Plays of the day from the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah

Siddarth Ravindran24-Apr-2014The first-baller
Gautam Gambhir had begun the tournament with an eight-ball zero in Abu Dhabi, and followed it up with a four-ball blob in Dubai. Ahead of the toss in Sharjah he said, “Looks a belter, so hopefully I can get some runs.” He didn’t, lasting all of one ball as he was done in by a full swinging delivery from the pacy Mitchell Starc to complete a collection of ducks in every IPL venue in the UAE.The welcome
Forty-two year-old Muttiah Muralitharan was playing his first game of the season, and also his first in over three months. There was no mercy from Chris Lynn, though, as the spin great wheeled in for his first delivery. Lynn played the quintessential Twenty20 shot, the slog-sweep, to send the ball soaring beyond the rope. Not just beyond the rope, it nearly crashed into a giant-screen displaying Muralitharan’s photo and stats. Lynn repeated the dose later in the over, a flatter six that just cleared the boundary as Muralitharan conceded 15 in his first over.The boundary
Muralitharan’s first ball had been hit for six, but Royal Challengers Bangalore’s other spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, hadn’t been hit for a boundary in both previous games this season. The streak might have extended further than Chahal’s first over today, if Mitchell Starc had held on to a difficult chance at deep midwicket. After Lynn swung the ball towards the boundary, Starc ran across to take the catch, sinking to his knees at the last moment; the ball popped out of his hands and hit his chest before he held on on the second chance. In the process, however, Starc’s feet brushed the rope. Chahal didn’t concede any other boundary in his spell.The innovation
Suryakumar Yadav has already given notice of his ability to innovate with a casual reverse-flick for four off Corey Anderson in the first match of the season. He showed more of that skill today against Ashok Dinda in the 19th over. Dinda fired in a 141.6kph ball full and wide outside off, to which Suryakumar responded by stepping forward, bending his back leg and slap-sweeping it to the midwicket boundary. Even as the commentators raved about the stroke, Suryakumar attempted the shot twice more in the over, botching it both times, taking some of the sheen off the original effort.The face-off
Morne Morkel was steaming in, regularly bowling shortish deliveries close to 150kph, but despite several swishes and misses there was no breakthrough. In Morkel’s second over, Yogesh Takawale started to connect, and scored a crisp boundary behind square before edging between the wicketkeeper and slip for four more. That prompted some snarling from Morkel, and the bowler’s mood didn’t improve after there was another four in the over. At the end of it Morkel, among the tallest players in the tournament, had words with Parthiv, among the shortest players in the tournament, his arm brushing Parthiv’s helmet as he walked past. Parthiv replied with an outburst of his own, but the two patched up soon after with a fist bump.

Dolphins team-mates, Imraan Khan and Mfuneko Ngam, believe Hashim Amla will be an astute, authoritative captain who will lead by example

