abiding citizen and would not act contrary to law. If, however, he is proven guilty, or has breached any regulations, he will be suspended, and will also forfeit his shares,” the statement said. “This is a strict governance procedure agreed to by all Rajasthan Royals shareholders, and it is consistent with our zero tolerance approach.”As a franchise, we have always been clear that the same rules apply to players, management or owners. As such, our actions will be consistent as in the case of the spot-fixing allegations with respect to our players.”Kundra had confessed to betting on IPL matches, including games involving his own team, Delhi’s police commissioner had said on Thursday. “Raj Kundra has confessed to betting,” Neeraj Kumar, the Delhi Police commissioner, told reporters. “He would place bets through Umesh Goenka, who is a bookie.”However Kundra indicated on Twitter that the media had “misconstrued everything”, and issued a statement reiterating that he had done nothing “for which I need to have any regrets”.* He would give up his share in the franchise, if proven guilty on any count, Kundra said: “Factually the discussions [in the media] about me are not wholly true. The version is either twisted, misconstrued or exaggerated to make it highly news-worthy.”I have always remembered that the franchise takes a zero tolerance approach to betting, spot-fixing or match-fixing and I entirely and whole heartedly endorse the same. As far as my alleged own act of commission or omission is concerned, I reiterate that I am totally innocent and in any event I wish to make it abundantly clear that if an iota of wrong doing is finally established against me I would unhesitatingly forfeit my share in the franchise.”Kundra and his friend and business partner Goenka were questioned by Delhi Police over 12 hours. He had “volunteered” to answer the police’s queries, and leave his mobile phone with them, Kundra said. “As a shareholder in Royals, the investigating team of Delhi Police deemed it fit to question me. Upon receipt of information that the police had certain questions to be put to me, I as a law abiding citizen volunteered to positively respond to the call. Needless to say, I satisfactorily replied to the queries raised by the police and they accordingly allowed me to leave after my questioning.”As the case develops, in due process, it may become necessary for the police to question me further. In the interest of justice, it is crucial that I am available in India. As such I have voluntarily retained my passport with the police and have also assured my full cooperation. Delhi Police themselves have had no grievance with regard to this and they have already stated so publicly through the media.”Kundra is now likely to be investigated by the BCCI’s committee, consisting of two retired Tamil Nadu High Court judges, which was originally appointed to look into the allegations of corruption against Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, and the owner companies of Super Kings and Royals – India Cements and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd.Royals had suspended the contracts of Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila four days after they were arrested for alleged spot-fixing in May, and also filed a complaint against them with Delhi Police. The players were charged by a Delhi Court under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with criminal breach of trust, following Royals’ complaint. In Royals’ statement, Barthakur and Iyer indicated that they are co-complainants in the franchise’s case against the players: “We are working hard as co-complainants to ensure that all information is made available to the authorities.”*17.00GMT, June 7: The article has been updated after Raj Kundra’s statement arrived

Brad Haddin proved his class with an opening day century for Australia A against Scotland at the Grange to put his side in healthy shape at the close on day one.

Callum Stewart at The Grange07-Jun-2013
ScorecardBrad Haddin proved his class with an opening day century for Australia A against Scotland at the Grange to put his side in healthy shape at the close on day one.Haddin held the innings together while wickets fell around him and finally found Peter Siddle as a long-term partner. The pair shared 118 for the sixth wicket to gradually shrug off the game Scotland attack.Haddin was involved in a few decent partnerships as he quietly moved past his half-century. His team-mates squandered stands that could have developed, but Haddin stuck around and played his own game. Too many short balls allowed him to deal in boundaries and in the evening session he passed his century with 11 fours.Siddle arrived at No. 7 and played the anchor while Haddin opened up his repertoire of strokes, scoring in all corners of the outfield with ease. Siddle reached his own half-century playing his favoured cut for four that also brought up the century partnership.The stand finally asserted Australian authority on the day that had begun with Scotland – whose attack was missing Neil Carter, Kyle Coetzer and David Murphy – winning the toss and making early inroads with the ball. Openers Jordan Silk and Alex Doolan didn’t hang around, Silk finding an outside edge from Gordon Goudie to Preston Mommsen at second slip and Doolan being clean bowled by Iain Wardlaw.Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith set about repairing the early loss. Smith nudged the singles while his partner dealt in boundaries, punishing the occasional bad delivery. Khawaja looked comfortable as the Scottish bowlers struggled to adjust to the left-hander, and when he passed his half-century in 95 balls he looked like he could push on but edged Wardlaw to wicketkeeper Matthew Cross.While Wardlaw and MacLeod took the spoils with two wickets each, it was Goudie who was the most impressive with just 13 runs coming off his first 13 overs, including 6 maidens and the early wicket. He also claimed two important catches. But the balance of the match changed the moment Haddin stepped to the crease.Scotland were short in the spin department, with the experienced Majid Haq out with a hamstring injury. Both Matt Machan and Moneeb Iqbal had a trundle and ironically it was a short length delivery from the latter which eventually dislodged Haddin for 113. His eyes lit up when he went to pull and connected well but not out of the range of Mommsen at midwicket who took a great diving catch with two hands.

