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Glamorgan will breathe a sigh of relief with the confirmation that Michael Hogan is to leave Australia to come and play in county cricket with his British passport

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2013

Glamorgan will breathe a sigh of relief with the confirmation that Michael Hogan, the Western Australia bowler, is to leave Australia to come and play in county cricket with his British passport.Justin Langer, the Western Australia coach, had said he would do everything in his power to try and keep Hogan in Australia but his efforts have proved in vain and Hogan will arrive in Cardiff for the start of the new season.Hogan, 31, took 130 wickets at 27.66 in first-class cricket during his four years at WA – including 30 at 25 in the 2012-13 Sheffield Shield – a record that prompted Langer to increase his efforts to keep Hogan in Perth.”He has been an excellent servant of WA cricket over the past four years,” Langer said. “He made a positive impact during his time here, not only as an outstanding bowler but a popular team member as well.”Michael has also been an excellent role model, leader and example to all, that if you persevere and work hard, regardless of your age, then you can forge a successful career as a professional cricket player. He will be missed and we wish Michael all the best in the UK.”Glamorgan will be pleased to have secured an experience bowler to replace James Harris, the England Lions bowler who left for Middlesex at the end of last season. Hogan will join experienced left-armer Graham Wagg alongside youngsters Huw Waters, John Glover and Michael Reed in the fast-bowling ranks in Cardiff.Hogan said he was leaving WA with the side in rude health under Langer. “The signs are really good. There’s a lot of young kids who are only going to get better with more experience,” he said.”With Justin in charge he’s not going to let anyone off the hook, so the boys will be working really hard to get to that Shield final which we’ve just missed out on in the past two years. I’d love to see the boys get into one and win one.”I had a great time, the playing group in particular accepted me as an outsider from day one and I can’t thank everyone enough for that.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Foram cerca de 80 minutos de um jogo praticamente entre defesa e ataque. Com 63% de posse de bola, o Palmeiras encurralou o Corinthians, que vencia desde os sete do 1º tempo, mas criou poucas chances reais de gol. Isso graças a organização defensiva imposta pela equipe de Fabio Carille. Um mérito coletivo, é claro, mas que teve também os seus destaques individuais. Entre eles, Mateus Vital.

Constantemente criticado pela torcida e um dos postulantes a perder a vaga de titular com as chegadas dos reforços, o jovem de 20 anos teve uma atuação exemplar no Dérbi. Principalmente por ter tido que exercer uma função que, normalmente, não é a sua especialidade: a marcação.

Vital é um meia de organização de meio-campo, que não costuma marcar muitos gols ou dar assistências, mas que é efetivo no terceiro passe, na aproximação ao apoiador central e também na saída de bola. Mais ou menos o que faz Ramiro atualmente. No clássico, porém, Mateus atuou mais aberto, ajudando Fagner na lateral, com o ex-gremista mais por dentro, livre para circular. A dobradinha com o lateral foi tão eficiente, que Dudu, atacante palmeirense, trocou de lado aos 25 minutos tentando buscar os espaços que não vinha encontrando pela esquerda de ataque.

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Foram três desarmes certos e uma interceptação, ou seja, quatro recuperações de posse em apenas 68 minutos em campo – deixou o gramado exausto exatamente pela entrega na marcação. Sua média no último Brasileirão, segundo dados do Footstats, havia sido de apenas 0,7 desarmes e 0,1 antecipações por jogo.

Forte na defesa, Mateus Vital não abdicou também de atacar. Das seis tentativas do time, duas foram do garoto, que terminou como o líder do fundamento da equipe no duelo. Curiosamente, uma delas em uma rara participação pela esquerda, que acabou parando em Weverton.

MATEUS VITAL NO DÉRBI
– Dados do Footstats

68 minutos em campo
​1 finalização em gol
1 finalização para fora
​18 passes certos
2 passes errados
3 desarmes certos
0 desarmes errados
1 interceptação certa
1 interceptação errada

Samit Patel, the England allrounder, has signed as an overseas player for Warriors in South Africa’s domestic Twenty20 tournament.He is currently in New Zealand and will arrive in Port Elizabeth on February 25 to be available for the rest of the tournament. The final takes place on April 7 with Nottinghamshire’s first County Championship match, against Middlesex, starting on April 10.”I’m very excited to be joining the Chevrolet Warriors,” Patel said. “I’ve heard fantastic things about the team and the area. The Warriors have a history of doing well in this format and I hope I can add something extra and make this year a winning season. I want to thank my county in England for releasing me to play and speaking to the staff at the Warriors I really can’t wait to start.”Patel was among the Nottinghamshire players barred from going into the IPL auction by their county coach Mike Newell. Unlike the IPL, however, South Africa’s tournament takes place out of the English domestic season and will not require Patel to miss any county cricket even if Warriors make it to the final.Patel, 28, has played 18 T20 internationals for England and was approached about appearing in the now-delayed Pakistan Super League.

