All posts by h716a5.icu

Day four at Chester-le-Street could prove to be season-defining for Durham and Lancashire, who both have fears of relegation. Lancashire require another 299 runs to win on a deteriorating pitch.

Graham Hardcastle at Chester-le-Street17-Jun-2014
ScorecardTom Smith took five wickets to keep Lancashire in the match•PA PhotosDay four at Chester-le-Street could prove to be season-defining for Durham and Lancashire, who both have fears of relegation having started 2014 with hopes of much better things. Lancashire require another 299 runs to win on a deteriorating pitch.There is no doubt that Durham, boosted by two Chris Rushworth strikes before the close, hold the advantage as they search for their first win. After all, Lancashire would have to score their highest score of the season so far to head back down the A1 with 21 points under their belts. But the result would have been beyond any doubt had it not been for the exploits of Lancashire’s in-form Tom Smith.Smith, a 28-year-old allrounder, is hugely popular at Old Trafford – with players, coaches and the supporters. Injuries have stymied his development since breaking through in 2005 and he even started last season out of the team on selection grounds with a bevy of allrounders on the staff.This summer, he is the first name on the teamsheet. He is Lancashire’s leading wicket-taker in the Championship with 33 wickets, two fewer than his previous best haul of 35 in 2006. He is also one of only three batsmen who has scored 450 runs this summer, doing it from No. 7 in the order, and he has also excelled as an opening batsman in the first half of the NatWest T20 Blast.Smith claimed 5 for 42 as Durham were bowled out for 267 in their second innings to leave Lancashire facing 15 overs before close. Although this was his third five-for of the campaign, these were his best figures since taking 6 for 94 against Hampshire in August 2010.His return included two double-wicket maidens, one during the morning and one just before tea. He had Michael Richardson lbw and Ben Stokes caught and bowled in the last three balls of the 24th over before getting Gordon Muchall caught behind with a beauty and Phil Mustard lbw within five balls of the 63rd.Durham will still be happy with their position, owing much to Scott Borthwick’s 92 off 139 balls. He shared 99 for the fifth wicket with Paul Collingwood, who made 47, before John Hastings pushed the home lead up beyond 300 with a belligerent 40.Should Durham win, they will leapfrog Lancashire into seventh place and hold a 15-point advantage with a game in hand at the halfway point of their season. A Lancashire win would see them gain a 17-point advantage.Rushworth ousted Paul Horton lbw for a six-ball duck with a full delivery in the first over of the innings, by far and away the most effective length on this surface throughout the contest.Alex Davies and Usman Khawaja were in the process of rebuilding the innings, with the help of six no balls in Hastings’ first three overs, before Rushworth struck again at the start of the day’s last over when he trapped the former lbw.

As Sri Lanka head to the SSC Suranga Lakmal hopes his steady, no-frills approach is enough to help his team to a series-leveling win

