A round-up of matches on the second day of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2012Group ACanada notched their first win of the qualifiers by holding on to beat Papua New Guinea by six runs at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. Canada raced away to 38 from the first 3.3 overs, but were slowly pegged back by some economical bowling from Mahuru Dai and Hitolo Areni, who both finished with 1 for 27 from their four overs. Nitish Kumar anchored Canada’s innings with 57 from 44 balls while Hiral Patel chipped in with 34. PNG got off to a steady start in their chase, led by opener Asad Vala, who made 52. But they allowed the asking rate to climb too far and left their final assault a little too late. Despite 50 runs from the last five overs, they fell agonisingly short.Blistering half-centuries from Jamie Atkinson and Irfan Ahmed propelled Hong Kong to an eight-wicket win over Bermuda, their first of the tournament, at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. Chasing 162, the pair savaged Bermuda’s attack, adding 113 together from just 12 overs after the loss of opener Babar Hayat for 6 in the first over. Ahmed perished on 50 to the medium pace of Janeiro Tucker, but Atkinson made sure there would be no last-minute stumble, finishing the match in style with a six of Kamau Leverock. So savage was their assault, that four of the six bowlers Bermuda used had economy-rates in the double-digits. In all, Atkinson’s 87 took just 55 balls and contained 13 fours and two sixes. Bermuda posted 161 for 5 on the back of a run-a-ball 43 from captain David Hemp and a late assault from Leverock (18*) and Tucker (31 from 19) that saw 73 runs come off the last six overs.Afghanistan scrambled home with two-balls to spare to beat Netherlands by four wickets. The Dutch posted 159 courtesy of Alexei Kervezee’s 58 from 43-balls. Michael Swart also made 22 from 16-balls opening the batting. Afghanistan’s chase was led by a partnership of 58 between Nawroz Mangal, who made a 19-ball 26 and Mohammad Shahzad: his 54 with eight fours seeing his side home, despite 2 for 12 from Mudassar Bukhari. Nine were needed from the final over but two fours from the bat of Noor Ali Zadran saw Afghanistan over the line.Shakti Gauchan took 4 for 20, including a hat-trick, as Nepal produced their second win in two matches after bowling Denmark out for 82. Denmark has been 58 for 2 but their collapse left them with no chance as Pradeep Airee almost knocked off the target himself. He plundered seven fours and four sixes in making 65 from 43-balls as Nepal won by nine wickets with seven overs to spare, Airee finishing the game in fine style with a big six.Group BItaly made it two wins in two games as they stopped United States of America short by eight runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. USA’s chase of 138 suffered an early blow when their captain Sushil Nadkarni was caught behind off the first delivery of the innings bowled by Gareth Berg. Vince Pennazza tied USA down, giving only 11 runs off four overs and claiming two wickets. Damian Crowley chipped in with three strikes and despite an unbeaten 35 from Asif Khan, USA managed only 129 for 8. Carl Sandri had earlier smashed four sixes on his way to an unbeaten 49 off 28 deliveries to help Italy recover from 26 for 3 and post 137 for 6.Ireland responded to yesterday’s surprise defeat to Namibia with a comprehensive victory over Kenya. Read the full report here.Roger Mukasa made a run-a-ball 45 to set up Uganda’s three-wicket win over Oman. Chasing 129 Uganda took until the last over to reach their target with Arthur Ziraba making 26 from 25 balls. Hemal Mehta conceded 16 from his four overs but his tight spell wasn’t enough after Oman failed to capatalise on several of their batsman getting good starts. Zeeshan Siddiqui reached 30 from 15 balls but he was run out and nobody else could produce a meaningful contribution to guide the innings.Louis van der Westhuizen blasted a century as Namibia made it two wins out of two with a comfortable 49-run win over Scotland. Read the full report here.

