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.

Graeme Swann has been ruled out of England’s tour of New Zealand and will undergo surgery on his right elbow in America next week

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin05-Mar-2013Graeme Swann has been ruled out of England’s tour of New Zealand and will undergo surgery on his right elbow in America next week as he faces a battle to fit for the start of the Ashes in July.The seriousness of Swann’s problem emerged on the first morning in Dunedin when he was left out of the starting XI. James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner, has been called into the squad while Monty Panesar was named in the team for the first Test. Swann’s surgery will take place at the same hospital where Tim Bresnan recently had his elbow operation.An ECB statement said: “England offspinner Graeme Swann has been ruled out of the current Test series against New Zealand due to a right elbow injury. Swann will travel to the United States next week to have an operation and will then undergo a period of rehabilitation allowing an anticipated return to competitive cricket in the early summer. A further update will be available following the operation.”Swann, 33, first had surgery on the elbow in 2009 when the surgeon removed 29 fragments of bone but had to leave some in place because of their proximity to the nerves. Swann has always said how he wanted to avoid another operation and hoped to get through the rest of his career but has been forced under the knife again.Swann needed treatment during England’s warm-up match in Queenstown and admitted his worries in his newspaper column in the build-up to the Test before being left out of the Dunedin match. It was only the fourth time Swann had been left out of a Test and the previous three occasions – twice in West Indies in 2009 and against South Africa, at Headingley, last year – have been for tactical reasons.Swann was already being carefully managed through England’s one-day commitments and missed the recent 50-over leg of the India trip and the Twenty20s at the start of the New Zealand tour.”We are embarking on arguably England’s greatest year of Test cricket ever and I can’t wait for the back-to-back Ashes series,” Swann wrote in his column. “But I have one big worry – the state of my right elbow. It caused me discomfort again during our only warm-up match before the first Test and I had to leave the field.”I’ll be honest, the elbow is always a concern. It’s been hanging over me for several years and, despite having an operation in 2009, the problem hasn’t entirely gone away.”It would be a massive pain in the backside if my wonky elbow forced me to miss any of the Tests against Australia. I’m absolutely determined to be available for what might be my final two Ashes series – and that means managing the elbow as well as possible.”I really don’t want to have another operation. For two weeks after my op, I was in bed with a machine keeping my arm in continual motion for 23 hours a day. It was a testing time – and poor old Tim Bresnan has been going through the same thing after his operation in America. This year of all years, I don’t want the elbow to cause any problems. I want to be fit for as much Test cricket as possible and, fingers crossed, I will be.”

Hanuma Vihari had an eventful IPL debut. He dismissed Chris Gayle, held the Sunrisers Hyderabad chase together and was in the middle as the match was tied

