England take huge lead against Haryana despite Rahul Dewan's impressive ton

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Rahul Dewan remained unbeaten on 144 but his brilliant knock failed to prevent England taking a huge lead of 188 runs in the third and final warm-up match at Ahmedabad on Saturday.

In reply to England's 521, the Haryana side were bowled out for 333.

For England, Tim Bresnan and Stuart Meaker took three wickets each while Samit Patel bagged two.

At lunch, opener Rahul Dewan completed a patient hundred but found little support from the rest of the Haryana line-up as the team crawled to 256 for seven in their first innings against England XI.

Responding to the visitors' first innings total of 521, Haryana were done in by a middle-order collapse despite the strong start they made yesterday.

At the break, Rahul was unbeaten on 112 with Amit Vashisht (8) giving him company at the other end.

Resuming at overnight 172 for four, the fall of wickets started pretty early for Haryana as Sandeep Singh departed after a 35-ball five.

Brief Score: England 521 (Samit Patel 67, Ian Bell 62; Amit Mishra 4 for 67, Jayant Yadav 4 for 110) lead Haryana 333 (Rahul Dewan 144*, Sunny Singh 55; Tim Bresnan 3 for 67, Stuart Meaker 3 for 72) by 188 runs.
 

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Haryana vs England XI, Practice match, Day 2, As it Happened

Over: 61 II Score: 172/4

Haryana were trailing England XI’s first innings total by 249 runs with six wickets in hand. Rahul Dewan (77*) and Sandeep Singh (2*) were still in the middle.
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Over: 57 II Score: 167/4

Haryana were four wickets down in their first innings after losing the wickets of Abhimanyu Khod and Sachin Rana. Khod (3) fell to Bresnan after being caught by Trott while Rana (7) was trapped in front by Monty Panesar.
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HARYANA: Over: 41 II Score: 129/2

Haryana lost their second wicket in Sunny Singh who was caught by Trott off Samit Patel. He scored 55 (74b, 4X11) while adding 97 runs for the second wicket with Rahul Dewan. Abhimanyu Khod is the new batsman in the middle.
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TEA

Haryana responded strongly to England XI's mammoth first innings total of 521 by reaching 103 for one at tea on the second day.

At the break, Rahul Dewan (42) and Sunny Singh (46) were at the crease for Haryana.

Nitin Saini (13) was the lone wicket to fall in the post-lunch session. Saini was dismissed by pacer Tim Bresnan after a 26-ball stay in which he struck three boundaries.

But his departure did not hurt the team much as Rahul and Sunny put on 76 runs for the second wicket. Rahul was the more patient of the two, taking 100 deliveries for his innings which included seven boundaries.

Sunny's 46 came off 67 balls and was studded with nine hits to the fence.

Earlier, England were bowled out for 521 after Samit Patel struck a fluent half-century.

There was a much-improved performance from Haryana bowlers who, after toiling hard for three wickets yesterday, picked up seven in one session today, with skipper Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav sharing four each.

Patel scored 67 off 105 balls and found the fence 13 times at the Sardar Patel Stadium B Ground, Motera.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior had earlier scored a quick-fire 41 off 36 balls -- his knock contained five boundaries.

Resuming at overnight 408 for three, England lost Ian Bell for addition of 20 runs, before the duo of Patel and Prior pushed the hosts on the backfoot with a partnership of 69 runs for fifth wicket.

Bell scored 62 off 99 balls and his knock was studded with seven fours and three sixes.

Prior's dismissal by Yadav, however, triggered a collapse that saw five wickets going down for just 14 runs.

Patel tried to frustrate the host bowlers till Yadav had him caught.

HARYANA: Over: 18 II Score: 67/1

Sunny Singh and Rahul Dewan are in the middle for Haryana and have taken their team’s score to 67/1. Singh has scored 19 (21b, 4X4) while Dewan is batting on 33 (62b, 4X7).


HARYANA: Over: 10 II Score: 42/1

Tim Bresnan gave Haryana an early blow after removing opener Nitin Saini early. Saini was caught by Nick Compton after he had scored just 13.

