Category Uncategorized

Pune Warriors’ Rahul Sharma has said that instability in the batting order was one of the main reasons for the team’s poor performance in IPL 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2013Pune Warriors legspinner Rahul Sharma said that instability in the batting order has been one of the main reasons for the team’s poor performance in IPL 2013.”I think we are not clicking together,” Rahul told after Chennai Super Kings beat Warriors by 37 runs. “It is a new team and the captain is also new. He is captaining well, making good changes while bowling but the batting order is not getting set and the middle order is collapsing.”Sharma also conceded that the Warriors bowlers had given away too many runs towards the end of the innings, allowing Super Kings to reach 164 for 3 after they were 103 for 3 in the 16th over.”Since we had a good batting wicket, the plan was to not give the batsmen too much room because they do have a lot of hard-hitters lower down like MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel,” Sharma said. “We wanted to restrict them to as less as possible, like 140 or 150, but then according to me we gave about 20 runs more.”Super Kings batsman S Badrinath credited the side’s sharp fielding for the win. “I think our fielding was tremendous,” Badrinath said. “Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel effected run outs. Whenever we have looked for breaks, our fielding has pulled it up. I think that is a big plus with our side. I don’t think you can find any weak fielder on the ground so that is something we work hard on as well.”Badrinath, who was involved in a 75-run stand for the third wicket with Raina, said the batsmen had a plan to steady the innings before the big-hitting batsmen took charge in the final overs.”We assessed the wicket to be a bit slow and low,” Badrinath said. “It was not easy to play shots so Raina and I decided to stay on for a while and take our time. Even if it was a run a ball it was fine, but the idea was not to lose wickets and to keep rotating the strike. We knew that with the power hitters behind us we could make up. Keeping wickets in hand was the key for us.”

Stephen Fleming has ruled himself out of replacing John Wright as New Zealand’s coach, declaring he is not ready to return to the grind of constant touring

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2012Stephen Fleming has ruled himself out of replacing John Wright as New Zealand’s coach, declaring he is not ready to return to the grind of constant touring. Fleming has not dismissed the possibility of pursuing the head coach position in the future but said the timing was not right and he would prefer to spend time at home with his young family.Fleming’s only coaching involvement is leading Chennai Super Kings and his side nearly won the IPL title on Sunday, narrowly losing the final to the Kolkata Knight Riders. He said the relatively abbreviated nature of the IPL was preferable to international coaching at the moment, given his desire to have plenty of time at home.”Not really, from a selfish point of view,” Fleming said on radio when asked if he would consider the New Zealand coaching job. “I enjoy these two months [in the IPL] because it’s my cricket fix and it’s done and dusted, whereas with the national side you’ve got constant development and requirements with trave, not dissimilar to when you’re playing and I’m still, I guess, weaning my way off playing for 15 or 20 years.”I don’t know if that’s the path I want to go down. I have a good relationship with a number of the players, I enjoy talking about their game … and that might pull me back at some point but I certainly can’t see that in the near future.”Fleming, 39, retired from international cricket in 2008 and the following year ended his ties with Wellington and focused on his sports management business. In October 2009 he was considered a candidate to replace Andy Moles as New Zealand’s coach but, like this year, ruled himself out due to his family commitments.”I’m enjoying the four years I’ve been away [from playing] to develop new skills, meet new people and dabble a little bit in cricket,” he said. “The timing really is the main point for me, I’m not quite ready to get back onto that roundabout of international cricket. I’ve got a young family that I love spending time with and while I do care deeply about the New Zealand side and the direction they’re going, the timing’s just not right for me to jump back into that touring lifestyle.”New Zealand Cricket wants to have appointed a new coach by the end of July, with Wright set to finish after the two-Test tour of the Caribbean in July and August. Wright took over from Mark Greatbatch as coach in December 2010 but decided against extending his contract this year, in part due to his differences with John Buchanan, who as NZC’s director of cricket will play a key role in appointing the new mentor.

