All posts by n8rngtd.top

Cricket Australia has apologised for a rogue, ribald tweet in reaction to Ian Bell’s survival of an appeal for a catch by Steve Smith on day three of the Lord’s Test.

Daniel Brettig at Lord's20-Jul-2013Cricket Australia has apologised for a rogue, ribald tweet in reaction to Ian Bell’s survival of an appeal for a catch by Steve Smith on day three of the Lord’s Test.Bell was on 3 when he sliced Ryan Harris low to Smith in the gully. Smith appeared to take a clean catch but Bell stood his ground. The umpires conferred and after the third umpire, Tony Hill, viewed video evidence the batsman was spared.Australia’s players were surprised at the decision, with Smith visibly unhappy that his word had not been accepted. Amid widespread condemnation of Hill’s call, the official CA Twitter account gave vent to Australian frustrations with the words “That decision sucked ass #bulls***”.The tweet was soon deleted, and a subsequent apology suggested the words had not been typed from Lord’s: “Apologies for the inappropriate tweet earlier regarding the Bell catch. It didn’t emanate from CA’s official Twitter presence at Lord’s. CA is currently investigating the matter.”The official CA Twitter account is accessible to numerous staff members within CA, used as it is for a wide variety of announcements, updates and links.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said Pakistan would play India in a full series in the UAE in December

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-20152:08

‘Security situation improving fast in Pakistan’ – Shahryar

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has said Pakistan will play India in a full series comprising three Tests, five ODIs and two T20 internationals in the UAE in December. Shaharyar was speaking in Kolkata, after meeting with BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya.”We resume the India-Pak series in UAE. This is the re-beginning of the revival of Indo-Pak cricket,” Shaharyar said. “The series will start in December as per schedule and it will comprise three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s. The preparation is on in full swing. We have to overcome the final hurdle. You may know as per the MOU there will be five series between the two countries in eight years.”Dalmiya’s comments were more measured and acknowledged the role of the Indian government’s stand on the issue of bilateral series against Pakistan. “We are very hopeful of reviving the series,” Dalmiya said. “Only few things need to be sorted out and obviously without common support we cannot go forward. Without the support of the home ministry and government we can’t go forward.”A release from the BCCI said, “The two boards would be in regular touch and review the situation.”India and Pakistan have played one bilateral limited-overs series in the last seven years – three ODIs and two T20 internationals in India in December 2012-13. The last Test series between the sides was in November and December 2007, when Pakistan toured India.Political relations between the two countries were strained following the terror attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and bilateral series between the two countries were put on ice for several years. In May 2014, the PCB said it had signed an MOU with the BCCI for the resumption of bilateral series, and the following month it said the MOUs had become “binding agreements.” The BCCI, however, has not been as forthcoming about India playing Pakistan.

Deepti Sharma, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu selected for women’s competition