Firdose Moonda11-Jun-2014The ability to command respect, control a dressing room and encourage calm through actions rather than words will define Hashim Amla’s captaincy, according to two former Test players he has led before. Imraan Khan and Mfuneko Ngam were part of the Dolphins’ squad Amla took to the domestic first-class competition title in the 2004-05 season and both believe he will make an astute and authoritative national leader, but not in the obvious ways we have come to expect of Test captains.”I don’t think he will shout much – at the guys in his own team and the opposition – so it will be different, but that could be a good thing,” Khan told ESPNcricinfo. “We all know he is relaxed and calm in the way he goes about things.”While Amla’s predecessor, Graeme Smith – and captains through the ages from Ricky Ponting to MS Dhoni – led through presence, Amla is expected to do the same by example. “His lifestyle is something that will make him a good captain. He is disciplined and quiet and goes about his own business. Guys respect him,” Ngam said. “Sometimes quiet guys are more powerful.”Amla’s silent strength was evident from a young age according to childhood friend Khan, who played alongside Amla from under-13 level. “He has always been a mature guy which is why he was always involved in leadership through the age-groups,” Khan said. “I always thought he could become a Test captain.”Despite Amla’s reluctance to involve himself in leadership in the past, Khan remembered that he took to the role easily as a youngster. Amla was only 22 years old when he was put in charge of the Dolphins and he managed to assert himself over an outfit filled with experienced players including Lance Klusener, Dale Benkenstein and, albeit only for two matches, Shaun Pollock.There, he set the example mainly through his own performances. The Dolphins lost only one game that season and shared the trophy with the Eagles after a high-scoring drawin which Amla top-scored with 249.”We (the Dolphins) had quite a senior squad that season and the way he controlled the dressing room, especially for a young guy was impressive,” Khan said. “It also cut both ways. To have all those guys around, guys like Benky, would have helped Hashim as a young captain.”The South African team Amla will take charge of now is fairly similar in composition to the franchise he led a decade ago. Although the Test squad is in transition, there is still an experienced core made up of AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis. Having dealt with a similar situation in the past, both Khan and Ngam think Amla is well positioned to understand the dynamics of it again, especially as he is now satisfied with the progression of his own ability.”Then, he was still young and working hard on his own game. He was concerned about things like his technique but even with that, in team meetings he had a lot of input,” Ngam said. “Obviously leading the country is a different thing, it comes with different pressures and there are more things to do off the field than on it but I expect him to make a good captain. He doesn’t get intimidated easily and his knowledge of the game is very good.”The time Amla spent fine-tuning his own approach contributed to the way he thinks about and reads the game. Khan said despite his reserved public persona, Amla is outspoken behind the scenes where he enjoys getting involved in strategy and tactics. “He is not the kind of guy that will let the game just drift away. He is always thinking and his mind is always ticking,” Khan said. “He’ll have good plans in place and he knows how to execute them.”More than a loud leader, a thinking one could be what South Africa needs over the next few months.

It can’t get better than a tied Super Over to finish off the Abu Dhabi leg of the IPL

Anil Joseph30-Apr-2014Choice of game
This was the last IPL match in Abu Dhabi, so I didn’t want to miss it. It seems another 20,000 people in Abu Dhabi had similar sentiments so yet another sell-out crowd turned up to bid adieu to the IPL from Abu Dhabi. Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals had identical 2-2 win loss ratios, and this match was crucial for both to keep their noses in front in the race for the IPL play-offs.And what a fitting farewell it turned out to be for Abu Dhabi – easily the closest match this season, and one where fortunes swung from start to finish.Team supported
I guess loyalties are not as deeply entrenched in the IPL (as compared to international matches), so most of the spectators applauded good performances from both sides even if they were more inclined towards Kolkata.I was supporting Rajasthan due to its connection with my favourite cricketer, Rahul Dravid. However, I also wanted to see Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir do well for KKR, albeit in a losing cause.Getting to the ground
Parking at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is quite an experience. The stadium is surrounded by acres of plain sand, which serves as a parking lot for the thousands of cars. I saw at least three cars that got stuck in the sand and their owners desperately trying to extricate their cars (mostly in vain). Long queues of arriving cars sometimes also caused miniature sand storms, but that would not deter the cricket enthusiasts. The security checks were extremely efficient and in no time, we were inside the stadium.One thing I’d have changed
Shah Rukh Khan made an appearance in the 18th over of the Rajasthan innings, and as has been the norm in all IPL matches, a large section of the crowd decided that catching a glimpse of SRK eclipsed any entertainment that cricket could possibly provide. For a diehard cricket fanatic like myself, ignoring a battle of Rahane-Steve Smith vs Narine-Morne Morkel in the final two overs of a T20 game for a long shot sighting of SRK was nothing short of sacrilege.Wow moment
The wow moment of the day for me was the crucial 19th over bowled by the birthday boy, James Faulkner. The three wickets he took in this over of Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa and Vinay Kumar resurrected Rajasthan’s hopes from a position of utter despair. What makes this performance all the more fascinating was that till that point, Faulkner’s only notable contribution to the match was being caught sleeping at the boundary line when Kallis offered a chance in the deep off Rajat Bhatia’s bowling in the seventh over.Shots of the day
The most stunning shot of the day was Suryakumar Yadav’s six off Shane Watson, which he picked up from way outside off stump (almost near the wide line), and casually slog-swept over square leg in a manner reminiscent of some of Moin Khan’s audacious sweeps.The other amazing shot of the day was Ajinka Rahane’s pulled six off Vinay Kumar. The first impression was that the ball was unlikely to carry very far, but the ball somehow hung in the air and went over for a highly unlikely six.Crowd meter
The excitement levels and associated decibel levels for this match remained relatively subdued for a large part, perhaps due to the attritional nature of cricket being played and the relatively fewer number of sixes and fours. However, the excitement and noise gradually rose to a crescendo during the second half of Kolkata’s innings as people realised this was going to be a close one. Towards the end, everyone was screaming, and as we trooped out of the stadium you could see the satisfaction on the fans’ faces at having witnessed something special.IPL v Pakistan’s home games
Having watched a Pakistan Test, ODI and T20 each here, I must confess only the T20 international could match the IPL for crowd support. The Test match had barely a few dozen people in attendance and the ODI was also played in a half-empty stadium. The IPL, in comparison, has been a runaway hit in these parts. I guess the Indian population in the UAE has been starved of watching Indian cricketers in action for over a decade now, and the IPL has been an avenue for the huge Indian population here to make a statement that we want to see more of Indian cricketers playing here. I have no doubt that if an India-Pakistan T20 match played here, a stadium three times the size of the existing stadia, would be insufficient to meet the demand.Overall
It was a thoroughly enjoyable day of cricket for me and my friends. A big thank you to the organisers for choosing the UAE as hosts and to Sheikh Nahyan for his unwavering support. The IPL has been the talk of the town for the last two weeks, and many of us Indians in Abu Dhabi are already feeling sad that the UAE leg is drawing to a close – a bit like a favorite cousin having visited us on a holiday and now heading back. I really couldn’t have asked for more.

