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Rudolph century boosts Yorkshire

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First Division

Essex’s innings ends as Danish Kaneria is caught by Eoin Morgan at Lord’s © Cricinfo
 

Jacques Rudolph’s century propelled Yorkshire to a handy 339 for 6 against leaders Somerset at Taunton, although he was nipped out just before the close for 155, one of a trio for Ian Blackwell. Rudolph and Gerard Brophy shared a fourth-wicket stand worth 130 before falling within 15 runs of each other. Somerset welcomed back Andy Caddick after his shoulder injury but he finished with 0 for 70 off 16 overs.Callum Thorp’s 5 for 64 was the highlight of a bowler’s day for Durham at Chester-le-Street, his third first-class five-for in 27 matches. The Harmison brothers cleaned up the other five between them, Stephen with two and Ben with 3 for 25. Michael Carberry and Sean Ervine both made fifties to push Hampshire‘s total to 239 but they should have done much better as their last eight wickets contributed only 80. Durham lost Mark Stoneman in reaching 59 for 2 and could have been in even more trouble had Michael Di Venuto not survived a claim for a catch at slip when he had made 6.The opening day of Kent‘s tussle with Sussex was lost to the rain at Canterbury. Having had to shift the FP Trophy quarter-final away from the ground on Wednesday, it was still not fit for play on Friday after steady drizzle throughout the morning. Play was abandoned at 3pm.To find out how Lancashire fared against Nottinghamshire, read John Ward’s report from Old Trafford.

Second Division

Charl Langeveldt and Graham Wagg took four wickets each as Derbyshire bowled out Worcestershire for a lowly 151 at Chesterfield. The visitors, who won the toss, were indebted to No. 10 Steve Magoffin’s 33 for lifting them from 101 for 9 to something slightly less paltry. Langeveldt claimed the key wicket of Vikram Solanki, superbly caught at second slip, then Graeme Hick dragged Jonathan Clare into his stumps. Clare could have had another, but spilled a tough return catch off Ben Smith, although wickets were never far away.Stand-in captain Ian Westwood batted all day to make an unbeaten 139 as Warwickshire reached 278 for 4 against Glamorgan at Cardiff. He and Navdeep Poonia (37) put on 119 for the first wicket and though Michael Powell fell on the same score, Westwood, drop by Robert Croft at first slip off Alex Wharf when on 70, remained resolute.Fifties from Marcus North and Alex Gidman lifted Gloucestershire from a stumbling 77 for 2 to a sturdier 258 for 4 against Northamptonshire at Northampton, with North still unbeaten on 84, after reaching his fifty off 88 balls following an indifferent run of form. The Kolpak pair of Johan wan der Wath and Andrew Hall did the damage alongside Johann Louw. It needed a team effort to remove Hamish Marshall, who edged to second slip only for David Sales to fumble the chance. However, Hall was alert at first slip to take the rebound.To read Martin Williamson’s report on how Middlesex‘s Tim Murtagh took six wickets to knock Essex over for 161 – all ten wickets being catches – click here.

League cricketer shows how it's done

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From Weybridge to weighing in at international level – Grant Elliott hit a half-century © Getty Images
 

