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A sensational unbeaten 102 off 51 balls from Suryakumar Yadav on the back of Piyush Chawla and Hardik Pandya’s three-wicket hauls helped Mumbai Indians (MI) to their fourth win of the season as they got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in Mumbai. The win also lifted MI out of the bottom of the table to ninth.A run fest was promised at Wankhede Stadium with SRH visiting. Who would have doubted this considering the last time SRH and MI clashed, record books were rewritten. Instead, the MI bowlers came to the fore as SRH were restricted to 173 for 8. In reply, the SRH bowlers also got the new ball to move around and got three powerplay wickets.But Suryakumar decided to do Suryakumar things as he launched an attack on the SRH bowlers, Marco Jansen in particular, to get things back on track. Tilak Varma played the perfect foil with 37 not out off 32 adding 143 off 79 balls with Suryakumar to help MI seal the win in 17.2 overs.1:14

‘Hardik’s bowling today a positive sign for India with the World Cup coming’

A T20 or a Test?

First nine balls: 26 for 0.Next 19 balls: 6 for 3.Chasing 174 at a venue where scores in excess of 180 have been breached in six out of ten innings this season coming into this game did not feel like a daunting ask, but the SRH bowlers made life extremely tough for the batters. There was a lot of swing and seam available and, initially, the bowlers even struggled to control the swing. They bowled 18 extras in the first three overs, but once they found their lengths, batting started to feel arduous. The ball zipped off the surface, the batters were beaten multiple times, and wickets started to fall.It was the Test-match length that got the SRH quicks the wickets. Jansen first struck with a seaming delivery that Ishan Kishan could only edge to first slip. And when it’s Test-match length we are talking about, how can Pat Cummins not come into the picture? Cummins bowled a sensational first over, a wicket-maiden in which Rohit Sharma was dismissed off a big top edge. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then got Naman Dhir for a nine-ball duck, dismissed flashing to first slip.Not a single run was scored off the bat between overs 1.3 and 4.4 with MI all over the place.1:23

Moody: Surya consistently does things very few can

SKY does a SKY

After three overs in which nine runs were scored, Suryakumar decided enough was enough. He first took on Cummins before reserving special treatment for Jansen. He went 4, 4, 6 in the seventh over before swatting Jansen over fine leg for a flat six as overs six and seven yielded a combined 38 runs. From 4 off 7, Suryakumar moved to 32 off 14 in no time and all the initial momentum that SRH had gained was lost.Tilak played the role of the second fiddle to perfection even as Suryakumar kept on going. In all, Suryakumar walloped Jansen for 32 runs off nine balls, which included four fours and two sixes, and he reached his fifty off 30 balls.Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla took three wickets apiece•AFP/Getty Images

There were a few concerned faces in the MI dugout – and no doubt among people interested in India’s fortunes at the T20 World Cup next month – when Suryakumar was seen limping for a bit, but the big hits didn’t cease. A Bhuvneshwar slower ball was mowed over long-on before Shahbaz Ahmed was swept twice in two balls. Suryakumar then raced from 82 to 96 in three balls going 4, 4, 6 in the 17th over. And then, with six needed to win and four for his century, he backed away and went inside out over the covers off T Natarajan to finish the job.This was Suryakumar’s second IPL hundred, and sixth in T20 cricket.

Head rides his luck early

It was a strange sort of powerplay with the ball for MI. They didn’t bowl badly but hardly found any luck going their way. Travis Head got going with an inside-edged four past leg stump in the first over off Nuwan Thushara and then one more in the second over off debutant Anshul Kamboj. Kamboj should have had his maiden IPL wicket in the next over when he had Head’s off stump splat on the ground, but he had over-stepped. Head ended up taking him for 19 in the over, and SRH were away.Jasprit Bumrah took out Abhishek Sharma, caught behind for 11 off 16, but SRH still managed to reach 56 for 1 in the powerplay. MI would have been miffed because they drew 18 false shots in the first six overs, but only got one wicket to show for their effort.1:54

