All posts by h716a5.icu

Kolkata Knight Riders have stretched their winning streak to eleven games but have shown signs of vulnerability in doing so. Do Perth Scorchers possess the quality to exploit them?

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Sep-2014Match facts Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Sunil Narine has conceded only 18 runs in the eight overs he has bowled so far in the CLT20•BCCIBig pictureAgainst Chennai Super Kings, they were 51 for 5 in the ninth over, chasing 158. Against Lahore Lions, they lost wickets in each of their last three overs as they stumbled through a chase of 152. Both times Kolkata Knight Riders won, and have extended their winning streak to 11 matches.While there’s no doubting the quality they possess, Knight Riders don’t a particularly invincible side when you scan through the names in their eleven. Their middle order can be a little hit-and-miss, and their pace attack is prone to being expensive. No one has shown up these weaknesses in a significant way in a long time, however, and Perth Scorchers have a difficult task ahead of them if they aim to be the team that does so.Scorchers weren’t convincing in their last-gasp win over Dolphins, and needed Mitchell Marsh to hit sixes off the last two balls after they had managed to get into a losing position while losing only four wickets in a chase of 165. The lack of the retired Simon Katich and the injured Shaun Marsh was quite apparent. Their seam attack, which had looked potent while reducing Dolphins to 12 for 3, began looking rather samey when the ball stopped swinging. The extra pace of Nathan Coulter-Nile, who sat out the game with a calf injury, was sorely missed.Coulter-Nile is likely to return against Knight Riders, which is a blessing for Scorchers, who do not possess the squad depth of some of the other teams in the competition, notably those from the IPL, and perhaps this was why Brad Hogg, the chinaman bowler, sought to cast them as the underdogs going into their match against Knight Riders. “We want to upset a few teams,” he said.Whether Knight Riders can be one of those teams remains to be seen, but it certainly can be done. They have shown cracks in their first two games, and a good team can break through them if they apply consist pressure.Form guide Kolkata Knight Riders WWWWW (most recent first, completed matches only)
Perth Scorchers WWWLWWatch out for In the eight overs he has bowled so far in the tournament, Sunil Narine has conceded a mere 18 runs at the ridiculous economy rate of 2.25, while also picking up four wickets. Narine is clearly enjoying the conditions in Hyderabad, and Perth Scorchers will have to find a way to lessen his influence on their innings to give themselves a chance of ending Knight Riders’ winning streak.According to Ian Healy, Sam Whiteman has the potential to be as good as Adam Gilchrist. The Western Australia keeper had an excellent Sheffield Shield season, finishing sixth on the overall run-getters list, and followed that with a breezy 174 for Australia A against the touring India A side. Whiteman made a 32-ball 45 against Cape Cobras without having to slog, and could hurt Knight Riders if he carries his form into this game.Stats and trivia While Knight Riders’ spinners have been impressive, all three of the quick bowlers they have used – Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Umesh Yadav – have struggled, conceding more than 10 runs an over. Gautam Gambhir needs to hit two more fours to become only the fifth batsman – after Brad Hodge, Brendon McCullum, David Warner and Chris Gayle – to hit 500 fours in Twenty20 cricket. Since scoring 51 for Australia against West Indies in February 2013, Adam Voges has gone 31 innings without a T20 half-century. Since then, he has averaged 16.80, with a highest score of 48 and a strike rate of 103.80.Quotes”We support each other. The foreign players have also become a part of the team. Those who could not come due to injuries like Morne Morkel … there is a group formed on WhatsApp, they send messages like congratulations after the match.”

“We have injuries; we have players going to IPL teams. We could not get overseas players. Wish we got a pretty strong team; we are expecting to upset the competition.”

Leicestershire’s decision to bowl first backfired as Kent racked up 406 on the first day at Grace Road with half-centuries from Brendan Nash, Geraint Jones and Matt Coles.