Stats highlights from a day which was completely dominated by Kumar Sangakkara

S Rajesh09-Aug-2014501 Runs scored by Kumar Sangakkara off Saeed Ajmal in Tests. Ajmal has dismissed him Sangakkara only three times, giving the batsman an average of 167. The next-highest runs scored by any batsman off a bowler since May 2001 is 431, by Mahela Jayawardene against Harbhajan Singh.10 The number of double-centuries Sangakkara has scored in Tests, next only to Don Bradman’s 12. Sangakkara also has six scores of 150 or more against Pakistan, the second-best by a batsman against one opposition, after Bradman’s 11 against England.84.59 Sangakkara’s Test average against Pakistan. In 38 innings against them, Sangakkara has scored 2707 runs, which is easily the best by any batsman facing Pakistan – the next-highest is Sunil Gavaskar’s 2089 runs, scored in 41 innings.9 Number of centuries for Sangakkara in his last 19 Tests, going back to June 2012. Sangakkara has scored 2504 runs in these 19 Tests – the highest by any batsman at an average of 83.46. Those nine hundreds include scores of 319, 221, 199 not out and 192.1329 Sangakkara’s Test aggregate in 2014, which is the highest by any Sri Lankan in a calendar year. He has scored those runs in 16 innings, at an average of 88.60. The previous-highest by a Sri Lankan in a year was 1271, by Sanath Jayasuriya in 19 innings in 1997.18 The number of century partnerships in Tests between Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, with 20, have more century stands. However, Sangakkara and Jayawardene average 56.28 per completed partnership, compared to 50.51 for Tendulkar and Dravid.91.15 Angelo Mathews’ batting average in his last ten Tests. In 17 innings, ten times he has gone past 50, with three centuries, three scores in the 90s.1094 Mathews’ Test aggregate in 2014, in 16 innings, at an average of 91.16. Only Sangakkara has scored more runs this year. With Mahela Jayawardene scoring 919 and Kaushal Silva 792, the top four run-getters in Tests this year are all Sri Lankans.933 The number of Test runs Mathews has scored against Pakistan, out of an aggregate of 2947, which means 31.6% of his total runs have come against Pakistan. His next-highest against any team is 449, against Australia.46.2 The number of overs Ajmal bowled before getting his first wicket in the innings, which is the longest he has ever waited for his first scalp. In Abu Dhabi against Sri Lanka in 2013, Ajmal had figures of none for 115 from 49 overs. In an innings in which he did take at least one wicket, the longest he had waited for a first scalp before today was 41.2 overs, against England at Lord’s in 2010.166 The runs Ajmal conceded in Sri Lanka’s innings, which is the most he has gone for when taking a five-wicket haul. His previous most expensive five-for was 5 for 151, against South Africa in Dubai last year.

