Snapshots: Saved by a frame, out by a mile

Virat Kohli survived a close stumping call, but was soon run out. 

Strike change, result same 

There was a change at the highest point of the request for India in Port Elizabeth. Offering to ensure Rohit Sharma, the in-shape Shikhar Dhawan walked past his partner to take first strike against Morne Morkel in the game. For all his ODI abuses, Rohit has discovered first overs hard to deal with. Against Sri Lanka in December, he played out first-finished maidens in each of the three games. At that point, in South Africa, he went 0 off 6 in Durban but India were missing the goal with a wide. In Cape Town, Kagiso Rabada rocked the bowling alley a wide as well as rejected Rohit at its finish. So given the inauspicious first-finished signs and Rohit's own particular pitiable frame, a kindhearted Dhawan offered to take strike. While it certainly helped Rohit get it together at the start, India still played out a maiden to start their innings. 

The respite before the tempest 

Morne Morkel took after his first-finished maiden with another one and was headed to start the game with three maidens in succession when off his eighteenth ball, Rohit chose to toss his hands at a wideish conveyance outside off. The uppish slice went close to JP Duminy at backward point but pretty much evaded the defender's outstretched arms. Morkel's fast start however was counterbalanced in the precise next finished as Shikhar Dhawan hit three boundaries off the initial four conveyances of the pacer's straightaway. Having given away no runs in his initial 17 balls, Morkel had yielded 16 from the following five. Talk about a change in fortunes. 

Saved by a frame, out by a mile 

Chris Morris talked about centimeters and millimeters while depicting how close South Africa had been to getting Virat Kohli out in Durban and Cape Town in the ODI arrangement. At St. George's Park they came closer on the metric framework to getting the Indian captain. In the 23rd over of the Indian innings, Tabraiz Shamsi spun one past Kohli's outside edge and Heinrich Klassen whipped the bails off almost immediately. Kohli hadn't left his crease but had jumped forward to cover turn and that had dragged him to the edge of the crease. Third Umpire Aleem Dar utilized all camera angles available to him, one of which appeared to recommend that Kohli had half a shoe spike inside the crease. 

The South African team, in a group waiting for the choice, celebrated on at least three tallies when they thought they'd seen an indisputable proof in their favor. Kohli stayed put and even directed his spike position toward people around him willing to tune in. Eventually the umpire agreed with the Indian captain and allowed him to proceed. (They would give a similar choice in the handling team's favor in the second innings) Given the batsmen's frame and the history in the arrangement, the signs were foreboding. Kohli was on 28 at that point. Thankfully for the hosts, this time the near miss didn't cost them much. Three overs later the Indian captain had another yes-no minute with Rohit and was run-out by a mile for 36. 

Rohit fails to cash in 

Rohit had already been engaged with two run-outs - that of Kohli and Rahane - by the 34th over of the Indian innings. So it had turned out to be imperative that he carried on his start and bat through the innings. His calling had turned out to be suspect after the twofold blow, with Shreyas Iyer waiting until the point when his partner totally dedicated to the run. At the point when on 96, Rohit got a short conveyance from Kagiso Rabada and chose to play the ramp short. The third man defender, Tabraiz Shamsi, was placed fine. He ran two or three paces to one side and grassed an absolute sitter. Rabada's face abandoned pleasure to despair while Rohit's moved the other way. Rohit, who'd shrugged his bad shape to enlist his seventeenth ton, didn't stay sufficiently long to make the relief check, falling to Lungi Ngidi soon after his 100 and setting off a center request collapse. 

The consoler needs supporting 

Aiden Markram lived on the edge amid his run-a-ball 32. When he was on 9 he played a full-blooded drive to a length conveyance from Jasprit Bumrah and discovered Shreyas Iyer at extra cover. Like at the Wanderers, Iyer got himself into an awkward catching position, this one with his hands before his face in a more self protection position and along these lines spilled a straight forward catch. Dhoni shook his head from behind the stumps, Kohli scoffed. At the finish of the over as Iyer put his head down to walk to his new handling position, Ajinkya Rahane ran up to him to offer a consolatory pat. As it so happened, in the 26th over, the ball was in Rahane's court to drop Amla off Hardik Pandya. And when nobody reached to him for help, Iyer was on hand to be empathetic to his Mumbai senior. 

