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Kane Williamson is adding more aggressive strings to his batting bow, but his innate defensive steel was invaluable to New Zealand at Basin Reserve

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Basin Reserve05-Jan-2015Kane Williamson had been a part of the 126-run stand that sapped Sri Lanka and propelled New Zealand into dominance on day one in Christchurch. But even he admits his role in the whole thing was minor.As his runs dried up when he lost rhythm after lunch, Brendon McCullum was laying waste to the opposition. Williamson’s contribution to the partnership was 20 – less than one-fifth of McCullum’s tally. “It felt like I was the library in a theme park,” was his take on that session, one week later. So entrenched is his reputation for being a dour speaker, someone quipped it would have taken the entire seven days to come up with the analogy.It would be glib, after Monday’s 80 not out off 200 balls, to make Williamson a perpetual librarian. Or a flesh-and-blood museum for cricket’s black-and-white days. Truth is, his ODI batting has leapt so far forward in the past 18 months, that he is equipped with every gear a modern batsman requires. He can sprint as well as stonewall. He can bludgeon as well as block.Basin Reserve pitch expected to offer spin

Two days out from the finish, and five second-innings New Zealand wickets down, both teams are eyeing victory at Basin Reserve, but expect the pitch to become flatter for quicks, and friendlier for spin. The strong breeze that blows perpetually across the ground is known to dry out its pitches. Though this strip was a greentop on day one, it may assist the spinners on day four and five. New Zealand were 118 ahead at stumps on day three.
“The pitch is only going to get harder,” opening batsman Tom Latham said. “The ball’s going to turn more in the next couple of days, so whatever we get hopefully we can defend it.”
Sri Lanka seamer Dhammika Prasad said the dropped chance off Kane Williamson off his bowling cost Sri Lanka dearly, but he was confident of wiping out the final five wickets on day four. “It’s doing a bit and Rangana turned the ball,” he said. “You can see that when he bowled with the new ball, and turned it a bit. We can expect turn tomorrow as well.
“It’s not quite easy for the fast bowlers. When you’re bowling a good line and length, you’ve got a good chance to take a wicket. If you hit the seam, you can still get rewards.”

But although others around him have also become versatile – Brendon McCullum launched that famous Wellington rearguard only 10 months ago – defence is something they had to develop. Williamson is unique in this New Zealand top order because he understands safety better than he knows attack. The grind comes innately to him.There are no itchy fingers when he’s scoreless for ten balls. No tendency to get “bored out” as Ross Taylor once said of one of his dismissals against Pakistan, at this very ground. Like the tuk-tuk of a Misbah-ul-Haq dead bat – tuk-tuk being the double-sound when the ball strikes the bat, then falls, defused, to the pitch), or Kraigg Braithwaite’s hunkering down, Williamson gleans satisfaction from the sedate. He was at the crease for 74.2 overs of the 90 overs New Zealand faced today, and they hit only 231 runs. The innings run rate of 2.5 is the slowest for New Zealand, so far in the series.Williamson did ride his chances. Rangana Herath spilled the first catch, a well-struck lofted drive hitting his palm at shoulder-height. Hours later, a strong hook shot found its way to fine leg Nuwan Pradeep at belly-height, then like magic, appeared behind the fielder’s knees, on the ground.If Williamson’s innings is devalued by those missteps, then he is a victim of one of cricket’s most ill-founded prejudices. On day two, Kumar Sangakkara had plenty whistle past his blade when he prodded and drove, but his knock will be remembered as one of the finest ever played at this venue. Williamson had nearly middled these two shots, but innings are seen in dimmer light when there are drops.Maybe Williamson himself will take heart from those two lives, rather than be discouraged by them, because in 2012, his rearguard Basin-Reserve ton against South Africa had been riddled with chances as well. New Zealand drew that match, but lost the series, having arrived in Wellington 1-0 down. Here, his resistance is inching New Zealand toward a series win.A Dhammika Prasad short ball had brought the second of Williamson’s chances, and though Sri Lanka tried him with it multiple times again, they did not find the limits of the batsman’s patience. By the end of the day he was ducking even Angelo Mathews’ bouncers, which float rather than fly overhead – at less than 120kph. To cower beneath a ball and see it as a moment of victory, or to want nothing to do with a juicy, wide delivery, is more the result of a content mind, than excellent defence.”The lesson from watching Kane is just his mental state,” Tom Latham said at the end of the third day. “He’s got a great mental state when he’s at the crease and his technique is pretty outstanding.”His defiance was joined for a wicketless third session by BJ Watling, who as wicketkeeper-batsmen go, is the tenacious type rather than the dashing variety. His progress was slower than even Williamson’s at day’s end, finishing on 48 not out off 140. Together the two had put on 94 off 243 balls.”Kane and BJ are perfect guys to be out there at the moment,” Latham said. “They’ve shown in the last few hours how determined they are, and we’ve shown when we’ve been in these situations before, against India and over in Sharjah, how well we can get through. We’ve certainly got fighting characteristics throughout the side and we’re looking forward to tomorrow to keep digging in.”Under McCullum, New Zealand have made a name for playing no-fear, chambers-loaded cricket. There is every chance Williamson will expand that aspect of his game as the years roll on, but as long as he is in this top order, New Zealand will have a man, who at his core, is made of grit.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second T20 international between England and New Zealand

