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A tense final day is in prospect after Derbyshire built a lead of 161 with three wickets remaining against Surrey

Vithushan Ehantharajah at The Oval31-Aug-2013
ScorecardChris Tremlett benefited from uneven bounce to claim two wickets•PA Photos

When they talk of the calm before the storm, this “calm” has nothing peaceful about it. A fretful period in which little can be done but speculate of the toll of the ensuing chaos, this time is best spent preparing to endure. As for life beyond it, like the man who stockpiles seeds in his nuclear bunker, just make sure you survive it first.Today, 218 runs scored for the loss of seven wickets in 94 overs, as both sides foraged for their Division One lives ahead of a fourth day that will fray the nerves of all involved. Both sides performed admirably, but Derbyshire will go into tomorrow as favourites by virtue of having runs on the board.As expected, the pitch has deteriorated sufficiently over the last two days to shift the balance towards the bowlers. However, this assistance is skewed towards the Pavilion End, which has displayed some drastic variable bounce.It started, rather alarmingly, at the end of the seventh over of the day, when the left handed Ben Slater tried to tuck a good length delivery on leg stump from Tim Linley behind square on the leg side. The next thing he knew, the ball had somehow managed to take the leading shoulder of the bat and loop to point for the first wicket of the day.Soon after Wayne Madsen was on the receiving end of a sharp uppercut, as Linley found the same spot to daze the Derbyshire captain. But Madsen took the count before rallying to see things through to tea, by which time he had passed fifty and helped build a lead of 84, with the further wickets of Paul Borrington – Linley’s 150th first class scalp for Surrey – and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who fell lbw to Gareth Batty.Madsen could not hold off the demons for much longer, as Chris Tremlett, who had looked innocuous earlier in the day, shot out both he and Alex Hughes with identical balls from the Vauxhall End that kept low and clattered the pads. On both occasions, the batsmen were already turning to the dressing room – having given the offending area of the pitch a stern stare – before the umpire’s finger was in full view.Surrey’s decision to delay taking the new ball (eventually making an appearance in Tremlett’s hand in the 93rd over) was a wise one considering how much joy they were getting from an older, softer one. Batty was the last to benefit from it when he coaxed Peter Burgoyne forward and took his outside edge with Zander de Bruyn taking a smart catch low to his right at first slip.Surrey’s captain deserves some plaudits for the way he marshalled the field and his bowlers. He even displayed some impressive self-restraint after a host of unsuccessful lbw shouts, some of which were mighty close. After one particularly visceral appeal was turned down, he stood still, baffled, before returning to the bottom of his mark to reconvene with an extra grumbling skip in his step. Having missed the FLt20 Finals Day for a breach of discipline, he is all too aware that any further displays of dissent will elicit further sanctions, regardless of how vindicated he might be.But some handy contributions late on from Richard Johnson and Tim Poynton, as well as a more unconvincing one from the David Wainwright, mean that Derbyshire will start day four with a lead of 161, already ensuring a tricky fourth-innings chase. The surface will play more unpredictably, and with the pace of Mark Footitt and the turn and bounce of Wainwright (who looks more like the bowler who took 44 wickets last season) to come, it won’t be easy going.For one team, defeat will mean all but the end of their stay in Division One.

