Marsh and Lees bring relief across the Broad Acres

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Yorkshire would have slipped into the bottom two if they had lost after following-on against Surrey but hundreds by Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees guarded against calamity

ECB Reporters Network15-Sep-2017Determined hundreds from both Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees ensured Yorkshire’s escape with a hard-earned draw against Surrey at the Kia Oval despite having been being forced to follow-on in their Specsavers County Championship match.Marsh finished unbeaten on 125, from 263 balls, in a dedicated demonstration of crease occupation across five and a half hours, and he had guided Yorkshire to safety at 281 for 2 in their second innings – an overall lead of 83 – when bad light prevented the last 31 overs of the match from being bowled. There was just one over sent down after tea before umpires Michael Burns and Neil Mallender took the players off, never to return.It was a fine effort from Marsh and Lees, with the five draw points highly valuable to a Yorkshire team who are facing a fight to avoid relegation from Division One in the upcoming last fortnight of the season. The 10 points they take from this match leaves them on 124, just one point ahead of both Somerset and Middlesex and with one of those three counties seemingly destined to join already relegated Warwickshire in the second division next season.

So many could go down – Gale

Andrew Gale (Yorkshire head coach): “There are so many teams down there who can go down. Surrey aren’t out of it just yet, either. We’ve got two massive games, but for me the key is not to look at the table. We just need to perform like we have done with the bat here. Our home form has been good for a number of years, and we back ourselves at home.”
Michael Di Venuto (Surrey head coach): “We thought the pitch was going to break up a bit more than it did. The guts of the wicket was still very good for batting. There was a bit of rough there for the spinners to work with, but it was only slow turn.”

Marsh and fellow left-hander Lees put on 215 in 67 overs, a Yorkshire second wicket record against Surrey. The previous record, of 196 between Herbert Sutcliffe and Edgar Oldroyd, dated back to 1922 and was also at the Oval.The 24-year-old Lees, having completed his first century of what has been a difficult, low-scoring season for him, reached 102 from201 balls before chopping on attempting to cut slow left-arm spinner Freddie van den Bergh. It was the 12th first-class hundred of Lees’ career.Yorkshire resumed on 59 for one, still 139 runs adrift, and Marsh was largely untroubled as he moved on from his overnight 27. Lees, however, who started the day on 19, was close to being leg-before to Sam Curran’s left-arm seam and swing when on 24 and, after being beaten by the same bowler on 32, he survived a confident appeal for a catch behind off Curran on 33.On a last day pitch still good for batting, and against a Surrey bowling attack surely growing weary on a third successive day in the field, Marsh took the opportunity to underline his claims for inclusion in Australia’s Ashes Test plans.This was his 22nd first-class hundred, four of which have been made in his 23 Test appearances to date. Next week, his place as overseas batsman in Yorkshire’s team passes to Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indies opener signed for the last two games of the championship season with a view to an extended stint going into next summer. Gary Ballance kept Marsh company with 28 not out before the bad light brought a premature finish to the game.Surrey, who take 12 points from the game and now have 136 in total, are not yet totally out of the relegation picture themselves – even third-placed Hampshire could yet be sucked in. Surrey host Somerset at the Kia Oval next week, before a visit in the last week of the season to play Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Bhuvneshwar's three-for helps India level series

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 3 for 45, followed by fifties from Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik, led India to a series-levelling six-wicket win in Pune

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy25-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:08

