Tag Futebol

England will name their Test squad to face Pakistan in UAE on Friday as they embark on the challenge of maintaining the No. 1 spot in Test cricket

Andrew McGlashan08-Dec-2011England will name their Test squad to face Pakistan in UAE on Friday as they embark on the challenge of maintaining the No. 1 ranking. In 2011 they played eight Tests, winning six and drawing two, but in 2012 that number swells to 15 so the much-vaunted depth of England’s resources will be tested again.A mark of England’s success in climbing the rankings has been how seamlessly players have slotted in when changes have been made through form or injury, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan being the stand-out examples. The players who are currently outside a likely first-choice eleven are vital to the make-up of the squad. If the selectors follow the same pattern as for Australia they will favour those players ready to step up to Test level at a moment’s notice rather than those with potential in the future. The England Lions trips of the subcontinent will allow those players on the fringe to play regular cricket in case reinforcements are required.The key position is which spinner (or even spinners) accompanies Graeme Swann in the squad. There needs to be at least one option who, if the worst case scenario struck and Swann was ruled out of a match, could be the frontline spinner in a Test. Currently that man remains Monty Panesar who toured Australia as Swann’s understudy but wasn’t required. Last season he was the highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2011 with 69 victims at 27.24.Scott Borthwick, the Durham legspinner, Hampshire’s Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan from Lancashire, who took 9 for 51 against Hampshire last year, are the rising stars so it is shaping as now or never for Panesar, who has spent the last couple of months playing club cricket in Sydney, to resume his Test career.Yet, whether Panesar makes the first eleven will depend on if Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower are willing to move away from the current balance of six batsmen, the keeper and four bowlers – albeit in conditions that haven’t demanded a second spinner, or specialist fifth bowler – unless they opt for the risky strategy of two quicks and two spinners.The prolific form of England’s top five, Matt Prior’s consistency in Test cricket, plus the developing allround skills of Bresnan and Stuart Broad, suggest England could cope with the shift in strategy but don’t be surprised to see the balance remain the same. However, there is no doubt that at some point next year – whether in UAE, Sri Lanka or India – England will need two spinners in the same attack.England’s previous Test team, against India at The Oval in August, was without Jonathan Trott due to injury and Ravi Bopara was in the middle order. Trott, the ICC International Cricketer of the Year, will be back at No. 3 against Pakistan and Eoin Morgan will expect to retain his spot if he completes a successful recovery from the shoulder surgery that ruled him out of the one-day tour of India.At the end of England’s home season Bopara’s stock had risen considerably after a successful one-day series against India, but the return contest on the subcontinent didn’t see further development as he became one of a number of England batsmen to struggle against spin. The other options include promoting James Taylor or even taking Samit Patel to cover a number of bases with his spin bowling.In the pace-bowling department there are plentiful options to choose from. The depth available is highlighted by Tremlett’s situation. He began the year by helping seal the Ashes series then starred in the dramatic victory against Sri Lanka, at Cardiff, before bagging career-best figures of 6 for 48 at The Rose Bowl. Yet, so seamlessly did Bresnan replace him against India after injury struck that he was hardly missed.Now, having lost his place to injury he will need someone to break down – or Bresnan to not recover from his elbow surgery – for a spot to open up. Then there’s Steven Finn who was England’s one bright spot during the one-day series in India. He bowled with pace and hostility having developed his game away from Test cricket and looked primed for another opportunity.The final spot will be a reserve keeper and Steven Davies could fill the same role he did during the Ashes. That would mean only one change – Bopara for Paul Collingwood – from the original 16 that travelled to Australia last year. Davies hasn’t featured for England since the one-day series in Australia, at the start of which he was omitted from the World Cup squad in favour of Prior. He scored 1035 runs at 39.80 in the County Championship for Surrey although another option could be Jonny Bairstow if the selectors want to have a look to the future.Possible squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara, Monty Panesar, Steven Davies

Imran Tahir, the Nashua Dolphins legspinner of Pakistani origin, has been granted South African citizenship by naturalisation and is now eligible to play for the country

