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A couple of weeks ago, Ajinkya Rahane couldn’t even make India’s ODI XI, but after surprisingly being named captain for the limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe, the batsman has said that he is “very confident to handle this new responsibility.”

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-20153:55

‘I’ve learned a lot from Dhoni, Virat and Dravid’

A couple of weeks ago, Ajinkya Rahane couldn’t even make India’s ODI XI, but after surprisingly being named captain for the limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe, the batsman has said that he is “very confident to handle this new responsibility.”Rahane’s game had come under criticism during the Bangladesh ODIs, with MS Dhoni suggesting that Rahane struggled to rotate the strike on slower pitches. Rahane, though, felt the captaincy offered him an opportunity to improve his batting in the shorter formats, and said that he had a “great hunger to learn”.”I know how capable I am and I believe in myself. I have learned a lot from whatever cricket I have played in the last four-five years,” Rahane told . “I wasn’t thinking about the captaincy. I didn’t know about it. It came as a surprise, but whatever domestic and international cricket I’ve played gave me confidence. I am a very hardworking guy. I always want to be the best in the world and I know my capabilities.”While Rahane has led in just two matches in senior representative cricket, he said he had picked up a “lot of ideas” from playing under Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid, his captain at Rajasthan Royals.”Under Dhoni , I have learnt a lot from his calmness and the way he handles everything on the field. Virat’s controlled aggression, which you can see in his batting and captaincy, is something I want to learn from him.”Rahul (Dravid) likes to keep things really simple and I was with him in Rajasthan Royals. I have my own ideas and I know what I have to do on the field. Obviously the senior players who will be there with me will advise me. The three things I have learned from those three captains are calmness, controlled aggression, and keeping things simple.”This has always been a part of me and I never spoke to Rahul about captaincy in particular, but he spoke about how he would plan things as a captain. I’ve also observed Dhoni closely, how he would plan, how his mindset would be. As a captain, you need to think from different angles according to the situation which is very important.”Speaking specifically about the forthcoming challenge from Zimbabwe, Rahane said he had always taken every international side seriously, irrespective of their ranking, and that it wouldn’t change next week. He added that he had full faith in the squad picked by the BCCI.”As a captain, it’s important to back your players and give them confidence. It is very important to lead from the front, be positive and back your team. Whatever international side we play, we take them seriously. My motive would be to give all youngsters confidence; guys who came back, speak with them, give them confidence and motivate them.”I think this is a good team. Guys who did well in the IPL and domestic season have got their rewards. Every player played their part, and I’m really excited. They are great team-mates and I am looking forward to joining them.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has mounted a defence of the vice captain, Brad Haddin, saying his aggressive antics towards New Zealand in the World Cup final were in accordance with the team’s plans for the tournament decider.Haddin has been roundly criticised for being the ringleader of several send-offs to departing New Zealand batsmen in Australia’s comfortable victory, something he later put down to feeling “uncomfortable” at how “nice” the same opponents had been during an earlier pool match in Auckland.Speaking to Adelaide radio station , Lehmann said the Australians had played the final the way they wanted to, and admitted the team plans had called for a “really aggressive” approach towards New Zealand to throw them off their rhythm. He also noted the lack of ICC code of conduct reports out of the game, and was dismissive of complaints about the team’s alcohol-soaked celebrations.”He’s copped a bit, hasn’t he?” Lehmann said of Haddin. “We like to play our game, no-one got reported out of the game, so we must have played it fair. It was a little bit disappointing, but people are entitled to their opinions and you’re going to have good and bad times. You accept that and you move on.”We’re happy with the way we played obviously. We knew we wanted to be really aggressive against them, and look, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”You’re supposed to enjoy it, enjoy it in the right way and look after yourself and look after everyone else, that’s the main thing. Everyone’s entitled to their opinions.”More critical than Haddin’s actions, Lehmann felt, was the first over dismissal of Brendon McCullum by Mitchell Starc, a moment that had the previously confident and fearless New Zealand side retreating into themselves with tentative play typified by Martin Guptill’s dismissal by Glenn Maxwell.”You like it when a plan comes together don’t you, especially so early in the game and it sets the tone,” Lehmann said. “It was interesting once that happened they went into their shells a bit New Zealand, which was surprising, so allowed us to control the game. James Faulkner… when they just looked like they were getting into the game he came through with that spell in the Powerplay.”Running his eye over Australia’s West Indies and Ashes squads, Lehmann said he was looking forward to seeing the wrist spinner Fawad Ahmed acquitted himself, selected ahead of Adam Zampa and Cameron Boyce for reasons of experience – ditto Adam Voges ahead of Joe Burns.”He gives us that added variation you might need in the West Indies and England, with the off spinner in Lyon and the bloke who takes it away in the leg spinner who we rate highly,” Lehmann said. “We went with experience more than anything else, someone who’s been around for a bit. Adam Zampa and Cameron Boyce in Queensland we felt just fell away a bit towards the back end of the season with their bowling.”Lehmann and the team staff will now enjoy a brief holiday before reconvening in Brisbane to prepare for the dual tours of the West Indies and England, in contrast to Lehmann’s entry into the Australian job on the day the 2013 Ashes tour began, in place of Mickey Arthur.”The preparation [for the 2013 Ashes] wasn’t quite there as I would have liked, I got thrown into it just before they all met up,” Lehmann said. “We’ve got a lot more planning to do this time, which is nice, and I think we’ve got a great mix in that squad.”We meet up in mid-May for the West Indies tour so looking forward to that. You move on pretty quickly, you enjoy what it is and what it was, a pretty special seven weeks in all our lives, the fifth time Australia won the World Cup, but you also have an eye to the future to work out what you’ve got to do to get moving again.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:06

