Kleinveldt's four wrecks Rajasthan's warm-up

ScorecardRory Kleinveldt scored a quick 23 and took 4 for 22 in a sound all-round performance•Peter J Heeger/Peter J Heeger

The Rajasthan Royals’ warm-up for next week’s IPL began with defeat to the Cape Cobras at Newlands. The defending IPL champions, fielding an XI that included rookie Indians and a few first-time overseas names, did well in the field but couldn’t reach the target of 143 set by the Cobras, South Africa’s domestic Pro20 champions.The Australian import Rob Quiney got Rajasthan’s reply off to a good start, but with wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end, he too succumbed to the pressure. Naman Ojha was the first to go for 10, edging the burly medium-pacer Rory Kleinveldt behind, before Vernon Philander cut Quiney off on 34. Robin Peterson then drew a leading edge from the experienced Mohammad Kaif. The wobble was on.Peterson drew another wicket when he beat Lee Carseldine’s bat and the wicketkeeper Ryan Canning dislodged the bails. It was a tight call that went in Cobras’ favour. The next to go was the explosive Tyron Henderson who, after hitting a big six, was run out by a flat throw from Philander. Justin Ontong came on for some spin and brought about a top-edged sweep off Ravindra Jadeja’s bat.Peterson’s tidy spin kept a check on runs and the asking rate inched toward nine at this stage. Enter Shane Warne, who shuffled about his crease and looked in the mood to just biff the ball. He was given a life by Andrew Puttick at long-on but hit a few classy shots before he top-edged an attempted steer to third man and was well held for 21 off 19 balls. Rajasthan collapsed against the disciplined Kleinveldt, who took four, and fell 28 runs short.The hosts’ 142 was set up by some clean hitting from Richard Levi (36 off 22 balls), Philander (26 off 21) and Kleinveldt (23 off 17) after a young Rajasthan pace attack made early inroads. In the second over, Peterson – in his first game for the Cobras after transferring from the Warriors – got a faint tickle off medium-pacer Amit Singh for 1. That became 15 for 2 in the third over when Puttick, down a place to No. 3, nicked Siddarth Trivedi to Ojha. Ontong’s off stump was knocked out of its base by a lovely yorker from Kamran Khan to make it 22 for 3. Kamran, who was picked out of obscurity in February without any first-class experience, bowled just the one over.Warne and Jadeja picked up a wicket each with their brands of spin to further dent the Cobras. But Philander, Levi – especially impressive with his hand-eye coordination – and Kleinveldt hit some courageous shots to get the total to respectability. Singh, the medium-pacer from Gujarat, had 3 for 18 from his four overs.Warne had said before the game he wanted a tough warm-up ahead of the second edition of the IPL and he got it.

Hosts hoping for a sporting Hamilton track

Iain O’Brien: Looking for a Hamilton pitch with some bounce © AFP
 

New Zealand will look to ride the momentum from a thumping win last night, and also the bounce the pitch offered, when they go into the Test series that begins this Wednesday. Three days ago they looked an outplayed side, but the Auckland win has changed a lot of things in the New Zealand camp.”Cricket is a momentum game,” Andy Moles, their coach, said. “It was a good win last night. Of course the Indians will say that they won the series. That’s fine. Our answer is there have been six games of cricket, they have won three, and we have won three. So we are level going into the [Test] series. They outplayed us in the one-dayers, but we are looking forward to the Test series.”We know that India are a fine side. We respect that, but we are not scared of them. And last night it showed. We got early wickets and put them under pressure. They make mistakes like everybody else.”More than the win, New Zealand will draw confidence out of the fact that they bowled India out in 36.3 overs. And also that India seemed to not adjust to a pitch that offered seam movement and good bounce. New Zealand are not getting ahead of themselves with it, though, because India will have more time to adjust to such pitches in the Test series, and also because they will get better difficult-pitch batsmen in Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.”The pitch had bounce so they were not able to play with the freedom,” Moles said. “But Tests are different. They have a different set of batsmen and they will be looking to carrying on the success they have enjoyed in the last 18 months.”Iain O’Brien, who over the least two weeks has taken one of the worst beatings of his short career, looked excited with the bounce. Would he want similar pitches as the one at the Eden Park for the Tests?”Not necessarily the seam movement, but the bounce,” O’Brien said. “Just nice go get a deck that has good carry and good bounce through to the keeper. Just the bounce that made life more interesting for a bowler. It’s nice to dismiss them in 36 overs or so. It’s a good thing to do, knock them over. The Test wickets won’t be as flat as one-dayers, there will be a little bit in them.”Moles shared the sentiment. “After what we saw last night, the wicket there was in our favour,” Moles said. “The curator [at the Seddon Park] is known to prepare good wickets. We are looking forward to a fine cricket wicket, and if it bounces it will be great. We don’t want to play on a green seamer, we want to have a good game of cricket, and I am sure that’s what we will get.”The Seddon Park pitch right now wears a green look, but it is not ready. A lot of that grass will obviously be taken off, and it is expected to be a pitch that could open up a debate whether to play two spinners or not. Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, said before the Auckland ODI that they hadn’t yet made their mind on whether they wanted to play three pace bowlers. In the last Test played in Hamilton, New Zealand went in with both Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel. Between them Vettori and Patel took seven wickets as New Zealand beat England by 189 runs.