Harris: New Zealand were short of runs

New Zealand won the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium courtesy their preparedness against India’s spinners, and the success of a key tactical move – swapping the batting positions of Colin Munro and Tom Latham. Three days later, following a trip down the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India turned the tables with their own counter-tactics, on a pitch with just enough grass on it to allow their fast bowlers to bowl a traditional good length.Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with three wickets and Jasprit Bumrah with two, the pair conceding only 83 in their 20 overs as New Zealand set India a target of 231 to level the series. The chase proved straightforward, with Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik scoring half-centuries to lead India home with four overs remaining.New Zealand’s fast bowlers didn’t begin half as well as their Indian counterparts, with Trent Boult and Tim Southee routinely pitching short in their new-ball spells. India hit seven fours in the first seven overs, and five of them came off the back foot, via pulls and punches and slashes over the slips. Rohit Sharma fell early, flicking Boult in the air, but the easy flow of boundaries meant New Zealand never put any pressure on the second-wicket pair of Dhawan and Virat Kohli, who added 57 off 56 balls.Kohli fell in the 14th over, driving away from his body at one that wasn’t full enough from Colin de Grandhomme, and Karthik walked in at No. 4, joining the endless carousel of batsmen to audition for the role in recent months. He began his innings with a boundary, guiding de Grandhomme between backward point and short third man, and ended the match with another – a sweetly timed on-the-up drive through the covers – but endured a bit of a struggle in between, never entirely fluent but always serving the interests of the chase.New Zealand never managed two wickets in quick succession, with Karthik a constant thorn at one end: he added 66 with Dhawan for the third wicket, 59 with Hardik Pandya for the fourth, and an unbroken 28 with MS Dhoni for the fifth. The pitch wasn’t a belter, but it was still batting-friendly, and New Zealand hadn’t set a big enough target to force India into taking any real risks.For that India will thank their bowlers, particularly Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah. Bowling a mix of slower balls and bouncers, India’s new-ball pair exposed Munro’s leaden-footed technique, and he plodded his way to 10 off 16 balls before Bhuvneshwar slipped a knuckleball through his defences. Before that, seam movement from a good length took out Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson, both stuck on the crease, the former nicking an away-seamer, the latter lbw to an inducker, and New Zealand were 27 for 3.It was here that Latham came to the crease. During his unbeaten hundred in Mumbai, the sweep had been his most productive stroke, fetching him 26 runs off 16 balls and putting India’s pair of wristspinners off their lengths. India had responded by leaving out one of their wristspinners and bringing in the left-arm orthodox of Axar Patel – a flat, stump-to-stump, and therefore harder-to-sweep bowler. But before bringing Axar on, and as soon as the first Powerplay ended, India brought on Kedar Jadhav, who hadn’t bowled at all in Mumbai.With his round-the-wicket angle and low-arm release, Jadhav either angled the ball into Latham’s stumps or occasionally fired one wide of off stump, neither line conducive to the sweep, particularly given Jadhav’s lack of bounce. He bowled seven straight overs in his first spell, and only conceded 24, and in that time Latham played him with a studiously straight bat, only sweeping twice while scoring 11 off 23 balls.Jadhav’s spell kept Latham in check, and in the time he was at the crease – in the company of Ross Taylor and then Henry Nicholls – New Zealand only managed 91 runs in 22.1 overs. The sweep appeared more frequently once Jadhav went out of the attack, but eventually the shot cost Latham his wicket, for 38 off 62 balls, as he failed to cover for Axar Patel’s switch to left-arm around.The arrival of de Grandhomme perked up New Zealand’s scoring, the allrounder playing a number of eye-catching flicks and on-drives while adding 47 for the sixth wicket at 5.42 per over with the more prosaic Nicholls. But just when the partnership was looking threatening, Bhuvneshwar broke it in the 38th over, when he returned for a two-over second spell. Again he hit that perfect length to prompt Nicholls to drive without getting a full stride forward, and again he found just enough movement to beat the inside edge and peg back leg stump.Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah only conceded 12 in the last four overs of the second Powerplay, and perhaps this built extra pressure on de Grandhomme, who fell while trying to push the pace in the last over of spin, the 44th. Yuzvendra Chahal tossed one up wide of off stump, and de Grandhomme, reaching out for the big one, sliced a catch to short third man. Chahal’s next ball was a slider, which caught Adam Milne plumb in front.New Zealand were 188 for 8 at this point. Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee ensured they would end up with a fighting total, courtesy a ninth-wicket stand of 32, but 230 was still decidedly below par.

