Big task ahead of New Zealand to hold out for draw

Having been played right out of the second National Bank Test by England with both ball and bat, New Zealand face a big task to save the match at the Basin Reserve tomorrow.England have gone to a 246-run lead with nine second innings wickets intact and 105 overs to play with tomorrow.New Zealand have already been frustrated by umpiring decisions not going their way, including a big appeal for a catch at the wicket by Adam Parore off Marcus Trescothick from Nathan Astle’s bowling when the batsman was 77 not out.It has not been one of the great Test matches for the umpires, Steve Dunne of New Zealand and Darrell Hair of Australia, and that last one this evening was one of their toughest denials.England ended on 184/1 with Mark Butcher 57 not out off 99 balls, and Trescothick having batted 118 balls for his 77.The New Zealand side which had a poor first innings as the preamble to its first Test loss in Christchurch, learnt nothing when falling into the same hole in Wellington today.What was frustrating for the New Zealanders scattered among the crowd of around 8000 today, was the absence of applied batting technique and execution.It was difficult to believe that the New Zealand batsmen who performed so abysmally in attempting to hold out left-arm spinner Ashley Giles and fast-medium Andy Caddick, were the same batsmen who performed so well against Australia earlier in the summer.Giles was a markedly inferior bowler to Australian spinner Shane Warne while Caddick is a notch below Glenn McGrath’s class, both players who were almost played out of the Australian series.Conditions may have been different, and clearly attitudes were, because the competitive fire seemed to be absent among the New Zealanders.It was as if they were prepared to play in remote control mode until members of their frontline attack return to the side, and although the players might refute that, it was the impression they gave.At the outset of the day Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent had worked their way from 70 to 135 when Vincent’s departure, caught at a deep leg slip from Giles, signalled the start of a five-wicket swathe that was cut through the New Zealand batting for only 14 runs.Caddick conspired with Giles to effect the demise of the home side, almost taunting those who had claimed after his second innings haul of six for 122 in the first Test in Christchurch that he wasn’t a first innings bowler.Figures of six for 59 would suggest otherwise and he goes into the second innings all fired up with a goal in sight of 200 Test wickets, which is only four wickets away.It doesn’t bode well for the home team.Coach Denis Aberhart acknowledged as much.”It was not a good day today.”I think the pitch is playing fine. I think if you work hard at it, if you’re bowling you get something out of it but batting wise the English have shown they can bat out there pretty well and early on this morning I thought we played pretty well on it too as well,” he said.It was a combination of bad batting and good bowling that put New Zealand in the position they now face.They had set things up well by the drinks break where they were 130/1.”The English bowlers kept the pressure on, they bowled well, they kept good line and good length. They haven’t let us get away at all, and then some poor application, poor shot selection combined with some good bowling,” he said.Aberhart added that it would be hard to chase a score on the wicket but it was possible to see what could happen if batsmen got in and got some partnerships established.New Zealand had managed to create some opportunities for wickets, one of which was dropped, but they had to get on with the game and bowl the next ball.The method for New Zealand’s survival was simple.”We need to show the willingness to do the hard work. When the Englishmen bowl good lines, good lengths we have to work through that. I think for long periods of time we did that but we just didn’t finish it off.”We need to address that, it’s more of a mental thing than a technical thing and that needs to be addressed for tomorrow and for the Test in Auckland,” he said.