Chasing Chennai Super Kings’ 242, Dolphins opener Cameron Delport played nine action-packed deliveries in his innings. Here’s what happened ball by ball

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-20140.4 – [Ashish] Nehra to Delport, 3 wides, full and fast down leg side, Dhoni fails to collect cleanly but gets some glove on it.
0.4 – Nehra to Delport, FOUR, a cracking shot from Delport, he comes down the pitch and plays a lofted off-drive against a length delivery, he hit through the line and almost cleared the boundary at long off
0.5 – Nehra to Delport, SIX, another length ball disappears, Delport gets on the front foot and swings across the line, hitting the ball high and into the stands at deep midwicket0.6 – Nehra to Delport, FOUR, that’s gone so fast to the square leg boundary! Nehra banged it in short and Delport swivelled and pulled, hitting the ball ferociously2.1 – [Mohit] Sharma to Delport, SIX, Delport has teed off! Golf-swinging a full ball from off stump over the long-off boundary. He’s striking at 5002.2 – Sharma to Delport, FOUR, Delport moves outside leg stump to create room for a short and wide ball, he then slashes hard and cuts the ball flat over point for a one-bounce four. He’s hit five boundaries in five balls2.3 – Sharma to Delport, FOUR, six in six, Delport is cutting CSK to ribbons, makes room once again and carves the ball over point, sensational hitting against the angle into him from round the wicket. They have already got 50!2.4 – Sharma to Delport, 2 runs, makes room and lofts the ball over cover, he’s mis-timed it and no wonder! The bat has broken as he played the shot, he’s left holding the handle in his hand. Delport will hope the replacement bat hits the ball as well as this one2.5 – Sharma to Delport, FOUR, bang! Sharma delivers a length ball and Delport hammers the drive through extra cover, makes a bit of room by moving outside leg and hits cleanly through the line2.6 – Sharma to Delport, OUT, bowled him! Delport’s blaze of glory has come to an end via a slower ball that cut into him from outside off, he played too early and aimed for point and missed. CSK players – some look a bit shell shocked – converge in celebration. Delport’s made some IPL owners sit up and take notice for sure.

Stats highlights from the drawn second Test in Dubai as Pakistan held on to their 1-0 series lead

S Rajesh21-Nov-20146 The number of consecutive Tests in Dubai, before this one, that produced a decisive result. Pakistan won four of those and lost two, to South Africa and Sri Lanka. The only other Test to be drawn here was the very first one, between South Africa and Pakistan in 2010.5 Wickets taken by New Zealand’s specialist spinners, Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi, in this Test. They bowled 105 overs, and went for 338, an average of 67.60 runs per wicket. Pakistan’s two specialist spinners, Yasir Shah and Zulfiqur Babur, took 15 wickets at an average of 26.93 runs per wicket.9 The number of sixes that were hit off Craig’s bowling in the Test. It’s the most sixes off a New Zealand bowler in a Test since 2001. Craig had also gone for eight sixes against West Indies in Kingston earlier this year.118 The number of runs Ross Taylor had scored in his six previous innings before getting 104 today. In three previous innings in this series he had scores of 0, 8 and 23.97 Taylor’s previous highest Test score against Pakistan. In 12 previous innings he had passed 50 five times – including scores of 97 and 94 – but had never gone on to a century. In seven Tests against Pakistan, Taylor now averages 44.61. He has Test hundreds against seven of the nine Test-playing sides, with the exceptions being Bangladesh (highest of 54 not out in eight innings) and South Africa (highest of 48 not out in nine innings). (Click here for Taylor’s career summary in Tests.)12 Number of Test hundreds for Taylor, which puts him level with John Wright; while Wright got 12 in 148 innings, Taylor has his in 108. Among New Zealand batsmen, only Martin Crowe, with 17 hundreds in 131 innings, has more centuries.50 Number of sixes in Test cricket for Tim Southee – all of them have been when he has batted at No. 8 or lower in the batting order, which equals the highest by any batsman batting in the last four positions. Wasim Akram has 50 sixes from 110 innings when he has batted at No. 8 or lower, while Southee has 50 sixes from 60 innings. For New Zealand, only three batsmen – Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum and Craig McMillan – have struck more sixes.14.69 Taufeeq Umar’s fourth-innings average in Tests since the beginning of 2004. In 16 innings he has a highest of 39. In the first, second and third innings of Tests during this period, he averages 39.18.1 The number of ducks for Misbah-ul-Haq in 32 Test innings in the UAE. He has scored 1610 runs here at an average of 64.40. Younis Khan leads the run tally in the UAE with 1970, though at a slightly lower average (57.94).