Sneaking a catch 

India's generally average catching day could have finished on a rather comical note comfortable end when Hardik Pandya chose to chase a high ball from mid-off when Shikhar Dhawan from long-on looked ready to settle under it. But having seen Pandya approaching in the fringe, Dhawan hesitated. As did Pandya until the point when he belatedly chose to stick his correct arm out and cull the catch before Dhawan's face. It took after the most silly celebration that included a little dance from Kohli for India had moved to withing minutes of finishing their maiden bilateral ODI arrangement win in South Africa.

Collected By : Newaz Robin

Read More

About Sa vs ind Cricket Match in ST George's Park Cricket Ground At Port Elizabeth.

Rohit Sharma hit 11 fours and 4 sixes © AFP

Rohit Sharma was the latest in India's batting triumvirate at the top to be amongst the runs, as he brushed off an indifferent run of scores in this ODI series to get 115. But Sharma's 17th ODI ton was enough only to get India towards a big total. India's all-too-familiar problem of faltering at the finish cropped up once more, with Lungi Ngidi picking up three wickets in the final overs, including that of Rohit, to restrict India to just 274 for 7.

On a pitch that was expected to slow down, India started off in a hurry, seemingly in a bid to take toll of the hard new ball. Put in to bat, it was Shikhar Dhawan who set the tone for India. His breezy 23-ball 34 eased a lot of pressure on Rohit, who preferred not to take first strike in this match. But as the latter too got his eye in, he marked his return to form with a stunning six off Kagiso Rabada in the sixth over. Rabada had been Rohit's nemesis-in-chief all through this series, picking him three times out of four, but with that small mental battle won, Rohit was back to his comfort zone. India's openers raced towards a fifty-run stand but just two runs short of the mark, Dhawan fell to Rabada's short ball trap, pulling straight to deep backward square leg.

But that wicket did little to deter Rohit, who was now joined by the other man in form - Virat Kohli. The duo shared a steady 105-run stand for the second wicket without any attempts to be flashy. That partnership though could have ended a little earlier, had Kohli been adjudged out stumped on 29. But a close call was decided in the batsman's favour by Aleem Dar, but Kohli's luck ran out soon. The duo, who had batted so well until then, was involved in their seventh instance of a run out as a pair, with Kohli being caught well short to end his stay on 36. Rohit went on to turn his back on the next man in, Ajinkya Rahane, as well who was run out for 8. And it could have all turned even worse at that point for India, had Tabraiz Shamsi held on to a chance given by Rohit on 96.

Rohit went on to bring up a ton that was littered with cuts and pulls that were easy on the eye, and managed to add 60 more with Shreyas Iyer for the fourth wicket.

With 236 on the board by the 43rd over, India were looking at a total close to 300 but Lungi Ngidi triggered a collapse, having Rohit and Hardik Pandya caught behind off successive deliveries, before getting a well set Iyer in his next over. Ngidi went on to pick up MS Dhoni later in the innings as well, to negate India's bid to accelerate, keeping them down to a chaseable 274.

Brief Scores: India 274/7 (Rohit Sharma 115, Virat Kohli 36; Lungi Ngidi 4/51) vs South Africa

Collected By : Newaz Robin

Read More

About Australian Cricket

The uncapped Sayers had recently publicly expressed his disappointment about being overlooked for the South African tour after continual stellar first-class performances.

Chadd Sayers, the indefatigable South Australian seamer, has been drafted into Australia's squad for the upcoming Test tour of South Africa as a replacement for injured quick Jackson Bird.

Bird has been ruled out of the tour after straining a hamstring during the last round of the Sheffield Shield. Prior to the setback, he had struggled in Tasmania's hefty loss to Queensland claiming just one wicket across two innings. Bird was wickletless during the Boxing Day Test - his only Test of the summer.

The uncapped Sayers had recently publicly expressed his disappointment about being overlooked for the South African tour after continual stellar first-class performances, highlighted by winning the Sheffield Shield's Player of the Year award last season.

Cricketer Sayers told Cricbuzz:

After winning the prestigious award, Sayers told Cricbuzz that he was determined to play for Australia. "I'm extremely driven and will put my best foot forward to keep improving and being in the mix to play for Australia," he said.

Steve Smith, the Australian captain, said he was disappointed for Bird but believed Sayers was an ideal replacement. "It's exciting for Chadd," he said in Melbourne on Tuesday (February 13). "It's kind of a like-for-like bowler. They both stand the seam up nicely and Chadd's been rewarded for what he's done in Shield cricket for the last couple of years.

"It's tough news for him (Bird). He's a terrific guy to have around the group, he works incredibly hard," he added. "He's just a great guy to have on tour with you - a terrific team man. I certainly feel for him that he unfortunately has this injury at this time."