West Indies A fail to capitalise at Derby

Early optimism turned into frustration for West Indies A, as they struggled tocapitalise on an excellent start to their four-day encounter with Derbyshire.After reducing the hosts to 76-6 in a lively morning session, the West Indian attack were frustrated by a stubborn knock from keeper Luke Sutton (80), with stoic contributions from bowlers Tom Lungley (19), Paul Aldred (29) and Neil Gunter (18) on debut.Derbyshire were bowled out late in the final session for 238. West Indies A lost Devon Smith early in reply, grinding out 21/1 from 14 overs at stumps. Skipper Darren Ganga remained unbeaten with Donovan Pagon.Marlon Black (4-32) and Reon King (3-63) were the pick of the bowlers, returning to claim seven wickets between them after disappointing opening spells on a fine morning. But the visitors’ inconsistent form on tour so farreturned with a vengeance in the afternoon, with bad balls swatted away and accurate deliveries dourly defended.Initially, the two Test seamers were indifferent. Derbyshire’s openers Stuart Stubbings (25) and Andrew Gait (13) took advantage of a wealth of looseners to race to 40 in nine overs. Sulieman Benn’s catch saw the back of Gait, while Stubbings was caught behind off Black.A second ball duck for close-season signing Dominic Hewson left the door ajar, with a second-string Derbyshire team teetering on the brink. King clean bowled James Pyemont, with Jermaine Lawson crashing through stand-in skipper Matthew Dowman’s defences in the next over.When Steven Selwood’s edge gave King his third victim, the home side seemedmortally wounded. Of the top six, only Stubbings, Dowman and Hewson have much first-class experience, and it showed.Sutton took the lead in the afternoon, with a knock requiring patience fromboth batsman and spectators. An uncomplicated player, Sutton is well equipped for rearguard actions – he carried his bat with 140 against Sussex last season – like the one shown today. He was the last man out, giving Keith Hibbert a fourth victim behind the stumps.Lungley was a willing ally. His 19 was grafted from 80 balls in a stay of over an hour and a half. He was unadventurous, leaving the ball well, only to be dismissed leg before to one which straightened from Black.Aldred, a reasonable tail-ender who should not give bowlers nightmares, lasted an hour, while Gunter looked solid before playing all round a straight delivery from Benn.Derby had recovered well after their dreadful morning, and while the visitors are on top, they should tighten their grip on the game tomorrow.

Another Ward hundred puts England A in command

By the close of play in Barbados today, Ian Ward had batted for 32 hours for a total of 575 runs in the Busta Cup after his outstanding run of form continued with a third century in three matches.The England A opener put on 224 runs for the first wicket with Michael Powell and finished with an unbeaten 131 to put his side into a commanding position at the end of the first day’s play in the fourth round match against Barbados.He completed his century in just under four and a half hours making this third hundred of the tour his quickest so far. His previous two hundreds in Trinidad and Grenada took a total of 16 hours and but he has clocked up the equivalent of a day and a half at the crease since he arrived on tour.”It went very well and I feel really good,” said the weary Ward at stumps.”The runs seem to be coming easily at the moment but it helps when you have someone like Michael Powell at the other end. He played really well and it was unfortunate that he got out when he did. He plays the reverse sweep really well and had eyed up the field so he knew it was a shot that might work. But sometimes things don’t go to plan and I felt for him.”The Warwickshire captain, who learned the reverse sweep from his county coach Bob Woolmer, made a rash decision to play the shot when he was four runs short of his century but the ball rapped him on his pads, giving Barbados their first wicket of the day.Powell was upset at his failure to reach the hundred but said he was in good form and already looking forward to his next innings.”The reverse sweep is a shot I play a lot and although it was the first time I had played it in this game, I felt the way the field was set gave me an opportunity. I was not looking for four runs, just to get bat on ball but it didn’t work.”Three weeks ago I was in South Africa but now I am with England A with a 75 and 96 under my belt so I am confident the big one is just round the corner,” he commented attempting to contain his disappointment.


UsmanAfzaal
Photo Paul McGregor

Earlier, England A skipper Mark Alleyne won the toss and chose to bat first on a pitch that offered opportunities for big scores. Without Aftab Habib and Graeme Swann who were both ruled out with injury, selectors decided to recall Nottinghamshire’s Usman Afzaal with Jonathan Lewis preferred to Ryan Sidebottom and Paul Franks as third seamer to Chris Silverwood and Alex Tudor.The opening pair got off to a blistering start making 63 runs in the first hour, helped by some expensive bowling from Barbados captain Ian Bradshaw, whose four overs went for 11 runs a piece.But the introduction of 19 year-old off spinner Ryan Austin into the attack saw England A slow their scoring rate and at lunch they were 97 without loss though Powell had survived a chance while on 33 when he was dropped at short leg off Austin.Both openers completed their half-centuries soon after the interval and Ward finally lost his partner after they had recorded the highest ever opening stand since England A started touring in 1989/90 with Darren Maddy and Michael Vaughan establishing a record of 151 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1998/99.By the close, Vikram Solanki batting ahead of John Crawley, had added 25 runs to the total leaving England A in a strong position at the end of the first day at 266 .Manager James Whitaker paid tribute to Ward and said it had been a good day for England A.”It was a pretty good day – fantastic for Ian to get another hundred. Three games in between with an 86 sandwiched in between which is outstanding and Vikram did well to go in there at the end having waited around all day. We would have settled for 266 for one going into the second day.”His powers of concentration is the thing that stands out and the discipline and solidity he provides in the opening slot has injected a lot of confidence and determination in the rest of the guys in following suit.”

