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Of the 25 top earners from the 2011 IPL auction, only six are specialist bowlers, as teams looked to sign batsmen to make use of the flat pitches in India

Sharda Ugra09-Jan-2011At the end of the largest two-day sports ‘auction’ in the world, the Indian Premier League took the first clear, decisive step towards its fourth season. Ending months of controversy around the League’s own financial deals and its teams’ ownership holdings, the ten franchises finally shook hands with the 139 cricketers who will form the core of the high-profile domestic Twenty20 event that begins in India on April 8.Auction weekend in Bangalore oscillated wildly between extremes of spending, lavish as well as careful, and general sloppiness around its conclusion. What began with the first of four $2m signings on Saturday morning ended with Mohammed Kaif’s name finally pencilled into the IPL roster, after being met with silence across the floor not once, but twice on Sunday. Almost like a sudden afterthought, Kaif was hauled onto the IPL4 gravy train, the last cricketer aboard, concluding the 353-man auction used to reshuffle the League’s overall player pool.After a prolonged two-day display of corporate wealth, cricket tactics and Bollywood showbiz (in that order), which ran live on national television across India, teams were left dealing with either a shrunken wallet or depleted ranks. If Gautam Gambhir broke the $2m salary mark on Saturday, the relatively-unknown Australia allrounder Daniel Christian, who has played three Twenty20 internationals, was the highest-paid player signed up on Sunday, at $900,000 by the Deccan Chargers. Deccan now have 14 cricketers in their roster, and still have $2.13m left unspent from their $9m salary ‘cap’. Current IPL champions Chennai Super Kings filled 18 slots, of the maximum squad strength of 30, during the auction itself. At the other end are the Rajasthan Royals, who signed just eight cricketers (Rahul Dravid and Pankaj Singh the only Indians among them) at the auction and are now left with a mere $800,000. They have less than Christian’s wage to hire at least another 18 cricketers to field a competitive team in the IPL.Rajasthan and all the other teams must now find the remainder of their squad from among India’s domestic player pool, officially called the ‘uncapped’ players, who unofficially form the source of much confusion between the franchises. The uncapped players can only be paid a fixed sum depending on their experience in domestic cricket and there is doubt among franchises as to whether the guidelines imposed by the IPL governing council in this regard would, or indeed could, be legitimately followed.The first XI’s of many sides were signed on as much as possible on the first day of the auction itself, and the second was spent trying to fill in the overseas quota and the remaining gaps in team plans. If the first auction in 2008 was marked by the stampede to nab names that create spectator interest and a ‘fan base’, 2011 had the franchises, not the concept of ‘icons’ players, calling the shots. No takers then for some of the high-earning cricketers of the first phase of the IPL like Sourav Ganguly and Sanath Jayasuriya, nor the need to seek random, occasional short-game performers from overseas like Herschelle Gibbs, Mark Boucher, Jacob Oram or even the born-again Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Every soundbite that emerged on doting television channels talked about ‘youth’, the Twenty20 format, and the team’s ‘plans’ for the future.The heavy sums during auction weekend were spent on impact players, who are now expected to win matches single-handedly, as well as those men meant to serve as genuine multi-taskers. If the player on auction was Indian, a fat pay cheque was a given, regardless of the cricketer’s core skill. Gambhir was the highest-paid specialist batsman at $2.4m, closely followed by the allrounders Yusuf and Irfan Pathan, who between them picked up $4m.On the flat wickets, quick outfields and