Sri Lanka focussed on Jayawardene farewell

Thilan Samaraweera: ready to give Mahela Jayawardene a good farewell as Sri Lankan captain © AFP
 

Ahead of a two-day match before the Test series begins, Thilan Samaraweera reckons Sri Lanka have had no problems adjusting to conditions in Pakistan. This tour marks the end of Mahela Jayawardene’s tenure as captain and Samaraweera said Sri Lanka would give “100%” for him.”The weather was brilliant in Sri Lanka, though a bit humid, but in Karachi at the moment the weather is lovely,” he said. “This heat is OK, last time we were in Karachi it was 38 or 40, but this heat is perfect for us. A lot of our players are playing in our domestic season and I think we are well prepared for the Test matches.”Samaraweera said Sri Lanka would use this tour as an opportunity to seal a win for Jayawardene in his final series in charge. “Everyone knows his record as a captain is brilliant and I think we will give a good farewell to him as a captain,” said Samaraweera. “This is a very important series we are playing after two years. In 2006 we last played against them [Pakistan] in Sri Lanka and we are looking forward to the series.”Inconsistent performances cost Samaraweera his place after the tour to England in 2006. He played one of two Tests in Australia in November 2007 but cemented his place again with a half-century and a hundred during the West Indies trip in early 2008. Samaraweera followed up his 125 in Port of Spain with another ton, his seventh hundred, against India later last year before three half-centuries against Bangladesh.”I played very good Test cricket for my country over the last 12 months,” he said. Samaraweera said Pakistan were a tough side to beat, especially at home, and singled out Danish Kaneria as a threat.The first Test in Pakistan starts on February 22 and the second on March 2. Sri Lanka won the three-ODI series in Pakistan 2-1 last month.

Four West Indies greats honoured

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was among the West Indian cricketers who were feted © Getty Images
 

Four greats of West Indies cricket were honoured in a ceremony hosted by the Jamaican Cricket Association and the WICB. George Headley, Everton Weekes, Garry Sobers and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the current No. 1 Test batsman, were honoured at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Monday.The celebration commemorated four unique events – the 100th anniversary of Headley’s birth, the 60th of Weekes’ five consecutive Test centuries, the50th of Sobers’ 365 not out, and Chanderpaulbeing named the ICC’s International Player of the Year 2008.In accepting the award, Weekes thanked the organisers for the “specialhonour”, while Chanderpaul said he was “delighted” and would be looking tocontinue the good work in the upcoming series against England.Headley, who died 25 years ago, was represented by his son Lindie while Sobers was unable to attend.

Pollard reprimanded for damaging dressing-room door

A security guard picks up the shattered remains of Kieron Pollard’s action © Getty Images
 

West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard has been officially reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his third ODI against New Zealand in Wellington.Pollard was pulled up for damaging the glass panel of a dressing-room door, an incident which occurred soon after his dismissal. Adjudged lbw by umpire Mark Benson, Pollard left the field visibly disappointed – swinging his bat in disgust – and ended up venting his frustration in the pavilion. He had scored only 1, which continued his poor run in the ODI series – seven runs in three innings.After a hearing at the end of the game, Javagal Srinath, the match referee, found Pollard to have violated Level 1.2 of the code which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, group equipment of fixtures and fittings”.Level 1 offences carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of a fine equivalent to 50% of a player’s match fee. Pollard, 21, was let off without a fine. “The player pleaded guilty to the charge and apologised for his actions to New Zealand Cricket,” Srinath said. “This apology and the fact he is relatively early in his career were taken into consideration.”The incident was brought to the attention of the match referee by both New Zealand Cricket’s cricket administrative manager Tim Murdoch and West Indies manager Omar Khan.Srinath reached his decision after a hearing attended by the player, Omar Khan and Murdoch.