Surrey’s youthful pace duo Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker have both extended their deals with the club which will keep them at The Oval until the end of 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2011Surrey’s youthful pace duo Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker have both extended their deals with the club which will keep them at The Oval until the end of 2013.Having both come through the Surrey youth system Dernbach, 25, and Meaker, 22, have 197 first-class wickets between them in 68 matches for Surrey.Dernbach was called into the England World Cup squad after an impressive showing for the England Lions on their recent tour to the Caribbean and has since been named in the England Performance Programme for the 2011. Meaker, meanwhile, has played Under-19 cricket for England.Jade Dernbach said: “I have been a Surrey player throughout my career and am delighted to be committing my future to the club for the next three years. It is the career that I have had so far with Surrey that has earned me selection for England and I look forward to continuing to take wickets and progressing my career at the Kia Oval.”Stuart Meaker added: “Signing on with Surrey for the next three seasons gives me the best possible base to develop my skills and fulfil my ambitions of winning silverware and playing for England.”The club is in a fantastic place at the moment and – with the depth of talent in our young squad – there is nowhere else I would rather be playing my cricket.”

Essex cricketers Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield have been questioned by Essex police in connection with an ongoing investigation into spot-fixing

Cricinfo staff15-May-2010Essex cricketers Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield have been questioned by Essex police in connection with an ongoing investigation into spot-fixing, according to a report in the .Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, and Westfield, a right-arm seamer, are believed to have appeared at Brentwood police station on Friday. The investigation centres on alleged spot-fixing in Essex’s Pro40 match against Durham last September.Both were questioned under caution and released on bail until September 15, pending further enquiries. However, they can continue to play cricket as they were not charged.The controversy came to light on April 9, when a short statement confirmed a police investigation had been launched, and Kaneria, who was linked with the reports, immediately denied the claims.Reacting to these reports, the ICC president David Morgan said the game’s governing body is doing its best to keep an eye on illegal activities. “What is very clear is that we are extremely vigilant. We have the anti-corruption and security unit,” Morgan said in Barbados. “They look very carefully at movements in terms of the amounts bet on particular issues and so on. I can honestly say to you that I have no knowledge of any spot-fixing that I am refusing to tell you about.”Spot-fixing, which unlike traditional match-fixing (where the end result is the important aspect), is based on betting around small moments within a match, for example how many runs will come off a certain over, or how many no-balls or wides will be sent down.

Both teams are on eight points with only three games left

S Sudarshanan08-May-20242:52

Bishop: RCB batters’ intent the key ingredient in turnaround

Match details

Punjab Kings (PBKS, eighth) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB, seventh)
Dharamsala, 7:30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture: RCB’s batting unit clicks into gear

The winner of Thursday’s contest will keep their slim hopes of making the playoffs alive, the loser will join Mumbai Indians as the second side to be eliminated this season.RCB in their first six matches and in their last five matches are two different teams. Their batters have flicked a switch ever since they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by a mere 25 runs in a chase of 288. RCB’s lowest score in the last five games is the 152 they made chasing 148 against Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru. What’s helped them is Faf du Plessis coming back to form and a stable top four – comprising Virat Kohli, du Plessis, Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar.Du Plessis has hit two fifties in the last five matches, and as a result, enabled RCB to score quicker in the first six overs. Their run-rate in the powerplay in the last five matches (12.3) is far superior to what it was in the first six (8.27). This has allowed them to have the likes of Jacks and Patidar batting in the middle overs, because additional risks early on do sometimes result in wickets but those have worked in RCB’s favour, which again reflects in the run-rate. With better spin-hitters at the crease, they’re going at 11.03 in the middle overs in matches since April 15 as opposed to 8.41 in the games before that.Related

• IPL playoff scenarios: Mumbai Indians pray for LSG to beat SRH

• Porel makes quiet impact in star-studded Capitals line-up

The other effect of this batting resurgence is that Kohli, who has been consistent from the start of IPL 2024, is free to play as he wishes – evidenced by the jump in his strike rate from 141.77 (first six games) to 158.15 (last five matches). Which is all part of why this match against PBKS comes at perhaps the right time for RCB.PBKS are superb travelers but do not find much solace at home. They have had three home venues in the last two seasons – Mohali, Dharamsala and the newest addition Mullanpur – the most for any team. In IPL 2024, they have won three out of the five away games but only one in six at home. PBKS have the lowest percentage of home wins in the last two seasons, and their clash against RCB is their last in Dharamsala in IPL 2024.