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2011Imran Tahir, the Nashua Dolphins legspinner of Pakistani origin, has been granted South African citizenship by naturalisation and is now eligible to play for the country. Tahir has also fulfilled the ICC’s regulations for representing his new country, having not played for the country of his birth at any level for more than 4 years.Tahir, 31, has been one of South Africa’s most prolific domestic bowlers in recent times, with 535 first-class wickets at 25.09 from 127 matches. He was picked in the South Africa Test squad to play England in January 2010, but was left out at the last moment owing to issues over his residency paperwork. Those problems have been resolved now.”Imran has made South Africa his home and has been married for some time to a South African,” Gerald Majola, CEO of Cricket South Africa said. “He has been a leading wicket-taker in the top South African domestic competitions for the past few seasons and is highly respected by both his colleagues and his opponents. He certainly becomes a contender for selection to the Proteas squad now that he has met all the government, ICC and CSA regulations regarding his new nationality.”Tahir, however, won’t be considered for the Cape Town Test against India that begins on January 2. “That will not be fair on anyone since the squad has prepared, but he will be considered for the one-dayers,” CSA’s convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson told ESPNcricinfo.

Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is upbeat about his international prospects after returning to the national side for the second Test against Australia in Sydney

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is upbeat about his international prospects after returning to the national side for the second Test against Australia in Sydney. The Test was Sami’s first in more than two years – he had participated in the ICL in the interim – and he impressed in the first innings, taking 3 for 27 to help his team bowl out Australia for 127. However, he was left out of the third and final Test in Hobart but Sami, though disappointed, claimed he was a much-improved bowler and had the wherewithal to succeed at the highest level.”It was great being back among friends in the Test squad and representing my country. Wearing the green cap of Pakistan made me feel a proud man” Sami told Pakpassion.net. “It felt like I was on debut once again even though it was my 117th match for Pakistan. Naturally the nerves were there and it felt like I was playing for the first time. The international cricket gap for myself had been more than two years and I had missed playing for Pakistan so much.”Sami is currently playing for Karachi Blues in the Pentangular Cup. In Sydney, he grabbed three top-order wickets in favourable conditions to hand Pakistan the edge in a game they eventually lost. “For my return to the Pakistan team, conditions were great for fast bowling in Sydney and removing the top three of the Australian batting order was fantastic,” he said. [Mohammad] Asif bowled really well too and we were on top for most of that Test match. The fact that we lost the Test made me and my team mates feel very sad.””Like any other cricketer, I want to play all of the time and I was disappointed that I didn’t play in the third Test in Hobart, but that is something you have to accept at times.”Sami, who made his debut in 2001, has a busy domestic season ahead of him and hopes to make a mark to warrant selection for the World Twenty20 and Pakistan’s tour of England. “I feel I am a rejuvenated cricketer, I am more mature and I feel very strong and fit these days, possibly fitter and stronger than I have ever felt. My rhythm is good, I’ve been working on a few things with my coach and I have done well in domestic cricket this season for Karachi Blues and I want to continue the good form in the upcoming 50-over competition and then the Twenty over competition.”I think I am good enough to play in all three versions of the game for Pakistan and that is my aim. I want to perform well and be selected for the matches in Dubai, the Twenty20 World Cup and then the tour of England to play against Australia and England”.

Most recently, Moroney worked as convenor selector for the Under-19 men’s side, which included last year’s World Cup selection

