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Scorchers held control before Harmanpreet and Wareham knocks but it wasn’t enough for Renegades

Tristan Lavalette03-Nov-2023Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine pummelled an under pressure Melbourne Renegades in a well-executed chase as Perth Scorchers recorded a comfortable victory at the WACA.A chase of 172 appeared tricky until Mooney and Devine combined for a 105-run third-wicket partnership. They relished the batting friendly conditions under lights as Scorchers waltzed to the target in the 17.2 overs.The defeat puts pressure on Renegades, who are struggling to keep touch with the top four with five losses in six games. After electing to bat, Renegades were pinned down until a 76-run partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Georgia Wareham engineered a fightback.Their momentum carried over when offspinner Hayley Matthews dismissed Chloe Piparo in the first over. But Renegades were left to rue Sarah Coyte dropping a sitter in the deep when Mooney was on 9 robbing 16-year-old left-arm quick Sara Kennedy of her first WBBL wicket.Ahead of her imminent Year 10 exams, Kennedy hit speeds nudging 120kmph in her third WBBL match, but Renegades ultimately succumbed to veterans Mooney and Devine.Having overtaken Elyse Villani as Scorchers’ highest ever run-scorer, Mooney used her feet superbly to thwart Wareham’s legspin. The game was on a knife’s edge at the midway point, but Scorchers decided to go for broke with the power surge after the drinks break.The gamble worked superbly with Devine smashing three consecutive sixes off Matthews to turn the contest on its head.Mooney reached her half-century after a drop from a leaping Tammy Beaumont at point in a tough chance that seemingly ended Renegades’ hopes. Devine reached her half-century in style with a six but fell off the next delivery to Georgia Prestwidge.Harmanpreet Kaur anchored Melbourne Renegades with an unbeaten half century but it wasn’t enough•Getty Images

Scorchers should be well satisfied with their 4-2 record ahead of the season debut on Sunday of star England allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was a controversial late signing after not nominating for the overseas player draft.With turn playing a factor in the earlier Strikers-Sixers match, star legspinner Alana King loomed large. She produced sharp turn immediately and on the second ball of the innings had Beaumont edging to slip.Emerging spinner Amy Edgar, who has made a strong start to the season, relished the extra bounce on the surface and had Courtney Webb poking tamely to midwicket.The pressure was on Matthews, who had scored just 63 runs from five games. Matthews struggled to shake her sluggish form, but rode her luck on 12 when Amy Jones dropped a regulation chance at long-on.Matthews looked out of sorts until smashing a couple of boundaries from offspinner Lilly Mills in the eighth over. Just when she was building momentum, powering past her previous season high score of 20, Matthews fell to teenaged quick Chloe Ainsworth.Harmanpreet and Wareham played smartly to steady the ship as Scorchers’ long-held struggles of taking wickets in the middle overs reared. The batters were intent on nudging the ball around and building a platform for the power surge, which they took in the 16th over.Tensions boiled over when Harmanpreet was not ready to face Devine, whose dot delivery ultimately was deemed a dead ball. A brief delay ensued leading to a war of words as Devine’s mood deteriorated further when Wareham put the foot down to smash four boundaries off Edgar in the 17th over.Devine felt slightly better after producing a direct run out to end Wareham’s 25-ball 44 and she was all smiles later in the night as Scorchers remained unbeaten at home.

Back injury sidelines Karnataka quick from rest of the series against NZ A

PTI04-Sep-2022Shardul Thakur has replaced Prasidh Krishna in the India A squad for the ongoing three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A.The 26-year-old Prasidh was forced to pull out of the series because of a back injury. “Shardul Thakur has been selected to replace Prasidh Krishna, who suffered a back injury on the eve of the first match against New Zealand A,” a BCCI official told PTI.Prasidh couldn’t participate in the first four-day game, which ended in a draw on Sunday. In the absence of Prasidh, India A went in with Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal and Arzan Nagwaswalla.Thakur was earlier named in the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, but Saurashtra’s Chetan Sakariya will now take his place in the zonal squad. Thakur, who was on a holiday in Thailand, will now join the India A team in Hubbali.Sakariya was picked by the West Zone selectors on Sunday in the Ajinkya Rahane-led side, which will play in the inter-zonal tournament, scheduled to be held from September 8 to 25 in Tamil Nadu.India A and New Zealand A will face off in the next two games of the series on September 8 and 15 in Hubbali and Bengaluru respectively.India A squad: Priyank Panchal (capt), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraaz Khan, Tilak Varma, KS Bharat (wk), Upendra Yadav (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Arzan NagwaswallaWest Zone squad for Duleep Trophy: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Chirag Jani, Het Patel, Hardik Tamore, Shams Mulani, Tanish Kotian, Atit Seth, Chintan Gaja, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat and Satyajeet Bachhav

Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine return, but Sikandar Raza misses out because of injury

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2021Sean Williams will continue to lead Zimbabwe’s T20I side in their upcoming three-match series at home in Harare against Pakistan in the continued absence of their regular white-ball captain Chamu Chibhabha, who has been sidelined with a thigh injury since February.

Zimbabwe T20I squad

Sean Williams (capt), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tanaka Chivanga, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tapiwa Mufudza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor, Donald Tiripano

Zimbabwe’s 15-man squad also includes three uncapped players: batter Tadiwanashe Marumani, fast bowler Tanaka Chivanga and offspinner Tapiwa Mufudza.Zimbabwe had also missed the services of the experienced duo of Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine in their last series, against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. The two of them have been included in the latest squad, as is the case with Luke Jongwe, the quick bowler who last played for Zimbabwe in a T20I against Bangladesh in Khulna in 2016.They will, however, be without Sikandar Raza, with the allrounder suffering from an upper-arm injury. The other players to have missed selection were Richmond Mutumbami, Milton Shumba, Brandon Mavuta, Tarisai Musakanda and Faraz Akram. Top-order batter Musakanda has, however, been placed in a three-man stand-by list along with Ainsley Ndlovu, the left-arm spinner, and fast bowler Bradley Evans.The matches will be played on April 21, 23 and 25, all behind closed doors at Harare Sports Club. The two teams will then play a series of two Tests, also in Harare.

Finch will lead the likes of Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Chris Lynn and Mujeeb Ur Rahman

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2019Aaron Finch and Lauren Winfield will captain Northern Superchargers in The Hundred next year.Australia white-ball captain Finch, who has has played for seven different teams in the IPL plus Melbourne Renegades in the BBL and had stints at Surrey and Yorkshire, will lead the likes of Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Adil Rashid, David Willey and Chris Lynn in the new competition after he was a first-round pick in last month’s player draft for Superchargers head coach Darren Lehmann.Also read: ESPNcricinfo throw down gauntlet for Darren Lehmann at The Hundred mock draft“I think we have an excellent side with a good mixture of quality English cricketers and some match-winning overseas stars and I’m very confident of our chances when The Hundred kicks off next summer,” Finch said.”It’s such an honour to be asked to captain the men’s team. Obviously, I know Darren Lehmann really well and we understand how we both want to go about it. You can’t underestimate the importance of that. I’ve also had some good times up at Yorkshire and I look forward to seeing the fans again.”We’ve got a really great spine with the likes of Adam Lyth, Adil Rashid and David Willey, and they know what it takes to win games of cricket up at Headingley. Then you add in the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Chris Lynn and it gets pretty exciting. I just can’t wait to meet the guys next summer and have that first net.”Lehmann said: “I think we’ve picked a great team and I’m really excited to see what Aaron and I can do with the group. He is a world-class cricketer and a superb leader.”Winfield, a member of England’s 2017 World Cup-winning side, has previously captained Yorkshire Diamonds in the Kia Super League and she has represented Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL. She will play alongside compatriot Linsey Smith and Australian star Alyssa Healy at the Superchargers with women’s head coach Danielle Hazell to fill her squad by May 30.”It’s all very exciting for everyone involved and I can’t wait to get out on the field next year and hopefully help lead the team to success,” Winfield said.”Dani Hazell and I are busy working away to sign up the rest of our team. We want to try and keep a core of players together and add players who we believe can move us forward. It’s a bit like playing Football Manager, trying to fill the teams with the right players and tick the right boxes but I know that the Superchargers are going to be a team that the other sides won’t fancy coming up against.”Hazell said: “Having spent many years playing with Lauren I know she has what it takes to be a great captain for the Superchargers. She’s played and thrived in some of the highest-profile matches and arenas our sport has to offer, which bodes well for the first season of The Hundred and beyond.”

