Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Mike Gatting’s team did so in 1986-87.”Kevin Pietersen, obviously, is a big question mark for them at the moment,” Ponting told UAE’s Radio 2 (listen to the entire interview on ESPNcricinfo’s ). “Alastair Cook is just holding on to his spot by the skin of his teeth, and [Paul] Collingwood has probably not had the best Test summer of his life either. So there is enough happening around there to know that they will be a little nervous when they arrive in Australia.”Pietersen averaged 27.25 in four innings against Pakistan this summer and hasn’t scored a century in 19 months. John Buchanan, the former Australia coach who has accepted a consulting role with the ECB, had also suggested that Pietersen could be a ‘major problem’ for England.Cook had been under intense pressure following a prolonged lean spell before earning some breathing room with a gutsy 110 against Pakistan at The Oval. Collingwood had a successful tour of South Africa last winter but six of his previous eight Test innings have been scores of five or less.Ponting said that England could pose a strong challenge, especially with the rise of offspinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Stuart Broad, whose five wickets at The Oval were vital to England reclaiming the Ashes last year, continuing to deliver in crunch situations.”They have some good players in their side at the moment, who are playing well,” Ponting said. “Graeme Swann is probably the stand out. Stuart Broad, and probably their captain [Andrew Strauss], these have been the guys who have stood up for them over the last couple of years. But they have certainly been the more consistent team than any English team I have played against in the past.”Australia have a formidable home record, having lost only one series since 1992-93. They blanked England 5-0 in 2006-07, and Ponting hoped his side could repeat that performance. “We all know how hard opposition teams find it coming to Australia, and particularly starting at the Gabba, they always find it a difficult place to win. So as an Australian, and an Australian captain, we are hoping for a very similar series to the last one.”Ponting has played in more Test wins than anyone else and already has three World Cup trophies – two as captain – but insisted his hunger for the game hadn’t waned.”There is no doubt about that. I mean, I would have not worked as hard as I have over the last eight weeks if the hunger wasn’t there,” he said. “I am as excited about the next period of cricket, with the Ashes and then the World Cup at the end of that, so that is about six or seven months of biggest cricket tournaments that you ever play.”

Chris Gayle became the fourth batsman to make two Test triple-centuries to put West Indies on top in Galle

Andrew Fernando at Galle16-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Just the fourth batsmen in Tests to score two triple-centuries•AFP

A mesmerising late spell from Ajantha Mendis was not enough to overshadow a Chris Gayle triple-century on the second day of the first Test in Galle, as the West Indies opener’s 333 took the visitors to a daunting first innings total of 580 for 9 declared. Gayle etched his name in history when he became just the fourth batsman after Bradman, Lara and Sehwag to make two 300-plus scores in Tests, and celebrated the milestone not by lying down on the pitch as he did yesterday, but by kneeling with his arms aloft, grateful that he had given his side the perfect platform to pursue their first ever Test win on Sri Lankan soil.

Smart Stats

• Chris Gayle became only the fourth batsman to score two triple centuries after Don Bradman (334 and 304), Brian Lara (375 and 400*) and Virender Sehwag (309 and 319).

• Gayle went past Rohan Kanhai’s 256 to become the West Indian batsman with the highest individual score in the subcontinent.

• The triple hundred is the 24th overall and the tenth by a left hander. It was also the third triple hundred in Sri Lanka.

• Gayle holds the record for the highest individual score against Sri Lanka, going past Younis Khan’s 313.

• Gayle’s 333 is the highest away score by a West Indies batsman, surpassing Viv Richards’ 291 at the Oval in 1976.

• .Gayle’s knock is the highest individual score by a visiting batsman in Sri Lanka, going past Stephen Fleming’s 274.

• With nine sixes in his innings, Gayle holds the record for the most sixes by a West Indian batsman in a Test innings.

• The 167 run stand between Brendan Nash and Gayle for the fourth wicket is the best for the West Indies against Sri Lanka and the seventh highest for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka.

