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Virat Kohli says neither team would have enjoyed batting on the slow surface, especially in a T20 contest

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-20191:49

Surprised by amount of turn on Chepauk pitch – Vikram Solanki

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli expressed dissatisfaction with the MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch on which defending champions and hosts Chennai Super Kings won the IPL 2019 opener in a low-scoring contest. Despite the seven-wicket win, Dhoni said the pitch was “too slow” while Kohli said he did not enjoy what was a “scrappy start” to the IPL on a surface which was a weary, bald turner. Incidentally, the pitch will also host the tournament final, which is likely to be played on May 12 in Chennai.

‘No one complains when people score 170-180’ – Harbhajan

“See, it was a difficult pitch to bat on but it wasn’t like it was unplayable. We’re so used to watching matches on good wickets where no one complains when people score 170-180. But if it spins or seams a little, everyone has a problem, saying why is this happening? No one has a problem with why so many runs are being made. So people actually forget that the bowler also has a job in cricket. Batsmen should struggle once in a while so that they understand that it should be a battle of bat and ball. In some places, yes, they played some rash shots as well. It was not that this was a 70 runs wicket. You’ll get at least 120 if you apply yourself.”

“I never expected the wicket to play how it actually played,” Dhoni told Sanjay Manjrekar during the post-match presentation. “It was too slow.” When asked by Manjrekar if he was unhappy with the surface, Dhoni said it needed to be better. “Definitely it needs to be a lot better than where it is right now. Even with the dew, it was still turning a bit. It needs to be (more) high scoring. Something like 140-150 is something you are looking at; 80, 90, 100 or 120 is very low scoring. If you saw how the wicket played and if you have genuine spinners in your (bowling) attack it will be very difficult to score runs. So the wicket needs to get much better than where how it is now.”Of the 13 wickets to fall in the match, ten were bagged by the spinners. Virtually every batsman was beaten by the gripping and slow surface, which also had good bounce.While Kohli didn’t offer excuses for the defeat, he didn’t hide his disappointment with the track, saying it wasn’t the right sort for T20 cricket. “The good thing is a game like this out of the way rather than having it at a very important stage in the tournament,” Kohli told Ian Bishop after the match. “No one thought the wicket’s going to play the way it played. We thought somewhere 140-150 would be an ideal score because of the dew factor later on. But I don’t think either of the team would have enjoyed that kind of a pitch, especially in T20 cricket where guys want to get runs and put the runs on the board or chase scores down.”If that was 100-110 run game would’ve been very close. It was a scrappy sort of a start to the league. That is what you get when you have a wicket like that. I don’t think either team had control over it. The pitch was under the covers for four days.”Even Ambati Rayudu, whose watchful 28 (the second-highest score on the day) guided the Super Kings to victory, was surprised by the nature of the pitch, which he described to Bishop as more suited to a first-class match. “Definitely a tough wicket. It was pretty easy in the end, but if they had another 40-50 runs it would have been really tough. It was more like playing in a four-day game because the wicket was such.”Dhoni said the uncertainty over how the surface would behave – even though Super Kings had played a practice match on it leading into the IPL opener – was the main reason he chose to bowl after winning the toss. The Super Kings captain said the pitch reminded him of the re-laid surfaces at the venue during the 2011 Champions League T20, where the average score hovered below the 150-run mark. Super Kings had won the IPL that year but failed to make the knockouts in the CLT20. “It just reminded me of the 2011 Champions League,” Dhoni said. “We had won IPL. We had a very good season. We came back. The wicket got re-laid and all of a sudden we found it very difficult. If the wicket stays like this, it will be difficult for us also.”We were not really sure about the wicket. We played a practice game on the same wicket and it wasn’t turning so much. It was a slightly high-scoring game. Yes, practice game, there is a tendency normally you will score 30 runs more than what you will in a proper game.”

Islamabad’s seamers did most of the damage under cloudy skies, limiting the Multan Sultans to 113, setting up their first win of the tournament

The Report by Nikhil Kalro25-Feb-2018PCB/PSL

Not often, in T20s, does a Powerplay decide the direction of a game. When it does, it’s almost always solely down to underfoot or overhead conditions. Under atypically overcast skies in Dubai, after a 25-minute delay due to light rain, Islamabad United’s seamers capitalised on swinging conditions to leave Multan Sultans at 24 for 3 after the first six overs.That period set the tone for the rest of the match. Multan weren’t able to recover, eventually slumping to 113 all out in the final over. At one point during the 54-run fifth-wicket partnership between Shoaib Malik and Kieron Pollard, it seemed like Multan could muster a score they could defend in bowling-friendly conditions.Imran Tahir gave them some hope with 3 for 19, but Hussain Talat snuffed that out with a sparkling innings, first steadying the chase before showing off his range with a 34-ball 48 that gave Islamabad their first win of the tournament.

