All posts by h716a5.icu

Shane Warne has told of his tearful farewell to his spin mentor Terry Jenner, who died on Wednesday, having been in failing health since suffering a massive heart attack in England in April last year

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2011Shane Warne has told of his tearful farewell to his spin mentor Terry Jenner, who died on Wednesday, having been in failing health since suffering a massive heart attack in England in April last year. Warne has also described how a spray from Jenner back in 1992 helped transform him from an overweight fringe Test player into the world’s greatest legspinner.”When I spoke to TJ on the phone a few weeks ago – we said goodbye to each other – it was a very difficult thing to do and chat as it was so unlike all our others – this was it for the last time after 20 odd years,” Warne wrote in a tribute on his website. “We both didn’t say too much as we both didn’t need too [sic] – we just knew.”I did thank him though for everything he had done for me and tried to express how much his patience, advice, love and above all his friendship has meant to me and my family. We both shed a bit of a tear and said goodbye.”Long phone conversations had become a routine for the pair over the years, ever since they met at the Academy in 1990. Jenner had played only nine Tests for Australia during the 1970s but his understanding of legspin and cricket tactics, and most importantly his no-nonsense attitude, had appealed to Warne.”TJ became my Dr Phil on all matters and levels – wherever I was around the world we would call and chat – we would plan to bring down the opposition batsmen, laugh and I would hang up feeling good,” Warne wrote. “His knowledge of the game, not just spin bowling was amazing.”Throughout his career, Warne was famously dismissive of the role coaches played in the team environment, especially John Buchanan. But the exception was Jenner, who had spent time in prison for stealing from an employer and was trying to rebuild his life as an Academy coach under Rod Marsh when he first encountered a 20-year-old Warne.”TJ, like his fellow players of that era are very straight and also very blunt – the best way to be in all aspects of life – no bull shit or fluffy rubbish,” Warne wrote. “But, you did need a thick skin – mine was luckily – or shall we say had to develop very quickly, which looking back now and reflecting – has held me in good stead for all my life situations not just cricket.”Underneath the ample frame and all that bravado was a very charming, caring, loving family man who was a giver to cricket and life. I think we met at exactly the right time in each other’s lives, we where [sic] good for each other – maybe all the stars and moons where [sic] aligned, because we clicked instantly.”Warne recalled spending many hours bowling on Adelaide Oval’s No. 2 under Jenner’s watchful eye, and he remembered the encouragement Jenner gave after Warne took 1 for 150 on his Test debut against India.However, there was also the occasional reality-check. In the winter after his first Test, Warne, 22, drove from Melbourne to Adelaide, bought a slab of beer and knocked on Jenner’s door. Warne had been picked for Australia’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, and he wanted to learn more from his mentor.”Well the next 4-5 hours where [sic] life changing – I went to get 2 beers and he said what are you doing? I said as usual a few beers together! He said listen – you are so lucky to be selected to tour again and represent Australia, why don’t you get serious, I said like how? I’m working hard!”Rubbish he bellowed out, your [sic] fat, drink way to much beer and smoke like a chimney and have never had to sacrifice anything – bit rich I thought coming from TJ as he sucked back a beer and took a massive puff on his cigar!!! Ok then – what do I need to do you think? To start with give up drinking excessively every night, get fit, drop weight and at least look like a sportsman. Wow I thought, cop that! I said ok I will, you wait and see.”The rest of the chat was an old fashioned honest heart to heart about life. I woke up feeling energised and started training hard. Every day I ran, did push ups, sit ups, ate properly and bowled for hours. Fast forward 3 to 4 months and I weighed 79kg, I had managed to lose 20kg and was ready for Sri Lanka I thought!”Within a year, Warne was on an Ashes tour and bowled the so-called ball of the century to Mike Gatting, and he went on to amass 708 Test wickets. Even in Warne’s final Test series, the 2006-07 Ashes, by which time he was 37 years old, he still listened to Jenner in the nets as Australia completed their 5-0 whitewash.Jenner’s funeral will be held at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday, May 31.