Masakadza's hundred lights up rain-hit day

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The opener added 142 with PJ Moor, who made 52, to help Zimbabwe recover from the depths of 14 for 3

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo29-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHamilton Masakadza pierces the off side•AFP

Hamilton Masakadza’s fifth Test century carried Zimbabwe back into the match on a rainy first day at Queens Sports Club. Masakadza shared a 142-run partnership with PJ Moor to help the hosts recover from the depths of 14 for 3, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel having scythed through the top order under gunmetal grey skies after Graeme Cremer had opted to bat. Moor fell for 52, but Masakadza was unbeaten and unbowed on 101 when rain brought the day to a premature end after tea.As is often his wont, and possibly as an effect of the unseasonal cold that has descended on Bulawayo, Masakadza took some time to get going this morning. He did not score until his 17th delivery, and then did so in trademark style: thrashing a full ball through the covers with a solid crunch.At 34, Masakadza is the senior statesman of the side and he displayed the class and patience befitting his position. His knock wasn’t perfect, but he did enough to survive the edges and misses and was also granted the odd slice of luck. An edge off Roach fell short of the wicketkeeper, and a Gabriel no-ball granted a further reprieve.Beaten by the pace of a bouncer in the 11th over, Masakadza seemed to have inside edged a pull onto his own shoulder, the rebound being caught at gully. Umpire Simon Fry turned down the appeal, West Indies reviewed and Masakadza started walking off. But Gabriel had overstepped, and the no-ball allowed Masakadza to bat on. The opener remained particularly fluent through the covers.He found an obdurate partner in Moor, and gradually they helped Zimbabwe restore parity, the score creeping past 50 in the 21st over. Other teams have tested Moor with the short ball, and though the West Indies certainly have the personnel to do so their main line of attack was outside the off stump. Moor had the gumption to pick which ball to leave, and which to hit, and his patience barely faltered: his first boundary was a rasping cut off Holder in the 18th over, his second came more than 28 overs later and was no less well executed.At the other end, Masakadza continued to gain momentum, passing fifty from 96 deliveries. He celebrated that milestone with his first six of the day, rocking back to thump a Bishoo long-hop over deep midwicket. Gabriel was driven whenever he overpitched, while the introduction of Roston Chase was greeted with yet another crunching drive. The same bowler was dispatched over midwicket for Masakadza’s second six, the shot taking him past 2000 Test runs for Zimbabwe.Moor reached a dogged fifty, from 148 deliveries soon after tea, and Masakadza then brought up his own milestone with a confident drive down to long-on in the 60th over, just before the rain arrived. This was Masakadza’s fifth Test century, and his first since 2014.His runs were sorely needed by Zimbabwe. In polar conditions this morning, Gabriel and Roach had cut the hosts’ top order down to 14 for 3. The temperature was up to 38 degrees earlier this week, but plummeted ahead of this game and there were hands in pockets for the slips in the very cold weather. They stayed there for much of the morning with the sun nowhere to be seen, but Zimbabwe’s feet were even more leaden in the cold, and the opening stand lasted just four overs.Roach used the angle of his delivery stride and a touch of seam and swing to masterful effect to remove Solomon Mire, while the dismissal of Craig Ervine resulted more from fast bowling brawn than brain. Coming round the wicket from the Airport End, Gabriel speared a length delivery at the left-hander’s middle stump, beating him for pace. Such was the speed of the delivery the stump snapped in half, and Zimbabwe were 11 for 2.West Indies smelled blood, and Roach had three slips and a gully for the incoming Brendan Taylor. In the event, he needed no fielders at all as his testing lines and cunning changes of angle soon paid dividends. Neither forward nor back, and unsure whether to even play at a delivery whipping through the channel outside off, Taylor succeeded only in deflecting the ball onto his own stumps to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 14 for 3.West Indies might have had a fourth wicket in the first hour, but Gabriel’s front foot boo-boo gave Masakadza a second life. So far, he has made excellent use of it.