The fast bowler joined R Ashwin and Virat Kohli in complaining that it goes too soft too early

Alagappan Muthu in Hyderabad12-Oct-20181:08

Umesh echoes Kohli’s SG ball reservations

There are more rumblings against the SG ball with Umesh Yadav joining R Ashwin and the captain Virat Kohli in complaining that it goes soft too early and gives them little chance of taking wickets.After West Indies moved from from 113 for 5 to 295 for 7 at stumps, Umesh was asked about how India have been giving a lot of runs to the lower-order in Tests this year and he said: “If you are saying that lower order has scored runs, then you must realise that in India with SG Test balls on these kind of flat tracks you neither get pace nor bounce.”What happens with SG balls is that they become soft after 20 overs so the batsmen coming later don’t face much difficulty. So tailenders know that it will neither swing nor reverse. You just have to wait for something to happen and keep trying. But you can’t really do it on such a big ground, the ones and twos keep coming.”All you can do is to bowl one spot but then you will realise that nothing is happening even off the pitch nor is it swinging. So when middle and lower order comes in they know that ball has become soft and it doesn’t come at a pace and batting becomes easier.”Given these concerns, it was strange to see India choosing to take the second new ball only seven overs after it had become available. Nevertheless, they appear quite upset; enough that they’re blaming the SG ball for their being unable to break through the opposition as quickly as they’d like.And it wasn’t like India had a bad day in the field either. Even though they had to make do with only four bowlers – Shardul Thakur picked up a groin injury while bowling his second over – they managed to pick up seven wickets in 95 overs. Umesh himself had Shai Hope lbw in the 32nd over, dismissed Shane Dowrich in the same way in the 60th over and then had Jason Holder caught down the leg side with the second new ball.Kohli had claimed that a poor quality ball will lead to a lot of “dead sessions” in Test matches, but in India, only five of the last 25 games have ended up not yielding a result – and two of them – South Africa 2015 and Sri Lanka 2017 – were heavily rain-affected. In any case, SG has said that it is open to sitting down with the BCCI and if needed raise the seam of their balls by 1 or 1.5 mm to address this issue.

India have runs, wickets, form and confidence on their side. Sri Lanka have the distant memory of that Oval victory and familiarity with conditions on theirs

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Aug-2017

Match Facts

August 20, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)3:55

Gambhir: Kuldeep will be a wicket-taking option

Big Picture

India were monumentally dominant in the Tests, while Sri Lanka are in turmoil and have a new full-time limited-overs captain, but if there is still a wisp of hope that the ODIs will be competitive, it is based on the outcome of the Champions Trophy match between these sides.Remember that? It seems so long ago now, and so difficult to imagine. But it’s true. Sri Lanka did defeat India on June 8, after orchestrating a record tournament chase. The way, unsurprisingly, was led by Kusal Mendis. Chasing, and a big score for Mendis, again represent Sri Lanka’s best chance of an upset in Dambulla. While they lost a home series 3-2 against Zimbabwe in July, they will at least take a little encouragement from the fact that none of those losses came when they were batting second.India meanwhile, have jettisoned Yuvraj Singh for this tournament, and so plentiful are their options, even MS Dhoni’s future in the side is not set in stone, according to chairman of selectors MSK Prasad. Since their loss to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy they have also swatted West Indies aside 3-1 in the Caribbean – Virat Kohli making torrents of runs, while left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav was the joint-highest wicket-taker in his maiden ODI series.In short, India have runs, wickets, form and confidence on their side. Sri Lanka have the distant memory of that Oval victory and familiarity with conditions on theirs. During the Tests, it seemed like India could have played the worst XI in their squad, and still won. On paper, the ODI sides don’t seem like much more of an even match. To bring the tour to life, Sri Lanka will have to spring an almighty surprise.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
India WLWWL