Shakib aims to build on success

Shakib Al Hasan is bowled for 96 after causing Sri Lanka a few nervous moments © AFP
 

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, is eager to build on his impressive performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka. His second-innings 96 gave the home side an outside chance of chasing down a record-breaking 521 for victory, but although they came up short it was a timely show of competitiveness from Bangladesh.Shakib’s all-round success – he claimed five wickets in the first innings – capped off a fine 2008 as he became one of Bangladesh’s leading players. In the series against New Zealand in October he claimed 7 for 36, the best figures by a Bangladesh bowler in Tests.”What I always said was that I enjoy cricket. I feel good when I enter the ground. That’s it,” he told the . “My performance has been improving day by day and there will be something happening if I can continue the trend.”However, Shakib’s personal delight in being named Man of the Match was tempered by another defeat, as Bangladesh remain with just a solitary Test victory to their name. “There was dissatisfaction for not reaching the hundred and getting the victory. But still the team comes first to me because at one stage it seemed that it’s possible to achieve the target.”Towards the end of last year there were the occasional signs that Bangladesh were becoming more competitive in the Test arena. They were in a position to win the first Test against New Zealand and had South Africa struggling at Centurion Park before both matches ran away from them.But Shakib believes a tough few months of action is now benefiting the team in the current series. “The other thing is that we played well at home because we are playing this series after a tough tour in South Africa.”Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, praised the efforts of Bangladesh’s batsmen during their run chase. “They batted very well, especially the middle order and the lower middle-order,” he said. “[Mohammad] Ashraful, Shakib [Al Hasan] and [Mushfiqur] Rahim at the end batted very well and credit to them.”The second Test begins in Chittagong on January 3 before a triangular one-day series also involving Zimbabwe, who then remain in Bangladesh for three further ODIs.

Taylor named Jamaica Cricketer of the Year

Jerome Taylor edged out his captain Chris Gayle for the award © AFP
 

Jerome Taylor, the West Indies fast bowler, has been named Jamaica’s Cricketer of the Year 2008. Taylor, one of the leading bowlers in the side, was among the favourites for the award, and edged out his captain Chris Gayle.In six Tests this year, Taylor picked up 22 wickets at an average of 31.13 and in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka at home topped the wickets chart for West Indies with 11 wickets. In 14 ODIs this year, he has taken 22 wickets and scalped 10 wickets in the three matches he played in Jamaica’s victorious Carib Beer Series campaign.”It is a great feeling to be named as the player of the year in my country and receive this prestigious award,” Taylor said. “This is a wonderful feeling. Over the years playing for Jamaica I always gave of my best.”I would like to be seen as someone who always aims for the highest and is a good servant of this great game. This is a stepping stone for me. I am enjoying the award and looking forward to bigger things ahead.”Since Taylor is currently on the tour of New Zealand, the award was collected on his behalf by his Jamaica team-mate Brenton Parchment.”I played against a few of the New Zealanders before so I have an idea what they are like,” Taylor said. “I have seen some new players coming into their team so I will be doing my homework to assess them and see how best I can exploit any weaknesses.”

