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It was their first Shield win at the WACA since 2012 and keeps them in the hunt for the final

AAP06-Feb-2024New South Wales captain Moises Henriques heaped praise on Chris Green after the offspinner played a starring role in his side’s four-wicket Sheffield Shield win over Western Australia.Chasing 182 for victory, the Blues were cruising at 117 for 1 before suffering a collapse of 5 for 36 to put the game on a knife’s edge. Fearless knocks from Oliver Davies (24 not out off 23 balls) and Green (16no off 11) got the visitors over the line just after lunch on day four, handing them their first Shield victory at the WACA Ground since 2012.Related

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NSW’s second success on the trot has lifted them to within a win of second spot, and they are also now neck-and-neck with defending champions WA.Green was named player of the match after returning figures of 3 for 33 and 6 for 83 to go with his handy knocks in the low-scoring affair.”I think these conditions and this wicket kind of suits him. He does rely on bounce a lot,” Henriques said. “In the second innings I thought he found his length beautifully. I felt like he dominated that whole innings.”NSW resumed play on day four at 77 for 1 and victory looked a mere formality as Daniel Hughes and Blake Nikitaras dug in.But Charlie Stobo’s dismissal of Nikitaras opened the door for WA as NSW’s middle order crumbled.Spinner Corey Rocchiccioli snared Hughes and Matthew Gilkes, while Henriques was left in disbelief when he was given out caught behind down leg side for five. Replays suggested Henriques didn’t get any bat to the Joel Paris delivery.NSW endured another piece of misfortune just before lunch when Jack Edwards shouldered arms to Paris and was given out lbw, despite the ball appearing to be too high. That left them needing another 29 runs for victory, but Davies and Green came out swinging after the break to quickly put the contest to bed.”A big part of what we tried to do today was to hang in there,” Paris said. “I’m sure we gave NSW a bit of a scare in the change room. I’m really proud of the effort, but it’s a disappointing result.”WA are sweating on the fitness of paceman Matt Kelly, who tore a pectoral muscle during the match. It comes on the back of a frustrating run of soft tissue injuries for the 29-year-old.”He’s a bit sore at the moment,” Paris said. “He’s had a rough 10, 12 months after being so durable for such a long time. We’ll get around him as best as we can.”

Stokes, Brook and Curran in the runs as Pakistan are beaten by six wickets at Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2022England 163 for 4 (Brook 45*, Stokes 36) beat Pakistan 160 for 8 (Masood 39) by six wicketsLiam Livingstone signalled his World Cup readiness with a comeback cameo of 28 from 16 balls – including one massive six that sailed clean out of the stadium – as England capped their tournament build-up by thrashing Pakistan by six wickets at the Gabba.Livingstone sat out each of England’s preceding 10 T20Is against Pakistan and Australia as he nursed an ankle injury sustained during the Hundred. But in a contest that was reduced to 19 overs a side by rain, he slotted into a middle-order that blazed 12 sixes to Pakistan’s one, to romp to victory with 26 balls to spare.Despite the inconvenience of the fixture – described by David Willey as one they “could have done without”, given they now face a five-and-a-half hour flight to Perth ahead of their tournament opener against Afghanistan on Saturday – England made optimal use of the game-time, not least Ben Stokes, who struggled with the bat against Australia but found his range on this occasion with 36 from 18.Chasing 161 for victory, the contest was sealed in comprehensive fashion by Harry Brook (45 not out from 24 balls) and Sam Curran (33 not out from 14). With Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali both opting not to bat after featuring in the field, the only first-choice batter to miss out was Alex Hales, who made 9 from 13 balls, but Phil Salt, the alternative opening partner to Buttler, managed only 1 from 3 alongside him.For Pakistan, only Shan Masood could match England’s explosive approach with the bat, as he opened the innings in the absence of both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and responded with a hard-hitting knock of 39 from 22 balls.However, from a comfortable 67 for 1 after 6.2 overs, Pakistan lost their next five wickets for 57 to slump to 124 for 6 after 14.4, whereupon only Mohammad Wasim’s 26 from 16 could revive their hopes of a competitive total. England rang the changes in the field with as many as eight bowling options, including a three-over burst from Mark Wood, and two wickets for Willey.Pakistan’s fielding endured an off day, with several dropped chances undermining their prospects, as England completed (albeit in an unofficial capacity) their fifth win in as many completed T20Is, following back-to-back wins to defeat Pakistan 4-3 on their recent tour of the country, and last week’s consecutive eight-run wins over Australia.”I think everything we wanted to get out of today, we did,” Buttler told Sky Sports after the match. “It’s great to see Liam Livingstone back on the field as well after a significant injury, and getting some overs into Chris Jordan as well. He’s coming back from broken finger. Brook and Curran getting some time in the middle as well … we tried a few different things that guys were wanting to experiment with. And this is the perfect time to try to do that.”