• This was Anjantha Mendis’ third five wicket haul and second at Galle after his 6 for 117 against India in July 2008. Of his 56 wickets, 46 have come at home at an average of 29.23. His away record is very poor with ten wickets at 46.80.

Yesterday Gayle broke the back of the Sri Lankan attack with a blistering double-ton. Today, he took careful aim at the records. First to go was the stadium top score. Mahela Jayawardene’s 237 was eclipsed in the morning session by a subdued Gayle, who seemed to be a more determined version of the swashbuckling dynamo that had set the ground alight on day one – he added just nine more boundaries in over two sessions of batting after smashing 26 fours and eight sixes on the first day. Soon after lunch Gayle bettered the highest score by a West Indies batsman in the subcontinent – Rohan Kanhai’s 256 in Kolkata – a record that had stood for 48 years. Following the tea break, he surpassed Younis Khan’s 313 to make the highest score by any batsman against Sri Lanka as well as improving on his own previous best of 317 a few deliveries later.The first milestone of the day however, was not Gayle’s, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s, as he went past 9000 Test runs before being undone by Suraj Randiv’s bounce on 32. Brendan Nash then hunkered down alongside Gayle as they accumulated intelligently, picking the gaps to good effect and hitting the odd boundary to keep the scoreboard moving at a decent clip. The pair cemented West Indies’ absolute dominance over the game with a 167-run partnership for the fourth wicket and, almost as crucially, ensured that the hosts were made to toil in the sapping Galle heat for two more sessions. Still a little dazed by Gayle’s first day ballistics, Sri Lanka were ground into the dust by a determined display from the West Indies top order.With the team flagging, Mendis somehow produced an inspired burst to run through the remainder of the West Indies order, and hastened a declaration that at one stage seemed light years away. Mendis first had Nash trapped plumb in front for 64 with a straighter delivery, before repeating the dose for Dwayne Bravo in his next over, this time with a googly. Gayle’s marathon knock finally came to an end when he was bowled by a terrific Mendis carrom ball, and when Darren Sammy departed the very next ball, the end was finally nigh for West Indies. Mendis picked up one more wicket to make it a six-wicket haul, and Suraj Randiv added one more to his tally, before Sammy ended the innings with a declaration that was long overdue.Tillekeratne Dilshan made matters worse for the hosts when he lamely lobbed Andre Russell’s second ball towards Shane Shillingford at mid on to leave the hosts at 6 for 1 and give Russell his first Test wicket, but Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara came out playing his shots, and his unbeaten 32-ball 33 would have given the hosts hope, especially if the pitch remains good for batting on day three.

With the two teams evenly matched in almost every department, it’s hard to predict how this series will turn out