LUNCH REPORT

England were bowled out for 521 at lunch after Samit Patel struck a fluent half-century on day two of their third and final warm-up match against Haryana.

There was a much-improved performance from Haryana bowlers who, after toiling hard for three wickets on Thursday, picked up seven in one session on Friday, with skipper Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav sharing four each.

Patel scored 67 off 105 balls and found the fence 13 times at the Sardar Patel Stadium B Ground, Motera.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior had earlier scored a quick-fire 41 off 36 balls -- his knock contained five boundaries.

Resuming at overnight 408 for three, England lost Ian Bell for addition of 20 runs, before the duo of Patel and Prior pushed the hosts on the backfoot with a partnership of 69 runs for fifth wicket.


Bell scored 62 off 99 balls and his knock was studded with seven fours and three sixes.

Prior's dismissal by Yadav, however, triggered a collapse that saw five wickets going down for just 14 runs.

Patel tried to frustrate the host bowlers till Yadav had him caught.

Star batsman Kevin Pietersen had on Thursday prepared himself for the upcoming four-match Test series against India, starting November 15, with a strokeful 110 even as skipper Alastair Cook missed out on his second consecutive ton.

Pietersen smashed a 94-ball 110 before retiring hurt to let his colleagues get some batting practice as England finished day one of the game on a commanding note.

Left-handed Cook, who did not play against Mumbai 'A' in the visiting side's last practice game, yet again batted splendidly but missed out on his century by three runs after electing to bat.


ENGLAND: Over: 118.2 II Score: 521/10

Tweakers Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav took four wickets apiece as England XI registered 521/10 in their first innings against Haryana. The visitors lost their last five batsmen in a space of just five overs while adding just four runs to the total.


ENGLAND: Over: 114 II Score: 517/6

England lost the wicket of Matt Prior and Tim Bresnan in quick succession. Both the wickets went to Jayant Yadav - the former being stumped off while the latter caught by Rahul Dewan. Prior scored a quick 41 (36b, 4X5, 6X2) while Bresnan could only score 3 (15b).

ENGLAND: Over: 106 II Score: 484/4

Samit Patel continued his good run with the bat as he completed his fifty against Haryana in the practice match being played in Ahmedabad. Along with Matt Prior, he has so far added 46 runs for the fifth wicket. He was batting on 55 (80b, 4X11) while his partner was on 22 (24b, 4X3, 6X1).


ENGLAND: Over: 100 II Score: 444/4

England lost the wicket of Ian Bell who was caught by wicketkeeper Nitin Saini off Sachin Rana. Bell scored 62 (99b, 4X7, 3X6). Matt Prior is the new man

ENGLAND: Over: 90 II Score: 408/3

Star England batsman Kevin Pietersen prepared himself for the upcoming Test series with a strokeful 110 against Haryana in visitors` final warm up game even as skipper Alastair Cook missed out on his second consecutive ton, here on Thursday.

Pietersen smashed a 94-ball 110 before retiring hurt to let his colleagues get some batting practice as England reached a strong 408 for three on day one of the game.

Left-handed Cook, who did not play against Mumbai A, yet again batted splendidly but missed out on his century by three runs after electing to bat.

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hasim amla

Australia vs South Africa: Proteas in command on Day 1

Brisbane: Hashim Amla showed he wouldn't be intimidated by Australia's mind games, scoring an unbeaten 90 to guide South Africa to 255-2 at stumps here on Thursday after a series-opening day dominated by the batsmen.

Amla surpassed 5,000 career runs and shared partnerships of 136 with Jacques Kaliis (84 not out) for the third wicket and 90 for the second wicket with opener Alviro Petersen (64).

A leaked Australia team dossier which appeared in local media in the lead-up to the first Test said Amla was susceptible to "psychological warfare."

There was no indication of any such weakness today as he moved within ten runs of posting a century for a third successive Test against Australia.

He did give some chances and half chances, including a slashing edge between wicketkeeper and first slip off Nathan Lyon when he was on 62, but remained composed.

The 63-Test veteran went in at the dismissal of skipper Graeme Smith (10) with the total at 29. He survived an appeal for lbw before he'd scored and a caught-and-bowled chance to Peter Siddle on 74. He had faced 205 balls and stroked six boundaries and a six when play was halted eight overs early due to bad light.