“They have tremendous amount of potential, but they have to deliver big time” – ODI captain on Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar

Mohammad Isam21-May-2021Tamim Iqbal has backed Mushfiqur Rahim to continue as Bangladesh’s No. 1 wicketkeeper for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, beginning Sunday in Dhaka.Despite sloppy work from Rahim behind the stumps in recent times, Iqbal feels that his experience and overall record of having kept in 347 international matches – the fifth-highest overall – makes him the top choice for the job.”I am very happy with his wicketkeeping. (Half) chances and dropped catches are part of the game. I know how hard he works, so I have no complaints,” Iqbal, the Bangladesh ODI captain, said on Friday. “The team management, coach (Russell Domingo) and I definitely want him to keep wickets in the three ODIs. You are talking about some dropped catches but he has done a wonderful job as a wicketkeeper over the last 13-14 years.”I have complete trust in him and give him my full support. I think he should continue to keep wickets for Bangladesh.”Related

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Rahim’s wicketkeeping came into sharp focus during the ODI series against New Zealand in March when he dropped two chances. He had also dropped one during the West Indies ODIs in January. The veteran wicketkeeper has spilt a total of ten catches in the last three years in white-ball cricket internationally.Iqbal also put his weight behind Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar, two batters with a lot of potential who have gone through a rough patch this year. In ODIs, Das has made only 76 runs in six innings in 2021, while Sarkar has scored 40 runs in four innings.”I hope they take the lead. They have tremendous amount of potential, but they have to deliver big time. We have seen glimpses from Liton and Soumya but if they do well now, it will help the team,” Iqbal said. “They understand they should be more consistent – like Mushfiqur Rahim, for example. If they become consistent, we will be a better ODI team at home and away.”Bangladesh have dropped Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was given the No. 3 role for two series last year and against West Indies this year, and with Shakib Al Hasan returning to international cricket after a three-month break, that spot will become his again.”There will be expectations but we also have to remember what Shakib did at the 2019 World Cup, scoring 606 runs in nine matches, third highest in the tournament,” Iqbal pointed out. “But it is not always possible. I would love Shakib to bat like that in every series but it is a very rare performance. If it doesn’t happen, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. I won’t panic in that case. I am sure he will do well at No 3.”The return of Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman has added some muscle to Bangladesh’s bowling too. “Mustafiz is a great weapon for us,” Iqbal said. “What he did at the IPL was pleasing to see, and we want him to bowl at that level all the time. But we have to note that he got assistance from the wicket. He bowled extremely well there, and I hope he continues to do that for Bangladesh as well.”

James Anderson and Jonny Bairstow are rested but Jack Leach is passed fit to tour