Form guide

Punjab Kings LWWLL (last five completed games, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WWWLL

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Punjab KingsShikhar Dhawan has not travelled with the side to Dharamsala, so expect them to play the same combination that has helped them win two of their last three games.Probable XII: , 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Shashank Singh, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Ashutosh Sharma, 7 Sam Curran (capt), 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar has good history with RCB•Associated Press

Royal Challengers BengaluruGlenn Maxwell returned to action after a long break and contributed a wicket in RCB’s win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad and wasn’t required with the bat. But in the reverse fixture, he fell for a duck to continue his lean run. RCB could persist with him or consider getting Reece Topley and his variations in on a surface which had assistance for the slower bowlers in the PBKS-CSK match. Patidar and Yash Dayal look to be the likely Impact Sub swap again.Probable XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Will Jacks, , 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Swapnil Singh, 9 Karn Sharma, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Vijaykumar Vyshak,

In the spotlight: Will Jacks and Harpreet Brar

Before his IPL debut, Jacks had played 131 of his 155 T20 innings as an opener. But at RCB, he has batted at No. 3 and made that spot his own even though he has had mixed returns. Four of his six innings have been single-digit scores while the other two knocks saw him score a 55 and a 100 not out. He’ll have his task cut out for him against a bowling attack that has been the second-most economical (8.33 to Chennai Super Kings’ 8.07) in the first 16 overs (powerplay and middle overs), and the most economical in the first ten overs in IPL 2024.The last time PBKS played RCB, Brar was their most economical bowler, with scarcely believable figures of 2 for 13 in a game where the batting side scored at over nine an over. He nipped out two of RCB’s best players of spin in Patidar and Maxwell bu they hadn’t put enough runs of the board for that to really matter. Only Gujarat Titans (strike rate of 111.87) score slower than RCB (119.33) against left-arm orthodox in IPL 2024. And Brar has one-third of his 24 IPL wickets against RCB. He is a big threat to their playoff hopes.

Stats that matter

• Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Kohli and du Plessis four times each in all men’s T20s. While Kohli strikes him at 106.25, du Plessis does much better with 66 runs off 47 balls at 140.42.
• Among bowlers who have bowled at least 60 balls at the death in IPL 2024, Arshdeep Singh’s economy rate of 12.35 is the second-worst. However, no PBKS bowler has more than his eight wickets in this phase. Now among batters who have faced at least 60 balls in the last four overs, Dinesh Karthik’s strike rate of 231.42 is the second-best. Arshdeep has managed to dismiss Karthik three times in 27 balls for 45 runs.
• Jonny Bairstow strikes at 177.55 against RCB, his best against any opposition in the IPL. He also enjoys the upper hand in the duel with Mohammed Siraj: 54 runs in 25 balls for one dismissal in all T20s

Pitch and conditions

In Dharamsala, captains winning the toss have opted to bowl in the three IPL matches since last year and only once have gone on to win the match. Even in the first game at the venue this season – PBKS’ previous outing – Chennai Super Kings managed to defend 167 successfully. The temperature in Dharamsala is forecast to be in the early twenties.

Quotes

“We go to Delhi after this [RCB game] for a couple of days, before we go to our next game in Guwahati [against Royals on May 15], and Shikhar will be assessed. Hopefully we can have some more positive news on the last couple of [league phase] games but we will assess him when we get to Delhi.”

Australia assistant coach Dan Vettori is impressed with the young spinners for playing the conditions and not the big-name India batters

Andrew McGlashan06-Mar-2023Indore. India’s first innings. Todd Murphy to Virat Kohli.It was Murphy’s only wicket of the third Test among the 18 that Australia’s spinners claimed, but it was just about the perfect set-up from the young offspinner following the seven he took on debut in Nagpur. It came amid Matthew Kuhnemann’s five-wicket haul on the opening day in Indore as India fell apart for 109.Related

• Murphy relishes 'awesome' battle with Kohli and 'surreal' start to Test cricket