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Jul-2014Shane Bond dreamed of knocking batsmen out, so they would fall on their stumps. Dale Steyn loves nothing more than to “pitch leg, hit off”. Bouncers. Banana swing. Batsmen backing away in fear. Stumps cartwheeling. If a sport played in whites over five days could have adrenaline junkies, fast bowlers would come closest. But not everyone has the means to become merchants of chaos. Steyn and Mitchell Johnson can define series with vicious pace, but others contend with more modest talents.Sri Lanka have put together the beginnings of a pace-bowling battery over the past few months, but none of their lead bowlers will be attempting magic deliveries yet. As they head to the SSC – a notorious graveyard for quicks beyond the first afternoon – Suranga Lakmal hopes his steady, no-frills approach is enough to help Sri Lanka toward a series-leveling win. “I think the focus over the past few months has been to just gradually improve on the things each of us fast bowlers is good at,” Lakmal said. “There’s no big secret to it, but we feel this is how we can win matches, and this is our best chance at winning the next match.”I feel like I am in good rhythm after Galle. I had to do something I didn’t anticipate there, with having to take on Shaminda Eranga’s overs after he got injured. But I felt I was bowling well.”Lakmal and Eranga have formed the core of the pace attack this year, with others like Nuwan Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad contributing meaningful spells, on occasion. Sri Lanka have won three Tests in 2014, all away from home, and seam bowlers have accounted for over 73% of the opposition wickets in those matches.”For a long time Sri Lanka has won matches through spin bowling,” Lakmal said. “We’ve been able to change that a bit over past few months. Going ahead, we just need to develop our strengths further, and maybe bowl more and more cleverly.”
Building pressure as a unit is key to Sri Lanka’s bowling strategy. Working as a pack to dry up the runs and await mistakes has marked the attack’s route to improvement, and to that end, camaraderie and close knowledge of each other’s cricket has paid off, Lakmal said.”In the past little while, the fast bowlers have always trained as a group – that’s me, Eranga, Chanaka Welegedara, Dhammika Prasad and others as well. We work hard with the coach and share what we have with each other, in terms of knowledge and skill. Because of that there’s a good exchange of ideas and that helps us to develop. Right through the team we have that. “While Eranga and Lakmal’s line and length has kept the attack on an even keel this year, Pradeep produced an inspired burst of seam bowling to set up Sri Lanka’s win in Dubai, and Prasad’s hit-the-deck pace broke the back of the England top order in the second innings at Headingley. While the coaches have asked the bowlers to buy in to Sri Lanka’s bowling strategy, they have also worked to magnify each bowler’s strengths, with a view to improving variety as well, Lakmal said.”If you take our four main fast bowlers in this series, we’re four different types of bowlers, all with different strengths. I think if Eranga and I bowl, opposition batsmen have to face each of us differently. That’s useful. What I try to do is take wickets with swing, most of the time. When the ball gets old, I reverse it a little as well. Eranga gets early swing as well, but he also has great accuracy and a good bouncer. We’re always talking and supporting each other.”Eranga will not play the SSC Test, having been ruled out by injury. The pitch did not appear to have a lot of live grass two days before the match, but Lakmal expected some assistance for the quicks nonetheless.”In the first hour and a half here the ball swings. We’re hoping to make the most of that. Getting as many wickets as possible in the morning session is key I think.”

Australia captain Michael Clarke has expressed displeasure with the XI he was given by the selectors, after his side’s three-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Aug-20143:58

‘A terrible performance’ – Clarke

Australia captain Michael Clarke has expressed displeasure with the XI he was given by the selectors, after his side’s three-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in Harare. While criticising the team’s performance against spin on a slow wicket, Clarke also said Australia had missed Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson, both of whom were not picked for this game.”I think our middle-order batting certainly missed Steve Smith, he’s a very good player of spin and it was disappointing he wasn’t out there to combat those conditions, but that was the way the selectors went,” Clarke said after Australia had lost an ODI to Zimbabwe after 31 years. “I want to take nothing away from Zimbabwe. I think they outplayed us and they certainly deserved to win today.”I think we’ve seen through Smithy’s career he’s a pretty good player of spin bowling and he can bowl some handy legspinners, so I think he would have been handy out there, but it means you’ve got to leave someone out as well so that’s always difficult.”Michael Clarke’s half-century dragged a struggling Australian line-up past 200•Getty ImagesWhen asked about Johnson being rested for this game, Clarke said: “Like I say, the selectors pick the XI and I do my best to try and get the best out of them, so it’s always tough to work out what you think the best XI is for certain conditions. It didn’t matter what XI we had on the field. If we play like that we’re not going to beat any team. So whatever team is selected we have to perform better than we did today. Obviously the selectors will be talking now about what they think the best team is and the players will be having a think about their own performances as well.”Australia’s batsmen struggled on a slow pitch that offered plenty of turn. Clarke battled through hamstring trouble to score 68, but none of the other batsmen were fluent against Zimbabwe’s spinners. Australia were restricted to 209, their lowest total batting first against Zimbabwe, who won with two overs to spare. Clarke called it a “terrible performance”.”I think we played some average cricket at best throughout the whole game. I think our general fielding was poor,” Clarke said. “Our execution with the ball was okay but had to be better when we only had 200-odd on the board. And our batting, we continually talk about facing spin bowling as an Australian team. It seems to be an area we continue to struggle in and today’s another example of that”I thought it might spin early on because it was a bit tacky but I thought once the sun got on the wicket it wouldn’t spin as much. But it spun the whole game. I think that’s a positive for our spin bowlers and obviously going to be tough for our batters throughout the rest of the series.”