The Preview by Alan Gardner26-Jun-2013Match factsJune 27, The Oval
Start time 6.30pm (1730 GMT)Never mind Kevin Pietersen, what might sort of carnage might Hamish Rutherford unleash?•AFPBig PictureKevin Pietersen was in the England dressing room on Tuesday evening and, all being well, he will return to don their flashy new red pyjamas and take to the field for the second T20 international against New Zealand on Thursday. In between he netted with his team-mates (and was excited enough to tweet about it) and although his contribution will be largely meaningless in the broader sweep of an Ashes summer, particularly after his strutting, unbeaten 177 for Surrey at the weekend, the sight of him in an England shirt for the first time since March will settle a few nerves.The question of who makes room for him was settled after Eoin Morgan was ruled out of the match with a minor hand injury. Before Morgan’s enforced absence, any of the batsmen would have been unfortunate to be dropped after all impressed as England narrowly failed to pull off their highest successful run chase in T20s.Morgan, who will now be replaced by James Tredwell as captain, joked after the first match that it would be Pietersen’s job to come in and win the second T20 and that would probably fit the bill for a partisan Surrey crowd, as well as England’s limited-overs coach, Ashley Giles. With Pietersen in the XI, England will also be able to rival New Zealand and Brendon McCullum for IPL glamour, in another sell-out match that comes a day after the launch of the domestic FLt20 in slightly more muted circumstances.For New Zealand, there is the opportunity for another series victory in England’s backyard after their ODI reverse. Over 15 contests in all three formats since early February, New Zealand have won five (three ODIs, two T20s) to England’s seven (two Tests, three ODIs, two T20s) and no neutral onlooker would begrudge McCullum’s team making it 6-7 after nearly five months of cricket in which the difference between the two countries has consistently belied the gap in the rankings.Form guide (most recent first)England LWLWW
New Zealand WLWLL
In the spotlightFrom an England perspective, the spotlight is unlikely to stray from Pietersen for long but should a few photons be going spare they wouldn’t be wasted on Ben Stokes. The Durham allrounder made his first England appearance in two summers on Tuesday; his bowling stood up better than several of his more senior colleagues and although he couldn’t quite secure victory with the bat he showed his power with one towering six.Tom Latham was given an opportunity with bat and gloves and, one missed stumping apart, gave a good account of himself. His merry hitting helped sustain the momentum of New Zealand’s innings, he took a superb diving catch to dismiss Luke Wright, England’s top-scorer, and then managed to run out Jos Buttler at a crucial stage (possibly with the aid of a little luck). With BJ Watling’s injury and uncertainty surrounding Luke Ronchi, Latham has the chance to further his claims.Team newsChris Woakes’ evening ended after around ten minutes in the first T20 – his one over costing 19 runs – he might have made way for Pietersen’s return but may have earned a reprieve after Morgan’s hand injury.England 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Chris Woakes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Ben Stokes, 9 James Tredwell (capt), 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Boyd RankinMcCullum suggested that Guptill would struggle to be fit for the second game and if New Zealand decide against risking further damage to his hamstring, James Franklin will get another chance as a pinch-hitting opener. Kyle Mills and Doug Bracewell are the other fast-bowling options in the squad.New Zealand 1 Hamish Rutherford, 2 James Franklin, 3 Brendon McCullum (capt, wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Colin Munro, 7 Corey Anderson, 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Ian Butler, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Ronnie HiraPitch and conditionsThe pitch, situated towards the south-west side of the square, was exceptionally quick and bouncy, with one short boundary that both teams targeted to good effect. Morgan felt New Zealand’s 201 for 4 was ten runs below par, though a chance of rain on Thursday might dampen the prospects for a repeat.Stats and trivia New Zealand’s win was only their third over England in ten T20s – and their first in this country.
Since returning to England’s T20 side last year, Luke Wright has scored 346 runs at 31.45 and taken 10 wickets at 18.10. Before that, he averaged 15.43 with the bat and 36.50 with the ball.
Hamish Rutherford’s 62 at The Oval was his first international half-century since making 171 on Test debut in March.
Quotes”It’s very small margins especially in Twenty20 on a very good wicket. One blow and we would have won the game.”
“He got out first ball – that can happen.”
June 27, 11.45pm GMT – This article was updated with the news that Eoin Morgan had been ruled out of the match with a hand injury.