“This is how Chris Tremlett should bowl” of the day
By his own candid admission to Cricinfo earlier in the season, Chris Tremlett is not the angry bowler the public yearns for. Yet in the13th over of the innings, he produced the sort of lifting snorter thatyou might expect from a fast bowler of 6ft 8in; the type of bouncerTremlett should be producing more regularly, you might argue. ScottStyris was the unwitting victim, trying to get out of the way but theball followed his hands like a magnet. Tremlett’s venom and accuracywas assisted by his pace: he rarely dropped below 84mph, giving everyindication that the Tremlett jigsaw might be coming together at justthe right time. If he can stay fit, that is.Ironic music of the day
Not even the most hard-nosed of England supporters can not feel somedegree of sympathy towards New Zealand during this tour. Frequentinjuries to vital players have left them cruelly exposed, while goodsessions or promising spells simply have been as rare as hen’s teeth.Still, there’s no need to mock, is there? Poor old Scott Stryistrudged back to the pavilion for 4, the gloomy Gloucestershire lightaptly reflecting his and the team’s grim position, while the loudspeakersblared Monty Python’s .The irony was lost on the batsman, and not even AC/DC’srousing could rectify New Zealand’s middle-order muddle.Bowler of the day
It is almost becoming predictable to write about Stuart Broad. Yes, heappears like a proper, orthodox batsman at No.8 as his 64 in the TrentBridge Test helped demonstrate. Granted, he is fast and straight andimpressively accurate with the ball given his inexperience. Oh, anddespite his height, he’s also slick in the field. But is he all that?Well, the signs are increasingly promising from an Englandperspective, and at Bristol today he turned in his most economicalspell. In 10 overs, he conceded just 14 runs, picking up two wickets.Jamie How was bowled attempting to pull, while Ross Taylor – whobarely resembled the swashbuckler of a few weeks ago when he hit 154at Old Trafford – attempted a wild flay and was also bowled. It wasthe mosteconomical 10-over spell by an England bowler since MichaelYardy’s 0 for 18 in 2006.Poor strokes of the day
That there were so many to choose from probably sums up both teams’efforts with the bat, pootling along at the sort of run-rate at whicheven Test crowds would slow-clap their disapproval. Taylorearns the first gong for his careless drive against Broad, who hadsent the previous two deliveries wider of the crease. The sucker punchwas full, straight and Taylor splayed his stumps with a thick insideedge to leave New Zealand tottering on 42 for 4. Daniel Flynn appliedBoycott-like solidity in his 26-ball 2, but just when he appeared tobe quite settled, he pulled a full toss to mid-on. England joined intoo. Ravi Bopara wasted a promising start on 27, slapping to a divingJamie How at backward point, while Owais Shah’s loose flap to slipleft England stuttering on 64 for 5.“League” cricketer of the day
Speaking of Boycott, Geoffrey (accurately or unfairly, depending on yourallegiance) labelled New Zealand’s top-order league cricketersduring the Test series. However, it was a league cricketer who sparedNew Zealand’s blushes in their innings, bolstering their total to 182when, at one point, even reaching 100 seemed a tall ask. Grant Elliottwas plucked from Weybridge in the Surrey Championship to make hisdebut at Edgbaston on Wednesday, and today showed his ability with thebat in making 56 from 102 balls. The league’s loss is most certainlyNew Zealand’s gain.

Lancashire's Law slays Sussex

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Stuart Law shone in whites this week © Getty Images
 

It was back to County Championship cricket this week after the thrills and spills of Twenty20, while Lancashire also announced that Brad Hodge would not be returning to the county. Hodge will be looking after his ill wife, Meg, in Australia, leaving Lou Vincent as the county’s overseas player.It was another Australian, Stuart Law, who shone for Lancashire this week, though. His unbeaten 158 was the cornerstone around which Lancashire constructed what could be a crucial eight-wicket victory against Sussex at Hove. With the table so bunched up, every point counts and Law made sure to do his bit, thrusting Lancashire to second.Law’s innings was compiled over six hours and 39 minutes, from 281 balls, and contained 18 fours. His masterful knock helped his side to a valuable lead of 129, and completed a hat-trick of centuries at Hove. He was a class above anything else on display, more salt for Sussex who dropped him on 18 – a tough chance to Chris Adams at slip – and on 101, when Jason Lewry spilled a much simpler opportunity at mid-on.It showed the class of Law that he was able to so easily switch between Twenty20 and four-day cricket. He was happy to bide his time against pace and spin, finally bringing up his first Championship ton this term from 173 balls. It was an innings full of silky cover drives, deft cuts and neat placement.With the counties jostling for position, Adam Voges’ first-innings 49 went some way to helping Nottinghamshire to the top in their six-wicket win against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. Though he stumbled for 4 second time round, his team-mates saw them home. Darren Pattinson took two wickets in each innings before his surprise call-up to England’s Champions Trophy long-list of 30 players. Pattinson was born in Grimsby and is not a citizen of Australia.Michael Di Venuto’s Durham drew level on points with Yorkshire after beating them at Chester-le-Street. They are now equal third in the table with 77 points each, though Durham have a game in hand on them and the top two. Matthew Hoggard bagged him for a duck in the first innings but his unbeaten 65 in the second secured the victory.Matt Nicholson was unable to turn out for Surrey’s sorry beating by Kent – having been in full control at the Oval – as he is not eligible while Abdul Razzaq is playing. Nicholson can return for their next game, against Voges’ Nottinghamshire on Friday, when Surrey will still be seeking their first win.In Division Two, Marcus North managed 10 and a not-out 8 in Gloucestershire’s stalemate against the leaders Warwickshire at Edgbaston.Steve Magoffin played more of a support role than anything else in Worcestershire’s ten-wicket drubbing of Leicestershire. He took a wicket in each innings, Leicestershire immediately on the backfoot after folding for 120.