The game had it all, with India thinking they won it off the last ball, only for it to be ruled a no-ball

Saurabh Somani24-Sep-2021
And then there were 26. For about three quarters of Australia’s chase of a sizeable total against India, it looked like their winning streak in ODIs would be halted at 25. But nerves – of steel on Australia’s part and something like jelly for India – and one of the great one-day knocks by Beth Mooney meant Australia squeezed home on the last ball of the game for a five-wicket win that had more twists than a corkscrew.Mooney stayed unbeaten on 125 off 133, and was there at the end when a returning Nicola Carey and Australia thought the match had been lost when a full toss was swatted straight to midwicket with three runs needed off one ball. Only, that wasn’t to be the end because the on-field officials wanted to check for a no-ball. Numerous replays later, third umpire Phillip Gillespie ruled that Jhulan Goswami’s delivery had indeed come up above Carey’s waist, which meant Australia had one more ball left and two to get.Ironically enough, in a final over that began with Australia needing 13, practically every ball hit to a fielder was fumbled except for the catch off the no-ball. Another mistake off the final ball meant Mooney and Carey could sprint the two runs needed to complete a heist that might well rank alongside the great bank robberies.Mooney was opening the batting only because Rachael Haynes was out injured, and her innings turned out to be the crowning piece in a game that had several standout performances, including Tahlia McGrath hitting her highest international score returning her best international figures. Including Smriti Mandhana stroking her way to 86, and India putting on a much better batting performance than in the first game.In the end though, Mooney – and Australia – remained unconquered.Smriti Mandhana posted her highest score of the year – 86 – with a flurry of fours•Albert Perez/Getty Images

Things looked very different at the start of Australia’s chase. Mandhana’s elegance had been complemented by several useful nuggets from her team-mates to drive India to 274 for 7. In reply, Australia lost Alyssa Healy for a duck in the first over and Meg Lanning soon after.Their depth would be tested to the utmost when they slid to 52 for 4 in 16 overs, when McGrath joined Mooney. In her six previous ODIs and lone Test, McGrath had never batted as high as No. 6, nor had she hit a half-century. But then, she hadn’t taken more than two wickets in an innings either before today, and had just returned 3 for 45 in the first innings. McGrath powered her way to 74 off 77, dragging Australia’s chase back on track.Mooney played second fiddle in their partnership of 126, and then took charge once McGrath pulled a Deepti Sharma half-tracker straight to short fine leg. On 74 off 100 then, Mooney would go on to loot 51 from her next 33 balls. Carey played a gem of her own, unbeaten on 39 off 38 with urgency in running between the wickets that consistently put India’s fielders under pressure.Australia continued to chip away at a total that seemed just out of reach, until it came down to the final over, with India turning to Goswami to finish the job. That she ended up delivering two no-balls for height, one of which hit Carey right in the grille, showed how tense the finish was for even the most experienced.There was no hint of this high drama when Mandhana was reeling off boundaries while putting together two crucial stands either side of a mini slump for India. She and Shafali Verma put on 74 in 11.1 overs, and then she and wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh added 76 in 75 balls. In the middle, captain Mithali Raj had promoted herself to No.3, but just like in the first ODI, she struggled to rotate strike as the momentum built by the opening stand was sucked out of the innings. Ghosh and Mandhana repaired the innings, and Goswami made a free-wheeling 28* off 25 as 53 came in the last 47 balls.At the halfway stage, Australia needed to achieve the third-highest successful run-chase in women’s ODIs ever, their own second highest, and the highest against India. Mooney led the way to achieve the impossible.

Scorecard
Sachin Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane were involved in a double-century stand•Fotocorp

Smart stats

• Sachin Tendulkar scored his sixth century in his last seven matches for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. However, he has played these seven matches in a period of 12 years.