The proposed Bangladesh tour of Pakistan, though agreed to in principle by the two countries’ boards, is being threatened by logistical issues stemming from a lack of coordination at the political level

Umar Farooq18-Apr-2012The proposed Bangladesh tour of Pakistan, while agreed to in principle by the two countries’ boards, is being threatened by logistical problems stemming from a lack of coordination at the political level. The PCB has delayed sending its security plan to the ICC because issues between the federal government and the state government of Punjab. Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, urged the Pakistan government to play its role in moving quickly for the tour to fall into place, “for the sake of national interest.”Pakistan and Bangladesh, after reaching a consensus on the short tour, had informed the ICC earlier this week that they will play one ODI and one Twenty20 International at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The matches are scheduled for April 29 and 30.Ashraf returned to Pakistan on Tuesday night after attending the ICC board meeting in Dubai, calling for an immediate press conference to announce the Bangladesh visit. He did not however elaborate on any substantial plan ahead for Pakistan to host a foreign team for the first time in three years. Every question about the uncertainty surrounding the Bangladesh tour was responded to with a confident reply that all matters would be sorted out in time.Meanwhile, at a press conference at the National Cricket Academy, the Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, welcomed the Bangladesh tour but was himself not certain of the security arrangements in place. “Bangladesh are our brothers and I welcome them to come and play here in Pakistan,” Sharif told reporters in Lahore. “But the federal [government] is not coordinating with us.”The PCB, whose headquarters are housed in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, wrote a letter to the chief secretary of the Punjab Government on April 16 regarding security arrangements and plans and was still awaiting a reply from the provincial government. “We had dispatched them the letter for the plan (on April 16) that they are yet to respond to, but we will send the plan to the ICC shortly,” Ashraf said. “The ICC actually was asking us to hand them the plan during the [board] meeting but we didn’t carry it. It’s our mistake that it is delayed for some reason but it will be sorted out soon.”Ashraf said that ICC has already promised to send their officials and the security plan that was sought by the ICC was merely a formality. “ICC won’t be sending any of its delegation to assess security. They sought the security plan which we will dispatch to them shortly but that isn’t a big issue for ICC.”ESPNcricinfo understands, though, that the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, after receiving the plan from the PCB, may consider outsourcing a company for an independent security assessment of the measures in place for the short tour by Bangladesh.The series broadcasters, Ten Sports, also had their qualms. “They earlier showed reservation about the series being very short,” Ashraf said, “but we told them this is what we have planned and that they have to cover it.”The prospect of an end to Pakistan’s three-year drought of international cricket, Ashraf said, counted as a big victory. “Cricket is a passion in Pakistan and convincing Bangladesh to tour is a victory for all of us,” he said. “The tour will not only benefit the PCB. The whole economy of the country is linked, so it’s about the country not about the federal and Punjab government. I think all should play their role for the one national interest.”The three-day tour, Ashraf said, “will break the ice” and he was also confident of the resumption of Indo-Pak cricket. “The breakthrough achieved during President Asif Ali Zardari’s tour to India will also help in the revival of Indo-Pak cricket.”Ashraf said the situation had changed considerably since 2009. “I thank the ICC Board for the way they appreciated the revival of cricket and approved of it. The situation is not like it was in 2009. Since cricket was suspended in Pakistan our grounds were left deserted but things have improved and I hope more teams will come after the Bangladesh team’s tour.”Edited by Siddarth Ravindran

A cruise to victory for Chennai Super Kings became a tense final-ball one before Rajasthan Royals were beaten

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran21-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The spinners put the skids on the scoring-rate•AFP