Champions League didn't distract us – Joyce

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‘It is fantastic to lead the county to their first title for 15 years’ – Joyce © Getty Images
 

Ed Joyce paid testament to Middlesex’s fearlessness after leading themto their first title in 15 long years, beating Kent in the final ofthe 2008 Twenty20 Cup.Middlesex posted 187 for 6, the highest total for a final in the Cup’shistory, thanks to a sublime 75 from Owais Shah. Kent, however, edgedcloser to the target before falling three runs short in a nailbitingfinal over bowled by Tyron Henderson. The allure of the ChampionsLeague and Allen Stanford’s offering were always liable to affect theplayers’ focus, but Joyce insisted they were not swayed by thefinancial incentives on offer.”We have been talking about the Champions League all season but inthis game said we were going to play fearless cricket and, if wethought about bowling a certain ball or playing a certain shot, wewere going to go out and do it,” Joyce said. “We were going to do it withno regrets and not think about the potential riches that lie ahead.That showed in the way we played in both the games.”Owais Shah and Tyron Henderson played two fantastic knocks andeveryone else chipped in around them and everyone bowled and fieldedvery well. We talked about the Champions League but I don’t think itdistracted us too much.”The win ended a barren period for Middlesex of 15 years without atitle. Not since Mike Gatting’s side won the Championship in 1993 hadthey any silverware to enjoy, and that particular victory ended aprolific period for the club. From 1976 to 1993, Middlesex were theteam to beat. Yesterday’s win was all the more remarkable for thehaplessness with which Middlesex have performed in the six years ofTwenty20 Cup cricket, too.”It is fantastic to lead the county to their first title for 15 years.We’ve missed Ed Smith quite a bit at the top and his captaincy as wellwhile injured,” Joyce said. “Ed, myself and (coach) Toby Radford came up with a template for the way we were going to play but it is great to be the person leading thecounty to the title.”Joyce’s opposite number, Robert Key – whose slick 52 gave Kent such beliefthat they would retain their title – remained proud of his side’sefforts. As a bonus, Kent can now join Middlesex in the ChampionsLeague with a chance to win an unprecedented US$2.5 million, subject to theeligibility of their Indian Cricket League players.”If anything, I thought we coped pretty well,” Key said. “I thought wefielded brilliantly in the semi-final and that was almost as big agame as the final because winning that gave you entry into othercompetitions and the money that everyone’s going on about.”That was the time when all that was at stake and I thought it was acredit to both sides on how they performed and how they behaved outthere.”Twenty20 might in the long run harm other forms of the game but Iwould have thought that was brilliant to watch. That final was a greatadvert for Twenty20 cricket.”

Australia fend off Tamim to earn clean sweep

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Michael Hussey, the Player of the Series, registered an important half-century that kept Australia ahead of the committed tourists © AFP
 

