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A round-up of the second round of matches from the domestic Supersport Series in South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2011It was a spinner’s paradise in Pietermaritzburg where the Titans beat the Dolphins by seven wickets.The Dolphins were skittled out for 243 in their first innings. Morne Morkel first hurt them by removing Imraan Khan for 18 before CJ de Villiers deepened the wound when Hashim Amla was trapped lbw. However it was Paul Harris, who is no longer nationally contracted, who had the biggest impact. He manhandled the Dolphins middle order to take 5 for 37 in the innings. Wicketkeeper Daryn Smit put up a fight, with his unbeaten 77, and a 79-run seventh wicket stand with Kyle Abbott, but it was not enough to stop the Titans bowling them out on the first day.In the Titans reply, Tumelo Bodibe and Henry Davids went cheaply on a pitch that was difficult for batting. But the Titans did not suffer any more slumps as national team hopeful, Jacques Rudolph, was among the runs again. He top scored with 118 and shared a century stand with Farhaan Behardien to set the Titans up to take the lead. Heino Kuhn’s gritty 90 will be of interest to the national selectors as he took the Titans to 117-run advantage.Harris opened the bowling in the second innings but did not make an impact immediately. The Dolphins ground out a 66-run first wicket partnership before Khan was out lbw to Martin van Jaarsveld’s offspin. Harris removed Hashim Amla and van Wyk to open the door for legspinner Shaun von Berg to create havoc. His 5 for 76 crippled the Dolphins middle order and their score of 288 in the second innings set Titans a modest target of 172 to chase.Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj caused trouble, plucking three Titans wickets, half-centuries from Berhardien and van Jaarsveld saw the Titans to victory after lunch on the fourth day.On a traditionally flat pitch in Kimberley, the Lions and Knights drew a high-scoring encounter. Runs were slow but steady as the Lions declared their first innings on 455 for 9. Stephen Cook batted throughout the first day and scored 131, which he could not add to on the second morning. Ryan McLaren celebrated his international recall with three wickets and Dillon du Preez, who replaced Johann van der Wath, also claimed three as the Lions middle order battled.Their second century came from an unlikely place. No. 9 batsman, Dale Deeb, better known for left-arm spin, did a Jason Gillespie and scored 101 to give the Lions a meaty first innings total. Late on the second day, the advantage had swung firmly to the Lions as Pumelela Matshikwe took four wickets to have the Knights on the back foot at 95 for 5.Obus Pienaar, who played for South Africa Under-19s, scored a century and put on 155 with McLaren, who made 55 to steer the Knights to safety. Du Preez’s 83 took the Knights to within 100 runs of the Lions total, when Morne van Wyk declared on 378 for 8, 77 runs behind.His decision quickly looked like the right one, with the Lions stumbling to 72 for 4, with Quinton Friend doing the early damage. Alviro Petersen who is competing with Jacques Rudolph for a Test spot, dropped to No. 4 in the order, but scored a duck to end with disappointing stats of just 35 runs in the match. Neil McKenzie and Temba Bavuma both scored centuries to make sure the Lions could build a competitive total. They declared on 266 for 4, at lunch on the last day, setting the Knights a target of 344 and leaving themselves two sessions to bowl them out.Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar started safely with a first wicket stand of 62 but Cliffe Deacon’s triple strike after breaking through the opening partnership gave the Lions a sniff. He took here wickets in three overs to send Elgar, Boeta Dippenaar and Ryan Bailey packing. Deacon finished with five wickets in the innings, but the Lions did not have enough time to bowl the Knights out and had to settle for the draw with the Knights at 189 for 6.

Virender Sehwag could be a doubt for the Champions League T20 after he strained a ligament in his left ankle during India’s final Super Eights match in the World Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2012Virender Sehwag could be a doubt for the Champions League T20 after he strained a ligament in his left ankle during India’s final Super Eights match in the World Twenty20 against South Africa in Colombo.Sehwag went off the field during South Africa’s innings and did not return. It was reported that he would need two weeks of rest. Sehwag had given up the Delhi Daredevils captaincy for the Champions League, which begins on October 9, but remained a key member of their squad. Delhi are scheduled to open their campaign on October 13 in Centurion.Sehwag had a poor World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, scoring only 54 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 112 and was left out of the group game against England. India failed to qualify for the semi-finals despite winning four out of five matches, exiting the Super Eights on net run-rate.