short boundaries of India, all long handles were welcomed. Of the top 25 earners from the auction (excluding the retained players), there are only six specialist bowlers: Dale Steyn at $1.2m, Muttiah Muralitharan ($1.1m), Johan Botha ($950,000), and Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla (all $900,000).Yet, the 35 slots between $900,000 and $400,000 are full of bowlers, as many as 17, with Sunday’s frantic buying including happy contracts for more than half a dozen Indian seamers. It opened with Umesh Yadav’s astonishing $750,000 bid, Munaf Patel got $700,000 and Laxmipathy Balaji $500,000. Vinay Kumar was bought for $475,000, Ashok Dinda for $375,000 and Manpreet Gony went for $290,000. The younger Indian seamers – Abhimanyu Mithun, Jaidev Unadkat and Sudeep Tyagi – were separated by $10,000 between the $260,000 to $240,000 bracket. Ajit Agarkar signed on with Delhi for $210,000.The heavy presence of as many as six Australians – Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan, Geoff Lawson, Geoff Marsh, Dav Whatmore, Shane Warne (player-coach) and David Shipperd – heading support staffs among the ten teams explains the signing of 38 Australians amongst the 87 overseas players who will compete in IPL4. The South Africans are next with 20 of their players getting contracts. The southern hemisphere’s cricket calendar works perfectly for both these nations’ players to accommodate the IPL into their schedule, even as their third rugby-playing partner New Zealand is unable to hustle its most competitive cricketers into the tournament.England’s best will always find themselves having to grapple between their domestic season, early international fixtures and the IPL. The West Indian dispute over the unsigned board contracts may be settled by the silence from the entire League towards cricketers from the Caribbean as a whole.While smaller nations may take some heart from Dutchman Ryan Ten Doeschate’s $150,000 contract with Kolkata, Bangladesh or Zimbabwe players’ entry into the IPL will still depend not on the team owners’ knowledge of the game, but on the open-mindedness of those in charge of a franchise’s cricket operations. Pakistan’s players’ entry, though, will have to rely on a thaw in both the political freeze between India and its neighbour, as well as the immovable timidity of the League.The final round of the IPL auction ended in farce as 28 players were put back into auction, ostensibly because they had been asked for by the franchises. Yet 13 of the 28, including eight international cricketers, were not bid for by a single franchise, with no explanations given as to why they had been put onto the list in the first place. The three biggest names left out of the auction – Ganguly, Jayasuriya and Chris Gayle – were not on the second list and will not be a part of IPL4. Ganguly and Jayasuriya may have missed out because of their age but Gayle’s omission is as inexplicable as the man’s own persona. Among those bid for as second thoughts were Jesse Ryder of New Zealand, Rusty Theron of South Africa, Adam Voges and Moises Henriques from Australia, and Dmitri Mascarenhas and Michael Lumb of England. A few first-class cricketers, known mostly to the overseas coaches who make up most of the franchises’ support staff, pulled in some surprise contracts right at the end.Only two more Indians made that final cut: left-arm spinner Murali Kartik and Kaif, whose name was suddenly called for the third time. He was one of the earliest on the leftover list to be called up again, but met with silence for the second time in a few hours. Third time around, Kaif drew bids from Pune, Deccan and Bangalore, and eventually went to the Royal Challengers Bangalore for $130,000. The auction finally drew to a close with the three groups of men and women who had been tossing around numbers for Kaif rocking back and forth with laughter. The heaviest wallets in Indian cricket had much to celebrate: for six weeks this summer, they will own and control the biggest and some of the most gifted names in the sport.