There is uncertainty over whether Ottis Gibson will continue as West Indies coach, on the eve of the one-day series against Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2014Ottis Gibson’s status as West Indies coach is shrouded in uncertainty on the eve of the one-day series against Bangladesh. He was not present at the team’s training session in St George’s, Grenada, on Monday ahead of the first ODI on Wednesday. Assistant coach Stuart Williams oversaw practice, and is likely to take charge for an interim period.The reported that WICB president Dave Cameron confirmed Gibson’s absence from training and said the board was in “discussions” with him. “He is not in Grenada, that much we can confirm,” Cameron reportedly said. “Nothing [else] that I wish to confirm at this time. We are in discussions.”Gibson began his tenure as West Indies coach in February 2010. Since then West Indies have played 29 Tests, of which they have won nine and lost 16; 90 ODIs, winning 36 and losing 48; and 45 T20 internationals, winning 22 and losing 21.

West Indies, mired in a dispute with their players’ association, turn their attention back to cricket and the fourth ODI in Dharamsala

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy16-Oct-20145:07

Agarkar: Both teams will start from scratch

Match factsOctober 17, 2014
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Big PictureThere is a series to play for, one that is locked 1-1, but it feels like the series has been wrapped in cling film and left in the freezer. With a cyclone forcing the third ODI to be cancelled, and off-field issues surrounding the West Indies team pushing the actual cricket into the background, it feels like the Delhi ODI took place five weeks and not five days ago.The cling film will come off in Dharamsala, where West Indies will need to prove themselves all over again. Following an encouraging performance in Kochi, where they made 321 in a massive win, familiar failings returned to haunt them in Delhi, where they gave up their last eight wickets for 45 runs and lost a match they had been in control of.As a collection of names, this West Indies batting line-up is pretty handy, even without Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons. Still, the collapse at Feroz Shah Kotla wasn’t entirely unexpected. Exhortations that the players must have heard a million times – ‘we need to be more consistent, we need to play spin better’ – will probably ring in their ears once again when they gather for their team talk in Dharamsala.Ambati Rayudu needs to up his scoring rate to lay a long-term claim to the No. 4 slot in India’s line-up•Getty ImagesIndia haven’t been at their best in this series either, and it will worry them a little that their batting is yet to click into gear. And not just during this series. India had a collective batting average of over 35 in both 2012 and 2013, but this year they have averaged 31.15 – they haven’t done as badly since 2006. Having scored a century every 2.4 matches over the last two years, they have only made four centuries in 18 matches this year.In a pre-World Cup year, India are yet to decide on their best opening combination and the best fit for the number four slot. The two remaining matches of this series are their final home ODIs before the World Cup, a sign that audition space is shrinking quite rapidly.Form guideIndia WLLWW (Completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LWWWWWatch out forHe scored two half-centuries on the England tour and has an ODI average of 38.45, but doubts still persist over Ambati Rayudu’s suitability for the No. 4 slot. His overall strike rate of 69.23 isn’t too flash, and he has faced more than 25 balls and scored at a strike rate of less than 70 in a third of his 15 ODI innings. Rayudu will need to find ways to quicken his scoring or faces the risk of missing out on a place in the World Cup squad.On a slightly two-paced Delhi track, India found Jerome Taylor extremely difficult to get away in the early overs of the second ODI. Since returning to international cricket after a 32-month period plagued with injury, Taylor has looked like he has never been away. The pitch at the HPCA Stadium should offer some help to the seam bowlers, and Taylor will enjoy himself if that is the case.Team newsIndia added Akshar Patel to their ODI squad for the last two matches, but the left-arm spinner is unlikely to play unless the team management decides to rest Ravindra Jadeja.India (likely): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Mohammed ShamiWith Lendl Simmons ruled out of the entire series with a back injury, West Indies will have to continue with a makeshift opening combination, with either one of the Bravos partnering Dwayne Smith at the top of the order. West Indies are flying in the left-arm spinner Nikita Miller as a replacement for Simmons.West Indies (likely): 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Darren Bravo, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 5 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Jerome TaylorPitch and weatherLast year, Dharamsala’s debut ODI was played amid fears that snow would ruin any chance of the match taking place. That was in January. The match went ahead and England’s seamers moved the ball around prodigiously in the morning. This time, the weather should be milder, with maximum temperatures in the low 20s, and an afternoon start means the quick bowlers will probably derive the most help with the new ball under lights. Spin is likely to play less of a role than it did in Delhi.Stats & trivia If he bats, Virat Kohli will play his 50th ODI innings at home. If he scores 7 or more, he will become the second batsman after Michael Bevan to have 50-plus averages after 50-plus innings, both home and away. Dwayne Bravo is on the cusp of two milestones: he is 32 runs and a wicket away from becoming the ninth player to complete the ODI double of 3000 runs and 200 wickets. MS Dhoni is set to play his 250th ODI, becoming the eighth Indian player to do so. His 249 matches include three for Asia XI. Ajinkya Rahane needs to score 18 to reach 1000 ODI runs.Quotes”You will have a bad patch eventually and in those times you get to know the people who are ready to support you and people who are ready to rip you apart. I have learnt a lot, I have seen people change completely, 360 degrees, and that’s not surprising actually.”
“We were good for eighty overs and lost our way in the next 20. We need to think about the positives rather than the negatives and continue the way we have been playing.”

