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Group C

ScorecardKrishna Das registered his best first-class figures of 7 for 50•PTI

Assam picked up a bonus point after Krishna Das ran through Tripura‘s batting in Guwahati. Starting the third day trailing by 138, Tripura’s second innings folded for 155, with medium-pacer Krishna picking up seven wickets to finish with match figures of 10 for 91. This left Assam chasing a target of 16 runs, and they completed the job without losing a wicket.Tripura were 2 for 0 at the start of the day, and their openers put on 39 before Krishna picked up his first wicket. The top four all got into double figures, and their third-wicket pair of Rajesh Bainik and Rakesh Solanki put on 73 to steer Tripura to a solid 113 for 2, before the wicket of Bainik began a collapse that saw eight wickets fall for 42 runs. All seven batsmen Krishna dismissed were out bowled or lbw.
ScorecardHyderabad took firm control of their clash against Andhra, as three-wicket hauls from Syed Quadri and Ravi Kiran helped the team collect a crucial first-innings lead. In reply to Hyderabad’s 522, Andhra began the day well-placed at 121 for 0, but were dealt an early blow when the opener Srikar Bharat (75) was dismissed in the first over. Bharat’s opening partner Prasanth Kumar carried on, stroking a fourth first-class hundred, but none of the other batsmen were able to make good on their starts and raise a fifty, as Andhra were bowled out for 369. Prasanth hit 17 fours and a six during his 124, while for Hyderabad, Quadri picked up 3 for 54 and Kiran took 3 for 103. With a 153-run lead in hand, Hyderabad enforced the follow-on. Andhra were 24 for 0 at stumps.
ScorecardServices were stung by Himachal Pradesh’s lower order on the third day which resulted in a 253-run deficit for the home team at the Palam Ground in Delhi. They then lost their top three batsmen in the latter half of the day and were left staring at a possible defeat. Services were still 162 short of making Himachal bat again.Resuming from their overnight 255 for 6, Himachal lost their seventh wicket after the addition of 16 runs. But if Services thought they would be able to bat again soon, it was not be. Nikhil Gangta, who has a scored a century in first-class cricket previously, added 55 for the eight wicket with Karnaveer Singh, followed it up with a 77-run partnership along with Vikramjeet Malik (59 off 47 balls), before adding 75 for the last wicket with Pankaj Jaiswal (41 off 46 balls). Gangta fell one short of a century; he was the last wicket to fall. But by that time, the team had scored 224 runs in 49.1 overs.
ScorecardAmit Verma’s ninth first-class century anchored the Kerala innings in their response to Goa’s 367 in Wayanad. Verma was the last batsman to be dismissed on the day – after a 287-ball 129 that included 13 fours and three sixes – but the innings ensured Kerala moved within 68 runs of Goa’s total.Kerala started on 60 for 2 but were jolted in the fifth over of the morning as KB Pawan was caught behind off Saurabh Bandekar. The dismissal brought Sanju Samson to the crease but he could only score 24 from 95 balls before being dismissed by Shadab Jakati. Sachin Baby, the Kerala captain, added 80 for the fifth-wicket with Verma before being caught behind off Jakati for 31. Verma found a solid ally in Nikhilesh Surendran and the two put the best stand of the innings – 86 runs in 30.3 overs – to edge Kerala closer to the target. However, Verma was dismissed four overs before the close of day, leaving both sides with a chance of grabbing the point for first-innings lead on the fourth day.