The Redbacks have proven why they are the team to beat in this year’s Big Bash with a nine-wicket demolition of Tasmania in their top-of-the-table clash at Bellerive

The Bulletin by Alex Malcolm24-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Dan Harris made light work of the modest target•Getty Images

The Redbacks have proven why they are the team to beat in this year’s Big Bash with a nine-wicket demolition of Tasmania in their top-of-the-table clash at Bellerive.South Australia dominated right from outset despite losing the toss and having to bowl first. Tasmania were, in reality, the architects of their own downfall, drowning in a flurry of rash strokes to be all out for just 110 without even batting the 20 overs.Both openers gifted catches to infielders inside the first five overs while the captain George Bailey chopped on for just 1. Three soon became four when the dangerous Travis Birt, who looked to be flowing on 15, fell to a sensational one-handed catch by Aaron O’Brien at cover with the total on just 40.The innings was summed up when Rhett Lockyear was stumped after slipping over attempting to sweep and the Tigers never recovered.The spin bowlers of South Australia once again strangled their opponents, with find-of-the-summer Nathan Lyon netting 3 for 14 from four high quality overs, to take Man-of-the match honours. Originally from the ACT, Lyon was plucked from the ground-staff at the Adelaide Oval to play in a Redbacks trial game. The off spinner is now the leading wicket-taker in this year’s Big Bash. English-import Adil Rashid also took 3 for 20 after opening the bowling. He has been a handy acquisition who has fitted into the Redbacks’ game-plan perfectly.The runchase was clinical despite the loss of skipper Michael Klinger to a peach from Ben Hilfenhaus. The Test bowler found some swing in the opening over, squaring-up Klinger with a late moving outswinger, from a good length, which scratched the outside edge.But apart from that success Tasmania had little else to smile about as Dan Harris (66 not out) continued his great form to race to the target inside 12 overs with the help of Kieron Pollard’s replacement, Aiden Blizzard (36 not out). Harris was clinical striking seven boundaries and three sixes, including one off James Faulkner to seal the win.Again the Tigers didn’t help their cause by dropping Blizzard twice and Harris once in consecutive overs to confirm their fate.South Australia are now top of table with their fourth straight victory. They can host the final and book another trip to the Champions League with a win on Friday night against the struggling Bushrangers. Tasmania will need to recoup quickly as they host Western Australia on Thursday.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, will miss his team’s next game against Canada on March 13 because of a knee injury

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2011Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, will miss his team’s next game against Canada on March 13 because of a knee injury. Vettori hurt his right knee during the game against Pakistan and is now hoping to be fit for New Zealand’s last league game against Sri Lanka on March 18 in Mumbai.”At the moment Dan’s staying with us,” opener Martin Guptill said. “I think he is probably going to miss the next game. But he is staying with us for the rest of the tournament which is good for us.” Guptill said the team had not decided who will take Vettori’s place yet. “Not too sure what they are going to do. We haven’t had a selection meeting yet. The decision will be taken tomorrow.”Vettori’s movements appeared to be seriously restricted after a diving effort for an attempted catch at mid-on in the sixth over of Pakistan’s innings, and two balls later he limped slowly from the field. At the time, he struggled to walk around the boundary, being helped along by the support staff, and had ice treatment in the changing room while the vice-captain Ross Taylor oversaw the 110-run win.Ellery Tappin, the New Zealand media manager, said Vettori had strained a ligament in his right knee. “It’s not a tear or something significant. He is targeting the Sri Lankan game.”

Ricky Ponting is aware he will forever be known to many as the Australian captain who lost three Ashes series. And he is happy enough to live with that

Daniel Brettig in Sydney29-Mar-2011Ricky Ponting, who stepped down as Australia’s captain in Tests and ODIs, is aware he will forever be known to many as the man who presided over three Ashes series defeats. And he is happy enough to live with that. He said he already has consoled himself with the thought that there were plenty of other achievements speckled across his leadership tenure, even if a harsh-marking public does not regard them with quite so much reverence as possession of the urn.”There probably are a few people out there who will look at me in that light [as the man who lost three Ashes series as captain], I’d like to think that through my playing time I’ve achieved a whole lot more than that though, whether that be as a player or as a captain of this side,” Ponting said. “It’s funny how we talk about losing the Ashes three times, playing in three World Cup-winning teams never comes up very often, winning 16 consecutive Test matches doesn’t come up very often, winning 30-odd consecutive World Cup games doesn’t come up very often, but that’s the world we live in.”I and all my teammates know, and everyone at Cricket Australia knows what I’ve been able to achieve in the game, and that’s what I’m very proud of.”It was instructive to hear Ponting assess his own achievements, knowing that the greatest Test series victory of his time in the job – conquering the final frontier of India in 2004 – took place while he was in the dressing rooms nursing a fractured thumb. Rather than any Test series, Ponting opted for his maiden World Cup victory as captain in 2003 as the highlight, when his team emerged from the most dysfunctional of beginnings to charge unbeaten through the tournament.Shane Warne’s ignominious departure on event eve due to a drugs ban might have derailed a less united party, while Ponting’s unwavering belief in Andrew Symonds was rewarded with a coruscating century against Pakistan in that very first match. Great escapes were made against England and New Zealand, and Ponting’s masterpiece of precise destruction – a brazenly-struck 140 – was reserved for the final as India were humbled at the Wanderers.”I think if I was to pick one it would probably be the first World Cup that I captained [in 2003], a relatively new captain going into that tournament,” he said.”As everyone knows we got through that tournament undefeated, I made a big hundred in the final and to this day that’s probably one of the proudest moments of my career.”There was some level of pride in Ponting, too, at how he had handled the slide of a great team into difficulty. Not so much in the manner of his captaincy on the field, which was at some times reactive and others woefully misguided – including the over-rate farce in Nagpur 2008 when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was surrendered – but more in how he had kept trying to keep his head while all around him people were losing theirs. Few captains have endured such lengthy inquisitions on their future with as much frankness and even temper as Ponting.Ricky Ponting picked Australia’s 2003 World Cup win as his highlight as captain•Getty Images