Adams sidelined with thumb injury

Sussex captain Chris Adams will miss next week’s zonal group matches in theBenson and Hedges Cup with a broken thumb.The former England batsman sustained the injury when he was hit on the right hand by a ball from Worcestershire pace bowler Alamgir Sheriyar on Friday.Adams is expected to be out of action for a fortnight, starting with aNorwich Union League game against Worcestershire tomorrow and then five matchesin the Benson and Hedges Cup.

Super Eights a realistic target

Overview

How Shakib Al Hasan fares in Sri Lanka could determine whether Bangladesh makes it past round one•AFP

The World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka will be as much a test of Bangladesh’s skills and preparation as a measure of their progress as an international side. They’ve been grouped with a team they crushed in ODIs two years ago, and the contest in Pallekele will be Bangladesh’s first against New Zealand since that 4-0 result. The other, and more recent, source of confidence is their wins against India and Sri Lanka during this year’s Asia Cup, when Bangladesh qualified for the final.Even Bangladesh’s poor record against their other Group D opponents should provide extra inspiration. They haven’t beaten Pakistan in 13 years, though in their last two matches they showed the readiness to fight, especially in the Asia Cup final in March.Bangladesh’s performance in that tournament is now considered the marker by many, though expecting the players to take a step further in the World Twenty20, where one bad over or shot could see them knocked out of the group stages, might be asking too much. They’re primarily focused on making it past the New Zealand game unscathed and hoping for a Super Eights berth. It is a realistic target for a team that played a quarter of all their Twenty20 internationals four months before the World Twenty20.

Key player

Shakib Al Hasan considers himself a leader in the team, and rightly so. He provides match-winning ability to a team that needs it, despite the presence of other talented players. Shakib’s batting and bowling averages are substantially better in Bangladesh wins in the past six years, a measure of his contribution to the team’s cause. He will be playing with a dodgy knee and will bat at No 3. The bowling attack will also revolve around his left-arm spin.

Surprise package

In Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh finally have an end-over hitter who can clear his right leg and swing powerfully. After an awkward teething period in Zimbabwe, Rahman hit eleven sixes during the build-up tours and broadened his range from just midwicket. He can use his feet against the spinners but high pace will test him: when he encountered such bowling against South Africa in June, Rahman settled for boundaries and the odd nudge. A fast-bowling talent cut short due to injury, Rahman reinvented himself as the sort of a shock-value player Bangladesh has lacked since Mohammad Rafique’s heyday.

Weakness

Spin will test the Bangladesh batsmen, especially Pakistan’s offspinners. They tend to play out overs, which is a flawed strategy in a Twenty20 game. Also, they can be inflexible when things don’t go according to plan. A recent example of this was the middle-order collapses after Shakib’s dismissal during the two practice games in Sri Lanka.

World T20 history

A surprise win over West Indies took them to the Super Eights in 2007, but they failed to make it past the group stages in 2009 and 2010.

Recent form

Bangladesh have won four games out of six in 2012, results that include the 3-0 series win over Ireland in July. That performance took Bangladesh all the way up to No. 4 in the Twenty20 rankings but they returned to ninth three days later, after an unflattering start to their series in the Netherlands, where they won once and lost twice. One of those defeats was against Scotland. During an off-season dedicated to Twenty20, Bangladesh also won unofficial matches against South Africa, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Barbados on either side of the Europe tour.

Northampton to host only first-class warm-up of SL tour

Full tour schedule

May 9 Sri Lanka arrive
May 13 50-over tour match v Essex, Chelmsford (D/N)
May 16 50-over tour match v Kent, Canterbury (D/N)
May 18 T20 tour match v Sussex, Hove
May 20 1st T20I, Oval
May 22 1st ODI, The Oval (D/N)
May 25 2nd ODI, Durham
May 28 3rd ODI, Old Trafford (D/N)
May 31 4th ODI, Lord’s
June 3 5th ODI, Edgbaston (D/N)
June 5-8 four-day tour match v Northamptonshire, Northampton
June 12-16 1st Test, Lord’s
June 20-24 2nd Test, Headingley