In a sports ecosystem often dominated by the All Blacks, the New Zealand cricket team has begun to generate considerable buzz among the public ahead of their long home summer. Appreciation of the team’s growing will now only rise further after New Zealand claimed a record fifth Test win for the year, in the Boxing Day match against Sri Lanka.That match was well-attended on all four days, the first of which saw an 8000-strong crowd in full voice, as Brendon McCullum hit a 134-ball 195. The change in the national mood, and the New Zealand’s results, has been the result of serious introspection and redirection within the team, captain McCullum said following the victory.”Eighteen or 24 months ago, when we sat down and worked out where we sat after the 45 against South Africa in Cape Town, we knew we had to make changes – not just internally, but from an external point of view, for the public who cared about this team,” McCullum said. “I can only say the guys within the group made those changes. It was essential to all of us that we have the public’s support, and the best way to get that is to go out and represent New Zealand with all you’ve got.”That’s what we’ve seen over the last 18-24 months: a group of guys who are desperate, enjoy their time playing for this team, and try and make sure their mark on the New Zealand team is substantial. We are starting to see that people are coming back to support this team, and that’s nice when you sit back and see where we’ve come from.”New Zealand have also put together the personnel to form a world-beating side, since coach Mike Hesson has come on board. The seam attack, led by Tim Southee and Trent Boult, has shown exceptional skill, while the middle-order batsmen have also begun to score heavily. McCullum believes this has all this has been underpinned by restraint and prudence.”Internally, it’s a nicely structured team – we’ve got good support staff. We’ve got guys who are not necessarily old, but who are very experienced and strong leaders within the group as well, and that’s quite a nice dynamic to have. We couple that with quite an emotionally level group of guys who just want to perform for New Zealand, and you see some fighting characteristics come out.”I firmly believe that the work we’ve done is now flowing onto the field. We’ve been lucky that we’ve had that instant gratification of results going our way, because then it does confirm to you that what you’re doing off the field, and the way you carry yourself as a team and as individuals can then relay to results. The way we’re operating has been a huge catalyst in our performance, in the respect we’re trying to show the game and the people who support this team.”Brendon McCullum is always quick to laud his team-mates, despite a year of outstanding personal success•AFP

New Zealand have also impressed internationally with their style of play, with McCullum earning a reputation as one of the most aggressive captains in cricket. True to form, in Christchurch he attacked when put into bat on a green pitch, while Sri Lanka were rarely allowed free runs into the outfield, even when they batted well in the second innings. The hosts’ fielding standards were typically high throughout the Test and the bowlers rarely seemed flat, despite a heavy workload.”We want to make sure we’re playing aggressive cricket. We want to keep moving the game forward, looking for results. You remember Test wins but you don’t necessarily remember draws. You want to achieve special things along the way, and a lot of hard work goes into that.”We also want to be known as a team of pretty humble guys as well, and are known to respect the game and play it in the right manner. I can’t fault any of our guys for the way they go about their performance. They play hard, but they play within the spirit of the game, and the public are starting to endear themselves to that.”While the team takes immense pleasure in their performances as a group, there was also pride in personal achievements as well. McCullum himself became the first New Zealand player ever to make over a 1000 runs in a calendar year during his 195 and he sits fourth on the year’s run-getters’ list, having played fewer Tests than the top three. Boult and Southee have also had a rich year, claiming 34 and 33 scalps respectively, while BJ Watling has the wicketkeeping record for 2014, with 40 dismissals to his name.”It’s nice when you look at the top ten bowling rankings and you see Trent Boult or Tim Southee’s name, and you look at the top ten batting rankings and you see Ross Taylor, and you know Kane Williamson is not far away.”There are also plenty of guys who may not be up there in the rankings but have had significant performances throughout the year. I’m talking about Neil Wagner in Barbados, Tom Latham in the UAE, Mark Craig has done well in his overseas tours as well – these guys who are making significant contributions.”

The Ireland management has spoken out at the frustration of losing players to England. Alan Lewis, Ireland chief selector and former captain, said it was “irritating” that Eoin Morgan will captain England at the World Cup.Previously tight-lipped on the topic, Lewis’s comments are a rare public display of annoyance from Cricket Ireland at players crossing the Irish sea.Speaking to the podcast Lewis, who also captained Ireland at the 1994 ICC Trophy, said it was “a wee bit irritating to think what we could be” when discussing the moves of Morgan and Boyd Rankin to play for England. Ed Joyce also featured for England at the 2007 World Cup but subsequently switched allegiance back and was part of the side that beat England famously four years ago.”I look at the England set up and over the last 10 years, three people from this little island where cricket is the fourth or fifth sport are playing for a country whose national sport is cricket,” Lewis said.Former Ireland captain Alan Lewis is now chief selector•Slog Sweep