MS Dhoni, the India captain, said he was happy with the experience gained by younger players in the series against Zimbabwe and on India A’s ongoing tour of South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2013MS Dhoni, the India captain, said he was happy with the experience gained by the younger players in the series against Zimbabwe and on India A’s ongoing tour of South Africa. According to Dhoni, these performances will hold India in good stead when the team embarks on their tour of South Africa in late November.”The exposure the boys are getting in Zimbabwe and South Africa will help them in the long run,” Dhoni said. “It will help them when they take on a quality opposition like South Africa later this year. They have done really well and the experience will help them in adjusting to conditions better.”India swept Zimbabwe 5-0 in their ODI tour, while India A took the the one-day tri-series, beating Australia A in the final. India A are also playing two unofficial Tests against South Africa A and have dominated the first game so far.Dhoni praised stand-in captain, Virat Kohli for his leadership during the Zimbabwe tour: “I think Virat did well in Zimbabwe. He is an expressive guy and that is important. He has changed a lot in the last one year and his approach is positive. His batting performance as captain is a good sign for Indian cricket.”Focusing on Australia’s upcoming ODI tour, which begins on October 10, Dhoni felt that the toss would be vital in dictating the outcome of the series, given that all the matches will be played into the night. “Around that time there will be a lot of dew, so it will be vital to win the toss. We will still try to give our best in the series,” he said.With former India captains Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly presenting their greatest Indian ODI and Test teams recently, Dhoni felt that such an exercise was futile because the game had evolved over the years: “I don’t think I will ever make my all-time greatest India team. You cannot compare one era with another as they will be different.”Whether a player has played one match or a hundred, we should give him respect for what he has achieved and leave it at that. It is like comparing two-stroke bikes with four-stroke. I don’t think you will get a better product by mixing them.”

Rajasthan Royals are on the brink of a semi-final spot, and they have the comfort of playing in their stronghold Jaipur, against Perth Scorchers, in their bid to confirm that spot

The Preview by Rachna Shetty28-Sep-2013

Match facts

September 29, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Can Royals continue their march in Jaipur?•BCCI

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‘We’ll be playing our best team’ – Hodge

Big Picture

With a record of 10 successive wins in Jaipur and on the brink of a semi-final spot, Rajasthan Royals are marked favourites against Perth Scorchers.Scorchers, languishing at the bottom of Group A, will be desperate for a turn in form and fortunes. Their first game was washed out and they were thrashed by a belligerent Neil Broom and Ryan ten Doeschate in their previous game. A loss here could significantly worsen their chances of qualifying for the semi-final, making them depend on technicalities and other teams.The match against Otago exposed the fragility and inexperience of the young Scorchers attack. Their batting showed some gumption – reaching 180 for 6 from 11 for 3 – but their bowling was disappointing. Once Otago mounted an assault on the bowling from the 12th over onwards, Scorchers had no one to rein in the run-scoring. Between the 12th and the 20th overs, they conceded less than 15 runs in just one of the nine overs.Royals, on the other hand, have managed to control the latter half of their bowling innings well. They conceded 10 runs or more in an over six times against Lions, of which only two were in the last five overs. Against the more powerful Mumbai Indians line-up, they had only five such overs overall.Perhaps, the most crucial player for Scorchers in this game will be Brad Hogg, who has spent two IPL seasons with Royals. Hogg’s first-hand knowledge of the hosts line-up and the playing conditions in Jaipur could prove invaluable as Scorchers look for a revival.For Royals, the focus will be on consistency and confirming their semi-final place. Their ability to find performers at crucial junctures has been impressive and they’ve benefitted by giving youngsters like Ashok Menaria and Sanju Samson a free rein. Shaun Tait has been sidelined so far with an injury but things are likely to get interesting if he is fit in time to play against his Australian T20 side.

Players to watch

Simon Katich had a great run with Lancashire in the Friends Life t20, leading up to this tournament. In nine innings, he scored 265 runs at an average of 44.16. As one of the most experienced players in the side, Katich has a clearly-defined role of keeping one end stable as the younger batsmen bat around him.Brad Hodge, with his deadpan style of batting, has reveled in his middle-order role for Royals. He cemented their place in this Champions League with an unbeaten 54 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2013. Against Lions, he struck a nonchalant 20 runs off the final over to take Royals to a strong total. With Shane Watson alternating between the top and middle order depending on the match situation, Hodge’s presence lends a certain calm to the Royals batting line-up.