Jhulan Goswami’s career-best haul of 6 for 31 wasn’t enough to prevent India from slumping to their sixth defeat in seven matches following another uninspiring batting performance against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2011
ScorecardJhulan Goswami’s career-best haul of 6 for 31 wasn’t enough to prevent India from slumping to their sixth defeat in seven matches following another uninspiring batting performance against New Zealand. Lucy Doolan made a patient 76 – her maiden ODI half-century – that allowed New Zealand to post 201, a total that India never looked like getting.Doolan and her captain Suzie Bates (34) – leading the side after an ankle injury ruled out regular captain Aimee Watkins – added 81 for the second wicket after Goswami had struck early to remove Frances Mackay in seamer-friendly conditions. But the rest of the Indian attack accounted for only one wicket and that enabled New Zealand to reach a score that proved to be beyond India’s reach.Unlike India, five of the New Zealand bowlers shared the wickets, ensuring the pressure was squarely on the Indian line-up. Moreover, three of the Indian batsmen who managed to score more than 20 were run-out. Nicola Browne finished with 2 for 39 as India crawled to 162 in 50 overs.

A dominant all-round performance by Zimbabwe ensured victory in their comeback Test after an almost six-year exile from the format

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Harare08-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendan Taylor was adjudged Man of the Match for his century, after leading Zimbabwe to a memorable win•Associated PressA dominant all-round performance by Zimbabwe, capped by their bowlers slicing through the Bangladesh line-up on the fifth day saw them win their comeback Test, after an almost six-year exile from the format. It took just 15 balls after lunch for Zimbabwe to complete their victory after a near flawless morning session from the bowlers. Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis created the pressure upfront, leaving the Bangladesh line-up ripe for the picking for Chris Mpofu and Elton Chigumbura.Bangladesh’s batsmen had a tough, but doable, task on a pitch that has not deteriorated and remained good for batting, needing 263 runs with seven wickets in hand at the start of the day. Instead of applying themselves with patience and planning, though, they played a clutch of careless shots, especially as it became evident that their challenge was dissipating. Abdur Razzak’s 43-run cameo added a little bit of sunshine to an otherwise dark performance that mirrored their first innings display in terms of execution.Zimbabwe had done the bulk of their hard labour in the four days preceding the final one, with centuries from two of their stalwart batsmen, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor. But, it was the new-ball pair of Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis who impressed most, especially after being labelled “ordinary” by a confident Tamim Iqbal at the end of day four and they exacted their revenge early on the fifth. Vitori began by demonstrating that he could move the ball into the right-handers as well, while Jarvis bowled with brisk pace and variety, mixing up his full, short and slower balls.Mohammad Ashraful was up to the task, at least initially. He left well and took advantage of anything overpitched. He batted with the same calm that he had employed in his first innings and was also doing a fine job of marshalling his partner, Mushfiqur Rahim, who showed composed judgment.Vitori continued plugging away, getting some balls to move away, others to hold their line and after several overs of nagging length, Ashraful could take no more. He tried to push a delivery away but it jagged in late and took the inside edge onto the stumps. With that dismissal, Bangladesh were rattled and Zimbabwe fired up.Vitori followed Ashraful’s wicket with a superb over, beating Mahmudullah’s bat twice. The danger for Zimbabwe came when the opening pair was replaced but Mpofu and Chigumbura did not let up. Mpofu varied his lengths while Chigumbura put on an impressive display, bowling as many slower balls as possible.Mahmudullah was determined to cash in where he could but his over-eagerness started a mini-collapse, during which Bangladesh lost three wickets in 12 balls for seven runs. He tried to cut without any foot movement and was caught behind. Five balls later Shakib Al Hasan, who also played irresponsibly, went to a sharp catch from Taylor at second slip after pushing at a length ball, and then Mushfiqur Rahim’s more careful knock ended when he flicked a ball to square leg.Zimbabwe could smell blood but instead of tracking it down with a killer instinct, they relaxed a little and allowed Abdur Razzak to have some fun. He smoked five fours off a Mpofu over and three sixes off Ray Price, two of them slog sweeps. The cameo ended when Chigumbura, from around the wicket, broke through his defence and bowled him.Bangladesh had little to hope for after that and their misery ended inside three overs after lunch. Jarvis struck with the first ball, bowling Shafiul with a length ball that pitched on middle and held its line. With just one more wicket to get, Zimbabwe put in six slips for Robiul Islam, who survived a confident lbw shout first up.He defied the field placing with two fours on the leg side, but was never going to last for any length of time. Jarvis claimed his fourth wicket of the innings, trapping Robiul lbw with a ball that jagged in and hit him on the front pad. As umpire Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger, Zimbabwe’s players immediately formed a huddle, a collective show of unity to mark their victorious return to the Test fold.