Kyle Abbott harried Australia’s batsmen and Rilee Rossouw achieved the rare feat of putting Quinton de Kock in the shade during a stand of 129 as South Africa secured a vast opening win in the Twenty20 match at Adelaide Oval.

The Report by Daniel Brettig05-Nov-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKyle Abbott harried Australia’s batsmen and Rilee Rossouw achieved the rare feat of putting Quinton de Kock in the shade during a stand of 129 as South Africa secured a vast opening win in the Twenty20 match at Adelaide Oval.Three days after they were comfortably beaten by a Cricket Australia Invitational XI in Sydney, the tourists combined impressively with ball and bat to deliver Australia’s third consecutive international defeat, albeit against two distinctly different teams in two vastly different formats on opposite sides of the globe.The likes of David Warner, Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell were missed by the Australians, but it must also be acknowledged that Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers were among South Africa’s absentees. Abbott and Rossouw were highly capable substitutes, the former’s 3 for 21 and the latter’s 78 from 50 balls the most telling contributions for JP Duminy’s men.Reeza Hendricks was out to a well-pitched delivery from Doug Bollinger in the first over of South Africa’s chase, but Rossouw and de Kock had very few difficulties in rattling towards the target and ensuring that by the time they departed the asking rate was negligible.Australia’s only consolations were a pair of handy innings by Shane Watson and James Faulkner, while Pat Cummins and legspinner Cameron Boyce delivered decent-enough spells with the ball. Whether Boyce, missing out on two Sheffield Shield fixtures at a time when Australia’s need to develop a worthwhile wrist-spin option after their travails against Pakistan, should have been playing was another question.The hosts had given T20I debuts to Ben Dunk and Nathan Reardon, their caps handed out by Michael Hussey. South Africa chose to name three debutants, the speedy 19-year-old Kagiso Rabada, Hendricks and Rossouw, who has played six ODIs in his international career so far.Serving as the opener to Australia’s international season, the match was also the first full T20I, and the first international, to be played at the Adelaide Oval since its redevelopment was completed earlier this year. However the Wednesday night fixture did not attract a sell-out, a crowd of 26,370 leaving vast parts of the eastern and southern stands empty.Finch and White walked out to bat on a fine surface, but struggled for timing and poise as Abbott and his cohorts bowled commendably tight lines. White was dropped by Imran Tahir at deep backward square leg in the first over, and Finch scratched out 14 before pushing Ryan McLaren’s first ball to short cover.White was victim to a sharp catch at cover point by Farhaan Berhardien, who leapt to claim a well-struck forcing stroke. Dunk and Reardon each fell cheaply when trying to force the pace, and a restorative partnership between Watson and Faulkner was separated when the older allrounder was clasped on the very edge of the fielding circle by Duminy.No boundaries were scored from the final 26 balls of the innings, underlining how well Abbott and South Africa had managed to restrict Australia. Even though Finch had seven bowlers to call on, 144 was never likely to be enough.