Andrew Hudson has confirmed he will not stand for reappointment as South Africa’s convener of selectors, a week before the nominations for the panel must be completed

Firdose Moonda23-Apr-2015Andrew Hudson has confirmed he will not stand for reappointment as South Africa’s convener of selectors, a week before the nominations for the panel must be completed. The deadline for submitting candidates’ names is next Thursday and Ashwell Prince is expected to lead the list, although one of the existing selectors may be promoted to the chief job.As reported by ESPNcricinfo 11 days ago, Hudson is likely to be the only member of the committee who will not stay on. All the other current members – Shafiek Abrahams, Hussein Manack and Linda Zondi – are expected to be available again.Hudson confirmed his decision to newspaper in Durban, citing his banking career and family life as the reasons for stepping down. “Having been in the system for five years has been a real privilege and honour for me. To be No.1 in Test cricket for a large part of my tenure and No. 1 in all three formats during Gary Kirsten’s time was very special. We have also seen the emergence of young, exciting players who will be around for many years to come,” he said.His decision comes amid swirling speculation that CSA’s “aggressive transformation” is leading to big changes. Allan Donald also stepped down after four years in the job with Charl Langeveldt expected to take over but Hudson played down the suggestion. “I was committed to transformation at the highest levels and achieved CSA guidelines throughout my tenure,” he said.Although Hudson’s tenure was marred by the Thami Tsolekile incident, which former international Makhaya Ntini believed was race driven, it also saw many players of colour debut for South Africa including their first black African batsmen Temba Bavuma. Vernon Philander was also among the players who featured prominently during Hudson’s tenure, even though the bowler is at the centre of a controversy over his selection in the World Cup semi-final.Though CSA’s investigation of the selection incident concluded that Philander had been picked on merit after passing a fitness test, there has been a belief in some quarters that Domingo and de Villiers would have preferred to play Kyle Abbott, who was in better form than both Philander and Dale Steyn.Hudson would not be drawn on the matter, even as he exits but the South African Cricketers’ Association hinted that administrators may have gone over Hudson’s head in that instance. “In a Proteas context the convener has to deal with a number of unique factors in the selection process. It’s a tough job and the recent controversy over selection in the World Cup in New Zealand is an example of what he has had to deal with,” Tony Irish said.Hudson was appointed in May 2010 and was in the job for five years. His final task will be to choose a squad to tour Bangladesh in July, which will see the introduction of a new Test opener following Alviro Petersen’s retirement last summer and could also see at least two specialist spinners, Dane Piedt and Simon Harmer, both in the mix.

New Zealand have fitness worries over two key middle-order players ahead of the second Test at Headingley with allrounder Corey Anderson and wicketkeeper BJ Watling both struggling with injuries sustained at Lord’s

Andrew McGlashan26-May-2015New Zealand have fitness worries over two key middle-order players ahead of the second Test at Headingley with allrounder Corey Anderson and wicketkeeper BJ Watling both struggling with injuries sustained at Lord’s.Watling is only rated as 50-50 to be ready for Friday after picking up a knee injury on the opening day of the first Test which prevented him from keeping for the rest of the match although he did manage gutsy innings of 61 not out and 59. Anderson, meanwhile, suffered a back injury which meant he only bowled three overs in the second innings although he, too, batted well for 67 as New Zealand tried to save the match.”BJ’s not 100%, clearly his knee is still an issue,” coach Mike Hesson said. “He struggles to push off and get a lot of power so he’s a 50-50 at this stage. From Corey’s perspective bowling was painful and so was fielding so we’ll need to monitor that.”New Zealand have plenty of wicketkeeping cover should Watling not recover, in what would be a situation of history repeating itself after he was ruled out of the corresponding Test two years ago after being injured at Lord’s. Tom Latham took the gloves after lunch on the opening day, and collected six catches across the two innings, while Luke Ronchi, who is uncapped at Test level, is part of the squad.Anderson, though, is important to the balance of New Zealand’s side and Hesson acknowledged that his injury had left the frontline bowlers with an excessive workload which had played a part in England’s fightback on the fourth day, which is when Hesson sensed the match was moving away from the visitors.”It was really the fourth day that turned it around, we felt we bowled well enough to get three or four wickets in the morning but Alastair Cook and the way Ben Stokes and Joe Root played took the game away from us. That was the turning point. As a bowling unit we were a bowler light so that put a lot of pressure on other guys so they are stiff and sore and we need to make sure come Friday they are fresh.”In a free-flowing Test, the highest scoring one ever at Lord’s, the run-rates were high for most of the match. Hesson offered his support to offspinner Mark Craig, who finished with match figures of 2 for 173, and Tim Southee who conceded 266 runs in the match – the most ever by a New Zealand bowler in a Test.”Mark didn’t have his best Test, that’s fair, but he’s played nine Tests and won us three so he’s a very important member of our squad and he’ll be better off after this,” he said. “I also felt he got better as the game went on. Tim bowled some great spells and I think he suffered as we were a bowler light and had to bowl a heck of a lot more overs.”