SA bowlers leave Queensland reeling after Carey's maiden ton

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South Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored his maiden first-class hundred as the Redbacks built a hefty total of 485 before reducing Queensland to 4 for 123 by stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

South Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored his maiden first-class hundred as the Redbacks built a hefty total of 485 on the second day against Queensland in Cairns. In reply, Queensland had wobbled to 4 for 123 by stumps, with only former Test opener Joe Burns showing significant resistance, finishing the day unbeaten on 67 alongside Jack Wildermuth on 10.Swing bowler Chadd Sayers, released from the Test squad after being overlooked for a home-ground debut at Adelaide Oval, struck in the third over of the innings when he trapped discarded Test opener Matt Renshaw lbw for 4. David Grant, Adam Zampa and Joe Mennie each picked up a wicket as the Queensland batsmen struggled to establish their innings, with the exception of Burns, who struck five fours and two sixes.But there was a long way to go for the Bulls after the strong batting display from Carey and the South Australia lower order. The Redbacks had resumed on 8 for 328, but any hopes the home team had of quickly running through the tail were dashed by the 117-run stand compiled by Carey and Sayers, who made a career-best 46.Carey had enjoyed a remarkable debut Shield season last summer with a tournament record number of wicketkeeping dismissals as well as 594 runs, but a century was the one thing missing. He ticked that box and was the last man out, caught off the spin of Marnus Labuschagne for 139 after building a 45-run tenth-wicket stand with Grant.

Watson rolls back the years as Thunder sneak home

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Daniel Sams picked up a four-wicket haul on T20 debut but ended up on the losing side as Arjun Nair and Aiden Blizzard conjured 16 off the last over to drag the Thunder over the line

Alex Malcolm at the Spotless Stadium19-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s best is still better than the rest.But even after a producing a sublime 77 from 46 balls, more than double the next-highest score in the match, Sydney Thunder still needed Arjun Nair and Aiden Blizzard to conjure 16 from the final over to steal the game off the final ball.Daniel Sams, on his T20 debut with just three first-class matches to his name, appeared to have won the game for the Sixers with the ball. In the 18th over of the chase, with just 26 needed, he conceded two singles and a leg bye and removed Ryan Gibson and Watson with consecutive balls.But the Thunder still found a way via a couple of powerful strikes and a fortunate top-edge.Sams’ 4 for 14 aside, spin was the most effective weapon at Spotless Stadium. Having been sent in the Sixers made a blistering start, scoring 55 in the Powerplay for just the loss of Jason Roy.Getty Images

Nic Maddinson looked in phenomenal touch, taking Watson to task in his only over. Watson turned to Fawad Ahmed and the legspinner spun a web. He removed Maddinson in a wicket-maiden in the seventh over of the innings.Nair overcame a nervous start to combine with Fawad to take 3 for 5 in 15 deliveries in the middle of the innings to grind the Sixers to a halt.Sam Billings salvaged the sinking ship with 32 from 21 to help the Sixers to a slightly-above-average total of 149.Sams started beautifully showcasing all his skills in the first over. A quick bouncer to Jos Buttler preceded a full and straight delivery and then the three-card trick, an off-cutter slower ball that forced Buttler to check his shot and pop up a return catch.Kurtis Patterson placed enormous pressure on Watson by striking at just 78 in his innings of 29. But Watson was unfazed. The veteran showed the value of continuing to play cricket at lower levels despite stepping away from two formats of the professional game.His two hundreds in Sydney grade cricket this summer helped prepare him for his masterclass tonight. He struck the ball with trademark power and authority. He showed the controlled hitting and calmness that made him one of the best T20 players on the planet in his prime.His dismissal to Sams came as a shock, but he wasn’t deceived so much as he failed to elevate his cover drive high enough.But Blizzard and Nair found the 24 required from the last 13 balls, mainly at the expense of Sean Abbott who gave up three boundaries in the last over.

Australia's fearlessness too much for Afghanistan's nerves

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Jason Sangha was thrilled with the way his batsmen overcame the challenge posed by Afghanistan’s spinners in the semi-final in Christchurch