“Whenever you’ve got questions being asked like that about you going into a big game it’s always reasonably hard to deal with, but to tell the truth it’s something I’ve had to deal with for the last six or eight months,” he said. “There’ve been a lot of questions out there about me and my leadership and even my batting at different times, so there’s no doubt that’s got harder to deal with.”The thing I’m really proud about is how I’ve handled it and how I’ve responded, to be able to respond the way I did with the bat in the last game under probably the most pressure the team and I have been under in a long time, was really satisfying.”The thing you can’t forget either is whenever you’ve been in a position of responsibility like I’ve been in for a long period of time, those questions are going to come your way at some stage. “Whoever the next captain might be has to make sure he’s ready for that as well.”What remains for Ponting is to concentrate again on his batting, offer advice to younger team-mates when it is sought or merited, and keep one eye on the distant goal of a final Ashes tour in 2013. “I would’ve liked to have won an Ashes series away, that would’ve been a nice thing to have done as a captain, and obviously sitting here now I’ve given up that opportunity to do that, that’s something I would’ve loved to achieve,” he said.Ponting, however, has not set a time-frame for retirement and hoped that, with the burden of captaincy now off his back, he’d be able to perform better as a player.”[2013] is probably unlikely but it depends how I play, I haven’t put a finish date or time on when my international career’s going to be over.”To tell the honest truth I think the fact I’m not captain anymore might give me the chance of actually playing better.”It’ll just keep me a bit mentally fresher than I have been the last couple of years. I think if I’m mentally fresh and got my skills in reasonable order I think I’ll be able to certainly bat better than I have in the past six months.”

Former Bangladesh captain Akram Khan has been named the chief selector of the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2011Former Bangladesh captain Akram Khan has been named the chief selector by the board. He will lead a three-man committee that includes Habibul Bashar and Minhajul Abedin, who are also former national captains. The new panel will take charge from June.Akram led Bangladesh to victory in the historical win in the ICC Trophy in 1997, while Bashar led Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, where they pulled off surprise wins against South Africa and India. Abedin, who was a part of the playing XI in Bangladesh’s first official ODI in the ’80s, retired after the 1999 World Cup where he averaged 70.00 with two half-centuries – including one against Australia – in four innings.Akram was a member of the outgoing selection committee, whose tenure was not renewed after it ended on April 30. The decision was taken as part of a revamp of the Bangladesh cricket setup, after a disappointing 2011 World Cup performance.Coach Jamie Siddons departed earlier this month, after Bangladesh lost 3-0 to Australia at home, while a host of support staff are either leaving or under review. While bowling coach Ian Pont has already parted ways with Bangladesh cricket, strength and conditioning coach Grant Trafford Luden will stay on for another year. The future prospects of fielding coach Julien Fountain and physio Michael Henry are not yet clear.