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2022Pakistan quick Mohammad Hasnain and Australia batter Ben McDermott are among the top men’s Hundred overseas wildcard picks for this year’s competition, with India allrounder Deepti Sharma and experienced New Zealand pair Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu selected in the women’s draft.Hasnain has only just been passed as fit to bowl again after having his action reported during the 2021-22 Big Bash. He has been signed by Oval Invincibles, while McDermott, who has been in form for Hampshire after being left out of Australia’s plans, joins London Spirit.Ashton Turner and Daniel Sams, two others on the fringes of Australia’s T20 squad, were also picked up as overseas wildcards, along with New Zealand batter Finn Allen, Namibia allrounder David Wiese, Afghanistan wristspinner Noor Ahmed, and former South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I’m overjoyed to be joining Oval Invincibles,” Hasnain said. “The Hundred looked like great fun last year and I can’t wait to get involved. The opportunity to play alongside stars like Sunil Narine, Jason Roy and the Curran brothers is hugely exciting. I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the field again.”The wildcard draft, which sees a fourth overseas player added to each squad, was brought in for the 2022 season as an attempt to offset the disruption caused by players coming and going due to international commitments or injury. Teams in the Hundred will still only be able to field three overseas players in their XI.In the women’s competition, Sharma moves to Birmingham Phoenix, having played for Spirit in the inaugural season; Bates has joined Invincibles, and Tahuhu signed for Manchester Originals. Elyse Villani and Nicola Carey, who were among the Australian contingent who withdraw due to Covid travel restrictions in 2021, were selected by Trent Rockets and Welsh Fire respectively.”I’m really excited to be heading to Welsh Fire,” Carey said. “We’ve already got a strong Aussie contingent with Rachael Haynes and Annabel Sutherland and combine that with Tammy Beaumount as skipper and we’ve got the makings of a really strong squad. I’ve never played at Cardiff before and I’m looking forward to seeing the Welsh Fire fans making lots of noise at Sophia Gardens.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Australia allrounder Heather Graham, who impressed for Rockets as a replacement last year, was picked up by Northern Superchargers, while Australia spinner Molly Strano and New Zealand seamer Jess Kerr complete the overseas wildcard line-up.Women’s teams remain able to make signings up until the end of June, while men’s squads will be completed when Vitality Blast wildcard picks are made on July 7.Sanjay Patel, managing director of the Hundred, said: “It is brilliant news to welcome 16 more international stars to the Hundred. Players from seven countries have been selected and it’s great to welcome the likes of Mohammad Hasnain, Deepti Sharma and Suzie Bates to the Hundred this year. This continues to take the quality of cricket to another level and we can’t wait for a second summer of incredible sporting action.”

Hundred overseas wildcard draft

Birmingham Phoenix Deepti Sharma (India) Imran Tahir (South Africa)
London Spirit Jess Kerr (New Zealand) Ben McDermott (Australia)
Manchester Originals Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand) Ashton Turner (Australia)
Northern Superchargers Heather Graham (Australia) David Wiese (Namibia)
Oval Invincibles Suzie Bates (New Zealand) Mohmmad Hasnain (Pakistan)
Southern Brave Molly Strano (Australia) Finn Allen (New Zealand)
Trent Rockets Elyse Villani (Australia) Daniel Sams (Australia)
Welsh Fire Nicola Carey (Australia) Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan)

BCCI president had a mild fever on Sunday, and got the positive report on Monday evening

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2021Sourav Ganguly is “stable” after testing positive for Covid-19 and being admitted to Kolkata’s Woodlands Hospital. He had a mild fever on Sunday, and was tested for the virus soon after. Following the emergence of a positive report, on Monday evening, he checked into the hospital at night.”He received Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail therapy on the same night and is currently haemodynamically stable,” Dr Rupali Basu, MD & CEO of the hospital, said in a statement. “A medical board comprising Dr Saroj Mondal, Dr Saptarshi Basu and Dr Soutik Panda in consultation with Dr Devi Shetty and Dr Aftab Khan is keeping a close watch on his health status.”It was earlier learnt from family sources that while there is no cause for alarm, 49-year-old Ganguly was advised by medical experts to avoid isolating at home and, instead, get admitted to the hospital, possibly because of some pre-existing health conditions. According to a PTI report, he has been administered both doses of the vaccine against Covid-19.In January this year, the BCCI president – and former India captain – had to be hospitalised twice in quick succession after complaining of “chest discomfort”. He was initially admitted to Woodlands Hospital for what was described as a heart attack by doctors. He underwent angioplasty at the time, and was believed to have recovered.But, later that month, he had to undergo another angioplasty, this time at the city’s Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, and doctors confirmed afterwards that two stents had been placed.