Steven Smith has enlarged upon the full reasons for his later than expected declaration on the final day of the Boxing Day Test against India

Daniel Brettig in Sydney05-Jan-2015It is said the best captains are at least a couple overs ahead of most others on the field, seeing potential problems or opportunities emerging before they become evident to all.Steven Smith revealed evidence of this singular skill, on a wide and significant scale, by enlarging upon the full reasons for his later than expected declaration on the final day of the Boxing Day Test against India.It was known that Smith wanted to shut the visitors out of the series, a decision he copped considerable criticism for. It was less understood that Smith’s decision was motivated by something other than the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Smith knew how difficult the SCG Test would be for a team that has battled to comprehend the loss of Phillip Hughes six weeks ago, and wanted to ensure the contest had been decided by the time they returned to the place of his final innings, for a match likely to stretch all their emotions.”I said it last week, I didn’t want to to let India back in the series at all,” Smith said. “I had this week in the back of my mind as well knowing how hard this week could be. To have the series wrapped up I think we can play a little bit more relaxed and not have that extra pressure of having to win this Test match If the same thing comes around again I’m sure I’ll be a bit more aggressive.”Such foresight will be an encouraging sign for Australia’s coaches, selectors, management and board directors, all of whom have either had an influence on Smith’s progress or verified his ascension to the role. Equally wise was Smith’s attitude to the plaque unveiled at the entrance to the home dressing room in the Members Pavilion, a spot where all players will glimpse Hughes as they walk out of or back to the inner sanctum.”Hughesy was one of us, he was one of our good mates,” Smith said. “Particularly this week, it’s going to be great to be able to walk past that and see the little fella there and give us a bit of inspiration as we’re going out on the field.”The boys have handled it pretty well so far. Davey Warner said yesterday that he might not know how he’s feeling until he actually gets out in the middle and starts playing again. We’ve just got to take care of each other this week. It’s pretty important for us to make sure everyone’s in as good as spirits as they can be.”The boys in Adelaide did a terrific job to get themselves up for that Test match so quickly after the tragic incident. I think just coming back to the place where it happened, I thought it was going to be extremely tough for the boys – particularly the ones that were out there on the day. It’s going to be a tough Test match for all those involved and everyone else as well. Hopefully we can hold our emotions together and end this series well.”Fatigue and health issues have interrupted the preparations of a few Australians this week. Shane Watson complained of a stomach ailment that shortened his main training session on Sunday, and alongside the assistant coach Craig McDermott he was the last man in the SCG nets, sending down a few preparatory overs to ensure his medium pace outswing was in decent enough fettle for the match.Rumours of Josh Hazlewood’s sore body putting his place in danger were allayed when Smith announced the inclusion of Mitchell Starc for the hamstrung Mitchell Johnson as the team’s only change, but he also had reason to ponder the fact that this will likely be the last home Test match for more than one member of the XI. Chris Rogers has made his future clear, and the likes of Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin will also harbour thoughts about where their finish line might be.”It just shows we’re picking the best players around at the moment,” Smith said when asked about the ageing members of his XI, chosen on performance rather than potential. “Those guys have had terrific careers. Chris Rogers has scored that many hundreds – I probably can’t even count them.”He’s had an exceptional career and done a terrific job for us at the top there. He really complements Davey the way he plays and gets us through that new ball more often than not. He’s done a terrific job for Australia. Ryan Harris is a workhorse. He’s a quality performer, I think he averages mid-20s with the ball. He’s been a terrific performer over a long period of time and hopefully we can play another good Test for them.”Pondering his new opposite number Virat Kohli, Smith offered a subtle barb about his desire to “get involved” in the making of umpiring decisions, while also offering a warm nod to the departed MS Dhoni, who remains in Sydney as the reserve wicketkeeper in the event of a stomach bug or other unfortunate circumstance befalling Wriddhiman Saha.”MS has been a terrific leader for India for a long period of time, there’s no doubting about that,” Smith said. “We saw Virat in that first Test match take over the reins there. He did a pretty job for them. He’s a quite emotional character and likes to get involved in a lot of the decisions. I’m looking forward to this week again with India.”Indian efforts to find a way past Smith’s increasingly broad bat had Dhoni resorting to the posting of a leg slip and having his bowlers pursue a negative line at the MCG, eventually claiming the captain’s wicket with the tactic in the second innings. Smith has well-founded confidence he will not be caught out there again, joking in the nets that one glance off the bowling of Hazlewood had flown fine, but also speaking lucidly about how to avoid the trap.”For me it’s a bit of an instinct shot, the more they bowl there it’s better for me,” he said. “I’ve scored a lot of runs through there this summer. If they’re trying to get me out caught at leg slip it’s not a bad thing for me. I’m just going to have to be wary of it and hopefully get out of the of way of a few if they’re targeting me in that area again.”

Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan were the big names missing in India’s list of 30 probables for the World Twenty20 to be played in March and April of this year

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2014Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan were the big names missing in India’s list of 30 probables for the World Twenty20 to be played in March and April of this year. Virender Sehwag didn’t make it either, but with his abysmal form in the domestic season it was more or less expected. Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay missed out too, which is a clear sign the selectors look at them as Test specialists. Yuvraj Singh, who has been dropped from the ODI side, continued to be part of India’s Twenty20 plans.Gambhir last played for India in the ODI against England on January 27, 2013. After being dropped, Gambhir was a part of the India A squad in the series against West Indies A, during which he scored a century. He also scored a Ranji century just before India’s squad for South Africa was picked, but that wasn’t deemed enough to earn the team’s favour back. MS Dhoni even remarked before India left for South Africa that Gambhir continues to be the third-best Test opener in India but this selection shows he faces a long road back into the side.The Pathan brothers have been out since 2012, but are always considered important because of the dearth of allrounders in India. Irfan, though, had just come back from injury as the Ranji season ended, and got to play three matches, that too as a batsman alone. Yusuf put in one of his better Ranji seasons, averaging nearly 34 with the bat and 15 with the ball. Like his IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, who chose to not retain him, India have also decided against him.Harbhajan Singh, who has been retained by Mumbai Indians, will be encouraged he is part of the 30. Other significant non-regulars given hope were Sanju Samson, Rajat Bhatia, Kedar Jadhav, Unmukt Chand, Mandeep Singh, Parthiv Patel, Shahbaz Nadeem and Karn Sharma.India probables (men) Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Yuvraj Singh, Amit Mishra, Rajat Bhatia, Sanju Samson, Ishwar Pandey, Umesh Yadav, Unmukt Chand, Mandeep Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Aaron, Shahbaz Nadeem, Parthiv Patel, Karn SharmaIndia probable (women) Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Karuna Jain, Smriti Mandhana, Amita Sharma, Poonam Raut, Jhulan Goswami, Nagarajan Niranjana, Shubhlakshmi Sharma, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Veda Krishnamurthy, Ekta Bist, Sonia Dabir, VR Vanita, Anagha Deshpande, Gouhar Sultana, Archana Das, Sneh Rana, Snehal Pradhan, Shwetha Jadhav, Sushma Verma, Shika Pandey, Madhuri Mehta, Thirush Kamini, Saika Ishaque, Neetu Jaiswal, Meghna Singh, Anita Lodhi, Ritu Dhrub, Asha Joy

Peter Siddle has said Australia have not given up on the prospect of winning the Mohali Test, although they know something remarkable would have to happen with one day to play.