Sri Lanka can only play one warm-up first-class match ahead of their Test series in England next year, thanks largely to a condensed tour schedule.The four-day match that has been scheduled will be against Northamptonshire in Northampton, with two 50-over tour matches to be played in Chelmsford and Canterbury before the limited-overs series. A Twenty20 tour match will also be played, in Hove.Sri Lanka had played two first-class warm-up matches in their last tour to England, in 2011, ahead of the series they lost 1-0.The ECB moved Sri Lanka’s Tests to mid-June in order to avoid a clash with the IPL, but that reshuffle, and the abundance of cricket in England next summer, does not allow for a lengthy warm-up period. After Sri Lanka’s two-Test series, India play five Tests in the UK.In 2014, they will arrive in England without having played a Test match outside Asia in the last 16 months. However, Sri Lanka will have played five ODIs and a Twenty20 international in the UK before the Tests begin.Sri Lanka are set to arrive in England on May 9.

Chopra ton can't stop Netherlands

ScorecardVarun Chopra’s hundred did not stop Warwickshire sliding to another limited-overs defeat•Getty Images

Warwickshire’s dismal limited-overs campaign went from bad to worse with a five-run defeat to Netherlands at Edgbaston.Warwickshire have endured a season to forget in the shorter formats and were out of the Yorkshire Bank 40 qualification race almost before it had started.And when Netherlands, having chosen to bat, charged to 100 without loss in the 16th over, it seemed that more misery was on the way for a Warwickshire side resting key bowlers Chris Woakes, Keith Barker, Rikki Clarke and Boyd Rankin to safeguard them for the LV= County Championship run-in.Netherlands’ charge slowed so that they eventually totalled 248 for 7, no more than par on a good batting pitch. And an opening stand of 134 in 24 overs between Varun Chopra and William Porterfield then put Warwickshire well on the way to their target.But after Porterfield perished for 62 from 70 balls, there was a loss of momentum. Chopra posted a polished century but found no support from the middle order and an equation of 49 from the last four overs proved too demanding.Warwickshire’s inexperienced bowling attack suffered early on as Stephan Myburgh and Michael Swart put 50 on the board in seven overs. Abetted by some wayward bowling, the openers added 125 in 21 overs and were only parted by their own misunderstanding. Both ended up at the same end and Myburgh’s aggressive knock was terminated as he was run out for 76 from 72 balls, with eight fours and three sixes.Swart found another assertive partner in Eric Szwarczynski, who thumped 28 from 19 balls in a third-wicket stand of 51 in six overs. When Netherlands passed 200 with eight overs left, they appeared to be heading for 270-plus but after Swart (67 from 85 balls) was well caught by wicketkeeper Pete McKay off Darren Maddy, the innings lost momentum.Wesley Barresi swiped 37 from 28 balls but the target was much smaller than had appeared likely – and was soon looking very small indeed as Chopra and Porterfield worked the ball round adroitly against a workmanlike but limited attack.But after Porterfield fell to Pieter Seelaar, Jim Troughton made 17 from 18 balls on his return to the side after six weeks out with a back injury. He perished on the offensive, though, as did Maddy and excellent bowling from Ahsan Malik further tightened the screw.Chopra was stumped off Peter Borren, having made 111 from 117 balls with 11 boundaries, and Netherlands were soon celebrating a West Midlands double having already beaten Worcestershire in this season’s competition.

BCCI objects to South Africa tour itinerary

The BCCI has objected to the itinerary of India’s tour to South Africa starting in November, which was announced by Cricket South Africa on Monday. According to the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, CSA announced the schedule without obtaining the BCCI’s consent.”We have written to CSA mentioning that while we have been discussing the tour itinerary, nothing had been agreed upon (before they announced the schedule). The discussions are on and a consensual decision will come soon,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo. Jagmohan Dalmiya, who has been in charge of the BCCI’s day-to-day affairs with N Srinivasan having stepped aside as president, confirmed that the BCCI had raised “concerns” with CSA.While Patel refused to elaborate on those concerns, Dalmiya said the BCCI had issues with the scheduling of the Tests. At the moment, the tour comprises two Twenty20 internationals and seven ODIs, followed by three Tests.”We have some concerns over the gap between the last two Tests of the three-match series,” Dalmiya told reporters in Kolkata. “We have informed this to our South African counterpart (CSA) and the two boards are trying very amicably to sort out the matter. The new schedule will be announced soon.” *The present schedule has an eight-day gap between the second and third Tests. Earlier this year, when South Africa hosted Pakistan, there was a similar eight-day gap between two Tests. The BCCI prefers to play three-Test series with a three-day interval for home series. The last time India toured South Africa (in 2010-11), the biggest gap was five days – between the first Test at Centurion and the Boxing Day Test. This time, the gap between the first two Tests is just two days, with CSA deciding to reinstate the Boxing Day and New Year Tests to Durban and Newlands respectively.It is learned that the new BCCI administration has concerns with the “number of matches and the itinerary” for the tour. The tour is scheduled to end on January 19, just before the start of the New Zealand tour, though the schedule for that tour hasn’t yet been finalised.The BCCI feels that seven ODIs are “too many”. “If we have five ODIs, perhaps the tour can get over a week early and the boys can have a week-long break before flying to New Zealand,” a BCCI insider said, preferring anonymity. He also revealed that the board has been consulting the players on whether they would prefer to play the Tests before the ODIs.CSA, however, has claimed that it has not received any formal complaint from the BCCI and that they have followed all the correct protocols. “If the BCCI has any concerns they can raise them with us and we will sort them out amicably as we have always done in the past,” Michael Owen Smith, CSA media consultant, said.* – July 9, 2013, 1815 GMT – story updated with Dalmiya quotes