Kumar Sangakkara is in advanced talks with Surrey about a county stint in 2015, but will not make a firm commitment until he decides on his Test future

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Dec-2014Kumar Sangakkara is in advanced talks with Surrey about a county stint in 2015, but will not make a firm commitment until he decides on his Test future.His original retirement plans, which entailed quitting all formats after the forthcoming World Cup, would have left him wide open for a county season next year. However, as he is now considering playing Test series in June and August, both he and the county must grapple with the details of the clash.Sangakkara stint with Surrey effectively depends on whether he plays in both Sri Lanka’s proposed series in the middle of next year. Surrey are happy for him to play either the two Tests against Pakistan in June, or in the three-Test series against India pencilled in for August, but less willing to sign him in such a key role if he is unavailable for the bulk of the county season.Sangakkara had seen two county seasons as the ideal way to wind down his career, but in recent weeks has been made keenly aware of his national duty by Sri Lanka’s selectors and Angelo Mathews, among others.Opposition to Sangakkara’s retirement has been founded on the argument that the team would be substantially better served if Sangakkara remained in the Test side until it was more settled. Sri Lanka have yet to play a Test since Mahela Jayawardene’s retirement and, if Sangakkara had also quit following the forthcoming New Zealand Tests as he had planned, both of the side’s leading batsmen would have become unavailable within the space of two series.The batsman is also wary of delaying his county contract until 2016, as he would then be 38 when he embarks on a fresh cricketing challenge and, as such, less sure of his form. There is also the appeal of working with former Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford, at Surrey.Sangakkara has had successful brushes with county cricket before. He played two matches for Durham ahead of Sri Lanka’s tour of England this year, and averaged 57.66, and had averaged 49.60 for Warwickshire across seven matches in 2007.

Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka’s worst-ever ODI whitewash at India’s plans had not upset his team’s World Cup plans, and suggested the side was closer to locking down a World Cup combination, thanks to the series

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Nov-20140:37

‘Bowlers couldn’t stop Kohli’- Mathews

Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka’s worst-ever ODI whitewash at India’s hands had not upset his team’s World Cup plans, and suggested the side was closer to locking down a World Cup combination, thanks to the series. The 0-5 defeat is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka’s ODI history. They have not been blanked by India since losing 0-3 in 1982, and their previous worst ODI series loss – a 0-4 defeat against Pakistan – had come in 1985.However, as Sri Lanka had been light on preparation for the series, had missed several key players, and were playing in conditions they are unlikely to encounter at the World Cup, Mathews said his team was capable of moving past the drubbing.”I don’t think the series will have a negative impact,” Mathews said. “We have figured out who our players are going to be. We wanted to try them out here because playing in India is always a lot of pressure. We wanted to know who the guys are, who will perform under pressure. We now have an idea. We just have to flush the defeats out of the system and take the England series on, and move on.”Lahiru Thirimanne’s back-to-back fifties against India have made him a leading contender for the No. 6 slot.•BCCIMathews had hoped Sri Lanka’s woes with the second opener’s position would be solved by series-end, but with Upul Tharanga, Kusal Perera and Niroshan Dickwella not having impressed in that position, the team is still seeking answers there. They have, however, moved closer to filling the lower middle-order spot that was available, Mathews said. Lahiru Thirimanne scored back-to-back fifties in his two matches of the series, and joined Mathews in putting up century-stands in both those matches.”I’m extremely pleased with the way Thirimanne batted because we wanted someone who is solid at No. 6, and I thought he did his job in the last two games,” Mathews said. “All the batsmen got starts but I think we can still improve in all the departments.”Having largely laid blame on the batsmen’s shoulders this series, Mathews said it had been the bowlers who erred in the fifth defeat. Sri Lanka made their first competitive score of the series, hitting 286 for 8, thanks largely to a 139 not out from Mathews, but were unable to defend it against a Virat Kohli-led India batting unit.”I thought it was a competitive game, we have improved from the last four games,” Mathews said. “It was a tough wicket to bat on, it was not coming through. But the batters had to dig deep, stay at the crease, get some partnerships and get a good score for the bowlers to bowl at. I thought we did that, but unfortunately the bowlers were a bit too wayward. “

Three wickets needed, a wearing SCG pitch, the light fading, India trying to cling on for a draw. It could have been the 2008 finish all over again, but this time Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed to hold the Australians off.