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Apr-2013The plan Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates Hanuma Vihari and Ashish Reddy discussed before Vinay Kumar started the final over of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore was to play every ball and not panic. Sunrisers needed seven to register their second win in as many matches. “If we did not waste a single ball then seven runs were possible in the final over. But Ashish got out on the first ball,” Vihari said a day after Sunrisers won a thriller in the Super Over.When Dale Steyn walked in, the message was clear. “We discussed hitting bat on ball and running hard between the wickets and looking to take the match to the last ball,” Vihari said. He watched Steyn take two runs from the second delivery of the over and then play and miss the third. “I decided I’d finish the match if and when I get the strike,” Vihari said. He finally took strike with the Sunrisers needing four runs off the final two balls, which was reduced to two off the final delivery after he dug out a “good yorker” to get a double.For the final ball, Vihari stood deep in the crease. As soon as Vinay delivered the ball, Steyn charged blindly forward. But Vinay second-guessed his opponent with a smart slower delivery. “I expected a yorker, but he bowled a slower ball. I tried to hit it hard for two runs but could not connect.” Vihari ran a bye and could not believe it was a tie.It was a bittersweet moment for Vihari and Sunrisers. Having restricted Royal Challengers to a modest 130, the hosts faltered frequently in the chase. And when the Lankan pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera departed in quick succession, the onus was on Vihari. Despite his age – 19 – Vihari decided to play the guiding hand to his partner Reddy, an aggressive player. Their 23-run partnership for the seventh wicket snatched the momentum in Sunrisers’ favour. “A player like Ashish can strike at any given point. So I was telling him to pick the right ball and if it was not in his range to focus on taking singles and keep the dot balls count low,” Vihari says.It’s this sensible streak that prompted the team management to promote Vihari to No. 3. Sangakkara, Sunrisers’ captain, had decided to drop himself to No. 5 to counter the middle overs from the Muralis – Muttiah Muralitharan and Murali Kartik. “When early wickets fell, Tom [Moody] told me I would bat at No. 4. My plan was to take it as close as possible to the target,” Vihari said.Despite his batting prowess, Vihari’s most telling impact had come with the ball – in fact his very first ball of the match. Sangakkara had already told him that he would be bowling with the new ball against Chris Gayle since the Jamaican had got out a few times in the past to off spinners. Being the only off-break bowler in the team on Sunday, Vihari executed the plan nicely: pitching on the off he got a little bounce that surprised Gayle, who went for the cut and was caught behind.  “I have kept the picture of the Gayle wicket,” Vihari says of his best souvenir.A wristy player, Vihari is a good striker of the ball and plays shots on both sides of the wicket. His best innings to date has been against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season when he scored a career-best 191 runs in a drawn match.John Manoj, Vihari’s coach at St. John’s Cricket Academy in Hyderabad, noticed that the youngster could hit the ball “very hard” when he picked him as a nine-year-old. Manoj’s best student has been VVS Laxman, who is the mentor at Sunrisers now. Manoj had helped Vihari join the St. Andrew School in Bowenpally in Secunderabad and observed a keen student in Vihari. “I observed him playing confidently against the ball on the rise against fast bowlers from a tender age,” Manoj said. Last year Laxman was impressed by Vihari’s strokeplay on wet practice pitches and enquired more about the youngster.At the beginning of the IPL, Laxman told Vihari to “express himself and play his natural game” without getting distracted at all about playing such a big tournament. The significance of those words has not been lost on Vihari.Vihari dedicated his Man-of-the-Match award to his mother, who was at the ground with his sister, and his late father, who’d died in 2005. At the time, the 11-year-old Vihari was playing in a school tournament. His mother asked him to play cricket since his father always wanted him to play cricket. “It was two days after his death but my mother asked me to go ahead and I decided to respect her word,” Vihari says.

The mayor of Lauderhill has issued a stern letter to ICC chief executive Dave Richardson expressing his concerns about the lack of revenue been generated by Central Broward Regional Park, and that it is looking at various schemes to redevelop the stadium