Scott Borthwick more than doubled his tally of Championship wickets for the season as spin gradually broke Sussex’s resistance at Arundel

Paul Edwards at Arundel18-Jun-2015
ScorecardScott Borthwick more than doubled his wickets tally for the season•ECB

For all that Sussex resisted nobly, Durham’s bowlers tolerated no denial on the final day of this game.The leaders of the County Championship had played better cricket than Sussex in the previous three innings of the match, so it was perhaps to be expected that Durham, well-drilled and thirsting, would gain the win that keeps them 29 points clear of Warwickshire at the top of the table, albeit that the Edgbaston side have played a game fewer.Yet this was no abject capitulation by a county which, prior to the decade in which it won three titles, was famed for its foibles and fallibilities. Instead, a century by Luke Wells and a last-wicket stand of 64 between Ben Brown and Tim Linley delayed Durham’s celebrations of their 178-run victory until after the scheduled tea interval.It was not until well after four o’clock that the strains of Blaydon Races echoed incongruously across to the Downs where Eric Ravilious painted and Edward Thomas wrote. By 4.30 they were putting away the chairs and the ice-cream van was heading back into town. The little world of the five-day festival was being dismantled.There were early portents that the home side was not ready for meek submission. Although Sussex lost Ed Joyce in the fourth over of the morning when the Sussex skipper came forward to John Hastings but only edged a catch to Michael Richardson, the rest of the morning session was marked by stylish resistance.The rearguard was led by Wells, who went splendidly from 53 not out overnight to his first hundred of the championship season with a series of crisp straight drives, most of them struck off Chris Rushworth.Wells did not reach that century until he punched a full toss from Scott Borthwick through the covers just before lunch. Although there were perhaps only 600 spectators at Arundel , many stood and applauded the young opener, thus briefly enlivening two hours’ cricket which had often been characterised by both tranquillity and purpose.Wells’s 18th boundary also made him only the second top-order Sussex batsman to reach three figures this season. By the time he joined that very select club, he had lost Chris Nash, who chipped Graham Onions to Rushworth at mid-on just before midday. The ball may have stopped a little but that did not prevent a Durham supporter dancing a curious stiff-armed jig of delight at the Park End.At the Castle End Sussex diehards were making their own contributions to the morning’s fun. As Collingwood’s fielders bellowed their leg before appeals against the Lukes, Wells and Wright, a sturdy ancient responded quite as loudly: “No! No! No!” Umpire Jeremy Lloyds agreed and turned the appeals down. A happy breed of men, indeed.Sussex lunched on 223 for 4 and their spectators began to hope that a draw might be possible, if not one of the most improbable victories in their county’s history. The Arundel pitch had continued to ease and both Wells and Wright seemed at ease with the situation. Yet within an hour or so of the resumption five wickets had fallen and we were waiting for the end.The bowler who did the damage was Borthwick, who arrived at Arundel with three championship wickets to his name and leaves with seven.As the pitch began to favour the spinners over the seamers, Borthwick and his colleague Ryan Pringle, the off-spinner, came into their own. Indeed, the leg-spinner had spent much of lunch practising his bowling on the outfield.Pringle struck first when he had Wells caught at slip by Collingwood for 108 when attempting an off-drive in the fifth over after lunch. Four balls later, Wright, on 49, attempted a similar type of shot to Borthwick only for the ball to take the leading edge. The bowler took a two-handed catch, diving to his right.That left Sussex on 242 for 6 and all talk of heroics was silenced. Instead, people discussed when the match – and with it the festival – might end. Borthwick’s removal of both Ajmal Shahzad and George Dockrell, the first stumped, the second caught at the wicket, did nothing to postpone such discussions. Behind the stumps Richardson had five victims and people noted that Durham’s record, held by Chris Scott, was only seven. Waitresses sat and chatted in the vacant hospitality marquees.Magoffin lasted 23 minutes, his stubbornness persuading Collingwood to take the new ball 17 overs after it was due. Sussex’s No 10 succumbed in the first over, edging Onions to Gordon Muchall at slip. 271 for 9. Not long now, then.But this game had yet another treat stored up for its spectators. Brown and Linley batted with utmost assurance against both seam and spin for 18 overs before Brown was lbw to a full length ball from Borthwick for 60. Durham’s players gathered in a huddle of delight in mid-pitch. They know that the next big test of their Division One credentials will take place at Chester-le-Street a week on Sunday, when they take on champions Yorkshire.For their part, Sussex will simply hope for better luck with injuries. Within an hour or so, the players had gone their various ways. In the distance the cathedral and castle were caught in blue and indigo, as vivid as Mont Sainte-Victoire in the late afternoon light.