Will India be happy with 408?

First India then Australia: neither side was able to take control on day two of the second Test in muggy Brisbane.The visitors’ loss of six for 87 at the steady hands of Josh Hazlewood gave the hosts a better sight of the batting crease than they could have expected after day one, but a trio of wickets to the speedy Umesh Yadav left the captain Steven Smith a little shorter of support than he would have preferred. Storms threatened all day but it was ultimately poor light that brought the day to an early close.India’s captain MS Dhoni was arguably the more content of the two captains, having made enough incisions to expect the possibility of a first innings lead on day three. Indiscriminate strokes meant that David Warner and Shane Watson both squandered strong starts, and Chris Rogers was cramped and then caught by Dhoni from the fast and hostile Umesh as refreshments were being served.Much now rests on the shoulders of Smith, who looked in sublime touch on his way to an unbeaten 65 but also lost Shaun Marsh, for once making neither a duck nor a hundred for Australia. Warner seemed intent on replicating his twin hundreds in Adelaide, helped once again by India’s curious preference for bowling around the wicket to him.He surged to 29 in 27 balls, but the 28th was short and fast from Umesh, prompting a miscued pull that was taken in the slips. Rogers showed sound judgement around off stump and appeared to enjoy the extra pace on the ball, while Watson played through the line with confidence after getting fortuitously off the mark when a Varun Aaron bouncer skimmed off the surface and took the shoulder of his bat.Storm clouds were gathering around the Gabba when Dhoni introduced R Ashwin’s offbreaks, and he kept mid-on up as Watson sweated on a chance to flay the slow bowler down the ground. Dhoni was to be rewarded for this when Watson did not get all of his attempted strike, Shikhar Dhawan taking the catch and Virat Kohli screaming his delight at Australia’s disconsolate No. 3.Rogers’ exit on the stroke of tea brought Shaun Marsh to the middle for the first time in a home Test since his horrid series against the same opposition in 2011-12, but he looked in sturdy enough touch until top edging a pull at Aaron that Rahane circled around without ever looking like he was going to take it. India’s chagrin was brief, however, as Marsh angled his bat at a rapid delivery from Umesh and was taken neatly by Ashwin in the slips, using every centimetre of his tall frame to clasp it.Dhoni and Ashwin had contributed a useful 57-run union in the morning, but Hazlewood’s tight lines, bounce and hint of swing were justly rewarded with handsome figures that put his more experienced counterparts in the shade. The ball of the day was saved for Ajinkya Rahane, who had reached 81 and looked good for many more.Less threatening was Mitchell Starc, who struggled notably for rhythm and confidence as Smith looked for bowling options after being shorn of Mitchell Marsh due to a hamstring problem.The Gabba air was even heavier than it had been on day one, rain seeming imminent but staying away across the morning. Such atmospherics favoured swing, and combined with a pitch that had dried and quickened appreciably, it made for ideal pace-bowling climes.Hazlewood was freed up from the cramps that afflicted him late on the first evening, and found nifty movement to go with his steep trajectory. Rahane was in fluent touch, and proved it by snicking a delivery that most would not have got near – Brad Haddin’s fifth dismissal out of five, on the way to equalling the Australian record with six.Dhoni began as though intent on being an immovable object, hardly flinching when struck on the arm by Hazlewood and the shoulder by Mitchell Johnson. His barely discernible evasive action for the latter blow had the umpire Marais Erasmus calling dead ball when Dhoni ran, the pair engaging in animated discussion as a result.Watson came on to relieve Hazlewood, and second ball drew an edge from Rohit Sharma that Smith caught brilliantly in his outstretched right hand, having initially tried to reach it with both palms. Smith’s ebullient celebration indicated his desire to cut through the Indian tail, but another indifferent spell from Starc allowed Dhoni and Ashwin to mount a pesky stand.Australian shoulders slumped a little, but Hazlewood’s second spell of the morning brought further indications of his quality. Ashwin edged to first slip with a slightly closed bat face, and Dhoni touched a nip-backer he was trying to leave.Aaron was pouched at short leg – by the substitute Marnus Labuschagne – in what would have been the final over of the session, and the half-hour extension was enough time for Nathan Lyon to also account for Umesh. His day was far from done though.