The Report by Brydon Coverdale10-Jan-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
3:46

‘Lyon no longer just a support bowler’

Three wickets needed, a wearing SCG pitch, the light fading, India trying to cling on for a draw – it could have been the 2008 finish all over again. But Michael Clarke was in the commentary box this time, not out in the middle with ball in hand, and Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar held their nerve, and held off the Australian charge. Steven Smith’s side instead had to settle for a draw and a 2-0 series victory.At tea on the final day, India needed 189 for an unlikely win with eight wickets in hand; Virat Kohli and M Vijay were at the crease. But both men fell soon after the resumption, and with the ball reverse-swinging, the pitch providing variable bounce for Nathan Lyon, and the momentum with Australia, they were followed inside by Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha and R Ashwin.But then came the match-saving partnership between Rahane and Bhuvneshwar, who survived for nearly 12 overs. Bhuvneshwar handled the final one of the match from Lyon, confident enough to even drive the first delivery to the long-off boundary with all the fieldsmen up, and India reached safety. It was a draw, but after their loss in similar circumstances in Adelaide, it was also an achievement.Both men showed impressive calmness, Rahane doing his best to take most of the bowling himself, Bhuvneshwar able to keep Lyon’s sharp offbreaks down instead of flying to the assortment of men close-in on the leg side. Smith tried all four of his frontline bowlers in the dying stages, but it was to no avail; India finished on 7 for 252, with Rahane on 38 and Bhuvneshwar on 20.Notably, Australia did not break through in the final 10 overs of the match, after Smith took the new Kookaburra. He might later have reflected that a reverse-swinging bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Hazlewood, in particular, was getting the old ball to tail in to India’s right-handers. Starc proved a handful with it as well, but they were unable to get the new ball to talk.The session had started with all results possible, although India’s victory chances required a change in approach after they seemed focussed on the draw for most of the day. Vijay had twice taken Lyon for 16 in an over earlier, but when he tried to lift the tempo against Hazlewood’s pace his attempted cut resulted in an easy take for Brad Haddin, and he was out for 80.Kohli followed on 46 when Starc got one to straighten and caught the edge through to Shane Watson at first slip, and thus started a mini-collapse that had the Sydney crowd roaring. Raina completed a pair in his first Test for two and a half years, trapped lbw when Starc moved a ball back in, and India’s 2 for 178 had become 5 for 203.It was 6 for 208 when Saha was done by a Lyon offbreak that stayed perilously low and struck him directly in line with middle stump. The last hour began with Australia four wickets from victory, and they claimed one when Ashwin, who had held out for 22 balls for his single run, was lbw when Hazlewood reversed the old ball in late and struck him in front.But then came the new ball, and as it turned out, new hope for India. Hazlewood and Starc had been miserly all day, both conceding less than two an over. That helped to build the pressure as Lyon toiled at the other end, but for the first four hours of the day India handled the situation well, losing only one wicket in each session.Occasionally India, or more specifically Vijay, went on the attack. Sixteen runs came from Lyon’s penultimate over before tea, as Vijay used his feet to lift a six and a four down the ground, and swept another boundary. Another 16 had come in a Lyon over before lunch, including a lofted six over midwicket from Vijay, although in the same over Vijay edged a ball that ricocheted off Haddin and lobbed just out of reach of Watson at slip.It was that kind of day for the Australians, half chances falling just out of reach and, on occasion, being dropped. Shaun Marsh at short cover put down a tough when Vijay had 42 and the bowler, Ryan Harris, responded in frustration next delivery when Vijay pushed the ball back to him and Harris hurled it at the stumps, only to see it bounce in the footmarks and over the head of the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for four overthrows.In the next over, Rohit Sharma pushed at Watson and edged wide of slip, where Smith hurled himself to his right to clutch a stunning one-handed catch. The only other wicket to fall in the first two-thirds of the day was KL Rahul’s, who advanced to Lyon but failed to get to the pitch of the ball and was caught off his glove at backward short leg.Australia nearly made it two from two deliveries when Rohit’s first ball resulted in a perilously close stumping chance; the TV umpire decided that there was enough doubt as to Rohit’s foot position to reprieve him. At that point, India were all about defence, trying to get themselves into a solid position before any thoughts of victory entered their minds.Not surprisingly, Australia had declared on their overnight score and set India 349 to win. For the third time in the series, the match went down to the last hour of the fifth day. There was no repeat of the dramatic Australian win in Adelaide, but nor was it the tamer draw of Melbourne. This result was somewhere in between, thrilling in its way, but with neither side coming out on top.And in the end, 2-0 seemed a fitting scoreline in a series in which Australia were more consistently strong all round, but India fought hard and showed impressive resolve.