Kallis plundered the attack for eight boundaries and a six from the 136 balls he faced.

For all the speculation of aggressive pace dominating in conditions aiding swing and seam, the Australian attack toiled without much success on a green-tinged Gabba wicket.

Siddle was frustrated after missing opportunities to break up the Amla-Kallis partnership, which has produced some outstanding 100-plus stands in Test cricket.

Kallis got a reprieve when he was on 42 and the total at 192-2 when he started walking after miscuing a Siddle slower ball and looping a catch to Lyon at mid-off. Umpire Asad Rauf told Kallis to wait while he checked for a no-ball, which TV replays confirmed, showing no part of Siddle's front foot behind the crease at the point of delivery.

Siddle missed another chance in the 62nd over when he couldn't grasp a driven return catch from Amla. South Africa was 206-2 at the time.

Earlier, Petersen also had a let off, getting the benefit of the doubt when Australia referred a not out decision to the TV umpire for an lbw appeal by Ben Hilfenhaus. The ball pitched just outside the line and appeared to hit in front, on Petersen's front toe, when he was on 51.

Petersen hit two more boundaries before mistiming a Lyon delivery to Mike Hussey at mid-on, leaving South Africa at 119-2.

Skipper Smith didn't get any second chances after winning the toss and batting, becoming the first South Africa batsman dismissed in a test at the Gabba ground in 49 years when he was trapped lbw by James Pattinson in the 11th over.

He was initially adjudged not out by umpire Billy Bowden despite being hit on the back pad, directly in front of the stumps, but the decision was overruled on review.

Showers or storms were forecast for today and tomorrow, but there was no rain during the first 82 overs despite the gloomy conditions which finally caused an early end to play. South Africa, playing its first test at the Gabba since 1963, went in with five pace options after selecting seamer Rory Kleinveldt to make his debut at the expense of legspinner Imran Tahir.

Kleinveldt will supplement the world-class pace trio of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, and veteran allrounder Kallis.

Petersen survived a strong appeal and a review by the TV umpire on an lbw decision on 51, then mis-timed an attempted shot through mid-wicket off Nathan Lyon and was caught by Mike Hussey for 64.

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Inconsistency major hurdle in Raina`s progress: Coach

Inconsistency major hurdle in Raina`s progress: Coachw: Inconsistency might have cost Suresh Raina a place in the Test squad, but coach Dipak Sharma here feels that his prodigy would soon overcome the "hurdle" and return with a bang.

"Raina is definitely a very talented cricketer but inconsistency in his performance is the major hurdle in his progress," Dipak Sharma who taught Raina first lessons of the game told PTI.

The coach felt that for securing a place in the Tests, Uttar Pradesh skipper would have to consistently score big.

"This could be the main reason as to why he has not been able to win over the trust of national selectors... He needs to score big in the Ranji Trophy matches," Sharma said.

Raina, who has scored 768 runs in 17 Test matches with an average of 28.44 runs, failed to find a place in the team for first two Tests against England beginning November 15.

One time praised by the Wisden for his skills, Raina has not been able to do justice to his talent at the Test level.

"It is not because of any problem with his technique he rather requires an appropriate plan," Sharma said.

Starting his Test career with a hundred against Sri Lanka Raina showed a lot of promise, people started to expect a lot from the left-hander and it certainly had an impact on his performance, Sharma said.

"In the present times it is essential for a cricketer to mould himself according to the changing formats of the game, be it Test, ODI or T20 and therefore performing consistently becomes a major challenge," he said.

Sharma though being unhappy at Raina`s exclusion said he is confident that the 25-year-old would soon make a comeback to the longer format of the game

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Sachintendulkar recieves the order of Australia

Sachintendulkar recieves the order of AustraliaNew Delhi: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar added another feather to his already crowded cap as he was conferred the membership of the Order of Australia, an honour “rarely” awarded to non-Australians, on Tuesday.
The talismanic right-hander was presented with the Order by Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts - Simon Crean - and became the second Indian with this honour after former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee.