Pakistan’s first training session after the tour game was driven by enthusiasm, underlining the value of youth, something they have in abundance for this tour

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo30-Aug-2011Pakistan would have been forgiven if they had arrived at Queens Sports Club with heavy legs and weary expressions. They touched down in Bulawayo via Dubai and Johannesburg on Friday afternoon and had to put on their game faces immediately to start a two-day tour match on Saturday. The fixture ended in a draw but instead of being allowed to put their feet up on the morning after, they were handed the early training slot on Tuesday.They could have rubbed their eyes, lumbered lazily through their drills, dragged their bodies through the motions, and generally acted jaded. But, they didn’t. The session was driven by enthusiasm, and energy flowed through the initial kicking of a football around to the more intricate fielding moves and then into the nets, where some of them batted a little longer than the usual two-and-a-half hours. That’s the value of youth, something Pakistan’s squad has in abundance for this tour.Four of their players yet to make their Test debuts, and five others have played only 24 matches between them. With the next most experienced player, Umar Akmal, having only 15 Test caps, it’s safe to say Pakistan are in possession of a bouncing group of boys. “It is exciting,” the coach Waqar Younis said. “And it is also easier to deal with them.”With Waqar on his last legs as national coach, a less complicated passage to the exit sign is seemingly what he would prefer – no politics, no infighting, no-one trying to steer anyone in any direction. Waqar believes that’s what he has got, too. “A tour like Zimbabwe is a good tour to introduce some youngsters, it’s a short tour and it gives them a good opportunity to play top-level cricket,” he said. “Youngsters bring a different flair to the game. We have three formats, so we will try to make sure everybody plays.”In some ways, the youthful make-up of the squad could be mistaken for flippancy by Pakistan, who may stand accused of taking Zimbabwe too lightly. Waqar did not take kindly to that notion, having insisted on departure that the series was a significant one. “I have worked for Pakistan for 18 months and this tour is as important to me as any other,” he said. “We know that Zimbabwe are eager, hungry and want to prove a point.”Luckily, Pakistan’s seemingly inexperienced side has a strong core and sprinkled among their boys, they have some men. Younis Khan is one of them, as the most experienced Test player in the squad. For him, this tour will be about creating the rite of passage for the younger members of the squad to gain experience at the highest level. “I am just going to try all the time to show them [the youngsters] the way, especially in Test cricket,” Younis said. “When you are young, you may make some mistakes so my aim is to help them.”Younis has over 5000 Test runs and has played for more than a decade, so he has ingrained in him all the qualities of a respected leader and a fatherly figure. He said he would like to pass some of that knowledge on, because he may not be around to actually demonstrate it for long. “I will be playing for another two or three years,” he said. “So, I want to show them [the youngsters] how to be able to score 500 or 600 in a Test match.”With Younis focusing on batting, captain Misbah-ul-Haq chose to zone in on the bowling developments. “Our youngsters are performing well in domestic cricket, especially Junaid Khan and Sohail Khan, who will have to learn to be senior fast bowlers,” he said. Junaid took 4 for 62 in the tour match and will shoulder wicket-taking responsibilities into the Test match. He might get an opportunity to bowl in tandem with Sohail Khan, and together they could make an attacking new-ball pair.The match will be about “trying out different combinations” according to Misbah and reintroducing players like Imran Farhat who last played against England last year and Sohail Tanvir who was last seen against India in 2007. “Winning is important, but this is also about team-building for us,” Misbah said. But experimentation is not likely to give way to complacency, as Pakistan showed in their training session – actions that showed Zimbabwe this will be a tougher Test than their previous one, against Bangladesh.

Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the remainder of India’s tour of England, and is likely to miss Mumbai Indians’ Champions League campaign as well

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2011Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the remainder of India’s tour of England, and is likely to miss Mumbai Indians’ Champions League campaign as well, after a visit to a specialist in London confirmed that he will require four to six weeks’ of rest to recover from an inflamed big toe on his right foot. S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu batsman, has been named as Tendulkar’s replacement.Tendulkar’s injury, which was caused by the aggravation of a former fracture, flared up on the eve of the first ODI at Chester-le-Street, and means that Tendulkar’s quest for that elusive 100th international hundred, which has been hanging over him all tour, will not now be resumed until England’s tour of India in October, at the earliest.”It was the injury that he had in 2001 and it flared up in Durham,” said an Indian team official. “He went to a specialist in London and we got the news he would not be taking any further part in the one-day series anymore and he might need rest for four to six weeks.”The news brings to an end a frustrating tour for Tendulkar, in which he showed glimpses of form during India’s 4-0 whitewash in the Test series without ever recapturing the presence at the crease he had displayed during India’s victorious World Cup campaign. He made 273 runs in the series at 34.12, with a highest score of 91 in the second innings at The Oval.Tendulkar’s exit opens up an opportunity for the 31-year-old Badrinath, who flopped in the West Indies in June on his comeback to the one-day side after three years. He made 40 runs in three innings before being dropped for the final match of the series.India have been rocked by a series of injuries on this tour of England, beginning with Zaheer Khan’s hamstring pull on the first day of the Lord’s Test. Following his withdrawal from the series, the BCCI said he not only suffered from a recurring hamstring problem, but also required surgery on his right ankle. Yuvraj Singh fractured a finger on his left hand, while Harbhajan Singh strained his stomach muscle during India’s crushing defeat in the second Test at Trent Bridge, ruling them out of the rest of the tour.Opener Virender Sehwag, it was understood, had not completely recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent immediately after the IPL in May, and was suffering from hearing problems in his left ear, after being exposed to a loud sound on July 24, according to the team management. In another major setback, Gautam Gambhir failed to recover from a concussion he picked up while fielding on the third day of the final Test, subsequently missing the limited-overs leg of the tour. He had also missed the second Test at Trent Bridge after being struck on the elbow at Lord’s.Praveen Kumar had also joined India’s long list of injured, missing the fourth Test at The Oval because of an injury to his left ankle, before recovering in time for the Twenty20 international on August 31. Ishant Sharma wasn’t as fortunate, returning home after the Tests following a ligament injury to his left ankle, which will require surgery, during the third Test at Edgbaston.

Suryakumar Yadav has been permitted to return to the Mumbai Indians squad ahead of the Champions League T20 semi-finals after having originally been withdrawn due to injury

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2011Allrounder Suryakumar Yadav has been permitted to return to the Mumbai Indians squad ahead of the Champions League T20 semi-finals after having originally been withdrawn due to injury. As a result, the Champions League has withdrawn the concession given to Mumbai Indians to field five foreign players in each game, and the franchise will have to stick to the four foreigners that other sides are allowed.Yadav was originally one of eight Indian players reported injured by Mumbai Indians, leaving them with just seven Indian players in their squad. However, on September 29 he played in an under-22 tournament in Mumbai and scored 191 for Chandrakant Pandit XI against Dlip Vengsarkar XI. Following that, the Champions League has announced in a statement that: “Yadav had originally been replaced in the squad due to injury, however given he has recovered and Mumbai has a shortage of Indian players in their squad he is now permitted to return to the group.”Out of Mumbai Indians’ 23 contracted players, eight were declared unfit for the Champions League – Yadav, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Munaf Patel, Ali Murtaza, Aditya Tare and Pawan Suyal. That meant the final 14-member squad had an equal number of Indian and overseas players, without a buffer to handle any potential injury to an Indian player. The organisers then allowed Mumbai Indians to field five overseas cricketers in their playing XI, though other other IPL sides continued to be limited to four.Mumai Indians suffered another blow during the tournament when South African wicketkeeper-batsman Davy Jacobs was ruled out after picking up a hip injury. With him out of the squad and Yadav returning, Mumbai Indians have six foreign players and eight Indians.Despite their injury problems, Mumbai Indians were the first side to make it through to the semi-finals, where they will face Somerset on October 8 in Chennai.

