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Notts Outlaws secured their place in the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals with a six-wicket win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardIan Bell top-scored for Birmingham with 80 not out from 55 balls•Getty Images

Notts Outlaws secured their place in the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals with a six-wicket win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.The Outlaws are through with a game to spare and assured a home quarter-final after a solid all-round display but Birmingham have work still to do to reach the last eight.After their fourth defeat in five North Group games, the Bears must now win their last match, away to Lancashire Lightning next Friday, to be sure of going through.Put in, Birmingham accelerated after a slow start to amass 172 for 2, built around a stand of 116 in 79 balls from Ian Bell (80 from 55 balls) and Will Porterfield (61 not out from 44).Notts’ chase was given a sound platform by Michael Lumb (34 from 25) and Riki Wessels (37 from 28). Dan Christian (37 from 23) kept up the momentum and Greg Smith (52 not out from 31), improvised brilliantly to see them home with five balls to spare.Birmingham made a sedate start with the first three overs yielding 11 singles and five dot balls. Bell upped the ante with two sixes in four balls from Harry Gurney and Jake Ball but the latter struck back by trapping Sam Hain lbw.Birmingham reached halfway on only 66 for 1, Samit Patel having bowled three overs for 20 and, as Bell and Porterfield sought to accelerate, the spinner returned to deliver the 15th over for just three off the bat.Bell reached his half-century from 42 balls with four sixes and, curiously, no fours and Porterfield followed to his from 37 balls (four fours, two sixes). Their stand equalled the Bears’ T20 second-wicket record, (116, set by Jim Troughton and Darren Maddy against Northants Steelbacks at Edgbaston in 2010) before Bell chipped Harry Gurney to mid-on.Porterfield ended with an unbeaten 61 but, with quite a short boundary on one side, it was a target that Notts fancied.
Wessels, dropped on 7 by Bell at mid-off off Rikki Clarke, and Lumb added 74 in 52 balls before both perished in three balls from Keith Barker, Lumb blazing to extra-cover and Wessels hoisting to mid-off.Tight overs from Clarke and Jeetan Patel kept Birmingham in the game and Notts started the last six overs needing 61. However, Christian made a big dent in the required rate with two sixes and a four off Ateeq Javid and Smith timed the pursuit to perfection to take his side over the line with a 30-ball half-century.

West Indies captain Jason Holder felt the gulf between the region’s first-class structure and the international level stood exposed, as they lost the third Test by 237 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2016Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, felt the gulf between the region’s first-class structure and the international level stood exposed, as they lost by 237 runs in Gros Islet to concede the four-Test series to India with one match still to play.”It is going to be difficult. Test match cricket is very different from our first-class cricket at this point of time. I have had the privilege to play first-class cricket and I’ve also had the privilege to play Test cricket and I can see a vast disparity between the two,” he said. “It is a situation where many of us coming to international cricket and are trying to learn on our job. It is definitely not easy, but it is something that we are faced with and I hope the guys can learn quickly.”Hope that our guys’ bodies are accustomed to the workloads of international cricket because it is far different from first-class cricket. For instance you get a first-class game where a fast bowler hardly bowls the amount of overs we have bowled in this series. For the last five to 10 years we have had spinners dominating first-class cricket in terms of wickets taken. So it is a transition that we have to try to open up and adjust to as quickly as possible. It is by no means easy and sometimes we don’t make it easy for ourselves.”West Indies, who had to bat out a minimum of 87 overs to save the Test, were bowled out for 108 in just 47.3 overs, with just one batsman – Darren Bravo – crossing 20. They had fared only marginally better in the first innings, being bowled out for 225 after being handily placed at 202 for 3 at one stage.”We haven’t been able to put up reasonable first-innings totals which have hampered us in the recent past. If you don’t put up a good first-innings total, then you are chasing the game,” Holder said. “We need to knuckle down. As batsmen, we need to be accountable for our actions. At the top, predominantly, we haven’t been consistent; not getting starts we’ve been looking for.”Asked to elaborate on the batting struggle, Holder said it was simply a case of being too overcautious at times, apart from failing to learn from their mistakes in the first innings. “I think the difference from here to Jamaica is that we also spent time but we didn’t score,” he said. “I think most of the batsmen have spent some time initially but they haven’t tick over the scoreboard as well as we would like. I can’t speak for every batsman and it is a situation where each batsman needs to cope, how we are going to score and how we are going to occupy the crease. So sitting here is difficult to answer but all I can say is that the responsibility is on the batsmen at the present time.”Holder emphasised the need to string together patches of domination before looking at bigger goals, something the team did sporadically in Jamaica, and then on the first two days in St Lucia before things slipped away from them.”At the beginning of the series, I made very clear that we need to show signs of improvement. We have had a really tough tour in Australia in terms of our bowling and I have seen significant improvements in terms of our bowling,” Holder said. “We have been inconsistent with the bat for quite a while now. You have to make steps forward and you just can’t leap. As a baby you need to crawl before you can walk.”Definitely winning is a priority but we need to put ourselves in position to win games but the only way we can do that is by taking 20 wickets and at least putting up a very good first innings total in terms of securing the draw and then push for win. But we haven’t been able to put ourselves in those situations, to be quite frank. I think, moving forward, we need to be more consistent in terms of getting those first-innings total, 350-plus, obviously taking 10 wickets up front and coming back and taking the other 10. I think that’s the direction in which we need to move towards.”