Alan Gardner11-Feb-2020England have recalled Ben Foakes and Keaton Jennings for next month’s Test tour of Sri Lanka, with Jonny Bairstow omitted from the party that went to South Africa. Moeen Ali remains unavailable for Test selection, while James Anderson has been left at home to continue his rehabilitation from a rib injury ahead of the English summer.Also missing from the 16-man squad were the injured Jofra Archer and Rory Burns, but England have included Mark Wood and Stuart Broad, despite some expectations the latter could be rested. Jack Leach is fit to assume the mantle of senior spinner, having left the South Africa tour early due to sickness, and he will be joined by Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson in conditions where slow-bowling will be key.Foakes was Player of the Series as England won 3-0 in Sri Lanka two years ago, but lost his place as wicketkeeper on the subsequent tour of the Caribbean. He is considered one of the best glovemen in the world – as well as making a century on debut in Galle, he did not concede a single bye. However, it is understood that he will travel initially as back-up to Jos Buttler, the current incumbent. Buttler has averaged 17.55 this winter, after replacing Bairstow as keeper in New Zealand, but played a key role with the bat in Sri Lanka in 2018-19.Bairstow, who was dropped for the New Zealand tour, then returned in South Africa and played in the first Test after Ollie Pope was struck down by the sickness bug that ran through England during the build-up, has been given the opportunity to rest, according to Ed Smith, the ECB’s national selector.The return of Jennings, who also made a hundred in Galle, was signposted last year when he was sent on an England training camp to Mumbai. He has an excellent record against spin, averaging 44.44 on the subcontinent, and also impressed by taking a number of catches at short leg on the previous Sri Lanka tour. His last appearance came in St Lucia a year ago, since when his highest first-class score is 97 for Lancashire.Keaton Jennings has been recalled after a year out of the Test side•Getty Images

Moeen’s continued absence, despite indications from Joe Root and Chris Silverwood that they were keen to have him involved, seems reflective of the breakdown in relations with the allrounder, who lost his central contract at the end of last summer. Moeen claimed 18 wickets in Sri Lanka last time out, forming an effective spin triumvirate alongside Leach and Adil Rashid, but has not been persuaded he is ready to return. Instead, he will fulfill his contract at the Pakistan Super League.Rashid has not played first-class cricket since being dropped during the West Indies series a year ago, and said at the weekend it would be “unfair” to make himself available for Sri Lanka. That could lead to a Test debut for Parkinson, alongside the Somerset pair of Leach and Bess, if England stick with fielding three spinners. Parkinson has been with the Test set-up over the winter but saw himself overtaken in South Africa by Bess, who was initially called up on standby when Leach went down ill.Smith said England had decided to stick with the “very exciting group of young players” who helped them to a 3-1 success in South Africa. Root’s side will head out in early March for two warm-up games before Tests in Galle and Colombo, with 120 World Test Championship points at stake.”The selection panel has supported continuity after a successful series victory in South Africa,” Smith said. “The South Africa tour marked the emergence of a very exciting group of young players, creating a nice balance with an experienced core of senior players. That squad is mostly retained, with some tweaks to the squad relevant to injury, rest and the challenges of playing in subcontinent conditions.”Somerset spinner Jack Leach has recovered from his illness he picked up in South Africa and is now healthy and keen to resume his Test career.”Jonny Bairstow has been in England squads across the three formats without a significant break. This two-Test tour presents a good opportunity for Jonny to be rested. Jimmy Anderson will continue to work with Lancashire and the ECB so that he is ready for the start of the County Championship season leading into the Test series against the West Indies in June.”Moeen Ali is still unavailable for Test selection. The selectors are in consistent dialogue with Moeen and he remains a valued player in England cricket.”England squad: Joe Root (capt), Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Paul Stirling put Khulna Titans in a strong position with his 61, but Carlos Brathwaite and Jahurul Islam couldn’t quite finish off the chase

The Report by Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2019How the game played outRangpur Riders picked up their first win in the BPL, after beating Khulna Titans by eight runs in a contest that was alive until the penultimate ball of the match. Farhad Reza defended 20 runs in the last over, keeping Carlos Brathwaite quiet.Paul Stirling’s 61 off 46 balls had put the Titans in a strong position chasing 170, but his dismissal in the 14th over, and captain Mahmudullah’s in the 18th over, put them under pressure in the last two overs.The Riders, after being bowled out for 98 in the first game, corrected their batting strategy significantly, despite losing Mehedi Maruf in the fourth over. They lost two more wickets by the tenth over before Rossouw and Bopara put on the game’s most important partnership, adding an unbroken 104 for the fourth wicket.Rossouw struck eight fours and two sixes, both off Ali Khan in the 16th over, while Bopara, who made 44 in the first game, struck three fours and a six in his unbeaten 40 off 29 balls.Turning points

• Rossouw and Bopara blast 67 off the last five overs, including 21 off Carlos Brathwaite’s 18th.
• Stirling and Junaid Siddique propel Titans to 85 for no loss in 10 overs.
• Stirling falls to Mashrafe Mortaza in the 14th over with his side still needing 62 off 41 balls.
• Mahmudullah falls with Titans needing 30 off the last 14 balls.