Tamim Iqbal’s one-man entertainment show was not enough to turn Darwin into Cardiff as Australia wrapped up a 3-0 cleansweep with a 73-run victory over Bangladesh. Tamim mastered the slow surface better than anyone had all week. He showed more flair than Australia’s key man Michael Hussey but only two of Tamim’s colleagues reached double figures and three wickets to James Hopes led to a familiar result.Bangladesh were chasing 199, which despite their batting woes on this tour looked like a vaguely feasible target. When Tamim lashed the likes of Hopes and Mitchell Johnson there were some nervous flutters from Michael Clarke, who was part of the team when Bangladesh upset Australia in Cardiff in 2005.Several facets of Bangladesh’s game came together on this occasion: Tamim was on fire, their spinners bowled terrifically tightly and their fielding was sharp. Again, the disappointment was the rest of their batting as several men threw their wickets away unnecessarily. It was all the more frustrating for Bangladesh this time because, the way Tamim was playing, they had a genuine chance.He made their first half-century of the series and finished with 63, skying a catch off Shane Watson as he ran out of colleagues. He ended up with more than half of his team’s 125 and the Man-of-the-Match award. Tamim was so enthusiastic that one attempted pull off Hopes finished with the bat flying halfway to the square-leg umpire after he failed to connect with the ball.More often he did make powerful contact. A cracking drive for four over mid-on from Hopes was followed next ball by a cleanly-struck six to the same spot. But Hopes easily got through the defences of Mahmudullah and trapped Dhiman Ghosh lbw, having already removed Tamim’s most important partner, Shakib Al Hasan.Shakib had batted well for 27, although he was dropped at third man on 14. His luck ran out when he tried to pull Hopes but failed to connect properly and lobbed a catch to Michael Hussey at midwicket. It was the end of Bangladesh’s best stand of the series and, as it turned out, the end of their chances. The pair had led a good recovery after the top order stumbled to 3 for 22.Mohammad Ashraful fell to an awful piece of batting for the third time in the series. As the captain and arguably best batsman in a young side, his approach in the middle must be a major concern for the coaching staff. They had 50 overs to score 199. What they needed from this innings, as they have through the whole series, was patience and concentration. Instead Ashraful showed no application. He had 3 on the board when he drove Stuart Clark in the air with no real control and was taken by Michael Clarke at point.Before wandering off the Marrara Cricket Ground, Ashraful stood for a moment and looked down the pitch, seemingly wondering what had gone wrong. He had not learned from his mistake from Clark’s previous ball, when he drove in the air straight to cover, where Hopes spilled what he should have taken.Just as bad was Alok Kapali’s brain explosion as he tried to pull a Johnson ball that was nowhere near short enough and lost his off stump as a result. Clark had already accounted for Junaid Siddique with a nasty bouncer that was fended to first slip. Bangladesh really needed to take note of the way Hussey, the Player of the Series, had batted to nudge Australia to 5 for 198.His painstaking unbeaten 57 ensured a competitive total despite the strong efforts of Bangladesh in the field. He struck a couple of boundaries towards the end but for most of the innings concentrated solely on batting out the overs, something Bangladesh failed to do in any of the three ODIs.Scoring was tough for Australia. blared over the PA system and it was a prescient choice as a sharp Bangladesh threw down the stumps several times. Such was Australia’s trouble finding gaps, particularly against the spin of Shakib and Abdur Razzak, that they started taking suicidal singles.Shane Watson (27) did not trust Clarke’s call and his hesitation cost him when Mashrafe Mortaza and Ghosh combined to find him short. Clarke himself was stranded out of his ground when he bunted to the off side, hared for a run and watched as Kapali’s throw shattered the stumps.David Hussey fell in similar fashion when Ashraful at mid-off was accurate, although the one they needed to get was the one they missed. When Michael Hussey had 6 he scampered through for a run and was well short when the throw narrowly passed by. Bangladesh can only dream of what might have happened had the shy hit.As it was they tied Australia up impressively. No boundaries came off the bat between the 14th and 42nd overs. By the close of Australia’s innings, Bangladesh’s confidence had lifted appreciably. If only their batsman had done the same.

'Physically I am in the best condition' – Watson

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Shane Watson says his physical condition is excellent but he’s currently suffering from viral fever © Getty Images
 

Shane Watson, the Australian allrounder, has said he is in the best physical condition he has ever been in but does not want to put too much pressure on himself as he tries to fill the allrounder’s spot, made vacant by Andrew Symonds’ omission from the Test squad.”Previously I put a lot of pressure on myself in trying to make the most of the chances I got,” Watson said. “The last year was the most frustrating. As soon as I felt I was close to an opportunity I would get injured. In a way my body was letting me down.”Despite being around the Australia setup for six years, Watson has played only three Tests as persistent injuries, mainly to his hamstring and shoulder, limited his output. He missed the 2006-07 Ashes and was replaced by Symonds, a situation now reversed after Symonds’ exclusion on disciplinary grounds.Ricky Ponting said Watson, with his technically-correct batting and fast-bowling skills, might have secured a spot in the team even if Symonds was in the squad. He expected Watson to make the XI for the first Test in Bangalore.”My injuries gave Symonds an opportunity in Test cricket and he’s done extremely well over the last couple of years,” Watson said. “Now I have to try and make the most of the opportunity. I’ve been working extremely hard on a number of different things in the last year. I’ve changed some of the training techniques that I have been using.”Physically I am in the best condition I have been in, in my whole career. I know I’m giving myself the best chance to be able to perform and get through a Test series. That’s all I can ask of myself and I’m very content with the place I am in physically, technically and mentally.”Watson was in India earlier this year, playing for Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural season of the IPL, and he hoped to draw on that experience. “I’ve played in three of the four grounds [during IPL] we’re going to play Tests on [Bangalore, Mohali and Delhi],” Watson said. “Twenty20 is different but it will help that I’m fairly familiar with these venues. It will give me a bit of confidence knowing what to expect at these grounds.”Watson, however, is currently down with viral fever and is a doubtful starter for the tour match against Board President’s XI beginning in Hyderabad on Thursday.