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the third Test against New Zealand in Indore starting October 8 due to a fractured finger that could take at least 15 days to heal

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-20161:19

What’s changed since Gambhir last Test?

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the third and final Test against New Zealand in Indore starting October 8 due to a “very minor fracture” on his left thumb that could take at least 15 days to heal. As a result Gautam Gambhir, who had been drafted into the squad after KL Rahul was injured during the Kanpur Test, is in line to play in the XI after a gap of two years.Karun Nair, the middle order batsman, has been drafted into the squad as a reinforcement.Dhawan, who made 1 and 17 in Kolkata, injured himself while batting on the third day, when he was struck twice on the thumb by Trent Boult. “Shikhar has a very minor fracture on his hand. He is under observations, and he has been advised 15 days’ rest,” India’s media manager Nishant Arora said. “So he is ruled out for the next Test match. The selectors have been informed.”Nair, Karnataka’s second-highest run-getter in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy, made his international debut during the limited-overs series in Zimbabwe in June. He was more recently part of the India A squad that toured Australia for a tri-series and two first-class matches. However, it is likely that Gambhir could return following a good showing in the Duleep Trophy, in which he made 356 runs in five innings with four half-centuries.Gambhir’s last Test was during India’s 1-3 series loss in England in 2014, when he aggregated 25 runs in four innings. That series, too, was a comeback for him, as he was dropped in 2012 and missed all India’s Tests in 2013 due to a sharp decline in form.Gambhir, 34, has 4046 Test runs at 42.58 with nine centuries and 21 half-centuries. The last of Gambhir’s nine Test tons came against Bangladesh in Chittagong in January 2010, when he made 116.

Kent’s chairman, George Kennedy, has confirmed that the club is seeking arbitration with the England & Wales Cricket Board after being overlooked for a place in Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2016Kent’s chairman, George Kennedy, has confirmed that the club is seeking arbitration with the England & Wales Cricket Board after being overlooked for a place in Division One of the County Championship in the wake of Durham’s post-season relegation.Kent finished as runners-up in Division Two this season, which would ordinarily have been sufficient to earn them promotion. However, with the Championship moving to an eight-team top flight from 2017 onwards, the only spot available went to the champions Essex.However, Durham’s 48-point penalty for financial issues, and subsequent relegation, led to suggestions that Kent ought to have been invited to take their place in Division One. Instead, the ECB confirmed that Hampshire, who finished second-from-bottom in the table, would be allowed to stay up.In a letter to the ECB seen by The Times, Kent described the decision as “prejudiced, perverse and contrary to natural justice,” and even went so far as to claim that Durham officials had been told in May that they would be relegated.””We have [sent the letter] – they would have received it yesterday,” Kennedy told PA. “We have asked for arbitration in the situation, and we’ll see what comes of that.”Kennedy added that he had met with Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, last week to discuss the issue.”It was an amicable meeting – we were able to exchange opinions. One or two things have come to light since then, so we thought we would bring it to a head – and that is exactly what we’ve done.””We can confirm receipt of a letter from Kent county cricket club regarding the issue of promotion and relegation,” said an ECB spokesperson.”Last week’s decision to relegate Durham – with Hampshire remaining in the first division of the Specsavers County Championship – was in line with the two-down, one-up relegation and promotion rules for this season’s county championship which were notified to all counties and published prior to start of the 2016 season.”We are currently considering our response to Kent’s letter and will reply to them in due course.”Durham issued a statement denying the details in the Times report: “Contrary to today’s press report, Durham county cricket club can confirm that they were not told in May that the club would be relegated at the end of the season.”