ESPNcricinfo explains what today’s developments in court mean in the overall scheme of ongoing investigations into IPL corruption case and where could this lead to in the near future

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2014What happened in the court today? What do the Supreme Court notices mean?
Another slow, methodical step in the IPL 2013 corruption case. An interim order from the Supreme Court special bench consisting of two judges TS Thakur and FM Kalifullah has asked four individuals – N Srinivasan, Gurunath Meiyappan, Sundar Raman and Raj Kundra – to respond to findings related to them in the Mudgal Committee report.The Mudgal commission, appointed by the Supreme Court to conduct a fair probe into the IPL corruption case, submitted its first report in February 2014 which was made public. Along with the report, the court was given a sealed envelope containing the names of 13 individuals, whose role in IPL corruption case needed, the committee recommended, to be investigated further. The court revealed that one of the names in the sealed envelope list was that of N Srinivasan. In May, the Mudgal Committee was given greater investigative powers by the court and appointed a team of police officers to carry out further investigations into the allegations contained in the sealed envelope. It is this second, more detailed and thorough phase of the Mudgal committee investigation which came up before the court on Friday. After reading through the report, the court has asked four “non-playing actors in the drama” to respond to the findings of the Mudgal committee.What is the next step?

The four individuals have been issued notices. Portions of the report which feature the names of players have been “redacted” i.e. blacked out and the report has been given to the lawyers of the four individuals concerned as well as the opposition counsel. They have been given four days to respond and the arguments will resume before the special bench on November 24. The four individuals named will have to present their cases separately before the judges, with counter arguments from their opposition. Once the arguments are completed, and it could take more than one hearing for that to happen, the court will announce its decision into the matter and if it so deems fit, issue an order. The court order once issued cannot be challenged or revoked. There is a very good chance of this case going through into the early weeks of January 2015.What does this mean for N Srinivasan?
To start with, an unexpected delay in his carefully-charted course to being re-elected as BCCI president. In the run-up to the court hearing, there was news put into circulation that Srinivasan’s name would be cleared by the Mudgal committee. On the back of this belief, the alliances had been formed with East Zone members who were expected to nominate and support Srinivasan’s name to take over as BCCI president during the voting process of its annual general meeting, expected to take place in Chennai on November 20. The BCCI elections had already been postponed, in order to ensure that by the time the Mudgal committee report was out in early November, the Supreme Court would allow him to resume his BCCI duties. Now that the elections and the AGM are delayed yet again, it will mean a re-evaluation of the environment around him. In about two weeks, Srinivasan, apart from dealing with the Mudgal committee “findings”, will have to check whether the political climate around his candidacy has changed. Any distinct signs or hints of growing opposition will indicate his time is up. If there are no challengers to him, however, he may have to wait through a few more postponements as the case may take a a considerable amount of time to conclude.Will anyone ever be convicted?
This is not a criminal case, this is a public interest litigation filed by a rival body, the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) which set in motion this prolonged legal battle. The heaviest “punishment” that can be meted out will come in the form of a court order pertaining to the IPL case in regards to officials’ own role in the IPL’s case and the status of teams involved. While the country’s law against betting is archaic and contains minimal punishment, the draft of a new bill pertaining to the Prevention of Sporting Fraud Act, has been shunting between government ministries, waiting for cabinet and then parliamentary approval.What is the best-case scenario for the two IPL teams who feature in the case?
The teams involved in the IPL 2013 corruption scandal are Chennai Super Kings, whose official Gurunath Meiyappan is charged in a case by the Mumbai Police, and Rajasthan Royals, whose co-owner Raj Kundra was questioned by the Delhi Police. Had there been swift and appropriate action in May 2013 against team officials being questioned in connection to betting within the IPL – either, a temporary suspension, fines, docking points – things would not have come to this pass. At the moment one clause of the IPL franchise agreement recommends termination. Clause 11.3 (c) says the agreement between the IPL and the BCCI can be terminated if: “the Franchise, any Franchise Group Company and/or any owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchise, the team (or any other team in the League) and/or the game of cricket.” There is no definition of ‘material adverse effect’ but a Supreme Court case that has lasted for over a year, it can be argued, could fit the bill.