Shashank Kishore in Christchurch29-Jan-2018Naveen-ul-Haq, the Afghanistan Under-19 captain, was grumpy as he faced the media after going down by six wickets to Australia in the semi-final. He was angry on the field, often struggling to hide his frustration of being unable to control proceedings when Jack Edwards charged to a bruising half-century in a small chase. As he walked off the field, he looked upset and dejected.He didn’t quite hold back when he saw Edwards dropped early in the innings off his bowling. This wasn’t the captain who looked ice cool after Afghanistan overcame Sri Lanka and Pakistan in tense chases. The disappointment of having failed in a semi-final was evident. But in that, perhaps, he may have given a peek into Afghanistan’s thinking – that their “we’re here to win” attitude was legit.This frustration boiled over when he shot back: “India and Pakistan are better sides than Australia. That much I can tell you.” He didn’t explain why he felt that way, but hinted that Australia’s approach against his spinners, towards the later stages of the innings after Jack Edwards fell for 72, may have been the reason.After Naveen walked away, the ever-smiling Australian captain Jason Sangha was asked about his opposite number’s response. “It doesn’t bother us, we are through to the final and that is all we care about,” he said. “We actually thought the Afghanistan team were quite good. Cricket is a funny game. It doesn’t matter what has happened [in the past], it all depends on who is the better team on the day. What they feel doesn’t bother us at all. They had a number of good spinners and will hopefully be successful for the future.”This measured response set the tone for Sangha’s interaction as he discussed Australia’s campaign, one that started with their batsmen being bounced out by India before they eased into the tournament by walloping Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea. Then, they “got out of jail” against England in a dramatic quarter-final in Queenstown.Jason Sangha gestures in the field•ICC/Getty Images

“It was one of the best days in my cricketing life,” he said of the victory over England. “It was fantastic to see big players stand up under pressure. Every game, I knew we were closer and closer to our best game of cricket. Once we kept ticking off every run in the game we just had, we knew we were getting closer and closer – once you hit that winning run it just hits you that you are in the final. We might not get a chance of playing in the final again, so really looking forward to it.”One of the aspects that pleased Sangha was Australia’s approach against Afghanistan’s mystery spinners Mujeeb Zadran and Zahir Khan. In focusing on those two, Sangha was asked if they may have taken the third spinner – Qais Ahmed – a touch lightly. The answer was a reflection of the confidence and the “fearless approach'”he wanted his players to adopt.”We played the spinners really well,” Sangha said. “All three of them bowled well. We saw how destructive they can be, as we saw against New Zealand. I thought our plans were really good. Jack Edwards played his natural game. If anything was in his slot, he just went for it. My game was a lot different to that, everyone had their own plans to spinners and I thought it worked really well. We did have a look at footage from their spinners, but it’s actually different to seeing them on video to real life.”Sangha hopes his team can carry this positive approach into the final. “Definitely we have been challenged in every scenario and we have come up on top,” he said. “We have overcome the Afghanistan spinners so that will give us confidence whoever we meet in the final. Jack played really well at the top and Nathan McSweeney and Param (Uppal) did exceptionally well on a tough pitch to get themselves in.”We have had different challenges and scenarios at the World Cup – despite the scenario that we are in the final, we have had the practice in a real game sense and to be able to combat that scenario has been really satisfying. We are really looking forward to what the final brings, regardless if it’s India or Pakistan.”

Tom Sole sinks Hong Kong with 4 for 15

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The offspinner restricted Hong Kong to just 91, and then the Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer led his side to their second win in two matches