• Cummins will miss final Test too, Smith to lead Australia in Ahmedabad

• Lyon's apprentice Murphy tops his master in Nagpur

• Kuhnemann follows Jadeja blueprint to inspire comeback

• Going around the wicket to take buckets of wickets

Nathan Lyon went on to enjoy one of the finest days of his stellar Test career with eight wickets in the second innings, but it’s the performance of Australia’s inexperienced spinners in this series that has been equally noteworthy.That dismissal of Kohli was the third time Murphy had removed him in the series: overall Murphy has conceded 41 runs from 99 balls against him. Kuhnemann has had Kohli twice in three innings.Spinners will rarely get better conditions to operate in, but with that comes the expectation to perform and with Murphy and Kuhnemann holding a combined first-class match tally of 20 before the series, they could easily have been overawed.”That’s the main challenge on these surfaces, the expectation is so high that you are going to do well [and] you are going to take a wicket every ball,” Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori, who made his Test debut after just two first-class matches back in the 1996-97 season, said. “To be able to be consistent against some of the best players of spin you’ll come across in these conditions and with these expectations has probably been the most impressive thing so far.”I think the guys who do it consistently, there are quite a number of them on show in this series from both teams… they don’t wilt to the pressure. They just understand their process and they repeat, repeat and repeat. I think that’s the real skill over here. To repeat as much as you can because you can get carried away by what’s going on, the expectation, but all six spinners so far in the series have been able to manage those expectations.”Kuhnemann was more expensive in the second innings, although he did claim Kohli’s wicket, and Murphy’s wicketless 14 overs, which cost just 18 runs, have been praised for keeping a lid on India.

Daniel Vettori: Todd Murphy can attack as well as defend

Alex Carey, who was able to complete his first Test stumping when Murphy defeated Kohli in the second innings in Delhi, has had the perfect vantage point.”Credit to the two young bowlers coming in and not playing the batsmen,” he said. “Playing the conditions, playing the way that they have been for their state. I probably look to that second innings… at a time where Matty was leaking a little bit. So for him [Murphy] to do that, that’s a huge role. Although he didn’t get the wickets, we acknowledge that spell of bowling, the dryness that he had from his end.”Matthew Kuhnemann has dismissed Virat Kohli twice in three innings•BCCI

“Steve Smith singled him [Murphy] out around his performances in the last Test,” Vettori added. “Obviously Nathan and Matt got all the wickets but… his spell allowed everyone around him to take those wickets. And I think that probably embodies it, that series of balls that he’s bowled to Kohli.”Todd has that skill that he can be a defensive bowler and he can be an attacking bowler and work around pretty much whatever is required from him in the game. For such a young and inexperienced spinner… to be able to come here and handle these tough situations and perform the role that’s required has been impressive.”Vettori played eight Tests in India where he claimed 31 wickets at 44.77 in an era where the pitches were often in favour of the bat, at least in the first half of the game. It meant he hasn’t always been able to impart first-hand experience of the pitches served up in this series.”That’s been a question a lot of the guys have asked, if I’d played on these sorts of wickets and I just haven’t,” he said. “They were always just a war of attrition the wickets that I played on – India won the toss and got 600, you get 400 then hang on for dear life in the last couple of days. Now the game’s in fast forward in a lot of ways.”A game in fast forward that Australia’s young spinners are showing they can keep up with.

Australia’s players will get to play up to four 50-over domestic matches before the multiformat Ashes begins

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2021Cricket Australia has announced new fixtures for the Women’s National Cricket League season, which will provide Australia’s players the perfect lead-in to the Women’s Ashes starting on January 27.The WNCL, the women’s domestic 50-over competition, was initially set to begin back in September but the original fixtures list was scrapped due to Covid issues causing chaos at state borders.But CA has rescheduled the WNCL to begin in mid-December and the tournament will be played in three blocks. There will be six games before Christmas and then eight games in January leading into the Women’s Ashes. The second half of the season will be played from February 14 onwards, which will coincide with the three ODIs between Australia and England.The season begins with last year’s runners-up Victoria hosting ACT at the Junction Oval before the defending champions Queensland begin their season in Tasmania.Women’s National Cricket League fixturesDec 16: Victoria vs Australian Capital Territory, CitiPower Centre
Dec 17: Tasmania vs Queensland, Blundstone Arena
Dec 17: Western Australia vs South Australia, WACA Ground
Dec 19: Tasmania vs Queensland, Blundstone Arena
Dec 19: Western Australia vs South Australia, WACA Ground
Dec 19: Victoria vs New South Wales, CitiPower Centre
Jan 7: Queensland vs South Australia, Ian Healy Oval
Jan 7: Tasmania vs Western Australia, Blundstone Arena
Jan 7: Australian Capital Territory vs New South Wales, Manuka Oval
Jan 9: Queensland vs South Australia, Ian Healy Oval
Jan 9: Tasmania vs Western Australia, Blundstone Arena
Jan 9: Victoria vs New South Wales, Manuka Oval
Jan 11: Australian Capital Territory vs Victoria, Manuka Oval
Jan 14: New South Wales vs Australian Capital Territory, North Sydney Oval
Feb 14: Western Australia vs Victoria, WACA Ground
Feb 15: South Australia vs Australian Capital Territory, Karen Rolton Oval
Feb 15: New South Wales vs Tasmania, North Sydney Oval (D/N)
Feb 16: Queensland vs Victoria, Lilac Hill
Feb 18: Western Australia vs Queensland, Lilac Hill
Feb 18: South Australia vs New South Wales, Karen Rolton Oval
Feb 19: Australian Capital Territory vs Tasmania, EPC Solar Park
Feb 22: South Australia vs Victoria, Karen Rolton Oval
Feb 24: New South Wales vs Western Australia, North Sydney Oval
Feb 24: Queensland vs Australian Capital Territory, Alan Pettigrew Oval
Feb 24: South Australia vs Tasmania, Karen Rolton Oval
Feb 27: New South Wales vs Queensland, North Sydney Oval
Feb 27: Australian Capital Territory vs Western Australia, EPC Solar Park
Feb 27: Victoria vs Tasmania, TBC
Final, Mar 6: TBC vs TBC, TBC