Surrey remained top of the Friends Life t20 South Division with a 15-run win against London rivals Middlesex at The Oval

05-Jul-2013
ScorecardJason Roy top-scored with 52 as Surrey made it four wins from four•Getty ImagesSurrey remained top of the Friends Life t20 South Division with a 15-run win against London rivals Middlesex at The Oval. Left-arm spinner Ravi Patel took 4 for 18, in just his second game in the competition, but it was not enough as his batsmen failed to chase down 147 for 9.Surrey, who have not tasted success in the Championship this season, have now won four Twenty20 games in a row since losing to Hampshire, the title-holders, in their opening match. They did not look like winning this one when Patel, holding his nerve admirably in front of a capacity crowd of 22,000, had twice taken two wickets in two balls to tear the heart out of Surrey’s batting.Patel stopped Surrey in their tracks after Jason Roy had shrugged off the early loss of Steve Davies, caught at mid-on off Ollie Rayner, to dominate a second-wicket stand of 61 in seven overs with Ricky Ponting. Ponting contributed only 10 of them off 12 balls before he holed out at deep extra cover off Patel but Roy had thrashed 52 off 33 balls when he fell leg before next ball.Roy had thrilled the crowd by hitting three sixes, one of them a savage square cut to the longest boundary off Toby Roland-Jones, and five fours but none of the other Surrey batsmen could match his strokeplay on the slow, turning pitch.Adam Voges had Vikram Solanki well caught on the cover boundary before Patel struck again in quick succession. He had Zafar Ansari superbly caught by Dawid Malan, running to his left on the long on boundary and then claimed Azhar Mahmood leg before. Voges picked up his second wicket when he had Glenn Maxwell caught at long-on to reduce Surrey to 104 for 7 but Zander de Bruyn kept the hosts in the game with an unbeaten 27 off 24 balls.It proved to be far too many for Middlesex once they had lost three wickets for nine runs in three overs to slump to 37 for 3. Malan was caught behind driving extravagantly at Jade Dernbach, Joe Denly fell leg before to Mahmood and Voges popped up a simple return catch to Batty.Adam Rossington made 24 and Neil Dexter 40 to give them some respectability but they were never in striking distance of their target.

Dean Elgar made a strong bid to remain in South Africa’s Test team ahead of the fit-again JP Dumimy with an unbeaten 135

Firdose Moonda in Pretoria25-Jul-2013
Scorecard Dean Elgar’s hundred meant South Africa A responded well to Australia A’s large total•Getty ImagesDean Elgar made a strong bid to remain in South Africa’s Test team ahead of the fit-again JP Dumimy with an accomplished, unbeaten 135 against a strong Australia A attack in Pretoria. Like David Warner on the opening day, the innings may have wider implications for Elgar albeit scored on a flat, lifeless winter track.South Africa A coach Vincent Barnes admitted he would have liked a surface with a bit more bounce but the conditions at this time of year made that impossible. The High Performance Centre had done a sterling job in ensuring a lush, green outfield despite the dead grass at stadiums like the Wanderers and Centurion at the moment.Having amassed a run short of 400 on the first day, at a rate of almost 4.50 per over, Australia A chose to continue on the second morning. Warner was out in the last over the previous evening but Glenn Maxwell continued to build on his century. South Africa A’s attack could not dismiss either him or Tim Paine and Australia declared after facing 17 overs and adding 75 runs.South Africa A batted at a slower rate but enjoyed a healthy opening stand. Free State team-mates Reeza Hendricks and Elgar put on 97, with Elgar appearing in good nick despite the off-season break. Josh Hazlewood bowled with good pace and eventually made the first breakthrough, dismissing Hendricks lbw.Stiaan van Zyl did not show the class his reputation has been built on and was troubled by Fawad Ahmed, who once again made a push for an Ashes call-up. Ahmed had van Zyl caught at short leg for 8 and then took a superb catch off his own bowling – diving across the pitch – to dismiss Rilee Rossouw for a duck off the next ball. His hat-trick delivery could have seen Justin Ontong caught at silly point but the leading edge looped high and the fielder could not get to it in time.Instead, Ontong survived to score a calm 60 and share in a 118-run stand with Elgar who brought up his century, off 151, balls with a single off Ahmed, after hitting him for two fours in the same over. Elgar showed good prowess against both seam and spin which will be encouraging for the national selectors ahead of South Africa’s next Test series against Pakistan in the UAE.Ontong was bowled by Moises Henriques as the shadows lengthened across the field but Elgar batted to the close. South Africa are still well behind, but with not much on offer for the bowlers the first unofficial Test looks to be heading for a draw.