On another sweltering day, there was another demonstration of how quickly Twenty20 games can turn. With four overs to go, Chennai Super Kings had nine wickets remaining and needed 31 runs – a one-sided game then by Twenty20 standards.A double-strike from Kevon Cooper in the 17th over made the Chennai dressing room a little anxious, but with MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo in the middle, things were still under control.
Amit Singh leaked runs in the next over, and when he bowled a legstump freebie with the fine leg up, the game again seemed over.There were no more boundaries in the game, however, and after Cooper bowled another tight over, Karnataka allrounder Stuart bowled yorker after yorker to bring it down to two off the final delivery. Yet again, though, Dhoni showed his ice-cool temperament, whipping the last ball to deep backward square leg and haring through for the second, easily beating a poor throw from Cooper.In Rajasthan Royals’ previous match, little-known Dishant Yagnik, playing his first game of the season had come out on top against the world’s best bowler, Dale Steyn. This time, the unheralded Binny, also playing his first game of the season, nearly pulled it off against the world’s best finisher. Binny who hadn’t batted in the game and was trusted with only one over before the climactic one, produced one of the best final overs of the season, but was left distraught and on his knees, to be consoled by his captain and state-mate Rahul Dravid.There were many similarities in the two innings.Nuwan Kulasekara had earlier produced an outstanding final over, and given away just eight in two death overs to limit Royals to a moderate score. Kulasekara’s tactic was to generally bowl full and wide, which the batsmen found hard to slog.Before Kulasekara, Chennai’s spinners had put the skids on the scoring after Royals openers, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Dravid, had made a bright start. Royals had raced to 32 off four overs before R Ashwin intervened. He had Rahane chipping to mid-off and gave away only four in his first two overs. Then left-arm spinners Shadab Jakati and Ravindra Jadeja gave little away in the middle of the innings.For the Royals also, it was their spinner who choked the runs after a decent start from Super Kings. Brad Hogg made his international debut nearly 16 years ago, but few – if any – batsmen are able to pick his wrong ‘un even now. That variation accounted for S Badrinath, and the guessing game Hogg forced the batsmen to play gave him figures of 4-0-18-1.Royals’ batting had revolved around Owais Shah, a player who is having his first successful season in the IPL. He reached his third half-century of the tournament, but it lacked the fluency and big-hitting of his previous two efforts. Shah’s constant shuffling around in the crease, though, brought him reward in the 15th over, as Jadeja fluffed his lines trying to double-guess the batsmen. Two wides for four, and a six over extra cover gave Royals 22 off the over. When Ashok Menaria, Shah’s partner for much of the innings, launched Bravo for a six and a four in the 17th, the big onslaught finally seemed on. Kulasekara, though, scuttled Royals’ hopes of crossing 150.The cornerstone of Super Kings’ batting was also a half-century from one of their players enjoying his first fruitful IPL season. Faf du Plessis got his third fifty in four matches and moved to within 18 runs of getting the orange cap from Rahane. When he and the IPL’s highest run-getter, Suresh Raina, were in the middle, the chase seemed straightforward and the vocal crowd incessantly chanting “CSK, CSK” would hardly have expected the tension-filled finale.

Chris Gayle has pulled out of his Twenty20 contract with Somerset, declaring himself committed to playing for West Indies in all forms of the game

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2012Chris Gayle has pulled out of his Twenty20 contract with Somerset, declaring himself committed to playing for West Indies in all forms of the game. The move could smooth the way for Gayle to return to the West Indies side for the upcoming tour of England, which would end a year-long standoff between Gayle and the WICB that stemmed from comments he made about the board in a radio interview last April.Gayle was not chosen in the Test squad for the England tour but after progress was made in reaching a resolution between the two parties, he was considered to have a chance to be selected for the three ODIs that follow the Tests. However, those matches clash with the Friends Life t20, a tournament for which Gayle had agreed to play with Somerset, and the WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire said Gayle could not be considered unless he categorically made himself available.”I wish to advise that as of today, May 2nd, 2012, I have written to Somerset CC and advised them that I will not be honouring the commitment I made to them when I signed a contract with them for the 2012 [Friends Life t20]. I made it clear to them that my decision was made because of my commitment to West Indies cricket and to West Indies cricket fans, and because … I believe that it is time for the WICB to make a decision which will provide a clearer view of my own future,” Gayle said in a statement.”I understand that by making this decision, it may place me in a position of considerable risk, since I am foregoing a signed contract, without any guarantees whatsoever, with only the hope that I will be selected to play for the West Indies again. I have now satisfied all of the requests of the WICB and their selection panel, with whom I met via teleconference yesterday, and to whom I reiterated previous assurances given to the board regarding my availability.”So that there is no doubt, I confirmed to the selectors that I was available for West Indies duty in all forms of cricket, immediately following the conclusion of my contractual obligations to my IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore. This has been a difficult time, and I wish to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me, my family and friends, and in particular cricket fans worldwide who have continued to show appreciation for me wherever I have played. I look forward to once again putting on the maroon, and resuming my international career and my service to West Indies cricket.”Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup, but he has been in outstanding form in the IPL. He is third on the tournament’s run tally and has scored 81, 87, 4, 86 and 71 from his past five innings.Edited by Brydon Coverdale