Where the match was won

Islamabad’s bowlers kept Multan to 24 for 3 in the Powerplay, but the next four overs damaged their hopes of a 120-plus score. Multan’s batsmen took too long looking to consolidate, adding just 18 runs in four overs for the loss of Ahmed Shehzad. With a score at 42 for 4, even a bright cameo wouldn’t have sufficed.

The men that won it

The conditions were skewed towards the fast bowlers so much that legspinner Shadab Khan was given only two overs. Islamabad’s quicks didn’t disappoint. Captain Rumman Raees and Mohammad Sami combined for figures of 7.5-0-33-5 to give their team a distinct edge. Steven Finn and Andre Russell also chipped in with three wickets between them.But the most significant contribution was from Talat. At 63 for 5, Multan were buoyant, but Talat soaked up that pressure initially, before expanding his strokeplay to find the gaps. He finished with four fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock.

Moment of the match

In three innings in this season’s PSL, Sohaib Maqsood has scored 26 runs, at an average of 8.67. That lack of confidence may have manifested into hesitation in the field. In the 10th over of Islamabad’s chase, Talat clipped a delivery from Junaid Khan towards midwicket. He called his partner Asif Ali for a run before sending him back too late. Or so everyone thought. Maqsood picked up, ran towards the bowler’s stumps, glanced at the batsman and missed an under-arm throw from a metre away.

Where they stand

Being the only team with two wins in the tournament, Multan retained their position at the top of the table. Islamabad stayed at fifth spot with one win in two games.

Titans claimed a second successive T20 title and denied Warriors a first trophy in seven seasons by defending 156

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2016
ScorecardDavid Wiese’s late blows proved the difference•Associated Press

Titans claimed a second successive T20 title and denied Warriors a first trophy in seven seasons by defending 156, despite losing their captain Albie Morkel to a hamstring injury in their first over in the field. Lungi Ngidi and Junior Dala both conceded under seven runs an over but the hero was Malusi Siboto who defended 12 off the final over to secure a tense win.A penultimate over that was boundary-less and cost Dala just six runs set the tone for Siboto’s heroics but they were not without drama. He sent down a slower ball first delivery, then a dot ball, and then only three singles to all but guarantee Titans the win. However, with what should have been the final ball, Siboto bowled a leg-side wide to leave open the prospect of a Super Over deciding the tournament. But he finished on target to leave Warriors wondering how they had left it to their seventh-wicket pair of Lesiba Ngoepe and Sisanda Magala needing to score 31 off 22 balls.The enormity of the occasion – Warriors last played in a final in the 2010-11 season – seemed to overwhelm them but they showed glimpses of breaking their drought. They pulled Titans back from 105 for 3 to restrict them to a below-par score at altitude but none of their senior batsmen could anchor the chase.Warriors reply began tentatively when Clyde Fortuin hit the ball straight to Aiden Markram at backward point but Titans’ joy soon turned to worry. Morkel grabbed at his hamstring in pain as the wicket fell and could not complete the over.David Wiese took over the captaincy and bowled the next over from Morkel’s end, with equal success. He had the leading run-scorer in the competition, Jon-Jon Smuts, caught behind and Warriors were in early trouble. Their malaise could have deepened when Ngidi appealed for a catch against Colin Ingram, who had yet to score, but umpire Allahudien Paleker turned him down. Ingram only faced another eight deliveries before Ngidi had the last laugh and Titans took the Powerplay honours with Warriors on 44 for 3.Colin Ackermann and Christiaan Jonker got them back on track with a clinical attack on the Titans change bowlers. They were particularly severe on left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, whose first over cost 14, but he could have had both their wickets. After Ackermann hit Shamsi over the grass embankment for six, he skied another strike but Siboto put it down and conceded a run. Off the next ball, Jonker tried to flick and was caught by Junior Dala to put Titans back in it.Ackermann shared in a 30-run fifth-wicket stand with Qaasim Adams, who is on loan from Titans and gave it to his old team with a feisty 17 off 16 balls. Before he could do any more damage, though, Shamsi removed him lbw with the last ball of his spell. The tale twisted even more when Ackermann holed out to Ngidi and all but ended Warriors’ challenge.That would have come as relief to Titans, who should have scored more after their strong start. They put on 35 in the first four overs, which included two overs from Kyle Abbott who was selected ahead of the competition’s second-highest wicket-taker Andrew Birch, despite Birch’s 5 for 16 against the same opposition at the same ground in the group stage.Warriors fought back when Basheeru Walters made the first breakthrough and two further blows left Titans 73 for 3 in the 10th over. Despite needing some firepower Titans did not send in their star batsman Farhaan Behardien immediately and tasked Heino Kuhn with partnering Morkel in the middle. Kuhn was run out in the 14th over, which sparked a mini-collapse. They lost three for 21, including Behardien, who was unable to provide a replay of his 14-ball fifty from the weekend, and Morkel, also run-out.At 126 for 6, with 16 balls remaining, Titans were in danger of finishing well below par but Wiese took them to respectability. He plundered 16 runs in a 19-run final over that took Titans over 150 and, in the end, it proved enough.