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo06-Mar-2018
Four wickets from offspinner Tom Sole helped Scotland to four-wicket win over Hong Kong at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. Sole’s 4 for 15 in ten overs restricted Hong Kong to just 91, and captain Kyle Coetzer then took his side to their second win in two matches with an unbeaten 41, though Scotland made heavy weather of the small target.After Mark Watt and Alasdair Evans made early incisions for Scotland, Sole eviscerated the middle order and apart from the opening stand there was no partnership of substance to steady Hong Kong.The damage started with Sole’s first delivery, which rushed on with the arm from around the wicket to pin Anshuman Rath lbw. In the same over, Scott McKechnie misjudged the line of an off stump delivery, the ball rushing through his defences to hit the stumps. From 46 for 0, Hong Kong had slipped to 52 for 4.Things were about to get worse for Hong Kong. Immediately after the drinks break, their captain Babar Hayat skipped down the track to Sole, but didn’t get close to the pitch of the delivery. The ball spun sharply in to him, taking the inside edge and looping up via the left pad to be easily caught by Craig Wallace at short leg.Hong Kong’s lower middle order appeared incapable of digging them out of the hole. Singles were hard to come by, while every attacking stroke seemed to bring a wicket. With an in-out field, Scotland cut off singles in the inner ring and left a couple of outfielders in place for the lofted stroke.The tactic soon paid dividends when Safyaan Sharif’s pace rushed Shahid Wasif’s pull shot, the ball looping tamely off the splice to be caught by Brad Wheal at midwicket. Hong Kong were 61 for 6 then, and that soon became 67 for 7 when Waqas Barkat charged down the track and swished airily at Sole to give the offspinner his fourth wicket.Tanwir Afzal scratched around for 29 deliveries, and then he too fell to a mistimed pull – his first shot in anger. After Watt bowled Ehsan Nawaz for his second wicket, Evans returned to have Nadeem Ahmed caught at second slip to wrap up the innings for 91.Coetzer led Scotland’s chase with aplomb. Weathering a bristling opening spell from Nawaz that brought the wickets of Matthew Cross and the hero of Scotland’s opening win over Afghanistan, Calum MacLeod, Coetzer attacked Hong Kong’s spinners. Nadeem Ahmed was swatted over long off for six and down the ground for four more.George Munsey pressed Scotland towards their target, pushing his luck with an edged stroke and a couple of reverse sweeps at Ehsan Khan before the offspinner got his revenge with a quicker one that trapped the left hander lbw. Khan bowled a sweeping Craig Wallace
for his third wicket, and Hong Kong then placed a short leg and two slips for the offspinner.Watt laced a cut behind point to get Scotland within touching distance of the win, but he then top-edged an attacking stroke to be caught by Nizakat Khan off Aizaz Khan’s medium pace. Scotland were six down then, but Sharif sealed the result with a flicked boundary off his legs.

Ed Cowan retires from first-class cricket

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The 35-year old opener will not be part of New South Wales’ final match of the season against Queensland next week

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2018New South Wales opener Ed Cowan has announced his retirement from first-class cricket following his team’s 23-run defeat against Victoria, which put them out of contention for the Sheffield Shield title. Cowan will not be part of the Blues’ final match of the season against Queensland next week.The 35-year old has 10,097 runs in 143 first-class matches over a career spanning nearly 15 years.”It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m grateful for all those who contributed along the way,” Cowan said. “I’ll always cherish the great memories and friendships that the game has afforded me. I feel incredibly lucky to have played around the world with so many great people over such a long period of time.The former Australia Test opener, who has 1001 runs in 18 matches, last represented the national side in July 2013. He has also featured in 53 games for Tasmania.”I’m indebted to NSW Cricket, which invested a lot of time, money and energy in me from a young age,” he said. “It’s equally as important to recognise everyone at Cricket Tasmania, who were hugely formative in my career.”Cowan will continue to play Premier Cricket with Sydney University. “I have loved the game from my earliest days and feel incredibly lucky to still do so. At this stage I will continue to play Premier Cricket with Sydney University for the remainder of this season and beyond as we aim for successive titles.”The leading run-scorer in the 2016-17 Shield season, Cowan played only five of New South Wales’ nine matches this season and finished with 336 runs.Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones praised Cowan’s contribution to cricket. “Ed is a great example of what hard work, self-belief and an ongoing desire to learn can achieve,” Jones said. “He continued to be attracted by the quest to master batting even after playing for Australia and retires at or near the top of his game. Ed should be proud of his achievements playing for NSW, Tasmania and Australia and scoring more than 10,000 first-class runs. He will remain a valued member of the NSW cricket family.”

Gurbani rips through RoI line-up with fiery four-for

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The seamer took 4 for 46 after Apoorv Wankhade’s unbeaten 157 swelled Vidarbha’s total to 800 for 7, the highest total in the Irani Cup history