Sidharth Monga in Centurion14-Dec-2010It’s there in the rarefied air of the Highveld. It’s on the radio, it’s being talked about in pubs even during a Manchester United-Arsenal game, it’s on the streets, it will soon be seen from the grass banks. The No. 1 Test side in the world is here for a three-Test series, no longer the miserable tourists of the past, still with history against them. South Africa are ready, they are going to spice the pitches up a bit, they are going to try and make a move towards the ranking that was theirs before India took it away. It is a series that could define both the teams, but with two days to go the prudent thing to do is to sit on the fence and not call any favourites, as the following breakdown shows.Top orders
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are arguably the best opening combination going around today, but they haven’t been tested in seamer-friendly conditions consistently by bowlers of the calibre of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Still it would need a very good combination to hold an edge over Sehwag and Gambhir. Graeme Smith is as tough as they come, and Alviro Petersen scored a century on debut against India. However, if Sehwag and Gambhir have to face a test of conditions, Zaheer Khan holds a mental edge over Smith. As it often happens, and as it might happen for the series overall, this one might just come down to Sehwag.Following the openers we have one of the best Nos 3 ever, and another who is in the form of his life. Rahul Dravid is usually just the man for overcast and seamer-friendly conditions, but he last faced such a test in Australia in 2007-08. Since then he has had dips in form, he has been hit by a bouncer that made him miss a Test for only the second time in his career, and there have been calls for younger blood. That there was no question about his selection is testimony to his value to the team, and he is coming off a 191 against New Zealand. Hashim Amla is the most Indian of batsmen you will get to see out of India, and he has serenely and surely been scoring runs by the truckloads. Since he came to India earlier this year, he has averaged 88 in Tests and 76 in ODIs. It is tough to argue against such a No. 3.Between awe and toughness, reputation and form, it is difficult to stick a neck out here.Middle orders
The Nos 4 of the two teams are absolute legends and have been around forever. In the last series, both of them scored centuries, and nothing much is expected to change there. Sachin Tendulkar is having one of his best years with the bat, Jacques Kallis is not out of form either. Has he ever been? Tendulkar knows the conditions as well as any batsman not South African. You wouldn’t bet against Kallis either, who has already scored four centuries this year, and can also bowl pretty mean bouncers and outswingers if needed.VVS Laxman at No. 5 carries bundles of class and a first-class degree in crisis management with him, AB de Villiers the confidence from having just scored the highest individual score for a South African. However, like Dravid, Laxman hasn’t put his fire-fighting skills to test on spicy pitches under overcast skies for a long time. Does that make de Villiers more reliable? Still hard to tell.Ashwell Prince and Suresh Raina are relative weak links, but Prince’s experience and knowledge of home conditions edge out Raina. South Africa might hold a slight edge here, but Tendulkar and Laxman are not batsmen to be written off.Wicketkeepers
Mark Boucher is more likely to score important lower-order runs than MS Dhoni, if only because the conditions suit his game better. Behind the stumps, there isn’t much between them. If Dhoni is flashy with stumpings, he has been a touch slow going for the catches to his right. South Africa hold a slight advantage here, but in the final equation it might not count for a lot.Spinners
India hold an edge here, but the conditions might negate the spinners as attacking options. Harbhajan, though, will love the bounce on offer after a long season on slow Indian tracks. Don’t forget what Lord Harris did to India in the deciding Test on the last tour.Fast bowlers
Tight. Very tight. You would want to back South Africa with Steyn and Morkel arguably being the most dangerous opening bowling combination. It’s the third seamer’s slot where India level the scales. Zaheer, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth are all aggressive bowlers, all three capable of utilising helpful conditions. There is a rider, though. Except for Zaheer, you are never quite sure what you will get from the Indian seamers. Ishant and Sreesanth can be very good on their days, but on an off day they can be very bad. With Steyn and Morkel, you are assured of a degree of control.Zaheer’s fitness remains dodgy. He did bowl in the nets today, making the Indian camp feel better, but they were still not completely certain that Zaheer will make it for the first Test. If he doesn’t, South Africa will have a clear advantage.Slip catching
In seaming conditions, there will be quite a few coming the slippers way. If there is such a thing called catching form, Dravid hasn’t been in it. He also injured his finger while dropping one against New Zealand, and is not even sure if he will be standing in the slips. Tendulkar has been out of slips for some time now, with an injured finger, and Laxman’s back doesn’t let him stay there for long durations. Expect to see a lot of Sehwag and Raina there.South Africa are not sure of Smith’s presence there he recently fractured a finger but Kallis and de Villiers provide their cordon a more stable look.Final equation
On paper, nothing gives. It could come down to what kind of mental state the Indian batsmen are in. Collectively and individually, South Africa is the only country where they have failed to compete consistently. Tendulkar’s average falls from 57 overall to 40 in South Africa, Dravid’s from 53 to 34, Sehwag’s from 55 to 26, and Laxman’s from 48 to 41. Consequently, just one win in 12 attempts. They all know they need to correct it, but how much does that play on their minds? It might not matter much if India get off to a good start, but history which says something about India’s dislike for the conditions here gives South Africa the slight advantage.Equally South Africa have a relatively modern history to correct after having failed to close out two Tests against England last season. They have not won either of their last two home series, both against top opposition. That just makes their advantage even slighter. If this is not dead even, it is the closest thing to it.