Rugby legend Saxton had a cricket connection

Rugby legend Charlie Saxton would not grace the minds of many for his cricket deeds. But the little half-back also played cricket in his youth, as an obdurate opening batsman for Otago. He played seven games between 1934-38, scoring 226 runs at an average of 17.38 with a highest score of 37.Not the greatest record in the world but sufficient to show that Saxton was no one sport wonder.Saxton was one of a diminishing class of sportsmen, those who having enjoyed playing at the highest level and then become involved in the passing on of knowledge through coaching and administration.There is no doubt that he was one of the game’s canny thinkers. His booklet, The ABC of Rugby might not have been the Bible that The Complete Rugby Footballer became for Dave Gallaher and Billy Stead, but it had a place as an epistle worth sitting on the same shelf in sporting technical literature.He preached the message of rugby’s three Ps, position, possession and pace and in probably the two most important phases of his rugby career, as captain of the post-Second World War Kiwis who toured Britain, France and Germany in 1945/46, and then as manager in partnership with his vice-captain on the Kiwis tour, Fred Allen, on the triumphant 1967 tour of Britain and France, that philosophy was borne out.As he said, the object of rugby was for 14 men to get the 15th a start of half a yard.That 1967 side produced the sort of running rugby that had been the modus operandi of the Kiwis team 21 years earlier. It transformed the international game, and the players became advocates for the style in their own coaching careers.Saxton’s greatest moment on the rugby field was denied him when the 1940 All Black tour to South Africa was abandoned with the outbreak of the Second World War. Instead of leading his men on a rugby expedition to wipe out the humiliations the South Africans had inflicted on New Zealanders in 1937, he was prowling the backblocks of the North African desert as a member of the Long Range Desert Group.Saxton’s form in the winter of 1939 highlighted his abilities. Playing for Southland, he was out of position at first five-eighth, because halfback Jack Purdue was more in tune with the role in what was the strongest side in New Zealand at the time.Saxton, had transferred south from South Canterbury in 1938, and had played at halfback in the Ranfurly Shield defence against Ashburton Country. Southland just managed to scramble to a controversial injury time win, and Saxton had not had a happy time behind the scrum.The selectors decided to place Purdue back at halfback and moved Saxton to first five-eighth. He was given the captaincy of the side, and Purdue summed him up: “Charlie Saxton was the best first five-eighth for Southland that I ever played with. He was very fast off the mark. He scored some beautiful blindside tries. As soon as the ball hit my hands, he began to run.”Southland, the Ranfurly Shield holder, enjoyed its greatest year. The side was unbeaten and it became the only side in the province’s history to travel north and complete the grand slam of victories over Otago, Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland on their home turf. The win over Auckland on Eden Park remains the only time Southland has won on that ground.The Auckland win was also notable for some of the most foul play imaginable.The New Zealand Observer noted: “There were some passages of arms between the forwards at times, with resentment and irritation showing itself on both sides, but the one incident I noted to which real objection could be taken was the kicking of Saxton by an Auckland forward when he lay on the ground. The boot went in hard on that occasion and the incident was not creditable.”It may also have induced Saxton to make a decision which is among the more astonishing and controversial in provincial rugby history.After being behind, Southland came back strongly and scored an equalising try. Goalkicker Artie Wesney lined up the conversion, but it missed. However, Saxton noticed one of Auckland’s more combative forwards Dick Hull sitting on the halfway line.Saxton appealed to the referee for another shot to be taken, and the referee agreed. Wesney made no mistake the second time around.Once war duties, and the Kiwis tour was over, Saxton became a partner in the resurrection of post-war Otago rugby with Vic Cavanagh Jnr in what must have been one of the greatest repositories of rugby knowledge ever enjoyed by two men.Coaching days completed, Saxton moved into administration from whence came his appointment as All Black manager. And when that facet of his life was completed he was given a place on the NZRFU appeals committee.What was regarded as something of a perk job became highly contentious in 1978 when Saxton was required to make judgment on a North Auckland decision not to defend the Ranfurly Shield against Southland and Otago after lifting the Shield from Manawatu four days earlier.The appeal from his two old provinces was lost because a challenge had not been received in writing before the end of August, this despite a verbal agreement earlier in the year that a challenge would be entertained were North Auckland successful.It is a long way from a few games of cricket for Otago, but Saxton was a sporting identity in Otago, and New Zealand, beyond rugby boundaries. He was of a class of player and administrator all too rare in all sports nowadays.A special service for Saxton will be held at Carisbrook on Monday. He is survived by his wife Alison, son Bill and daughter Rosalind.

Teams gear up for new-age Powerplays

Match facts

October 9, 2008
Start time 9.00am (0300 GMT)

Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum will look to make the most of the Bangladesh trip © AFP
 

Big Picture

It’s the first test for Bangladesh after the exodus to the ICL. There didn’t appear to be much mercy coming from New Zealand, who arrived early to acclimatise, but unforeseen circumstances may have left the visitors a bit underdone. Their only warm-up game, in Fatullah, was washed out, and a day before the first ODI, the New Zealanders lost patience with the traffic and did a u-turn to the team hotel en route to the ground. The minor hiccups aside, New Zealand will still fancy their chances of a 3-0 win and the No. 2 spot in the ICC ODI rankings.The match will also be the first time the new Powerplay rules come into place. The batting team now has the opportunity to choose either the second or third Powerplay in the innings; earlier the Powerplays were taken only by the fielding side. It will the interesting to see the strategies adopted by the teams. Bowling teams generally tried to get rid of the Powerplay overs as soon as possible, especially when fielding first, but how will the batting side react? Will they use it up first-up or wait to hammer tired bowlers in the final five overs. Will they choose the Powerplay when the lesser bowlers are on, or when their best hitter is at the crease? It’s a whole new element that teams will need to strategise on. One small concession for the bowlers: three fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle for the second and third Powerplays.