England pair Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann shared four wickets on their return to county duty as Nottinghamshire fought back to dismiss Sussex for 304

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2011
Scorecard
Stuart Broad picked up two wickets at Hove, including that of Luke Wright•Getty Images

England pair Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann shared four wickets on their return to county duty as Nottinghamshire fought back to dismiss Sussex for 304 on the first day of the County Championship match at Hove. Sussex looked like making the most of winning the toss when openers Ed Joyce and Chris Nash posted their third century stand of the season. But Sussex were never the same after Joyce and Luke Wells fell just before lunch.A dry pitch is already turning, albeit slowly, and five of the wickets fell to spin. Swann removed Joyce with his 10th delivery while Samit Patel finished with 3 for 37 including skipper Mike Yardy and Nash, who passed 50 for the fifth time this season without converting it into a hundred.Nash and Joyce scored at five-an-over for most of the morning session with Nash, who raced to 50 off 35 balls, taking full advantage of some wayward bowling, particularly from Andre Adams. But Swann struck in his second over when Joyce was leg before to a ball which turned and struck him high on the pad and just before lunch Wells, who has scored two centuries already this summer, was bowled for a 21-ball duck by Patel.Murray Goodwin struck Adams for two fours in an over but the New Zealander broke through when wicketkeeper Chris Read ran backwards to take an excellent diving catch off a mis-timed pull to leave Sussex on 119 for 3.Matt Prior, who was also making his Championship return, added 70 in 17 overs with Nash to regain the initiative but Swann returned to the attack and struck straightaway when Prior sliced Swann’s first ball back to cover. Nash had looked untroubled, hitting 13 fours in 205 minutes in moving to his highest score of the season. But seven short of his hundred he missed a straight one from Patel and was did not look surprised when the leg before appeal was upheld.Yardy, also making his first Championship appearance of the season as he recovers from depression, helped England team-mate Luke Wright put on 39 for the sixth wicket either side of tea. But Patel struck again when he turned one as Yardy tried to drive and Adam Voges snapped up the edge at slip.Wright took the attack to Swann, twice striking him off the front foot to the boundary in an over, and was going well on 33 when Broad returned to the attack and to have him caught down the leg side. Broad was in business again later in the over when his nip-backer trapped James Anyon and Sussex were still 18 short of securing a third batting point when
Amjad Khan played across his pads to give the persevering Luke Fletcher a wicket.But Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, mixing careful defence with the occasional attacking flourish, made an unbeaten 43 off 52 balls with six fours and helped last man Monty Panesar take the score to 304 before Panesar played on to give Adams his 500th first-class wicket.Panesar is likely to have plenty of work as the contest unfolds and he and his team-mates finished the day on a positive note when Rana struck in his second over with the new ball, bowling left-hander Neil Edwards via an inside edge as Notts closed on 5 for 1.

The Pakistan board has voiced its concern over a growing interference from “a number of political functionaries” in the Shahid Afridi issue

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2011The Pakistan board has voiced its concern over a growing interference from “a number of political functionaries” in the Shahid Afridi issue, which it said was “essentially an internal disciplinary matter”.”It is disappointing that despite Afridi pleading guilty to the offences, some political functionaries are extending their support with a view to influencing the disciplinary process being followed by PCB,” Ijaz Butt, the board’s chairman, said. “An understanding needs to be developed among all stakeholders, media and the politicians that no one is above the law and that, for maintaining discipline within the team, it is absolutely imperative that we carry out this process without any fear or favour.”PCB has been criticised for being ineffective in the past in the context of discipline. It would now appear an attempt by some forces to prevent the board from implementing the code of conduct may well damage Pakistan Cricket, if they continue to lend support to Afridi and exert undue pressure on PCB for their ‘non-cricketing’ interests.”Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s interior minister, was one politician who had pledged to get involved. “I will do whatever I can to resolve this issue, as I am equally a fan of Afridi,” Malik had said on Twitter. Malik had success in such matters in the past, having mediated a peace between former chairman Nasim Ashraf and Shoaib Akhtar in 2008.Butt, however, is also politically well-covered. He is appointed directly by the president of the country and board patron Asif Ali Zardari.