Moody: Chawla would have really enjoyed the Klaasen dismissal

Chawla and Hardik turn the tide

Kamboj had another chance to send back Head, but Thushara failed to hang on to a relatively simple chance at deep third in the eighth over. The 23-year-old Kamboj finally had luck going his way when a bail-trimmer sent Mayank Agarwal packing. Thereon it was the Chawla and Hardik show.At 88 for 2 after ten, SRH were placed comfortably, but Chawla changed things by picking up Head for a 30-ball 48. A slog sweep was smashed straight to deep backward square leg before Hardik took out Nitish Reddy with a short-length ball that was spooned straight up. Chawla then had Heinrich Klassen playing on as SRH slipped from 90 for 2 to 96 for 5 in 11 balls.Jansen and Shahbaz Ahmed resisted for a bit, but Hardik had them back in the 16th over with SRH at 125 for 7 and soon 136 for 8 with Chawla snaring Abdul Samad. That SRH even breached the 170-run mark was down to Cummins’ unbeaten 17-ball 35.Eventually, it wasn’t enough.

The second T20I between India and New Zealand is set to be played in front of a full house at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.According to Jharkhand State Cricket Association secretary Sanjay Sahay, they are expecting a full house after the state government has given a green signal to “100% capacity”. As per a state government notification, people who are double vaccinated or carrying RT-PCR negative result will be allowed entry into the venue.”The state government has okayed for a full capacity and we are all set to witness a full house in India after a long, long time,” Sahay told PTI. “There will also be food available in the stands. Normalcy is back again.”People have been fed up after being in the lockdown for close to two years and the match, so there’s a big excitement for the match tomorrow. There will be people back on the roads again.”He, however, said they would take appropriate COVID measures. “There will be multiple checking and spectators will have to produce double vaccination certificates or a negative RT-PCR result done within 48 hours.”The 39,000-capacity stadium has tickets priced between Rs 900 and Rs 9,000 and all tickets are “virtually sold out”.”We have 80-odd tickets left which are all for the emergency quota and we don’t keep them for sale. The seats remain vacant so we are all set to have a full capacity,” Sahay said.Meanwhile, seasoned chief curator Shyam Bahadur Singh is expecting heavy dew on the match day, which means the toss could play a significant role.”Heavy dew is expected from around 7.30pm onwards. We will take all possible measures to negate the impact,” Singh said.As for the wicket, it would be a typical batting-friendly surface with the bowlers having little advantage.”It would be a sporting wicket. T20 is a game of entertainment, not a classic version. People will come to watch some power hitting and not to see a Ranji or a Test.”The pitch was last used during the Jharkhand state T20 tournament in July.

Will Pucovski has been forced to consult his concussion specialist following a head knock during a throwdowns session at Victoria training last week.Pucovski, 23, has been making a gradual return to full training following shoulder surgery during the off-season and had been building up his batting in the nets when he took a blow on the head during a session at the Junction Oval.First reported by the , ESPNcricinfo understands the blow was relatively minor by comparison to previous head knocks he has suffered but he has been forced to consult his specialist with his history meaning a cautious approach is being taken although Pucovski has not reported severe symptoms.”Cricket Victoria confirms Will Pucovski received a knock to the head in training with Victoria last Tuesday,” a statement said. “Will is currently managing his recovery in consultation with CV’s medical staff. He looks forward to returning to training as soon as he is able to do so.”Pucovski has had an alarming number of severe concussions dating back to an incident playing Australian rules football as a teenager. The latest came last summer when he was struck in the head by India’s Kartik Tyagi while batting for Australia A prior to the start of the Australia-India Test series, which delayed his Test debut until the third Test in Sydney.Related

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He was forced to seek assurances from both a Cricket Australia neurologist and an independent neurologist about the implications of ongoing concussions before being cleared to make his Test debut in Sydney.He made a half-century in the first innings but dislocated his shoulder in the field and later made the decision to have surgery which ended his season with Victoria.Pucovski was set to be available for Victoria whenever their Sheffield Shield season started with plans still being finalised for them to play three Shield matches and two Marsh Cup games against New South Wales. The border between the two states is expected to open later this month as vaccination levels rise.Victoria had no concerns about playing Pucovski coming off his shoulder surgery although he was set to be limited with his throwing ability in the field.Whether he will be fit enough to be part of Australia’s Ashes campaign this summer remains to be seen given all that he has been through in his career to-date