Shaminda Eranga, the fast-bowling allrounder, has been picked to replace the injured Angelo Mathews in the Sri Lanka squad currently playing in the Asia Cup.

Sa'adi Thawfeeq14-Mar-2012Shaminda Eranga, the fast-bowling allrounder, has been picked to replace the injured Angelo Mathews in the Sri Lanka squad currently playing in the Asia Cup.Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, said that Eranga was picked because the team needed to bolster its rank of fast bowlers for the rest of the tournament. “Lasith Malinga is nursing a groin strain and he was left out of the first match against India,” De Mel said. “He will most probably play in tomorrow’s game against Pakistan, We thought Eranga, who has recovered from his shoulder injury, would be useful because he can bat as well.”Eranga made his Test debut against Australia at the SSC last year, taking 4 for 65. He has scored a first-class hundred and four half-centuries in his 41-match career. Eranga was originally named in Sri Lanka’s Test squad to play Pakistan in the UAE last year, but had to withdraw with a shoulder injury to his right arm.Apart from Mathews, who has been ruled out with a calf muscle injury, Sri Lanka have also lost the services of another fast bowling all-rounder, Thisara Perera, who picked up a back injury during the triangular one-day series in Australia that also featured India.Edited by Tariq Engineer

ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between England and India at Chester-le-Street

The Preview by Andrew Miller02-Sep-2011Match factsJade Dernbach has become a pivotal member of England’s ODI bowling line-up•PA PhotosSeptember 3, Chester-le-Street
Start time 1015 (0915 GMT)Big PictureAutumn is closing in and the football season is in full swing. A major Test series has been wrapped up with aplomb, and now attention turns to a lengthy round of what might, in some quarters, be regarded as After-the-Lord-Mayor’s-show ODI fixtures. Not so long ago, such a scenario would have guaranteed a slackening of English interest and, coincidentally or not, culminated in a crushing defeat. But not anymore. For a variety of reasons, the coming fortnight ought to contain some of the most keenly fought contests of the year.As a reference point, take the last ODI meeting between these two teams – that incredible World Cup tussle in Bangalore back in March. A Sachin Tendulkar hundred appeared to have propelled India towards a hefty victory, only for the innings of Andrew Strauss’s one-day life to haul the game back in England’s direction. A stunning late spell from Zaheer Khan tipped the scales once again, only for England’s tail to scramble their way to a tie.What happened next hardly needs spelling out. India surged to their second World Cup victory, while England staggered to a quarter-final battering by Sri Lanka in the most harum-scarum campaign of all time. Six months on, therefore, both teams have a great deal to prove. India, as reigning World Champions, will be seeking to confirm their one-day pre-eminence in their biggest bilateral series since that final in Mumbai; England will want to use this stage to prove they are a far better limited-overs outfit than they recently appeared to be.So far this summer, England have already had the better of one of the World Cup finalists, Sri Lanka, and on the evidence of India’s tour so far, they will be expecting to emulate that achievement in the coming weeks. Strauss has stepped aside to concentrate on his Test future, but his replacement Alastair Cook showed an astounding change of pace in his first ODI series for 15 months, leading from the front with a century at Lord’s, and 95 from 75 balls in the series-turning victory at Trent Bridge. A new-look team has no place for Kevin Pietersen, after the decision was taken to rest him for the remainder of the summer, but England’s momentum and self-belief is sure to carry over, to some degree, from their Test series whitewash.India’s fortunes surely cannot slip any lower than they are at present. There were glimpses of a resurgent attitude in the Twenty20 defeat at Old Trafford, where the debutant Ajinkya Rahane showcased a technique and temperament that bodes well for future challenges, and where even the exposed Suresh Raina found a method to combat his short-ball uncertainties – his baseball smack for six off Stuart Broad wasn’t entirely convincing but mighty effective.They lack a glut of senior players