India tighten stranglehold on match

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Harbhajan Singh removed the openers after Australia were set 516 to chase © AFP
 

India’s top order set the table, and two of Australia’s familiar tormenters tucked in to leave the home side five wickets away from a crushing win, and the series lead, against the No. 1 side in the world. Gautam Gambhir scored his second century – and first at home – while Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni raced to half-centuries to set Australia a mammoth 516 in a little over four sessions.To drive home their advantage, India dismissed Australia’s openers in the last over before tea, tore the heart out of their middle order, and had them haemorrhaging at 141 for 5 . Harbhajan Singh, who took 3 for 23, and Ishant Sharma had once again turned on the heat when India needed it most.Australia had launched a spirited chase for seven overs, racing to 49, but Harbhajan’s double-wicket over before tea stunned them. Matthew Hayden, who had begun in one-day mode, tried to sweep and was lbw for 29. Three balls later Simon Katich, losing his composure, threw his bat at a flighted delivery and was superbly caught by Sachin Tendulkar, who had to dive forward to take the catch inches off the grass. The wickets had come in Harbhajan’s first over, an inspired bowling change by Dhoni after the new-ball bowlers had been expensive.Harbhajan tossed it up more than usual but a shooter brought him his third wicket soon after tea. The length was short and the ball skidded through to Michael Hussey who suffered from poor shot selection: he tried to pull but was hit plumb in front. The wicket sparked manic celebrations in Mohali for it was Harbhajan’s 299th.The decisive blow came in the next over. Ricky Ponting was new to the crease and his feet hadn’t even started moving when his off stump was flattened by Ishant Sharma who found the bat-pad gap with a full ball. It was the third time that Sharma had dismissed Ponting in the series, and the fifth overall.Shane Watson was the next to go, hit in front by one that nipped into him from Ishant, and was the fifth wicket to fall in the space of nine runs. Ishant achieved significant movement both in the air and off the pitch and had 2 for 29 to show for his efforts.

Smart Stats
  • Australia have lost each time they’ve been set a target of 500 or above. Their heaviest defeat came against England in 1928, when they lost by 675 runs.
  • Gautam Gambhir’s century was his second, and his first in India. Gambhir got starts in his previous nine innings, which included four fifties, and averaged 47.45, but failed to convert them into hundreds.
  • Ishant Sharma dismissed Ricky Ponting for the fifth time in as many Tests. Ponting averages 18.80 against Ishant in eight innings.
  • Harbhajan Singh dismissed Matthew Hayden for the eighth time in as many Tests, more than any other bowler. It was the first time he trapped Hayden lbw.
  • Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir’s stand of 182 fell just ten runs short of equalling India’s record for the first wicket partnership against Australia – Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan had added 192 in Mumbai in 1979. (Click here for the full list.) The stand is also India’s highest opening partnership in the second innings of a home Test, and the fourth-highest in all second innings.

A dogged 83-run partnership in 29.3 overs between Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin denied India any more success, but there was no denying who’s day it was.Unlike the Indians, Australia’s bowlers could find no assistance in the pitch and struggled to contain the batsmen as they pursued quick runs. When play began, Gambhir and Sehwag made sure the platform built over three days was not wasted. Both openers found the gaps in the field with ease because Ponting had several men on the boundary.Gambhir was fortunate to survive a thick edge off Cameron White, which brushed the wicketkeeper’s pads and was spilled by Hayden at slip, but there was nothing fortuitous about a twinkle-toed six off the legspinner which sailed over long-on. The ball didn’t always come onto Sehwag’s bat but he repeatedly tried to whip it between midwicket and mid-on. Apart from the powerful shots, Sehwag and Gambhir also dropped the ball with soft hands and ran swiftly between the wickets. Sehwag fell with a rare second-innings hundred in his sights, edging Peter Siddle to Haddin on 90.India held Rahul Dravid back and Dhoni walked in at No 3 to continue the morning’s aggression. He ran hard and hit the ball even harder. His unbeaten 68 was his second half-century of the match.Gambhir’s previous best in India was 96 against South Africa in 2004, and the wait for a hundred ended with a lavish clip past mid-on for four. However, he chipped White to mid-off soon after reaching his hundred but had ensured India’s advantage. Dhoni added 66 with Sourav Ganguly, who was last out for 27, after the lead passed 500.Australia have been set a target of 500 or more on six occasions and they’ve lost each time. With only five wickets in hand, the odds are in favour of a seventh.