A senior anti-corruption officer for the ICC told a court on Tuesday that his department had no evidence of any match-fixing carried out by the Australia team

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court11-Oct-2011A senior anti-corruption officer for the ICC told a court on Tuesday that his department had no evidence of any match-fixing carried out by the Australia team.Alan Peacock, who has been with the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit since its inception in September 2000, was asked a question by Salman Butt’s legal team as to whether he had evidence that Australia fix matches or parts of matches. “We have no evidence,” he replied.The line of questioning came from Butt’s lawyers as they were seeking to discredit agent Mazhar Majeed, who is at the centre of spot-fixing allegations involving Butt and who claimed in secret recordings played in Southwark Crown Court that Australia are the biggest match-fixers and fix ten “brackets” a day. The claim caused an angry backlash in Australia overnight as players and officials leapt to the defence of the team.That allegation by Majeed was one of several outlandish ones heard in court on Monday that included being “very good friends” with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and tennis champion Roger Federer.Ali Bajwa QC attacked the credibility of Majeed as Butt sat in the dock next to former team-mate Mohammed Asif.Both face charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

Can you set up Sachin Tendulkar? Apparently yes, according to Ravi Rampaul

N Hunter25-Nov-2011Can you set up Sachin Tendulkar? Apparently yes, according to Ravi Rampaul. Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, had a brief chat early on Friday morning with Rampaul, one half of the visitors’ new-ball pair. Gibson, a former Windies fast bowler himself, sketched out a plan, asking Rampaul to keep an off stump line, pull his length back and surprise Tendulkar with the bounce. Rampaul did all that, and successfully trapped Tendulkar six short of a much-awaited century.”This morning while we were warming up, the coach and I were chatting about how we were going to bowl at him and out him,” Rampaul said at the end of the day’s play. The plan was to basically get closer to the wicket and just angle the ball away from him. He nicked it and it was a good feeling.”Tendulkar had started off briskly, with a couple of punched drives for fours, and an upper-cut six off Fidel Edwards. The visitors opted for the second new ball first thing in the morning and Rampaul was trying to hit the seam, just short of length, keeping an off stump line in his attempt to make Tendulkar play. It took him a few overs to hit the right stride. Also he noticed that Tendulkar was playing him from out of his crease.Ravi Rampaul described the delivery that dismissed Sachin Tendulkar as “just the right ball at the right time”•AFP”He was batting out of his crease, trying to get the ball a little fuller so I realised that and pulled back my length. The ball before actually bounced as well. It was just the right ball at the right time,” is how Rampaul described the wicket.Asked if he it was the best wicket in his 12-Test career, Rampaul did rank it high on his list. “It was a big moment,” he said. “The atmosphere was huge and there was lot of crowd support for him. He is a big wicket.”It did not take much time for the hate messages to float on planet Twitter, where sharp verbal darts were being thrown at the quiet man from Trinidad & Tobago. According to Rampaul, the bad vibes against him were heard even at the ground. “I got that as soon as Sachin got out. When I went back to the boundary it was not all that nice,” Rampaul said about being heckled by the Mumbai fans. “That is life and that is how cricket goes. I know a lot of fans are down and heartbroken but we can’t just let him go and play freely. We had our job to do, much as he had his job to do.”Immediately after Tendulkar’s departure, India suffered a double-jolt when Darren Sammy spread-eagled MS Dhoni’s stumps with a fuller-length delivery, which Dhoni tried playing with poor footwork. Two wickets for nine runs, three overall before lunch, had the West Indies’ spirits high. However, the inexperienced pair of Virat Kohli and R Ashwin played with resolve and their 97-run partnership for the seventh wicket helped India recover fast. Ashwin further frustrated Sammy and his troops with a fluent century.Rampaul insisted that the bowlers had not relaxed after Tendulkar’s wicket, and instead gave credit to Kohli and Ashwin for their pluck. “They really batted well,” Rampaul said. “Ashwin came out and assessed the wicket and batted according to the conditions. Kohli also did well. When the partnership was building we just tried to stick to our plans, restrict them, and hoping that they will give away their hand. The wicket is not one where you could blast out anybody or spin out anyone. You just have to stick to the basics and stick to the team plans.”

Daniel Christian’s chances of making his Test debut on Boxing Day could be boosted by Australia’s desire to have five bowling options against a powerful India batting line-up