Ireland secured the one-day series but they were made to work for their three-wicket win, firstly by a fine hundred from Richie Berrington and then a late push by Scotland in the field

Ryan Bailey at Malahide10-Sep-2014
ScorecardKevin O’Brien made it back-to-back fifties before Ireland suffered a wobble•ICC/Getty

For over a century the Scots have been voyaging across the Irish sea armed with whites and willow. On few occasions have they not made the return journey empty-handed and even the acclaimed hospitality will have done little to enrich their humbling visits to the Emerald Isle.Their record on Irish soil in ODIs now stands at played six, lost six as Ireland once more claimed the bragging rights, but this time Scotland made them work for their victory and at 186 for 7 the result was far from assured before John Mooney calmed Irish nerves. A tighter game, though, will have done Ireland no harm in this pre-World Cup workout.Scotland are a side resigned to the protracted nature of transition but even this, a week in which they have been outplayed and outmuscled, is an alarming reality check five months out from a third appearance on the sport’s most exalted stage. There has, however, been a glimpse of light, or two, not least a striking innings from Richie Berrington, the South-African born batsman, who recorded his maiden ODI century.It was a lone hand though. Much like on Monday, the Scottish top order wilted in the face of Ireland’s calculated blitz and while Berrington, along with Josh Davey and then Ali Evans, managed to thrust their side to a semblance of respectability, they were unable to apply the same stranglehold they had been put under when Ireland went about their chase of 222.As it was, a late rally ensured the scorecard would have a polished look to it from a Scottish perspective but they were always behind the eight ball. Kevin O’Brien scored his second fifty of the series – the first time he had reached the landmark in successive games for Ireland in seven years – to once again take the sting out of any potential Scottish retaliation with the ball.However, a fine diving catch away to his right from wicketkeeper Matthew Cross off Evans to remove O’Brien, for 67 from 65 balls, in the 35th over was the moment of inspiration his side needed. Stuart Poynter was brilliantly run out by Evans at midwicket a couple of overs later and when Stuart Thompson was trapped in front by Michael Leask, Ireland were wobbling.Just as he has done on countless occasions before, Mooney, in just his second game back from an extended break from the game due to a stress related illness, played the role of finisher to ease his side over the line with five overs remaining.In truth, Ireland made hard work of a chase that ought to have been a lot more straightforward. They will, however, be all the better for the workout but for much of the early part of the match it did not appear they would be pushed that far. That they did was solely down to a century of great tenacity and perseverance from Berrington; he could teach his team-mates a thing or two.An innings which started in survival mode gradually moved through the gears as he and Davey frustrated the hosts and halted their early onslaught. Max Sorensen had accounted for three of the top four, utilising the two-paced pitch and early-morning conditions, to reduce Scotland to 48 for 5. There was a distant possibility the visiting Scots would have a free afternoon to take in the sights of the Irish capital.Berrington, however, had other ideas. His 84-run stand for the sixth wicket with Davey included an array of shots around the wicket before the latter could only fend Craig Young to gully. Berrington was having no such issues with the Irish bowlers as he struck eight fours and a powerful six to reach three figures for the first time. It was the type of innings worthy of being match winning. Ultimately, it was in vain.