Chris Rogers has spoken of how angry and upset he was after being hit on the helmet while fielding at short leg last summer, and of the psychological effects of a number of blows to the head following the death of Phillip Hughes

Brydon Coverdale08-Nov-2015Chris Rogers has spoken of how angry and upset he was after being hit on the helmet while fielding at short leg last summer, and of the psychological effects of a number of blows to the head following the death of Phillip Hughes. While commentating on the Brisbane Test between Australia and New Zealand for , Rogers said the mindset of all players around the world had changed as a result of Hughes being struck.”I just think we thought we were invincible,” Rogers said. “Everything had been magnified…it took that incident to really put things in perspective, and you look back now and it was just a horrible time, a horrible time.”At Adelaide Oval against India last season, in Australia’s first Test since Hughes’ death, Rogers was asked to field at short leg. Michael Clarke was off the field injured and Haddin asked Rogers, who had fielded in close earlier in his Test career, to take up the position again.”The first thing he said was ‘Buck, you need to get your helmet and box’. And I did a double take, I looked behind me, ‘who is he talking to?’, and I realised I had to go in there. I went in there…Rohit Sharma swept one straight into my hip. Then we came to Brisbane and straight back in there.”Nathan Lyon [was] bowling around the wicket and Rohit Sharma again has just swept one, and I wasn’t the bravest soul in there. You are supposed to just duck and present the top of your helmet, but of course I did a pirouette and jumped and turned my head and hit me right on the back of the helmet.”I was lucky there was no damage done, it actually hit the helmet and after everything that happened, the doc came running out and said ‘are you okay?’ and I actually pushed him away. I sent him a message later that night to apologise.”I was just so angry at having to be in there. I felt I was too old to be in there; probably didn’t have the reflexes I used to. But when you get asked to field short leg for Australia you don’t say no, you say absolutely I’ll do what the team needs. I was pretty upset that night I must admit. Michael Lloyd, the psychologist, came and really spent some time with me. So it can really shake you up.”Rogers has previously said that he considered retirement after that blow at short leg, but he played on and suffered further hits to the helmet before ending his Test career. In the West Indies, Rogers was struck by a net bowler and sat out of the two Tests, but he decided to play on with the lure of one final Ashes series before retiring.”I thought I was okay initially and it wasn’t until the next day I tried to do some exercise and almost fell over,” Rogers said. “That was a bit bizarre, actually, because I didn’t get hit that hard. It must have got me in line with the temple on the helmet. Even the second Test I was still struggling to really do any exercise without the effects of it. I’d start to feel really sick, my vision was really narrow.”A further hit to the helmet from a James Anderson delivery, first ball of the second day at Lord’s during the Ashes, provided one more worrying moment for Rogers.”When you look back and think about all those incidents happening, it is kind of nice to be up here in the commentary box,” he said. “It’s a bit of a relief.”