Resurgent Surrey moved clear as Group A leaders in the Royal London Cup as they beat holders Durham by 49 runs at Chester-le-Street

ECB/PA31-Jul-2015
ScorecardSteve Davies scored 98 three days after making 99 (file photo)•Getty Images

Resurgent Surrey moved clear as Group A leaders in the Royal London Cup as they beat holders Durham by 49 runs at Chester-le-Street.Both teams went into the match with two wins and one washout, but Surrey had the two star performers in Steven Davies and the unheralded James Burke. Following his 99 against Northants on Tuesday, Davies made 98 after holding the innings together following a flying start with Jason Roy.After being put in, they had 78 on the board inside 12 overs, but Durham fought back well to restrict the visitors to 271 for 7, only for Burke to rip out their middle order.The 24-year-old seam bowling allrounder from Plymouth struck three times in his first five overs. He had Graham Clark lbw for a duck, clean bowled Paul Collingwood and had Gordon Muchall caught behind with another good one.With left-handers Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick falling when trying to sweep Gareth Batty after Mark Stoneman pulled Tom Curran straight to deep midwicket, Durham slumped to 114 for 6. It became 164 for 8 before they sent in the big-hitting John Hastings, whose 31 off 27 balls was in vain as they were all out for 222 in the 47th over.In Surrey’s innings the first four overs produced 32, but Collingwood stemmed the onslaught after his first over cost ten. Roy fell for 34 when he dragged an attempted sweep into his stumps then Kumar Sangakkara edged behind for 3.Ben Foakes edged a drive off Usman Arshad for Borthwick to hold a very sharp chance at gully. When Davies pulled a four in Borthwick’s first over it proved to be the last boundary for 17 overs as the legspinner and Collingwood kept a tight rein.Gary Wilson went down the pitch and edged Borthwick to Mustard, who then stumped Davies when offspinner Ryan Pringle returned and turned one past the advancing left-hander. Davies faced 109 balls and added only three fours to the five each which he and Roy hit in the first ten overs.Burke broke the boundary famine by swinging Pringle over midwicket for six and after Zafar Ansari made a useful 41 there was another six in the final over.It was flat-batted back over Chris Rushworth’s head as Tom Curran made an unbeaten 26 off 19 balls. He followed up with very accurate bowling and ended Durham’s hopes when he had Hastings caught in the deep after taking ten off the first three balls of his final over.