Three Rajasthan Royals players, Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, have been taken by police for questioning over an investigation into their alleged involvement in corruption in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2013

On paper, Sri Lanka have the balance and the firepower to be a genuine title-contender, but if they cannot unearth the collective courage that has ruled their past campaigns, a semi-final exit shapes as a satisfactory result

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Jun-2013Sri Lanka’s recent ICC tournament history reads like the script for a formulaic romantic comedy, only without the feel-good ending. They may have only been bridesmaids four times, instead of 27, but they still haven’t been able to take James Marsden home. The journey through each tournament has featured its share of warm-fuzzies (Muttiah Muralitharan picking up Scott Styris off his last ball in home internationals, newbie Angelo Mathews’ pioneering athleticism on the boundary), as well as a mix of seemingly insurmountable obstacles that are unconventionally overcome (when faced with a supremely in-form Chris Gayle in the 2009 World Twenty20 semi-final, Sri Lanka dismissed all his teammates and left Gayle unbeaten, carrying his bat). Having done everything right though, Sri Lanka have ended up at the wrong terminal with their hearts broken, instead of catching their soulmates at the airport.The Champions Trophy is a little down market – more Paul Rudd than Brad Pitt or Ben Affleck – but many of the protagonists of those four finals will make up the preferred XI in England, and by now are desperate for a taste of major-tournament glory. Men like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan only have a few chances left.This time though, expectations of the team are different. There may not have been a major turnover of personnel since the World Twenty20 last year, but there has been a firm focus on regeneration, and mistakes have been cast as learning experiences. A home loss to Bangladesh would ordinarily draw the ire of Sri Lanka’s fans, but with two young men at the helm, a drawn ODI series was largely tolerated. On paper, Sri Lanka have the balance and the firepower to be a genuine title-contender, but if they cannot unearth the collective courage that has ruled their past campaigns, a semi-final exit shapes as a satisfactory result.Kusal Perera has the potential to make or break Sri Lanka’s batting innings•Associated Press

Vital to their hopes is the batsmen’s ability to adapt to England’s early-summer conditions, and in doing so, dull the threat of three of the best pace attacks in the tournament. England’s confident fast men will back themselves at home, while both New Zealand and Australia’s attacks have already caused Sri Lanka strife in helpful conditions in the past year. The team has also not had a lot of time to train together because of the IPL and the abandonment of their first warm-up match will not have helped either.

Key player

As in each of their recent runs to the final, Sri Lanka’s bowling shapes as their stronger suit, and this time Nuwan Kulasekara, not Lasith Malinga, is best equipped to have most impact. Kulasekara has added an away-seamer to his stock indipper in the past year, and has also recently excelled in seam-friendly conditions abroad. He bowled the spell of his life at the Gabba in January, wiping Australia out for 74 with a five-wicket haul, and with the two new balls now making Malinga less effective at the death, he will hope to pick up the slack with similar performances.

Surprise package

A 22-year-old pocket-battleship, Kusal Perera has been one of the most exciting finds for Sri Lanka, in recent months. Bold to the point of being brash, and possessed of a technique learned from watching Sanath Jayasuriya on television, Perera has so far impressed in seven ODIs in Australia and Sri Lanka. He is yet to acquire the judgment that was key to Jayasuriya’s success and having looked good while tonking bowlers to the boundary, he has tended to perish abruptly to a ball he should have treated with more respect. If he can form a fruitful partnership with Dilshan atop the innings, Sri Lanka have an opening pair capable of batting the opposition out of the match in the first 20 overs.

Weakness

Opponents have often spoken of Sri Lanka’s ‘soft underbelly’ with the bat, and the middle order remains their least convincing area ahead of this tournament. Angelo Mathews is likely to enjoy seaming pitches with the ball, but although he is among the world’s finest finishers on his night, he carries an unreliable streak that is difficult to ignore. Thisara Perera and Jeevan Mendis have provided valuable late-innings adrenaline shots in the past, but are less capable of spearheading sustained recoveries should things go awry at the top. Attacks that take four Sri Lanka wickets before the 20th over will be confident of dismissing them cheaply.

Tournament history

Despite their consistency in World Cups and World Twenty20 tournaments, Sri Lanka have not made it out of the group stage in the last three Champions Trophy tournaments. In 2009, they misread two pitches, playing two spin bowlers on a green top against England, and fielding first on a flat track against New Zealand, and were beaten in both matches. They were joint winners in the 2002 tournament, which was played in Sri Lanka, after rain made the final against India impossible.