Vettori ruled out, NZ bank on pace

Match Facts

May 24-28, 2013
Start time 11am (1000GMT)

The Big Picture

At Lord’s, as the threat of Graeme Swann and the left-armers’ footmarks hung above an unusually slow and turning pitch, New Zealand imploded like a science experiment gone wrong against the swing and seam of Stuart Broad and James Anderson. With Daniel Vettori ruled out of the second Test, Brendon McCullum will now have to trust in pace at Headingley, one of the most capricious grounds in England. Even he’s not sure how it will pan out.Vettori’s lack of fitness after six weeks on the sidelines at the IPL is perhaps unsurprising but, having elected not to call up Jeetan Patel, in the country and bowling fruitfully for Warwickshire, after Bruce Martin’s injury, New Zealand will field a four-man fast-bowling attack of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Doug Bracewell, with Kane Williamson’s offspin for backup. When asked whether Headingley was as good a place as any to be without a frontline spinner, McCullum shrugged and said “I don’t know”. Perhaps he was more concerned about the batting, after a second sub-100 kneecapping of 2013, but given Wagner’s assertion on Wednesday that McCullum would have Vettori to fall back on as he combines batting and wicketkeeping with the captaincy, his lack of conviction may have been reflective of a greater loss.Vettori would have become New Zealand’s most-capped Test player had he been involved but they will have to do without his great reservoir of experience – not to mention his great beard – as they seek a first Test win in England since 1999 that would help them square the series. For England, there is the chance to build up some irresistible momentum ahead of the Ashes, as well as seal the series.For three drawn Tests in New Zealand, followed by three close-fought days at Lord’s, there was little to tell between the two teams but, having punched a hole, England will now hope the dam bursts. Headingley has borne witness to some of the more inglorious moments of their recent history – Darren Pattinson’s selection, Kevin Pietersen’s unravelling – but, with Joe Root batting like a young Len Hutton, they will hope Yorkshire turns out in force to oversee another ecky thumping. The local bean-counters will certainly have their fingers crossed.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WDDDDNew Zealand LDDDL

Watch out for

Stuart Broad has generally struggled to string together telling contributions with the ball in Tests – only during the 2009 Ashes has he taken five-wicket hauls in consecutive matches – but as he tore through New Zealand for 7 for 44 at Lord’s, there was genuine hope that he can sustain his golden groove. Last year, he took eight wickets at Headingley against South Africa, and he has the opportunity to prey on a psychologically fragile New Zealand line-up again.Despite a stunning 171 on Test debut, Hamish Rutherford‘s returns since then have been more in keeping with the struggles of his recent predecessors at opener. He got two good deliveries at Lord’s, which can happen batting against the new ball, and the form of his partner, Peter Fulton, is arguably of greater concern for New Zealand, but 88 runs at an average of 14.66 since England first encountered him suggests they have done their homework.