Brydon Coverdale20-Dec-2011Daniel Christian’s chances of making his Test debut on Boxing Day could be boosted by Australia’s desire to have five bowling options against a powerful India batting line-up. Australia’s selectors will name the squad for the Melbourne Test on Wednesday and it could be a larger-than-usual group as they wait on the fitness of key players, including Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh.The possible permutations to be considered by the selectors were complicated on Tuesday when opener Ed Cowan made his case with 109 against the Indians for Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI in Canberra. In the same match, the incumbent opener Phillip Hughes, certain to be axed for Boxing Day, scored 20 batting at No.4, Usman Khawaja made 25 and David Warner scored 2.The rest of Australia’s Test batsmen converged on Melbourne for a batting camp after their struggles in the series against New Zealand. The allrounder Christian, who was 12th man in the loss to New Zealand in Hobart, will join the group on Wednesday after he plays for the Brisbane Heat in Tuesday night’s T20 match against the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba.Christian has been one of the leading Sheffield Shield run scorers this summer but it is his bowling that will appeal the most to the selectors, with Watson unlikely to bowl if he plays at all in Melbourne as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. The Australians did not play an allrounder against New Zealand, whose top order struggled, but the coach Mickey Arthur said the team’s needs might change against India on flatter pitches.”We played on two pretty helpful wickets against New Zealand to be honest, so we didn’t need a huge amount from that fifth bowler, we got through that easily,” Arthur said. “But when you’re playing at the MCG and at the SCG and there’s back-to-back Test matches, it does become hard when you’ve got four bowlers.”I see the spinner bowling a huge amount more, though. We need to be able to fiddle some overs from some of our batters. That’s how we’ll look at it. If we think our allrounder is in our best six batters at the present time then he’ll get a game.”Asked if Christian had done enough to be considered a top-six Test batsman for the India series, Arthur pointed to his first-class form this summer. In five Shield games, Christian has made 475 runs at 59.37, including two centuries.”He’s got an unbelievable record this year,” Arthur said. “He’s done superbly well for South Australia. Stats will tell you that he could possibly be in our top six batters. The fitness of our other players will also possibly determine that down the line. We’ll have a squad and work out the certain permutations in terms of fitness and then settle on an 11 closer to the time.”The national selector, John Inverarity, will announce the squad at 1pm Melbourne time on Wednesday, but the size of the group remains to be seen. Watson is expected to be named after missing the New Zealand series due to a hamstring problem he picked up in South Africa, but his chances took a blow when he did not bat on the first day of the batting camp.Marsh has less of a chance to make the starting line-up but could be named with a view to giving him as much time as possible before the Test to prove his fitness. He has battled a back problem since the first Test in South Africa and while he was at the Melbourne batting camp on Tuesday, Arthur said it was an issue that Marsh had not played a match in more than a month.”It is a concern,” he said. “Ideally you want guys to be playing. Whenever you’re playing a game your intensity goes up 20% from a practice session, the competitive juices kick in and the guys are put through a lot more in a game. We would have liked him to play more cricket but it hasn’t been possible. He is a class act. We’ve got to give him every opportunity. Time will tell.”Guys like Watson and Marsh, if ultimately selected, we’ll probably give them as much time as they need to get themselves ready to play. So it might be a slightly enlarged squad for this one but our preference is always to be decisive and name a 12. I guess we’ll know tonight once we put the finishing touches to our squad.”There is less uncertainty surrounding Australia’s attack, with Arthur declaring there were “no concerns whatsoever” about the fitness of the fast men James Pattinson and Peter Siddle. Both men had minor niggles after the New Zealand series but were in the MCG nets on Tuesday to bowl to Australia’s batsmen, and neither is considered in doubt for Boxing Day.Mitchell Starc, who was adequate without really grabbing his opportunity against New Zealand appears likely to retain his place, with Ryan Harris facing a near impossible ask to prove his fitness for Boxing Day. Harris has had a hip problem since the first Test in South Africa and was named to play for the Brisbane Heat on Tuesday night. However, the injury-prone Harris will struggle to prove to the selectors that he can last through a Test match with no first-class cricket in which to test himself.Possible squad: David Warner, Shane Watson, Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin (wk), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon

Kumar Sangakkara made his first important contribution of the series to steer Sri Lanka’s lead towards match-winning proportions

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran28-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara made his first Test century in South Africa•AFPSmart stats

Kumar Sangakkara scored his first century in South Africa and his 28th overall. It was also the first time he has gone past single figures in four innings on this tour.

Dinesh Chandimal became the first Sri Lankan player and the 35th overall to make two fifty-plus scores on Test debut.

The 104-run stand between Sangakkara and Chandimal is the third-highest sixth-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against South Africa.

It is the fifth time overall and the third time since 2006 that Sri Lanka have managed a 400-plus lead at the end of the third innings in Tests outside the subcontinent. Of the four previous occasions, Sri Lanka have won three and drawn one.