Australia captain Meg Lanning and her squad leave for England on Monday night with great expectations, although recent history will be against them in their bid to regain the Women’s Ashes

Brydon Coverdale13-Jul-2015In 2013, Australia won the Women’s World Cup. In 2014 they took out the Women’s World T20. Now they are hoping that 2015 brings them the other major piece of silverware available: the Women’s Ashes. It is a prize the Australians have barely laid hands on over the past decade, despite their success in the shorter formats.Captain Meg Lanning and her squad leave for England on Monday night with great expectations, although recent history will be against them. Not since 2001 under Belinda Clark’s captaincy have Australia won the Ashes in England, and only once in the past 10 years have they claimed the trophy anywhere, with victory at home in 2010-11.This will be the third Ashes campaign that incorporates ODIs and T20s as well as Test cricket, and the weighting of points given to the formats has now been adjusted to ensure the Test result does not effectively dictate the outcome of the series. Coach Matthew Mott, who joined the group earlier this year, said the time for Ashes success was now.”The team’s record speaks for itself over the last 10 years,” Mott said. “But the one thing that has eluded us is the Ashes. It was 2001 the last time the team won in England. There’s a lot of payback ready and the girls are really excited about this opportunity coming up.”A lot of teams will say they’re in rebuilding phases. This is the time for these girls to capitalise. They’ve played together for a long time, they’ve had success and they’re all at the peak of their careers. It should be an exciting couple of years.”The series begins with three ODIs, followed by the Test match in Canterbury, and then three T20s that complete the campaign. The Test is worth a maximum of four points and the shorter matches two each, which means that a team needs to perform consistently across at least two of the formats in order to claim the Ashes.The Australian women’s team prior to their departure to England•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

“Given that we’ve had success in both the World Cups recently in both the T20 and one-day formats it should bode well for us,” allrounder Ellyse Perry said. “But there’s not much margin for error in this series because you only play a few games in each format.”Perry was Player of the Match last time Australia played a Test, against England at the WACA in 2013-14, where she scored 71 and 31 and claimed eight wickets for the match. However, it was not enough to prevent England claiming victory.Test cricket is a rare sight in the women’s game these days, and generally only occurs for Australia when they take on England – since 1996 they have only once played a Test against another nation, when they beat India in Adelaide in 2006.”It’s truly wonderful, to be able to put on the baggy green is what most young cricketers look forward to doing,” Perry said. “We’re really thankful for the opportunity. It’s a true test of your skill and ability on the cricket field. Because you spend so much time in the field as a team it brings you closer together as well. Every time we play a Test together we learn a little bit more about our own games and about each other. I’m really excited to play again.”Departing for England will complete a busy few days in women’s cricket in Australia, after the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League was announced last week. The T20 tournament will mirror the men’s BBL with the same eight teams and the potential for international players to sign on. Perry said she had been pleased with the public interest surrounding the WBBL since its announcement.”It’s a huge step forward in terms of the development of the women’s game, not just in Australia but globally as well, with the chance for a lot of international players to come and play in what is probably going to be the premier tournament in the world,” she said. “The interest in it is really pleasing and a little bit surprising. A lot of people are anticipating the competition starting, and the fact that it’s integrated with the men’s competition is a really good development.””Things have been developing so quickly in the last five or six years. Even when I came into the team about eight years there were no contracts for players, it was just tours every now and then. Now there are full-time contracts for some of the top players in the country, we have a professional competition in the WBBL starting.”That’s testament to the huge amount of effort and investment that Cricket Australia have put into the women’s game here, and also there’s more interest from the public across all women’s sport in the last couple of years.”