Bowler follows twin Craig’s five-for with his own in what could prove farewell before Surrey move

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2020Somerset 296 (Davies 81, Brooks 72) and 290 for 8 dec (Abell 119, Green 54) beat Glamorgan 131 (C Overton 5-38) and 166 (Cooke 82, J Overton 4-48) by 289 runsSurrey-bound Jamie Overton marked what could prove his farewell appearance for Somerset with 5 for 48 to complete a 289-run Bob Willis Trophy victory over Glamorgan at the Cooper Associates County Ground Bristol.Brother Craig finished with 2 for 31 and match figures of 7 for 69 as the visitors’ five remaining wickets fell for 40 runs in 70 minutes on the final morning after they had resumed on 126 for 5, 329 runs behind.Chris Cooke’s battling innings took him from 67 not out overnight to 82 before Jamie Overton had the Glamorgan captain caught at first slip by James Hildreth, having faced 138 balls and hit 10 fours.It was too little too late to save his side from a comprehensive defeat in a game they had bossed for the first two sessions. Somerset took 21 points to Glamorgan’s three.Overcast conditions and a pitch that was still responsive to quality pace bowling conspired against the visitors as the Overton twins set about finishing their opponents off.The first wicket fell after 15 minutes when Graham Wagg chased a short, wide ball from Jamie Overton and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Steve Davies. What little hope Glamorgan had left disappeared when the same bowler, operating from the River End, produced a fine delivery to end Cooke’s stubborn resistance.At 153 for 7, Ruaidhri Smith walked out with a runner for the second time in the game, determined to contribute despite the hamstring injury he suffered while bowling in Somerset’s first innings. But he could manage only three before getting a leading edge to Josh Davey, who had replaced Craig Overton, and lobbing a simple catch to Roelof van der Merwe at mid-wicket.Jamie Overton, whose decision to reject a new Somerset contract and sign for Surrey was announced before the game, produced some jaffas in a hugely impressive spell of 7.2 overs, which yielded 3 for 16. He claimed his fifth wicket of the innings with a perfect swinging yorker, which defeated Kieran Bull’s attempt to clamp down on the ball and sent his off stump flying.Overton’s celebrations suggested he had been determined to sign off his Somerset career in style before moving to the Kia Oval, and it was job done in that respect. He even had a hand, literally, is finishing the match, diving to his left to hold a slip chance offered by Michael Hogan off Jack Brooks.

Samson completes the chase without breaking a sweat after a lightning start from the openers and a fine bowling performance in the death