Brydon Coverdale17-Mar-2013Peter Siddle has said Australia have not given up on the prospect of winning the Mohali Test, although they know something remarkable would have to happen with one day to play. Only a victory will keep Australia alive in the series. Having lost in Chennai and Hyderabad they need to force a 2-2 draw to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Losing the first day to rain did not help Australia’s cause but even more of a setback was the 289-run opening partnership they allowed Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay to compile. Australia’s first innings of 408 looked reasonable but India ended up with a 91-run lead and by stumps on the fourth day the Australians were wobbling in their second innings at 75 for 3, still 16 runs behind.”We know that a draw doesn’t help us at all, but we’ll do everything we can to see where we can get,” Siddle said. “It will be hard for us to win, we know that, but we just have to see where we end up.”We haven’t spoken too much about it, but we knew we had to knock off the target first. They set us a few more than we would have liked to be chasing going back out there but we have done pretty well. We lost more wickets than we would have liked but that’s what we have to do, we have to keep pushing along and see what position we can put ourselves in.”Key to Australia’s hopes will be Phillip Hughes, who has endured an awful tour until this innings but found some form and reached 53 from 68 balls at stumps. Previously in the series Hughes has looked unwilling to play shots against the spinners but in this innings he was more adventurous. The fact he scored quickly was an advantage but the loss of three top-order wickets was the major issue.”He has been working so hard in the nets preparing to score runs and it just hasn’t come about so it is great for him to get a few runs under his belt and be not out overnight,” Siddle said. “It gives him a chance to go in tomorrow and did in see where he goes, hopefully he can go big.”Like Hughes, Siddle had not enjoyed a productive tour until the fourth day in Mohali and the start of the day he had series figures of 2 for 197. But he struck early, trapping Cheteshwar Pujara lbw and later when the ball began to swing he and Mitchell Starc became more of a threat. Siddle finished with 5 for 71 and said it was pleasing to be able to contribute some wickets at last.”Before the Test, I was disappointed with my performances and what I was lacking was building pressure and setting up good partnerships for the team,” Siddle said. “I think I went a bit better in this match with that side of things. There was still a loose ball and too many boundaries that I am picky with myself on. But it is nice to come away with the rewards.”The bowling today from both ends, the partnerships and how we planned to go about getting the wickets, we did that today and I was the lucky one who got the results. I think there was a bit more fight today, we knew we had to go out there and bowl to our plans and slow it down and put a bit of pressure back on them which I think we did. A few wickets tonight set us back but we will turn up tomorrow and see how we go.”

Allan Donald, the Pune Warriors coach, has said that his players were “scared” after the thunderous assault from Chris Gayle, which set up an enormous 130-run victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Apr-2013Allan Donald, the Pune Warriors coach, has said that his players were “scared” after the thunderous assault from Chris Gayle, which set up an enormous 130-run victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore. A day after the demoralising defeat, Donald admitted that he feared the “mental damage” the innings might have caused his players and said his biggest challenge was to keep them positive for the remaining eight matches.”We came across a bloke yesterday who was just devastating,” Donald told ESPNcricinfo in Bangalore. “I have never seen hitting like that in all my life. To see our guys getting pummeled like that was unbelievable. When I walked out for the first strategy break, I just saw people scared, really scared. I just mentioned to the players that if we don’t pull this back here, he is going to take us down big time, which he did.”Donald realised that the bowlers were clueless and if he did not deliver a stern message, Gayle could play havoc, which he eventually did with ease. “When I looked at their faces and no one said a word, the only way for me was to be very firm in my message; we had to find a way,” he said. “We also discussed in the meeting on the morning of the match that we had to bowl out batsmen who were not going to give up their wicket. We needed someone to stand up and do something special and stop the flow of runs.”As a response Donald observed blank faces. By the second timeout, in the 16th over, Gayle had doubled the team score, taking it past 200 and Donald was frustrated. “To me that plan was about how we were going to limit the damage in the next four overs. The plan was to go full into his pads and also vary the pace,” Donald said.The mental scarring Gayle has inflicted on his players has left the coach worried. “How much damage has this done to us mentally? My job becomes even harder now and I have to make sure these guys are ready against another team that is struggling (Delhi Daredevils) on a ground we have never played (Raipur),” he said. “This group now needs to rally together.”Barring the pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-23-0) and Luke Wright (4-0-26-1), at the start and end of the Royal Challengers’ innings, Gayle attacked the rest mercilessly. Donald was not shy to take the blame. He said the bowlers lacked consistency and the team was one experienced strike bowler short.”We haven’t been brilliant,” he said. “We have been okay in certain games and really off the boil in the others. And that is one area where we have let ourselves down. We do not have an attack that is express pace; we don’t have a Dale Styen or a Shuan Tait, though, we have fair bit of class in Kumar and Ashok Dinda.”At the same time, Donald pointed out, Gayle was unstoppable and intimidated the bowlers. “There were times during that knock where he just went ballistic, and then he took a little timeout and then he went again,” Donald said with a chuckle.After the match, he asked Gayle, “Why us?” Gayle said he was in the mood. “He has just said that is the best he has ever hit the ball in his life,” Donald said.