Peter Della Penna14-Apr-2013In a move that could strike a devastating blow to the development of cricket in America, the city of Lauderhill, Florida is in the process of initiating a business plan to redevelop the cricket stadium inside the Central Broward Regional Park into a facility more suitable for other sports and activities that will generate enough revenue to sustain the operating costs of the facility. In a sternly worded letter by Lauderhill Mayor Richard J Kaplan addressed to ICC chief executive David Richardson dated April 9 and obtained by ESPNcricinfo, Kaplan blames the USA Cricket Association for the facility’s lack of revenue from marquee cricket events mainly due to the governing body’s failure to facilitate such events.”After several years of under utilization by our sanctioning cricket body USACA, the City of Lauderhill and Broward County have had to look at other alternative uses for the stadium that will sell tickets to fill seats,” Kaplan wrote. “As a result, Broward County is about to release an independent business plan which will advise government officials that it is time to consider a reconfiguration of the stadium to a sport that can better sustain the facility and provide an economic return.”The 20,000 capacity stadium opened in November 2007 as part of a $70 million county park complex. It is the only ICC approved ODI stadium facility in North America. Since it opened though, the stadium has been a lightning rod for criticism among local media and taxpayers in south Florida. An article in August 2009 in the titled, “Broward Built It, But Cricket Hasn’t Come” detailed frustrations from the local community at the paltry attendance figures drawn for cricket matches in the stadium. An editorial in the same newspaper in August 2011 about the Central Broward Regional Park referred to the facility as “a legendary example of Broward officials setting taxpayer money on fire.”The stadium has rarely been used for cricket over the last five and a half years but has seen many other sports use the cricket pitch. Among the matches staged on the stadium turf have been flag football tournaments, MLS exhibition matches, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup warm-up matches, a semi-pro gridiron league and a 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup qualifying match between USA and Uruguay. 2012 ICC World Cricket League Division Four was tentatively scheduled to be held in Florida last May with the stadium serving as one of three tournament venues, but USACA’s governance issues, including repeatedly postponed elections, resulted in the event shifting to Malaysia later in the year.Kaplan’s letter to Richardson is particularly stinging in his summary of USACA’s credentials and reputation stating that the organization “is still suffering from management issues” and that its “long sordid history of suspensions and poor governance has plagued a territory with the greatest potential.” The mayor goes on to state that the pair of Twenty20 matches staged at the stadium in Lauderhill last year between the West Indies and New Zealand proved that the city and county were capable of staging world class events, but despite encouragement from local government officials and business leaders, USACA has failed to help make similar events happen.”Our pleas to USACA to sanction additional games in the USA have fallen on deaf ears. Affiliate, Associate, and even Full body members of your organization have asked for our assistance in order to hold matches here knowing the major hurdle is and continues to be USACA’s sanctioning,” Kaplan wrote to Richardson. “Therefore opportunity after opportunity has been lost. Cricket, with all of its potential, continuously has disappointed this community and as such may not be able to continue.””The stadium, if left as it is today, is likely to be converted to something that would make even the ICC developmental tournaments for other ICC Associates countries in the region impossible. Such action will probably occur sometime in the next few months, so time is of the essence. This is of course unless something is done to guarantee its use on a regular, long-term basis. We implore you to assist us with either considering some other means of holding international games without being held hostage by one uninterested and incapable governing body, or guarantee us some long term plan whereby we can establish a calendar of international events that would help us sustain the facility as it is now.”When contacted by ESPNcricinfo, USACA chief executive Darren Beazley acknowledged receiving a copy of the letter from Mayor Kaplan. Beazley stated that USACA and Cricket Holdings America (CHALLC), the partnership between USACA and New Zealand Cricket which holds the commercial rights to stage cricket matches in the USA, are committed to having cricket matches at the stadium once suitable proposals are put forward.”USACA is aware of the letter from the Mayor,” Beazley stated in an email to ESPNcricinfo. “After several meetings and numerous conversations with the City and the Friends of Broward County, neither USACA nor CHALLC (who controls the rights to international fixtures on USACA’s behalf) have yet to receive a proposal to consider. No fewer than 4 requests for such a proposal have been made.””USACA wants as much cricket in the US as possible at venues right across the nation, including Lauderhill. As we move to a more professional management structure, we’ll continue to work with groups such as the City of Lauderhill, but always with the best interests of cricket foremost in mind. I am confident that should a professional proposal be received, CHALLC will consider it carefully, and if it makes commercial sense, an excellent result for our game will be achieved.”There were rumors circulating last month that CHALLC was attempting to lure Sri Lanka and Pakistan for a series of T20 or ODI matches at the stadium in late June or July. Sri Lanka is touring the West Indies for an ODI tri-series that begins at the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy and runs until July 11. Pakistan was due to tour the West Indies later that month ahead of the start of the Caribbean T20 on July 29.It was hoped that Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s respective tours to the Caribbean would dovetail into a series in Florida. However, ESPNcricinfo sources have indicated that both the Pakistan Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket were approached about coming to Florida for a short series, but neither board showed much interest. Meanwhile, ESPNcricinfo reported on April 5 that Pakistan’s tour to the West Indies is already in doubt and as a result so would the chances of packaging a trip to Florida alongside it.Prior plans by CHALLC to launch a professional Twenty20 league in the USA this summer were pushed back to the summer of 2014. Lauderhill had originally been viewed as a host site for some teams, particularly as it is the only stadium turf venue in the country. However, CHALLC chief executive Neil Maxwell has expressed plans to play on artificial wickets in New York and San Francisco in order to seize the market potential in both cities, a move which would further undermine Lauderhill’s status in the US cricket landscape.

A preview of the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya06-May-2013

Match facts

Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Mitchell Johnson has bowled with intensity for Mumbai Indians•BCCI

Big picture

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders still stand a theoretical chance of making it to the play-offs, and are better placed than some other teams to spoil a party or two. They have made Rajasthan Royals’ job tougher after beating them comprehensively at Eden Gardens, and will be a threat to Mumbai Indians, who they face on Tuesday.Knight Riders may need to win each of their remaining matches to entertain hopes of staying alive; Mumbai could jump to second place should they win, else will feel a little less secure, especially if Rajasthan Royals beat Delhi Daredevils in the afternoon. Mumbai, though, are on a high after inflicting a thrashing on Chennai Super Kings, who, by their own captain’s admission, were complacent after seven wins in a row. And in a season where playing at home has played a decisive role, they’ll be favourites when they take on Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.