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2018
PTI

After Vidarbha declared at 800 for 7 – the highest total in the Irani Cup – seamer Rajneesh Gurbani sliced through Rest of India’s batting line-up to help his side take a step closer to another title. At stumps on the fourth day, RoI were 236 for 6 and 564 runs in arrears.Apoorv Wankhade, unbeaten on 99 overnight, completed his second first-class hundred to swell Vidarbha’s total. Mayank Agarwal had the other overnight batsman Aditya Sarwate stumped for 18 and Hanuma Vihari took a return catch to remove Akshay Wakhare for a duck, but Wankhade and Gurbani forged an unbroken 56-run partnership in seven overs to propel their team to 800.There was not much respite for RoI even after the declaration. Gurbani, who had become only the second bowler to register a hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final, continued his excellent form. He struck with his second ball to have R Samarth caught at midwicket for a duck and Umesh Yadav had the in-form Agarwal caught at first slip with an inviting outswinger for 11 in the seventh over. RoI recovered briefly with Prithvi Shaw’s crisp back-foot strokes and a six over wide long-on in his 51 off 64 but Aditya Thakare, Shaw’s Under-19 team-mate from the World Cup in New Zealand, had him caught at gully.Once Gurbani returned, he induced an outside edge off Karun Nair’s bat and struck the top of the off stump with a sharp inswinger when Srikar Bharat shouldered arms, for a two-ball duck. In Gurbani’s next over, R Ashwin tentatively pushed at a delivery outside off and handed a catch to first slip for 8 and RoI were in tatters at 98 for 6 with a massive deficit of 702 runs.But Vihari and Jayant put on an unbroken 138-run stand for the seventh wicket to give their team some breathing space. Vihari hit 10 fours in his unbeaten 81 while Jayant struck nine fours in his unbeaten 62.Even if Vidarbha fail to bowl RoI out twice, they have a strong chance of securing the Irani Cup by virtue of a first-innings lead.

Vanuatu stun Denmark to leave promotion door open for Jersey

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Denmark will now rely on help from Uganda and Bermuda in matches to be replayed on Sunday in order to keep Jersey or Malaysia from leapfrogging them on the net-run-rate tiebreaker

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur05-May-2018Shane Deitz flicks off his pads for runs through the leg side•Peter Della Penna

Vanuatu’s late rally after three consecutive losses at the start of the WCL Division Four has put Denmark’s final-standings fate out of their own hands as the NiVans upended the Danes by five wickets with as many balls to spare at the Kinrara Academy Oval to become the first team all week to successfully chase a target at the ground.Overhauling Denmark’s 234 with half-centuries from the top three – vice-captain Jonathon Dunn (86 off 139 balls), Joshua Rasu (69 off 77), and Patrick Matautaava (53 off 42) – Vanuatu registered their second successful chase in three days. Dunn had scored only 15 runs in Malaysia coming into the match while Matautaava more than doubled his week-long output of 49 runs. Rasu ended three runs short of doubling his group-stage tally.All three were due for a score, particularly Matautaava after his Player-of-the-Tournament performance at Division Five in September, and they came up trumps in style against Denmark. Dunn and Rasu put on 116 for the first wicket before Matautaava took over following the dismissal of Rasu. Matautaava blasted his way to a half-century off 33 balls, putting Denmark in serious jeopardy of not only losing outright, but also losing their net-run-rate tiebreaker advantage over Jersey.Denmark entered the day with a 12.2 over or 54-run net positive differential with Jersey on the net-run-rate tiebreaker. At one stage, thanks to Matautaava’s blitz which took the score to 167 for 1 in 31 overs, most of that differential was on the brink of being wiped out. But the spin troika of Bashir Shah, Nicolaj Laegsgaard and Saif Ahmad dug deep to stretch the game into the final over, with Saif nipping out Matautaava and captain Andrew Mansale to slow Vanuatu’s charge and, in the process, help preserve some of their tiebreak advantage over Jersey in spite of the loss. Shane Deitz, however, whacked a six off the first ball of the final over to seal the chase.Vanuatu’s bowlers set up the win with an excellent display at the death after Denmark had set themselves up for a launch from 182 for 4 at the 40-over mark thanks to half-centuries from Anders Bulow and captain Hamid Shah. But the middle order failed to kick on, adding only 40 through the next eight overs before Nalin Nipiko and Matautaava took two wickets each off four consecutive balls to end the 49th and start the 50th.Denmark will now rely on help from Uganda and Bermuda in matches to be replayed on Sunday in order to keep Jersey or Malaysia from leapfrogging them on the net-run-rate tiebreaker and into the promotion slots to move up to Division Three.