Nash and Chanderpaul script Windies fightback

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outShivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash crashed South Africa’s party with a stand of 220•Associated Press

West Indies finally claimed ownership of an entire day’s play and it came via a defiant double-century partnership between the two most patient batsmen in the line-up, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash. The pair hit counter-attacking centuries to negate the aggression of the seamers and blunt out anything the slower bowlers dished out on what continued to be an unresponsive surface. West Indies breezed past the follow-on mark and redressed the balance after two days of toil in the field.What was impressive from West Indies’ point of view was the willingness to stick it out for as long as possible. South Africa had them on a leash on a slow morning, but the hosts didn’t allow the pressure of two hours of attritional cricket to get to their heads and try anything silly. In that sense, West Indies were lucky that Nash and Chanderpaul were around to guide them. They may not match each other stance for stance or stroke for stroke, but in terms of temperament, they’re on par. Their understanding of each other’s game was evident in the way they kept pushing the scoring with singles and twos.There was greater freedom of expression in the batting once Nash walked in after lunch. The batsmen were prepared to reach out to deliveries wide of the off stump and also exploit the wide gaps on the on side if the bowlers dropped it short. Before lunch, Chanderpaul looked circumspect outside his off stump against Morne Morkel. When Dale Steyn banged one in short, Chanderpaul took his eyes off and copped a blow on the grill.After initially exercising caution outside his off stump, Chanderpaul started reaching out to the fuller ones shaping away, opening the face of the bat to glide it through the off side. Paul Harris hardly got any turn or bounce and Chanderpaul swept him powerfully behind square leg to bring up his fifty. There was a backward short leg in place for the spinner, but he was unemployed through the day.Chanderpaul was also lucky to have a like-minded partner in Nash, back in his familiar No.5 position. He began by swatting Jacques Kallis past midwicket and didn’t appear to be too bothered about the packed off-side field, which included two slips and two gullys. Morkel was guilty of giving width and Nash obliged by spanking fours past backward point off the front foot. Apart from a few edges to slip, some of which went for four, it was a neat innings.The docile surface had no demons in it to worry the batsmen and Chanderpaul exploited that by regularly shuffling across the stumps to either flick the full-pitched balls or pull the short deliveries. Nash too wasn’t afraid to swat away the short deliveries and that seemed to wind up an exasperated Steyn, who had a few words to say to him.Nash’s strength was primarily on the off side. Morkel was ineffective against him as Nash brought out the horizontal bat shots to steer the ball past gully. When he bowled it even shorter, Nash slashed over third man. Harris came round the wicket but Nash rocked back and cut him for fours in front of square.He raced towards his century with a slash over slip off Steyn and biffed one past midwicket to reach three figures for the second time in his career, watched by his family in the stands. He had added 220 with Chanderpaul before AB de Villiers sent him back with a sharp bit of fielding, effecting a direct hit from gully.Chanderpaul too progressed towards his century by milking the spinners, even employing the slog sweep. He reached his 22nd century with a square drive to point, and at the fag end of the day, brought up his 150. Dwayne Bravo played a quiet little supporting act after Nash’s fall, adding an unbeaten 53 with Chanderpaul.The pace of cricket was in contrast to the morning session, when only 40 runs were scored. Though South Africa didn’t run through the top order as they would have hoped, they succeeded in applying pressure with their probing line outside off stump, backed by intelligent field placements. Boundary balls were few and far between as the seamers kept shaping the ball away with an expectant slip cordon and close catchers like silly mid-off waiting for a mistake.Soon after reaching his fifty, Chris Gayle was out dragging a full ball from Morkel on to his stumps without any foot movement. The patient Narsingh Deonarine steered towards point at the stroke of lunch to bring up a workmanlike fifty. Having spent enough time getting his eye in, Deonarine pressed the pedal after lunch against the slower pace of Kallis. A few whiplashes over the off side gave the innings much-needed impetus but he soon caused his own downfall when, cramped for room trying to cut Steyn from round the wicket, he chopped it onto his stumps. It was similar to Gayle’s dismissal, but in this instance it was more a wrong choice of shot.Deonarine and Gayle would have punished themselves for not converting their fifties. Nash and Chanderpaul ensured they didn’t make the same mistake.