Craig Kieswetter has been ruled out for up to six weeks after suffering a broken thumb in Somerset’s County Championship match against Warwickshire

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2013Craig Kieswetter has been ruled out for up to six weeks after suffering a broken thumb in Somerset’s County Championship match against Warwickshire.Kieswetter sustained the injury to his right thumb from the last ball before lunch on the final day, when he was stood up to Peter Trego, and after interval handed the wicketkeeping gloves to Jos Buttler for the remainder of the match.Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s director of cricket said: “Obviously this is very disappointing for us at this stage of the campaign and it is also very disappointing for Craig.”This was a freak accident and with him in such good form and in a good frame of mind with the bat and gloves, it has come at a bad time. However, he goes about things in a very professional way and with a good rehabilitation programme already planned we will have him back as soon as possible.”Somerset are fortunate to have another international wicketkeeper in Buttler ready as a straight replacement behind the stumps and he will be available until England’s one-day series against New Zealand which precedes the Champions Trophy in June.Buttler and Kieswetter were set for split duties in the early weeks of the season after Buttler’s elevation to the England limited-overs role at the expense of his county team-mate. Now, Buttler will have an extended run with the gloves in order to work on his keeping ahead of England’s next one-day series.

The Titans beat the Lions by 45 runs to win the MiWay T20 challenge final at the Wanderers on Sunday to mark the end of South Africa’s domestic season

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers01-Apr-2012
ScorecardThe Titans beat the Lions by 45 runs to win the MiWay T20 challenge final at the Wanderers on Sunday to mark the end of South Africa’s domestic season. Both teams qualify for the Champions League T20 in September.Fad du Plessis spun the Titans to victory with a return of 4 for 24 after his team posted an imposing 187 for 6, batting on the same pitch that was used for the Twenty20 between South Africa and India on Friday night. The Titans had the advantage from the get-go when Lions’ international signing Dirk Nannes was ruled out of the match with a hamstring injury. Ethan O’Reilly replaced Nannes and battled with his lengths throughout, conceding 45 runs in his three overs.Henry Davids and Heino Kuhn started aggressively, blasting 42 off the first 20 balls, before Davids was bowled off the pad by Chris Morris. Kuhn was caught behind in the next over and Roelof van der Merwe holed out to deep midwicket two overs after that, off the bowling of Aaron Phangiso.The left-arm spinner was the Lions’ only economical bowler, giving away just 14 runs in four-over spell. Dwaine Pretoris chipped in with the wicket of du Plessis, who Pretorius dropped the ball before the South African middle-order batsman pulled to Morris in the deep. The wickets allowed the Lions to pull things back and they had the Titans cornered at 115 for 5 after 15 overs.Farhaan Behardien shared in two sizeable partnerships to ensure the score soared. He put on 42 runs for the sixth wicket with Albie Morkel and 33 for the seventh, in 14 balls. The Titans blasted 72 runs off the last five overs, in which the Lions dropped Behardien once and had him caught off a no-ball from Pakistan international Sohail Tanvir.The Lions made an already tough task even more difficult as they collapsed to 24 for 3 after three overs. Jonathan Vandiar was caught at third man off the second ball of the innings and Alviro Petersen and Quinton de Kock were both victims of Albie Morkel in the same over.Neil McKenzie and Jean Symes put the Lions back on track with a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket, the biggest of the match. Then, the dominoes began to fall. Symes was bowled by a du Plessis googly that kept low and Pretorius went the same way, in the same over. When Neil McKenzie was bowled, by Roelof van der Merwe in the next over, the Lions’ fate had been decided. du Plessis added the scalps of Morris and Thami Tsolekile to his haul to finish as the second highest wicket-taker for the Titans in the competition.The Titans have enjoyed their most successful summer in three seasons. They also won this season’s first-class competition, the SuperSport Series, under new coach Matthew Maynard. The Titans will now compete in their first Champions League. They were due to play in the 2008 version which was cancelled after terror attacks in Mumbai.The Lions defeat extends their trophy drought to six years. The last cup they won was in 2006, when they beat the Cobras in the final of the domestic twenty-over competition. They have had some recent success though and qualified for the Champions League T20 two seasons ago, when they lost to the Warriors in the final.

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.