Team news

An unchanged squad is likely to result in an unchanged XI, given the way England usually go about their selection business. Steven Finn is still searching for rhythm, but cleaned up New Zealand’s tail in the first innings at Lord’s to prove that pace is its own virtue, though he could still lose his place to Tim Bresnan, whose local knowledge gives him an edge.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnVettori was not deemed fit to last five days, so New Zealand have had a four-man pace attack effectively foisted on them. England controversially dropped Graeme Swann and tried the tactic against South Africa last year, only for Pietersen to be their second-most successful bowler, meaning Williamson could be in for some extended spells. Martin Guptill will replace BJ Watling and stiffen the batting, with McCullum taking the gloves and dropping a place in the order.New Zealand (probable) 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Martin Guptill, 7 Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Despite being bowled out for 96 in their opening innings of the county season, Yorkshire have generally piled on the runs at home, with Root and Jonny Bairstow providing the bulk of their 677 for 7 declared against Derbyshire at the start of May. Although it could be on the slow side, when the clouds roll over the pitch can still do strange things – and there are showers forecast for Friday.

Stats and trivia

  • England’s last win at Headingley came against West Indies in 2007. Since then they have lost two and drawn one.
  • Stuart Broad needs nine wickets to reach 200 in Tests; three will take him past Jim Laker to become England’s 15th-most successful bowler.
  • Three wickets or more at Headingley will see James Anderson pass Fred Trueman’s tally of 307 Test wickets on the Yorkshireman’s home ground.
  • Peter Fulton has made 34 runs in five innings on tour so far.

Quotes

“Over the last couple of years there have been some high-scoring games here and it’s quite similar to Lord’s. If it’s sunny it can be a nice pitch to bat on and we will have to work hard in every session.”
“Dan, Mike Hesson and I spoke about how Dan was feeling and he wasn’t quite confident he’d be able to get through five days.”

Sehwag, Jayawardene trounce tricky target

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
That’s how you carve a win•BCCI

On a hot Sunday afternoon, two bowling attacks got into a contest of who could bowl worse. Mumbai Indians outdid their Delhi Daredevils counterparts by a comfortable margin, and handed Daredevils their first win in seven attempts this season.To give credit where it’s due, Daredevils were ordinary for a much shorter duration. They only let things go after they had reduced Mumbai to 24 for 2 in six overs, giving Rohit Sharma full toss after full toss to deposit into the stands, and conceding 161 runs. Mumbai’s Jasprit Bumrah and Munaf Patel, though, were poor from the start, letting the hitherto struggling Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene run away with the chase after which the duo regained their touch too.The match couldn’t have started more differently. After Mumbai finally split the faltering box-office opening combination of Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting, Daredevils’ left-arm bowlers stifled the top order on a slow pitch. Finally included, Roelof van der Merwe made the biggest difference, with the wicket of Dwayne Smith in the third over.Everything was going in Daredevils’ favour. They got the danger man Dinesh Karthik with a deflection from Umesh Yadav in his follow-through, and Tendulkar was struggling to strike at a run a ball. They somehow took Mumbai to 57 for 2 in 10 overs, but then the deluge started. Andre Russell, for some reason replacing Morne Morkel, began with a full toss for Rohit to hit a six. In the next over, Shahbaz Nadeem dropped Tendulkar.In between the odd classy shot and heave, Rohit kept getting his loose balls. In all, he was given five full tosses, off which he scored 20 runs and was holed out on the last. These were not yorkers gone wrong, these were knee-high full bungers. Around more ordinary fielding, Mumbai kept prospering, but this was nothing compared to what was to follow.Bumrah, of the strange action, might have been rescued by dodgy umpiring in the previous match he played, but his angle and his gentle pace and length bowling was fodder for the batsmen this time around. His first over finished, Bumrah went to short fine leg to drop Sehwag off Munaf Patel. It shouldn’t take away from how poor the delivery was: short, down the leg side, with the fine leg up in the circle.Munaf didn’t stop doing that in his first two-over spell, and was consistently picked away on the leg side past the short fine leg. While Bumrah paid for that wide angle, Munaf was penalised for not bowling to his fields, and their next overs yielded 17 each. At 50 for 0 after five overs, these two had smelled blood, and you don’t let Sehwag and Jayawardene smell blood. David Warner may have wondered why he didn’t face such bowling when he opened the innings.Matching each other shot for shot now, they carved through some of the better bowling, whipping Lasith Malinga, reverse-sweeping Harbhajan Singh, delighting the home crowd that has refused to stay away despite all the losses, becoming only the third combination in IPL to have registered two hundred-run opening stands.What chance did Dwayne Smith stand? In his second over, the 10th of the chase, Smith was carved away for four by Sehwag and paddled away for a six by Jayawardene. And that six, coming as early as it did, brought the asking rate down to a run a ball. No collapse, fashionable as it might be, followed and the remaining 63 were got in just 45 balls.

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