There is uncertainty over the participation of Pakistan players in the upcoming Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League as a result of a strained relationship between the two boards

Mohammad Isam and Umar Farooq05-Sep-2013There is uncertainty over the participation of Pakistan players in the upcoming Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, Bangladesh’s domestic one-day competition, due to a strained relationship between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the PCB.With less than five days before the start of the league on September 10, none of the 12 Dhaka clubs have managed to confirm the services of a Pakistan player. This season, a club can field up to three foreign players during a match and can register 10 players during the season. However, according to the BCB, it has not received any no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the PCB, a situation similar to what occurred before start of the Bangladesh Premier League earlier this year.An NOC is mandatory under a new ICC ruling on players participating in another country’s domestic competition. Previously, the Dhaka clubs contacted the players who then sought permission from their respective province or department, and a letter was sent from the BCB or the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) to help with visas in Bangladesh.This year, however, the process is likely to be a drawn out one due to the impasse between the boards. Relations between the two boards have been difficult since a Dhaka court ruling stopped Bangladesh from touring Pakistan in April last year. Throughout 2012, the BCB sought to conduct the tour only to back off citing security fears. In December 2012, BCB chief Nazmul Hassan put the tour on hold and said that the side would visit Pakistan only if the overall security improved. Two weeks later, the PCB refused to issue NOCs to its players to participate in the BPL, giving the Bangladesh board another reason to delay the proposed international tour. The PCB’s decision to prohibit its players from the BPL resulted in chaos as franchises scrambled to find last-minute replacements for Pakistan players two days before the tournament began.”It wasn’t us who told them not to come [to play in the BPL],” Hassan said. “It was the PCB who denied NOCs at the last minute. We played without them, and that is how we have remained. If suddenly they change the decision and contact the clubs here, it will be a different situation.”We will play the Dhaka Premier League without the Pakistani players because the PCB hasn’t given them the NOC. There’s no need for any discussions. We have accepted their hasty decision not to send players during BPL. We were not invited for any discussions at the time.”According to the PCB, it is seeking a formal written communication from the BCB before considering the release of its players. The PCB said that players were being approached directly with no written agreement from the “Bangladeshi organisers and board”.The current requirement of an NOC to engage with a player from a foreign country was prevalent last year, and the PCB had to issue the letters to its players, after the BCB made it mandatory for clubs to sign only overseas cricketers with first-class experience.Iqbal Yusuf Chowdhury, who is in charge of Cricket Coaching School (CCS), one of the twelve Dhaka Premier League clubs, said he would seek the BCB’s help in getting Pakistan cricketers to play in the tournament: “I will submit a letter on Saturday, to ask BCB to help me with NOCs from PCB.”Other Dhaka club officials have already started to look elsewhere this year, particularly to countries where players are free between September and October. A few clubs are interested in approaching Sri Lanka cricketers and some players have reportedly signed up. Clubs are also likely to contact players from England, India and Zimbabwe.A steady flow of Pakistani cricketers, international and uncapped, has been a feature of Bangladesh’s domestic competitions, particularly the Dhaka Premier League. Ever since the clubs were allowed a quota of foreign players, they have mainly been interested in bringing cricketers from Pakistan.Even when the second tier of the Dhaka league system or the first-class competition allowed foreigners for a short while, Pakistani players were the ones in demand. Players who are regulars in the Dhaka Premier League could also suffer financially, as a result of the issues between the boards. Usually, players are paid between $5,000 to $15,000 per season, depending on their first-class experience and Dhaka league performance. For international players, the rate goes up substantially and the clubs are often rewarded.Wasim Akram was the biggest name from Pakistan to have played in the Dhaka league. Shahid Afridi, Abdur Razzak, Shoaib Malik and Imran Farhat have also played domestic cricket in the country; Farhat scored the first double-century in Bangladesh first-class cricket. In recent years, Misbah-ul-Haq, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif, Fawad Alam and Hammad Azam have played in the Dhaka Premier League regularly.

Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar provided the searing start that set Mumbai Indians on course for a second Champions League T20 final in three years, a final which will now be an all-IPL affair

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Oct-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSachin Tendulkar got to 50,000 runs in all recognised cricket•BCCIDwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar provided the searing start that set Mumbai Indians on course for a second Champions League T20 final in three years, a final which will now be an all-IPL affair. Smith bludgeoned 59 from 38 as the pair made 90 together in 11 overs, in pursuit of T&T’s middling 153 for 5. Though the openers’ demise in the space of an over comprised a stutter, they had done enough to ensure the middle order could see out the dangerous Sunil Narine, and complete a straightforward victory, made easier by the injury to Rayad Emrit, who hurt his shoulder in the first over.Nathan Coulter-Nile had earlier been instrumental in subduing T&T, who had their own blazing start courtesy Evin Lewis’ 46-ball 62. Coulter-Nile conceded only 20 in his four overs, in which he also took one wicket, while both Kieron Pollard and Pragyan Ojha also took one apiece and gave away less than a run a ball in their three-over spells.Smith bludgeoned one back past the bowler and struck one sweetly in front of point to begin his onslaught, in the second over, and then, having ambled to three off seven balls, Tendulkar found form for the first time in the tournament. A crisp straight drive on the up off Rampaul was a throwback to his heyday, but the slog over long-on and a back-away inside-out drive that yielded consecutive sixes soon after were more a product of the present age than a bygone one.The pair took 49 runs from the Powerplay, but even the onset of spin only brought a slight dip in the run rate, as they were only made to deal with one over from Sunil Narine, even as they took the game away from T&T. Tendulkar crossed the 50,000-run aggregate for recognised cricket across all formats in the eighth over, to the crowd’s delight, while Smith doled out boundaries fashioned from power and touch in equal measure.Tendulkar was caught behind for 35 from 31, before Narine struck twice in the following over, to give rise to T&T hopes, but Mumbai needed only 58 runs from the last eight overs, and Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 33 ensured not even Narine would derail the chase. A six over extra cover off Lendl Simmons off the first ball of the 20th over sealed the victory.Lewis’ first boundary in T&T’s innings was off a Mitchell Johnson edge through second slip, but he slapped the next one over the third-man boundary and rarely erred again until his demise. Lewis took a liking to Johnson’s next over as well, carving two off side boundaries off it, but though Darren Bravo’s early strokeplay suggested he too had the Mumbai attack’s measure, he walked past Pragyan Ojha’s legside wide to have himself stumped for 14.Having hit 61 off the first eight overs, T&T slowed significantly against Ojha, Coulter-Nile and Pollard, who bowled tight lines and mixed up their pace to good effect on a dry Delhi surface. Yannick Ottley’s unbeaten 41 off 30 pushed T&T beyond 150, which seemed a competitive total despite the mediocre returns from the middle overs, but with one bowler down and the remaining quicks far from their best on the night, T&T could not deny the IPL champions.

Kenya were dismissed for the lowest total in T20 internationals – 56 – as they crashed to a 106-run defeat against Afghanistan in the first game in Sharjah

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKenya were dismissed for the lowest total in T20 internationals – 56 – as they crashed to a 106-run defeat against Afghanistan in the first game in Sharjah. Kenya’s new low – worse than their 67 against Ireland in 2008 – was due to an incisive spell from fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who dismissed Morris Ouma, Collins Obuya and Irfan Karim to leave them rattled at 7 for 4.Kenya, chasing 163, never recovered and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. They managed just five boundaries throughout the innings, and with the exception of Rakep Patel and Nelson Odhiambo, none of the other batsmen made double-digit scores, as Afghanistan bowled them out in 18.4 overs. Pacer Mirwais Ashraf and legspinner Samiullah Shenwari picked up two scalps each.Afghanistan, after choosing to bat, had put up 162 in 20 overs after Asghar Stanikzai had made a 34-ball 43. Stanikzai hit three fours and two sixes, and added 43 for the fourth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, to build on the good start from opener Mohammad Shahzad, who had smashed 36 off just 19 with four fours and three sixes.Stanikzai was eventually stumped by Ouma off left-arm spinner Hiren Varaiya in the 17th over, but Shenwari, coming in at No.6, hit two fours and four sixes to add a late flourish to the innings.The win gave Afghanistan an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second T20 will be played in the same venue on October 11th.