Gary Kirsten has said he trusts his bowling unit, bolstered by the return of a fit and eager Zaheer Khan, to prove the critics wrong

Sidharth Monga in Durban24-Dec-2010Gary Kirsten has said he trusts his bowling unit, bolstered by the return of a fit and eager Zaheer Khan, to prove the critics wrong. Responding to former South African cricketers’ comments on the weak bowling unit and lack of pace, Kirsten said, “Bottom line is, we need to get 20 Test wickets. I think we have shown in the last three years that we have the ability to get 20 Test wickets in any conditions. It’s up to us to prove to every one that we can do that here. It’s up to us to prove to ourselves too that we can do that. Obviously nice to have Zaheer back. We look forward to whatever conditions are given to us, and we have the quality in our bowling line-up as well.”Going by the first looks, the conditions should assist the bowlers. Kirsten didn’t go to the rock-hard and green Kingsmead pitch, but observed from the change room. “Looks a similar colour to the outfield,” he said. “Let’s see what comes up in two days’ time.”If there is rain in the lead-up to the Test, as the groundstaff fear, the pitch will retain a lot of moisture, potentially creating a situation where batting first might be as difficult as it was in Centurion. Kirsten said the batsmen would need to be prepared for such a challenge, applying themselves better.”We were well prepared for the last Test,” he said. “It was a tough wicket to bat on on the first day. We probably let ourselves down a bit. We have got to assess the situation and get the best we can get out of the surface as a batting unit. I felt we were 100 runs short in the last Test, and we have got to apply ourselves. The preparation has been very good. The guys are working as hard as they have ever worked. I am happy from that point of view. At the end of the day they have to get on the field and make a play. The players are determined, they are really motivated to do well. They are going to give it their best shot, that’s what we can ask of the players.”Kirsten spoke of the importance of putting up scores close to 400 in the first innings. “We know that if one of our top six is getting a decent score, a big hundred, we are going to get a score in excess of 400,” he said. “The guy that’s in, and it could be anyone, and can get in and bat for a decent amount of time, that will allow us to get to scores of 400. We know that in Test cricket if you are not around about that mark in the first innings, you are going to put yourself under pressure.”The Indian team returned to training on Thursday, after a two-day break following the first Test. MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina decided to stay off the optional training session at the Kingsmead. Raina is under pressure to keep his place in the side after a twin failure in the first side, but Kirsten said no decision has been made regarding the No. 6 spot.

Eoin Morgan, the England middle-order batsman, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a broken middle finger on his left hand, and Ravi Bopara has been brought into the squad in his place