Australia Women have confirmed their entry in the Women’s World T20 semi-finals after their 94-run win against Pakistan Women

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2014
ScorecardElyse Villani struck six fours and five sixes in her knock•ICCAustralia Women have confirmed their entry in the Women’s World T20 semi-finals after their 94-run win against Pakistan Women. The second semi-final spot from group A will now be decided when South Africa Women take on New Zealand Women in a virtual quarter-final. If New Zealand win, they will top the group, with Australia behind them, while if South Africa win, they will overtake New Zealand on account of a better net run-rate.Australia made a sure-footed start to their match after choosing to bat, as openers Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani put together 61 for the first wicket. Villani anchored the innings after Healy departed and, in the company of Meg Lanning, boosted Australia to a mammoth 185. The pair added 104 at a scoring rate of nearly 10. Lanning was out in the penultimate over for 50 off 33 balls, but it was Villani’s innings that set Australia up, her unbeaten 90 coming off 54 balls with six fours and five sixes.A solid opening stand of 57 off 68 balls was the only bright spot for an otherwise shaky Pakistan. Javeria Khan and Bismah Maroof, the openers, were also the only batsmen to score in double figures. Javeria’s wicket in the 13th over was followed by a slide which saw Pakistan slump from 61 for 1 to 91 for 9.Sarah Coyte and Ellyse Perry both took three wickets each, while Jess Jonassen finished with 2 for 14.

Ajinkya Rahane thanked his “role model” Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar after scoring a maiden Test hundred in Wellington. Rahane, playing his fifth Test, came in at No 7 when India were still trailing New Zealand and fell after the lead had swelled to 231. His century helped India finish with a first-innings lead of 246.”I have been following him (Dravid) from my childhood,” Rahane said. “He is my role model and I have played with him in the Indian team and also with Rajasthan Royals. I learned a lot, on and off the field and just want to thank Rahul .”Also Sachin , because during his last two Test matches he told me about my batting. He said, ‘I have been following you, your hard work, fitness, how you have conducted yourself. Be the same and your chance will surely come.’ So thanks to both of them.”Ajinkya Rahane said that MS Dhoni’s counterattack after Virat Kohli fell, helped him settle down.•Getty Images