Pitch & conditions

What is encouraging is that, apart from an odd light drizzle, Mirpur has experienced dry conditions and play is likely to take place. Even if there are any overnight spells of rain, locals are confident the drainage facilities at the ground can have the ground ready in an hour.The pitch is expected to favour batting. The average score in Mirpur has been 239, but New Zealand’s strong batting line-up will look to put up a big score. Captain Daniel Vettori said they would prefer to bat first and put up a score of around 280-300. New Zealand’s line-up has aggressive stroke-players in Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum and they will definitely put pressure on Bangladesh’s bowling line-up. Mohammad Ashraful, though, was confident his bowlers could defend a score of 230-240.

Form guide (last 5 ODIs, most recent first)

New ZealandWWWWW
Bangladesh LLLLL

Watch out for

Jesse Ryder: Ryder has been rewarded with places on both the Test and ODI teams for the tour, during which captain Daniel Vettori expects him to make his mark as an international batsman. Criticised for his fitness in the past, Ryder had a great debut ODI series at home against England. A punch in a window of a bar ruled him out of action in February, but Ryder made a successful return, captaining New Zealand to the Emerging Players title in July. If McCullum and Ryder get going, not many from Bangladesh will be lining up to bowl.Mohammad Ashraful: A man under immense pressure. Another bad series and Bangladesh’s captain could be out of the team; even coach Jamie Siddons has said time is running out for Ashraful. He had been at the centre of Bangladesh’s greatest triumph – over Australia in 2005 – but three years since, even the biggest of fans will find it hard to not find fault.Tim Southee: The Player of the Tournament at the Under-19 World Cup this year, Southee has had a tremendous start to his international career. He scored a blistering 77 not out and took a five-for on his Test debut, and in seven ODIs, he has 16 wickets at 16.93. Those games came in seamer-friendly conditions in New Zealand and England; subcontinent pitches will make for a different challenge.

Team news

Bangladesh have left out Mehrab Hossain jnr and Imrul Kayes from the XII for the match, which means uncapped Naeem Islam, who captained the Academy side in Sri Lanka, could make his debut. Junaid Siddique is likely to get another chance as opener, while Mahbubul Alam, another newcomer, might miss out.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Junaid Siddique 3 Naeem Islam 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shahadat Hossain, 11 Syed Rasel.New Zealand have not announced their XII but Jeetan Patel could get a game if the pitch favours spin.New Zealand (probable): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jamie How, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Kyle Mills.

Stats & Trivia

  • The last time these two teams played an ODI, in Queenstown, Bangladesh were shot out for 93. In reply, Brendon McCullum scored a 28-ball 80 as New Zealand completed a ten-wicket win in six overs, making it one of the biggest ODI victories.
  • Vettori has taken 16 wickets at 13.56 in nine ODIs against Bangladesh.
  • Siddique averages a paltry 5.85 in the seven ODIs he has opened for Bangladesh.

    Quotes

    “As I said before, there are no superstars here. They are replacement for the other guys who have gone. I think they will do the job as good if not better.”
    Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, admits the exodus to the ICL is a loss, but is confident the inexperienced players will step up.”We are certainly not going to use that as an excuse. We need to adapt quickly to the Bangladeshi conditions and with the new Powerplay rules. I think we are well covered in all areas and prepared for the series.”
    Daniel Vettori expects no slip-ups despite New Zealand’s warm-up game being washed out.

  • Hussey-inspired Australia claim series

    Scorecard
    How they were out

    Luke Ronchi and David Hussey starred in Australia A’s title triumph © Cricinfo Ltd.
     