Andrew Miller at Heathrow08-Feb-2011Eoin Morgan, England’s star one-day batsman, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a broken middle finger on his left hand, and Ravi Bopara has been brought into the squad in his place. England’s coach Andy Flower announced the news at a press conference at Heathrow Airport on England’s return from Australia, and confirmed that Morgan would undergo surgery that would keep him out of the entire tournament.”His [Morgan’s] finger needs to be operated on, so that’s a serious loss to us,” Flower said. “He’s been a very influential limited-overs performer for us since he joined the England team. Ravi Bopara, who is a very exciting young cricketer in his own right, is going to be joining us and is flying back from the West Indies where he is playing with the England Lions. He’ll be arriving in the country tomorrow and joining us on the flight to Dhaka.”The news of Morgan’s unavailability comes as a serious blow to England as he has been one of their most valuable players in ODIs over the past two years, something his captain Andrew Strauss recognised. “For the last 12 to 18 months, he’s been the stand-out batsman for us in one-day cricket,” Strauss told the press at Heathrow. “We all see the World Cup as a forum for showcasing your skills, so he’s bitterly disappointed to be missing out. But that’s the nature of the beast: you are going to get injuries. Unfortunately, his has come along at a bad time, but thankfully he’s a young bloke and is going to get opportunities in the future. For the time being we will have to make do without him, but it’s something we are prepared for and I’m sure we’ll be able to do.”Flower tried putting a positive spin on events, mentioning how Bopara’s bowling might be an asset. “No-one is irreplaceable and Ravi is a very talented and exciting player, and brings a bit of medium-pace bowling to help the captain in those middle overs,” Flower said. “We are confident that the 15 guys who we have will gel together and perform powerfully.”Bopara was not a part of the England ODI squad for the series in Australia, and played only four ODIs in 2010, with a best of 45 not out from 16 balls against Bangladesh at Edgbaston. He did score two half-centuries in India the last time England toured the country in 2008, and has played in subcontinent conditions during the IPL, in which he played for Kings XI Punjab.”[Bopara] hasn’t had a chance to play for us recently; he has been playing a lot of cricket around the world and he is desperate to get back in the ranks,” said Strauss. “This is his opportunity and we like what he can bring to the game, his ability to clear the ropes in the middle overs is going to be important to us, and he is going to be a worthy addition to the squad.”Morgan sustained the fracture to the middle finger of his left hand during the fourth ODI in Adelaide, but carried on playing for a further two matches in the mistaken belief that it was merely bruised. “He didn’t think it was serious at all, but it got worse the more he played and practised,” said Flower. “The pain grew worse, and therefore the medical team got onto it and found that it was worse than the bruise originally suggested.”He met with a specialist on Monday, immediately after his arrival back in the UK, and it is understood that the fracture extends up to the knuckle, a problem which increases the risk of dislocation. Morgan was told that surgery was the only viable option, which would keep him on the sidelines for at least six weeks.England are currently sweating on the fitness of five more members of their 15-man World Cup squad. Paul Collingwood received an injection on Monday, having suffered a back spasm during the penultimate ODI in Sydney. Tim Bresnan is stepping up his training having succumbed to a calf strain, while Ajmal Shahzad’s hamstring injury is still causing concern.Stuart Broad is believed to be on track having torn a stomach muscle back in December, while Graeme Swann is set to test his injured knee in the nets on Tuesday, having missed the latter stages of the Australia tour. “I’m not fully fit but I’m getting there,” he told BBC Radio 5 live. “I haven’t had a bowl yet. I’m a little bit nervous about it but I should be fine.”

Tom Beaton’s battling and unbeaten 72 helped Western Australia to a 377-run lead on the third day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2011
Scorecard
Promising batsman Tom Beaton helped Western Australia take control at the WACA•Getty Images

20-year-old Tom Beaton’s unbeaten 72 helped Western Australia to a 377-run lead on the third day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia. Alongside a half-century from captain Marcus North, it helped Western Australia take firm control despite four wickets Peter George.Coming into the day, Western Australia were sitting on a 72-run lead with nine wickets in hand and had to rebuild after losing nightwatchman Michael Beer early in the day. No. 4 to No. 9 all made good starts but it was only North and Beaton who passed 45.At one stage, when North fell, Western Australia were 6 for 211 with South Australia well in the game, but Beaton found solid support form Luke Ronchi, in a 37-run stand and then shared a bright stand with Nathan Coulter-Nile, who swished seven boundaries in his 41-ball 35. By the time he fell to the impressive George, Western Australia were well in control with a lead of 365.With his job now done with the bat, Coulter-Nile and his fellow bowlers have to finish off the match on the final day.