Form guide

Mumbai Indians: WLWWW (most recent first)

Kolkata Knight Riders: WLLWL

Players to watch

Mitchell Johnson has bowled with intensity this season, something that was evident when he helped Mumbai defend 139 against Super Kings. He bowled with pace, got the ball to move about and, in the company of Lasith Malinga, is perhaps part of the best fast-bowling duo this IPL.Amid the clutter of stars in each team, the contributions of players like Rajat Bhatia are sometimes overlooked. If the track at the Wankhede Stadium plays as slow as it did in the game against Super Kings, Bhatia, with his medium-pace cutters, will be hard to dispatch. He’s picked up nine wickets in 11 games for Knight Riders this season, at 27.88 with an economy-rate of 7.41.

Stats and trivia

• Sunil Narine is six short of 100 wickets in T20 cricket. His career economy-rate in T20 cricket is a remarkable 5.40.
• Jacques Kallis has scored the most runs off Lasith Malinga in the IPL, 74 off 56 while only being dismissed once. Shane Watson has taken him for 67 off 38. Yusuf Pathan is sixth on the list, with 42 off 35.

Quotes

“It’s a very good start that I have got. Out of five games I have won four and lost one. I would take that result as a captain. But I am not going to relax. We still need to play good cricket for the next five games and get to the play-offs comfortably.”

Somerset chairman Andy Nash has penned a diary of the 2012 season but chose to omit details of former director of cricket Brian Rose’s departure from the club last September

Ivo Tennant at Taunton28-May-2013Brian Rose left Taunton in September 2012•PA Photos

Brian Rose, Somerset’s former director of cricket, will return to Taunton on Sunday in controversial circumstances as the county suffers one of its worst starts to the season for years in his absence.Rose will to cut a ribbon around the gates to be named in his honour, following the accolade bestowed upon Joel Garner, Viv Richards and J. C. “Farmer” White. A worthy quartet, indeed, to be commemorated in ironwork.But the departure of Rose at the end of last season after a succession of runners-up finishes is as yet not fully unexplained. Many Somerset supporters are increasingly questioning why he was shown the gate in the first place.According to club chairman Andy Nash in his diary of last season, this is a “legend” of Somerset cricket. Indeed, Rose was the most successful captain in their history, before you add his impressive record running the first team in recent years – even though they became perennial runners-up.Somerset have made an appalling start to this season as his replacement, the South African Dave Nosworthy, has inherited an ageing side and they were annihilated inside five sessions against Sussex last week.Inevitably, there will be a member or two who on Sunday will tell Rose, or Nash, that this is a man who should never have left the club. Giles Clarke, now ECB chairman, brought him back to Taunton when in charge here and remains on good terms with him: Rose, indeed, is a guest at Clarke’s 60th birthday party.Would Rose have improved Somerset’s overall game this season had he remained at the club? The players have not changed, apart from being a year older. Neither James Harris nor Rory Hamilton-Brown chose to come to Taunton, and, of course, Nick Compton’s runs have been much missed owing to his absence with England.Yet Rose was much liked and much respected. A man who could handle Richards and Ian Botham in their pomp. A man capable of inspiration. Since leaving last September, much lauded in the sunshine by Roy Kerslake, Somerset president, with a presentation in front of the Andy Caddick Pavilion, he was asked by Glamorgan to conduct an indepedent review.As if to stifle suggestions of a Somerset return, the county has confirmed that he has been retained as a consultant for the remainder of the season.Nash is a good man and a successful businessman. But given that Nash has not written about Rose’s departure, the inevitable conclusion is that such a diary would be best left until he has stepped down from office. No-one is expecting him to dish any dirt – but some insight, some analysis, some detail of how this much-treasured cricket club is run, would be the prime expectation of any prospective purchaser of his book.