Firdose Moonda17-Jul-2025Patrick Moroney, a former national selector, has been appointed as South Africa’s new convenor selector for the men’s senior side. Moroney will begin work on August 1. That means his first series in charge will be South Africa’s white-ball tour of Australia, which starts on August 10.Moroney has had a long involvement in selection which dates back to 2001. He has worked with the South African National Academy, the emerging sides, and was in the running to become South Africa’s convenor of selectors in 2019. Then, he lost out to Victor Mpitsang but was appointed to work alongside him.Most recently, Moroney worked as convenor selector for the Under-19 men’s side, which included last year’s World Cup selection. Both Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius were among his picks at that tournament.”His deep understanding of the game, combined with decades of experience in talent identification and selection across various levels, makes him the ideal person for the job,” Enoch Nkwe, director of national teams and High Performance, said in a statement announcing Moroney’s appointment.This is the first time coach Shukri Conrad will have to work with a selection convener since his appointment in January 2023. At the time, Nkwe did away with the selection panel, which was chaired by Mpitsang and also included Moroney, the national coach, and the captain. That left the duties of picking squads and teams solely with the national coaches.Conrad was put in charge of the Test side, and made several left-field selections, including most recently putting Wiaan Mulder at No. 3 – though Mulder now holds South Africa’s highest Test score – while Rob Walter had the white-ball job. Walter faced criticism from various quarters over taking a squad with only one black African player to last year’s T20 World Cup, where South Africa reached the final.It is learnt that CSA’s board had since insisted on the reinstatement of a convenor of selectors, albeit not a full panel. Interviews were concluded in May, when Conrad was given the all-format coaching job, and at the time Nkwe explained the reason to bring back a convenor of selectors to offer “support” to a coach who would already have a lot on his plate.”We needed to review, and look at areas in terms of where we can actually support the coach,” Nkwe said. “We need to have more eyes on the ground as the coach is going to be focusing on performance.”Also at the time, Conrad said he was happy to work with someone, and hoped that person would be a “like-minded person, and that has got South African cricket and the Proteas at heart”.Earlier, Mpitsang and Moroney had worked together in the selection panel from late 2019 until early 2023, and that period coincided with Mark Boucher’s tenure as South Africa’s head coach. Among the most debatable choices that panel made was changing a winning XI on the tour of England in 2022. After South Africa won the first Test at Lord’s, they picked a spinner to play on a seamer-friendly pitch in the second Test at Old Trafford, which forced South Africa to bat first on a difficult track. As a result, they lost that match and then the series. The panel also selected a then-unknown Marco Jansen, who has since gone on to represent South Africa in all formats.

The two uncapped batters are most likely competing for one spot in India’s playing XI for the Visakhapatnam Test against England

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-20242:39

Manjrekar: ‘Selecting Sarfaraz over Patidar would be an over-reaction’

Rajat Patidar grew up hoping to be a fast bowler. But an ACL injury in 2014 forced him to shift to batting. A decade on, he’s on the cusp of a Test debut, as a middle-order batter. With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul unavailable, Patidar could well slot in at four or five.If that happens, it will be the start of another chapter for Patidar, the 30-year-old from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, who earned an ODI cap in South Africa in December. Patidar still wonders how life has turned around in the last few months, after he spent nearly eight months away from the game for an Achilles injury that required surgery in London.”It’s always tough when you get injured,” Patidar told bcci.tv. “I told myself that I couldn’t do anything about the time it would take me to recover, I couldn’t change that. So I stayed in the present and did whatever I could. Getting a call-up [to the Test team] so soon after recovering from the injury is my happiest moment, because my biggest dream was always to play Test cricket for my country. So when the call came, I was very happy. I was with India A, and was happy that what I had dreamed of had happened.”Related

• Batters could have a party on traditional Visakhapatnam pitch

• Patidar vs Sarfaraz takes centre stage at India nets

• India's battle is with themselves

Patidar has been in sensational form lately. He struck a back-to-the-wall 151 in his most recent first-class outing, for India A against England Lions. Prior to that, he made 111 in a two-day game against the same opponents. That culminated in his maiden call-up to the Test squad last week. And at his first net session with the national team in Visakhapatnam, he had an opportunity to interact with someone he hadn’t spoken a whole lot with.”I have played with many of the players [who are in the Test team] in domestic cricket. I have been speaking to Rahul [Dravid] sir when I have been around him,” Patidar said. “I hadn’t spoken much with Rohit [Sharma] earlier, but got a chance to speak to him about batting on this tour. He shares his experience. That’s given me confidence.”Patidar is a free-stroking batter with a strong technique and good base. He’s known for his ability to play spin well and, in general, take the attack to the bowlers while being consistent. A first-class average of 45.97 in 93 innings is testament to that.Rajat Patidar showed promise during his 16-ball 22 on ODI debut in South Africa•Gallo Images

“I have always been an aggressive batter, from the time I started in domestic cricket, I have always played these shots,” he said. “It’s my habit, it’s about preparation – I have prepared for it, so it’s become a habit now. I study opposition bowlers, the patterns in their bowling, their fields, and also watch people like Rohit , how he tackles those fields. I have tried to add all that to my game.”I always observe, from behind the nets or wherever I can, when he [Virat Kohli] bats. I especially observe his footwork for over-pitched deliveries and his body movements. I enjoy watching him, and try to add all that in my game. It’s not easy, but I am giving it a good shot.”