Kieran Powell, fresh from a tough Test tour of England, hit his highest first-class score of 139 as West Indies A took a 90-run lead over India A in the series-deciding third unofficial Test

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2012
ScorecardKieran Powell made his highest first-class score of 139•West Indies Cricket

Kieran Powell, fresh from a tough Test tour of England, hit his highest first-class score of 139 as West Indies A took a 90-run lead over India A in the series-deciding third unofficial Test in St Lucia. Resuming on his overnight score of 16, Powell batted almost till stumps on day two, and struck ten fours and three sixes in an innings that lasted nearly seven hours.Powell’s century was the first in a series that has been difficult for batsmen on both sides and took him past India A captain Cheteshwar Pujara’s match-winning unbeaten 96 in the first unofficial Test. Powell was the common factor in several key partnerships with the middle order as he added 54 for the second wicket with Kyle Corbin, 51 for the third with Nkrumah Bonner, 67 for the fifth with Donovan Pagon and 78 for the sixth with Devon Thomas, who was the second-highest scorer in the innings with 50.Jalaj Saxena, the Madhya Pradesh allrounder, picked up three wickets with his offspin while fast bowlers Shami Ahmed and Parvinder Awana had two strikes each. But West Indies A were able to build partnerships throughout the day, apart from when Saxena sent back Bonner and Jonathan Carter off successive deliveries to reduce the hosts to 142 for 4.India A struck in the second over of the day when Awana had Kraigg Brathwaite edging an outswinger to the wicketkeeper. But Powell and Corbin hit back aggressively in a breezy stand which ended when Corbin charged out only to be stumped off left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar. The spinners were able to get through some tight overs after Corbin’s departure. Saxena, finding some turn and bounce, had Bonner caught at short leg and trapped Carter in front first ball with a straight delivery.Powell took control, negating the spinners with several lofted straight hits while Pagon played some powerful drives off the fast bowlers. It was Saxena again who ended the stand, catching Pagon off his own bowling. The keeper Thomas joined Powell and the duo went after the spinners. India A delayed taking the new ball till the 91st over and Powell and Thomas put together the highest partnership of the innings.When finally taken, the new ball proved effective immediately, as Ahmed and Awana had Thomas and Veerasammy Permaul edging to the slip cordon. India A ended the day on a positive note when Ahmed had Powell miscuing a pull off a bouncer a couple of overs before stumps. But Powell had ensured that West Indies A held the advantage going into the final two days of the game.Powell was happy with his effort after having struggled against England with 71 runs in five innings. “Coming out of the tour of England I noticed a few things in my technique which I wanted to iron out, so I was happy I got a lot of time in the middle. That was the most important thing for me,” Powell said. “I was able to settle down and play at my pace. My movements, both back and forward, as well as the way I played against the spinners have given me confidence. I had to battle really hard. The Indians did not give us any easy runs. We are now in a good position where we can push for a result.”Powell was disappointed to get out in the closing stages of the day’s play. “I was looking to bat through the innings, so I actually wasn’t too happy that I got out just before the close. I felt I could go on for much longer, I wanted to come back tomorrow and push the team ahead.”