Speaking to the media Tendulkar hailed the spirit of the Aussies who according to him are ‘fierce competitors’. He said that the three and a half months he spent in Australia during his early days changed him as a cricketer.

“Three and a half months changed me completely and I was ready to face any attack in the world,” said Tendulkar.

Earlier during her visit to India last month, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had announced that the iconic Indian cricketer would be conferred the membership of the Order of Australia.

Narrating his most memorable trip to Australia, the Little Master said, “The most Memorable trip of Australia was when I was invited by Sir Don Bradman on his 90th birthday.”

Tendulkar said that he was in the middle of a camp when he received the invitation and the BCCI agreed to send him for 3-4 days to Australia where he met the Australian legend.

Tendulkar on a funny note also told the media about Sir Don’s reaction when he asked him why his average was just 99.94. “Come on, its (99.94) not bad for a 90-year-old man,” Bradman told him.

The batting genius also spoke about how the Aussie spectators gave him a warm reception whenever he went in to bat.

“Whenever I went to bat there, everybody gave me a standing ovation. I laughed at times because they all thought it would be my last trip,” he said.

Talking about the upcoming series between India and Australia, Tendulkar said that according to him, both the sides will play competitive cricket. The Master Blaster also thanked the Prime Minister and all the Australians for the honour.

Tendulkar is not the first cricketer to be conferred the Order of Australia, as in 2009, West Indies legend Brian Lara had also been made an honorary member.

Another West Indies legend, Clive Lloyd, is an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia, having been conferred the award way back in 1985.

The right-handed Tendulkar, considered the finest batsman in contemporary cricket, has 15,533 runs in 190 Tests besides a mammoth 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs.

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Yuvraj set to return to Test ranks after almost a year

Yuvraj set to return to Test ranks after almost a year.

Mumbai: Yuvraj Singh is all set to regain his spot in the Indian Test squad when the new national selection panel, headed by Sandeep Patil, sits down on Monday to pick the team for the series-opener against England at Ahmedabad from November 15-19.

Though skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that the left-handed batsman was the best judge of his fitness for the rigours of Test cricket after having undergone treatment for cancer, it looks unlikely that the selectors will leave him out of the squad.

Yuvraj came back into the Indian team that flopped in the Twenty20 World Championship in Sri Lanka and then struck a double century for North Zone against Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy tie at Hyderabad, his re-entry into first class cricket.

Chosen for India A against the England cricketers in the tourists opening three-day warm-up game at the Brabourne Stadium here, Yuvraj scored a fine 59 with seven fours and four sixes and then grabbed a career-best first-class haul of five wickets.

Yuvraj last played a Test match against the West Indies last year in Kolkata.

In all probability, he would come into the squad in place of S Badrinath who had taken the spot of the retired VVS Laxman.

Yuvraj`s likely competitor in the playing XI, Suresh Raina, too is expected to retain his position though he looked unconvincing against the England pace attack when leading India A at the Cricket Club of India. He made 20 and 19 not out in the drawn game.

Raina had one fifty and two single digit scores in the two-Test rubber against New Zealand at home. But for a 78 in the opening match of the away series he played against England, Raina was a total failure, and also bagged a pair in the fourth and final Test.

The rest of the squad members, barring surprise selection Piyush Chawla, are expected to retain their places. Chawla, who had last played a Test in 2008 against South Africa at Kanpur, was a surprise choice by Srikkanth and co. but sat in the reserves during the two-Test rubber against the Kiwis.

It could be a toss-up between Chawla and Harbhajan Singh who was recalled for the World Twenty20 championships for the third slow bowler`s slot.

Ajinkya Rahane is likely to be the third opener alongside regulars Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir while the middle order picks would be Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Cheteshwar Pujara and the duo of Yuvraj and Raina along with Dhoni to prop up the latter order.

Pace picks are expected to be Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, who were in the squad against New Zealand, with the bowling attack completed by spin twins R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, supported by Harbhajan or Chawla.

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Uttar Pradesh vs Delhi Live Score: Ranji Trophy, Day 4

 At lunch Delhi 308/7, lead by 140 runs. (Sehwag 105*, Ishant 1*).