If South Africa are to win, they will have to achieve the highest run chase in Tests. Their best chase so far in Durban is the 336 for 5 they made against Australia in 2002.

The highest target ever chased down successfully by a team against Sri Lanka is 264 by India in Kandy in 2001.

Dale Steyn, who went wicketless in the first innings picked up 3 for 54. He has had an ordinary time in the second innings in Tests since the beginning of 2010 with 29 wickets at an average of 28.86 and strike rate of 51.0.

Sri Lanka came into this match facing the prospect of their first win-less year in Tests since 1997, and after the hammering in Centurion few predicted anything other than a straightforward win for South Africa in Durban. Three days into the game though, they are firmly on course for their first Test win in 16 attempts, and their first since the retirement of their greatest match-winner, Muttiah Muralitharan.Kumar Sangakkara made his first important contribution of the series, while Thilan Samaraweera and Dinesh Chandimal made their second each of the game to steer Sri Lanka’s lead towards match-winning proportions. Sangakkara’s first century in South Africa left the home side needing to pull off a world record chase to end their Durban jinx.Sangakkara, the world’s No. 1 Test batsman, came into this innings with scores of 0, 1 and 2 in the series, and could have been dismissed on 3 in the day’s first over. After overnight rain delayed the start of play by an hour, South Africa’s quick bowlers were on top of their game in the morning. Morne Morkel sent an early warning, getting the first ball to zip past Sangakkara’s outside edge. Three deliveries later he induced a nick only to see Mark Boucher’s late dive distract Graeme Smith from pouching a catch at slip.There are plenty of theories about what helps fast bowlers at Kingsmead. The Green Mamba is a usual suspect, but today the talk was about the change in wind direction that would help the ball jag around. It was overcast in Durban as well, but there was still no dramatic swing or seam for the South Africa fast bowlers.That didn’t stop them from probing away before lunch. Tharanga Paranavitana had a torrid time, regularly beaten outside off and struck on the back by a short ball. Eight of his nine runs came through not entirely assured glides past gully, before his innings ended with an edge to fourth slip.When Mahela Jayawardene was dismissed soon after – padding up to a Marchant de Lange incutter which would have gone on to hit off stump – South Africa were sensing a way back into the game despite conceding a 170-run first-innings lead.Sangakkara and Samaraweera made sure Sri Lanka remained firmly in charge, helped by a lacklustre bowling effort after lunch. Sangakkara had shown signs of his increasing confidence even before the break – whipping a gift from Jacques Kallis on the leg stump for four before upper cutting de Lange for another boundary – and he continued in the same vein.He was given plenty of short deliveries outside off, which he comfortably slapped towards deep point. As the innings progressed, Sangakkara’s classic drives started making an appearance. He was also positive against Imran Tahir, using the sweep effectively to blunt the legspinner. One of the other highlights of his innings was his judgment outside the off stump, repeatedly shouldering arms to frustrate the fast bowlers.It helped Sri Lanka that Samaraweera wasn’t his usual cautious self. Instead, fresh from his first-innings century, Samaraweera drove, cut and glanced boundaries on his way to an unusually brisk 43 before being undone by a slider from Tahir. Angelo Mathews then joined the long list of batsmen who played strokes to regret in this match, edging to Boucher after attempting to pull a short and wide delivery.Fears of a collapse were averted as Sangakkara was supported by Chandimal. The 22-year-old Chandimal had shown in the first innings that he wasn’t afraid of going for his shots, and that spirit was evident today as well. He slogged to midwicket and slashed over the slips as he went on to become the first Sri Lankan debutant to make a half-century in each innings of a Test. The highlight was a pull off Dale Steyn for four after some banter between the pair.The 104-run stand with Sangakkara pushed the lead well beyond 400. Sangakkara already has 27 Test centuries, so they couldn’t have been too many nerves in the nineties. Even if there were, he didn’t have much time to dwell on it as Kallis presented him a couple of boundary-balls. The century came up with a square drive for two. It was the second hundred in the match for Sri Lanka, after they had managed only one in eight previous Tests in South Africa.South Africa removed both Sangakkara and Chandimal towards the end of the day, but that hardly altered the match situation as Sri Lanka were still favourites to pull off one of their most famous Test wins.