Trent Johnston, who has been in the vanguard of Ireland’s recent renaissance, has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the year

Ger Siggins15-Jul-2013Trent Johnston, who has been in the vanguard of Ireland’s recent renaissance, has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the year. The 39-year-old will play in the World T20 qualifiers in UAE in November, and finish his Ireland career in the ICC Intercontinental Cup final in Dubai in early December.”It’s been a difficult decision and I’ve racked my brains ever since I came back from the UAE tour in March”, Johnston said. “It’s becoming harder to recover after matches now, so much so that I can hardly walk for a couple of days.”He explained that after that two-week tour he could only put on and take off his socks with the help of his children, Charlie (10) and Claudia (13). “I knew then my time was limited and although it would have been great to play in another World Cup in Australia, it was just beyond me. It’s time to move on to new things and give Phil Simmons a chance to find somebody to replace me.”Johnston’s announcement comes just after Ireland qualified for the 2015 World Cup and the final of the Intercontinental Cup. “I’d set myself personal goals at the start of the year and I’ve been slowly ticking those boxes as we go along. I always knew we were going to qualify for the 2015 World Cup with the squad we have, and the standard we’ve been playing at for a few years now. I’ve achieved a lot in my career and I’m pretty happy with how it’s all went.”A native of Wollongong, New South Wales, Johnston played several first-class games for that state before he was released in 2000. During the 1990s he had played as a club professional in Dublin, where he met his Irish wife Vanessa, so was intrigued by an approach by a former team-mate, Jason Molins, who was by then Ireland captain. Molins had worked out that by virtue of his marriage Johnston was now entitled to an Irish passport – and a place in the team currently taking shape under Adrian Birrell (who was last week appointed assistant coach to South Africa).He packed his bags and made his Ireland debut one week after his 30th birthday – and went on to play 186 games for his adopted country, including 65 ODIs, 28 T20Is and 27 first-class games. His 264 wickets is the third-highest ever for Ireland, while his 60 appearances as captain is second only to his successor, William Porterfield.It is as the charismatic captain of the first Irish side to play in a World Cup that he will be best remembered. Their first two results, a tie with Zimbabwe and win over Pakistan, took them into the Super Eights, with Johnston’s six into the grandstand the final blow for Inzamam ul-Haq’s team.

Trent Johnston’s career highlights

• He has played 65 ODIs and 28 T20s for Ireland picking up 65 and 29 wickets respectively

• He captained Ireland in 60 matches, the second-most after his successor William Porterfield

• He is the third-highest wicket-taker for Ireland with 264 wickets

• He led Ireland in their maiden World Cup appearance in 2007 when they beat Pakistan and qualified for the Super Eights

• He won the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2005 and 2007

• Ireland were awarded ODI status under his leadership

• He announced an indefinite break from cricket in March 2008

• He returned to the game and resumed leading the Ireland attack from July 2008

• Ireland fell four runs short of beating England in August 2009, after Johnston’s Man-of-the-Match performance of 4 for 26 and 21* off 15

• He claimed his best international figures of 5 for 14 against Canada in the final of the 2010 World Twenty20 Qualifiers

• He introduced cricket to the ‘chicken dance’ during the 2011 World Cup

“I was incredibly proud to wear the shamrock and to lead your country 60 times including a World Cup was just massive for me”, he said. “That first World Cup put Irish cricket on the map and it has kick-started the cricketing expansion that we’re witnessing now. It was a privilege to be part of that.”With Johnston’s doing a ‘chicken dance’ after each wicket, Ireland went on to further impress in the second phase, beating Bangladesh to elevate them to the official ODI status at which they continue to challenge the Full Members. He also captained Ireland to their first international trophies, the Intercontinental Cup wins of 2005 and 2007.After a brief retirement following a gruelling tour of Bangladesh in 2008, Johnston returned to lead the Irish attack for four more years. That he is still a leading figure in Associate cricket on the brink of 40 is down to a Spartan work-ethic and being able to concentrate full-time on the game since being centrally-contracted in 2009. “The back-up I’ve got from Cricket Ireland, and my friends and sponsors Philip Smith and Patrick Nally of RSA, has given me a chance to play on long after I expected,” he said.Johnston intends to move into full-time coaching, and has already racked up a strong CV with the Leinster Lightning, who have dominated Ireland’s new regional competitions. “The Lighting has been a great experience for me, and a big step up from coaching clubs in an amateur set-up”, he told ESPNcricinfo. “Because funds are tight I’ve had to do a lot more and take more responsibility. You’re involved in selection, media work, and organising training sessions and game plans so it has brought a new dimension which is really interesting.”Towards the end of my Ireland career Simmo gave me extra responsibility in preparing the bowling department and working with the guys there, which was good experience, and I also went to the Women’s World Cup qualifier in 2011 as Jeremy Bray’s assistant.”Cricket Ireland isn’t in a position to hire Johnston, but hopes ICC funding down the line might provide an opportunity. “Warren Deutrom has been honest with me, but I don’t really know if I can stay in Ireland to progress my coaching career,” Johnston said. “It would be great to pick up a job as an assistant or bowling coach and continue to learn the trade. But I know to do that I’d have to travel, which would present challenges. That’s something we’ll deal with if it arises. Hopefully there will be offers and it’s my main priority now to get something nailed down for after December.”Current Ireland captain William Porterfield said: “It’s pretty hard to sum up the impact that TJ has had on Irish cricket and what he has achieved. He has brought so much to the squad both on and off the field, leading by example not only with the new ball, but in showing what it means to pull on the Irish jersey by his work ethic off the pitch. I look forward to enjoying the rest of the season with him and sending him out on a high in the Intercontinental Cup final in December.”Coach Phil Simmons also knows he has a large hole to fill in his attack. “Trent has been one of the pillars of this team. He’s been incredibly consistent and gotten vital wickets at crucial times spearheading the bowling unit. His experience has been invaluable, his dedication and work ethic has been exceptional.”Irish supporters will give the man they call ‘TJ’ a fitting send-off on September 3 when Ireland play England in the RSA Challenge at Malahide.