I can’t find a solution as to why we are not responding. I cannot fault the squad that we have got this year. Is it the failures of the last two years that is playing on everyone’s minds or the losing streak that we are on at the moment? Is it affecting everybody?Allan Donald

After their confident victory against Chennai Super Kings, Warriors let the following two matches slip out of their hands against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home and then in Mohali against Kings XI Punjab. The erratic form has left even Donald confused.”I can’t find a solution as to why we are not responding,” he said. “I cannot fault the squad that we have got this year. Is it the failures of the last two years that is playing on everyone’s minds or the losing streak that we are on at the moment? Is it affecting everybody?”The failure of marquee players has made matters worse for Donald. Yuvraj Singh, Ross Taylor, Angelo Matthews and Robin Uthappa have not played any innings of impact. Acting captain Aaron Finch has been the only batsman to score a half-century, striking up three fifties in six games.”The whole team has been hot and cold,” Donald said, expressing his frustration. “If you look at Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, they win the RCB games. The same goes for teams like Super Kings.”The absence of a stable captain at Warriors has been a point of fierce debate. The first-choice captains – Mathews and Ross Taylor – have been battling for form, forcing the team management to appoint Finch, who has led in the Big Bash, as a stand-in leader. “We never had a captain in three years leading us solidly,” Donald said.In their debut season in 2011, Warriors finished eighth out of nine teams in the season. Last year, they slid to the last position. This season they are ahead of last-placed Daredevils. According to Donald, there is no place to hide for Warriors. “We can’t fault our preparations or our planning and strategies, we have been on the money,” he said. “We just haven’t been unable to put it together on the field. There are no excuses, there are no explanations and we have got to turn it around.”

Andrew Hall struck his second century in consecutive County Championship games as Division Two leaders Northamptonshire’s clash with Hampshire predictably petered out into a draw.

01-Jun-2013
ScorecardAndrew Hall made his 14th first-class century•Getty ImagesAndrew Hall struck his second century in consecutive County Championship games as Division Two leaders Northamptonshire’s clash with Hampshire predictably petered out into a draw.Hall, who also made a ton against Leicestershire at Wantage Road two weeks ago, piled on an unbeaten 130 from 295 balls, as Northants eventually declared on 425 for 9, prompting the two captains to shake hands.Wicketkeeper David Murphy also made a career-best 81 off 119 deliveries with James Tomlinson the pick of Hampshire’s bowlers, taking 3 for 75 as his team-mates were made to toil in the field.Northants began the day on 159 for 5, 47 runs behind their opponents, with former South Africa allrounder Hall resuming on 29 and James Middlebrook on 8. But Middlebrook added just two to his overnight total before Tomlinson’s delivery crashed into his off stump in the fifth over of the day.Tomlinson struck again in his next over when David Willey edged him to former Zimbabwe international Sean Ervine at first slip to depart for a six-ball duck. But Hall stuck around to complete a patient half-century from 116 deliveries as part of a 117-run partnership with Australia international Trent Copeland.Copeland was given a second chance on 34 when he was dropped at second slip by Liam Dawson off David Balcombe before he raced to 50 off 63 balls. He and Hall surpassed Northants’ previous record eighth-wicket stand against Hampshire of 95, made between Nigel Felton and Winston Davis at Bournemouth in 1990.Copeland eventually departed on 63 from the third ball after lunch when he was trapped lbw by Danny Briggs before Hall completed his 14th century in first-class cricket off 209 balls. He had now been joined at the crease by Murphy and he comfortably completed his first half-century of the season off 80 deliveries.The pair went on to set a new record ninth-wicket partnership for the hosts against their opponents, going past the 97 shared between Gordon Williamson and Keith Andrew at Northampton in 1961.Northants resumed after tea on 390 for 8 with seeing out time the only priority, although Murphy did exceed his previous best of 79, which he struck against Glamorgan in May 2011. He finally perished when he launched Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams to Ervine at mid-on to break the partnership on 132.The draw was then agreed 10 minutes later at 4:50pm, with Northants coming out of this contest with nine points and Hampshire six.