17-Apr-2013
ScorecardGeraint Jones top-scored with 67•Getty ImagesLeicestershire’s decision to bowl first backfired as Kent racked up 406 on the first day at Grace Road with half-centuries from Brendan Nash, Geraint Jones and Matt Coles.More than half the Kent total came in boundaries as a young Leicestershire attack struggled to keep control in the windy conditions. Jones and Coles shared a seventh-wicket stand of 104 in 19 overs, with Coles letting loose in a 63-ball stay. In all Kent scored 216 runs in boundaries, hitting 51 fours and two sixes.It was the second successive game in which Leicestershire have conceded more than 400 runs after putting the opposition into bat, having suffered the same fate last week against Hampshire.Leicestershire’s cause was not helped when Matthew Hoggard, their most experienced bowler, trudged off the field after a five-over spell before lunch and did not reappear for the rest of the day.Nathan Buck, Alex Wyatt and Anthony Ireland had already been ruled out because of injury, leaving the home side’s seam attack seriously weakened. Kent cashed in, scoring at well over four runs an over throughout the day as the boundaries flowed following the early run out of Sam Northeast. Rob Key, also fell before lunch for 41, top edging a bouncer from Robbie Williams to Shiv Thakor at fine leg.With Nash, Mike Powell, Darren Stevens and James Tredwell back in the pavilion by mid-afternoon, leaving Kent 207 for 6, Leicestershire looked to have a chance of keeping the total to a respectable level. But the partnership between Jones and Coles put Kent well on top and by tea they had reached a healthy 283 without further loss.Jones reached his 50 off 70 balls with five fours and Coles hit a six and eight fours in a 51-ball half-century. He was stumped attempting one big hit too many off Jigar Naik. Jones was then trapped lbw for 67 by the same bowler but still Leicestershire were unable to bring the innings to a close.Callum Haggett hit 40 and Mark Davies 41 as the last two wickets added 89 runs to give Kent maximum batting points, before Haggett was caught at midwicket off Naik, who finished with 4 for 97 off 21.5 overs.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the fourth ODI between Australia and West Indies in Sydney

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale07-Feb-2013Match factsGeorge Bailey is in doubt with a hamstring problem•Getty ImagesFebruary 8, SCG
Start time 1420 (0320 GMT)Big PictureAustralia’s victory in Canberra on Wednesday has turned this fourth match in Sydney and the fifth game in Melbourne on Sunday into dead rubbers. The best West Indies can hope for is a couple of consolation victories to transform the scoreline into a more respectable looking 3-2. Australia want to keep up their momentum and complete a 5-0 clean-sweep, especially if that means runs and wickets for the squad members who are due to fly to India shortly for a four-Test series. Both teams left Canberra with injury concerns, West Indies sweating on the fitness of Chris Gayle, who picked up a side injury while fielding in the third ODI, and Australia unsure about George Bailey, who hurt his hamstring during Australia’s win. The fact that the series is decided means neither side is likely to be inclined to take a risk, which should mean at least one change for each team.Form guide(Most recent first)
Australia WWWLW
West Indies LLLWWIn the spotlightRarely has the term “in the spotlight” been used to describe Clint McKay. One of the lowest-profile members of Australia’s squad, McKay was nonetheless the centre of attention for a short while on Monday night, when he was named Australia’s One-Day International Cricketer of the Year at the Allan Border Medal ceremony in Melbourne. It was a well-deserved honour for a man who nearly always does his job, taking wickets and keeping the opposition batsmen in check with consistent bowling and subtle changes of pace. Since the start of 2012, only Lasith Malinga has taken more ODI wickets than McKay’s 40 at an average of 23.00. No wonder he is the first picked member of Australia’s one-day attack.In Canberra, Kieron Pollard reminded everyone watching of just what an exciting player he can be when he took four catches, including a couple of stunners, especially his leaping, one-handed take on the boundary that got rid of Glenn Maxwell. Unfortunately for West Indies, he hasn’t made the same kind of contributions with the batting during this series, with scores of 0, 1 and 9. West Indies need more from many players at the moment, none more so than Pollard.Team newsAdam Voges has been added to Australia’s squad as cover for Bailey and is likely to play his first one-day international in two years. Voges has impressive Ryobi Cup form behind him: in his past two innings he has made 77 not out and 112 for Western Australia. Xavier Doherty is also likely to be included at the SCG, possibly at the expense of Mitchell Johnson.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Phillip Hughes, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty.Gayle had scans on Thursday to assess his side injury and a West Indies team spokesman said the results showed there was no major damage. However, Gayle remained stiff and sore and his availability will depend on a fitness test on the day of the game. If he sits out it could mean a call-up for Johnson Charles, while Narsingh Deonarine is also in the squad and might be considered as a replacement for the out-of-form Ramnaresh Sarwan.West Indies (possible) 1 Kieron Powell, 2 Chris Gayle / Johnson Charles, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan / Narsingh Deonarine, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Devon Thomas (wk), 9 Darren Sammy 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Kemar Roach.Pitch and conditionsThe SCG should bring spin into the equation, although it was mainly swing that caused Australia’s batsmen problems at the venue in their ODI against Sri Lanka last month. The forecast for Friday in Sydney is for a sunny day and a maximum temperature of 27C.Stats and trivia It is 20 years since West Indies have beaten Australia in a one-day international at the SCG Of all Australian batsmen who have opened in at least 10 ODIs, Shane Watson has the highest average: 46.56. Matthew Hayden sits in second place on 44.30Quotes”It’s been a tough old summer for us. In terms of our one-day cricket we’ve been a little bit topsy-turvy and we’ve got some good momentum now so certainly we’re not going to take the foot off the pedal.”