Lancashire’s bowlers strengthened their grip on this contest during a day of injudicious batting

Graham Hardcastle at Grace Road03-Aug-2013
ScorecardSimon Kerrigan chipped out two quick wickets•Getty Images

Lancashire’s bowlers strengthened their grip on this contest during a day of injudicious batting. A loss of three top order wickets for only 13 runs in four and a half overs during the early afternoon and two more just before close hurt Leicestershire, who now have a job on to save this match should the weather not intervene over the next two days.The second day at Grace Road started with Lancashire losing lower order wickets at some rate to put the kibosh on their chances of reaching 400, something which seemed certain for the vast majority of their innings. In the grand scheme of things, it may not be an issue for them, but seamer Ollie Freckingham added the wickets of Gareth Cross, Glen Chapple and Simon Kerrigan to finish with 4 for 85.They actually lost their last four wickets for 13 to slip from 367 for 6 after a positive start to the day, led by Luke Procter’s fluent 67, had seen them pick up a fourth batting bonus point with some positive stroke play.Even though they lost Tom Smith to the second ball of the day from Matthew Hoggard, they picked up the 47 runs they needed to get to 350 within 10 overs.Cross and Chapple then both fell caught at short extra cover off Freckingham as the innings was wrapped up to leave Leicestershire with a tricky 25 minutes of batting before lunch, which they reached at 20 for 1 from seven overs. Greg Smith fell to Kyle Hogg after Michael Thornely had been dropped twice in two balls in the slips off Hogg and Chapple.Further drama came early in the afternoon session. Chapple and Smith, who extracted extra bounce from the Pavilion End, bowled 45 consecutive dots balls – including six maidens – from the second ball of the eleventh over as Thornely and Ned Eckersley were stuck on 33 for 1 and then 33 for 2 when the former edged Smith to Luis Reece at wide third slip.Eckersley thought he had broken the shackles by pulling Chapple over midwicket for four, but he and captain Matt Boyce were soon on their way to left-arm spinner Kerrigan in only his second over and his first of the session to leave the score at 46 for 4.The loss of Shiv Thakor, who justified his elevation up to No.4 with a determined 34 off 130 balls, was a huge blow as the score slipped to 127 for 6 in the last 10 minutes of play. He had shared a secure partnership of 65 inside 26 overs for the fifth wicket with Niall O’Brien, who posted 41 off 79 either side of an hour and a half’s break for rain.O’Brien will be furious with the manner of his dismissal – bowled off the inside edge as he aimed an expansive drive at Chapple from round the wicket – to leave the score at 111 for 5. There was only one slip of concentration from highly-rated Thakor, but it proved to be crucial.He was not distracted by the introduction of a leg slip by Chapple when he had the ball in his hand, and was only once tempted out of his shell when he edged Kerrigan to Ashwell Prince at slip. Hogg then added his second wicket, the seventh in all, by trapping Tom Wells lbw in the penultimate over of the day. Leicestershire, 253 behind, still need 104 to avoid the follow-on. It looks a long way away.