Roy stars again as Surrey win

ScorecardJason Roy, a 19-year-old batsman who has yet to appear in a first-class match, played his second match-winning Friends Provident t20 innings as Surrey beat Somerset by 38 runs at The Oval. Roy, who made 101 against Kent at Beckenham last week, hit 74 off 51 balls with three sixes and seven fours to lead injury-hit Surrey to a total of 171 for 6.That total proved far too many for Somerset once the visitors had slumped to 18 for 4 in this South group match. Surrey were without Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds because of a stomach upset, the injured trio of Andre Nel (strained hamstring), Tim Linley (foot) and Gareth Batty (broken finger) plus Steve Davies, who is away with the England Lions.And Mark Ramprakash must have felt all of his 40 years opening the batting with Tom Lancefield, another 19-year-old with only one first-class match behind him. Lancefield was not overawed on his Twenty20 debut, hitting three fours in his 16 off 10 balls before he swung Mark Turner to square leg.Ramprakash was sprightly enough with 34 off 31 balls until he was caught at fine leg off Muralia Kartik. However, it was Roy who again caught the eye in stands of 67 with Ramprakash and 59 with Rory Hamilton-Brown. He twice hit Kartik over long-on for six and lifted Alonso Thomas over the midwicket boundary.Younus Khan did not get very far but Hamilton-Brown made 25 off 21 balls before both he and Roy skyed catches to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler in the final over from Kieron Pollard.The Somerset reply never got off the ground. Chris Tremlett, described by captain Hamilton-Brown as the best Twenty20 bowler in the country, broke through in his first over when he had Nick Compton caught behind.The ploy of opening the bowling with the off-spin of Matthew Spriegel paid off handsomely when he took two wickets in his second over. Spriegel claimed the prized scalp of Marcus Trescothick, who swept tamely to midwicket, then had Zander de Bruyn caught on the midwicket boundary.Tremlett struck again in his next over when he had James Hildreth brilliantly caught by a diving Hamilton-Brown at backward point and Somerset never looked like recovering. Tremlett finished with three wickets for 17 runs.

South Africa want disciplinary action against Benn

South Africa have asked the ICC to take disciplinary action against West Indies left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn following his altercation with Dale Steyn during the third Test in Barbados. Steyn was fined his entire match fee for spitting while walking past Benn immediately after his dismissal. The incident was preceded by an exchange of words between the players in the previous few overs.”Dale Steyn’s action was regrettable and he has apologised for it,” Mohammad Moosajee, the South African team manager, told reporters upon his team’s arrival in Johannesburg from the Caribbean. “But it came after lots of provocation and there was also retaliation after the incident.”We have laid a code of conduct charge against Sulieman Benn with the ICC and that must now go through the judicial process.”The fact that Benn, who has been punished for indiscipline before but not penalised this time, had provoked Steyn had also been acknowledged by the match referee Jeff Crowe when he decided to fine the latter. “Dale’s behaviour was entirely unacceptable and he knows that. The fact that he was provoked by Sulieman during his time at the crease helps to explain his actions but cannot excuse them.”In a separate incident in the same game, fast bowler Kemar Roach was fined 50% of his match fee for an “unpleasant altercation” with Jacques Kallis.

Henderson and New keep Leicestershire on top

ScorecardAn enterprising seventh-wicket stand between Tom New and Claude Henderson halted a Derbyshire fightback and regained the advantage for Leicestershire in a rain-affected second day of the County Championship clash at Grace Road.A total of 48 overs were lost to the weather but by the close Leicestershire had reached 260 for 6 to establish a valuable first innings lead of 78, with New and Henderson still together having shared a partnership of 64 in 13 overs. Before they ran into this late-order resistance Derbyshire looked to have gained a foothold in the match by taking five wickets for 85 runs as Leicestershire slipped from 139 for 1to 196 for 6.Heavy early morning rain delayed the start of this Division Two contest until 2pm and the afternoon belonged to the Derbyshire bowlers. In helpful conditions they began to work their way through the Leicestershire batting with the home side having resumed at a healthy 117 for 1,just 65 runs behind.Both Matt Boyce and Jacques Du Toit looked in good form and Boyce took two early boundaries off Steffan Jones. But then the wickets began to fall as the second wicket partnership, which had put on 85, was broken by Jones. He dug a delivery in at Du Toit, who mistimed a hook and was caught by Robin Peterson having made 44 off 92 balls.In the next over Boyce fell to a lifting delivery from Tim Groenewald which brushed a glove on the way through to Chris Rogers at slip. Boyce had played well to make 60 off 157 balls with 11 boundaries, but the Derbyshire seamers continued to make progress with James Taylor the next to go, wicketkeeper Lee Goddard taking a simple catch off a top-edge off the bowling of Mark Footitt.And when both Paul Nixon and Wayne White also fell cheaply the home side looked to be in real danger of surrendering the initiative. But Derbyshire were interrupted by another rain break after the interval and when play resumed New and Henderson took the attack to the visitors.Both enjoyed some luck in earning vital boundaries and when the new ball was taken the pair of them scored 39 runs in the final seven overs. A Henderson boundary brought up the 50 stand in 10 overs and at the close New was still there on 45 and Henderson on 24 with Leicestershire once again holding the upper hand.