Brendon McCullum has heaped the ultimate praise on his opposite number Alastair Cook, calling him the best since Bradman

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington13-Mar-2013Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, has heaped the ultimate praise on his opposite number Alastair Cook saying, on current form, he is as good as anyone who has played after Donald Bradman. Cook, who scored his 24th Test hundred in Dunedin, laughed off the shock comparison.The century at University Oval was Cook’s fourth hundred in five overseas Tests during the 2012-13 season, following a monumental series against India. But while his feats have rightly been acknowledged as putting him on the path to being labelled a great, it is rare to be uttered in the same sentence as Bradman who ended his career with the immortal average of 99.94. The next best on the list is Graeme Pollock (60.97), then George Headley (60.83). The highest average for a current player is Kumar Sangakkara’s at 56.54.McCullum, though, did not hold back his praise after being asked a question about how New Zealand planned to quell Cook’s run-scoring feats. “He’s obviously a genius batsman, his record is testament to that,” McCullum said. “Where he is at in his career at the moment, he’s as good as anyone who has played the game, probably barring Bradman.”Cook’s response, after being taken aback by the comparison, was: “It’s very nice of him to say that. I’m not quite sure where he’s got that from.” There was also plenty of mutual respect as Cook acknowledged McCullum’s recent form. The New Zealand captain has scored five half-centuries in seven innings across all formats against England, including 74 off 59 balls in Dunedin. “You could talk about his genius batting. The way he hits the ball sometimes,” Cook said.Cook’s current Test average of 49.60 places him 40th on the averages list, currently sat between Inzamam-ul-Haq and Denis Compton. Current contemporaries above him include AB de Villiers, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Younis Khan, Michael Clarke, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar. Purely as a comparison, if you take the point from after last year’s World Twenty20 when Test cricket resumed, Cook’s average of 76.44 places him third, behind Cheteshwar Pujara and Clarke among batsmen who have played at least five innings.Cook, though, remains modest about his achievements. “You never quite feel on top of the game,” he said. “What was pleasing for me was, after a few starts in the one-dayers here and in India, but [with] no match-winning score, I managed to get that bigger one in the first Test. I seemed to hit the ball okay.” A modest oulook from a man compared to the immortal Bradman.

Brendan Taylor has said the biggest factor in Bangladesh’s 3-0 win over his Zimbabwe side was in the spin department, terming it a “chalk and cheese” comparison