Craig McMillan has said the New Zealand players were “annoyed” that the first T20 international against South Africa in Durban was not broadcast on television in New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2015New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan has said the players were “annoyed” that the first T20 international against South Africa in Durban was not broadcast on television in New Zealand.A Sky TV spokesperson said they would continue negotiations for the rights and New Zealand Cricket said it would discuss the situation with Cricket South Africa, in the hope that the rest of the series – another T20I and three ODIs – would be televised. At the moment, however, the matches are not scheduled for broadcast.”The players are annoyed,” McMillan said on , a New Zealand radio show. “They want to be seen back home. We have some young guys playing for New Zealand for the first time, like George Worker … these are guys who are just starting out on their international careers. Let’s hope some resolution can be found in the next 24 hours and hope the next game will be on the box.”I know there are some issues with time difference but it’s very unusual for us to be touring around the world and be playing one of the world’s best teams and not have that on TV back home.”Sky TV spokesperson Kirsty Way said their bid for the rights hadn’t been accepted. “We are really disappointed, too,” she told . “We have put in a really good bid – a big bid – and it hasn’t been accepted. No one in New Zealand has offered more for it. We are not going to stop trying.”NZC said in a statement that it would try and reach a resolution with CSA. “The broadcasting rights for overseas tours are not owned by NZC: they are the property of Cricket South Africa. However, NZC will be discussing the situation with Cricket South Africa, in an attempt to ensure Black Caps fans will be able to watch the remainder of the series live in New Zealand.”New Zealand lost the first T20 international in Durban by six wickets, and the second game is scheduled for Sunday, followed by three ODIs from Wednesday. The Zimbabwe leg of New Zealand’s tour of Africa was available on television in New Zealand.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on October 9, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Ishant Sharma ran through Vidarbha’s lower order•AFP

Ishant Sharma’s six-wicket haul restricted Vidarbha to under 300, before half-centuries from captain Gautam Gambhir and Nitish Rana helped the hosts recover from a mediocre start at Feroz Shah Kotla.Ishant removed three of Vidarbha’s last four wickets, as the visitors, resuming on 222 for 6, lasted 27 overs on the second day at the Feroz Shah Kotla.Ishant began by trapping Jitesh Sharma lbw in the fifth over of the day, but had to wait 20 more overs for his next wicket as overnight batsman Shrikant Wagh and Akshay Wakhare put on 57 runs for the eighth wicket. However, after Ishant had Wakhare caught behind in the 115th over, Vidarbha’s innings came to a quick finish.Delhi didn’t get off to the best start in their reply, with Unmukt Chand being run out in the fifth over. They were then reduced to 25 for 2 after Pradeep Sangwan was caught behind off Swapnil Bandiwar in the 15th over. But, Gambhir and Rana put on an unbroken 107-run partnership to steady things for the hosts.
ScorecardFast bowler Krishna Das completed figures of 5 for 32 on the second day in Guwahati, his performance helping Assam skittle out Rajasthan cheaply and claim a first-innings lead by stumps. Rajasthan began the day on 147 for 5, and Krishna Das took four of the remaining five wickets as the visitors added only 39 to their overnight score. They were dismissed for 186 in 83.4 overs.Assam lost Rishav Das for a duck in reply but were steadied by a second-wicket stand of 83 between Pallavkumar Das and Gokul Sharma. Ajay Singh dismissed both set batsmen in the 31st and 33rd over though, and Assam were wobbling at 88 for 3. KB Arun Karthik followed his century in the previous game with an unbeaten 60 and steadied the innings. His partnership with Tarjinder Singh for the fifth wicket was worth 74 at stumps and had helped Assam to a lead of 26 with six wickets in hand.
ScorecardAn unbeaten half-century from Govinda Podder steadied Odisha after a top-order slide and kept them in the hunt for the first-innings lead against Maharashtra in Cuttack. Odisha slipped from 29 for 0 to 68 for 4, with Shrikant Mundhe taking three wickets, before Podder held one end up and put on an unbroken 99-run stand with Pratik Das, who was unbeaten on 32 at stumps. Odisha ended the second day on 167 for 4, trailing by 114.The day had begun with Maharashtra on 231 for 5, and the visitors’ tail did not offer much resistance. Rahul Tripathi was lbw to Basant Mohanty without adding to his overnight score of 41 and the collapse was swift thereafter. Suryakant Pradhan finished with 4 for 90 as Maharashtra were dismissed for 281, having added only 50 on the day.Karnataka v Bengal – Nair 119* hands Karnataka advantage