Star of the dayRossouw exacted revenge on the Titans, for whom he had made 187 runs in nine innings in last season’s BPL. This was his first fifty in the competition too – he paced himself initially before launching into the big shots in the last few overs.The big missAfter removing Ariful Haque off the first ball of the penultimate over of the Titans innings, Shafiul Islam conceded 10 runs off the rest of the over, including three consecutive wides.Where the teams standRangpur’s first win, especially after a poor performance in the first game, comes as a significant confidence builder.

Chhattisgarh recover despite Umesh Yadav’s three for, Nikhil Gangta and Ankush Bains rescue Himachal

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2017Centuries from Amandeep Khare and Ashutosh Singh helped Chhattisgarh recover from Umesh Yadav’s twin-strikes upfront to end the day at a comfortable 246 for 3 against Vidarbha in Nagpur. The pair added 227 for the third wicket before Umesh dismissed Ashutosh for 113 in the day’s final over. Karn Sharma, the legspinner, who impressed for India A and has 31 wickets in four first-class games so far this season, finished with none for 65 off 24 overs in his first game for Vidarbha.Punjab, searching for points after conceding a lead and losing outright in their first two games, racked up 396 for 3 against Goa in Poorvorim. Jiwanjot Singh, the opener, struck 215 of those and was still going strong when stumps were drawn.Jiwanjot struck an unbroken 236-run fourth-wicket stand with Anmolpreet Singh, 103 not out, when play ended. Anmolpreet, promoted No. 4 in the absence of Yuvraj Singh, struck 11 fours and two sixes. Uday Kaul missed out converting a start into three figures, falling for 66, while Manan Vohra was out for a three-ball duck in the first over.Half-centuries from Nikhil Gangta (89*) and Ankush Bains (68) spared Himachal the blushes against Services in New Delhi. They recovered from a precarious 92 for 4 to finish on 273 for 5 at stumps. Prashant Chopra, the opener who struck a triple century in the tournament opener, failed to convert, falling for 55. Bains and Gangta, chasing his second century of the season, batted for a better part of the day to add 159 and help the side stage a remarkable recovery.

Mohammad Nawaz picked up two wickets and defended ten runs off the final over to hand Karachi Blues the title

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Mohammad Nawaz struck twice in the final over•Chris Whiteoak

Karachi Whites threatened to chase down 183 with a rapid 61-run opening stand and late blows from Tariq Haroon and Sohail Khan, but Mohammad Nawaz defended ten runs off the final over to give Karachi Blues the National T20 Cup title.With Whites needing 11 off the last over with four wickets in hand, Mohammad Hasan reverse-swept Nawaz’s first ball for four. Nawaz came back with a dot and then an arm-ball that took Hasan’s middle stump. Azam Hussain sliced a couple over the covers before falling lbw off the next ball. It ultimately boiled down to five off the last ball. Mir Hamza heaved at it, and could only manage a double.Nawaz, playing only his second game of the tournament, finished with figures of 4 for 26. He had taken the first two wickets of the Whites’ innings as well. He bowled Asif Zakir for 32, and in his next over removed Asad Shafiq for 6. The two wickets dragged Whites back after they had raced to 60 in the first seven overs.Nawaz was helped by his fellow spinners – Saeed Ajmal, who capped the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps, and Mohammad Asghar. They picked up two wickets each. Karachi Whites eventually got to 179 for 8 thanks to late cameos from Tariq and Sohail. Haroon hit 38 off 17 balls, while Sohail 24 off 11 balls.Blues’ win was set up by half-centuries from Khurram Manzoor and Fawad Alam. Alam set about reviving the innings after the early loss of the openers, with a brace of pulled fours. Manzoor, becalmed till then, struck three fours in four balls, and motored to his half-century in 36 balls, bringing it up in the 15th over. By then, Blues were 118 for 2.Manzoor kicked into a higher gear when he crashed back-to-back sixes off Azam in the 17th over. But he fell next ball, skewing a catch to gully. Alam then reached his own half-century off 35 balls, and was assisted by Mohammad Sami’s unbeaten 20 off 10 balls. Blues took 64 off the last five overs, and it proved just enough to deny Whites.