Recent form

Sri Lanka lost their first ever home ODI to Bangladesh in March, finishing with a shared series, but claimed a more creditable drawn series in Australia early in the year. Had the Sydney Cricket Ground’s drainage not mysteriously failed after less than an hour of drizzle, Sri Lanka were favourites to win that match and walk away with the trophy.Key batsmen are largely out of form, having fared poorly in the IPL, but bad results leading into a big tournament have not stopped Sri Lanka from performing admirably in it in the past, and the side will view the Champions Trophy as a fresh challenge in a new format.

Captain adamant move will mark start of a year “all about action” to improve diversity, inclusion

George Dobell01-Jun-2021Joe Root has confirmed that both teams will “be taking a moment of unity” ahead of the first LV=Insurance Test between England and New Zealand as part of a wider commitment to combat issues around inclusion within the game.Root, the England captain, acknowledged that “sport and society” had faced some “ugly truths” over the last year around the issues of inclusion and diversity and resolved to “make a difference and keep bettering our sport.”That ‘moment of unity’ ahead of the Lord’s Test is likely to be similar to the one that preceded the first rounds of County Championship games in April and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches in May, when players, support staff and match officials stood in silence on the boundary edge for two minutes. Last year, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, the entire England and West Indies squads took a knee ahead of each match of their three-Test series. England and Ireland’s limited-overs squad also took a knee ahead of their ODI series in July.The game was also rocked by a series of allegations from non-white players – notably Michael Carberry and Azeem Rafiq – which have precipitated a period of soul-searching and the introduction of various initiatives – including mandatory education programmes, a confidential helpline and a code of conduct – which have been designed to improve the game’s record at attracting more diversity in terms of players and spectators.Related

• Yorkshire promise life bans for perpetrators as Azeem Rafiq reports 'vile' and 'terrifying' threats

• Azeem Rafiq raises doubts over 'evidence being ignored' in Yorkshire racism investigation

• Michael Carberry: 'Black people are not important to the structure of English cricket'

• New Zealand take aim at depleted England on Lord's return

• Stuart Broad named England's vice-captain in Ben Stokes' absence

Root is adamant the ‘moment of unity’ will be no empty gesture and instead the start of a year that “is all about action”. To that end, he revealed that England’s players will be “working with hopefully three projects” over the summer. The details of those projects has not yet been confirmed, though an ECB spokesperson said they would “cover diverse, hard to reach and under-represented communities with a good geographical spread aimed at all ages”.”We will be taking a moment of unity at the start of the game,” Root said. “New Zealand will also be doing that. They are happy to work alongside us and support us in that.”We know the start of last summer unearthed some ugly truths in society and in our sport. We have spent a lot of time talking about how we can better our game and how we can educate ourselves more. We have worked with the PCA and the ECB in trying to find ways of doing that and have done some workshops recently to try and make ourselves a bit more comfortable dealing with those issues.”Throughout this summer, we will be looking at working with hopefully three projects where we can take the game to more diverse areas around the country where we can continue to look to grow the game and offer our help and support in doing that.”We have spent a lot of time talking about this sort of thing, but this year is all about action. It’s about actually doing something about it.”It has taken time. We wanted to make it really clear about how we are going to make a difference and keep bettering our sport.”Hopefully this year we can really start to make a difference and keep that conversation current. We can make our game more diverse and make sure it is the game for everyone. We [must] do as much as we can in that regard to grow the game and make everyone feel comfortable playing cricket.”