from that World Cup campaign – Zaheer, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma and Virender Sehwag have all fallen by the wayside in the course of an arduous tour, which leaves the ever-green Sachin Tendulkar to carry the burden of expectation once again, as he embarks on his latest quest for that elusive 100th international hundred. Rahul Dravid, recalled to the ODI team for a farewell campaign, will provide a sturdy sidekick, but all things considered – not least, the ropey Indian fielding that prompted Nasser Hussain’s controversial “donkey” comment – England will believe they’ve got the beating of this team.As West Indies, Australia and India all demonstrated in cricket’s recent past, when you’re the No. 1 in the world in one format, the expectation is that you should emulate that achievement across the board. With 10 series wins in their last 12 bilateral engagements, England do have something on which to build. But if India deny them in the coming five games, they’ll feel they’ve lost more than just the summer’s consolation prize.Form guide (Most recent first)
England WWWLL
India LLWWWIn the spotlightJade Dernbach was a shock call-up to England’s World Cup squad this winter. Uncapped and largely unknown, he vaulted into the knock-out stages via the England Lions tour to the Caribbean, and came within a whisker of playing in that ten-wicket quarter-final defeat against Sri Lanka. But as this summer has progressed, so his extraordinary virtues have made themselves known. Not since Darren Gough was in his pomp have England possessed a one-day bowler so full of tricks and variation, and even Gough’s slower balls lacked the subtlety that Dernbach brings to the mix. In consecutive fixtures, his death bowling proved too canny for Ireland in Dublin and India at Old Trafford, and while his methods are now well-known, few batsmen have managed to decode him.Generally speaking, it’s not wise to read too much into a single Twenty20 performance, but on a tour of few highlights from an Indian point of view, the composure shown by their debutant opener, Ajinkya Rahane, was a very welcome development. He came into the contest boasting a first-class average of 67 after learning his trade in the Ranji Trophy, and the confidence with which he dismissed England’s short-ball attack gave the impression of a player with substance. In a batting order crying out for technical proficiency to replace a raft of ageing greats, he’s clearly a man to watch.Team newsGraeme Swann, who might have celebrated the Twenty20 victory a bit harder than he intended, is a doubt for Durham after suffering a stomach complaint – a decision will be made in the morning. In Pietersen’s absence, Ian Bell is likely to slot in at No. 4, although there may be a temptation to blood the new boy, Ben Stokes, in front of his home crowd at Chester-le-Street.England (possible) 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Jade DernbachIndia have no fitness issues to report – aside from the glut that have already decimated the squad, of course.India (possible) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt / wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 R Vinay KumarPitch and conditionsA seam-friendly surface, and grey Northern skies are on the agenda. The prospect is for showers, and nippy autumnal temperatures.Stats and trivia India are unbeaten in ODIs against England since 2007, having won 5-0 in their home series in November 2008, and tied their most recent match back in March. However, England took the spoils in the last series in this country four years ago, winning the rubber 4-3 after a seven-wicket win in the decider at Lord’s. England have won four of their previous eight ODIs at Chester-le-Street, including each of their last three against Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand. Their only previous match at the venue against India, in 2002, was a wash-out. Two players remain from that 2002 fixture, and no prizes for guessing which they are. Sachin Tendulkar scored 105 not out and Rahul Dravid (keeping wicket) made 82, before rain prevented a probable India win.Quotes”Let’s not get too carried away with four years’ time. The most important thing is what we do tomorrow.”
“There are fresh faces with the mindset to do well and have had time to prepare.”
Virat Kohli thinks India’s build-up to the ODIs – which included three tour games – will stand them in good stead.