Durham are in complete command of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Glamorgan, with the visitors requiring a further 335 to avoid an innings defeat at Emirates Riverside.The home side were relentless with the bat to surge into a dominant 406-run lead. Michael Jones, Ben Raine, Liam Trevaskis and Ned Eckersley all scored half-centuries, while Sean Dickson and David Bedingham fell narrowly short of fifties in a complete performance from the batting unit. Durham posted their first score of over 500 of the season before they declared in the evening session.Glamorgan lost early wickets in their second innings to ramp up the pressure on the Welsh outfit. The visitors require a mammoth effort to force the hosts to bat again with only eight wickets remaining heading into day three of the contest.Resuming on 223 for 3, the home side lost Bedingham clean bowled to Michael Hogan as the South African added only three runs to his overnight score, missing out on the opportunity to pass 1,000 first-class runs for the campaign. However, Durham pressed on and added their second batting bonus point with Eckersley and Dickson adding quick runs for the fifth wicket.Dickson was hobbled after suffering a calf injury while attempting a run, forcing Jones to act as a runner. The former Kent man was not deterred by his injury and still managed to score 46 before being bowled by an inswinger from Hogan after the introduction of the second new ball.Eckersley maintained the momentum and recorded his third fifty of the season from just 68 deliveries, scoring six boundaries in the process. Although Eckersley was removed by a brilliant diving catch by Nick Selman at first slip for 57, Raine continued to compound Durham’s advantage. He notched his 12th fifty in first-class cricket to usher the home side past the 400-run mark with maximum batting points.Raine appeared on course to post a career-best, sharing a stand worth 98 with Liam Trevaskis for the eighth wicket. The left-hander fell for 74 attempting to push the scoring rate and was caught on the fence by Eddie Byrom. Trevaskis took up the mantle with his first fifty of the season after the departure of Raine, ensuring that Durham mustered a lead of over 400.Scott Borthwick called in his side after posting a dominant total of 503 for 8, handing Glamorgan a tough period to negotiate before the close. The visitors were under pressure from the off as Matthew Potts and Paul Coughlin dismissed David Lloyd and Selman respectively. Hamish Rutherford survived a few nervy edges through the slips to ensure that were only two down at the close, unbeaten on 32 alongside Byrom on 17.

Henry Nicholls was handed his T20I debut during the 2016 T20 World Cup against Bangladesh in Kolkata. He has only played four T20Is since, with his last appearance coming against Sri Lanka in Auckland in January 2019. With a number of New Zealand regulars heading to the second leg of the IPL in the UAE, Nicholls suddenly finds himself back in the T20I mix as a senior player despite limited experience in the shortest format.Five years ago on debut, Nicholls watched Mustafizur Rahman (off)cut through the New Zealand line-up, on the way taking 5 for 22 – his best haul in the format. Now, across the border in Dhaka, Mustafizur is in similarly strong form, having picked up seven wickets in last five matches against Australia at a remarkable economy rate of 3.52. And Nicholls is wary of Bangladesh’s slower bowlers at their home conditions ahead of New Zealand’s departure for the tours to Bangladesh, and then Pakistan.”Actually, good for us to see them [Australia] play over there and see different cricket to probably the T20 we play here [in New Zealand], with scores being a lot lower and wickets being a bit more challenging,” Nicholls said. “Certainly for us, it has been good preparation and we will also have good preparation when we get there. We have a good four or five days before the first T20 to get accustomed to the wickets, but also the heat, by the look of things, will be quite a bit muggier. These are the challenges that as an international cricketer you enjoy – different conditions and different challenges.”New Zealand have tuned themselves for those challenges by simulating spin-friendly conditions during their winter camps in Lincoln and Mount Maunganui.”Yep, that’s the beauty at the Mount as well as Lincoln, with guys being able to get up to speed before going away on tour,” Nicholls said. “Previously you go on a tour, you have three-four days in new conditions to get to speed, but certainly we’ve had that for two weeks now. For bowlers as well – getting used to those different conditions; lots of change-ups and off-pace deliveries.”Australia’s highest score across five T20Is earlier this month was 121 as they struggled on sluggish, grippy Dhaka tracks. Nicholls said that New Zealand have had “good learnings” from that series, and backed his team to find a way there.Related