In the spotlight

Sri Lanka’s batsmen did a poor job of picking Kuldeep Yadav out of the hand during the Pallekele Test, and they have struggled against wristspin all through the year in any case. In Kuldeep, India hope they have the kind of aggressive spin-bowling option that has prospered in ODI cricket over the last two years. On the evidence of the third Test, Kuldeep also has greater control over his deliveries than Lakshan Sandakan – the other left-arm wristspinner on show in this series.Upul Tharanga‘s dismissals in the second and third Tests did not make for pretty viewing. His scores during the Test series also did not dispel the idea that he is a fair-weather batsman – one who looks outstanding when the match situation is in his favour, but one who cannot be relied on to dig the team out of a difficult spot. He has confirmed he will bat at No. 4 in Dambulla, and now must restore some confidence to his own batting – in addition to instilling some in his ailing team in what his first series since being officially appointed limited-overs captain.Will Wanidu Hasaranga get the nod ahead of Milinda Siriwardana?•AFP

Team news

Sri Lanka’s top five is settled, but there is a lot in flux in the lower half of the batting line-up. There will likely be a toss-up between left-arm spinning allrounder Milinda Siriwardana and legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga. Thisara Perera may make a return to the XI. They will then also have to choose between Dushmantha Chameera and the uncapped Vishwa Fernando.Angelo Mathews, meanwhile, is likely to return to bowling – though he may contribute only a few overs at first.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Kapugedara, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dushmantha ChameeraIndia may consider playing Manish Pandey, given his outstanding recent form for India A, but that spot may be reserved for Kedar Jadhav. Elsewhere, Rohit Sharma comes back into the top order, displacing Ajinkya Rahane, who had scored heavily in the West Indies.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel/Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The Dambulla surface has flattened out a little in the past year, but 300 remains an excellent score at this venue.The weather is expected to be cloudy, but fine, with temperatures reaching a high of around 31C during the day.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka need to win at least two matches to ensure their automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup does not depend on other results
• India have won 14 of the last 18 ODIs they have played against Sri Lanka
• Despite MSK Prasad’s equivocation on Dhoni’s future, Dhoni averages 64.33 at a strike-rate of 86 in ODIs in 2017

Quotes

“This will be an important series as we are ranked eighth [with a chance of failing to automatically qualify for the World Cup]. India have been very consistent in the last three-four years, but we have confidence having beaten them in the Champions Trophy when no one thought we would.”
“I don’t see this pitch having three spinners. I have played here in the past. It’s probably a three-fast-bowlers kind of pitch. Hardik Pandya does the role for us as a third seamer, and he is good enough to give us seven or eight overs.”

Dasun Shanaka took five wickets on his ODI debut and Dinesh Chandimal struck his first ODI hundred for five years as Sri Lanka proved too strong for Ireland in Malahide

Tim Wigmore at Malahide16-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDasun Shanaka demanded attention with a fine all-round display in Malahide•Getty Images/Sportsfile