Mohammad Isam16-Nov-2014Brendan Taylor has said the biggest factor in Bangladesh’s 3-0 win over his Zimbabwe side was in the spin department, terming it a “chalk and cheese” comparison. Zimbabwe went down by 186 runs in the third Test and he said that the 3-0 series loss was hurtful not just to him but the whole team.Zimbabwe lost the first Test in dramatic fashion after a spectacular collapse at the hands of Taijul Islam on the third day in Dhaka. It was followed by big defeats in Khulna and Chittagong. Throughout the series, Bangladesh’s spinners held sway in most of the key moments.Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul were the top two wicket-takers in the series, with 18 and 17 respectively, while Jubair Hossain picked up 11 wickets, including a five-for in the third Test. Shakib’s scalps came at an average of 18.27 while Taijul had Bangladesh’s best bowling figures, 8-39 in the fourth innings of the Dhaka Test.In comparison, Zimbabwe’s Natsai M’shangwe took seven wickets at 62.14 and though Malcolm Waller took six wickets in Khulna, he was pulled up by the umpires for a suspected action and was promptly dropped in Chittagong.Sikandar Raza bowled 82 overs in the series, picking up five wickets, a bonus for a part-time spinner, while specialists Tafadzwa Kamungozi and John Nyumbu were dropped after taking one wicket between them in Dhaka.”I think Bangladesh are a slightly better side in their conditions,” Taylor said. “The difference is in the spin department. Chalk and cheese. The first Test match set the tone. In hindsight had we gotten 20-30 runs [more], it could have been a different result. I think if we managed to pull that first Test off it would have given the side momentum. To lose in the fashion we did is tough. Toss is always important, you cannot control that. But that’s not the reason why we lost the series. We lost the series because Bangladesh have been better than us in the three Tests.”It certainly hurts as an individual. It hurts the team. It is tough to comprehend that, but Bangladesh have played better cricket so we’ve got to give them credit. They made it difficult for us. In all three Test matches, batting first in the last two Tests and getting 450, 500, it’s always tough to try and come back and win from there. So we fought pretty hard but the better team held on in the end and got the results.”Despite the trouble against spin throughout the series, Zimbabwe were actually on equal footing going into the fifth day’s play at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. They had nine wickets in hand, with Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza creaming the Bangladesh attack for 19 overs on the fourth evening after being set 449 to win.But rather than being patient and getting on top of the spinners, aggression cost both batsmen in the first hour of play. Masakadza’s reverse-sweep went awry while Raza struck a full-toss down midwicket’s throat. It triggered a slowdown and ultimately the bowling out of Zimbabwe by the end of the second session. Apart from Regis Chakavba, none of the Zimbabwe batsmen or allrounders were able to stand up to spin.Taylor said the batsmen’s approach was correct but they had little experience of playing on such a deteriorating pitch on the fifth day, against a spin attack that was making them play differently. “I think we did show the right approach,” he said. “We don’t really bat on wickets like this on day five when it deteriorates like that. They are very good batting wickets for the first three days then they become really difficult.”When you’ve got a quality spin attack, on day five it is certainly going to be a massive challenge. I think that’s certainly the difference between the two sides. They have got world-class spinners and we are struggling for a couple.”Taylor praised Chakabva for his two fifties and hundred in the series, including his resistance on the fifth day in Chittagong, but otherwise he said an opportunity to show survival instinct was not taken.”[There have been] players who have found a bit of form and have been good for us throughout the series,” he said. “There have been other players, including myself, who haven’t really had the series they would have liked. It was an opportunity for us to step up and bat 90 overs. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Regis Chakabva showed a lot of character. But that’s done now; we need to focus on the shorter format.”

In a spell that stretched from the end of day two to the post lunch session on day three in Jamaica, Deonarine put on a show of accurate off spin that claimed four top-order New Zealand batsmen