The Report by Liam Brickhill27-Apr-20191:50

We couldn’t build small partnerships or gain momentum – Williamson

Rajasthan Royals came into this match – their last at home this season – with their IPL 2019 campaign hanging by a thread, needing to win all their remaining games to be in contention for the playoffs. But thanks to an electric outing in the field from Jaydev Unadkat, a 78-run opening stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Liam Livingstone, and a nerveless 48 not out from Sanju Samson, they were able to keep their hopes alive with a clinical seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur.Royals weathered a bruising second consecutive fifty from Manish Pandey and overcame some scrappiness in the field, holding Sunrisers to 160 for 8 when they had reached 121 for 3 with five overs to go in their innings. Unadkat’s efforts were key, and he took 2 for 26 to go with his three catches. Livingstone, opening for the first time in the IPL, launched the chase with gusto, hitting three sixes in his 44 off 26 balls, and Samson then held his composure to finish the job.Rajasthan’s win did not only keep their campaign alive, it also ensured that Chennai Super Kings are the first team guaranteed a playoff spot in the competition.Warner goes boundary-freeDavid Warner came into this match with 295 runs in his last five innings and a chance to claim an IPL record. Twice before has someone struck five fifties in a row – Virender Sehwag achieving the feat in 2012 with Jos Buttler matching him last year – and Warner has been in such unbeatable touch that yet more runs seemed almost a formality. He was gifted five of them off the first ball of the innings, having tried to leave Varun Aaron but failing to withdraw his bat in time to unintentionally dab the ball behind point, where the fielder swooped and shied to add four overthrows to a quick single. Helped by Royals’ early sloppiness in the field, with 20 extra runs coming from misfields and overthrows through the course of the match, Sunrisers ended the Powerplay at a reasonably healthy 51 for 1, but Warner never got going on a slowish track. He was yet to score a boundary when he aimed a wild slash at the first ball of the 13th over, bowled by Oshane Thomas, to present a swirling chance that was snaffled by a diving Steven Smith. Smith jarred his right elbow completing the catch, and the physio ran out to add an extra layer of strapping to his arm afterwards, but he said in the post-match presentation that it was only precautionary.Pandey drives it forwardWhile a slightly sluggish track played its part in Warner’s struggles, Pandey showed that there were still runs to be had. He picked up where he left off after his 49-ball 83 against Chennai Super Kings last Tuesday and went hard from the first ball he faced tonight – literally. He swiped a full-blooded drive off Shreyas Gopal to get going with a four straight away, crunching seven more in the next eight overs to race to fifty from just 27 deliveries. Though Warner didn’t reach the boundary, he did at least do the job of handing much of the strike to Pandey as the two shared in a 75-run second-wicket stand.

Out twice off one ballPandey cruised into the 60s with his ninth four in the 15th over but was then dismissed by some brilliance by Samson behind the stumps. Pandey aimed a late dab at a Gopal legbreak but was over-balanced into the stroke and lifted his back foot, with Samson waiting for just the right moment to whip the bails off and stump him. As it turned out, Pandey had also feathered an edge as the ball passed him, so he would have been out anyway on review.Pandey’s fall sparked a chaotic finale to the innings as, in the space of 31 deliveries, Royals surged to strip Sunrisers back with six wickets for just 34 runs. Poised at 121 for 2, Sunrisers stumbled to 160 for 8, with Rashid Khan’s four and a six off the last two balls – the only boundaries hit by anyone in the last five overs – helping to add a modicum of respectability to their effort. But Royals dropped almost as many chances as they held as their early fielding woes returned, with Samson, Gopal and Varun Aaron all dropping chances of varying difficulty. Shrugging off the untidiness of those around him in the field, Unadkat held three catches all on his own – two tumbling efforts in the outfield and one brilliant caught-and-bowled as he got some major hang time on a leap to pluck a one-handed return catch from Deepak Hooda out of the air.Sanju Samson flicks•BCCI

Liam Livingstone, I presume?Livingstone has spent the last two weeks warming the bench, but Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer’s return to England for national duty opened up a position for him in Royals’ playing XI, and he made the chance count with a recognisably bullish 44 that set up the chase. Livingstone had a more than capable ally in Rahane, and together they bested Rashid in a key moment in the game, cracking a six each to take 16 runs from his first over. Livingstone slammed 20 runs off his own bat in Siddarth Kaul’s first over as Royals raced through the Powerplay at ten an over. By the time Rashid finally broke through, the job was already half done and the required rate was a manageable 7.54.Turner finally breaks his duckAfter a 55-run stand between Samson and Smith put Royals within touching distance of a vital win, Ashton Turner walked to the crease with five ducks in a row on his back and a potentially awkward 13 from 18 needed. He managed to get a bit of willow on an indipper from Bhuvneshwar Kumar first up to get off the mark and draw ironic applause from his team-mates in the dug out. Even Bhuvneshwar was smiling, though Turner kept a straight face. Samson then put the finishing touches on the chase, swatting his fourth four to end the match unbeaten on 48.