Dasun Shanaka has the batting build of an unobtrusive nurdler, and his bowling seems of the innocuous wicket-to-wicket variety. He is a cricketer who invites underestimation.In his embryonic international career, his impact has been with bat or ball, never both. But on his ODI debut against Ireland at Malahide, he married both disciplines to bring victory to Sri Lanka in spectacular style.There are decent debuts, and then there is this. Shanaka’s day begun by harrumphing 42 off 19 balls, and ended with him becoming only the 12th bowler in ODI history to take five wickets on debut. All enough for Sri Lanka to take victory, by virtue of a D/L recalculation after rain, by 76 runs.All year, he has revelled in embarrassing those who have put him down. In January, 16 of the 46 deliveries the Saracens Sports Club bowled to him in a domestic T20 were pummelled for six.In February, he was used as a relief bowler in a T20I against India and responded with 3 for 16.In May, he was a slightly incongruous name in Sri Lanka’s touring party, until 112 against Leicestershire pushed him into the Test team. Once there, he promptly bundled out three of England’s top four within eight balls.Just as in the First Test at Headingley, Shanaka was brought on more in hope than expectation, with Angelo Matthews needing to end an irritating opening stand.There had been concerns that Sri Lanka’s packed batting – Upul Tharanga returned at No. 8 – would leave too much of an onus on Shanaka’s bowling. But under muggy Malahide skies, Shanaka promptly got a delivery to swing in appreciably to uproot Paul Stirling’s off stump, and soon after tempted Ed Joyce into an aberrant swipe to Dinesh Chandimal behind the stumps.These dismissals, Ireland’s two most prized wickets, gave Sri Lanka a grip on the game, and Shanaka would return to ensure they did not relinquish it.The upshot was that Ireland will have to wait to end their six-year run without defeating a Full Member in a home ODI, a statistic unbecoming for a cricket nation of such aspiration.For spells of Ireland’s innings Sri Lanka’s hold on the game was threatened, as Kevin O’Brien forged worthy alliances with William Porterfield and Stuart Poynter, and an especially fruitful one with Sri Lanka’s fielders.There are two sorts of roulette players: those who cash in when they have struck lucky and those who double down, convinced one moment of fortune will beget another and they can bankrupt the casino by the time the night is out. One imagines that O’Brien is the sort who would either return from Monte Carlo with a new yacht or having lost his house trying.Having reached five, O’Brien advanced down the pitch to Seekkuge Prasanna’s legspin, and attempted to chip the ball to secure a couple. He was too early on the delivery, mistimed his shot and proceeded only to hit the ball straight to Kusal Perera at long on. But Perera misjudged the ball, just as O’Brien had, fumbled a routine catch and ended up taking it while his feet were over the rope.Some would have regarded this as a cue to rein themselves in but to O’Brien this was only an excuse to double down. After facing three more balls, O’Brien pulled Nuwan Pradeep to fine leg, into Dhananjaya de Silva’s hands but then through them: another six. Another five later, and O’Brien heaved Pradeep to long off where Angelo Matthews, running over his shoulder, saw the ball fall to the ground once more.Soon after followed a rain-enforced break, but it did quell O’Brien’s flirtation with peril, especially with the asking rate at nine: he thumped a ball straight to short fine leg, but was reprieved once more. So the four deliveries that could have ended O’Brien’s innings instead produced 20 runs.Given that fielders were never going to dismiss him, Sri Lanka instead relied on the umpire to award O’Brien lbw playing across Pradeep. The upshot was that Sri Lanka’s reputation as merciless against Associates was maintained.As for Chandimal, it has been five years since his last ODI century, and the roar when he ended that run spoke of awareness that such a wait did scant justice to his talent.This was an innings of style, in Chandimal’s pristine drives and flicks to the legside, but above all defined by impeccable placement and savvy. Chandimal did not recourse to power hitting, and nor did he need to: in making 100 not out from 107 balls, he scored only six fours but ten twos and 50 singles.To see this innings it was possible to imagine that the revolution in ODI batting had never happened, but Chandimal correctly deduced that any score over 250 would be onerous to chase.Either side of an 88-run partnership with Matthews, Chandimal forged two substantial stands with debutants. First Kusal Mendis, doughty as a novice number three in the Test series in England, scored a half-century that exhibited finesse and some resplendent straight driving. Then Shanaka emerged, in no mood to play with such subtlety, and plundered 24 in five deliveries from Max Sorensen.For Ireland, the day brought joy to a debutant of their own. Barry McCarthy was handed his Ireland cap by John Mooney, the cricketer who has been anointed to replace.There are obvious parallels. Both are Leinster-reared from strong cricketing families: Mooney’s elder brother and McCarthy’s younger sister are internationals. Both are zestful cricketers who bowl around 80mph, provide ballast to the lower order – not that McCarthy showed it here, slashing his fifth ball behind – and are fine fielders.It was apt that McCarthy’s debut was at Malahide. A testing spell to Ben Stokes in the net three years ago earned him a recommendation to Durham, and then a professional contract. Last summer, he became the first Irishman since the 19th Century to play county cricket before making his international debut.So many felt his selection for Ireland overdue. McCarthy took only two balls to vindicate them, eliciting Danushka Gunathilaka to edge to slip. “It’s a beautiful day,” belted out the tannoy system.McCarthy would doubtless have been of a mind to agree, but not those in the crowd, who had to enlist their umbrellas, which should be compulsory for any Irish cricket fans, for protection from the intermittent showers.A combination of the weather and the football – Ireland are unfortunate that both these ODIs coincide with European Championship matches for the two Ireland sides, and the Malahide club house was packed to witness Northern Ireland’s victory – contributed to an underwhelming crowd, only narrowly into four figures.As McCarthy and Ireland’s other 80mph seamers, O’Brien’s canny cutters apart, were lined up by Sri Lanka, Ireland had cause to be grateful for their returnee: Boyd Rankin, playing his first ODI for Ireland for four years.He had only played one international at Malahide before, when he took 4 for 46 for England against Ireland in 2013. Here, his extra pace yorked Shanaka and helped limit Sri Lanka to just 25 from the last four overs. But Shanka would return to extend Ireland’s anxious wait for a marquee home win, and with bowling of archetypal Emerald Isle ilk.