Subash Jayaraman in Jamaica05-Aug-2012All the pre-series talk was about the off spinner from Trinidad who was going to run circles around the New Zealand batsmen; no one could have predicted that it would be Narsingh Deonarine who would be dealing the decisive blows. In a spell that stretched from the end of day two to the post lunch session on day three in Jamaica, Deonarine put on a show of accurate off spin, controlling the loop, keeping the New Zealand batsmen pinned to the crease and, importantly, claiming four top-order batsmen with it.It was not really a surprise that Darren Sammy leaned on Deonarine to bowl unchanged in a 17-over spell. After all, he was the third-highest wicket-taker for West Indies in the home series against Australia earlier this year. For someone considered a part-time spinner, generally brought on to give to the frontline bowlers a break, that isn’t too shabby.When Sammy threw the ball to Deonarine, towards the close of play on day two, with only three overs to go, no one could have expected the kind of indelible mark he would leave on the match. Guptill and BJ Watling had seen through the tough early period and had pushed New Zealand’s lead to 106. Seven deliveries later, with no runs conceded and both openers gone lbw, West Indies were back on top.The batsmen could be faulted for playing on the back foot, and deep within the crease, but credit must be given to Deonarine for pushing them back and beating the attempted onside strokes with the turn he generated on a second day Sabina Park pitch. “Looking at the New Zealand batsmen, variation was the key. I think we have outfoxed them with flight, slower [through] the air and the quicker ball as well,” Deonarine said. “They keep hanging out on the back foot. We just worked them out, and the slower we bowl, harder it is for them to play.”Looking at the numbers from this Test, it is safe to say Deonarine has out-bowled his fellow Trinidad spinner, Sunil Narine. With fast bowlers expected to do most of the damage on this pitch, it was a pleasant surprise for West Indies that Deonarine took six of 20 wickets. He technically may not be the “lead spinner” in the side, but he thinks like one: “Whenever the skipper gives me the ball, I want to do my best. [I look to] just take wickets, whenever I get my chance.”Deonarine was called upon by his captain even in the first innings, just as a threatening stand between Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill was taking shape. Then, he enticed a false stroke from Williamson just before tea on day one, but could not hold on to the hard return chance offered. He made amends when he lured Williamson into swishing at a wide delivery that was pouched by Sammy at first slip. He topped off the effort with the wicket of Kruger van Wyk, pushing him into indecision with his delicate control of flight and length. In the second innings, again, he had Williamson wafting outside off, and Brendon McCullum, off a simple bat-pad catch, to round off his match-haul of six.Many may have thought he was just filling the role of a backup spinner but he pointed out that he is “accustomed to bowling 30 or 40 overs [for Guyana in first-class cricket]”, and it’s nothing new to him, bowling long spells like he did on Saturday.Now, he is quite confident about the West Indies knocking off the remaining 71 runs to win the Test series 2-0. The bedrock of West Indies batting, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was out in the middle at stumps, but if required (and weather permitting), Deonarine would be ready to do the job too. Would he have had a nervous night then? The expectedly confident reply: “No, not at all.”

Adam Wheater fell trying to hit the winning boundary as Hampshire collected a thrilling two-run victory over Essex in their LV= County Championship Division Two clash at Chelmsford.

22-Jul-2012
ScorecardJames Tomlinson triumphed for Hampshire as Essex’s Adam Wheater was caught, attempting the winning hit•Getty ImagesAdam Wheater fell trying to hit the winning boundary as Hampshire collected a thrilling two-run victory over Essex in their LV= County Championship Division Two clash at Chelmsford.Wheater was last out for 98 when a swashbuckling innings, spanning only 98 deliveries, ended when he holed out to Sean Ervine on the long-on boundary.James Tomlinson, the jubilant left-arm fast bowler, finished with 5 for 86 including the wicket of Wheater, as Essex fell tantalisingly short of their 360-run target.Earlier, Tomlinson seemed to have put the visitors in sight of a more comfortable triumph when he roared in after lunch with three quick wickets. Essex, who had resumed on 102 for 2, reached the interval on 184 for 4 after losing their overnight pair, Mark Pettini and Billy Godleman, to Dimitri Mascarenhas in the first hour.A half-century partnership between Ryan ten Doeschate and Greg Smith revived Essex and sent them into lunch with the match nicely poised. But then Tomlinson dismissed them both for 42. First, Smith drove to Jimmy Adams at extra cover and ten Doeschate then cut into the hands of Neil McKenzie in the gully.Soon afterwards, Graham Napier drove into the hand of Adams to give Tomlinson his third success with his 22-ball spell costing only five runs. That left Essex 222 for 7 but they staged an exciting fightback through the heroics of Wheater and the aggression of Harbhajan Singh.They put on 68 in 16 overs before Harbhajan was stumped for 40 by Michael Bates after he gave left-arm spinner Danny Briggs the charge.That was the signal for the stocky Wheater to step up a gear and after David Masters fell lbw to Briggs, he scored all 40 of a last-wicket partnership with Tom Craddock that included two successive sixes out of the ground against the pace of David Balcombe.But just when a famous victory beckoned, the wicketkeeper found the hands of Ervine to leave the Hampshire players jumping around in celebration.Wheater looked crestfallen as he made his way off the field, no doubt aware that his failure to take Essex to the winning post had dealt a severe setback to their hopes of promotion.They came out of the game with three points while Hampshire collected 19 to keep alive their own dreams of returning to the top-flight at the first attempt.