 Delhi 303/7, Pradeep Sangwan is the latest wicket to fall. He scored 21. (Sehwag 101*)
 Delhi 303/6, Sehwag has completed his century off 146 deliveries with 18 hits to the fence. Clichéd it may sound but Raina dropped the match when he floored Sehwag's catch on 70.
Sehwag scores century.
Sehwag hits one straight down the ground for 4. Reaches 99*
Delhi 297/6, lead by 129 runs. Sewage hits three boundaries in one over and is now batting on 95.

 By the way Virat Kohli and Pradeep Sangwan are celebrating their birthdays today! Kohli turns 24 and Sangwan 2Sehwag dropped by Raina at slip on 70! He is playing a cautious innings here. Showing a lot of patience. Has anyone ever seen him play like this before?

Score Delhi 268/6, lead by 100 against UP. (Sehwag 69* Sangwan 17*)

 Delhi extend their lead by 91 runs with 4 wickets in hand.

Score  After 1st hour on Day 4, Delhi 259/6 (Sehwag 66* Sangwan 13*)
 Sehwag is using the opportunity perfectly. Looks set to score a ton if he gets support from other end. Playing some fantastic shots here against UP. Time is ripe for him to end any speculation about his place in the Test team. This knock will help him get into his grooves.

Score  Delhi 253/6 (Sehwag 6 Delhi struggling at 237/6, just 69 runs ahead with 4 wickets remaining.

 Sehwag has completed his fifty off 75 deliveries with 10 hits to the boundary. Good news for Delhi and Team India. Not so good for England 
Delhi 226/6: If you are supporting Delhi then it’s not going to please you to know that they have lost two early wickets today morning. Mithun Manhas departs after scoring 65 while Sumit Narwal failed to score getting out for nought. Any good news? Sehwag is still in the middle.After 3 days of play, UP look to be a far superior side. Delhi only better on paper. Hope better team wins today.

Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar scored half-centuries as Uttar Pradesh took a healthy 168-run lead over Delhi before their bowlers took four crucial Delhi wickets to give them a chance to go for an outright win.

At the end of Day 3, Delhi were fighting on 197/4. Manhas was batting on 63 while Sehwag was unbeaten on 21 when umpires decided to call off the match early.

Delhi were leading by 29 runs with 6 wickets in hand when umpires decided to end 3rd day’s play due to bad light.

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UP vs Delhi Live Updates: Ranji Trophy, Day 3

ate: Sehwag playing a scratchy innings against UP. He is on 9 (22b). Is it due to injury? Will he be selected for 1st test against Eng?

Update: Delhi: 169/4, Delhi in the lead now. Manhas scores fluent 50 with 8 fours. Manhas 52*, Sehwag 6*

Update: Sehwag looking absolutely fine now, no sign of pain, batting on 5 off 10 balls

Update: Delhi 146/4, Bist out for 14! Imtiaz gets hiswicket. In comes Virender Sehwag.


TEA REPORT

Delhi started their second innings on a negative note as they lost opener Unmukt Chand for a first ball duck. Delhi were 6/1 at that stage.

Chand, who opened the innings in the absence of injured Virender Sehwag, was trapped in front of the wickets by the wily Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Gambhir and Virat Kohli then did the repairing job perfectly, put on a well-paced 70-run stand. But left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza had the former caught by wicketkeeper Amir Khan. Gambhir’s 63-ball knock consisted of 4 boundaries.

Kohli, as always, looked to be in good touch and seemed to put up a big score which could have helped his side save the match. He and Mithun Manhas tried to resurrect the innings with a 33-run partnership. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a perfect outswinger to induce an edge which was neatly taken by wicketkeeper Amir Khan.

At tea, Delhi were 120/3. Manhas was playing on 22* while Punit Bist was on 0*. Delhi were trailing by 48 runs with 7 wickets in hand. If Sehwag does not come out to bat in the innings, this is Delhi’s last recognised pair
Update: At tea Delhi 120/3 trailing UP by 48 runs. Mithun 22*, Bist 0*

Update: Delhi 109/3, Virat Kohli out for 43! Bhuvneshwar had him caught behind by keeper Khan.