Shiv Thakor faced more than 100 balls for his unbeaten 39 as Leicestershire held out for a draw against Northamptonshire

Jon Culley at Northampton13-Aug-2012
ScorecardShiv Thakor took two first-innings wickets as well as making 100 runs in the match to help Leicestershire scrape a draw•Getty ImagesThere are still four matches left but Northamptonshire may have seen their chance of a late run for promotion slip away with their failure to see off their east Midlands neighbours. The draw leaves them 15 points adrift of the two teams in second place, which is probably a gap too far at this stage, although they take one of them – Hampshire – at West End on Wednesday.Leicestershire owed their escape to Shiv Thakor, whose influence on the whole contest has identified him as a player with a big future. An England player at Under-17 and Under-19 level, although overlooked for the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in Australia, the 18-year-old effectively saved the follow-on in the first innings and followed up with a wonderfully mature display of defiance to stave off defeat.He finished unbeaten on 39, having batted for two and a half hours under no little pressure as Northamptonshire, having given themselves 88 overs to bowl Leicestershire out, chipped away relentlessly in search of ten wickets. They finished with eight, having whittled out every recognised batsmen bar one, the teenager. Thakor faced 105 balls and was notably impressive against James Middlebrook, the offspinner, rarely putting a foot wrong even with six or even seven fielders around the bat, as was the case while he batted out the last five deliveries of the contest.As in the first innings, he teamed up most effectively with Claude Henderson, Leicestershire’s 40-year-old left-arm spinner. Their unlikely alliance put on 52 this time, more importantly using up 18 overs. His focus turns now to his A-level results, due on Thursday, with offers to weigh up from Durham, Cardiff and Loughborough Universities.Phil Whitticase, Leicestershire’s head coach, is enthused by what the youngster, who also bowls useful medium pace, might become.”He gave a really mature and responsible performance in the first innings and to do it again in the second innings, under that kind of pressure, when you lose a couple of wickets and find yourself taking the lead role, showed a maturity beyond his years,” Whitticase said. “He is mentally strong, too, and when you get that in someone so young it can only speak well of him.”He has been in our system since he was eight and has been brought up the right way. He has worked with Trevor Ward, at Uppingham School, where he has been since before his GCSEs, and he has been in the England system, too, so he has been taught a lot about how to play spin bowling, how to cope with sledging. But it is one thing talking about it, quite another to actually do it in high pressure moments.”He has a big decision to make this week. From our point of view, if he decides to defer university a while and concentrate on cricket it would be great but I’m not going to try to make his decision for him. I know that education is an important part of his life.”Impressive though Thakor was, however, it was an opportunity missed by Northamptonshire, who may rue their decision to bat on for 25 minutes on the final morning. Leicestershire finished so far away from the 353 they needed, in theory, to move off the bottom of the table that it was a mystery why Andrew Hall wasted eight overs by not declaring with their overnight lead of 311. By continuing, he at least gave a seemingly out-of-sorts Robbie Joseph time to take his only wicket of the match (26 overs, 1 for 138) by bowling Rob Newton, but seemed to serve no one else’s interests.Nonetheless, the Northamptonshire bowlers gave themselves a chance of finishing the job. After ten of the 88 overs, they had Leicestershire 30 for 2, which would have been 28 for 3 had Alex Wakely not let a chance slip through his hands at third slip. Michael Thornely had driven Andrew Hall off the back foot straight to mid-off and Will Jones, who despatched David Willey with a cracking drive through the covers for four, edged to edge to second slip two balls later. It was Ramnaresh Sarwan who enjoyed the let-off.In the event, it was not a costly miss. Sarwan had added only 11 more runs when, with left-armer Willey bowling round the wicket, he lost his off stump trying to drive a ball that was too full.A half-century from Ned Eckersley offered some measure of resistance, but Matt Boyce could not stay with him long and Leicestershire began to hope that the forecast rain would intervene in their favour. It never came, but Thakor did and stayed, for 40 overs.There was a disappointing blow when Josh Cobb, who played well for his 28, was caught trying to drive Willey and a more predictable one when Wayne White swished at a ball from Middlebrook and was bowled. Seven down entering the final hour, the odds still seemed heavily against Leicestershire’s survival but Thakor and Henderson were resolute. The latter’s dismissal with 16 balls left, deflecting the ball on to his stumps as he tried to leave, caused a flurry of late excitement, but Thakor’s nerve never wavered.

Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed suggestions that Real Madrid have been affected by the speculation surrounding a possible summer move for Kylian Mbappe.

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Madrid held to 1-1 draw at Rayo VallecanoSlip-up comes days after Mbappe decisionAncelotti explained why his team struggledWHAT HAPPENED?

La Liga leaders Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday despite taking an early lead through Joselu. The home team pulled level through a penalty in the first half and the capital club even saw Dani Carvajal sent off at the end of the match.