MS Dhoni says the break has revitalised the Indian team, which hasn’t had much of a rest in recent years

Abhishek Purohit in Hambantota20-Jul-2012Mentally fresh. Physically fit. Phrases you don’t usually associate with Indian players these days, given the constant madness that passes for their schedule. But this time, it’s different. For the first time after an IPL, India are beginning their season with a break of almost two months. There are no battered bodies crying out for rest, no weary minds cutting practice short. MS Dhoni says “everybody is looking fresh” and there is no major fitness concern going into the first of five ODIs against Sri Lanka in idyllic Hambantota. For the moment, Dhoni wants his players to get used to the large outfield and the “windy” conditions in the wilderness that surrounds the stadium for several kilometres.”Before the start of the series, the good thing is that everybody is looking fresh and the guys are putting in a lot of effort,” Dhoni told reporters at the team hotel, located right on the Indian Ocean shore. “You see a lot more guys going to the gym. Even after the practice session gets over, even if we have had some fitness session, the players are going for a round around the park. Which means they have more energy in them to consistently put in a bit more effort than they could have if the continuous season goes on. So that definitely is a big plus-point for us.”The energy showed today during practice. Even Zaheer Khan, who does not extend himself unless absolutely required to, sprinted in and bowled with decent pace. Dhoni and Virat Kohli took turns in walloping the spinners. The fielding drills were intense and enjoyed at the same time.The break has revitalised this team. Dhoni welcomed it, and contrasted it with what has happened post-IPL during previous seasons. “It is the first break we have literally got in the last six-seven years for such a long period. Of course, in between, the players were missing series because of injuries or some of the senior players opted out of a few series, but that is not complete rest as to you cannot get yourself off cricket completely. You still think about cricket, you still think about the coming series. So it was good to have this break.”In the coming year, the schedule is quite busy. Also we will be playing a lot of Test matches, it is quite tough. You play on for five days in a row. The amount of Tests we are playing, it is good we got such kind of rest, because mentally we are fresh and physically we got some time to work on our fitness level.”India’s fitness will be tested tomorrow on the Hambantota outfield, which despite being pulled in by several metres, still looked big enough to make preventing twos a tough job. Dhoni acknowledged it.”It was quite windy out here. It can be a factor. Even the fielders because it is a very big field and in the way you need to be positioned so that the batsmen don’t push for the twos and the threes, which is quite common in the shorter formats nowadays. What will be a big concern is where you stand. How quick you adapt, as to, if you are fielding on midwicket from one end, and if you move to some other part of the field, then you have to reposition yourself as to whether you need to be seven yards inside or seven yards behind because it is a very strong wind.”India have done what they could in terms of preparation as they begin another long season. “Last few days, we have mixed up our training, not only with the skill sessions, we have involved a lot of fitness sessions also,” Dhoni said. “We have incorporated drills that will enhance our performance on the field. I don’t think fitness should be a real concern. It is just that after a long time, we will be playing a full 50-over game.” We’ll find out tomorrow how rusty India are.

Will Beer and Chris Nash took three wickets apiece as Sussex defended 199 to move top of CB40 Group C with an important victory over Warwickshire at Hove

15-Aug-2012
ScorecardWill Beer, seen here against Somerset, was preferred to Monty Panesar and took three wickets•Getty Images