Losing the toss in Sri Lanka usually demoralises visiting sides, but India – led by R Ashwin’s second successive five-for and his best figures away from home – did a stellar job to seemingly neutralise Sri Lanka’s advantage of batting first

The Report by Sidharth Monga12-Aug-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
1:02

‘Ashwin was willing to pitch it up fuller’

Sri Lanka is not a place where you want to lose the toss as an opposition captain. Over the last 14 years, only two visiting captains have managed to win despite losing the toss. Virat Kohli raised the possibility of becoming the third after R Ashwin registered the best figures for an India bowler in the first innings of an away Test to bundle the hosts out for 183. India stumbled in response initially, but Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli steadied them with an unbroken 100-run partnership.On a pitch that offered turn and bounce as early as the first session, this toss was all the more important to win, which is what will rankle the home captain Angelo Mathews the most. Not only did he win the toss, he also showed the others with his 64 that it was possible to bat on this pitch. There was little resistance from the other end – Dinesh Chandimal’s half-century was a charmed innings and included a drop on 5 – as Ashwin ran away to his fastest five-for in Tests, also his second in two Tests and the best figures by an Indian in Sri Lanka. Had India taken all their catches – to go with two excellent ones by KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma – Sri Lanka would have been bundled out for much less.It took Ashwin only 63 balls to reach his fifth wicket, and left-hand batsmen in particular were easy pickings for him. He took out four of them, including Kumar Sangakkara for 5 in his penultimate Test, in 30 balls. As well as Ashwin bowled, a six-wicket haul in 82 balls for a visiting spinner on day one should worry the batting side. Ashwin, who has been through tough times in away series in the last two years, will gladly take it. He will also be glad that by the time he came on to bowl in the 12th over, India’s quick bowlers had already softened Sri Lanka up.It did not start all that well for India, though, as ordinary slip catching reared its head again, with Dhawan dropping Kaushal Silva at first slip in the fourth over. Kohli will be glad his quick bowlers responded with pace, bounce and hostility to send back the openers. Dimuth Karunaratne edged while fending a bouncer from Ishant Sharma, and Silva was given out caught off the arm guard as he went to hook Varun Aaron. Dhawan redeemed himself with a diving catch, but DRS would have made for an interesting decision.R Ashwin collected 6 for 46, the best figures by an Indian in Sri Lanka•AFP

That brought in Sangakkara in the eight over. At the end of the first hour, Kohli went to Ashwin, and the procession continued. In his first over, Ashwin beat Sangakkara in the flight before a freak dismissal sent the celebrated veteran back. The third ball that Ashwin bowled was short of a length, and drew a defensive shot from Sangakkara, which went fast towards Rahul at silly point. Rahul stayed low, pushed his hands in the general direction of the path of the ball, and it stuck in his fingertips. This was no edge, and nor did it come off the pad to soften the impact.Lahiru Thirimanne looked to block, and captain Mathews – playing his 50th Test – looked to hit a few shots to get the close-in fielders out of his face. Having come together at 27 for 3, they doubled the score before Thirimanne fell to an Ashwin beauty. Until then Thirimanne had faced only four balls from the offspinner, and had looked really comfortable facing only one of them. The fifth one, though, was perfect: nicely flighted, dipping short of Thirimanne’s reach, and then turning away to take the edge on a tame push. Poor Mubarak got to face only Ashwin, and the seventh such delivery did not turn, bounced and resulted in a bat-pad catch. Mubarak’s duck made it 60 for 5, and the only consolation for the hosts going into lunch was that their last recognised pair were both right-hand batsmen: Mathews and Chandimal.Soon after lunch, the consolation ended. Ishant bowled beautifully and drew Chandimal’s edge with one that held its line, but Wriddhiman Saha dropped an absolute sitter. What is more disturbing for India is that Saha is showing a bit of a tendency to drop the easier ones. That was not the only time India took the eye off the game. Ashwin, 6-1-15-3 now, was taken out of the attack for the other offspinner Harbhajan Singh. It would have been okay to give the fifth bowler a chance had Kohli not persisted with Harbhajan for too long. While Harbhajan showed no patience, often bowling round the wicket, often too straight, Kohli showed remarkable patience as Mathews and Chandimal added 79.While Chandimal’s effort was charmed, Mathews played a calculated and clever innings. He attacked only to get the fielders out, and then picked the ones and twos easily. Finally Kohli gave in, and gave Ashwin the end he had taken the three earlier wickets from. The pay-off was immediate, but it needed an exceptional catch from Rohit. In his second over back, Ashwin got one to dip on Mathews, but the bat-pad looked destined to loop over forward short leg’s head. Rohit, though, sprung up, got a hand to it, and ended up deflecting it back towards the wicket. He then dived back against his momentum, and took it one-handed.The floodgates now opened. Only a breezy 24-run stand between Chandimal and the adventurous Rangana Herath – who scored 23 off 24 – resisted India’s march. The innings ended when Herath had had one slog too many, but his real job was only about to begin.Before Herath and Tharindu Kaushal were asked to do their job, though, Dhammika Prasad and Mathews got rid of Rahul and Rohit. The rest of the bowling, though, failed to test Dhawan and Kohli for long enough. Dhawan and Kohli were prepared to defend and wait for loose balls, which Kaushal in particular provided readily. Dhawan, who scored a hundred in his last Test, went past 50 by stumps, and Kohli looked set to do so. More importantly, India could entertain thoughts of batting only once.