A late flurry of wickets cost West Indies Women the first ODI as they went down by one run against New Zealand Women at the Sabina Park in Kingston

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2013
ScorecardDeandra Dottin’s half-century brought West Indies close to a win in the first ODI•West Indies Cricket BoardA late flurry of wickets cost West Indies Women the first ODI as they went down by one run against New Zealand Women at the Sabina Park in Kingston.Poised for a win at 212 for 6, with 14 needed off 30 balls, West Indies lost their last four wickets for 12 runs to be dismissed for 224. The first of those four wickets was that of captain Merissa Aguilleira, who had scored a solid 43 and looked good to guide her side to victory. Her wicket was followed by the dismissals of Anisa Mohammad, out lbw to Nicola Browne, and Tremayne Smartt, stumped off Suzie Bates’ bowling. In the final over, with West Indies on the brink of a win, Browne effected a run-out to dismiss Shaquana Quintyne.West Indies had set up their chase well, guided by Deandra Dottin’s 66-ball 65. Dottin added crucial partnerships – first a 49-run fourth-wicket stand with Stafanie Taylor and a 74-run stand with Aguilleira that put West Indies in a comfortable position. Dottin’s innings included seven fours and a six but crucial wickets from Lea Tahuhu and Morna Nielsen gave New Zealand a chance to storm back into the game.Earlier, New Zealand could only score 225 in spite of having been in a strong position of 210 for 2. Having chosen to bat, Bates and Natalie Dodd shared a 65-run opening stand. Once Dodd fell, Bates added 95 runs for the second wicket with Amy Satterthwaite and put on fifty runs with Sophie Devine, while bringing up her fifth ODI hundred. Bates’ 110 came off 133 balls and included nine fours. New Zealand, however, lost their last six wickets for just 15 runs. Stafanie Taylor bagged four of the last six wickets, dismissing wicketkeeper Rachel Priest, Katie Perkins, Browne and Nielsen. Taylor finished with figures of 4 for 19 off seven overs.

A round-up of Group B games in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier on November 22, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2013
ScorecardMohammad Shahzad struck an unbeaten 43 off just 22 balls•ICCAfter heavy rains had shortened the match to a seven-over shootout, Afghanistan emerged as victors with a nine-wicket win over Nepal, which was powered by Mohammad Shahzad’s unbeaten 43. Nepal batted first, with the openers putting on 34 for the first wicket before wicketkeeper Subash Khakurel was dismissed for 16. Paras Khadka, the Nepal captain, followed just an over later for 4. Sagar Pun was removed in similar fashion to his fellow opener, Khakurel, getting bowled by seamer Mirwais Ashraf as Nepal ended up fronting 73 for 3 in their innings.Afghanistan’s openers needed to get the side off to a good start, and Mohammad Shahzad and Nawroz Mangal responded by adding 52 in just 4.2 overs. Mohammad Nabi, the captain, then joined Shahzad, who continued attacking the Nepal attack. The first four bowlers all went at an economy rate over 10 as Shahzad sealed the match with a six to take Afghanistan to a memorable victory. He remained unbeaten on 43 off just 22 balls, with three fours and three sixes.
ScorecardScotland won their third match from six games, a 15-run victory against the then-Group B table-toppers Netherlands. After scoring 165 for 4, Scotland restricted Netherlands to 150 for 6 despite a fiery 70 off 49 from Wesley Barresi.Scotland’s charge to a challenging total was led by the fifth-wicket stand between Matt Machan and Rob Taylor. Opener Richie Berrington scored a 31-ball 38 but three batsmen were dismissed for single-digit scores. Machan and Taylor came together at 93 for 4 in the 15th over and boosted Scotland with a partnership of 72 off just 35 balls. Both Machan and Taylor were unbeaten, on 67 and 41 respectively. While Machan struck six fours and a six, Taylor faced only 19 balls to smash four fours and two sixes.Netherlands were in the hunt until the 11th over when Michael Swart and Wesley Barresi had taken them to 76. Then they lost three wickets in four overs and were reduced to 89 for 4. With little support from the middle and lower order, Barresi tried to take them home with an unbeaten 70 off 49 but fell short by 16 runs. Offspinner Majid Haq took three wickets in his four overs, conceding 20 runs.Match abandoned
ScorecardThe match between Denmark and Papua New Guinea was abandoned without a ball bowled due to heavy rain. As a result, one point each was shared by the two teams.