Sussex moved into pole position to qualify for the CB40 semi-finals after leapfrogging Warwickshire at the top of Group C following a 17-run victory.The third-placed Bears were dismissed for 182 in the final over replying to a modest 199 for 9 to leave Sussex needing to beat Yorkshire and Kent to secure their place in the last four. Warwickshire and Kent, however, can still go through if the leaders slip up.Sussex’s spinners were the key to victory; they bowled 21 overs between them on a slow pitch. Mike Yardy set the tone by conceding just 23 runs in his eight overs, before leg spinner Will Beer took centre stage, claiming 3 for 27.Having run out Will Porterfield, Beer starred after being brought into the attack by having Tim Ambrose caught behind and Jim Troughton stumped. He completed his haul when he bowled Darren Maddy off an inside edge.Offspinner Chris Nash had the dangerous Rikki Clarke caught at extra cover and returned in the 38th over to end a threatening 52-run stand between Keith Barker and Steffan Piolet by bowling the former as he tried to clear the leg-side boundary.That left Warwickshire needing 34 off the last three overs, and Nash secured victory in the last when he castled Chris Wright to also finish with 3 for 27.Earlier, Sussex had been indebted to Yardy, who made the only half-century of the match.Wright took three wickets in nine balls – including that of namesake Luke for a golden duck – to reduce Sussex to 34 for 3 in the seventh over. Yardy and Murray Goodwin then put on 62, only for the latter to play on to Jeetan Patel’s quicker ball for 36; Patel also picked up Joe Gatting to finish with 2 for 29.At 125 for 6 in the 27th over, Sussex were in trouble. But Kirk Wernars counter-attacked before Yardy chipped a catch to mid-on, having hit five fours in his 61. Wernars finished unbeaten on 37 and a target of 200 proved beyond a Warwickshire side whose hopes of reaching the last four may have been fatally damaged by two defeats in the space of 48 hours.

After his devastating 9 for 67 on Thursday, Graham Onions will be have free rein to attack Nottinghamshire again on the final day after Durham established a commanding lead by the end of day three

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge17-Aug-2012
ScorecardMark Stoneman made a century to put Durham in charge at Trent Bridge•Getty Images

After his devastating 9 for 67 on Thursday, Graham Onions will be have free rein to attack Nottinghamshire again on the final day after Durham established a commanding lead by the end of day three, pushing for the win that will almost certainly preserve their place in Division One and make a substantial dent in Nottinghamshire’s chances of claiming a second County Championship title in three seasons.Durham, who were bottom of the table before Phil Mustard stepped down from the captaincy in favour of Paul Collingwood, have hauled themselves out of the relegation places with two wins in a row — during a run of five on the spin in all competitions — and now sense the chance of putting daylight between themselves and the other scrappers.They have a lead of 341 to take into the final day and will not need many more to feel they can declare securely and allow Onions off the leash again. Nottinghamshire, with two large holes in their run-scoring potential where Samit Patel and James Taylor would normally sit, will do well to escape with a draw.Durham built their position of strength on a fine century from their opening batsman, Mark Stoneman, whose six years with the county have not been blessed with enough such days. The left-hander has passed 50 some 19 times in first-class matches but this was only the fourth he has turned into a three-figure score.His career-best 128 against Sussex last August was his first century in the Championship for four years yet he batted in this innings as if it were a routine occurrence. He went to 50 off 90 balls with a four off Luke Fletcher and having proceeded unfussily into the 90s showed no sign of nerves. Indeed, at just the point at which you wondered if he might become a little jittery he produced five scoring shots in a row to move from 90 to 103 against the left-arm spin of Graeme White, the last two of which brought him his 13th and 14th boundaries.Having not given a chance, the sequence of shots that ended with his dismissal soon afterwards made a bizarre contrast. First sweeping White, he was horribly dropped at deep backward square by Alex Hales; then, having taken a single in between, he hooked Ben Phillips and was dropped again by Paul Franks, who let the ball slip through his hands on the rope at long leg, giving Stoneman six. The next ball then shot through at ankle height to have him out leg before.Stoneman lacked substantial support from Durham’s top order. Will Smith, the junior partner in a stand of 62 for the first wicket, edged Fletcher to the wicketkeeper for 15, and Phil Mustard, after a sound start, went for 21, feathering a catch behind in an attempted pull. Dale Benkenstein steered Fletcher straight to gully.Keaton Jennings looked comfortable until falling leg before to Phillips, contributing 31 to a second-wicket partnership of 74. Scott Borthwick was bowled by White for 4, at which point Nottinghamshire had hopes of keeping Durham’s lead below 300 with only four wickets still standing.But Collingwood’s alliance with an impressive Mark Wood late in the day added 61 for the seventh wicket before Wood was caught behind driving at Fletcher. Collingwood finished the day unbeaten on 51 and — unless Onions goes lame overnight — Nottinghamshire are effectively out of the game.As much as they will miss the batsmen on international duty, it is the absence of their injured talisman, Andre Adams, which has cost them heavily. His wicket-taking consistency has been at the centre of Nottinghamshire’s success over the last few seasons and they have no one else who poses a similar threat. At times, compared with the damage Onions was able to inflict, it seemed Fletcher, Phillips and company were bowling on a different strip.