Sarfaraz: ‘I was not sure I had actually been selected’

Patidar isn’t the only uncapped player in the Test group. Another one knocking on the doors for a while now is Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan. No batter in the world who has aggregated 2000 or more first-class runs since 2020 averages more than Sarfaraz’s 82.40. His call-up has taken a while coming, and Sarfaraz couldn’t be happier.”This game is about patience. If I have to play Test cricket, I have to be patient,” he told bcci.tv. “There are times in life when we try to rush into things. I would have tears in my eyes [when I wasn’t selected]. My [father] told me, ‘keep working hard, no-one can stop you’. I feel it’s very important to believe in yourself and be patient. More than myself, I am happy for my father. It’s a matter of great pride that in a country of over a billion people, I am in the team.”Like Patidar, Sarfaraz is coming off a century (a 160-ball 161) in his most recent first-class outing, also for India A against Lions. He was gearing up to play for Mumbai against Bengal in Kolkata, starting Friday, when he received the big call.No batter in the world who has aggregated 2000 or more first-class runs since 2020 averages more than Sarfaraz Khan’s 82.40•Getty Images

“I didn’t believe it at first, I was not sure I had actually been selected,” he said. “Then I told people at home; my father wasn’t at home at the time, he was at our village, so I called him, and everyone – my wife, , [mother]. Everyone was so happy and emotional.”Sarfaraz’s younger brother Musheer is also currently making waves in junior cricket, having hit two hundreds in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. Naushad Khan, who received a BCCI award on Sarfaraz’s behalf last week in Hyderabad, has been a major influence on his sons.”Everyone knows my father has been my coach, so I have always tried to make sure his efforts don’t go in vain, I wanted to be selected for India one day,” Sarfaraz said. “Now I think all the work I have put in hasn’t been wasted. I am in the team now, I am thrilled.”I have had a dream that all my India A team-mates are congratulating me, shaking my hand, coming to greet me. The dream of being selected to the national team would keep visiting me – I am playing for India, I am scoring runs… whatever happens, happens for the best. It’s a dream come true now.”

Fast bowler will fly to Australia immediately in place of Young, who experienced “recurrence of a chronic issue”

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2022Fast bowler Graham Hume has been drafted into Ireland’s T20 World Cup squad and will fly to Australia as replacement for Craig Young, who has experienced a “recurrence of a chronic issue”, according to Cricket Ireland.”Unfortunately, whilst out in Sydney for our T20 World Cup prep camp, Craig experienced a recurrence of a chronic issue which we have been managing for quite some time,” Mark Rausa, Cricket Ireland’s head of physiotherapy, said.”Whilst we thought we were on top of the issue, it sadly flared up once we arrived in Sydney and began training. Craig will now return home for an assessment with our medical specialists to plan out his rehab.”Related

• Andy McBrine dropped from T20 World Cup squad; Simi Singh in

Hume, 31, made his Ireland debut in an ODI against New Zealand in July this year, before making his T20I debut the following month against Afghanistan. While a veteran of 98 first-class games, with 57 List A and 35 T20 matches to boot, those two games are all the international experience Hume has. He is yet to pick up an international wicket.Young has been one of Ireland’s premier bowlers since making his debut in 2014 and is the joint second-highest wicket-taker for the team in T20Is in 2022. His injury comes as a blow to Ireland, who start their T20 World Cup campaign against Zimbabwe on October 17 in Hobart. They are placed in Group B alongside West Indies, Scotland and Zimbabwe, and will vie for one of two spots available for the Super 12 round.Ireland will also play two warm-up games – against Namibia on October 11 and Sri Lanka on October 13 – in Melbourne. They will depart for Melbourne on October 9.Updated Ireland squad: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Paul Stirling (vice-capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Simi Singh, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker

Kieran Powell will replace him under the concussion substitute rule

Firdose Moonda10-Jun-2021West Indies batter Nkrumah Bonner has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa in St Lucia after being diagnosed with concussion. Kieran Powell will replace him under the concussion substitute rule.Bonner top edged the very first ball he faced, off pacer Anrich Nortje, when he attempted to hook a short delivery but played the ball onto his helmet’s badge. He appeared shaken and was checked for concussion on the field – while South Africa reviewed unsuccessfully for a possible catch – and allowed to continue. He faced 32 balls in all and scored 10 runs but did not take the field when West Indies arrived to bowl, midway through the second session.Instead, Powell was on the field and will now also bat in Bonner’s place. Powell has not played for West Indies since 2018 and was recalled for the series.If was a big blow on a day of blows for West Indies, who were routed for 97 – the 19th time in Test cricket they’ve been bowled out below 100, and their lowest total against South Africa. Bonner, averaging 62.50 in his four Tests before this one, was one of only five players to face more than 30 balls in the innings.