Lahore Badshahs in search of maiden win

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Match facts

Oct 19, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)

Will Inzamam-ul-Haq come good on Sunday? © ICL
 

Big Picture

The second match of Sunday’s double-header at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel in Ahmedabad is between two teams that have had similar starts to the tournament. However, while one team has managed to score points after consecutive losses, the other is still searching for its first victory.Ahmedabad Rockets had started the tournament poorly, with two defeats in Hyderabad. However, they claimed their first points by beating the Mumbai Champs in front of a vociferous and partisan home crowd on Friday and will aim to keep that momentum going.The Lahore Badshahs, the rage of the previous ICL season in which they were finalists of their debut tournament, have been slow in getting off the blocks, losing their first two games. With the lights failing in the inaugural match of the tournament, Lahore were at 30 off six overs chasing 166; they needed 49 to win under the tournament rules. In their second game, they set Royal Bengal Tigers a below-par target of 140. Their key player, Inzamam-ul-Haq, hasn’t had an impact so far and there is also pressure on Tahir Mughal, whose 8 off 14 balls at No. 3 punctured Lahore’s chances against Bengal.Lahore’s fast bowlers have also been expensive. Mohammad Sami conceded nine an over in the first game and had an economy-rate of 7.66 in the second. Shahid Nazir leaked 35 runs in three overs against Bengal, and Inzamam had to try Imran Farhat’s part-time legbreaks as an alternative. Inzamam also indicated that the legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed was likely to play since spinners have been effective in the tournament so far.

Players to watch

Saqlain Mushtaq played only two matches for Surrey during this year’s Twenty20 Cup in England but picked up six wickets. He’s carried that form into the ICL, taking 2 for 19 in four overs in the second match, the only wickets to fall in Bengal’s innings. He may be 31 and injuries may have slowed him down but experience and the doosra remain potent weapons in Saqlain’s arsenal.Imran Nazir was Lahore’s highest run-scorer in the previous season, with 274 runs at a strike-rate of 130, but he’s scored only 19 and 9 so far in this tournament. He takes as many risks as Evel Knievel but his hand-eye coordination is so good that, on his day, he could bat the opposition out of the match.Ryan Campbell, a former Australian wicketkeeper, is a new ICL recruit and he didn’t take very long to have an impact. After making a duck and 5 in the first two games, Campbell exploded against Mumbai with a blistering 92 off 51 balls with four sixes. Lahore haven’t played him before so he could take them by surprise.Jason Gillespie’s greying hair makes him look older than 33 but he has held his own in the slam-bang ICL environment. Operating with the new ball, he took 1 for 35 in the first game, 0 for 7 in the next, and 1 for 16 in Ahmedabad’s first win of the tournament. He and Heath Streak have a wealth of international experience and are likely to play a crucial role in their team’s fortunes.

Quotes

“We had a tough time but we hope to put everything behind us and win our next matches. Everyone is working hard to get back to winning ways.”
Lahore legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed is confident of a turnaround

I knew I could get eight – Krejza

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Jason Krejza: “When I was getting my five-for Binga [Brett Lee] said: ‘You can get eight-for here.’ I believed that and I kept going and got a bagful” © AFP
 