“It is a wee bit irritating to think where we could be if Eoin and Boyd were available; obviously we’ve got Ed back now.”I wouldn’t want to deprive Eoin Morgan the opportunity with the ability he has, I’d want to play at the top level, and in honesty every Irish supporter would wish him well, it’s a great story, but it’s a great frustration. To get our players back, that’s part of the next step.”Rankin, the fast bowler from Londonderry, made his England debut against Ireland of all teams in September 2013 but has since failed to hold down a place in the one-day side. His Test debut in Sydney in January 2014 was a disaster.Lewis admitted that avenues were explored to get Rankin back for Ireland. “We looked at it but certain doors got closed. We watched Boyd’s form but with possibly Ireland sniffing around again, the England Lions were going to come watching and that’s exactly what happened.”One thing we’ve got to look for is an element of loyalty and we’ve got to gamble a little bit and that can backfire because you want every player to do well but you want Ireland to do well.”Rather ironically, Lewis also discussed the possibility of selecting Australian-born, New South Wales-based batsman Nick Larkin in their World Cup squad, who played twice for Ireland last summer. “With his credentials batting in Australian conditions and having an Irish passport, obviously he was on our radar,” Lewis said.Definitely selected was another foreign-developed player. Tim Murtagh – born in Lambeth and a graduate of the Surrey academy – was seen as a crucial part of Ireland’s bowling attack but he has been ruled out of the tournament with a fractured foot.”Tim Murtagh has an ability to swing the ball, I would have looked at him like a Damien Fleming, bowling at about 120kphs. Unfortunately he’s now out but Max Sorensen is back and reports are he’s performing well.”Lewis is hoping that things fall into place for Ireland, whose preparation has been far from ideal with Murtagh’s injury and a hammering by Scotland but they bounced back to beat Bangladesh in their final warm-up.”Every game is just a massive pressure game – it’s a measure of where we are, and articulating where we want to go to,” Lewis said. “I just hope we can fulfill our promise and continue on our growth plans.”Ireland’s chief executive Warren Deutrom said anything less than a quarter-final spot would represent a failure for Ireland. They open their World Cup campaign against West Indies on Sunday.

“You’re worse than England,” the majority of the 40,053 crowd at Eden Park sang.It was an extraordinary atmosphere. The ground is famous as an intimidating arena for rugby, but this was the Australian cricket team being barracked from bleachers.With the score reading a barely believable 104 for 9, they were not far wrong, either. In the end, a final-wicket stand of 45 hauled them to the dizzy heights of 152. And dizzy it certainly appeared, as New Zealand tried to close out the chase against Mitchell Starc’s vicious inswingers. The singing had stopped.Walking in was Trent Boult. A few hours earlier, he had been acclaimed by the masses following a spell of 5-3-3-5 to embarrass Australia’s middle order, but now he was required to face up to their own lethal left-armer.”I was pretty wound up, that’s for sure,” Boult said of the walk to the crease. “I got out there and Kane [Williamson] was saying I was going about a million miles an hour, so he quickly slow it down and simplified it for me.”He did his job, a block and a leave alone. Rarely have two such defensive shots been greeted with such a noise in one-day cricket. Then came Williamson’s six. “I was pretty ecstatic,” Boult said. “I can’t really remember what Kane was like. I was pretty pumped and will remember a lot of this day for a while.”So for the second time in day, Boult was walking off the ground as the crowd stood to their feet. “It was unbelievable to be honest, to have a crowd like that chanting away right behind us was something pretty special. When the wickets fell you couldn’t really hear yourself think. It was an amazing atmosphere.”It is now one match-winning performance apiece for New Zealand’s new-ball quicks after Tim Southee’s demolition of England in Wellington. Boult’s first spell had been wicketless but impressively tight as Australia tried to muscle New Zealand out of the match early on. Then, in one over, he found the inside edges of both Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh with unerring similarity.”I’ve just tried to do what I’ve been doing in last five or six months, pitch the ball up and try to swing it,” he said. “I got a bit of luck with a couple of drag-ons but it was obviously all go and something I’ll remember for a while.”This was his first one-day international involving Australia, who he made his Test debut against in Hobart in a seven-run victory, and was the most emphatic example yet of him transferring his red-ball skills into the white-ball game. He now has 10 wickets at 14.40 in the World Cup and since the start of this year, his one-day average has come down by 17 runs.”The most satisfaction comes from doing it against the best players in the world,” Boult said. “We sat in our hotel a few days ago scouting through their batsmen and we knew how much depth they had. So to put the game plans into place is very satisfying and pretty cool.”