Update: Delhi 100/2. Kohli 41*, Manhas 12*

Update: Delhi 76/2, Gautam Gambhir departs for 47. Left arm spinner Ali Murtaza gets Gambhir who scored 47 off 63 balls with 4 fours and a six. Mithun Manhas is the new man in.

Update: 1 hr after lunch: Delhi: 62/1(Gambhir 40*, Kohli 16*)

Update: Delhi 42/1, Gautam Gambhir (31) and Virat Kohli (9) playing cautious cricket against some probing swing bowling of Praveen & Bhuvnesh.

Update: Virender Sehwag has not come out to bat for Delhi. Speculations are that he is injured but nobody knows the gravity of the injury.

Update: Delhi: 6/1, First wicket for UP! Unmukt Chand removed for a duck. Bhuvneshwar Kumar draws first blood.

LUNCH REPORT

Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar scored two contrasting fifties as Uttar Pradesh took a healthy lead of 168 runs over Delhi at lunch on Day 3 of the Group B Ranji Trophy encounter at Ghaziabad on Sunday.

Uttar Pradesh were bowled out for 403 at the stroke of lunch with Praveen Kumar remaining unbeaten on an entertaining 51. His knock was laced with 5 fours and 2 sixes.

Resuming on 292/6 Uttar Pradesh scored 111 runs in the morning session on Day 3 with the loss of the last four wickets.

Raina, meanwhile, made a compact 55 before being dismissed by Sumit Narwal. He looked very compact from the outset of day two. Unlike Saturday when he was totally in defensive mood, on Sunday he played his shots whenever loose balls were offered by the Delhi bowlers.

After his dismissal Praveen started to use the long handle with good effect. He took a special liking for left-arm spinner Vikas Misra, hoicking him for two straight sixes. The last wicket pair put on 38 runs for the hosts which helped them take a first innings lead of 168 runs.

Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers for Delhi today as he took 3 wickets out of four, giving away 28 runs in

Update 14: Lunch taken after UP wrapped up for 403. UP added 111 in the morning session while losing 4 wickets. Raina 55, PK 51*

Update 13: Uttar Pradesh all out for 403 in their first innings. Take lead of 168 runs.

Update 12: UP 402/9, Praveen Kumar scores a quick 50 off just 56 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes. The home side now leading by 167 runs.

Update 11: Uttar Pradesh 400/9. Praveen 48*, Imtiaz 10*

Update 10: UP 395/9. The last wicket pair of Praveen Kumar & Imtiaz Ahmed have stitched an unbeaten stand of 30 runs.

Update 9: UP 365/9, Suresh Raina departs after playing a compact knock of 55 off 112 balls. Praveen Kumar 23* (off 22 balls).

Update 8: UP 356/8, lead Delhi by 121. Raina 54*, Praveen 15*

Update 7: UP skipper Suresh Raina completes his 50 off 106 balls including 8 fours.

Update 6: UP 335/8, Delhi pacers are on top. Ishant and Nehra bowling with a lot of venom. They look desperate to finish UP innings.

Update 5: UP 323/8 Another wicket falls. Ali Murtaza goes for 8. Nehra adds another wicket to his kitty.

Update 4: UP 323/7 Classical cover drive by Raina off Ishant Sharma. He reaches 37. Looking compact against the Delhi bowlers.

Update 3: All 3 results are possible in this match. If UP extend their lead to around 200 and then bowl Delhi out cheaply, they can win. If Delhi bowl UP out quickly today and bat well, they can press for a win. And of both the teams bat well, match will end in a draw.

Update 2: Suresh Raina hits two fours to reach 31* off 91 balls. On Saturday he played very slow. Let's see how he progresses today. Will he break free?

Update1: UP 305/7, Delhi have picked up an early wicket as Ashish Nehra removed wicketkeeper Amir Khan for 9.
 

Welcome to the third day of the Round 1 Ranji Trophy fixture between Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Uttar Pradesh ended the Day 2 at 292/6. They lead by 57 runs with 4 wickets in hand. Delhi bowled quiet well in the last session. Raina was batting on 19* off 70 balls and was patient curbing his natural instincts considering wickets were tumbling at the other end. The last session fetched 47 runs for the Uttar Pradesh team.