Watching Jason Krejza on the second day was even more addictive than during the first. Attacking spinners know they will get hit in the search for wickets and Krejza received a lot of success and punishment. At the end of his first innings it will be the magical return of eight wickets that will be remembered before the 215 runs from 43.5 overs.If Krejza never plays another Test – that’s a bit unlikely now – he will always be a record-breaker. When Simon Katich grabbed a sharp one-handed take to remove Ishant Sharma, Krejza became only the sixth bowler to earn eight wickets in an innings on debut.”It’s a bit of a blur still,” Krejza said after play. “I tried to keep doing what I was doing. I was happy to get the wickets. It’s still unbelievable to me.”Five of Krejza’s victims came in 19 runs as India were dismissed for 441 and during that period Krejza was battling to remain calm. “I was just trying to keep my emotions under control,” he said. “When the five-for came around, that’s the moment I’ll always remember, with a great catch from Michael Clarke. I thought I bowled better today than yesterday. I’ve started really well in Test cricket.”Sourav Ganguly was Krejza’s fifth victim, when he edged low to Clarke at first slip, and it was the point Krejza realised he could take eight. Only Albert Trott, Alf Valentine, Bob Massie, Narendra Hirwani and Lance Klusener had done that before.”When I was getting my five-for Binga [Brett Lee] said: ‘You can get eight-for here.’ I believed that and I kept going and got a bagful.”After bowling Dhoni and then removing Ganguly in the same over, he finished off the innings by capturing Zaheer Khan (1), Amit Mishra (0) and Ishant (0) in nine balls. Despite the five quick wickets on the second day, his favourite dismissal was his first one on Thursday, when Rahul Dravid popped a catch to Katich at short-leg.”That was the stand-out,” he said. “My strategy was if he came at it with low hands, and if I got some bounce, I could get him. It was a plan and it worked.”There were a clutch of other milestones for Krejza, including his maiden first-class five-wicket haul, and becoming the 14th Australian to achieve such a collection on debut. His figures were also the most expensive of any first-gamer in an innings, beating West Indian Omari Banks’ 3 for 204 in 2003 against Australia.Krejza, a surprise selection on the tour, was forced to wait until the final test to get an opportunity, but he has quickly moved up the slow-bowling pecking order. “It was an honour for me to be here in the first place,” he said. “For me to play was an even greater one. [Waiting] never worried me, I knew I was going to get a go at some stage.”While the swiftness of Krejza’s inspired collapse lifted the tourists, it also created some concern. If Krejza could do this, what would Harbhajan Singh do? By stumps Harbhajan had only one wicket, having bowled Ricky Ponting for 24, and the Australians were feeling much better.Katich’s 92 and Michael Hussey’s 45 had moved them to 189 for 2. “We’ve got ourselves into a really good position now where we have got two batsmen who are very good,” Krejza said. “It’s got us into a good position to win the game.”

Nash nears West Indies debut

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Brendan Nash’s first game for West Indies came less than a year after he moved to the Caribbean from Australia © Eddie Norfolk
 

Five of Brendan Nash’s family will be in Dunedin this week hoping they will be watching the West Indies batsman appear in his maiden Test for his adopted team. Nash was born in Western Australia, grew up in Queensland and played for the state before leaving for the Caribbean in 2007.With parents from Jamaica, Nash, who appeared in 36 first-class games for Queensland, quickly qualified for the national team. He played five one-day internationals in Canada and Abu Dhabi this year before being picked for the Test tour.”It’s exciting,” Nash told the Courier-Mail. “My mother, father, sister, aunty and uncle are coming to the Test. They love to watch the West Indies. They always have.”My parents were very strong with their Jamaican culture and I wanted to experience that. If it works out, I will feel good for the selectors who showed faith in me. Because of my light colour and background, they copped a lot of criticism when I was first chosen.”Nash, who is newly married, has enjoyed his change of hemispheres and has no plans to switch back to the Australian way. “I have really enjoyed it from a life experience point of view as well as cricket,” he said. “I have found the Jamaican people very warm and friendly. I said when I left that I saw it as a long-term move and nothing has changed.”While Nash is aiming to begin his Test career, the fast bowler Fidel Edwards is approaching 100 wickets and will start the game on 95. “I’m right up there and will be looking to get the other five, move to 100 and go on from there,” he said. “It is something I have been thinking about. We have not played Test cricket since June [against Australia], so I have had to wait.”Edwards planned to “make the batsmen uncomfortable” and he was pleased with his form after recovering from a back injury that ruled him out of the Stanford Series. “My rhythm has been very good and the aim is to get wickets and make a contribution to the team,” he said. “I have been trying to stay fit and stay focused on my job.”The weather in Dunedin has been damp and the fast bowlers may benefit from some life in a surface that has usually suited the spinners. “I will be looking to get the ball to swing and reap the rewards,” he said. “If the conditions stay this way the ball should do quite a bit. We are here to win the series, we know the Kiwis can be a tough team, but we believe we can win.”