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“You saw from the Aussies, I guess the highest score was about 130 [121], whereas back here [in New Zealand] 180 is about the standard,” he said. “So, I guess as a batter, getting your head around that and knowing that the conditions are going to be a bit tougher. Certainly, it’s something that we are well-prepared for and certainly a big bonus for us is seeing how Australia played there and I guess the way they tried to play, which they usually play, was not as successful. Certainly, as a group, it has been good learnings for us and like I said we had a couple of good camps in the last two weeks before flying out.”Nicholls welcomed Cole McConchie, his domestic captain at Canterbury, and Ben Sears, the Wellington tearaway, into the national side as New Zealand test their depth on the upcoming winter tours in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.”Yeah, it’s great. It has been pretty well-documented… the length [of] the tours this winter with the T20 World Cup at the end,” Nicholls said. “It’s a good opportunity for guys who are probably a bit less experienced. But I think it’s amazing if you look at the squad, the guys have actually been in the environments before. It’s exciting to have guys like Ben Sears and Cole McConchie involved and obviously they’ve been performing well domestically, so [it is an] exciting opportunity for them and all of us every time you go to the subcontinent – different conditions is a challenge and it’s something as a group that we’re looking forward to.”The New Zealand contingent will arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday and undergo a three-day quarantine before starting to train at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, where all five matches of the series will be played.”We’ve got the midnight flight out of here [Auckland] to Singapore,” Nicholls said. “So, the latest one out of Christchurch was at 3 o’clock, so we’ve been at the airport for a while. There’s been a lot of cards played already, which is probably a sign of things to come on the tour. Obviously, it’ll be pretty hotel-bound, but everyone is pretty prepared for it. I guess we are all ready for it and excited to get to know each other a bit more and enjoy a good tour.”From Bangladesh, New Zealand will fly to Pakistan, where they will play three ODIs in Rawalpindi followed by five T20Is in Lahore. Nicholls put “full faith” in New Zealand cricket’s pre-tour reconnaissance for what will be their first visit to Pakistan in 18 years.”It’s something that has been talked about a bit in the media,” he said. “But I certainly know as a players’ group and New Zealand Cricket’s point of view that the security checks that they do – and everything like that – we have full faith in that and that is being completed at the moment.”The recommendations that come from that, as a playing group, we have a lot of trust in that, so we know they won’t put us in any undue danger. And we know obviously Pakistan as well will do everything they can to have cricket in there, which is again an exciting prospect for everyone.”