It says something for the current state of affairs when the captain of Scotland feels obliged to talk down his side’s chances of beating England.But there is a look in Preston Mommsen’s eyes – a steely determination with just a hint of the predator – that tells you, in private, he is not talking down Scotland’s chances one bit. If Hollywood – or perhaps Bollywood – ever make a film about this encounter, the trailer may well feature a voiceover stating: “When the hunter becomes the hunted…”Preston Mommsen knows Scotland have never had a better chance of beating England. And he knows it is not just because England look lost, but because his side has a quality they have never previously possessed.Amid all the talk of how poor England have been of late, it has been overlooked that Scotland possess an opening batsman in Calum MacLeod who has scored 175 in an ODI, a middle-order batsman, Matt Machan, who scored a polished half-century against New Zealand and, in Iain Wardlaw, an opening bowler who rocked the New Zealand batting line-up that thrashed England to an embarrassing defeat.This match is not all about England’s failings; it is about the quality of Scotland.Mommsen knows, too, that if his side can pull it off, they will have struck a blow not just for Scotland, but for Associate cricket in all corners of the world. How absurd would the ICC’s stance look – that future World Cups should involve just 10 teams to guard against uncompetitive fixtures – if Scotland can inflict such a blow on one of the architects of that decision?He makes something of a Freudian slip during his pre-match media conference. When he says “At the end of the day, we’re not meant to beat Full Members,” he probably means that it would be unexpected. But he would be quite right if the comment was taken literally. Because a system where the Associate nations are starved of cricket against Full Member nations, have their opportunities to play in global tournaments snatched away from them and see their funding cut so the vastly rich can have more is a system where they are “not meant to beat Full Members.” Everything is stacked against the Associates.”I think in the whole world cricket, something needs to be looked at,” Mommsen said. “We have one fixture every two years against England. You wouldn’t say that’s enough.”If you look at the stats regarding Ireland and the number of Full Member teams they’ve played against since the 2011 World Cup, I think it was something like nine games. After their performance at that tournament, is that really acceptable in terms of growing the game globally? I’m not so sure that is.”We’ve worked really hard to get into this position of playing in a World Cup, but at the same time we know we’re under pressure in terms of an Associate point of view and putting in performances to make sure that we stand up and be counted here.”But that’s something we accept, something that we embrace, and we’re enjoying that challenge of playing against Full Member nations. As I said, we’re not meant to beat them, so there’s no pressure on us at all, and we’ll take that sort of philosophy into the game.”There is pressure, of course. There is pressure to justify the investment Cricket Scotland have made in overseas tours and central contracts and there is pressure to take advantage of a rare opportunity. Most of all, there is pressure to prove a point for Associate cricket and to help Scotland build for the future.”I don’t think I could really put into words what a win would do for this team, for Scottish cricket on the whole, and what it would do for cricket back home right now,” Mommsen said. “Obviously as a nation we have yet to beat a Full Member team and that is a major goal for the current team and something we’re working very hard towards.”We know that we’re not far away from that. I think our form in the last 12 months has proved that, but we’ve got to actually get over the line and do that.”This game provides another opportunity, but at the end of the day, it’s still another game of cricket, whether it’s against an Associate team or a Full Member team. We’re not meant to beat Full Members, but we know we have the potential to do it and hopefully we can do it here. It’s obviously a good time to be playing them.”It sure is. But apart from England’s poor form and chronic lack of confidence, Scotland have one other significant advantage. Having played on this pitch in the World Cup qualifying tournament, they should be more familiar with the conditions with England. It can also do no harm that their memories of the ground – it was here they clinched qualification for the World Cup – are positive.”It’s definitely an advantage for us,” Mommsen agreed. “I’m not sure whether England have actually played on this ground since it’s kind of reopened and we’ve played here a number of times in the last 12 months.”There is a play within a play here, too. This time last year, Paul Collingwood was working on the England coaching staff under Ashley Giles.But once Paul Downton was appointed as managing director of England cricket, Giles and Collingwood were quickly brushed aside. When Downton was in the Caribbean – supposedly talking to everyone involved in the set-up to canvass their views before making decisions – he spent almost no time at all with Collingwood. As far as Giles and Collingwood are concerned, it is because his mind was already made up: Peter Moores was always going to be given the England job.So it would make an eloquent point if Scotland – now benefitting from Collingwood’s wisdom as Specialist Coach – could defeat England in such a high-profile match. It might even hasten the end of Moores’ second spell as England coach.