UP were undefeated in the group stages last season, and then fell at the first knockout hurdle

Vishal Dikshit06-Nov-2013Where they finished last time Uttar Pradesh topped Group B last year without losing a match. Their successful run was ended by Services in the quarter-finals.RP Singh has played only one first-class match in nearly two years•Associated PressBig PictureUP started the 2012-13 season with a bang, beating Delhi, who featured all the big stars – Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma. Two draws later, they handed Baroda a 10-wicket loss and after another two draws, thrashed Tamil Nadu by 195 runs.But they fell in the first knockout, to a spirited Services side. Much of their success came courtesy Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 27 wickets in six games at an average of 20. This year it is likely they will have to cope without him for long periods, when he is away on India duty.Openers Tanmay Srivastava and Mukul Dagar had prolific seasons but the middle order couldn’t always build on their platforms. Parvinder Singh righted some of that imbalance when he started scoring in the second half of the season. His recent hundred in the draw against the touring West Indians will give him and the team confidence, along with the wickets taken by RP Singh and Piyush Chawla.RP Singh missed the previous Ranji season with injury but looks “extremely fit” this year, coach Venkatesh Prasad said. Praveen Kumar, though, is out for a couple of months with a shoulder injury. While the pace attack has other promising options such as Imtiaz Ahmed and Ankit Rajpoot, UP’s spin hopes will rest with Chawla and left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza, who didn’t enjoy much success last season.Players to watchThe team will be led by Suresh Raina, who has frequently reiterated his desire to play Test cricket. For that, though, he is not making the kind of impact he should in long-format matches. He averaged 33.77 from 10 innings last Ranji season. With India soon heading off on overseas tours in tough conditions, he’ll need a truckload of runs for UP to get the selector’s attention. The retirement of Sachin Tendulkar will open up a spot in the middle order, but can Raina put himself in contention?In the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Praveen Kumar, and RP Singh having played only one first-class match in nearly two years, there will be plenty of expectations on UP’s relatively unheralded pair of quicks, Imtiaz Ahmed and Ankit Rajpoot. While Imtiaz was their most impressive bowler through the season, Rajpoot made headlines in only seven outings with 31 wickets at an average of 18.80.Click here for the full squad.

Glen Chapple, the Lancashire club captain, will play on into his 40s after agreeing a one-year extension to his deal until the end of 2014 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2013Glen Chapple, the Lancashire club captain, will play on into his 40s after agreeing a one-year extension to his deal until the end of 2014 season.Chapple had made his intentions clear before the end of the 2013 season that he had no plans to finish his playing days. In an increasingly fluid professional game, Chapple has been with Lancashire since the beginning of his career and made his first-class debut in 1992.He enjoyed another productive season with the ball, taking 53 wickets at 20.73 in the Championship from 14 matches.Chapple was one of a raft of players to agree new contracts at Old Trafford after Lancashire claimed the Division Two Championship title to secure a swift return to Division One.Jordan Clark, who struck six sixes in an over during a 2nd XI match early in the 2013 season, wicketkeeper Alex Davies, offspinner Arron Lilley and allrounder Luis Reece have all extended their stays until the end of 2015.Established players Karl Brown, Kyle Hogg, Paul Horton, Simon Kerrigan, Stephen Parry, Luke Procter and Tom Smith, have also agreed deals until 2015. Meanwhile, alongside Chapple, Oliver Newby and Andrea Agathangelou will be around until at least the end of next summer.The one new name is allrounder Liam Livingstone who has signed a one-year professional deal after making the step up from a scholarship contract.Mike Watkinson, the cricket directior, said: “With the exception of Andrea, all the players are products of our development system, which is a great endorsement of the strength and effectiveness of the cricket played across the county. It also provides the squad with quality and stability as we look forward positively to the challenges ahead.”Lancashire’s major new signing for next season has been Jos Buttler, the England one-day and T20 wicketkeeper, who has joined from Somerset.