ScorecardLike turning to the person next to you at a wedding and remarking ‘these things only end in divorce or death’ it seems untimely to predict Warwickshire’s fate this season.But, as they failed to secure a batting bonus point for the second game in succession and then conceded what may well prove to be a match-defining first innings deficit for the second game in succession, it was hard not to look at them as a vulture sizes up a sickly wildebeest. Suffice to say, they have earned themselves the tag of relegation favourites.Yes, it is mid-April. Yes, there’s a lot of cricket to play and yes, they may salvage something from this game with some better second-innings batting and some rain. But, going into this match, they had won one and lost four of their previous eight Championship matches and they look overly reliant upon a few key performers – notably Keith Barker and Jonathan Trott at this time of year – who are not gaining the support they might expect from colleagues.It is a talented team, certainly, but it is a team in decline, a team with holes and a team lacking the spark of youth in its bowling in particular. And in a tough division where 25% of the sides will be relegated this season, those are weaknesses that will have those vultures licking their lips.There are birds coming home to roost at Edgbaston. The failure to develop players in the quantity or quality required of a big club is one key factor – Chris Woakes is the last capped player at the club to emerge through the youth system and he made his debut a decade ago – but so is the failure to retain and recruit.Last year’s fall-out with Varun Chopra, which looks more damaging by the week, might be compared to the failure to retain Moeen Ali a decade or so earlier, while the decision to spend relatively heavily on a bowler – Olly Stone – who had just sustained what may well prove to be a career-defining injury is puzzling. Ashley Giles has returned to the club to find half his squad look like the cast of and half the cast of .Given time – and that might be an issue at a club that has become accustomed to success; Dougie Brown was sacked last year despite securing the Royal London Cup – Giles is the ideal man to sort things out. But he has an enormous job on his hands. It’s not just about improving the scouting from the leagues, the schools and surrounding non-first-class counties. It’s not just about improving the development process so that talent is better exploited and encouraged. And it’s not just about intelligent recruitment from other counties.Most of all, it’s about changing the culture of a club that can, at times, be held back by a hubris that fools itself into thinking it doesn’t need to change. Really, for a club this size to field a team containing one or two home-grown players (Ian Bell and Sam Hain) is a crushing indictment of the failure of their development system irrespective of the absence of Woakes at the IPL.They don’t have to look far to see how these things can work. The Yorkshire side here, despite missing four Yorkshire-born Test players (Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ryan Sidebottom and Liam Plunkett) through injury or ECB policy, still contains eight home-grown players. While Yorkshire’s catchment area contains more cricket clubs than Warwickshire’s, their ability to produce England players while continuing to challenge in trophies is a testament to a club that, in cricketing terms at least, has been exemplary in recent times.The emergence of Ben Coad, who bowled Chris Wright early on the second morning to claim his second five-for in two Championship games this season, is just the latest example.Yorkshire might feel they lacked just a bit of ruthlessness here. Having allowed (maybe ‘allowed’ is the wrong word; Barker batted very well for his second half-century in successive games) Warwickshire’s final three wickets to add more than 100 runs, they perhaps failed to gain the first innings total they might have done.Several times it appeared they had the opportunity to put this game beyond Warwickshire with an overwhelming lead, but several times they lost wickets to shots they may consider a bit loose. Alex Lees, for example, faced 24 deliveries before he scored and 30 before striking his first boundary. But, having done the hard work, he attempted a series of lavish drives and then prodded, without foot movement, at one outside off stump and edged to the cordon.Peter Handscomb’s dismissal was more of a surprise. He looked terrific in making 75. After a testing beginning against Barker – his habit of playing as far back as a batsman can play without standing behind the keeper negated the swing – he feasted against the support bowling and a tiring Barker. It came as some surprise when Wright, belatedly given a second spell, induced an inside edge as Handscomb aimed a somewhat footless drive at one that swung in a little.While Gary Ballance, shaping to play to leg, edged one outside off stump, Jack Leaning was brilliantly caught at short-leg off the glove by a diving Hain and Adam Lyth was earlier caught down the leg side as he attempted to glance a short one, Yorkshire were – as so often – grateful to their middle-order.Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid both punished a tiring attack in the final session, taking the lead beyond 100 and giving their side hope of at least three and perhaps four batting bonus points.Barker, on whose broad shoulders so much rests for Warwickshire, eventually defeated Bresnan with a characteristic inswinger with the second new ball – umpire Nigel Cowley adjudged that, although Bresnan had hit the ball, it had brushed his pad first; replays suggested it was an outstanding bit of umpiring – but with Rashid, Andrew Hodd and David Willey still to account for, Yorkshire will have realistic hopes of extending their lead on day three.Warwickshire didn’t bowl badly by any means. Just as they didn’t bat especially badly. They just found they lacked the pace to gather as much from the pitch as Yorkshire’s bowlers and the consistency to build much pressure. They have the talent, the experience and the time to turn things around, but if they are expecting any easy games this year, they are in for a rude awakening. This division is relentless and tough and stacked with talented players of ambition. And that’s just the way it should be.