Kent strengthened their chances of a earning a Friends Life t20 quarter-final place with a seven-wicket victory over Gloucestershire under the Duckworth-Lewis system in Bristol

06-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Kent strengthened their chances of a earning a Friends Life t20 quarter-final place with a seven-wicket victory over Gloucestershire under the Duckworth-Lewis system in Bristol.Gloucestershire posted 115 for 4 after losing the toss in a match reduced to 16 overs per side by rain, Kevin O’Brien hitting three sixes and three fours in an unbeaten 43 off 24 balls. Kent’s reply was twice interrupted by rain and they ended up needing 76 from 10 overs, a simple enough task achieved with five balls to spare.O’Brien shared an unbroken stand of 64 in 6.4 overs with Kane Williamson (20 not out). But the Gloucestershire total did not look enough and so it proved. Kent’s run chase was reduced to 104 from 14 overs when their innings was interrupted for the first time at 40 for one in the fifth. They progressed to 59 for two in the seventh before another heavy shower sent the players off.When play resumed the revised target was 76 off 10 and many spectators had already headed for the exits. Despite losing Joe Denly for 23 after the restart, Kent were never under any pressure.Sam Northeast hit the winning boundary after Azhar Mahmood had scored a useful 20, coming in at three, but it was a totally unsatisfactory contest for the small crowd. A key moment in Gloucestershire’s innings appeared to come when O’Brien, on one, was dropped by Denly at deep square off Wahab Riaz.Had the difficult running chance been taken, Gloucestershire would have been 55 for 5 in the 12th over. O’Brien profited from the error and went on to blast James Tredwell over cover and then mid-wicket for sixes off successive balls in the 13th over, and from then on he and Williamson produced the best batting of the game.Hamish Marshall, Jack Taylor and Chris Taylor had all fallen cheaply as Gloucestershire slipped to 46 for three, although Ian Cockbain played well for his 32 off 31 balls, with four fours.The result left Gloucestershire with only three wins from 12 South Group games and out of contention for a top-four finish, while Kent look well placed on 16 points from 13 fixtures.

The South Africa A team returned from the triangular series in Zimbabwe having given high performance coach Vincent Barnes “a good idea of what needs to be done at the level below the national team”

Firdose Moonda10-Jul-2011The South Africa A team’s performance in the Zimbabwe tri-series has given high performance coach Vincent Barnes “a good idea of what needs to be done at the level below the national team”. They won two of their five matches, beating Zimbabwe XI twice but losing to Australia A in three matches, including the final.The tour took place in the middle of the South African winter and the group had to shake off their chills and get back into playing after only a week’s training. “It took them a couple of games to get going,” Barnes told ESPNcricinfo. “We will have tours like this on a more ongoing basis and we should have training camps for two weeks in future.” The rustiness showed in parts as South Africa were involved in three close matches, but Barnes said they got “better and better all the time”.Ten of the squad of 14 had played international cricket before and Barnes, who worked as assistant coach of the South African team for eight years, is hoping to ease the passage for some of them to reach that level again. “I know what’s expected at the international level, so I worked with them to give them an idea of what is required to get back there.”Jacques Rudolph was the stand-out batsman of the tournament and topped the overall run-chart. He scored over 100 runs more than his nearest competitor, Aaron Finch, and clocked three scores in the 90s. After a successful domestic season for the Titans franchise, Rudolph has been talked up as ripe for national recall and further cemented that theory with his showing in Zimbabwe.”He played exceptionally well, did a great job leading and it’s obvious that he wants to play for South Africa badly,” Barnes said. Rudolph last played in international cricket five years ago, during a three-year stint on the big stage that ended because of a combination of poor form and mental fragility. Barnes believes he has overcome both drawbacks. “He’s a lot more focussed from where he was before and is very aware of his game. There is also a massive calm about him.”The South Africa A bowling attack was able to defend totals twice, but bowled out their opposition only once. Vernon Philander was the highest wicket-taker for South Africa, with nine scalps at an average of 26.22. The Cape-Town-bred bowler has been impressive in first-class cricket over the last two seasons, and used the opportunity to show his promise in the limited-overs forms of the game as well. “He is an amazingly skillful bowler and knows how to work with what he has,” Barnes said.Craig Alexander, who can bowl speeds up to 150 kph, took eight wickets and was used as the “impact bowler”. Death-bowling specialist Rusty Theron lived up to his reputation of squeezing runs at the end of an innings and was the only South African to take a four-wicket haul.Theron played a key role both times the team defended totals, picking up late wickets. He set out to prove that he is a complete bowler, who can also do a job at the top of the innings, and he was given the new ball on one occasion. “Rusty has made it clear that he wants to be seen as a ten-over bowler. He worked on it and he will keep doing so,” Barnes said.Destructive opener, Loots Bosman, who scored just 12 runs in two matches, was one of the failures in the side. Roelof van der Merwe also did not live up to expectations and returned with only four wickets at a bloated average of 49.75, although he was economical. He had mitigating circumstances for his below-par performance though. “He was hit in the ribs and there was a danger of him coming home,” Barnes said.Allan Donald, the new national bowling coach who travelled with his predecessor, Barnes, to Zimbabwe to get a first-hand experience of working with South African bowlers, also made important contributions to the tour. “The guys really responded to him, he’s a legend as far as they are concerned and they were very interested in his stories,” Barnes said. “He got stuck in everywhere and helped with everything, even fielding.”