It was ironical that a run-out ended Shakib Al Hasan’s innings that was so solidly built on patience and thinking on his feet

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur18-Dec-2011It was ironical that a run-out ended Shakib Al Hasan’s innings that was so solidly built on patience and thinking on his feet. He made 144 in nearly six hours that spanned five sessions, two of which went wicketless. But instead of focusing on how it all ended, a DVD of this innings would be worth it for the sheer quality of the innings.When Mushfiqur Rahim tucked Umar Gul off his hips into the vacant midwicket area, there was a single for the taking. But the captain took a few steps forward and called late, leading to hesitation and by the time Shakib turned back, Taufeeq Umar broke the stumps with a direct hit. The error was Mushfiqur’s and Shakib’s reaction was a natural expression of a man who had battled the conditions and the opponents.”Nobody wants to get out like that so I am slightly disappointed, but I am happy with the runs I have scored,” Shakib said. “Run-out is also part of the game, it happens.”This was the fifth longest stint at the crease by a Bangladesh batsman, and easily Shakib’s longest innings. Most of those in front of him in this list were picked and recognised for their ability to bat long. His only other Test century came in the second innings against New Zealand in 2010, a three-hour knock that was on par with most Test hundreds in terms of time. However, this knock in Mirpur began on the first day and he knew that one mistake could prove costly for the entire team.”I would keep this century ahead of the other one. I had to work really hard for this. I batted with the tail-enders in Hamilton and the situation was different there,” Shakib said.”The first century is always special but this one’s the most satisfying, I had phases when I had to check my shots. I have batted a long time for this century,” said Shakib, whose ability to pick singles (63, more than half the team’s 118) was another lesson for his team-mates.Of the 15 boundaries during the 242-ball innings, Shakib hit just one on the second day. Perhaps the situation and the bowling attack was taken into consideration, but he let Mushfiqur find his feet during their 82-run sixth wicket stand. They batted out the shortened first session of 21 overs without fuss.For the past two years, Bangladesh had lost a wicket when they were nearing a break. But in two days, they had as many wicket-less sessions, thereby reversing the trend. The last session of the first day and the first on the next is often critical for Bangladesh when they bat first and make a good start.Shakib mentioned how the team has had to start “all over again” due to the long breaks between Test series.”I don’t think we are going backwards. The trouble is when we get to play Tests after long breaks,” Shakib said. “We have to start everything anew when we play Tests after 2-3 months. It takes an innings or two to understand the situation.”If we could play regularly, it wouldn’t be a problem. You can see that we played Tests regularly before taking the 14-month break. Our performance was better at that time.”Shakib regretted not carrying on during the second day, and the thought of a possible double-century crossed his mind.”If I say I don’t have it [regrets] I would be wrong. But I didn’t target that I have to score X number of runs. I wanted to bat as long as possible. If I could have batted all day, I would have gotten the double-century,” he said.But Shakib is a hard man to impress. When asked if Bangladesh had gotten rid of their mental block after their vastly improved first-innings performance, he said that he would talk about it after the second innings.

02-May-2011
ScorecardLonwabo Tsotsobe produced his best performance of the season so far to inspire Essex to a seven-wicket victory over Lancashire in their Clydesdale Bank 40 duel at Chelmsford.The South African paceman, after conceding 13 in his opening over, recovered to emerge with figures of four wickets for 43 runs from 7.4 overs as the visitors were bowled out for 190. It was never enough to test Essex who, after losing two early wickets, won with 35 deliveries to spare following half-centuries from skipper James Foster and Ravi Bopara.Following the brisk start given to them by Stephen Moore and Karl Brown, Lancashire will have been bitterly disappointed to have been bowled out in the 37th over. The openers looked completely at ease as they proceeded to 87 in the 14th over – but then left-arm spinner Tim Phillips struck to have Moore taken low down at backward point by Graham Napier for 45.Tsotsobe then claimed the first of his wickets when Brown drove to cover for 47, Jaik Mickleburgh holding on to a firmly struck drive. From then onwards, Lancashire completely lost their way as wickets fell at regular intervals. In between Tsotsobe inflicting further damage, Bopara struck twice in an over to get rid of Paul Horton and Farveez Maharoof.Once the openers were dismissed only Gareth Cross and Luke Procter, with 24 each, managed to reach double figures. Bopara finished with 3 for 49 from his eight overs, while Phillips collected 2 for 32 from his full allocation.Lancashire spirits were briefly lifted when they quickly got rid of the openers when Essex replied. Mark Pettini departed leg before to Sajid Mahmood for seven, while Alastair Cook, having made 17 of the 32 on the board, swung the same bowler into the hands of Procter at deep square-leg.But then Bopara and Foster, who scored half-centuries in the victory over Nottinghamshire by the same margin a day earlier, took charge. Without the need to take risks they put on 135 in 24 overs before Foster was stumped by Cross off Simon Kerrigan for 77 that arrived off 76 balls and contained nine fours.Bopara, who enjoyed a life on 17 when wicketkeeper Cross put down a catch, finished unbeaten on a 75 that spanned 76 deliveries and included just five boundaries.

All six franchises on sale at the Bangladesh Premier League team auction have been bought. The auction, which took place in Dhaka on January 10, saw a total of $6.49 million spent

Mohammad Isam10-Jan-2012What the franchises went for

Chittagong – $1.2 million (SQ Sports)

Khulna – $1.1 million (Orion Group)

Rajshahi – $1.07 million (Digital Auto Care)

Sylhet – $1.06 million (Conglomerate led by Walton)

Dhaka – 1.05 million (Europa Group)

Rajshahi 1.01 million (Alif Group)