For the first time since making their Test debuts, the two hugely impressive swing bowlers squared off against each other. And what a convergence it was

Brydon Coverdale in Auckland28-Feb-2015All the talk in the lead-up to this match was about Eden Park’s tiny straight boundaries. One observer joked that 400 might be a par score. At centre-wicket training on the outer oval, Australia’s batsmen clubbed six after six down the ground during the week. At times it looked more like a home-run derby than cricket practice: swing, batter batter, swing, batter batter.If only the batters paid more attention to the other kind of swing. It is one thing to punt throwdowns from batting coach Michael di Venuto into the stands, quite another to do so off hooping 140kph deliveries from Trent Boult. But Australia’s batsmen weren’t alone: the New Zealanders also fell victim to high-class swing bowling from Mitchell Starc.What many people expected to be one of the World Cup’s highest-scoring matches became one of its lowest. And yet, one of its most thrilling. For the first time in this tournament a large, packed stadium was treated to a contest worthy of the hype. For the first time in this tournament, two Full Members played out a match that went down to the wire.That was largely thanks to two men of similar ilk. Boult and Starc are both 25. They both emerged around the same time, making their Test debuts in the 1-1 series draw in Australia in late 2011. But whereas Boult has made his name as a Test bowler and only recently become a one-day regular, Starc has been a limited-overs fixture for Australia while struggling to hold down a Test spot.Here, they converged in an international match for the first time since their shared debut Test series. And what a convergence it was, both men controlling the swing of the white ball, moving it into the right-handers and away from the left-handers, keeping the occasional one straight to keep them guessing and jamming in perfect yorkers.The results? Boult: 10-3-27-5. Starc: 9-0-28-6. That one remaining over of Starc’s might well have been the difference in the match. Brendon McCullum and Michael Clarke are both renowned as attacking captains. When McCullum sensed Boult was on top of the Australians, he bowled him out, his last five-over spell bringing 5 for 3.Clarke did not do the same when Starc was dictating terms, having picked up 3 for 24 off his first six overs. After the match Clarke said he took Starc off because it is hard to ask a fast man to bowl ten overs straight, yet Starc’s first spell was split in half by the innings break. He built the pressure, Clarke and Mitchell Johnson relieved it.Johnson had found no swing in his first spell and his first four overs had leaked 52 runs. Nothing changed when he came back on to replace Starc: 16 came off his first over back, and New Zealand were in control again. When Starc returned, he continued swinging the ball and forced Australia back into the match with three wickets in his next three overs.Starc became the first Australian to take six-for twice in ODIs, having done it last month against India at the MCG. It was somehow fitting that the result really came down to Boult having to survive the final two balls of Starc’s ninth over, which he negotiated successfully, and which allowed Kane Williamson to hit the winning runs at the other end.Starc had just claimed two wickets in his last over, with New Zealand one clean strike from victory. As the final momentum swings took place, belief gave way to serious misgivings among the home fans. Then Williamson hit the winning six.The buzz when Boult had the ball in his second spell was almost as electric. There were 40,053 spectators in Eden Park and it is hard to imagine that any of them let their eyes wander as he swung his way through Australia’s middle and lower order. It felt as though something would happen every ball.He had Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh chopping on in one over, Johnson and Starc deceived in another. In amongst it, the New Zealanders set a trap for Clarke, with a short cover in place. Boult delivered the wicket, drawing the Australian captain into a drive on the up. A couple of times his swinging yorkers were millimetres away from getting under the bat.Earlier in the week, Boult and Tim Southee were rated by Richard Hadlee as New Zealand’s finest ever new-ball combination, and it was hard to argue based on the evidence here, although Southee gave away a few too many runs. But this was a day that proved ODI cricket need not be all about sixes and fours. Here, 19 wickets fell for 303 runs, in 55.3 overs. Most importantly, it was a .Before the World Cup began, Aaron Finch was asked about bat sizes and field restrictions and the balance between bat and ball. He said that while viewers often liked to see boundaries cleared and 300-plus totals, he enjoyed low-scoring encounters. “When you’re defending 180 and you’ve got nothing to lose,” he said at the time, “they can be really exciting games.”The same goes for 150.