The Cape Town pitch was expected to make Saeed Ajmal a central figure towards the end of the Test but he made a massive impact on the second day itself

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran15-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSaeed Ajmal conjured five wickets in a beguiling display of spin bowling•Getty Images

The Cape Town pitch was expected to make Saeed Ajmal a central figure towards the end of the Test but he made an impact as early as the second day, first with the bat in a combative 64-run ninth-wicket stand and then, far more damagingly, with a mesmerising display of spin bowling that left South Africa stuttering for the first time in their home summer.Though this was not a tailor-made turner for Ajmal, and it had been widely predicted to be a great day for batting, he got the ball to rear up and fizz off the track in an unbroken 25-over spell that could well end up as his greatest performance. The mighty South African batting was nonplussed, and an hour before stumps there was even the outside chance of them being forced to follow-on. And this wasn’t even one of those old South African teams who were frazzled by the sight of the turning ball.Though Pakistan had three specialist quick bowlers, they turned to Ajmal as early as the 12th over, and he bowled unchanged from midway through the second session to stumps. Tanvir Ahmed was a disappointment with the new ball, bowling only around 120kph and not troubling the batsmen much, though he put in an improved second spell. The other two fast bowlers, Umar Gul and debutant Mohammad Irfan, were both regularly around 140kph, but the closest either of them came to a wicket was when Gul had Graeme Smith jabbing a simple catch to second slip, only for the usually reliable Younis Khan to grass the ball.

Smart stats

• Pakistan’s total of 338 is their highest in Tests in South Africa. Their previous best was 329 in Johannesburg exactly 15 years ago.

• Vernon Philander’s 5 for 59 is his ninth five-for in 15 Tests. In Cape Town he has taken 26 wickets in four Tests at an average of 12.30.

• Saeed Ajmal’s 5 for 41 is his first five-for against South Africa. In two previous Tests against them he had taken four wickets at 84.75.

• The last time a spinner took a five-for in the opposition’s first innings in a Cape Town Test was way back in 1970, when Ashley Mallett took 5 for 126.

• For the first time in Test cricket, two batsmen scored 111 in a Test innings. The highest individual score by two batsmen in an innings is 234, by Don Bradman and Sid Barnes against England in 1946.