As Australia’s most accomplished player of spin, Michael Clarke has an enormous responsibility in this World Cup

Brydon Coverdale23-Feb-2011As Australia’s most accomplished player of spin, Michael Clarke has an enormous responsibility in this World Cup. Zimbabwe sent down 39 overs of slow bowling on Monday, a key factor in Australia posting fewer runs than they wanted, and it was Clarke’s unbeaten 58 at better than a run a ball helped them open their tournament with a solid victory.The efforts of the eleventh-ranked ODI team in the world would have piqued the interest of the other sides, all of whom are aiming to end Australia’s World Cup winning streak that now stands at 24 matches. Things won’t get any easier against New Zealand on Friday in Nagpur, where there is every chance Nathan McCullum will open the bowling, as Ray Price did for Zimbabwe.Then there is Daniel Vettori, the highest-ranked one-day bowler in the world, while New Zealand could also look for a few overs from the part-timer Kane Williamson, if he plays. After the Australians also struggled to force the pace against the slow bowlers during the warm-up games against India and South Africa, they know they should expect plenty of spin from all their opponents.”I would be very surprised if we don’t get 20 to 30 overs of spin from any team,” Clarke said. “I guess it’s an area of our game where we continue to try and improve [because it] probably slows our scoring the most. It’s an area we’re individually all working on. In these conditions, how you play spin and how you bowl spin is going to play a huge part in this tournament.”I think they’re going to take the pace off the ball again through the middle. They might open the bowling with spin so we’ll have to look at that. Daniel Vettori, the captain, is a very good bowler and has had a lot of success around the world. I’d imagine he’d be one of the best bowlers in these conditions throughout this tournament.”But despite Vettori’s fine one-day record, he has an average of 39.83 against the Australians, who tend to play him with respect and attack the other bowlers. One of the keys in the middle overs against Vettori and McCullum will be Clarke, who has regained his limited-overs confidence in his past few outings.He has now made three consecutive half-centuries, having finished the England series with 54 and 82, and he also made 73 in the warm-up game against South Africa. It has been a solid turnaround after a tough Australian summer, during which he struggled throughout the Ashes, quit Twenty20 and began the ODI series with questions over how quickly he could score.But Clarke seems to have found his role as a middle-order anchor, keeping the scoreboard ticking over so the bigger strikers can go hard later in the innings. Against Zimbabwe he hit 30 singles and at no point did he face more than two dot balls in succession, ensuring that even if the boundaries weren’t flowing, the innings did not stagnate.”My role, batting at No.4 in these conditions, is about consolidating through the middle,” Clarke said. “But I get the occasional opportunity [to bat for longer] when we lose a couple of wickets early. It’s just about doing whatever the team needs. With our hitters at the end, if we’ve got wickets in hand we know we can score really freely in the last ten overs.”Everybody plays differently. We’ve got guys in our team who can hit a lot of boundaries. For me, my strength throughout my whole career has been running between the wickets, so if I can’t hit fours I try and hit ones and twos. As the innings goes on and you spend more time out there you can hit a few more fours.”It also depends who you’re batting with. If you’re batting with a big hitter – a Cameron White or a David Hussey – my role might be to get off strike and get up the other end. But when I get in early with a bit of pace on the ball when the ball’s quite new I can hit boundaries as well.”Whatever role he takes for the rest of the World Cup, helping the side handle spin will be a major part of it.

Pakistan made a winning start to their tour of West Indies, as Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Rehman steered them to a comfortable 68-run victory against University of West Indies vice-chancellor’s XI

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011
ScorecardMohammad Hafeez was in compelling form during his century•Getty Images