Barry O’Brien, former Glamorgan chairman, asked to head up panel looking into circumstances

George Dobell22-Apr-2020The ECB have asked Barry O’Brien, the former Glamorgan chairman, to lead a review into the circumstances around Ian Watmore’s appointment as chairman.The review comes after thereported that Watmore left his role as chief executive of the Football League following allegations of misconduct. Specifically, the paper suggests Watmore could have jeopardised the league’s broadcast deal with Sky – who are also the ECB’s key broadcast partner – by engaging in unauthorised talks about the possibility of a breakaway league.While O’Brien, currently a non-executive director on the ECB board, is respected for his career as a successful corporate lawyer, his appointment for this specific task is something of a surprise. He was on the ECB’s nominations committee which recommended Watmore’s appointment. As a result, O’Brien is, in the words of one county chairman, “marking his own homework”.If O’Brien’s review – the ECB are keen to avoid use of the word investigation – concludes that Watmore was less than forthcoming with necessary information during the recruitment process, or that his appointment could bring unnecessary baggage to the game, it could recommend the board reverse the appointment. At present, however, it seems the incident is seen more as one of the inevitable bruises sustained during a long career in the civil service and in sports administration.O’Brien is not a complete stranger to such slings and arrows himself. In 2007, he was fined by the Law Society for breaching his duty to a client and bringing his profession into disrepute. It emerged he had advised a consortium run by Philip Green over a proposed takeover of Marks & Spencer who had been a longstanding client of his employer, Freshfields. The episode did not prevent him becoming chair of Glamorgan CCC or joining the ECB board.Perhaps the crucial factor for O’Brien to resolve is when Watmore knew of any misconduct probe relating to his time at the Football League. It does not seem to be disputed that Watmore met representatives of football league clubs who advocated a breakaway, but it is far from certain that he was advocating such a move himself.ALSO READ: ECB to investigate claims of misconduct against Watmore“It sounds to me as if he walked into a divided situation at the Football League, sought to build consensus and reached a solution,” another county chair told ESPNcricinfo. “He sounds exactly the sort of person the ECB need.”It is understood the Football League have declined to provide the report to Watmore or the ECB. This has frustrated the ECB as extracts of it have been leaked to the . The review is unlikely to be completed ahead of the ECB board meeting on Thursday, but could be ready by the end of the month. Watmore, who denies any wrongdoing, has given no indication that he is considering standing aside.All things considered, it would be a surprise if the ECB’s decision to appointment Watmore was reversed. There is little evidence that either Sky, the key broadcast partner, or the counties, who are required to ratify Watmore’s appointment at the ECB’s AGM in May, are especially concerned by anything that has emerged so far. Crucially, there is little appetite among the counties for Colin Graves, the current ECB chair, to use the impasse to extend his tenure.There is a wider context to all this. As a maths graduate of Cambridge University and with a long career in the civil service behind him, Watmore is understood to be a calm, data-led pragmatist. And while the previous two chairs of the ECB have been entrepreneurs – self-starters with admirable levels of determination and self-assurance – Watmore has a reputation as a collaborative builder of consensus. After years of fairly robust leadership, many counties are crying out for such change.

He said that he had accepted Warner’s advice because he “just wanted to fit in and feel valued” in the team