Hamish Rutherford produced one of the most audacious batting debuts in Test history as New Zealand took a firm grip of the first Test in Dunedin

The Report by David Hopps07-Mar-2013
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHamish Rutherford wrote himself a place in the history books•Getty Images

Hamish Rutherford completed one of the most audacious batting debuts in Test history as New Zealand took a firm grip of the first Test in Dunedin. Rutherford’s 171, the seventh highest maiden Test innings, left England trailing by 235 at the end of a third day of an opening Test that has shaken their sense of well-being to the core.Rutherford achieved a century on Test debut on his home ground and showed an uncomplicated appetite for mayhem as he made England pay for their hapless batting performance on the previous day. His freewheeling innings – 217 balls, 22 fours and three sixes – came to an end against the first delivery with the second new ball when he played too early at James Anderson and spooned him tamely to square leg.Against the first new ball, though, he ruled supreme. Rutherford, like his father before him, does not look the type to fret unduly about his cricket. He thrashed 90 in an extended, 35-over morning session, at one point despatching Monty Panesar’s left-arm spin for two sixes in an over to sail past 150. As England watched the ball disappear into gloomy skies, they must have wished they would darken some more over the wooded hills beyond and spare them further misery. They gradually did, a dank afternoon clipping the final session to only five overs.Only Mathew Sinclair’s double hundred on debut – 214 against West Indies in Wellington to wave goodbye to the old century – has exceeded Rutherford among New Zealand debutants. He chased anything wide with abandon and it was the way he severed the cover region against England’s quick bowlers which stuck most in the memory.He was 77 not out overnight and he soon thrashed five more boundaries to reach his hundred, the ninth New Zealand batsman to do so on debut. He was congratulated at the non-striker’s end by Kane Williamson, who was the last New Zealand batsman to achieve the feat. Rutherford felt at home and emboldened in a genial country atmosphere; Williamson did it in Ahmedabad, which especially for a young batsman on Test debut must have felt a harsher environment.England came out for the third morning with a new plan, bowling shorter and straighter, targeting the body with aggression. They have bowled strikingly shorter than New Zealand. They also cranked up the verbals. Taking Steven Finn’s verbals seriously is difficult for anybody who has sat through his anodyne media conferences. He sneers at the batsman like a city gent offered an unacceptable wine list at a black-tie function. Anderson is more waspish and, befitting his long experience, these days offers his most Anglo-Saxon assessments behind his hand so he cannot be lip synched.

Smart stats

• Hamish Rutherford’s 171 is the seventh-highest by a batsman on Test debut, and the second-best by a New Zealander, after Mathew Sinclair’s 214 against West Indies in 1999.

• The only Test debutant who’s scored more runs against England is George Headley: he made 176 in Barbados.

• Rutherford’s 171 is also the second-best by an opener on debut, bettered only by Brendon Kuruppu’s unbeaten 201 against New Zealand in 1987. The previous-best by a debutant opener against England was Charles Bannerman’s unbeaten 165 in the first Test ever, in 1877.

• The 158-run first-wicket partnership is only the tenth 150-plus opening-wicket stand for New Zealand in Tests, and the first since June 2004.

• New Zealand’s first-innings lead of 235 is currently their third-highest in a Test against England. The best is 298, at Lord’s in 1973, and the next-best 297, at Old Trafford in 1999. Both those Tests were drawn.