• Tendulkar has now scored nine centuries in 25 first-class matches for Mumbai at an average of 80.63.

• Only Sunil Gavaskar, with 81 centuries, is ahead of Tendulkar (78) on the list of Indian batsmen with the most first-class centuries.

• The gap of 22 months since the century in Cape Town in January 2011 is the longest interval for Tendulkar between two centuries in his first-class career. Between December 2005 and February 2007, Tendulkar had gone 14 months without a century.

The start of the Ranji Trophy has rarely been under such scrutiny. The return of India’s star players to their domestic sides has been the biggest draw for fans, but not too far behind are those players possibly competing for a place in the Test squad during a long home season. At the Wankhede Stadium, Sachin Tendulkar, recovering from a severe stomach bug, batted with comfort, assuredness and ultimately supreme confidence to give a disappointingly small crowd of a few hundred spectators the performance they’d come to watch.”I’m happy with this knock,” Tendulkar told . “It was tough in this heat as I had food poisoning and an upset stomach.”At the other end, Ajinkya Rahane quietly continued accumulating runs, reaching another landmark in what has already been a hectic two months for him and boosting his own chances for a place in the Test squad. Together, they put Mumbai in a dominating position against Railways, who had chosen to field, hoping their attack comprising four seam options would derive some help from the covering of grass on the track.The wicket that brought Tendulkar and Rahane together at 143 for 3 was of another Test hopeful, who was understandably livid after being run out. Rohit Sharma batted 40 minutes in the nets yesterday, also with a wicketkeeper standing up against the spinners. He came in at No.4 – Tendulkar’s position – and his preparation appeared to be paying off when he charged out twice to left-arm spinner Murali Kartik to hit him for fours. Unfortunately for Rohit, he was dismissed in a manner he would have least anticipated.Tendulkar, too, had prepared rigorously for this outing. He began cautiously after being greeted with huge cheers from a sparse crowd, and bowling to him in that initial phase was Hardik Rathod, whose action is similar to Zaheer Khan’s. New Zealand’s Trent Boult had given Tendulkar a tough time with his left-arm pace in a series in which Tendulkar was bowled thrice, but Rathod lacked the swing or movement to cause similar troubles. Tendulkar played straight, appeared to pick the length well and waited for an opening. When on 12, he had a slice of luck against a ball from Rathod that kept low, inside-edging it past fine leg, but that was a rare moment of unease.It wasn’t until his 31st delivery that he struck a boundary, dispatching a wide delivery from seamer Anureet Singh through point. While initially circumspect against pace, he gained his fluency against spin. Ashish Yadav flighted the ball generously and Tendulkar struck him for back-to-back boundaries past mid-on, Shivakant Yadav was smashed over deep midwicket for six. After tea, Tendulkar would also turn his attention to pace while the ruthlessness against spin continued.Tendulkar targeted Yadav, cutting and pulling him for fours before clearing long-on and deep extra cover to speed past Rahane. When the pair had put on a century stand, in the 69th over, Tendulkar had scored 61 of those runs and he would be the first among the pair to reach a century – his first in first-class cricket since January 2011. The assault against Yadav had taken him into the nineties and the progress to the landmark – brought up with a nudge behind square – was interrupted briefly by a fan who ran in to shake his hand when on 99.Rahane faced more anxious moments, was more workmanlike in his approach and grew more determined to bat long. Chasing a fullish delivery from Rathod when on 7, Rahane was dropped by Murali Kartik at second slip and then had a couple of leading edges land safe as he walked across and closed the face. “Catches keep getting dropped, it’s a part and parcel,” Rahane said. “After that, I showed more determination and I tried to play as much as possible in the ‘V’.”Rahane was comfortable against deliveries that were held back, and scored freely off the back foot, punching through cover, whipping through square leg and picking off singles with ease when Railways employed a deep point.Once in the groove, Rahane drove well down the ground, past the bowler, mid-off and extra cover, prompting Sanjay Bangar, the Railways captain, to place a silly mid-off and a short extra cover at one stage. His steady approach was overshadowed by Tendulkar’s dominance, but Rahane, too, didn’t waste too many chances. Kartik almost had him caught at slip with a turning ball, but Rahane cut him through point and then cracked the first delivery with the second new-ball through cover for four – he reached his century the same over.Tendulkar’s aggression after tea – which included three fours in an over against seamer Krishnakant Upadhyaya – ended when he tried to upper cut Anureet but was caught at second slip. This, after a 200-run stand off 249 balls, a barrage of boundaries, and an imposing first-day score to complete a fulfilling day for Mumbai, its two centurions and the few who turned up.