Franklin's seven skittles Derbyshire for 44

ScorecardJames Franklin took career-best figures of 7 for 14 as Derbyshire were bowled out for just 44 on a day in which 24 wickets fell at Bristol. The visitors survived for only an hour and a quarter against the swinging ball on a greenish pitch as Franklin took five wickets in his first three overs without conceding a run.That was just the start of two crazy sessions in the County Championship Division Two clash, which saw Gloucestershire dismissed for 156 in reply, Steffan Jones claiming 4 for 26, and ECB pitch inspector John Jameson summoned from Birmingham.But by the time Jameson arrived batting conditions had improved. He left satisfied nothing was untoward after speaking to the umpires and Derbyshire closed on 127 for 4 in their second innings, leading by 15.Derbyshire were 9 for 6 at one point in their first innings, having been invited to bat under a cloudless sky. Jon Lewis had Wayne Madsen caught behind in the first over and Franklin then removed Chris Rogers, Chesney Hughes, Greg Smith, Wes Durston and Jonathan Clare in an amazing burst from the Ashley Down Road End.Bowling full and swinging the ball, the New Zealander looked to have virtually won the game in the first 25 minutes, gaining three lbw decisions and two catches. He added the wickets of former Gloucestershire player Steve Adshead and Graham Wagg before being taken off after six action-packed overs.Robin Peterson top scored with 15 as the visitors were blown away for their lowest score since 1975 – when they made 42 against Lancashire at Buxton – and their lowest ever against Gloucestershire.Lewis finished with 2 for 13, while the country’s leading wicket-taker, Gemaal Hussain, was barely required and bowled four overs for 15 runs.Batting looked no easier for the home side as they slumped to 30 for four in reply, Wagg claiming two of the wickets. But Hamish Marshall (45) and Chris Taylor (37) put together a stand of 69 and Gloucestershire looked to be building a significant lead.They were 132 for 5 at one point, but then imploded to the bowling of Jones, who took four wickets in five balls bowling from the Pavilion End. He dismissed debutant Jack Taylor and Lewis with successive deliveries, narrowly missing out on a hat-trick as Hussain survived a loud lbw shout. He was judged leg before to the next ball and at the start of his following over Jones had Steve Snell caught in the covers for 31.Second time around Derbyshire openers Rogers and Madsen took the score to 58 before a mix-up over a single saw Rogers run out by Lewis’s direct hit. They had almost wiped out the 112-run deficit when Madsen was caught behind off Hussain for 39.But Wes Durston and nightwatchman Tim Groenewald also fell in the closing stages, leaving Gloucestershire favourites to complete victory inside two days.

Jewell shines for Victoria with half-century


ScorecardNick Jewell’s surprise call ended in a valuable 74•Getty Images

The opener Nick Jewell’s half-century helped Victoria to 3 for 228 against Western Australia on a day disrupted by rain in Perth. Jewell wasn’t expecting to play much for Victoria this summer as he concentrated on his coaching career, but he was a late call-up to replace the injured Chris Rogers and showed he still had the batting form.Jewell, who knocked back a state contract in the off-season, opened with a useful 74 that provided a base for the Bushrangers. Dropped on 10 by Adam Voges, Jewell took advantage and put on 113 with Michael Hill, who fell to the debutant Ryan Duffield on 47.David Hussey also became the maiden victim of Michael Beer, the spinner who moved from Victoria during the winter. Hussey edged trying to cut and was out for 43 just before the players left the field for a second rain interruption. Aaron Finch (35) and Andrew McDonald (9) were not out when more rain and bad light cut the day to 67 overs.

Barbados hammer Guyana to enter semi-final

Barbados marched into the semi-finals of the WICB Cup with a 151-run hammering of Guyana at Sabina Park. Tino Best scythed through the top order to help dismiss Guyana for 100, after half-centuries from Jonathan Carter and Dale Richards had helped Barbados to 251.Fast bowler Best struck four times in his first three overs, which included the big wicket of Ramnaresh Sarwan, to reduce Guyana to 6 for 4. The left-arm spin duo of Ryan Hinds and Sulieman Benn then picked up five wickets between them and Guyana’s misery was complete. Best returned to take one more, finishing with career-best figures of 5 for 24, his maiden List A five-wicket haul.Legspinner Devendra Bishoo went one better than Best in taking 6 for 36 – his maiden List A five-wicket haul as well – in Barbados’ innings, but lacked support from the other bowlers. Though he triggered a late collapse, from 221 for 3 to 251 all out, aggressive knocks from Carter and Richards had already ensured that Barbados had enough runs.Rain scuppered what was building up to an interesting contest at Kensington Park in Kingston, where Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC) had lost two early wickets in their chase of Leeward Islands‘ 168, in a match that was halted briefly because the pitch was deemed dangerous.The bowlers justified HPC’s decision to bowl first when they came back strongly to take eight wickets for 64 runs, as Leeward collapsed from a strong 104 for 2. Nkruma Bonner led the way, taking 3 for 21 with his legspin.Leeward’s opening bowlers, Lionel Baker and Gavin Tonge, replied in kind by reducing HPC to 21 for 2 in the eighth over, but rain intervened at that point and the match had to be called off.The umpires had earlier deemed the pitch as dangerous and halted the match after the first six overs. Play resumed after the surface had been rolled again. Leeward captain Wilden Cornwall said that the pitch did not look right in the morning, and even the outfield was not fit for play. “This tournament is our highest tournament for the West Indies, it is the next level to West Indies cricket, why are we treating cricket like this in the Caribbean,” Cornwall told . “It is poor, really poor and I am very much upset.”