South Africa will look for a lead of around 250 if they are to force the result their way in the Dunedin Test, but they have acknowledged that time may not be on their side. Apart from the possibility of rain shortening or completely washing out the final day, the slow scoring rates which have dominated this Test mean that the visitors may not be able to set a target they are comfortable defending and leave themselves enough overs to bowl New Zealand out a second time.”We definitely want another 60 or 70 more runs. It’s about dictating terms,” Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting coach, said. “The runs are not just going to come in 10 overs – that’s the nature of the wicket. We’ll have to graft up front. If we can look to take the lead beyond 260 or 270, then dictate when we are going to declare and have a look at them. I’m sure in their dressing room they will be saying that if they can get a few early and run through us, they could chase 220 or 230. Thirty or 40 runs on this sort of wicket makes a huge difference.”New Zealand are similarly skeptical about things speeding up as they go in search of a win. “We might rock and roll them, we might not,” Jeetan Patel, New Zealand’s offspinner, said. “We may take three hours to bowl them out but it leaves an opportunity to win a Test match and the excitement of that is massive. They (the team) probably need that little bit of confidence to keep going with their season.”Patel was particularly pleased with New Zealand’s bowling effort in keeping the scoring rate down even though they did not take all of their chances. “To keep them to 230 over that many overs, is pretty special. The guys need a pat on the back for what they did today,” he said.That New Zealand did it in the absence of Trent Boult, who has a sore hip, only makes Patel prouder. “That’s why I say these guys are an amazing bunch,” Patel said. “They find a way. Look at Wagner’s last spell, it was just as potent as his first. Maybe not so much with the pace or the kilometres on the screen but with the questions that he asked.”Myself, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neeshan, we’ve all got roles to play and that’s where we just pick up the slack. We’ve just got to find a way to get over the line and that’s all that matters.”Although Patel did not go as far as to say New Zealand would take a psychological advantage from a draw – if that is how this match ends up – he did say the team’s first innings lead was “a little win by itself”. McKenzie dead-batted any such suggestion.Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting coach, believes Quinton de Kock’s struggles against spin will make him a better, smarter player•Getty Images

“The Test has asked questions of both sides and both have stood up reasonably well. I don’t think any side, if there is no play tomorrow, will take any momentum or any extra one-ups into the next Test match,” McKenzie said. “A lot of the batters have got starts and got runs under their belt,. The bowlers have got a couple of wickets and Keshav Maharaj has got his maiden five-for, which will give him a bit of confidence. A lot of the New Zealand guys have also got something out of it.”With conditions expected to remain similar throughout the series, South Africa may use this match to ponder the make-up of their squad, which only includes one specialist spinner at the moment in Maharaj. New Zealand have showed that a second would not go amiss and even though South Africa may not need one for Wellington, they may call for a second spinner for the final match in Hamilton, which starts from March 25.”There is talk, given the nature of Hamilton, and having played the one-day games there and see the turn that was offered,” McKenzie said. “We are blessed with quite a few options so we will see how the next couple of days pan out. I don’t think Wellington will turn as much as Hamilton so we’ll have a couple of days to sort things out.”If South Africa send for reinforcements, they will likely choose between offspinner Dane Piedt, left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi or could even recall legspiner Imran Tahir, who has not played a Test since December 2015.What they won’t look for just yet is someone to give Quinton de Kock lessons on how to play spin. De Kock has been dismissed four times by Patel in as many innings, but McKenzie is confident he can turn that around. “It happens in Test cricket. I’m not too worried. Jeetan Patel is a serious player,” McKenzie said. “I have played against him and watched him bowl, he’s played county cricket for years and is a seasoned professional. He’s a quality performer playing against a quality batsman, but I’m sure Quinton will overcome most obstacles. He will think about it and come back a smarter, better player.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnshuman Rath scored a half-century in each innings for Hong Kong•Panda Man