No one expected Manoj Tiwary to walk in for the pre-match press conference ahead of the solitary Twenty20 international. Once he arrived, it was to be expected that he would be asked more questions about how he handled his long spell on the bench than about tomorrow’s game. Tiwary did not disappoint. He spoke frankly but not bitterly, clearly but not with hurt. He spoke about how difficult a time it was, how he had kept himself motivated by watching videos of other sportspersons, and how, on getting two chances after 14 games, he had made them count with a half-century in the fifth ODI.”It was not very easy when I got an opportunity to play after sitting out for so many days,” Tiwary said. “My focus was on how I can improve my game during practice sessions and be ready since I knew that someday I will get a chance to play. The effort was to maintain a good mindset. It is not always easy [to do that].”Tiwary used the word “mindset” a lot, saying that his focus was on being in the proper frame of mind. He could have easily lost his confidence after being ignored in favour of Rohit Sharma, despite the latter’s lack of runs, despite the former’s century in his previous ODI before this series.”Those who play in the first XI get more practice during the practice sessions so at that time it is a bit difficult to maintain your mindset,” Tiwary said, and got a surprised stare from the team’s media manager, as if he had let out a state secret. “It is important to be ready because these days the competition is so much that the moment you get an opportunity you have to grab it. I used to always focus on maintaining the right frame of mind and not lose my self-confidence and self-belief during that process. That was the preparation and the self-belief that helped me perform.”Whenever I think about all these things like not playing, not getting an opportunity despite scoring a hundred I just analyse myself [and] as the days pass by you tend to improve mentally and you get experienced. When you look around, when you travel with the Indian team, sit with them, when you follow so much of cricket with so many things happening in front of you, you know how to deal with situations each day.”Tiwary had to keep himself motivated through each day of practice, through each day spent travelling around the globe without knowing when he would get a game. “My family has been supportive of me and my coach and some friends as well. I watch a lot of motivational videos from all sports and by looking at them I do get pumped up at times and it keeps my mind in the right frame. I always wanted to contribute to the team in the way other athletes around the world have in tough situations.”When the opportunity finally came, he found himself walking into tough situations as well. India were 60 for 3 and 87 for 3 when Tiwary came in, and on both occasions, he did not let the innings meander, making 21 off 38 and 65 off 68. He could not have been faulted had he batted for his place in the XI, but, to his credit, he didn’t.”The mindset was to stay positive. When a player is playing after a long time there is pressure to perform and plus the situation on the ground and the conditions [have to be taken into account] so you have to build the innings accordingly. I had it at the back of my mind that no matter what, I have to play according to the situation and if I get out while playing positively then no problem. The team and its requirement come first.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Twenty20 international between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Hambantota