Asked if his team have lost focus this week following the news that Mbappe could be on his way to Santiago Bernabeu, Ancelotti explained why his team's performance was rather unusual.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

He told reporters: "When is the team not focused? We are always focused, today too. It's very difficult to reproach the team for anything this season. It's not easy to win here. You have to play a different game, the pitch is small, you have to adapt."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The media is abuzz with speculation about where Mbappe will be playing now that he has informed Paris Saint-Germain that he will leave this summer. Madrid are still the favourites to sign him, having been linked with him constantly for the last few years, but it has been reported that Manchester City held talks with a representative of the forward, too.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

Before they can wrap up a deal and welcome Mbappe to the Spanish capital, Madrid will hope to wrap up the Spanish league title. Their draw at Rayo gives nearest challengers Girona the chance to move three points behind them at the top of the table. Ancelotti's team are also pushing for a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, having beaten RB Leipzig 1-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

A round-up of the action from the first day of the eighth round of matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2011Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited drew first blood in their top-of-the-table clash, bowling out Water and Power Development Authority for 192 at the National Ground in Islamabad. WAPDA were put in and made a steady start, reaching 75 for 1 thanks to opener Asif Khan’s 59. A collapse of seven wickets for 63 runs followed and they were 138 for 8. No. 10 Sarfraz Ahmed counterattacked, scoring 40 off 35 balls to take WAPDA near the 200-run mark. ZTBL’s bowlers shared the wickets around, with seamers Junaid Nadir and Rehan Riaz picking up three each. ZTBL lost a wicket early in their innings and finished on 22 for 1.Six wickets from fast bowler Sajid Shah helped Habib Bank Limited bowl State Bank of Pakistan out for 204 on the first day at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Sajid rocked State Bank’s top order, leaving them 34 for 4 before Adnan Raees and Rameez Aziz began a recovery. Raees scored 34 and Aziz 44 but Sajid came back to remove Aziz and a couple of strikes from legspinner Danish Kaneria left State Bank 135 for 7. Rizwan Haider scored 62 at No. 8 to take State Bank’s total beyond 200. He was Sajid’s sixth victim, while Kaneria bagged another wicket too, to finish with three. HBL lost a wicket early in their response and finished the day 13 for 1.Seamer Kamran Sajid’s four wickets helped Pakistan International Airlines reduce National Bank of Pakistan to 216 for 9 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Lots of National Bank’s batsmen got starts but none could carry on and make a big score. Fawad Alam’s 49 was the top score while the biggest partnership was 59, for the second wicket. The wickets fell at regular intervals, with seamers picking up all nine to fall on the day. Kamran Sajid bowled 16 overs through the day and took 4 for 47.A combined effort from Abbottabad’s seamers and spinners restricted Islamabad but a 101-run seventh-wicket partnership helped Islamabad reach 254 for 7 on the first day at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Islamabad lost wickets regularly early on, and despite Zeeshan Mushtaq’s 37 slipped to 145 for 6. Abbottabad, who had chosen to field, may have been hoping to bowl their opponents out within the day, but Zohaib Ahmed, the Islamabad captain, and Faizan Riaz shared an important stand. Riaz was dismissed for 46 before the close of play but Zohaib remained not out on 52 and will try to extend his team’s total on the second day.Karachi Blues squandered a solid start and ended on 265 for 7 against Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Karachi’s openers Shahzaib Hasan and Asad Baig vindicated their captain’s decision to bat by each getting half-centuries and sharing a 97-run partnership. Seamers Abdur Rauf and Naseer Akram managed to cause a mini-collapse in which five wickets fell for 51 runs, leaving Karachi 145 for 8. The lower-middle order did not crumble, though, and contributions from Nos 7, 8 and 9 ensured Karachi crossed the 250-run mark. Naseer finished the day with figures of 3 for 58.A strong performance from Rawalpindi’s middle order helped them get to 326 for 5 against Sialkot at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Rawalpindi were put in and were reduced to 89 for 3 before No. 4 Awais Zia became the first of three half-centurions on the day. Zia was dismissed for 51 before Usman Saeed and Babar Naeem got half-centuries and put together 85 runs for the fifth wicket. Naeem then stitched together an unbeaten 90-run stand with Zahid Mansoor to take Rawalpindi to a dominant position. Naeem ended the day on 80 not out while Mansoor was unbeaten on 44. Rawalpindi scored their runs at 4.55 runs an over, allowing them to go past 300 even though only 71.3 overs were bowled in the day.