Jason Gillespie has been confirmed as coach of Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League and will ponder the option of also taking on the job of South Australia coach as the state searches for the man to replace Darren Berry in the latter role.The Strikers’ announcement that they had secured Gillespie was accompanied by expressions of hope from the South Australian Cricket Association chief executive Keith Bradshaw that the former Australia fast bowler would entertain the thought of taking up both gigs.However such a decision would likely force Gillespie out of the role of Yorkshire coach, a post he has held with great success, so much so that he has commonly been touted as the next coach of England. In discussing how excited he was to be returning to a job in his home state, Gillespie gave no indication he was thinking of leaving Headingley.”It was very late in the piece (that I was approached),” Gillespie said. “Obviously things have happened at the SACA and I got a call asking if there was any interest would I be willing to be spoken to about possibly being involved, and I jumped at the opportunity really.”Watching the Big Bash on television from home in the UK, it’s very exciting, and to have the opportunity to be part of it I think is fantastic. I saw the brand of cricket they played in the last Big Bash and it did excite me. It was entertaining cricket, which I’m really big on – that’s what we’re here for, to entertain crowds and put on a show. I think a positive, aggressive brand of cricket is the way forward, and I saw that with the Strikers.”Having an opportunity to see how the Big Bash works, I’m hoping I can bring back to Yorkshire some of the things I learn, whether it be working with other coaches, working with different players, some thoughts and ideas about how the Twenty20 game is continually evolving. If I can bring any of that knowledge back to Yorkshire, hopefully that can help us improve our Twenty20 cricket.’Much like his former state and national teammate Darren Lehmann, Gillespie has returned to the Australian cricket fold with some fanfare after retiring during the 2007-08 season and being at odds with the cricket hierarchy for some time.Gillespie was knocked back for numerous Australia and domestic roles before working in Zimbabwe on the way to taking the job as head coach at Yorkshire. It is a role he has filled with distinction, largely by exhorting his players to be aggressive, free-spirited and independent-minded.”Pressure is what you make of it. My role is simply to allow players to go out there and express themselves,” he said. “If I can help them along the way, then that’s fantastic. I like to empower players, I like to empower other members of the coaching staff. “I think that’s really important. We’re all in it together.”I just want to see some exciting cricket, I want to see lads go out there with a smile on their face. They’re representing the Adelaide Strikers, it’s all about opportunity, it’s all about having some fun, and I’m really excited about that.”Bradshaw, the former MCC chief executive, said that while he respected Gillespie’s Yorkshire ties, he would dearly love to see him choose to work year-round in SA. “If he ended up as the Redbacks coach, what a fantastic story that would be as well,” Bradshaw said. “There is a journey that we need to go through but he is, without question, a quality guy, quality coach, a quality individual, and he is South Australian.”Few coaches have been able to succeed over a long period of time while juggling both BBL and state roles.

Kumar Sangakkara has signed with the Hobart Hurricanes for the 2015-16 BBL season. Sangakkara will join West Indies allrounder Darren Sammy as the overseas signings for the Hurricanes next summer after they missed out on reaching the semi-finals last season.”Kumar’s signing is not only huge for the Hobart Hurricanes but for the Big Bash League overall,” Hurricanes coach Damien Wright said. “There is no doubt that this is a really exciting signing for BBL05.”Kumar is not only an extremely talented batsman but also a leader which is also fantastic. With both Darren Sammy and Kumar joining our club and also many local favourites our members and fans will be in for a treat.”Sangakkara retired from one-day internationals after this year’s World Cup and has played 130 Tests, 404 ODIs and 56 T20 internationals for Sri Lanka. Sangakkara said he was excited to be joining the Hurricanes on a two-year deal.”The Big Bash League is a fun, exciting and family friendly league with a very high quality of cricket,” Sangakkara said. “There are so many great players involved and I am really looking forward to the challenge.”I have always loved Hobart when visiting with the Sri Lankan team, the people are friendly, the scenery is beautiful and I am looking forward to spending more time there and getting to see more of it.”