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya31-May-2012Match factsFriday, June 1, 2012
Start time 1900 (1330 GMT)Mohammad Hafeez takes charge of the Pakistan Twenty20 team•AFPBig PictureThe Twenty20 series at the start of the tour is a good opportunity for the teams to try out players they’d have in their plans for the World Twenty20 later in the year, but just two games are unlikely to produce definitive answers. There are more elaborate preparations being made elsewhere for the competition; Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and South Africa will soon take part in an unofficial triangular Twenty20 series, Bangladesh have also asked Ireland to arrange for five Twenty20s in July, there is a Sri Lanka Premier League planned for August and several Indian and overseas regulars have already benefited from the IPL.Mohammad Hafeez, the new Pakistan Twenty20 captain, called the IPL a “missed opportunity” for his players, who’ll have to make do with these two games in Hambantota. The World Twenty20 is a few months away and the immediate aim is to gain an initial edge on a big tour which is Pakistan’s biggest assignment since beating (in Tests and ODIs) Sri Lanka and England in ‘home’ conditions in the UAE.At least seven Sri Lankan players in the current squad have had a chance to play the IPL this year, and their freshness from that experience will have prepared them well against Pakistan, who had a training camp in Lahore before this tour.Form guide (most recent first)
Pakistan: LLWWW
Sri Lanka: LWWWWPlayers to watchShoaib Malik: He’s not part of Pakistan’s ODI squad for the series but if he gets a chance to play in the Twenty20s, he’ll be under scrutiny. He’s had a poor run in ODIs and mixed results in the shortest format since he came back to the national team; he’s among the seniors but another failure could cost him.Chamara Kapugedera: Sri Lanka persisted with him for a long time despite poor returns but he’s not part of their ODI squad this time. He’s been picked for the Twenty20s though, and has been in good form of late, with scores of 86 not out and 79 in his last four innings. A hard-hitting batsman down the order, Kapugedera has a chance to make a mark again for the national side, in the lead-up to the World Twenty20.Team newsPakistan played their last Twenty20 international in February this year and have made some changes to their squad. One of them is the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batsman Shakeel Ansar, who is expected to play. Umar Akmal had been assigned the keeping duties before this, and he could likely play as a full-time batsman. Mohammad Sami, who hasn’t played for Pakistan since November 2010, is one to keep an eye on should he be included.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Umar Akmal, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Khalid Latif/Haris Sohail, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Shakeel Ansar (wk), 8 Sohail Tanvir/ Hammad Azam, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed Ajmal.Sri Lanka have picked left-arm seamer Isuru Udana in their squad, a bowler known to deliver a well-disguised slow bouncer. They also have legspinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi in their ranks. Both don’t feature in the ODI squad.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Thisara Perera, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Kaushal Lokuarachchi, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Isuru Udana.Stats and trivia Hambantota will be making its debut as an international Twenty20 venue, though it’s hosted four ODIs before this. The results have been largely one-sided. Mahela Jayawardene is 47 short of reaching 1000 runs in Twenty20 internationals.Quotes”We had a pretty decent two weeks camp before we came here, finishing up with some practices that were attended by conservatively 15,000 people who were starved of cricket and they just loved them.”

“What makes them competitive is the sort of bowling options available, apart from the specialists.”

Match Facts

February 21, Dubai
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)Alastair Cook has led England superbly with the bat and in the field•Getty Images

The Big Picture

This time it’s Pakistan who have only pride to play for. England are in search of a whitewash that will give some solace following the reversal in the Test series and, given how they have dominated in the one-dayers so far, they are strong favourites to complete the cleansweep.A 4-0 margin will move England up to fourth in the ICC rankings, nothing to write home amount in itself but a sign that progress is already being made in the 50-over format. The conditions they have faced in this series haven’t quite replicated the subcontinent at its toughest – that will come against India early next year – but neither is the next World Cup going to be held on dustbowls.England’s quick bowlers have been outstanding throughout the tour and now they are being led by Steven Finn. The fact Tim Bresnan hasn’t been able to walk back into the team – match readiness or not – shows how strong England’s options have become.Pakistan appear at a turning point with their one-day side. With an eye on the next World Cup they need to give the likes of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq a chance to bed in even if it means short-term pain. They also need a better plan B when their spinners don’t dominate. Umar Gul’s form has been a major problem and they may need to look again at some new pace options.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan LLLWW
England WWWLL

Watch out for…

There are signs, albeit small ones at the moment, that Eoin Morgan is emerging from the form slump that engulfed his performances in the Test series. A couple of unbeaten innings have enabled him to feel bat on ball and he was promoted to No. 3 in the previous game. Long term he is still a perfect finisher for England, and if Morgan can produce a significant score it will be another tick.Pakistan need more from Mohammad Hafeez. Since he made 88 in the opening Test against England he has had a number of starts without building a substantial innings. In the third ODI he had taken the attack to Stuart Broad only to fall two overs later for 29. He’s wasting form that Pakistan can ill-afford not to make the most if. His offspin has also lost some of its effectiveness as England’s batsmen take a more positive approach.

Team news

It’s anyone’s guess what Pakistan will do, especially as a number of players are suffering from flu. A dead ODI would appear the perfect chance to play Hammad Azam, the allrounder, while it also offers the chance to look at Junaid Khan, perhaps at the expense of the struggling Gul.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Aizaz CheemaEngland’s only questions are rest and rotation. Jos Buttler and Tim Bresnan were both expected to figure in this series but injuries meant being sat on the sidelines. It’s now hard to find space in the team, although Bresnan for James Anderson remains a logical switch.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The surface for Saturday’s game produced more pace and bounce than has been seen throughout the tour which certainly didn’t suit Pakistan’s game. Neither did batting first help them much. The same pitch is due to be used again which means there may be a little more assistance for the spinners.