Hong Kong’s push for a final day win on their home first-class debut was thwarted by a record partnership by Netherlands batsmen Ben Cooper and Pieter Seelaar as the sides settled for a high-scoring draw at Tin Kwong Road. Set a target of 507 to win, Netherlands were 105 for 5 early on the last day after first-innings centurion Roelof van der Merwe and captain Peter Borren fell off successive balls in the 32nd over from medium pacer Ehsan Nawaz.Cooper and Seelaar managed to bat out the final two-and-a-half sessions though, putting on a Netherlands first-class record partnership of an unbroken 288, for the sixth wicket. The country’s previous best was a 232-run stand between Bas Zuiderant and Ryan ten Doeschate in a 64-run win over UAE in 2008. It was also a record sixth-wicket stand in the Intercontinental Cup, breaking the sixth-wicket mark of 234 set by Ireland’s Andre Botha and Alex Cusack in a drawn match against Scotland in 2007, and the sixth highest partnership for any wicket in the 13-year history of the competition. Both men notched their maiden first-class centuries as Cooper finished on 173 in only his second first-class match while Seelaar ended unbeaten on 138. His best in 40 prior first-class innings had been 81 not out.Hong Kong had looked set for victory after securing a 243-run first-innings lead. Captain Babar Hayat posted his second century in his fourth first-class match, his 173 leading the way in a total of 527 for 9 after Hong Kong had been asked to bat. Hayat was involved in three century partnerships – with Chris Carter, Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath – to put the visitors on the back foot.Netherlands efforts in the field were impacted by an injury to quick Timm van der Gugten, who was missing in action after hurting his shoulder diving in the field following his initial seven-over spell to open day one. Fellow new-ball seamer Vivian Kingma took up responsibility in the absence of van der Gugten, bowling 35 overs to finish with 4 for 125.Van der Merwe scored his first four-day century for Netherlands, and fifth overall, making 135 off 149 balls in Netherlands’ reply of 284. Hayat chose not to enforce the follow-on early on day three, his bowlers having spent 18.2 overs in the field on the morning of day three to get Netherlands out after 47 overs on day two.Hong Kong batted another 53 overs to post 263 for 6 declared as Rath top-scored with 88, his second half-century in the match to follow up his 98 not out in the first innings. The declaration was made with an hour to go on day three and Tanwir Afzal struck on the second ball of the chase, removing Stephan Myburgh for a duck. Fellow opener Max O’Dowd fell for 22 to Nawaz less than three overs before stumps as Netherlands entered the last day on 48 for 2 in 16 overs, facing another 96 overs to save an unlikely draw but one they accomplished thanks to personal bests from Cooper and Seelaar.The 1467 runs in the match made it the third-highest scoring match in Intercontinental Cup history. Netherlands 393 for 5 is the second-highest fourth innings total in the history of the Intercontinental Cup – behind only Afghanistan’s 494 for 4 in a win over Canada in 2010 – as well as the most overs batted out to secure a draw with 111. The most overs batted out prior to this match to secure a draw in an Intercontinental Cup match was also achieved by the Netherlands, against Canada in 2009, when they survived 103 overs to end the match eight down. Seelaar also played a role in that result, batting out 17 balls at No. 10 to deny Canada victory.Hong Kong took nine points from the match, claiming extra points after securing a first-innings lead but remained fifth on the Intercontinental Cup table with 39 points, though they closed the gap to one point with Papua New Guinea in fourth. Netherlands earned three points for the draw and continued to sit in third at 49 points behind Ireland and Afghanistan.