Iain Wardlaw, the Scotland fast bowler, has retired from international cricket with immediate effect to focus on a career in design

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2015Iain Wardlaw, the Scotland fast bowler, has retired from international cricket with immediate effect to focus on a career in design. He made his debut in 2013 and played in 22 ODIs and 4 T20 internationals, picking up a combined tally of 45 wickets. He also played five matches in the 2015 World Cup, where he took six wickets.”I would like to thank all the players, staff and fans of Scotland cricket for their passion and support throughout my time with the national team,” Wardlaw said. “I couldn’t have wished to have played with a better group of lads who I wish all the success in the future.”Wardlaw, 29, said he wanted to resume his designing career. “For me I’m looking forward to a career path in the design industry, where I started before cricket so there’s plenty of exciting challenges ahead.”Cricket Scotland praised Wardlaw for his commitment and dedication throughout his career. “His total commitment to his country was never in doubt by those who saw him train and play in the Scotland jersey. Throughout his Scotland career he was an attacking pace bowler who never took a step backwards and never shirked a tough challenge.”Grant Bradburn, Scotland head coach, also hailed Wardlaw for his contributions to Scotland cricket. “Iain can be proud that he has made a big contribution to Scotland Cricket and the team,” Bradburn said. “Iain is highly respected within the side and his contributions both on and off the park will be missed.”

This warm-up match had become a futile exercise long before it was condemned to a draw

George Dobell in Ahmedabad11-Nov-2012
ScorecardJonathan Trott made a century but faced barely any spin bowling during his innings•Getty Images