Stats and trivia

• The most wickets by an England bowler in a one-day series is 15 in six matches by Paul Jarvis against India, in 1992-93, and Steven Finn currently has 11 scalps in three games.
• Alastair Cook is currently fourth in the list of most runs scored in a one-day series for England
• England have completed 10 previous whitewashes in a series of at least three matches while Pakistan have been whitewashed six times.

Quotes

“We did not bowl properly, we did not bat properly and we did not field properly. We haven’t played to our potential.”
Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s coach, is aware his side have some improving to do“Even though I spent some time in India before Christmas, it doesn’t replicate what you’re up against. But I’ve played a lot of subcontinent cricket and I should be used to it. I wasn’t, and my skill levels weren’t up to scratch.”
England batsman Eoin Morgan admits he has been well below his best

Aggressive and accurate bowling helped Tamil Nadu flatten Mumbai on the second day at the Wankhede Stadium after the visitors’ lower order had taken their total to 359

Nagraj Gollapudi at the Wankhede Stadium11-Jan-2012
ScorecardL Balaji took three wickets in six balls to rattle Mumbai•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Aggressive and accurate bowling helped Tamil Nadu flatten Mumbai on the second day at the Wankhede Stadium. Six of the hosts’ batsmen were back in the dressing-room before the total could cross the three-figure mark. This after Tamil Nadu’s lower order had added 220 runs for the last four wickets to frustrate Mumbai and take the visitors to 359 in their first innings. With two days to go Mumbai have only four wickets remaining and are still trailing by 238 runs.Tamil Nadu had watched closely the mistakes their opponents had committed in the field over the first four-and-a-quarter sessions, and learned from them. Their captain L Balaji set the tone by deploying attacking fields for Mumbai’s new opening pair of Kaustubh Pawar and Onkar Gurav. It was the seventh combination Mumbai had fielded this season due to injury and other constraints, and it did not work.Pawar was nicely set up by Balaji, who had three slips and a gully for him initially, and then also brought in a short leg. Pawar grew defensive and poked at an outswinger away from his body to edge and give Dinesh Karthik an easy catch behind the stumps. The wicket came off the last ball of Balaji’s third over. Off the first ball of his fourth, Balaji induced another edge, this time from Onkar Gurav, who was forced to play at a length ball that shaped away late and took the outside edge on its way to M Vijay at first slip.Balaji made full use of the new ball, making the batsman play at every delivery. Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai captain, survived the hat-trick delivery but three balls later was a victim of umpire K Hariharan’s second poor lbw decision in two days. Jaffer moved in line with his off stump to defend a delivery that was fuller in length and straightened after pitching. An inside edge trickled onto the pad, just above the knee roll, and the ball went towards gully. Balaji appealed for an lbw but there were clearly two noises and the height was questionable too. What made the decision look even worse was the fact that K Vasudevadas, the gully fielder, who obviously knew there was an edge, had charged in and thrown himself forward in an attempt to take the catch. Jaffer was astonished and immediately showed his bat to the umpire, but the decision had been made and he was dismissed for a duck. Mumbai had lost three wickets in the space of six deliveries.Earlier in the season Abhishek Nayar and Suryakumar Yadav had shown the patience and ability to stabilise innings after the top order had faltered. Both had scored double-centuries during the league stages, so Mumbai would have been hopeful of a comeback. Nayar brought up Mumbai’s fifty with a push past point for four of J Kaushik, who shared the new ball with Balaji. In the next over, though, Nayar, who was returning after a two-match absence due to a finger injury, flirted with an unconventional stroke against the left-arm spin of Aushik Srinivas. Nayar tried to scoop Srinivas to the leg side but got a leading edge that went straight to Vasudevadas, who had moved from slip to leg slip before the delivery.Yadav, too, fell to a loose shot. Having marched to a confident half-century, his fifth of the season, he let himself get distracted by a change in angle from Yo Mahesh, Tamil Nadu’s third medium-pacer. Mahesh changed to bowling from over the wicket mid-over, and got the last ball of his over to move away off a length. Yadav tried to push hard without moving his feet and gave Karthik his second catch behind the stumps. Ankeet Chavan, who had scored his maiden first-class century in the quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh, lasted just 15 balls before edging to Vijay off Kaushik.Mumbai were in an embarrassing situation at 98 for 6, and they had no-one but themselves to blame. A combination of defensive fields, the failure of Mumbai’s bowlers to maintain probing lengths and bad luck allowed Tamil Nadu’s overnight pair of Ramaswamy Prasanna and Mahesh to extend their match-turning partnership to 152 runs. The stand, along with a couple more contributions from the tail, helped the visitors leap from the depths of 139 for 6 at one stage on the first day to 359.Prasanna started the day on 81 not out, and galloped to his third first-class century with four boundaries on the second morning. He was aided by Mumbai’s medium-pacers Dhawal Kulkarni and Balwinder Sandhu who pitched on lengths that made it easy for him to score. What was baffling was Jaffer’s decision to spread the field within the first hour when he could have crowded the batsmen with a ring of fielders.The only saving grace for Mumbai was the performance of Kshemal Waingankar, their third medium-pacer, who bowled tireless spells of reverse-swing. Waingankar only picked up one wicket in the day but it was the pressure he exerted that finally broke the Prasanna-Mahesh partnership. Waingankar bowled his fourth delivery of the morning from close to the stumps. The ball started on middle and Prasanna, who thought the ball would swing into him, moved towards off. The ball, though, suddenly shaped away towards the shiny side, leaving Prasanna flummoxed.Waingankar swung the ball in, bowled short and had the centurion Prasanna rattled. In the next over, Prasanna was tentative against the part-time medium-pace of Nayar, was beaten by reverse-swing once again and lost his off stump.Mahesh added another 42 runs with Balaji for the eighth-wicket. He was the ninth batsman to be dismissed, giving Waingankar his first wicket when he was beaten by reverse and trapped lbw. It brought to an end a six-hour vigil at the wicket. Mumbai lost more than half their batting in half that time.