How I unearthed a precious gem while shifting stuff from one room to another in my house

Vaibhav Verma26-Jan-2015Good things tend to happen when you least expect it. It happened with me around 10 years ago. An engineering student then, I had come back home for a vacation and was helping shift stuff from one room to another because the house was being whitewashed. I agree, that’s not a very exciting thing to do, but it does give you an opportunity to have a look at the old stuff lying around untouched for years and stir up memories. Sometimes it’s even better when you find something precious, which you did not even know existed.This precise thing happened to me when an old envelope lying among other documents caught my attention. The envelope had a faded appearance, like its colour had changed from white to cream. The envelope was addressed to Mr VN Varma (my father), and had a stamp on top right corner. The stamp said the envelope was from Adelaide and was posted in 1969. Adelaide? To the best of my knowledge, we didn’t have any relative in Australia.Inside the envelope there was a greeting card and a small note. The note said: “Dear Mr Varma, I thank you for your kind letter. Unfortunately no photo is available. Your father was very charitable in his judgment of me. I only hope he is right.”At the end there was a signature, which I didn’t recognise. I asked about it and to my utter surprise, turned out the letter was signed by none other than Sir Donald Bradman. Something as priceless as this was found while shifting things around to colour our walls. I was amused, curious, happy and angry at the same time. But curiosity outweighed all other emotions, and I asked my father to tell me the story behind it.It so happened that my father was quite inquisitive in nature during his teen years. His father, an avid reader, told him about exploits of Bradman. My father somehow found Bradman’s address, and wrote a letter to him asking for his signed photograph. And then came the reply from the master himself.Although it’s not rare to write to your hero and get a reply from him/her via email/Facebook/Twitter today, it was totally a different thing in that era. That my father had the enthusiasm to find Bradman’s address and write a letter to him and that Bradman had the generosity to reply to a fan in India was incredible. The letter – you can view it below – is with me since then, and is one of my most prized possessions.Vaibhav VermaVaibhav VermaIf you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2015Suresh Raina was next to follow as he was undone by a Nathan Coulter-Nile delivery, leaving Chennai Super Kings 38 for 2 after four overs•BCCIDwayne Smith and Faf du Plessis steadied things as they put on 33 for the third wicket•BCCIImran Tahir and Coulter-Nile put the brakes on Super Kings’ scoring rate•BCCIDu Plessis looked good for his 32 and it took a sharp outfield catch by Shreyas Iyer to get rid of the South African•BCCIRavindra Jadeja struck one four and a six for his 18-ball 17 only to be stumped off an Amit Mishra delivery leaving Chennai at 119 for 5 after 16•BCCISuper Kings added a further 31 runs, thanks mainly to MS Dhoni’s 27-ball 30, to finish on 150 for 7•BCCIAshish Nehra started off strongly and picked up three wickets inside five overs to unsettle Daredevils’ chase•PTI The third wicket was that of Shreyas Iyer, who went to a spectacular catch from Faf du Plessis•BCCIDaredevils found it difficult to get runs in the middle overs as R Ashwin tied them down•BCCIYuvraj Singh found it difficult to face short-pitched deliveries and handed an easy catch to Ishwar Pandey, leaving Daredevils at 99 for 5•BCCIAlbie Morkel carried on strong at one end despite losing partners and brought up his fifty off 43 balls•BCCICoulter-Nile was undone by a straight delivery from Ashwin, leaving Daredevils at 124 for 7 after 18 overs•BCCIRaina pulled off a brilliant save at deep point to prevent a boundary, which eventually turned out to be the difference between the two teams•BCCIMorkel took it down to the last ball but could manage only a four when six were needed•BCCI