Australia's squad - apart from stand-in T20 captain David Warner - will depart for South Africa this week ahead of the first Test starting on March 1.
Collected By- newaz robin.

Read More

Khaled Mahmud was appointed as Bangladesh's team director late last year. © Getty

Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud said, on Monday (February 12), that he had lost interest to work with Bangladesh cricket team following the media reports targetted against him in recent times.

Mahmud had been on the receiving end since being appointed as team directorconsidering he is also involved in several other capacities in Bangladesh's cricket landscape.

Mahmud is currently the chairman of BCB game development committee while being involved in coaching capacities at different clubs and franchises. Prior to his appointment as team director, a section of media labeled it as a conflict of interest.

The exclusion of Mossadek Hossain in the second Test and he subsequently joining Abahani Limited to play in the Dhaka Premier League, country's leading club based 50-over tournament, came in for a lot of criticism given Mahmud's association with the club in the ongoing edition.

"I am not interested to continue with Bangladesh cricket team," Mahmud told reporters ahead of the series concluding two-match T20I series. "Recently it is turning out to be dirty and I am not interested to work in this atmosphere."

Mahmud also expressed his disappointment over losing the Test series as he felt the hosts had the ability to win against Sri Lanka. However, Mahmud didn't blame the wicket as a major reason for their debacle in the second Test.

"I am not ready to put any blame on the wicket. Both teams played on the same surface and there are several examples in the match that suggest it was nothing like totally unplayable.

"Basically it is like a viral disease... like if someone comes up with something like it was not the ideal wicket, suddenly he is joined by 10 other who seem to agree with that logic and sense applied for judging the surface, and whether it served the purpose or not."

Mahmud added that the team is desperate to make one last attempt to change their fortunes in the series after having been humbled in both Tests and ODIs. "I am confident to put up a good show as there are several newcomers who can come up with some surprising element to get over their opponent.

"Shakib [Al Hasan] might not be available but if [we] can put up a unified effort, anything is possible," concluded Mahmud.

Read More

"I haven't picked up a bat and now I'm keen to get the bat back in my hands which probably means it's been good." © Getty

Steve Smith, the Australian captain, admits a draining Ashes campaign left him "absolutely ruined" but a much-needed break has the Allan Border Medallist feeling refreshed ahead of the Test tour of South Africa.

The 28-year-old led Australia's successful Ashes triumph with a spectacular Man of the Series performance but a notably tired Smith struggled in the subsequent One-Day international (ODI) series defeat to England.

In a welcome breather, Smith has been rested from the ongoing Twenty20 tri-series ahead of the crucial tour of South Africa with the bulk of Australia's squad leaving on Thursday (February 15). Smith has enjoyed two weeks off culminating in winning the prestigious Allan Border Medal on Monday for the second time.

"I needed it (a break). I was absolutely ruined after the one-dayers," Smith said in Melbourne on Tuesday (February 13). "It takes a lot out of you, an Ashes series. Particularly with every Test match going five days and the extra pressures and everything that comes with an Ashes series. I was certainly feeling it mentally. And the last 10 or 12 days that I've had off, it's been great.

"I haven't picked up a bat and now I'm keen to get the bat back in my hands which probably means it's been good and I'm ready to go for what's going to be an exciting tour of South Africa," he added.

After plundering 687 runs in a dominant Ashes, a flagging Smith averaged just 20 in Australia's 4-1 ODI series loss. "You could probably see it in the one-dayers that we played, the guys that had played Test cricket throughout the summer were probably just not quite at their best mentally - just a bit fatigued," Smith said. "We probably saw that in our T20 performances - the guys that came in fresh and had been playing a bit of white-ball cricket in the Big Bash, those were the guys that were playing some good cricket.

"It's been good that the Test guys have been able to have a little bit of a break and freshen up and really hit the ground running when we get to South Africa," he added.

Smith shared the spotlight on Australian cricket's awards night with Ellyse Perry, who won her second Belinda Clark Award. The star all-rounder beat out Beth Mooney and Megan Schutt for the top prize in Australian women's cricket.

"I'm really pleased," Perry said. "Every year there is new ground being broken in women's cricket and it is exciting to be part of."

Perry said she strived to keep improving her game and looked forward to next month's ODI tour of India. "I've got plenty of things to keep working on especially in trying to be more dominant with the bat," she said. "Playing India in their conditions makes it a tough challenge but we are really excited about it."