In November, the Tasmanian earned a Test recall after seven years purely on his reputation as the best pure gloveman in Australia. On Sunday, he proved his worth with a stunning, vital grab up to the stumps off Mitchell Marsh

Daniel Brettig in Durban04-Mar-2018On day one of his Australian Test recall, seven years after his previous appearance, Tim Paine dropped a catch up to the stumps. It came from a James Vince outside edge procured by Nathan Lyon generating bounce from around the wicket, and caused plenty of annoyance for Paine. He had, after all, been chosen as arguably the most highly-rated gloveman in the country.Six Tests later, Paine vindicated that rating with the catch that finally sunk a doughty South African rearguard, standing up to the stumps for Mitchell Marsh’s fast mediums and clasping the chance offered by Aiden Markram after he’d made superb century. Watching from back home, one of Paine’s fellow custodians of the gloves for Australia, Adam Gilchrist, described the catch as “sublime”. With the younger and supremely talented Alex Carey waiting in the wings, Paine has made his glovework count.”I’ve tried it a few times on flattish wickets, there was a bit of reverse swing so if we’re honest, we were going to try and trap him on the crease and get him lbw but as you saw, it bounced a bit more and got an outside edge so very grateful it stuck,” Paine said. “I think it’s always a chance when you’re up to the stumps. It certainly mixes the batsmen’s feet up a little bit and makes them play in a certain, different way.”We saw South Africa do it a lot with Vernon (Philander), guys who can hit a really nice length, get the keeper up to the stumps, it’s just a different scenario for a batter to deal with. It worked well. I wouldn’t say they were starting to get away from us, they were playing very well, but we knew we had a new ball around the corner and we know what our attack can do when we start to get it at the tail.”So we knew we were one wicket away and we were right in the contest, but from a wicketkeeping point of view, that’s what I try and do. I try and change the game, so just needed to come up to the stumps to try and do something different and it was great that it stuck in there.”The chance to dismiss Markram arrived through a determined spell from Marsh, who has been a major contributor for Australia with both bat and ball. Paine said that while he was not entirely sure about speed gun readings that had Marsh touching 139kph during his spell, he had little doubt about the allrounder’s value to the team on days like this, when the frontline attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon was briefly blunted by Markram and a rejuvenated Quinton de Kock.”I’m not sure about that speed gun. He’s actually claiming it, don’t worry,” Paine quipped. “But Mitch has obviously had some shoulder issues and he’s coming back and gaining some confidence, playing beautifully with the bat. I think in Australia and sort of across the world we’re starting to see what Mitch is capable of. Back home in Australia we’ve seen him bowl faster than that.”I certainly wouldn’t be keeping up to the stumps to him with the pace I’ve seen him bowl in Australia. He’s developing into a fantastic all-round package at international level. It’s really exciting for him and it’s great for our side to have someone coming of age like he is.”The Paine and Marsh combination opened up an end for Starc, who threatened to bring the match to the swiftest of finishes with three wickets in a single over before poor light forced the use of spin for the final 40 minutes. Starc is still on a hat-trick, and Paine said the Australians would try to give him the chance to take the final wicket to end the match when the final day resumes.”He gets a chance tomorrow now. We’ll come in early tomorrow, do another warm-up and see what happens,” Paine said. “I think they were going to go off but I think most nights teams have been offered spin so I know one of the nights I was out there the South Africans were offered spin on day one, they decided not to take it. Obviously the state of the game tonight we thought we’d have a crack at getting that last wicket.”It was just getting darker and darker so even the spinners were becoming a little bit harder to see. It’s got to be fair for the batters. It was great they gave us the chance with the spin but the umpires were constantly checking the light and it was just getting to the stage where it was just too dark.”Looking overall at the match, Paine said an even contribution across the team had been a major positive, even if it will not go down as one of Australia’s better batting performances. “I think we’ve actually played a decent team game of cricket except for Starcy’s couple of bursts with the ball,” he said. “We haven’t had an outstanding batting performance. Mitch Marsh was good in the first innings.”I think just our ability to keep sticking at it, keep fighting … it’s a world-class team we’re playing against and we know that’s what we’re going to have to do. Hopefully in the next game we get hundreds and we get guys that can support Starcy a bit more with the ball. I think whilst we’re in a good position to win this game tomorrow, if it goes ahead, we can play a lot better.”