The auction for the six franchises of the Bangladesh Premier League has been completed with a total of $6.49 million spent, and none of the teams fetching much more than their base price of $1 million. Chittagong was the most expensive franchise at $1.2 million and Barisal the least at $1.01 million.BPL governing council secretary Sirajuddin Mohammed Alamgir, however, said he was delighted that the teams had been bought because the tournament, which has received considerable promotion, can now go ahead as planned next month without any hitches. “We are very happy that it has all been completed properly,” Alamgir told ESPNcricinfo. “We have the tournament guaranteed now and we didn’t have to face any embarrassing situations. Bids were placed and we had the franchises sold.”The auction, held in Dhaka, was a low-key event after the sudden demise of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s chief Manzur Ahmed in the morning. The franchises have been bought for a six-year period.The Chittagong franchise was bought by SQ Sports, a group of businessmen led by Dhaka Dyeing, who outbid Pearl Trading ($1.05 million) and Digital Auto Care ($1 million). The fact that a $200,000 bump from the base price was the highest for any team says a lot about the bidding war – or lack of it.The second-highest price offered was for Khulna, which was bought by Orion Group for $1.1 million. Digital Auto Care paid just $1.07 million for Rajshahi; a group of business houses led by Walton, a local electronic goods manufacturing giant, bought Sylhet for $1.06 million; and the Dhaka franchise was picked up by Europa Group for $1.05 million with the other bidders – Digital Auto Care and Euro Impex – offering the base price. This was a bit of a surprise given the prestige attached to the country’s biggest division. When the teams were sold for the National Cricket League T20s two years ago there had been fierce competition between bidders for the Dhaka team.The Alif Group acquired the Barisal franchise for the lowest price of all the teams: $1.01 million. The bidding for the Barisal team turned into a bit of a farce when Southern International quoted $900,000, which was less than the base price for a franchise. That bid indicated the lack of confidence investors seemed to have in the benefits of buying a franchise.The money paid to acquire the franchises will go to Game On Sports, who signed a six-year deal worth $44.3 million with the BCB, acquiring the rights to manage the BPL.”Game On Sports will get all the income from this auction, which will be paid in yearly installments,” Alamgir said. “The companies that have bought the franchises will be in control of their respective teams for six years, though they can sell them after three years. As for the payment to be received by the BCB from Game On Sports, that will be received in installments over six years, paid 30 days after the end of each edition of the tournament.”The absence of bids from big corporate houses was something even the eventual franchise owners expressed concern about, but they expect the profile of the tournament to grow once it starts. Notably, the companies that bought National Cricket League T20 franchises two years ago did not bid for teams this time. That tournament only lasted one season, and that experience, coupled with the fragility of the Bangladesh market, kept them away from the auction.Foreign buyers were also rumoured to have shown interest in buying teams but none came forward in the end. There is hope that owners of IPL franchises will buy stakes in the BPL franchises from their owners.Alamgir said that the revenue generated by the BPL would be ploughed back into first-class and age-group level cricket in Bangladesh, though the franchises will not have any obligation to develop or have any connection to the divisional sides. “The BCB’s policy will be to use this money for longer-version cricket as well as for schools and age-group cricket. It will help us put the regional structure in place.”But these franchises are businesses so we can’t ask their owners to develop regional cricket. They can do it if they want, but primarily the franchises need to be run as professionally strong units with a focus on developing marketing and team management.”The Rajshahi team owners have moved quickly, and have already roped in former chief selector and Bangladesh captain Faruk Ahmed as the manager of the team, and former opener Athar Ali Khan as its chief advisor. They will also involve former national captain Khaled Mashud, who is regarded as the most influential man in Rajshahi cricket.Europa Group, the Dhaka franchise owners, have asked former Bangladesh captain and current national team selector Habibul Bashar to build their team as its chief consultant.The players’ auction will be held on January 19 in Dhaka, and will feature several international cricketers, as well as local players, who will be justifiably excited about the prospects of signing a lucrative deal.

Wolves could have winger Daniel Podence available for the final three Premier League matches of the season.

What’s the latest?

According to goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts, as quoted by Birmingham Live, “Daniel has been doing a bit of training so we will see what happens with him.”

That was stated before yesterday’s thrilling 2-2 draw away at Chelsea with manager Bruno Lage unable to take the press conference nor travel to the capital following a positive virus test.

The Portuguese was absent from the matchday squad at Stamford Bridge and hasn’t featured for Lage’s side since the 2-1 win against Aston Villa over a month ago whilst nursing a foot injury.

However, his return will be incredibly timely with Wolves targeting a third seventh-place finish in four seasons.