England Test captain Andrew Strauss hit a career-best score and Sam Robson a century to put Middlesex in a formidable position

30-Aug-2011
ScorecardEngland Test captain Andrew Strauss hit a career-best score and Sam Robson a century to put Middlesex in a formidable position on day one of their County Championship Division Two clash with newly-crowned t20 champions Leicestershire at Lord’s.After being put in to bat, the hosts closed on 370 for 1, with Strauss having struck an undefeated 184 off 254 balls with 19 fours and two sixes. Robson made 101 before retiring hurt and Jamie Dalrymple added a brisk 46 before becoming the only wicket of the day.The first runs of the day came in the fifth over when Strauss pulled Matthew Hoggard for four. Two overs later, he collected three boundaries in four balls. Robson came out of his shell when he cover-drove Nathan Buck for four in the 12th over. Four overs later, the 22-year-old flicked Rob Taylor to the rope at square leg before threading the next delivery through point for four.The 24th over saw Strauss bring up his fifty, off 67 balls, with a cut for four off Rob Taylor. Just before lunch, Robson also moved to his half-century, in 96 deliveries, by dispatching Buck to the point boundary before Scott Newman and John Simpson were presented with their Middlesex caps during the break.As if to underline Leicestershire’s plight, the first semblance of a false shot came as late as the 44th over, when Robson bottom-edged a four off Taylor. Three overs later, he moved to 90 courtesy of a mistake by Hoggard at mid-off.With Strauss and Robson matching each other almost run for run, Strauss went to 99 when he took Middlesex past the 200 mark with a four through backward point. Two overs later, the England captain brought up his 42nd first-class hundred in 145 deliveries with his 15th four – which Wayne White, at point, parried to the boundary.In the 53rd over Robson joined Strauss on three figures when he drove his 169th ball, from Jigar Naik, through cover for four. Shortly afterwards Robson lost sight of a short-pitched delivery from White and was forced to retire hurt on 101. Nevertheless, his alliance with Strauss, worth 231 in 56 overs, had set a new record opening stand for Middlesex against Leicestershire.Dalrymple announced himself by cutting and pulling the second and third balls he received for four and at tea, Middlesex were 271 for no wicket. In the third over after tea Strauss lifted Naik over long-on for six. Five overs later, the England captain brought up his 150 in 202 deliveries, though not before he had swept Naik for another maximum.Leicestershire’s only success of the day came when Dalrymple (46), cutting, fell to the part-time spin of Josh Cobb, giving keeper Ned Eckersley his first scalp in first-class cricket. Dawid Malan joined Strauss in the middle and closed on 19 not out.