Anderson imagined that he might have held a return catch when Rutherford was on 109, but it would have been miraculous if he had intercepted a ball which whistled past him to the boundary. He booted the next ball back to the wicketkeeper in frustration.Neither New Zealand opener was perturbed by the rise in noise levels. Fulton was earthy – as stubborn and unresponsive as the treacly brown pitch on which England’s quick bowlers flogged themselves to distraction; Rutherford looked more easy going, forever eager to flay the ball through the covers or, markedly in this innings, as both Finn and Anderson could testify, drive resoundingly through mid-on.Fulton’s half-century on his Test comeback was a gritty affair, but his part in an opening stand of 158 was not about to steal attention away from Rutherford, who had all the best lines and who delivered them with gusto. Fulton responded to the applause for his fifty only briefly, like a man who did not want to be bothered. He got out on 55, from 169 balls, driven onto the back foot off Anderson and edging to the wicketkeeper.Panesar’s left-arm spin was unable to provide the control that England needed, Rutherford sailed past 150 as he despatched him twice over long-off. Panesar struck back, bowling Williamson as the batsman tried to fashion a cut against a quicker delivery that was too straight for the shot, but he conceded nearly four an over, as did Finn, who learned to rue Dunedin pitches in a spell with Otago last year and found them just as unsympathetic on his return.Anderson rallied England with the second new ball, having Ross Taylor caught at second slip as he tried to cut and then, in his next over, bowling Dean Brownlie, whose preference for the back foot cost him dearly as he played a fullish delivery onto his stumps. Anderson should have picked up Brownlie third ball only for Joe Root to drop an inviting opportunity to his left at third slip. England’s slip cordon, with Andrew Strauss retired and, in this match, Graeme Swann injured, is not what it was. When Anderson bowls, neither does he have the advantage of his own athleticism as a close fielder.BJ Watling’s misjudgement, bowled first ball as he left a delivery from Stuart Broad, gave England a third wicket in four overs, but a counterattack by Brendon McCullum and Tim Southee – who put Broad over the ropes twice before he swung and missed one – reasserted New Zealand’s authority in an afternoon session in which they gambolled along at five an over. They are in an enormously powerful position but they will look at the skies in the morning in trepidation.

Rahane and Pujara’s dogged century stand keeps India in the game

Varun Shetty15-Aug-20214:35

Why is Rohit Sharma getting dismissed playing one of his best shots?

Stumps England managed to completely change the pace of the game, control it throughout the fourth day, and pushed India against the wall on a gripping day’s play. Mark Wood, who began the Test struggling for discipline and recovered on the second day for two wickets, elevated himself another step as he forced India’s struggling middle order into the game early by dismissing their openers before the visitors could get into the lead.Wood went off injured late in the day after trying to save a run, tumbling at the third-man boundary, but was poised to come back in for the second new ball before bad light denied England’s pacers a spell at India’s tail and eventually brought the day to an end, with eight overs to spare. India had crawled to 181 for 6 in 82 overs by stumps, 154 ahead on a pitch that has changed flavour rapidly in favour of the bowlers.A manifestation of that was the trouble Moeen Ali’s offspin caused India late in the day. He troubled Rahane in particular, getting the ball to bite into the surface and cut the room for the batter’s favoured back-foot punch some times, and sliding on past and underneath his bat on others. That natural variation had forced Rahane to chop aerially to Jonny Bairstow’s right at point – only to to be dropped – before Ali managed to finally find the outside edge.That brought India down to their last recognised batting pair of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. Ali managed to separate them as well, with a dream offbreak that squared Jadeja up to knock the top of his off stump. Jadeja’s appreciation of a pitch that would allow such a delivery might have only come once he was back in the dressing room, for it was the last over before the second new ball was due. On an up-and-down pitch, England could have inflicted a second collapse of the day on India had the light held up.The first collapse, that reduced India to 55 for 3, saw England take control of the game. Right from the start of the day, James Anderson went slightly shorter with his length than he usually does, with the new ball consistently getting big on KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. The pair looked assured enough on the front foot once again, but Joe Root had seen enough to hand the ball to Wood as early as the sixth over. In the first innings, he had come on in the 20th, with the openers well set.It paid off for Root, as Wood began clocking close to 150kph immediately, in addition to getting steep bounce in the channel. It proved enough to dismiss Rahul, who played slightly inside the line of one to edge behind.Rohit makes no secret of enjoying extra bounce and pace, and once again he brought out his hook shot to clear the square-leg boundary to wipe out the 27-run deficit. Not long after, he invited another inquest into his shot selection, taking the hook shot on to find the square-leg fielder – one of three on the leg-side boundary – who had been sent back right before that ball.3:03