Somerset batsman Nick Compton hopes he has done enough to earn an England call-up for the tour of India

Andrew McGlashan10-Sep-2012Somerset batsman Nick Compton hopes he has done enough to earn an England call-up for the tour of India despite an untimely back injury that has kept him sidelined just as the debate about top-order places has been sparked by the retirement of Andrew Strauss.Compton has the chance to give the selectors a final push when he returns for the last game of the season against Worcestershire this week and is currently among a group of top three batsmen vying for a tour spot alongside Michael Carberry, Joe Root and Varun Chopra, although it is still not confirmed when the squad will be named.Despite not playing since the England Lions game against Australia A at Old Trafford in early August, Compton remains the leading scorer in the country this season with 1339 first-class runs at 89.26 (almost 150 clear of second-placed James Hildreth). During a prolific start to the season, he came within touching distance to making 1000 runs before the end of May only to be thwarted by rain.While Carberry, Root and Chopra have continued to catch the eye with Championship and one-day runs, Compton has been forced to bide his time after suffering a bulging disc that flared up during the Australia A.”You get down, of course, you want to keep pushing, have a very strong finish to the season and make it impossible for them not to pick me,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I still hope my averages and the scores I’ve had over the last two seasons will go in my favour and they’ll see me as a strong contender. But, as they say, timing is everything and the timing of the injury wasn’t ideal. It’s never a good time, but coinciding with Strauss retiring means I was even more eager to get back to full fitness.””I’ve never had a back injury before and it’s not serious, just combination of stiffness and tightness then you get a bit of nerve pain,” he added. “With all the cricket we play, plus all the driving around in coaches, you aren’t really getting a proper chance to get rid of things like that and it’s a reminder to stay on top of things as much as you can.”Compton’s chances of getting on the plane to India probably hinge on whether the selectors want to blood youth or opt for an experienced county cricketer. One factor possibly in Compton’s favour is that if Jonny Bairstow and James Taylor both tour, after making Test debuts this season, the selectors may not want to take another young batsman like Root as well, especially if Kevin Pietersen remains absent.Now batting at No. 3 for Somerset, Compton was an opener for much of his career for Middlesex and believes the skills for each role are transferable – although it might just be that fact that could hinder his chances if Jonathan Trott is promoted up the order for the India series.”The top three is where you will face the best bowling so you have to have the technique for it,” he said. “The similarities are there; you can be in second ball or after two hours. As a No. 3 you have to be ready like an opener even though you don’t walk out straight away. It’s not a case of sitting back. It can be tough but it’s about being mentally ready, and for me it’s been about controlling my emotions.”Compton has started to flourish in the middle stage of his career, following the move from Middlesex to Somerset in 2010. Although his run-scoring feats this season are what have caught the attention, he also averaged a very solid 56.11 in 2011 and now feels as comfortable as he ever has in his batting.”When Jacques Kallis was playing against us earlier in the season he said he had not learnt his game fully until about 30. For me that was quite insightful,” he said. “I’ve had ups and downs during my career and now understand my game. I’m not saying that the young players aren’t ready or can’t be ready, but the ones that come in and excel from ball one are few and far between.”Alastair Cook springs to mind, Michael Clarke would be another but even they would probably say that they only understand their game fully now they are older. Some players learn their game at first-class level others evolve at Test level. I feel like my time is now and feel ready to step up.”