This warm-up match had become a futile exercise long before it was condemned to a draw. There were 10 overs remaining when the captains shook hands but, despite England having a decent chance of forcing victory, few would have argued with the decision. If ever a game was crying out for euthanasia it was this one. It should probably have been sent to a Swiss clinic after the third day.It speaks volumes for the facile nature of the cricket that Nick Compton, having batted for over two-and-a-half hours, went to the nets for more meaningful practise moments after having been dismissed. He and Jonathan Trott had, after all, faced just 12 deliveries of spin between them during their first-wicket partnership of 162 in 51.3 overs.More significant was the action on the practice ground. Both Stuart Broad and Steven Finn were able to bowl at full pace and, though Broad was perhaps not quite himself – he did not deliver a bouncer or ask for a review in five or six overs of bowling – Finn looked impressive. It remains to be seen if they suffer any reaction to the spells over the next day or two but, for now, both look to have a decent chance of being available for Test selection. Graeme Swann will also rejoin the squad on Monday having briefly returned to the UK due to a family illness.On the pitch, Trott completed the 30th century of his first-class career. He struck the ball well but did not face a single delivery from Amit Mishra, the legspinner who has played 13 Tests for India, and will know that he will encounter much less modest bowling in the Test series.It is open to debate how much use these warm-up games have been. While most expect the battle between India’s spinners and England’s batsmen to define the series, England have had little chance to prepare for that specific battle. Despite having played three warm-up games, England have faced just 13.2 overs of spin in the second innings combined: less than 11% of the second innings overs they have faced. None of them have been against what might be described as high-quality spin bowling.While the tactic – and it is hard to believe it is not a deliberate tactic – of denying England exposure to good quality spin bowling or even spin-friendly conditions may be controversial, it is also legitimate. India would be foolish not to tailor conditions to suit them – the point of home advantage would be negated otherwise – and have, in all other ways, extended every courtesy to England. The BCCI exercised some magnanimity by allowing England to use a substitute wicketkeeper when Matt Prior was taken ill against Haryana – the Laws make it quite clear that the umpires could not allow it – and it is worth remembering that when India toured England in 2011 Northamptonshire rested several first-choice bowlers for their tour game. The days when domestic sides fielded their strongest team against touring sides are, in any country by and large, long gone.Besides, the tactic may backfire. England’s batsmen have enjoyed prolonged time at the crease – albeit against some very modest bowling – and several of the bowlers have experienced the heat of battle. Playing England into form – four of the top six have recorded centuries in the warm-up games – and confidence could come back to bite. Not so long ago, when Australia and West Indies were at their strongest, most of their domestic sides that played England gave them an almighty battle. The effect was to wear and demoralise the tourists.England’s more significant worries concern the lack of match bowling that Finn and Broad have experienced and the unconvincing nature of their slip catching. Alastair Cook, in particular, has some work to do if he is to make the first slip position his own. The thought of dropping Sachin Tendulkar early is enough to keep an England supporter awake at night with anxiety.Some might point to the fact that they lost five wickets for 14 runs in the first innings and five wickets for 34 runs in the second. But, on both occasions, the batsmen were thrashing out in a scenario that will not be replicated in the Test series. On this occasion, Matt Prior was run out, backing up, after the bowler, Jayant Yadav, got a hand on Ian Bell’s straight drive and the ball ricocheted onto the stumps, while Compton was caught down the leg side and Kevin Pietersen was caught on the long-on boundary.There was, briefly, a moment when it appeared England might win this game on the last afternoon. When Haryana, chasing a most improbable 442 to win, slipped to 110 for 6 with nearly an hour to go, England had every opportunity to push for the win. But, realising that such an outcome was largely meaningless and that they had garnered all they could from the game, the sides agreed to shake hands early.The bowlers had worked hard enough, by then. Stuart Meaker again generated the most pace, Tim Bresnan also bowled with good hostility and control, while Graham Onions found the rhythm that had been absent during the first innings and looked a much-improved bowler. Monty Panesar was tight as ever but, on a slightly worn pitch, generated just a little spin, while Samit Patel earned a wicket with a well-disguised change of pace. For Haryana, Nitin Saini produced a pleasing half-century, but England know this was a game and a warm-up period that offered a pale imitation of the far sterner tests that await.

A round-up of the action from the second round of Franchise 1-Day Cup 2011/12 matches

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2011Kinghts cruised to a nine-wicket win with almost 20 overs to spare against Titans in a drama-filled Franchise 1-Day Cup game at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. After being inserted, Titans lost two early wickets before a steadying stand between Heino Kuhn and AB de Villiers. de Villiers, who was playing his first match since he broke a finger at the Champions League T20, had his innings cut short when he was adjudged obstructing the field under the ICC’s new playing conditions. From there on, Knights bowlers struck regularly to keep Titans to 157. There was another batsman dismissed obstructing the field: No. 11, Rowan Richards. The Knights bowlers shared the wickets around, and their opening batsmen – Morne van Wyk and Reeza Hendricks – made light work of the target with a fluent 135-run stand.Cape Cobras won a high-scoring encounter against Lions by 72 runs, at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. Lions’ decision to bowl backfired on them, with Cobras’ openers – Richard Levi and Andrew Puttick – putting on 176, which is a record first-wicket stand for the team. While both batsmen made hundreds, Levi’s came at an astonishing strike-rate of 192.98 with eight fours and ten sixes. The final thrust was provided by Justin Ontong, who hit 51 off 41 balls. Lions launched a spirited reply, driven by a century from Neil McKenzie and half-centuries from Gulam Bodi and Cliffe Deacon. The latter’s 55 came off just 25 balls, but even this was not enough to chase down Cobras’ mammoth 379.The game between Dolphins and Warriors at the City Oval in Pietermaritzburg was called off due to rain after Warriors had got to 290 for 8. This is the second of two Dolphins games to be abandoned.