Rahane had fallen short of a century by four runs in his third Test in Durban. At the time, the Indian tail was collapsing and, in trying to get to the landmark in a hurry, with last man Mohammed Shami for company, Rahane swung at Vernon Philander only to be bowled. This time, his companion was Zaheer Khan, who cannot exactly be relied upon to hang around.Rahane said he knew there was a lot of difference between getting 96 and getting 100, but added he was not thinking about what had happened in Durban.”In South Africa, when I got 96, I wanted to get that hundred, because the first hundred is really special,” he said. “Those four runs were really crucial at that time (in Durban). I know how crucial four runs are now, because a hundred is a hundred. When you get out on 96, it comes in fifties.”This time I wasn’t thinking about my hundred, I just wanted to play one ball at a time. I just wanted to be there as long as possible and play my shots and keep as much strike as possible.”We were eight down and Zaheer Khan was batting so I told him I will try to play four-five balls and take a single on the last ball. That really helped me because I was in the present and was not thinking about what is going to happen. I just told him to play the way he liked. I told him I am not thinking about my hundred, that I will try and back my ability and my shots. Whatever happens will happen.”Rahane eventually made it to a century with a pulled four off Corey Anderson and the batsman said it was hard to describe what he felt at that time.”I don’t know how to explain (my feelings after reaching the hundred). A Test hundred is always special. A first hundred, I will remember it for a long time… it’s a special hundred for me. Tomorrow is a crucial day for us and hopefully the bowlers will do their remaining job.”Rahane said he wanted to take his time at the crease after walking in to bat with the score at 165 for 5. MS Dhoni’s counterattack, after Virat Kohli fell, also helped him.”I just wanted to play my game, whatever I have been playing in domestic cricket, and continue that. He (Dhoni) gave me a lot of confidence,” Rahane said. “I had batted with him in South Africa. He just told me to back myself, play my shots. He said: ‘Play one ball at a time, that’s it, don’t think too much.’ That really helped me a lot and gave me good confidence.”

Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath stressed that Zaheer Khan’s form will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 18

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2013

Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath stressed that Zaheer Khan’s form will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 18. Zaheer, who last played a Test for India against England in December 2012, was picked for the tour of South Africa and is the most experienced bowler in a pace attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.”Zaheer will be the leader,” Kumble told . “He will get reverse (swing) as well. [I] Just hope he bowls at his usual speed. He shouldn’t drop his pace, shouldn’t bowl within himself. It would be good if he can knock a few wickets upfront.”According to Srinath, Zaheer’s effectiveness would depend on him bowling the right spells. “Strength and energy will be critical to Zaheer. As for line, length and strategies, he is a master at that,” Srinath said to the newspaper. “It boils down to his core strength and [about] him coming in for the right spells and sustaining that energy. Another core area for Zaheer is the way he guides the other bowlers.”Zaheer is fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers in South Africa, behind Kumble, Srinath and Sreesanth. In six Tests, Zaheer has 23 wickets at an average of 32.52.Kumble, the most successful Indian bowler in South Africa – with 45 wickets in 12 games – said that the spinners would have to deal with the challenge of additional bounce on the pitches and a softer, used ball.”It does not spin much but you do get bounce from the surface,” Kumble said. “The spinners have to take that into account when they set the field. The ball tends to get soft after 20 overs, so the spinners need to handle that in the middle overs. Between the grounds, there is not much at Johannesburg but Durban does a bit more. And if the game goes to the fourth and fifth day, the spinners will have a role.”Kumble added that R Ashwin, India’s frontline spinner on his first tour to South Africa, could exploit the rough patches created by the follow-throughs of the pacers: “I enjoyed bowling there, bowling into the rough especially against a left-handed batsman. With Zaheer and hopefully (Lonwabo) Tsotsobe bowling (both being left-arm seamers), there will be a rough that Ashwin can exploit.”Both bowlers stressed that the Indian attack would have to get their lengths right, instead of merely relying on the bounce.”The length has to be neither forward nor backward,” Kumble said. “It has to be a length where after pitching, the height of the ball should be able to hit the knee roll of the pad and if the batsman snicks it, there is enough carry for the catch to be taken. You can’t just release the ball, even if there is swing you need to hit the deck hard.”