    The 15000-odd spectators who showed up at the Chepauk witnessed a massive drubbing as Australia A batted India A out of the game to claim the tri-series and round off their tour on a high. The puzzling decision to put Australia in to bat on a sun-baked pitch eventually cost India as the Australians – led by David Hussey – seized the advantage, piled up a challenging 303 before their express seam attack sunk India in to a position from which they could salvage very little.The Australians sensed India’s weakness against genuine pace and dropped their spinner, Xavier Doherty, for Shaun Tait, and the move paid dividends right from the start. The trio of Tait, Mark Cameron and Brett Geeves generated enough pace to rattle the top order on a pitch which still looked like a batting belter. India had lost seven wickets within 18 overs and it was clear from the onset that they had lost the match at the toss.Play was held up for 15 minutes after the first ball of the innings after one of the Australian fielders at the third man boundary was hit by a missile. Tait immediately fired a missile of his own when he sent back the out-of-form Dinesh Karthik with an express yorker. Robin Uthappa eased in to some kind of rhythm with two boundaries towards third man but he too succumbed to a quick yorker, this time off Geeves. Ravi Teja fell to the extra pace and bounce from Cameron and the chase told a sorry story at 33 for 4.Yet again, it was left to the middle-order pair of Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to script a match-winning stand, and the signs were encouraging when Raina caressed Geeves past the covers. The partnership, however, lasted just five overs for Raina fell tamely, and India’s biggest hope, Yusuf Pathan, paid the price four balls later to give Ashley Noffke a double-strike.What hurt India more than the early strikes was the lack of partnerships in the middle order. While Rohit and Raina consolidated in the middle overs on Wednesday, they failed to repeat that today. Rohit continued to remain positive against the quicker bowlers – pulling Cameron over fine leg – but he fell when he tried the same against Geeves. Hussey rounded off a rewarding day with two wickets to wrap up the innings.It was a handful of half-centuries which gave the Australians the edge in the morning session. The manner in which Luke Ronchi and Hussey drove effortlessly through the line proved just how easy it was to bat out there. Hussey lofted Praveen Kumar with a straight bat and the sound of the ball crashing onto the sight screen was a worrying sign of things to come for India, as he proceeded to dominate for the majority of the innings.White joined Hussey to grind the bowling in a stand of 94. The fielders were pushed back once the spinners operated in tandem and dot balls were rare. The fuller deliveries were pushed down the ground while the shorter ones were grafted away square of the pitch, on the off side in particular. Neat footwork and clean hitting rendered the spinners ineffective and even after White fell, Hussey remained the mainstay in the middle overs. Voges led Australia’s charge in the slog overs, capitalising on some very ordinary death bowling by the seamers. Low full tosses were slammed over wide long-on, while the slower balls were either heaved over midwicket or slammed past extra cover. Voges made up for a disappointing tour with a brisk unbeaten 55 to guide his team to an unassailable target.

    Australia APhillip Hughes b Irfan 11 (24 for 1)
    Ball cuts back in and clips the top of middle stump, beaten for paceLuke Ronchi c Saha b Nayar 52 (77 for 2)
    Tried to cut close to the body, Saha was standing up to the stumpsCameron White c Saha b Chawla 50 (171 for 3)
    Attempts a sweep but fails to pick the googly, Saha takes the edgeMarcus North b Irfan 6 (192 for 4)
    Plays all around a straight delivery, the off and middle stumps are flattenedDavid Hussey b Yusuf 75 (213 for 5)
    Tries to play with the turn to the on side, gets a bottom edge onto the off stumpGeorge Bailey st Saha b Chawla 14 (238 for 6)
    Beaten in flight after waltzing down the trackAshley Noffke c Saha b Nayar 18 (269 for 7)
    Tries to drive through the offside, Saha takes the outside edgeIndia A
    Dinesh Karthik b Tait 0 (2 for 1)
    Squared up by a menacing yorker which sent his leg stump for a spinAbhishek Nayar c Hughes b Geeves 1 (6 for 2)
    Drives on the up towards mid-off, Hughes dives to his leftRobin Uthappa b Geeves 14 (33 for 3)
    Failed to dig out a yorker on off stumpRavi Teja c Ronchi b Cameron 11 (33 for 4)
    Ball bounces up off a good length and Teja fails to fend it awaySuresh Raina c Hughes b Noffke 9 (62 for 5)
    Makes room and tries to carve him over mid-off but tamely scoops it down to HughesYusuf Pathan c White b Noffke 1 (65 for 6)
    Tries to pull a short delivery, gets a top edge towards square legRohit Sharma c Tait b Geeves 42 (105 for 7)
    Tries to hook a short delivery, Tait runs to his left from fine leg and takes a well-judged catchIrfan Pathan c Noffke b Hussey 11 (128 for 8)
    Gives him the charge but miscues it to short third manPiyush Chawla lbw b Hussey 8 (142 for 9)
    Comes round the wicket, traps him in front on the forward defensivePraveen Kumar st Ronchi b White 2 (147 for 10)
    Beaten in flight and turn

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