India remain on top, more so after having squeezed out two major wickets, but another day of intense combat awaits them

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran21-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Manjrekar: Can’t fault Amla’s reaction

South Africa are not an easy side to defeat as a record of just three Test losses in nearly four years testifies. India are finding that out first hand in Johannesburg, as the home side put up a stubborn resistance on the fourth day. India remain on top, more so after having squeezed out two major wickets, but another day of intense combat awaits them on Sunday.India lost wickets regularly on the fourth day but that didn’t alter the match situation much as Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli had already put the visitors in a dominant position yesterday. By the time India were bowled out midway through the second session, the target had reached never-chased-before proportions of 458.South Africa’s redoubtable batting line-up is stacked with players who have stellar second-innings records, and grinding out five-and-a-half sessions isn’t a task beyond them. It wasn’t Jacques Kallis (second innings avg 56.06) or Hashim Amla (53.51) or even opener Graeme Smith (48.06) who led the resistance early on. Instead, it was Alviro Petersen, possibly playing for his place in the side after a lean run in recent months, who soaked up much of the bowling and led a sprightly start.Graeme Smith was run-out off a direct hit from Ajinkya Rahane•AFPIndia’s bowlers didn’t get alarming movement with the new ball and though there were edges and beatens aplenty, the only chance that came their way was a tough overhead catch for Virat Kohli on the first ball Smith faced off Zaheer Khan. It came off the middle of the bat, and though Kohli managed to get a hand on the ball, he couldn’t hold on and it popped too far for him to get a second chance.South Africa’s openers were never really at home – the leading edge or the ball that squared them up was never too far – but they went for their strokes and the runs came along briskly. Petersen played a gorgeous straight drive early on, and accumulated the bulk of his runs through whips towards midwicket. Smith, as usual, specialised in survival, besides muscling the ball frequently to the leg side.It was only when the openers have been together for nearly two hours that Smith seemed to be getting fluent, and the openers put together their first 100-run stand in more than a year.India desperately needed something to go their way, and it did. Smith has never been the nimblest runner between the wickets, and in 196 previous Test innings he had been run out only twice. Today, with his team still needing an enormous effort to save the game, he was caught short attempting a sharp, needless single. The throw from the mid-on fielder, Ajinkya Rahane, arrowed in on the base of the non-striker’s stump to catch Smith short. Perhaps Smith was convinced into going for the run as he played the shot from well outside his crease, but for a man who prides himself on his ability to thrive in high-pressure situations, this was a tame way to go.When India won the Durban Test on their previous tour, the defining delivery was the one from Sreesanth that leapt at Kallis’ throat and led to his dismissal. If India do go on to complete a famous win tomorrow, the defining deliveries could well be the ones to dismiss Amla in each innings. Opponents will consider Amla getting bowled without offering a stroke once as a bonus, but twice in a match is a bonus of the size investment bankers dream of.While Amla shouldering arms to a typical incoming Ishant Sharma delivery in the first innings was inexplicable, he was less culpable in the second innings. He saw Mohammed Shami drop it short and ducked, but the ball stayed low, so low that it crashed into the top of off. Amla had said after the first innings, “there are two types of leaves – a good leave and a bad leave.” You can’t classify this as a bad leave, but it cost Amla his wicket, and he trudged off after staring at where the ball bounced.While there has been plenty of intensity right through this game, there was also time for MS Dhoni to bowl a couple of overs when the light was fading towards close, making this the first time both teams’ wicketkeepers have bowled in a Test.India will hope they can take the remaining eight wickets tomorrow morning with the haste with which South Africa got them today. Pujara went on to his fourth 150-plus score of his short Test career before nicking behind off Kallis. Kohliclosing in on joining greats Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid as the only Indians to make a century in each innings of a Test. He couldn’t get there though, edging JP Duminy to the keeper on 96.Dhoni holed out for a typically busy 29, but it wasn’t as action-packed as Zaheer Khan’s cameo – french cuts and wild heaves were mixed in with a couple of cleanly struck sixes, all of which had the Indian dressing room laughing gleefully. Zaheer’s hitting meant India added 37 for the final two wickets, and pushed the target beyond 450.0:00

Manjrekar: Indian attack out-thought SA bowlers