BCCI president N Srinivasan has announced his intention to contest the board elections at the annual general meeting on September 29

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2013BCCI president N Srinivasan has announced his intention to contest the board elections at the annual general meeting on September 29, hours after the Supreme Court gave a conditional approval to his candidature.”Nobody has stopped me from contesting elections and attending the AGM. Before taking my comments, kindly go through the observations made by the honourable Supreme Court,” Srinivasan told PTI. “It states clearly that I have not been stopped from attending the AGM and I am also going to contest the election. Why shall I not contest the elections?”The Supreme Court had allowed Srinivasan to contest the elections but said that if he were to win, he would not be allowed to take charge as president so long as it was hearing the case related to him and the board. The ruling came on a petition filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) seeking to restrain Srinivasan from running for re-election pending the verdict on a petition filed in July. The court is expected to hear the matter again on Monday, a day after the BCCI election.Srinivasan had in June handed over charge of the daily running of the board to Jagmohan Dalmiya, but was looking at Sunday’s election as a way of legitimising his presidency. The CAB petition had challenged the Bombay High Court’s order on the BCCI’s inquiry committee that investigated corruption in the IPL, on the grounds that it had failed to appoint a fresh panel despite finding the original one to be constituted illegally. The Bombay High Court order too had come on a petition filed by the CAB questioning the constitution of the two-man committee to probe corruption allegations against the owners of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.Aditya Verma, the CAB’s secretary, had accused Srinivasan of utilising his position as the BCCI president to influence the setting up of the probe panel, which was formed to investigate his company India Cements – the owner of Super Kings – and his son-in-law and Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested and subsequently charged with illegal betting. The High Court concluded that there was “a degree of probability” of Srinivasan playing a role in setting up the inquiry panel.

Zimbabwe allowed Pakistan to claw back into the match in the third session of the second Test in Harare after keeping the bowlers at bay for two-thirds of the day

The Report by Devashish Fuloria10-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJunaid Khan picked up two crucial wickets after tea to rob Zimbabwe of the upper hand•AFP

Zimbabwe allowed Pakistan to claw back into the match in the third session of the second Test in Harare after keeping the bowlers at bay for two-thirds of the day. The hosts had survived a treacherous morning session with only the loss of their openers before half-centuries from their senior batsmen, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor, took them to 165 for 3 at tea. However, five wickets in the final session undermined the earlier good work.Junaid Khan provided the first of the five breakthroughs when he had Malcolm Waller caught behind soon after tea, but it was Abdur Rehman who made the crucial dismissal when he trapped Taylor lbw while on the sweep. Taylor, who had been dropped at mid-off by Rahat Ali in Rehman’s previous over, was a touch unlucky though as the ball hit him marginally outside the line of off stump.But there wasn’t much resistance from Elton Chigumbura and Richmond Mutumbami, the last of the recognised batsmen, and Zimbabwe’s innings was caught in the downward spiral. Tinashe Panyangara and Prosper Utseya scored useful runs against the resurgent bowling and survived long enough to ensure the team will come out to bat on the second morning.The pitch, which was thought to be under-prepared, mostly stayed true on the first day. The final score could be much less than what seemed possible at one stage, but with the nature of the pitch still unknown, it could be a good first-innings total.For Zimbabwe though, apart from Masakadza and Taylor, none of the batsmen were able to apply themselves against Pakistan’s tenacious bowling. Masakadza and Taylor had come together at the dismissal of Vusi Sibanda with the score on 31, but added 110 to settle the nerves after initial jitters. The century partnership between the two was a story of two halves: the first dominated by Masakadza and the second by Taylor.In the initial phase, Masakadza looked to score freely while Taylor soaked up the deliveries. He stayed back against the spinners, but was quick to pounce on anything tossed up, preferring to hit over the infield. One such shot took him to his first half-century against Pakistan. Two overs later, he punched a quicker one to the cover boundary to bring up the fifty of the partnership, with Taylor scoring only 7.In the next half though, Taylor assumed the role of the aggressor, announcing his intentions with aerial boundaries off Saeed Ajmal and Rehman. The run-rate hovered around 2.5, but when the opportunities came, Taylor made sure he was ready. He reverse-swept an Ajmal doosra, then creamed a full delivery from Rahat Ali to the cover boundary. When the partnership reached 100, Taylor had taken over the scoring, with 32 runs in the second fifty.The free-scoring came after the batsmen had warded off the threat from Pakistan’s seamers in the first session when the ball was darting around. Zimbabwe lost their first wicket off the second delivery of the day and only two runs were scored in the first 40 minutes.The first over, bowled by Junaid, was almost unplayable and accounted for the wicket of Tino Mawoyo as the batsman was squared up by one that cut across him. The umpire was convinced the ball had taken the edge after the Pakistan team went up in a loud appeal. Replays showed that the ball might have hit the thigh pad along the way and not the bat, but Mawoyo, who has had a poor run of scores opening in Tests, had to go.Rahat started in the same vein from the other end and with plenty of movement on offer, kept the batsmen guessing, as ball after ball, the batsmen played and missed. He bowled a slightly fuller length and a wider line than Junaid, and induced as many errors, but earned the wicket of Sibanda with a short one. He came back to pick another wicket towards the end of the day with the new ball.