A round-up of the first day’s play of the seventh round of matches of the Ranji Trophy Elite, 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2011Group ATamil Nadu’s S Badrinath was given an award for playing his 100th first-class game•ESPNcricinfo LtdEighteen wickets tumbled on the opening day between Railways and Saurashtra in Delhi, and at the end of it Saurashtra were well placed to take the first-innings lead. On a sharply turning track, Saurashtra were shot out for 175 after choosing to bat, with Ashish Yadav taking 4 for 35 for Railways. The visitors had made a steady start, with the openers adding 59, before ten wickets fell for 112 runs. Wicketkeeper Sheldon Jackson top-scored with 39.When they batted, Railways crashed to 71 for 8. They had got to 18 without damage before losing four wickets for no runs. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who bowled unchanged from the Pavilion end after replacing seamer Sandip Maniar in the fourth over of the innings, took three of those wickets and finished the day with 6 for 22. Mahesh Rawat was the only Railways batsman to show some application, using his feet well and stepping down the track several times to kill the spin. He remained not out on 31 at stumps.First-class cricket returned to Shimoga after 32 years, and Stuart Binny marked the occasion with his second rescue job in as many games. His unbeaten 86 airlifted Karnataka from 171 for 6, after their top order fell apart against Uttar Pradesh in relatively easy batting conditions. Binny, aided by Sunil Raju, steered them to 300 for 7, leaving the game even after a see-saw day. Read the whole report here.Thirty-one years after his namesake took five wickets on first-class debut for Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, medium-pacer Balwinder Sandhu repeated the feat and dealt a blow to Punjab’s hopes of securing a quarter-final berth. Sandhu struck with his third delivery in first-class cricket and, along with Kshemal Waingankar, ensured Mumbai did not suffer from the absence of the experienced Aavishkar Salvi, who left the field clutching his side in his second over. Read the whole report here.A solid performance from Rajasthan’s top order gave them a strong platform for a formidable first-innings total against Orissa in Jaipur. After getting sent in to bat, Rajasthan lost Aakash Chopra early but Vineet Saxena, who is coming off a hundred against Saurashtra, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar made half-centuries and added 139 runs for the second wicket. Both batsmen were dismissed in successive overs with the score on 158, but Robin Bist and Rashmi Parida steered Rajasthan to 209 for 3 at stumps.Group BAshok Dinda’s five-wicket haul helped Bengal curb Baroda’s strong start and reduce them to 284 for 9 in Vadodara. Baroda only need first-innings points to secure a quarter-final berth and they were on course for a formidable total after being asked to bat. After they lost Anupam Gupta early, Aditya Waghmode and Rakesh Solanki scored half-centuries to lead Baroda to 145 for 1.Dinda dismissed both set batsmen and cut through the middle order, reducing the home team to 222 for 6. He then broke a 56-run partnership for the seventh wicket before Sourav Ganguly struck twice in the only over he bowled to leave Baroda on 278 for 9. Three wickets had fallen for no runs. Dinda ended the day with figures of 5 for 96.Gujarat’s bowlers made short work of Haryana’s batting line-up, dismissing them for 207 in Surat. Medium-pacer Mehul Patel took 4 for 59, and he was supported by Ishwar Chaudhary and Ashraf Madka, who took 3 for 50 and 2 for 23.Haryana had made a steady start after choosing to bat but lost their way from 59 for 1. Sunny Singh top scored with 69 but had no support from his team-mates, none of whom passed 30. Gujarat then lost their captain Parthiv Patel off the first ball of their innings, but Priyank Panchal and Niraj Patel steered them to 46 for 1 by stumps.Both teams squaring off in Chennai are already in the quarter-finals and it was Tamil Nadu that had the better of the first day against Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh had chosen to bowl, a decision that did not pay off – though the opening pair of T Sudhindra and Ishwar Pandey extracted a bit of movement off the pitch – as all the Tamil Nadu top-order batsmen got starts and three of them converted it into half-centuries to help them reach 294 for 4 at stumps.M Vijay and Kaushik Gandhi made 83 and 80, while Dinesh Karthik was unbeaten on 60. Vijay and Karthik were both in positive in their approach as Tamil Nadu had at least a half-century stand for each of the first four wickets, ensuring MP’s successes were few and far between. Vijay crafted some crackring drives, while Karthik peppered the straight boundary. S Badrinath, who was playing his 100th first-class game, meanwhile, hit the only six of the day before falling for 32 at the stroke of tea. The visitors used as many as eight bowlers and Amarjeet Singh had the best figures – 2 for 79.