Jeet Raval could take Martin Guptill’s place at the top of the order while Todd Astle is set to fill in for the injured Mitchell Santner

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2016Opening batsman Martin Guptill has been left out of New Zealand’s squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan. Uncapped Auckland batsman Jeet Raval and allrounder Colin de Grandhomme have been picked, while allrounder Todd Astle, who played his only Test in November 2012, has been recalled.Raval, who was in the squad for New Zealand’s Test tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year, is set to take Guptill’s place at the top of the order. The 28-year-old left-handed batsman averaged 55.71 in last season’s Plunket Shield and in three matches this season has scored 244 runs at an average of 40.66.Guptill’s form in Tests this year has been a worry for the side. In nine matches, the batsman scored 393 runs at an average of 24.56 with two fifties, struggling for runs in the home series against Australia and on the tours of South Africa and India. Four other players who were part of the India tour – Doug Bracewell, Jeetan Patel, Luke Ronchi and Ish Sodhi – missed out. Among the excluded players who toured India, Ronchi had the best performance, ending as the highest run-getter for New Zealand with 200 runs in six Test innings. Patel and Sodhi picked up six and three wickets respectively, while Bracewell did not get a game.”Jeet has been in the picture for a while now and he benefitted from spending time in the environment during the tour of Africa,” New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said. “His form in recent seasons has been excellent and the opportunity for Jeet to begin his international career in familiar conditions will be important.”Luke, Martin, Doug miss out this series, but we know that they and the others who miss out will continue to work hard on their game and get the chance to continue staking a claim in the domestic competition.”Astle and de Grandhomme were rewarded for their consistent performances in domestic cricket, with Astle’s legspin set to cover for the absence of allrounder Mitchell Santner, who fractured his wrist recently. Astle is the only specialist spinner in the squad.Astle has taken 116 wickets in the last three Plunket Shield seasons, and 14 in this edition of the tournament. He has also contributed with the bat for Canterbury, scoring 267 runs, including a career-best 195 against Northern Districts in the first round.De Grandhomme, who has played an ODI and four T20Is for New Zealand, has been picked as an all-round option. He has scored 216 runs in three Plunket Shield matches so far, including one century, and has taken five wickets for Auckland as a seamer. The century, an unbeaten 144, came in tight two-wicket win against Otago, in a run chase of 373.”Todd’s been incredibly consistent at the domestic level, having been one of the top four wicket-takers in the Plunket Shield for the past threes seasons,” Larsen said. “His bowling has continued to improve and he’s also shown impressive form with the bat, so Todd provides a similar skill set to Mitchell Santner in his absence.”Since Colin returned from injury last season, he’s made a number of key contributions with bat and ball. He’s made an impressive start to the current Plunket Shield season and he provides us with another strong allrounder option.”Six players were not considered due to injury: Santner, Mark Craig, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Colin Munro and George Worker. Corey Anderson, too, was not considered, as he continues to work on building up his bowling workload, after recovering from a back injury. Anderson had been picked as a specialist batsman in the ODI series against India, but bowled four overs in the fifth match.The first Test will be played in Christchurch from November 17, while the second Test starts from November 25. Astle and de Grandhomme have been withdrawn from the New Zealand A squad for the tour match against the Pakistanis, with Kyle Jamieson and Luke Woodcock taking their place.New Zealand squad Kane Williamson (capt), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham, Jeet Raval, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling

Stuart Broad has not given up hope of playing in the third Test in Mohali despite suffering an injury to the tendons in his right foot in Visakhapatnam

George Dobell in Visakhapatnam20-Nov-2016Stuart Broad has not given up hope of playing in the third Test in Mohali despite suffering an injury to the tendons in his right foot in Visakhapatnam. The England seamer revealed that he will wear a protective “moon” boot to try and aid his recovery, with four days between the second and third Tests.Broad sustained the injury diving in the field in the opening moments of the match but still produced an impressive performance. He claimed four wickets in India’s second innings and then called upon England to “do something special” on the last day to try and salvage the second Test.”It’s been a pretty sore Test,” Broad said of his injury. “I dived for the ball and my toe slipped the wrong way and I’ve done some damage to my tendon, which has been a bit awkward. If you do that in the second over of a Test, you’ve only got one option and that’s to keep playing or you stuff the team a little bit.”There are plans is to get a moon boot on at the end of this game for a few days to try to offload the tendon. We’ve about 17 days before the fourth Test in Mumbai, which is quite a long time. But it’s less for the third Test in Mohali.”It’s annoying to miss any Test and I don’t know that I will miss it yet. But hopefully I’ll definitely be fit for Mumbai.”England could go to Mohali 1-0 down after being challenged to survive for a minimum of 150 overs if they were to save the match – which, on a deteriorating wicket, seemed an improbable scenario. But, having reached stumps on day four for the loss of only two wickets, Broad said the whole side had taken encouragement from the performance of their opening batsmen and still felt the draw was achievable.”Everyone believes it can be done,” Broad said. “When you watch the way we batted this evening: 60 overs for two wickets; we’ve only got another 90 to go. It shows you can bat on that pitch if you apply yourself.”If two or three batsmen get stuck in like the openers did today, we will save the Test. That’s quite exciting. You’ve a chance of doing something – I won’t say heroic, but doing something quite special. A bit different. It might not be 100 off 150 balls, but it might be 20 of 150 balls that helps your team get in a great position.”We’ve got the characters, the players and the depth of batting to do it. The key is breaking it down into small partnerships: whether it’s 15 minutes, whether it’s 15 balls, or five runs, these sort of things slow the game down for you so it doesn’t feel as if you’re climbing up a mountain.”England’s hopes took a substantial blow when Alastair Cook was trapped leg before to the last delivery of the day. But his partnership with Haseeb Hameed had defied India for 50 overs and, according to Broad, shown the rest of the team what was expected of them on the final day.”It’s always disappointing when you lose a wicket in the final over,” Broad said. “Especially someone as dogged and strong as Cook. But we batted 60 overs for two wickets. That gives us a lot of encouragement. We’ve still got wickets and a lot of batting to come in the changing room.”The way Cook goes about it… the calmness he shows. The courage he shows. He’s set a precedent, if that’s the word. You have to follow his lead.”Broad was equally effusive in praise of Hameed, who endured a testing spell of short-pitched bowling and was finally dismissed by an unplayable delivery that scuttled along the pitch.”He played a tough innings,” Broad said. “It reminded me of the Mike Atherton knock at Trent Bridge in 1998 when Allan Donald was charging in at him. Haseeb was hit first ball, which damaged his hand, but he didn’t show anything and calmly went about his business. He showed a huge amount of courage and didn’t let a bit of indifferent bounce change his movements.”He looks made for Test cricket. As a bowler in his team, he is an enjoyable man to see walk out to bat because you know he has a calm head on his shoulders. He just wants to bat for his team. Today runs weren’t on his agenda. He wanted to bat time to give England a chance to save this Test. It took a beauty of a ball to get rid of him. Not many batsmen are going to hit that, are they?”England’s openers kept India at bay for more than 50 overs•AFP