The Supreme Court struck down the controversial amendment to the BCCI constitution’s clause 6.2.4 that allowed board officials to have a commercial interest in the IPL and the Champions League T20

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2015For the first time in its history, the BCCI’s constitution was amended by an order from an external agency, in this case the country’s highest court. The Supreme Court in its judgement pertaining to the 2013 IPL corruption case struck down the controversial amendment to the BCCI constitution’s clause 6.2.4 that allowed board officials to have a commercial interest in the IPL and the Champions League T20.The rule was declared “void and ineffective”, “unsustainable and impermissible in law” as it was said to have “authorised” the “creation and continuance” of a conflict-of-interest situation. The two-man bench of Justice TS Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifullah said the amendment of the rule was the “true villain” in the situation at hand and had perpetuated the conflict. The rule was amended in September 2008, six months after the Chennai franchise was sold to the-then BCCI secretary N Srinivasan’s India Cements.The court stated in its order that the amendment had led to “three real life situations” of conflict of interest due to Srinivasan’s dual roles. “Between the duty which Mr Srinivasan owes to BCCI… his commercial if not personal interest in the events which the BCCI organises.”In a detailed segment of its 138-page order, the court listed the incidents as follows:The BCCI awarded compensation of Rs 10.4 crores to Chennai Super Kings on the cancellation of the CLT20 of 2008 following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The court said that regardless of the fact that Rajasthan Royals were also recipients of the same amount of money, Srinivasan was at the time “privy to a self-serving decision that benefited India Cements Ltd, a company promoted by Mr. Srinivasan.”The argument that there were other members of the CLT20 governing council participating in the decision-making process, the court said, “does not cure the legal flaw arising out of the benefactor also being the beneficiary of the decision.”The court said that all that a situation of conflict of interest requires is a “reasonable likelihood of bias.” It said that “the test is not whether bias was actually at work when the decision was taken. It is a reasonable likelihood of bias that determines whether the action can be faulted.”The second situation pertained to an award of Rs 13.10 crores, a higher amount pertaining to the same cancellation of the 2008 CLT20 against unaudited claims of loss by Super Kings and Royals. The amount was returned by Super Kings to the board, but the court said that there was no certainty whether the return of the funds came because of public pressure on Srinivasan or recognition of the fact that his team was not really due the amount after it had been paid to the actual financial detriment of the BCCI.The third instance of conflict of interest, where “Mr Srinivasan’s commercial interest came in direct conflict with his duty as president of BCCI” is when “allegations of betting were levelled against his son-in-law.” The court said that regardless of whether Srinivasan had attempted to cover up Gurunath Meiyappan’s betting racket or not, his denial about his role as an official had taken place at a time when it was known that misconduct on the part of officials could lead to punishment for both the individuals involved and the franchises as well.”A clear conflict of interest had arisen between what is Mr Srinivasan’s duty as a president of BCCI on the one hand and his interest as father-in-law and owner of team CSK on the other.”The argument offered by Srinivasan’s counsel that along with his family he owned only 0.14% equity in India Cements Ltd was also found as “misleading.” The court had found “from the record” that Srinivasan’s family “directly and indirectly holds 29.23% of the equity in ICL” with his wife, daughter and himself being directors on its board.Citing these examples the court stated that clause 6.2.4 was “illegal” because it “permits, protects and even perpetuates situations where the Administrators can have commercial interests in breach or conflict with the duty they owe to the BCCI or to the people at large.”It remarked that this was in direct contravention of the BCCI’s own anti-corruption code, as the Rule 6.2.4 “clearly negates” the board’s original intentions “by permitting situations in which conflict of interest would grossly erode the confidence of the people in the authenticity, purity and integrity of the game.”The Supreme Court-appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal commission which had investigated the 2013 IPL corruption case in two phases had a specific ambit which did not involve conflict of interest. After it filed its final report in November 2014, the two-man bench extended the ambit of the case to question the conflict of interest and Srinivasan’s role in it. The result of that expansion of the case by Justices Thakur and Kalifullah has now led to the BCCI’s rules being struck down and its constitution being put under the scanner by an independent commission.