Western Australia have finalised their revamped squad for next season after naming a 17-man contract list

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2011Western Australia have finalised their revamped squad for next season after naming a 17-man contract list. The key changes for the Warriors had already been confirmed earlier in the off-season, with the axing of Steve Magoffin, David Bandy, Aaron Heal, Matt Johnston, Michael Swart and Luke Towers, while Ashley Noffke and Brett Dorey both retired during the summer.The coach Mickey Arthur last week confirmed the addition of the Tasmania batsman Travis Birt, the Queensland fast bowler Nathan Rimmington and the New South Wales fast man Mark Cameron to the group in an effort to force strong competition for places. There were no other surprises in the final list, with the fast-bowling pair Matt Dixon and Joel Parris added to the rookie list.The impressive left-arm fast man Ryan Duffield was upgraded from a rookie deal to a full contract after a summer in which he collected 33 Sheffield Shield wickets at 22.90, while the opening batsman Marcus Harris was also promoted. Arthur said the squad was one he and the captain Marcus North could put their stamp on.”I am really comfortable with our new signings and the list that we have put together,” Arthur said. “We cut seven players from the squad and lost two to retirement at the end of 2010-11 and have only recruited three players from interstate, so we are backing our outstanding local talent to return the Warriors to the top of Australian cricket.”We have brought in some experienced players in Travis Birt, Mark Cameron and Nathan Rimmington and they will play big roles for us, but we must not forget that we have an exciting bunch of young cricketers as well. I feel that we have got our list almost right with a mix that will set us up for years to come, and in the next year or two we will have it spot on. I am really confident with the direction we are taking WA cricket.”The Warriors finished fourth on the Sheffield Shield table last season, Arthur’s first in charge, and they were also fourth in the Ryobi Cup. But there were some positive signs, with Duffield, Harris, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Tom Beaton emerging as players to watch.Western Australia squad Michael Beer, Travis Birt, Mark Cameron, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Davis, Ryan Duffield, Marcus Harris, Michael Hogan, Michael Hussey (Cricket Australia contract), Mitchell Johnson (CA), Brad Knowles, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh (CA), Marcus North, Martin Paskal, Luke Pomersbach, Nathan Rimmington, Wes Robinson, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges.Rookies Tom Beaton, Jason Behrendorff, Matt Dixon, Michael Johnson, Joel Paris.