Daniel Brettig26-Dec-2018Cameron Bancroft has confirmed for the first time that David Warner encouraged him to try to tamper with the ball in Cape Town with the tacit approval of the captain Steven Smith, leading to a scandal that saw all three banned from the game while Cricket Australia dealt with a host of cultural repercussions.The week after Smith revealed he had been aware of conversation between Warner and Bancroft about possible ball-tampering and stated “I don’t want to know about it”, thus allowing the events that followed to take place, Bancroft said that he had accepted the then vice-captain’s advice because he “just wanted to fit in and feel valued” in the team.ALSO READ: Smith opens up on Newlands ‘leadership failure’
“Dave [Warner] suggested to me to carry the action out on the ball given the situation we were in in the game and I didn’t know any better,” Bancroft told . “I didn’t know any better because I just wanted to fit in and feel valued, really – as simple as that.”For me the decision was based around my values. What I valued at the time. I valued fitting in. And I guess you hope that fitting in earns you respect and with that I guess there came a really big cost for the mistake. At the time did I know any better? No. Because I valued this thing called fitting in, fitting in with the team, with my mates, earning respect from senior players and I guess that it led to an absolutely destructive situation, emotionally, personally and I lost cricket for that period of time.”But the really, really interesting thing…I’ve asked myself this question a lot. If I had said ‘no’, what would that have meant? And the thing that I’ve inquired and thought about so often is that if I actually said ‘no’, and I went to bed that night, I had the exact same problem. I had some the problem that I had using the sandpaper on the cricket ball.”And the problem was that I would have gone to bed and I would have felt like I let everybody down. I would have felt like I’d let the team down. I would have felt like I would have hurt our chances to win the game of cricket.”I take no other responsibility but the responsibility I have on myself and my own actions because I am not a victim. I had a choice and I made a massive mistake and that is what is in my control.”Having been handed a nine-month ban by CA, as opposed to the one year penalties given to Warner and Smith, Bancroft is due to make his return to domestic ranks in the Big Bash League game between Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on December 30.In the intervening months he has worked to broaden himself, taking up yoga and reading widely in addition to the CA-imposed order to do community work and playing club cricket in The Northern Territory and also his home town of Perth.Towards the end of his suspension, Bancroft said that the cultural lessons of Cape Town and the subsequent Longstaff and McCosker cultural reviews would be lost on CA as an organisation if the governing body was not as honest and self-critical as he had been compelled to be.”The reason why it was painful is because the truth hurts. Maybe in that review there was some truths that were pretty hard to accept,” Bancroft said. “What does that bring? It brings an amazing opportunity to do something about it. Only Cricket Australia will know if they are being true to themselves, to be able to own up to some of those recommendations.”If they can look at themselves in the mirror and be really content and be really peaceful, and proud of the direction they’re going, that’s OK. If they aren’t, like me, that value will always come undone won’t it? It will present itself in the face to you and you’ll have to learn another lesson.”

Stephen Murdoch waltzed to his 13th first-class ton while Hamish Bennett bagged a match haul of seven wickets as Wellington prevailed by an innings and 43 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2017A century from Stephen Murdoch, coupled with Hamish Bennett’s seven-wicket match haul, propelled Wellington to an innings-and-43-run win over Otago inside three days of the Plunket Shield game at Basin Reserve. Wellington’s win amounted to Otago’s second consecutive loss this year, having finished at the bottom of the table last season.Wellington’s offensive with the ball helped them snipe out 15 wickets on the second day, bowling the opposition out for 184. A formidable lead of 185 meant Wellington could enforce follow-on and have an early shot at bringing up their second victory in as many games. The Otago line-up’s first-innings struggle – in which six of their batsman got starts but none could notch up a half-century – aggravated further in the second as only two players – captain Rob Nicol and Jimmy Neesham – went past the 30-run mark. Having been reduced to 107 for 6 at stumps on day two, it was only a matter of time before the remaining four batsmen were undone for only 142 runs inside the 20.3 overs bowled on the third day.Leading the charge for the Wellington attack in both innings was right-arm pacer Bennett who bettered his first-innings three-for with figures of 4 for 30 in the second. Bennett, who took his Shield tally to 12 scalps from two games, found ample support in fellow seamers Ian McPeake and Logan van Beek, who finished with a five-wicket match haul of his own.Wellington’s dominance in the match was, however, established early via Murdoch who waltzed to his 13thfirst-class century after his side lost the toss. The No. 3 batsman countered the loss of the two openers which had Wellington tottering at 33 for 2 in the 11th over. Murdoch put on 113 runs for the third wicket with captain Michael Bracewell, who struck an 83-ball 43. After Bracewell’s dismissal, Murdoch added another 66 runs with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, before holing out to Jacob Duffy off Anaru Kitchen in the 66th over. Two fifty-plus partnerships – anchored by Jeetan Patel’s 64 – for the seventh and the eighth wickets subsequently took Wellington to 369, before being bowled by Neil Wagner, allowing him to complete his four-for. Kitchen and Michael Rae finished with three wickets each.