Harmison: Wood might take the new ball and go hard at Pant

Virat Kohli came out flowing, his first two scoring shots boundaries through the covers. This was in stark contrast to Cheteshwar Pujara whose role once again was to play for time at his end. It took Pujara 35 deliveries to get off the mark, drawing ironic applause from the crowd, but some calm seemed to have been restored to India’s innings by then.Enter Sam Curran. Before he got Kohli, he had gone through 37 wicketless overs in the series. But before he got Kohli, he had completely unsettled him. First with a relentless attack into his stumps from around the wicket, then the same with inswingers from over the wicket that included an unsuccessful lbw review, before completing the set-up by dangling one wide outside off stump for Kohli’s third consecutive dismissal nicking off in the series.At 55 for 3, India had Pujara and Rahane together, both of whom have been under considerable pressure recently. And it showed, as any thoughts of pushing for a big enough target seemed to fade away. To their credit, the pair batted nearly 50 overs together for a 100-run stand, having to face an English attack that brought a lot more variety and imagination to their plans than they had in the first innings.The most daunting of those plans involved, at one point, a silly point, a forward short leg, a backward short leg, a catching backward square leg, and a fly slip as Wood came back for a fiery second spell of short-pitched bowling. In a manner reminiscent of India’s Test at the Gabba earlier this year, Pujara copped blows to his body, the true extent of uneven bounce magnified by Wood’s pace and direction. From the other ends, Anderson and Curran tested India outside off, while Ali was used increasingly to try and coax some attacking shots from them.Rahane did bring some of those out, stepping out to loft him over mid-on, and even employing the sweep as he battled to a fifty. Pujara, in the meantime, was gathering more ironic applause; he was on 12 off 100, then 40 off 200. Eventually, he took Wood on with a pulled boundary that brought up the century partnership. But the very next ball, another one climbed off a length and pinged his gloves, and there was little to do other than fending it to Root at second slip, who was standing close in on yet another day where edges didn’t carry.One hundred and fifty five for 4 turned to 175 for 6 with the wickets of Rahane and Pujara. England were set for a final push to try and finish India off when the umpires told them the day’s play would end if a fast bowler came on in that light. A final bit of chaos – one way or another, with Pant in there – was thus averted, but the match is poised for plenty of similar action on the final day.

Only 13 overs possible on final day but Glamorgan batter impresses

ECB Reporters Network16-May-2021Glamorgan 149 (Brook 3-13, Patterson 3-27) and 164 for 4 (Carlson 88*, Lloyd 40) drew with Yorkshire 230 (Root 99, Patterson 47*, Neser 5-39) Persistent rain prevented a positive result in the LV=Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Yorkshire in Cardiff with only 13 overs possible on the final day, but there was enough time for Kiran Carlson to continue his impressive season with his sixth fifty-plus score of this campaign.The match was set up for an exciting finish at the close of day three with Glamorgan 27 runs in front with seven first innings wickets in hand. The weather meant that the players only made it into the middle at 4:15pm and Glamorgan successfully saw out a tricky session to secure the draw.It was a frustrating experience in the hours before they started with the sun shining just long enough for some hope to emerge only for the rain to reappear to send the groundsmen back to their hut.A brilliant 99 from England captain Joe Root on day three had given Yorkshire hope of pushing for a win but first rain and then Carlson prevented that from happening. Carlson finished the day on 88 not out with Glamorgan 164 for 4.When play did get started Yorkshire were convinced they had David Lloyd caught in the slips in the first over but it was off his thigh pad rather than his bat. As it was, they had Lloyd without adding to his overnight score when he was trapped lbw by Ben Coad. That was the only wicket to fall before the players shook hands.Carlson has been Glamorgan’s most consistent batsman in this Championship campaign, and his runs meant that any chances of a Yorkshire win evaporated. Such was Carlson’s brilliance, had Glamorgan had more time, they might even have set up a victory chance of their own. Carlson now has four fifties and two hundreds this season as his potential has begun to be realised.The draw gives Yorkshire 12 points, sending them to the top of Group 3 of the Championship, five points ahead of Lancashire who did not play in this round of matches.