Forty year-old Murray Goodwin, the elder statesman of county cricket, notched the 69th first-class century of his career and his second for his new county as Glamorgan took a grip of Kent at Canterbury.

13-Jun-2013
ScorecardMurray Goodwin, seen here against Northants, made his 69th first-class century•Getty ImagesForty year-old Murray Goodwin, the elder statesman of county cricket, notchedthe 69th first-class century of his career and his second for his new county asGlamorgan took a grip of Kent at Canterbury.Winless Kent now face a two-day battle to save themselves from an ignominious homedefeat after slumping to 73 for 4 in reply to Glamorgan’s battling 378. The eighth-placed hosts lost four wickets in the final 12 overs of day two before rain and bad light finally ended their agony. They now go into day three facing a deficit of 305.Without a win from their eight starts to date, Kent were guilty of tossing awaywickets on the same pitch that allowed Glamorgan’s middle order to flourishearlier in the day.Resuming on their overnight score of 155 for 4 after a rain-ruined openingday of 55 overs, Glamorgan lost Jim Allenby in the fifth over of theday after nicking a Charlie Shreck delivery to the wicketkeeper.Former Zimbabwe Test batsman Goodwin combined with his skipper Mark Wallace toadd 105 for the sixth wicket in 33.2 overs. The stand finally came to an end when Mitch Claydon, on loan from Durham, bounced Wallace – who hooked instinctively only to pick out Ben Harmison at deep midwicket to make it 273 for 6.Goodwin cruised to a 190-ball century with 14 fours and looked to kick on intandem with Graham Wagg, but Wagg miscued anattempted drive against Claydon to be caught at short cover by a divingHarmison. Goodwin followed soon after for 136, driving on the up and was caught at cover to bring in last man Michael Reed.In his 11-match first-class career thus far Reed had mustered only 38 runs, yetagainst a tired Kent attack he cantered to a career-best 27 before Claydonfinally snared him leg before to end the innings soon after 5pm.In fading light and with the floodlights on, Kent made a crisp start only tolose their way once opener Sam Northeast steered a delivery off the fullface of the bat to second slip against Wagg. Daniel Bell-Drummond chipped a full ball from Reed into the hands of BenWright at square leg then Rob Key fell in near identical fashion to thebowling of Michael Hogan.Kent’s miserable hour concluded when Brendan Nash nicked a defensivepush against Hogan through to the keeper to slope off with his side on 65 for4.Rain arrived soon after and despite an attempt to restart the game at 6.30pm,umpires Steve Garratt and Neil Mallender were forced to abandon play for theday.