Mitchell Swepson’s media minders avoided the temptation to have him pose for the cameras in front of the Shane Warne statue outside the MCG on Sunday. When the 23-year-old spoke of his inclusion in Australia’s squad to tour India next month this proved to be a wise move, for there is more to Swepson’s story than Warne’s giant shadow.While grateful for Warne’s advocacy over the past few weeks leading up to the selection panel’s decision to send him with Steven Smith’s team, Swepson is neither a pupil of Australia’s most prolific wicket-taker nor a clone of his bowling method. Instead Swepson has built and trusted his own technique through a brief career that has already taken him a long way in a shorter space of time than he expected.”I never really modelled my bowling on anyone,” Swepson said. “I have looked at footage from Shane Warne bowling but more as a fan. I love watching that sort of thing, I love watching videos of Brett Lee bowling 160kph”I see myself as a standard leggie who likes to rip the ball. I’ve always been taught since I was a youngster bowling legspin to give the ball a good rip. You’ll go for a few runs, you’ll bowl some pump, but if you give yourself a chance to spin the ball hard and get the ball to talk through the air that’s how you’ll get your wickets. That’s how I go about it. I know I’ll go for runs and bowl some poor balls, but if I get the wickets that’s what I’m looking for.”Other influential figures in Australian cricket have been watching Swepson closely for some time, helping accelerate his progression through the ranks in a manner reminiscent of the young Warne or, more recently, Nathan Lyon. The selection chairman and former legspinner Trevor Hohns hails from the same Brisbane grade club, doubtless helping to forge a familiarity that contributed to Swepson’s starts for Queensland, Brisbane Heat and last year Australia A.”When I first got picked for the Shield team I didn’t think I was ready, sort of got thrown in the deep end there,” Swepson said. “Same thing when I made my BBL debut I didn’t think I was ready.”But it’s part of the game, if you get the opportunity it’s about taking it. I wasn’t expecting to be in a Test squad touring India, but it’s gone well for me being thrown in the deep end so far in my short career, so I’m really looking forward to any opportunity I can get over there and hopefully grab it with two hands.”Time in India and Sri Lanka last year with the national performance squad has allowed Swepson to gain some appreciation for what to expect, and also earn the respect of the national captain Smith, among others. Strong displays at home against India A in the spring also offered him some insights into the ways of Indian batsmen. He is aware that the Australian way must be significantly reshaped in the subcontinent, and also that any spin bowler’s resilience will be sorely tested by players raised against the turning ball.”There’s a lot to the way you have to go about your bowling over there,” he said. “It’s a lot different to bowling here in Australia, you’ve got to have your wits about you, got to have variation, change of pace, you’ve got to do a lot of things differently. I feel like the fact I’ve been over there and tested the waters a bit will help me to hit the ground running.”I take it as a challenge as a legspinner. Any cricketer should want to challenge themselves against the best; looking ahead to India in India against players like Virat Kohli, the best players of spin in the world, what better challenge could you want? It’ll be awesome to go over there and test yourself against the toughest opponents.”That kind of attitude has been fostered by another man influential on Swepson’s young career: Brisbane Heat captain Brendon McCullum. “As a captain on the field he’s such a calming influence,” Swepson said. “It’s pretty easy to get soaked up in the BBL, the crowds and the pressure and all that, but to have someone like that standing at short cover next to you when you’re bowling is pretty cool.”He loves a joke, loves a laugh loves a punt, brings in the field when maybe you shouldn’t. He finds a way to make you relax as a bowler and that’s what he’s helped me with.”So as much as Warne’s voice has been loud in support, there have been plenty of others in Swepson’s corner. Should he prove a success, all will be due credit for helping him along the way.

Angelo Mathews, who is returning from multiple injuries, hoped to “bowl quite a lot” and support Sri Lanka’s frontline quicks in the three Tests against South Africa starting from December 26 in Port Elizabeth.”I am 100 percent confident of my fitness,” Mathews said. “I am hoping to bowl quite a lot in South Africa. If I can bowl a lot more, the way I did in the recent few years, I can offer a lot to my team. I’ve managed my workload especially in the subcontinent on slow wickets. My bowling is mostly suited when the ball is slightly swinging and seaming.”In Asian conditions, I haven’t bowled that much but if it is South Africa, Australia or England, where the ball is seaming and moving, I might have to bowl a bit more because getting wickets is also important for my team.”Earlier this June, Mathews had hobbled off the field with stiffness in his left hamstring after bowling six overs during Sri Lanka’s tie with England in the first ODI in Trent Bridge. He went onto play the remaining four matches of the series, but bowled only five overs during those games.Later in August, Mathews tore his calf while batting in the fourth ODI against Australia and missed the final one, along with the two T20Is that followed. He then pulled out of the Tests against Zimbabwe, and the one-day tri-series involving West Indies, in October and November.Mathews insisted his injuries had nothing to do with his bowling and cited his heavy workload as a possible explanation. “If you look at my last four years I was actually told that I have played the most amount of cricket in the world,” he said.”Also if you look at my last four-five years I’ve been bowling quite a bit. It’s just that this year I had a hamstring injury and a calf strain but apart from that I’ve managed to play all the games. Injuries can occur any time but I don’t think it’s because I bowl.”Mathews also said that niggles were inevitable for a seamer. “Injuries can occur from time to time. The fast bowlers or medium-pacers will always have niggles,” he said.”If you talk to the great Wasim Akram who recently had a workshop in Colombo, Chaminda Vaas or Champaka Ramanayake, our fast bowling coach, they will always say they had niggles. You can never wake up without one when you are playing. That is what all the fast bowlers have to put up with.”