Medium-pacer Izatullah Dawlatzai capped off a perfect day for Afghanistan’s bowlers with a hat-trick as Afghanistan pummelled Namibia by ten wickets in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMedium-pacer Izatullah Dawlatzai capped off a perfect day for the bowlers with a hat-trick as Afghanistan pummelled Namibia by ten wickets in Windhoek with a day to spare and maintained their second position, behind Ireland, in the ICC Intercontinental points table. Dawlatzai cleaned up the last three wickets in his 11th over to complete his third five-wicket haul in two matches and wrap up Namibia’s innings soon after they had taken a lead. The openers then took just seven balls to get to the target of five runs to continue Afghanistan’s unbeaten run in the tournament.Afghanistan started the day at 345 for 8, already 155 ahead of Namibia, but Asghar Stanikzai was dismissed by Jason Davidson in the second over of the morning without making any addition to his score of 127. The innings folded on 354, but Afghanistan had taken the bonus points for the 164-run first-innings lead and a strong hold of the game.Faced with the task of avoiding an innings defeat, Namibia openers started cautiously, but Rahmat Shah provided the first breakthrough in the eighth over of the innings when he got though the defences of Xander Pitchers. The following batsmen didn’t get many opportunities to score as the bowlers kept the pressure up and the wickets kept falling. When Dawlatzai picked his first wicket, that of opening batsman Pikky Ya France, Namibia were tottering on 84 for 4 in the 39th over.The situation got worse for Namibia as they lost two more wickets with the addition of 22 runs to the total, still 56 runs short of making Afghanistan bat again. A face-saving 55-run stand for the seventh wicket between Sarel Burger and Christi Viljoen helped Namibia reduce the deficit to one run. But the dismissal of Viljoen almost brought an abrupt end to the innings as Dawlatzai mopped the tail, while Burger remained stranded at the other end on 44.

As India A gear up for their final match on the tour to South Africa, a four-day fixture that begins in Pretoria on Saturday, it is the pitch that comes into sharp focus

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013As India A gear up for their final match on the tour to South Africa, a four-day fixture that begins in Pretoria on Saturday, it is the pitch that comes into sharp focus. The one-day tri-series that preceded the Rustenburg four-day game was played in Pretoria, and high scores were the norm in that tournament. The tracks were as flat as they get, and more of the same could be expected for the long-format match.South Africa A would be thankful for that, as they look to square the series. India crushed them by an innings and 13 runs in Rustenburg; the visitors had the best of batting conditions and then, as the pitch began to deteriorate and slow, their bowlers finished the job.For India, Shikhar Dhawan will be particularly glad to return to Pretoria, where he smashed a record 248 off 150 balls during the one-dayers. Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, who scored hundreds in the Rustenburg match, will be hoping to further their chances of returning to South Africa later in the year with the senior team – though Pujara did admit his team-mates know better than to expect similar conditions in that much-anticipated Test series.For now, the Indian batsmen looking to make a final mark will be helped by the fact that South Africa will be without pace bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who was included in the squad but is away due to family reasons. Marchant de Lange will miss out too, as he is still recovering from the rib injury he picked up during South Africa A’s four-day game against Australia A at the end of July. JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell, who were two of the better performers in the first match, are unlikely to be rested.This match will also mark the final game in a unique coaching initiative for South Africa. Six franchise coaches – Cape Cobra’s Paul Adams, Dolphins’ Lance Klusener, Warriors’ Piet Botha, Lions’ Geoffrey Toyana, Knights’ Sarel Cilliers and Titans’ Malibongwe Maketa – had all assisted South Africa A head coach Vincent Barnes during the team’s series against Australia A and India A over the past six weeks.”This gave our domestic coaches an opportunity to work in this environment against international opposition,” Barnes said. “It has worked well because they bring in a lot of experience as assistant coaches and their interaction is important for this [High Performance] programme. Our relationship with the coaches is a lot stronger and that is beneficial going forward.”Cilliers said the tough track in Rustenburg provided the players and the coaches with a good learning experience. “It was a good opportunity to tap into the other players’ mindsets. Our players were tested in difficult conditions in Rustenburg and that not only exposed their short-comings, but also gave a valuable indication of the areas to work on so that we give more accomplished cricketers to the national team.”Adams, the former South Africa spinner, termed the initiative a “platform for growth”. “It was a great experience, being afforded the opportunity to work with the top crop of players in the country,” he said. “I particularly enjoyed getting a different take on game tactics and situations from the players. It is a great platform as it is another way of creating growth amongst the players and the coaches.”As the programme winds down in Pretoria, South Africa’s team of coaches will be hoping some of that growth is visible.