Two male officials have been found guilty of sexual harassment of members of the Sri Lanka’s women’s team, while another official has been found guilty of improper conduct but not sexual harassment. These were the findings of an inquiry committee set up by Sri Lanka’s sports ministry, which also concluded that there was no evidence of physical intimacy and consequently no grounds for criminal proceedings. All three members are no longer with the women’s team.The incidents had occurred in 2013 and 2014 and had prompted Sri Lanka’s sports ministry to carry out an inquiry of their own. A committee led by NE Dissanayake, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, public trustee Tharangani Dissanaike, and S Aloka Bandara from the Ministry of Public Administration was appointed in November last year to look into the matter.Their report, and the one filed by the SLC’s investigator Manoli Jinadasa, also noted the “unsatisfactory situation that prevailed in the selection and other aspects relating to women’s cricket and widely prevalent perceptions of favouritism and bias”.There was also a critique “on the failure to ensure that a female manager handles the Women’s Cricket Team.” Vanessa de Silva, a former Sri Lanka women’s captain, is the current manager and was appointed in April 2015.The release said SLC was “very concerned” by those observations, will study the reports further and take appropriate action.

Quinton de Kock will not feature in the two T20s against England after South Africa’s management decided he needed a “period of rest” ahead of the World T20, because of the knee niggle he sustained earlier in the summer. He will be available for the three T20s against Australia, starting on March 4.”Quinton has been playing a lot of cricket since the injury to his knee before the third Test match against England,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, said. “Even though he was given the all clear by the medical team at the time, we feel it is best to give the knee some rest as he is still slightly symptomatic. We need to keep in mind the upcoming ICC World T20 as well as the short turnaround of matches leading up to the tournament.”De Kock sat out the Wanderers Test after slipping while walking his two dogs the day before the match. He later explained that he had fallen on his shin and did not think much of the incident. It was only after waking up at night in pain and with swelling in his knee that de Kock realised he had done some damage.Dane Vilas was called in as an emergency replacement for that match but De Kock returned for Centurion, in which he scored his maiden Test hundred, and then added two more centuries in the ODIs.Even though his return to form has been prolific, South Africa do not want to run the risk of an injury ahead of the World T20, despite the lack of game time de Kock has had in the shortest format. He did not play the T20s in India either, where AB de Villiers opened the batting and kept wicket, as he will do in this series. De Kock could still return to fill that role and force Hashim Amla out of the side.

The ICC has urged Sri Lanka’s sports ministry to hold Sri Lanka Cricket elections before the next ICC board meeting in October, suggesting “further action” may be taken against SLC “in the event of further non-compliance”.SLC, whose ICC voting rights remain suspended while the government-appointed interim committee is in charge, has played down the threat of further sanctions. The ICC also still holds payments due to SLC in escrow, but has been periodically releasing funds as SLC requests them.”The ICC Board received an update on Sri Lanka Cricket and reiterated its earlier position that the appointment of an Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by the Government of Sri Lanka was a breach of the ICC’s constitution,” an ICC release said. “The ICC Board urged the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka to hold free and fair elections before the next ICC Board meeting in October, adding that the ICC reserved the right to take further action against the SLC in the event of further non-compliance.”However, SLC elections appear unlikely to be held in the next four months with sports minister Navin Dissanayake having announced that they were scheduled for January 2016. Interim committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny suggested the ICC would be satisfied with this time frame.”The ICC board said they would like us to hold elections by October, but by latest – January,” Wettimuny said. “The meeting went off O.K. We explained our situation and the ICC explained their technicality.”SLC’s interim committee is in the midst of designing a domestic structure that aims to take cricket into the provinces more effectively, and an election before October would put much of this work at risk. The board is also looking at inviting ICC chairman N Srinivasan to Sri Lanka during the forthcoming Test series with India, in August and September, as a means of maintaining cordial relations with the ICC.