Despite England’s unpromising match position, Broad felt the side could take “huge credit” from their fightback. After a poor session towards the end of day two, he suggested England had shown character.”We had a bad hour-and-a-half at the end of day two,” Broad said. “But since then we’ve shown a lot of character. To still be in this Test going into day five from the position we were in at the end of day two is a huge credit to us.”Even today, turning up to the ground 300 behind, it is very easy to throw the towel in. But we put a lot of pressure on India. We took early wickets. We didn’t let India control the scoring rate and didn’t let them declare. And that led us into a pretty solid batting display giving us a hope tomorrow.”A lot of Tests have been saved with teams going into the last day two wickets down. And that’s got to be out aim. In Auckland in 2013 we went into the last day with four wickets down and saved the game.”We’re very happy with today. We’ve given ourselves a great chance and if we can keep things quiet for the first 90 minutes, the pressure will only grow on the Indian bowlers.”Despite Broad’s injury, he delivered an impressive eight-over spell on the fourth day and claimed his best figures in a Test in India.”It felt like a decent time to bowl,” he said. “There was a little bit of indifferent bounce and reverse swing. It was nice to play on a pitch that was worn and there was a bit of variable bounce so I was able to use the legcutter a bit more which makes the reversing ball a bit more dangerous.”The batsman is looking for the cutter and then you can wrap them on the pad with a quicker inswinger. Zaheer Khan was very good at bowling off-pace and would then surprise you with a really quick inswinger. Jimmy Anderson and I talked about trying to get batsmen into a routine of facing a slower pace and then hitting them with a quicker ball coming into the stumps. He dismissed Pujara that way.”

A Round up of the Super Smash matches held on December 23, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2016Ben Hilfenhaus finished with career-best T20 figures of 5 for 23, complementing the 109-run partnership between Peter Fulton and Henry Nicholls, to secure Canterbury’s seven-run win over Otago at Hagley Oval.After choosing to bat, Canterbury’s Fulton and Nicholls each struck half-centuries in their 71-ball third-wicket stand, which rescued Canterbury from 8 for 2 in the third over. Fulton, who scored 64 off 43 deliveries, reached his half-century off 36 balls, while Nicholls took one ball more to the landmark, eventually falling for 52 off 40 balls. Nicholls’ fifty was his third in five Super Smash matches. Their partnership came at close to 10 an over and had set Canterbury up for a strong total, before they lost 5 for 35 to close their innings. Fulton’s wicket, taken by Christi Viljoen, stemmed Canterbury’s scoring rate as they could add only 40 more in their last six overs and finished their innings on 157.Like Canterbury, Otago lost two early wickets – Anaru Kitchen and Neil Broom were caught behind off Matt Henry and Hilfenhaus respectively – before a third-wicket partnership of 60 between Michael Bracewell (38) and opener Hamish Rutherford (38) steered their chase. However, following Bracewell’s run-out, Otago fell swiftly from 70 for 2 in the 12th over to 94 for 5 by the 15th.Hilfenhaus took two of those wickets and followed it up with two more scalps in the 19th over to finish with a five-for. Needing 18 off the last over, Otago managed only 10 runs and finished seven runs short of Canterbury’s total. The win took Canterbury to fourth, tied on 12 points with Otago.Mitchell Santner followed up a 21-ball 45 with three economical overs to help Northern Districts defeat Central Districts by ten runs at Seddon Park.Having been put into bat, the Northern Districts scored 57 before the opening stand was broken off the last ball of the fielding restrictions when Dean Brownlie (36) was dismissed. Contributions from BJ Watling (35) and Corey Anderson (28) carried Northern Districts along at a fast lick before Santner and Scott Kuggelijn (23 off 10) provided a late surge to lift them to 197 for 5.Central Districts’ reply was led by Mahela Jayawardene, who had earlier bowled for the first time since March 2010 and gone for 15 runs in his solitary over. He followed up his century in the previous game with 64 off 36 deliveries in an opening partnership of 84 that took just 8.2 overs. He was dismissed by Santner, who then put the brakes on the Central Districts, conceding only 12 runs off his three overs. Central Districts managed only 58 runs in the 7.5 overs after their opening stand, and even an unbeaten 16-ball 37 from Josh Clarkson wasn’t enough as they fell short by ten runs. The win, Northern’s second in the series meant they remained on fifth while Central were on second place.