It was left to Ajmal to do the damage, and he duly delivered a masterclass of spin bowling. Just when the openers were looking settled, Ajmal struck in his second over, getting Smith lbw on the sweep. The umpire turned down the appeal but Ajmal emphatically and repeatedly asked his team-mates to go for the review, which resulted in Smith being sent on his way. He had more success soon after as Alviro Petersen nicked to short leg where Azhar Ali pulled off a smart, low catch.Ajmal’s battle with Hashim Amla, the world’s top-ranked batsman, was engrossing, with Amla repeatedly using the reverse-sweep and also frequently shuffling across the stumps to try counter Ajmal. Though Amla seemed to have got on top of Ajmal when he picked off a couple of leg-side boundaries in successive overs, Ajmal emerged the winner as he rapped Amla on the back foot to get him lbw, again after using the DRS.The DRS has already been one of the most controversial innovations in cricket, diving opinion on many levels, and there was one more talking point when South Africa’s most experienced batsman, Jacques Kallis, was adjudged lbw on referral. He was originally given out caught at short leg, and he immediately referred the decision, and the replays suggested there was no edge. The umpires then checked whether it was an lbw, and the predicted path said that it was just shaving leg stump, and that it would stick with the “umpire’s call”, though the umpire hadn’t ruled on whether the ball would hit the stumps. The rules state that when the mode of dismissal changes, the batsman should originally be considered to be not out, which means Kallis should have remained in the middle, but he was given out lbw after much confusion.That Kallis wicket had South Africa in deep trouble. Soon after, Ajmal produced what was perhaps the ball of the day, as he got one to zip from round the wicket past a befuddled Faf du Plessis, who could only edge it to the slips, where Younis safely pouched it to consign South Africa to 109 for 5.Several South African batsmen didn’t help themselves by taking a guard on or outside off stump, and virtually cut off the off side as a scoring area against Ajmal, adding to the pressure caused by the relentless probing by the spinner.AB de Villiers and Dean Elgar had some scares but survived the final hour to take South Africa past the follow-on mark to complete one of those rare days when the home side had been outplayed.It was all so different in the morning when Vernon Philander’s love affair with Newlands continued as he bagged another five-for – his ninth in 15 Tests. A quick close to the Pakistan innings seemed imminent when he took three wickets in his first three overs on the second day before Tanvir and Ajmal lifted Pakistan to their highest total in South Africa with a 64-run partnership.With the ball swerving around, regularly beating the bat and most of the runs being scored through streaky edges past the slips or the leg stump, South Africa were looking forward to an early end to the innings. There was little sign that Tanvir and Ajmal would prove so hard to dislodge. With the pitch easing up, though, they began to look increasingly solid. Ahmed punched Morne Morkel past long-on for four, and Ajmal raised his front foot as he smacked Dale Steyn over midwicket for a boundary, a shot he’ll treasure as much as any of his wickets today.It wasn’t till just before lunch that the pair were separated, after which it was all about Ajmal and his bewitching brand of spin bowling.

Sachin Tendulkar has been picked in India’s ODI squad for the first time since the World Cup. He will stay on after the Test series in Australia for the one-day tri-series that also features Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2012Sachin Tendulkar has been picked in India’s limited-overs squad for the first time since the World Cup. He will stay on after the Test series in Australia for the one-day tri-series that also features Sri Lanka. Praveen Kumar, the India medium-pacer who missed the Tests due to a fractured rib, is also a part of the 17-man limited-overs squad. India will play two Twenty20 internationals in Australia followed by the ODI tri-series, which will be played from February 5 to March 8.The rest of the limited-overs squad is similar to the one that was picked for the fourth and fifth ODIs against West Indies at home in December last year. Irfan Pathan, who played his first international for India in more than two years during that series, has retained his place in the squad. Zaheer Khan, who like Tendulkar has not played an ODI since the World Cup final, will also stay on for the limited-over games. Umesh Yadav and R Vinay Kumar make up the rest of the fast-bowling department.Rahul Sharma, the legspinner who impressed during the series against West Indies, has been selected as the second spinner alongside R Ashwin. Manoj Tiwary scored his maiden ODI hundred in the fifth ODI against West Indies and is part of the squad again, which means there is no place for Ajinkya Rahane, who was part of the Test squad. Parthiv Patel has been picked as the reserve wicketkeeper despite his poor run with the bat in recent ODIs. Ravindra Jadeja, who has occupied the allrounder’s spot in the limited-overs side since the one-day leg of the tour of England, has also been selected.Yuvraj Singh’s time away from cricket continues as he has not yet fully recovered from the non-malignant lung tumour that has kept him out of the team since the home ODIs against West Indies.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Parthiv Patel (wk), Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav, Irfan Pathan, R Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Rahul Sharma, R Ashwin