Pakistan made a winning start to their tour of West Indies, as stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez’s ton and Abdul Rehman’s four-wicket haul steered them to a comfortable 68-run victory against University of West Indies vice-chancellor’s XI.Pakistan chose to bat, and immediately benefited from the hosts’ generosity. Hafeez was dropped in the first over by Keron Cottoy, off the bowling of Fidel Edwards. Hafeez made the home side pay, slamming ten fours and two sixes in his 93-ball 101 , before retiring out. He was supported well by opening partner Taufeeq Umar, who dominated the 77-run first-wicket stand with a score of 44 before becoming the first of three Carlos Brathwaite victims.Ahmed Shehzad took over where Taufeeq left, contributing 49 to a 130-run stand as Hafeez shifted gears. Umar Akmal went after the bowling in the end overs, carting eight fours and a six in his aggressive unbeaten 57. His flurry lifted the Pakistanis to a strong total of 287 for 7. Dwayne Bravo had a forgettable time with the ball, leaking 69 runs in his eight-over spell.Miles Bascombe and Omar Phillips began the chase well, adding 40 for the opening wicket, before wickets began to tumble. The seam trio of Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz struck once each to reduce the hosts to 75 for 3 before Nkruma Bonner and Bravo began a repair job. They added 48 for the fourth wicket after which Rehman began to make incisions.Bonner’s dismissal for 43 triggered a mini-collapse as 123 for 3 became 146 for 6 in quick time. Bravo scored a breezy 63 off 70 balls and showed little evidence of the injury that curtailed his participation in World Cup. He hit four fours and two sixes before holing out against Rehman. Kevin McLean and Cottoy added an unbroken 39 for the ninth wicket to reduce the margin of defeat, but Pakistan still won the game by 68 runs.

Glamorgan’s batting line-up, notably nightwatchman Huw Waters and Graham Wagg, produced a rearguard action to hold up Surrey’s victory charge on the third day at Cardiff

22-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
Glamorgan’s batting line-up, notably nightwatchman Huw Waters and Graham Wagg, produced a rearguard action to hold up Surrey’s victory charge on the third day of the County Championship Division Two match at Cardiff. By the close Glamorgan had reached 377 for 9 in their first innings, requiring a further 49 runs to avoid the follow-on, after last pair James Harris and Dean Cosker survived the final 11.2 overs.Waters and Stewart Walters had teamed up on 95 for 4, 480 runs adrift of Surrey’s 575 for 7 declared in their first innings – and 331 short of the follow-on target. However, the fifth-wicket pair kept Surrey at bay for most of the morning session.Walters, making his Glamorgan debut against his former county, survived a strong lbw shout from Stuart Meaker on 10 before the Glamorgan pair brought up the 50 partnership.
But Walters had his middle stump removed by Meaker for 35 when the Surrey seamer switched ends to take his fourth wicket as they slipped to 158 for 5, ending a fifth-wicket stand of 63.By lunch Glamorgan had crawled onto 169 for 5, with only 74 runs coming in 30 overs and Waters unbeaten on 20 from 116 balls. The 24-year-old continued to be a key man for Glamorgan as he remained unbeaten on 48 from 163 balls in three hours and 16 minutes when the players were taken off the field for rain at 2.35pm, a delay which lasted 75 minutes.The tally beat the 24-year-old’s previous career-best of 34, scored against Kent at Canterbury in 2005, where he batted for three hours and 10 minutes and faced 192 balls.
Waters also showed bravery after being struck on the hand, helmet and body several times by Meaker and Jade Dernbach. He needed treatment for knocks to his hand and head in two five-minute breaks in play.There was a dramatic start to the final session. In the first over Waters completed his maiden first-class half-century and in the next he was run out by Tom Maynard going for a risky single. It brought an end to a fine rearguard action which saw him frustrate Surrey for
three hours and 24 minutes, while facing 169 balls.After Waters’ demise there were two more wickets for Surrey – Mark Wallace was caught behind off Batty for 55 and Robert Croft had made 18 when he pushed a delivery straight to cover point off England Lions seamer Dernbach. Ninth-wicket pair Wagg and Harris added two more bonus points, Wagg hitting 48 from 53 balls before falling to Chris Schofield before Harris and Cosker took Glamorgan to the close.