The Olympic Stadium in London is moving closer to hosting matches in the 2019 World Cup

Tim Wigmore23-Jan-2017The Olympic Stadium in London is moving closer to hosting matches in the 2019 World Cup after a full inspection of the ground* found that the pitch dimensions complied with requirements for one-day internationals. A final decision on the use of the stadium is expected in the coming months, but the London Stadium, as it is now named, is viewed as having a better than even chance of staging games.The move, which is strongly supported by the ICC, is an attempt to use the 2019 tournament to attract new audiences to the sport and produce the best spectacle possible. The London Stadium has a capacity of 60,000 – twice that of any other cricket ground in the UK. It appears likely to host two or three matches, and its capacity raises the possibility of it being used to stage some of the most enticing games in the group stage. The ICC has been struck by the possibility of large crowds at the London Stadium, similar to those at multi-sport grounds like the MCG and Eden Park during the 2015 World Cup, adding to the excitement surrounding the tournament.The venue is also being explored as a possibility to host a stand-alone opening ceremony. The 1999 World Cup began with an infamously damp firework display in drizzle at Lord’s, and it is hoped that a glitzy opening ceremony at the London Stadium, combined with hosting matches there, could help to ensure the 2019 tournament is more successful in engaging the wider public. Fan zones around the country are also being explored to help promote the tournament.Were the London Stadium to be selected to host matches, it would be likely to use drop-in pitches, as the ground is normally used by the English football club West Ham United. The 2019 World Cup is scheduled for outside the football season, and it seems most likely that all the matches at the London Stadium would be played within a short time frame, giving ground staff sufficient time to prepare without encroaching too much upon preparations for the following football season. The London Stadium has long been considered a viable option for T20 cricket – Essex hope to play matches at the ground in 2018 – although hosting 50-over matches for the first time, for a non-cricket specialist stadium, during the World Cup could carry unforeseen risks.However, there could be some resistance to the plans among English counties. At the end of 2014, the ECB announced the full allocation of matches for the 2019 World Cup: 11 venues were guaranteed a certain number of matches, adding up to the full 48 in the tournament. Should the ECB now attempt to unpick this arrangement, counties would be certain to demand compensation. Paying this would be well within the financial capabilities of the ECB – its latest accounts announced cash reserves of £73.1m – if it considers using the London Stadium as a tool to grow the sport. Given its capacity, matches at the London Stadium would also be likely to generate more revenue than at other grounds, and so some could be used to compensate any venues that lost matches.Debate about using the London Stadium also comes against the wider backdrop of the current tussle between the ECB and counties over plans to introduce a new eight-team domestic T20 tournament. Surrey have been one of the most vociferous opponents of the plans. But if the London Stadium is seen as an increasingly viable ground to host matches, it would appear possible that it could be used as a second London venue – in addition to Lord’s – for the new T20 competition. Were that the case, The Oval could be at risk of not hosting a side in the new tournament.

Warwickshire will build on the success of last season’s T20 double-header by once again scheduling fixtures for Birmingham Bears’ men’s and women’s teams on the same day

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2017Warwickshire will build on the success of last season’s T20 double-header by once again scheduling fixtures for Birmingham Bears’ men’s and women’s teams on the same day.The concept, successfully implemented for the latter stages of the men’s and women’s World T20 tournaments since 2009, proved popular when Warwickshire trialled it last season, and they will be repeating the concept at Edgbaston on Sunday, July 16.Birmingham Bears men will face Leicestershire Foxes at 2.30pm, followed by Birmingham Bears women against Sussex women at 5.30pm.”It’s essential that we continue to build on the success of the women’s team from last season, when we came very close to winning the NatWest Women’s T20,” said Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket.”Playing at an international venue, in-front of a big crowd is an invaluable experience for the development of this team and I’m delighted that we’re able to secure this second Double Header Day. Whilst we’re hungry for success, we’re also committed to growing the women’s game and hopefully the day can inspire many more women and girls to get involved in cricket.”Captained by Marie Kelly, Birmingham Bears women finished second to Kent in the NatWest Women’s T20 in 2016.