The CL T20 rolls on to its third venue, Durban, where two teams that won their first games in Group A will play the opening match of Wednesday’s double-header

The Preview by George Binoy16-Oct-2012

Match facts

October 17, 2012
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)Azhar Mahmood has been exceptional with bat and ball for Auckland•Associated Press

Big picture

The Champions League T20 rolls on to its fourth venue, Kingsmead in Durban, where two teams that won their first games in Group A will play the opening match of Wednesday’s double-header. Titans beat the Big Bash League runners-up, Perth Scorchers, while Auckland Aces handed IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders their second defeat. Both victories were comprehensive. The winner of this contest will move to the top of their group.Auckland already have the scalps of three domestic T20 champions – from Pakistan, England and India. They’ll be gunning for South Africa’s.There’s been a pattern to Auckland’s victories – two in the qualifying round and one in the main draw. They bowl first, restrict the opposition to a middling total, and their top order mows it down. The most they’ve conceded is 137, the most wickets they’ve lost during a chase is four, and the longest they’ve taken to complete a chase is 17.4 overs.While all of Auckland’s bowlers have contributed either in terms of economy or wickets, Kyle Mills and Azhar Mahmood have stood out, exploiting the seam and bounce that was on offer in Johannesburg and Cape Town. If conditions are similar in Durban, they will enjoy it. Auckland’s top order – Lou Vincent, Martin Guptill and Mahmood – have got most of the job done in the three games so far, and the middle has been needed only to polish off a chase. Their performances have made the competition sit up and take notice.Titans openers, Jacques Rudolph and Henry Davids, did most of the run-making against Scorchers, scoring half-centuries before a poor finish gave them a total less imposing than what seemed probable. Their bowling, however, was most impressive, containing and cutting through an experienced and power-packed batting line-up. In Alfonso Thomas and Roelof van de Merwe, they have two seasoned T20 professionals, while fast bowler CJ de Villiers gives the attack bite. If they can get through the Auckland top order, that could be half the battle.

Watch out for…

CJ de Villiers was impressive during the first Champions League T20 in 2009, taking six wickets at 12.16 apiece with an economy rate of 6.63 on run-filled pitches in India. He was playing for Eagles then. Now with Titans, de Villiers began the 2012 tournament by taking 3 for 16 in four overs against Scorchers. His wickets came off consecutive deliveries in his first over and were of Shaun Marsh and Marcus North. A tall quick who bowls with high bounce at brisk pace, de Villiers might have had an international cap by now had South Africa’s national team not been awash with bowlers of his kind.Auckland’s top three batsmen have fired in all their games so far so Anaru Kitchen, who bats at No. 4, has only been required to finish off a chase that was already going well. He scored 33 against Sialkot Stallions and 24 against Kolkata and showed a penchant for aggression in those innings. Kitchen is yet to be tested with more responsibility in this tournament and he could be faced with such a situation if Titans get through Auckland’s top order early.

Pitch and conditions

The weather, unfortunately, could spoil this contest. It’s been raining in Durban in the lead-up to this game and more of forecast for Wednesday. Should there be a dry window, however, the pitch could be spicy.

Quotes

“It does swing and seam around a bit in New Zealand as it does here in South Africa and that made the acclimatising easier for us. I’m getting the team off to a good start but hope to do better in the coming games by playing right through the innings.”
“I think this year the competition is much more even. And it is going to be tough getting through to the play-offs; we had a good start in the first game so we hope to get the momentum and finish off well.”