Lage will be buzzing

It could definitely be argued that it’s no coincidence that Wolves had lost three games in a row without scoring whilst without Podence before yesterday’s draw.

Moreover, the West Midlands outfit had gone 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea crumbled and conceded two goals late on.

The 26-year-old has scored six times and registered three assists in 29 appearances across all competitions this term with goals a rarity for the Old Gold this season.

Only Burnley, Watford and Norwich have scored fewer Premier League goals than the Golden Boys’ 35, with the latter two now relegated.

Moreover, Podence’s tally is an improvement on the three goals and two assists last year, although the winger did score all three in the league whilst his tally in the top-flight currently stands at two this term.

With Wolves sat in eighth, there’s still a chance that the Black Country club secures European football for next season with seventh place West Ham just two points ahead whilst sixth-place Manchester United have an eight-point gap but have played two extra games.

Although it’s not in his side’s hands, Lage will be keen to have as many of his key players available for the final three games as possible as they look to make a late climb up the table.

If Podence can return to fitness in time for the final matches, it will certainly boost his side’s chances of securing European football.

AND in other news: Forget Coady: “Ridiculous” Wolves dynamo who won 71% duels saved the day vs Chelsea

Somerset believe they have played an important part in giving England a head start to the Test series against India after being able to “bully” India for three days in Taunton

Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2011Somerset believe they have played an important part in giving England a head start to the Test series against India after being able to “bully” the visitors for three days in Taunton. The Indians were never a threat in their lone warm-up match before Lord’s as their bowling was twice taken apart and the batting folded for 224.For most of the contest, once they had lost the toss on a flat pitch, the Indians didn’t appear to have their heart in the game whereas the county side took it very seriously. They were determined to limit the value India could take from the outing, which is why they didn’t enforce the follow-on. Then Peter Trego embarrassed them with a 57-ball 85, which left them looking well short of readiness for the first Test.”I fully understand it’s quite difficult for Test sides to get themselves up for these games, however it’s about practising good habits,” Andy Hurry, the Somerset coach, said. “They are going to come up against a stern test against a side challenging to be No. 1, so they’ll have to lift their game. I’m sure they will, playing at the home of cricket, but it’s been interesting – their approach and how that reflects in the way they performed.”It was important that we gave it our best shot and really put them under the pump. We won the toss on a great batting pitch, dominated the game and started to bully them, which is a great position for England to sit back in their seats and appreciate what we have done for them.”We had an opportunity to build scoreboard pressure, then got our rewards and bowled them out,” he said. “They were looking for the follow-on but we weren’t giving them that. It was an opportunity for us to go in again and reinforce our position before giving them a little dart at the end to try and bowl them out.”Andrew Strauss, preparing for the Test series with a guest appearance, made the most of his time with scores of 78 and an unbeaten 109 to ensure he enters the main contest in good spirits following his lean time against Sri Lanka earlier in the season. Hurry couldn’t praise Strauss highly enough for his short spell with the team and the benefit it brought to the younger players.”It’s been a perfect three days for him,” Hurry said. “We kept the Indians in the field for a number of overs. He looked really busy at the wicket and built his innings. He’s been outstanding to have in the changing room. The boys have thrived on having him around. He’s been a real good egg.”It’s had a huge positive effect on the younger players. Guys who have aspirations of playing for England now understand what the England captain is about. He has an aura about him. [As he] sat in the changing room, the guys were listening to everything he said about batting and the England set-up. It’s been positive from all sides.”

Dean Elgar and Farhaan Behardien put South Africa A into a very strong position on the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh A at Pietermaritzburg

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2011
ScorecardDean Elgar and Farhaan Behardien put South Africa A into a very strong position on the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh A at Pietermaritzburg.Elgar closed unbeaten on 120 with Behardien not out 75 as their 147-run third wicket stand broke the back of the tourists after two quick wickets had given them hope.Jacques Rudolph won the toss and chose to bat first and South Africa A were immediately on top as Shahadat Hossain leaked runs. Having reached 79 without loss Noor Hossain trapped Andrew Puttick in front for 29 to give Bangladesh A some much-needed relief. Mohammad Ashraful then removed his opposite number, Rudolph, for 1 and the tourists were back in it.But Elgar and Behardien could not be removed. Instead Elgar struck 15 boundaries and a six in his 194-ball stay and Behardien seven fours in his 116-ball knock.