Derbyshire pair Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen notched a new club record opening
partnership against Northamptonshire as the visitors took complete control on
day two at Wantage Road

28-Apr-2010
Scorecard
Chris Rogers continued his prolific start to the season•Getty Images

Derbyshire pair Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen notched a new club record opening
partnership against Northamptonshire as the visitors took complete control on
day two at Wantage Road.Skipper Rogers returned to haunt his former employers by notching an impressive
141 while South African right-hander Madsen ended the day unbeaten on 163. Rogers spent two seasons in Northamptonshire colours in 2006-07 but old
friendships were put out of the window as he and Madsen passed the previous
Derbyshire best against Northants, 216, set by Alan Hill and John Wright back in
1979.Nicky Boje and James Middlebrook threatened a Northants revival with a wicket
apiece in quick succession just before the tea interval but Madsen and Paul
Borrington (41 not out) easily saw Derbyshire through to a commanding position
at the close.Derbyshire began the day 163 runs behind Northants on 57-0 with Australian
one-Test-wonder Rogers resuming on 31 and Madsen on 17. The opening pair were untroubled in reaching their first hundred partnership of the season in the 30th over and Rogers was the first to pass 50 with a four through mid-wicket from his 84th ball.Madsen brought up his patient half-century in near-identical fashion four overs
later in 123 balls. With the hosts’ attack toiling, the only half chance came when wicketkeeper Paul Harrison could not quite hold on to a sharp catch from Rogers off
Middlebrook and the partnership had grown to 163 by lunch.Rogers then coasted to his century from 170 balls and he brought up the 200
partnership with the following ball. Middlebrook then thought he had snared Madsen with a sharp catch at short leg from Vishal Tripathi but his appeals fell on death ears.And Madsen compounded Middlebrook’s misery when he had the honour of setting
the new record with a four through extra cover before hitting a single in the
63rd over to put Derbyshire ahead.The former KwaZulu-Natal man went on to make his ton in 213 balls, including
one six smashed straight down the ground off Boje. Middlebrook was the man to finally break up the partnership in the 74th over, trapping Rogers lbw to bring his superb innings to an end.Northants claimed a second wicket in the next over when Garry Park, who faced
seven balls without scoring, edged Boje to Andrew Hall at slip. But any thoughts of a home side fightback were quickly extinguished by Paul Borrington and Madsen whose partnership of 103 ensured Derbyshire ended the day with an innings victory in their sights, 157 runs ahead going into day three.

Harry Kane's hopes of winning the Bundesliga title suffered another blow on Saturday as Bayer Leverkusen moved eight points clear at the top.

• Bayern Leverkusen beat Heidenheim
• Move eight points clear in Bundesliga
• Remain unbeaten in league to match record

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayer Leverkusen continued their stunning form in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win over Heidenheim. Goals from Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adli secured all three points for Xavi Alonso's side and maintained their unbeaten record in the league this season. The win also moves Leverkusen eight points clear of Bayern ahead of their trip to Bochum on Sunday.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane moved to Bayern in the summer in search of tophies after failing to land a title in over a decade in north London with Tottenham. Bayern looked a safe bet, having won the Bundesliga title for the last 11 seasons, but are finding it tough going in the current campaign despite Kane's goalscoring exploits. Leverkusen lead the way in the German top flight, while Bayern are also 1-0 down after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Lazio.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Leverkusen's win means they are unbeaten in their last 32 consecutive competitive matches, equalling the record by a Bundesliga team that had previously only been achieved by Bayern Munich from 2019 to 2020 under Hansi Flick.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN AND KANE

  The Bavarian giants will aim to cut the gap to five points on Sunday when they head to Bochum. Bayern thrashed Sunday's opponents 7-0 in their last meeting, with Kane taking home the match ball after bagging a hat-trick.

Cristiano Ronaldo's son has agreed to join Al-Nassr's Under 13 team and has his eye on reaching the senior side to play alongside his father.

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Ronaldo Jr signed Al-Nassr dealWill wear No. 7 jersey like his dadHopes to play alongside iconic starWHAT HAPPENED?

The iconic star's eldest son has signed a deal with the Riyadh club's youth team, according to Fabrizio Romano, and will start training alongside his new team-mates in the next few days.

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The 13-year-old has been training in Saudi Arabia since his dad made the switch to Al-Nassr in January this year. However, he has now become part of the Pro League side's academy.

The youngster will follow in his father's footsteps even further by wearing the No. 7 jersey that has become part of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's brand.

WHAT THEY SAID

The youngster even hopes to realise his deam of playing alongside his dad, as Ronaldo said in 2019: "Sometimes, my son tells me: ‘Dad, hold on for a few more years, I want to play with you’. But that will be difficult."

Ronaldo is already 38-years-old, however, so it remains to be seen if he will still be playing by the time his son can make the first-team.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Ronaldo and Al-Nassr are in action again on Saturday when they take on Damac in the Saudi Pro League.