Cowan and Birt deliver big win for Tasmania

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ed Cowan’s unbeaten 131 set up Tasmania’s victory•Getty Images

Ed Cowan and Travis Birt continued Tasmania’s undefeated run in the Ryobi Cup by setting up a 72-run victory over New South Wales, who were on top at the halfway mark. In the second block, Cowan and Birt combined for a 172-run partnership that drove the Tigers to 286 for 7, before the spin of Jason Krejza and Xavier Doherty sank the Blues.New South Wales remained in the contest while Phil Jaques was at the crease but when he was trapped lbw by Doherty for 95, it sparked a collapse. The Blues lost their last seven wickets for 30 as Krejza spun the ball sharply and varied his pace to finish with 3 for 55, while Doherty was equally impressive with 3 for 35.It was a surprising turnaround after Jaques and Brad Haddin (56) earned a point for the Blues by taking them to 1 for 91 after the first block, well ahead of Tasmania’s 3 for 76. But the partnership between Cowan and Birt changed everything; Cowan anchored the innings with sensible strokeplay while Birt provided the muscle.Birt’s 87 from 62 balls featured five sixes and it took a classic Brett Lee yorker to halt his push for a hundred. Cowan was not prevented from reaching the mark, although he survived a strange incident on 74 when he was given caught behind off Stuart Clark and reprieved when Haddin said he was unsure if the ball had carried.Replays showed the catch was clean but the umpires are not permitted to refer such takes to the TV official, and it allowed Cowan to compile his highest one-day score. He finished unbeaten on 131 and saw the ball so well that in the final over he reverse-paddled a fullish Lee delivery to third man for a boundary.Tasmania, the defending champions, sit on top of the table with three wins from three games, proving themselves equally adept at the new split-innings format. New South Wales have won just one of their three matches.

Kirsten to depart early for SA

Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, will accompany the players who are to leave early for South Africa so they can acclimatise for the upcoming tour. Eric Simons, India’s bowling coach, will take over the coaching duties for the final two one-dayers against New Zealand as Kirsten heads home.”He [Kirsten] will leave early along with first bunch 8-10 players,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. Among the players departing are captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat. It is also likely that Suresh Raina will be rested for the final two one-day games of the New Zealand series, and will join the players who are departing early, after Dhoni publicly expressed concern about his workload during the third Test against New Zealand.Kirsten and seven of the players will leave on December 6, while Dhoni and Harbhajan will join them two days later, with Raina also likely to leave on the same flight.The players will initially train at Kirsten’ cricket academy in Cape Town before moving to Johannesburg to join the rest of the squad, which will arrive in South Africa on December 12, two days after the New Zealand ODI series ends. The three-Test series begins at Centurion on December 16.The Indian board had recently granted permission for some of the players to leave a week in advance, after Kirsten made a request for them to do so. The coach felt that in the absence of India not playing any warm-up matches before the first Test, it was imperative players be sent early to get used to the conditions. Kirsten had sent in his request earlier this year, stressing to the board that the players needed time to acclimatise and also adjust to the pitch conditions in South Africa. However, the board took months to consider the request, mostly because of any potential objections the broadcaster might raise about devaluing the New Zealand ODI series, before giving permission earlier this month.”We have a lot of work still to do on the specifics of technique prior to the Test series. The players will need time to adjust their techniques to get comfortable with the conditions,” Kirsten said. “The BCCI has approved the early departure of some our players to South Africa to have sufficient time to prepare properly for a very important series.”

Little action on day five, extra day added

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnly 17.1 overs were possible on a frustrating fifth day at the Division Two final, which has now been stretched to an extra day in order to ensure at least one completed first innings. There will be no play tomorrow, on account of the murder of the Punjab (Pakistan) governer Salman Taseer, and hence the extra day of play will be on Thursday, the seventh day since the start of the game. Khan Research Laboratories, who had remained on 12 for 1 through the rained-out fourth day, proceeded to 74 for 2 by stumps. Mohammad Rameez provided the one spark in the day’s play, producing a big inswinger to disturb Zulfiqar Jan’s middle stump. KRL still trail State Bank of Pakistan by 229 runs.

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