©

Read More

Gesture from Maxwell shows the group is really close - Carey

Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Tue, 13 Feb, 2018, 10:04 AM

With Australia closing in on victory, Carey unselfishly gave the strike to his partner Maxwell, who then clubbed a six to reach a memorable century © Getty

Australia's new look T20 team has enjoyed a spectacular start to the Twenty20 tri-series and the goodwill is percolating amongst the emerging group.

Even though they are missing a host of stars, an unbeaten Australia have booked a place in the tournament's final after three convincing victories over higher ranked teams England and New Zealand.

The team has undoubtedly gelled well and a snapshot of their harmony was veteran allrounder Glenn Maxwell's heart-warming present to newcomer Alex Carey after his match-winning century in Hobart.

With Australia closing in on victory, Carey unselfishly gave the strike to his partner Maxwell, who then clubbed a six to reach a memorable century and seal a convincing five-wicket victory over England.

After his breathtaking knock, Maxwell wrote an inscription on the bat: 'To Alex. Thanks for getting that single! Great partnership again! Best wishes, Glenn Maxwell. 103*'.

"I thought the bat was pretty average but the writing on it was awesome," a grinning Carey told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday (February 13). "It was obviously a nice gesture by Maxi and I think it just shows that the group is really close and we're having a lot of fun.

"For someone like Maxi to do that for me in such a short space of time shows that we've got some really good blokes in the side," he added.

Carey, the burgeoning wicketkeeper, has been part of a new group of players injecting energy and enthusiasm into Australia's T20 side. The inspired selections have reversed Australia's slumping limited-overs fortunes after a 4-1 hammering against England in the preceding One-Day International series.

Carey was a key part of Adelaide Strikers' Big Bash League triumph and memorably blasted a century as an opener during the tournament. However, he has been placed down the order for Australia and faced just five balls from two innings.

The 26-year-old, who was a professional Australian Rules football player earlier in the decade, believed he could perform if a greater opportunity presented. "I haven't really had the opportunity to go out and play a big role with the stick but I'm working hard in the background," he said. "I'm still learning at this level. But I'm thoroughly enjoying it and I'm sure if I get more of an opportunity I'll be ready to go."

Australia's next match in the tri-series is against New Zealand on February 16.

Read More

After just one game in Bangladesh, Mathews was forced to return home as the old hamstring injury resurfaced © Getty

Sri Lanka's white-ball captain Angelo Mathews believes that a new rehabilitation process on the lower half of his body will help him to stay injury free in 2018. Throughout last year, Mathews was plagued by a series of hamstring, quadriceps and ankle injuries and missed out on a large portion of cricket. There was new hope when he accepted the team's white ball captaincy ahead of the tour of Bangladesh having stepped down from the role six months ago. However, after just one game in Bangladesh, he was forced to return home as the old hamstring injury resurfaced.

Mathews missed the tri-nation campaign in Bangladesh and the two Tests that followed. He was expected to travel to Bangladesh to take over the captaincy duties ahead of the T-20s having finished his rehabilitation work. But the medical experts who have been treating him have warned against returning to competitive cricketsoon after injury. Instead, he will make his return during the Nidahas Trophy, the tri-nation tournament that will be played to celebrate Sri Lanka's 70th year of independence.

"Everyone is looking forward to the event and I am very excited. It will be a great opportunity for all the players. India are tough opponents and Bangladesh have shown some tremendous improvements over the years. I believe it will be a competitive series," the 30-year-old told Cricbuzz.

"With my injuries, we have now changed the strategy. In the past, as soon as I had got fit, I had gone and played. The consultant in UK Dr. Thamindu Wedathilleke and the consultants here like Professor Arjuna de Silva and others have insisted on looking at the scans rather than looking at clinically. In the past, I have rushed back to playing before the scars are fully healed. I am able to run and train and do other activities at the moment. But the game intensity is quite different and our stance is different now. We will let it settle fully and unless that happens I am not going to start playing again. It is going to be difficult for me and the team as well when I am injured so often," Mathews noted.

"The training methods, gym work and quite bit about my preparation have changed. We are well equipped now to meet the demands I feel. Still, we can only minimize the injury and there's no guarantee as such that everything will be fine. However, I am trying my very best to stay injury free. I am learning about my body and getting to know my body."

Mathews has had little trouble when he plays as a specialist batsman, but the team management has constantly urged him to bowl as well in a bid to balance the side and that has got him into trouble. "It all depends on what the consultants say. First thing is that I need to get fully fit and there's no point of rushing things. I would like to bowl but in order to get there I need to get fully fit," he said, indicating that his return is likely to be as a specialist batsman.

Read More