A 160-run partnership between Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma led South Africa’s dominant recovery from 94 for 6 to end the second day with a lead of 81 in Wellington

The Report by Andrew McGlashan17-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:33

‘Bavuma, de Kock saved SA from precarious position’

South Africa were taken from the potential of a significant deficit to a substantial lead by a rollicking seventh-wicket stand of 160 between Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock on the second day in Wellington. They transformed a pre-lunch position of 94 for 6 with the most dominant batting of the series to date and, although both fell short of hundreds, South Africa closed with a lead of 81 after the last-wicket pair added further frustration for New Zealand.While the South African pair batted superbly, New Zealand will ponder how things raced away at such a rate after they had managed to rumble the top order during the morning session. Colin de Grandhomme, who finished with 3 for 52, claimed the key duo of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis while Neil Wagner continued JP Duminy’s frustrating tour. From the lowest ebb of South Africa’s innings the last four wickets managed to amass 255 runs from 65 overs.Both first innings followed similar patters: New Zealand had recovered from 101 for 5 through a stand of 116 between Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling on the opening day. As the ball grew older, the bowlers struggled to keep control, knocked back by the aggression shown by de Kock who won his little duel with Jeetan Patel for first time on the tour. Crucially, Patel could not strike or provide control for Kane Williamson while South Africa recovered as he conceded five-an-over in his first 10 overs.The gamesmanship card had been played when de Kock arrived in the middle shortly before lunch as Patel was given the last over of the session to target the man he had removed in the previous four innings. This time, despite the occasional hairy moment as de Kock refused to be dominated, he came through either side of lunch and then started to cut loose against the quicks.He upper cut Tim Southee over the slips for six and hooked Wagner onto the grass banks. At one stage, as he negotiated Patel, de Kock had 17 off 33 balls but then skipped to his half-century from 55 deliveries as the mood of the day swung back to South Africa. The short-pitched approach did not fluster him – it was arguably over-done – and Kane Williamson was soon on the retreat – a packed slip cordon replaced by scouts on the boundary.Colin de Grandhomme removed Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis in the morning session•Getty Images

When Patel returned for a second spell before tea, de Kock skipped down the pitch and deposited him straight down the ground. No doubt about the winner this time. He was nine away from a fourth Test hundred when he pushed out at a delivery from James Neesham, who produced a wholehearted burst shortly before the new ball, at a time when New Zealand were looking a little short of ideas.Bavuma took a backseat once de Kock found his stride after coming through an early trial from the short ball. He had one fortunate moment when he spliced a pull which lobbed over mid-on as de Grandhomme lost his footing. As the afternoon progressed, having batting in de Kock’s slipstream, he became far more assured and moved to his fifty from 88 balls.His off-side driving, off front and back foot, was especially eye-catching and a significant moment – a first overseas century – was on the horizon when he got underneath a pull and found deep square leg. But having come into the tour under a modicum of scrutiny, after a lean series against Sri Lanka, it has been a resounding response from Bavuma following his half-century in Dunedin. However, New Zealand could not wrap things up swiftly as Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel added an unbroken 47 for the last wicket, which included a concerning moment when Morkel took a blow on the helmet from Southee but he managed to finish nine short of his best Test score.How South Africa needed the recovery act. They had resumed on 24 for 2 with both openers already dismissed and Kagiso Rabada, the nightwatchman, soon joined them when Southee swung one through him in his first over. It did not take Wagner long to strengthen New Zealand’s position when, with his seventh ball of the day, and first to JP Duminy, he claimed him for the third time in the series courtesy of a loose flick which picked out midwicket.De Grandhomme then followed Southee after an eight-over spell with success coming almost immediately when Amla, still struggling to find his best form, could barely believe he had picked out midwicket against a delivery on his pads he would normally ease away for runs. Henry Nicholls, the star of the opening day for New Zealand, could not take the catch at the first attempt but was able to grab the rebound: when things run your way, make the most of them.Faf du Plessis appeared keen to try and wrestle back the situation with aggression – top-edging Wagner for six when he was not in control of the pull – and shortly before lunch inside-edged a drive against de Grandhomme with BJ Watling taking a low catch. At that stage even parity was a long way off, but in a series that has produced six days of counterpunches, South Africa threw the latest of them. It could be a decisive one.