On a blameless pitch on which Durham had just amassed 602 for 6 Warwickshire capitulated so badly that they are likely to concede a first innings lead in excess of 400

George Dobell at Edgbaston25-May-2011
ScorecardThe stand between Will Smith and Dale Benkenstein was eventually ended for 273•Getty Images

Like the scene in Blackadder where Rowan Atkinson’s character recalls the British army’s massacre of the peace-loving pygmies of the Upper Volta (who were armed with only kiwi fruit and guava halves), this contest at Edgbaston has become horribly uneven. Durham have simply overwhelmed Warwickshire.Much of the second day’s play here was inexplicable. On a blameless pitch on which Durham had just amassed 602 for 6 – the fifth highest score in their 20 years as a first-class county – Warwickshire capitulated so badly that they are likely to concede a first innings lead in excess of 400. They resume on day three on 186 for 9; still 416 runs behind and requiring another 267 just to avoid the follow-on. Suffice it to say, Durham are on top.Perhaps scoreboard pressure is the best explanation. Warwickshire, dispirited by the best part of five sessions in the field, were simply blown away by a spirited Durham attack who have hit the deck harder and bowled a fuller length than the hosts managed. The visiting batsmen have also applied themselves more diligently.The pitch has not deteriorated. Durham, and the impressive Ben Stokes in particular, have managed to coax some reverse swing from the ball, but most of the Warwickshire wickets owed more than a little to batsman error. With rain forecast and the pitch likely to remain docile, Durham should still be made to work hard to complete victory. It’s hard to believe Warwickshire will bat so poorly for a second time.Only Tim Ambrose can consider himself unfortunate. There looked to be a considerable amount of inside edge on the delivery that was adjudged to trap him lbw. Of the others, William Porterfield held his bat out at one angled across him, Ian Westwood was beaten for a lack of pace and prodded to short-leg, Mohammad Yousuf clipped a half-volley to miwicket and Jim Troughton attempted an unlikely single only to be run out by Borthwick’s direct hit. Later, Rikki Clarke attempted to pull a delivery far too full for the shot, before Naqaash Tahir edged his lavish drive to slip. It was reckless batting.Varun Chopra and Darren Maddy were the only men in the top seven to make it into double figures. With Chopra driving beautifully and Maddy’s fondness for the short ball fed by a poor spell from Ruel Braithwaite (six overs for 48 runs), the pair added 86 for the fifth wicket in just 12 overs. All their good work was undone, however, when both men fell to loose drives.Durham’s bowlers deserved their fortune, however. Steve Harmison, generating decent pace and bounce off a short run, was rewarded for his probing line and length, Callum Thorp drew batsmen into the drive while Stokes, demonstrating good pace and control, is clearly a young man with a golden future.”That wasn’t a great day at the office,” Warwickshire captain Troughton admitted afterwards. “We didn’t bowl well enough and scoreboard pressure had played its part. Their bowlers have got the ball reversing and, by bowling a fuller length, have brought the slips into the game. We bowled too short and couldn’t get the ball to reverse.”Earlier Durham had made batting look easy. After Dale Benkenstein completed his third century of the campaign, Phil Mustard and Ian Blackwell added 163 in just 27 overs for the sixth-wicket to take the total over 600 runs.Perhaps, in Blackwell’s case, they should be called ‘bustles’ rather than ‘runs.’ It appears the burly allrounder has surrendered in his fight against a burgeoning waistline and running is no longer a major part of his game. Instead he bustles up and down the pitch like an overweight business man hurrying to catch his train.He’s still a fine player, however. And a selfless one. Despite being within reach of a fourth first-class century of the season – and a third in five Championship innings – he continued to speed his side towards a declaration. He finally fell, pulling to the square-leg boundary, a single short of the 27th century of his first-class career.He gave three tough chances – on 10, 55 and 83 – but still deserved his century. Despite the slow pitch and the defensive fields, he scored at better than a run a ball, thumping four sixes and five fours in his 94-ball innings.It’s also worth noting the oddity that will occur on the third day. With Boyd Rankin (unbeaten on 2 at stumps) departing on international duty for Ireland, his innings will be resumed by his nominated substitute, Andy Miller. Keith Barker will replace Porterfield. Even if the replacements were Sobers and Sachin, however, Warwickshire would still require something of a miracle to save this game.