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Uttar Pradesh vs Delhi: Ranji Trophy, Day 2 – Live Updates

Update 5: 50 for Kaif. He’s playing superbly.Elegant cover drives, one hook for a six backed by solid defence. Hope the selectors are watching!pdate 4: UP: 148/1. Looking all set to take the first innings lead.

Update 3: UP: 93/1 after 27 overs. Kaif is batting on 35* and Dagar on 32*. The partnership is looking good.

Update 2: UP: 77/1 after 24 overs. Kaif 27*,and dagar on 32*

Update 1: UP start on a positive note. But Ishant is bowling with a lot of fire.50 up for UP. Hits kaif`s helmet with a bouncer.

Day 1 summary: A star studded Delhi could only manage 235 runs in their first innings. Imtiaz Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with 5 wickets. At the end of Day 1, UP were 40/1 with Mukul Dagar and Mohammad Kaif at the crease.

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Sachin Tendulkar slams 79th first class century

Sachin Tendulkar slams 79th first class century

Mumbai: Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar marked his return to form slamming a century for Mumbai on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy match against Railways on Friday.

Tendulkar scored 137 off 136 deliveries before getting caught by Madkaikar off Anureet Singh.

The 39-year-old took 103 balls to reach his 79th first class century.

This is Tendulkar's first Ranji appearance since the final against UP at Hyderabad in 2009.

With this ton, he is now just two short of Sunil Gavaskar's record of 81 first class centuries.

Tendulkar decided to appear for Mumbai to gain some confidence and get back into some groove before the first Test against the visiting England side begins from November 15.

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Pakistan to kick start India tour with a T20 game in Bangalore.

Mumbai: A day after the Home Ministry cleared Pakistan cricket team`s upcoming tour of India, the BCCI today announced the schedule of the limited-over series that begins with a Twenty20 international on December 25 in Bangalore.

The Pakistan team will touch down at Bangalore on December 22 and will kick-off their campaign against the hosts with a T20 international at the city`s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The visitors will then move to Ahmedabad for the second T20 game (December 27) before heading to Chennai for the first of the three-match ODI series on December 30.

The second ODI of the series will be played at Kolkata on January 3, while the third and final one-dayer will be held at Delhi on January 6, a BCCI release stated.

The arch-rivals have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan`s tour of India in 2007. The cricketing ties between the two nations were snapped after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Schedule:

December 25: 1st T20 International at Bengaluru

December 27: 2nd T20 International at Ahmedabad

December 30: 1st ODI at Chennai

January 3: 2nd ODI at Kolkata

January 6: 3rd ODI at Delhi.

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Sehwag scotches reports of T20 retirement

Sehwag scotches reports of T20 retirement.

New Delhi: Virender Sehwag scotched the reports over his retirement from T20 Internationals saying he did not make any request to anyone regarding his T20 International career.

Sehwag wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter: “Another baseless story being run! I have not requested to be rested for any match in any format of the game! Fingers crossed, raring to go! (Sic)”

Earlier on Wednesday, a senior BCCI official had told Mail Today that the destructive Delhi opener had shown reluctance in playing the shortest format of the game. He would rather like to concentrate more on Test cricket and ODIs.

"He has informed the board that he doesn`t want to play T20 Internationals anymore and would like to concentrate on the longer versions. He cited fitness and the rigours of T20 cricket as the reason behind his decision," the paper has quoted the official as saying.

"He is experienced enough to realise the needs of the team and he isn`t someone who would question the decision of the team management. Only a self-centred player would do that," he added.

When T20 came into existence it was thought that Sehwag, a destructive batsman, would excel in this format. But he flattered to deceive in the format.

In 19 T20 International matches for India, Sehwag made just 394 runs at an average of 21.88.

He also failed to fire in the recently concluded World T20, prompting many a critics calling for his ouster from the team.

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India ‘A’ vs England: Yuvraj claims maiden fifer in drawn encounter.

Mumbai: Comeback man Yuvraj Singh excelled with his maiden five-wicket haul in first class cricket as England`s warm-up game against India `A` ended in a tame draw at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Yuvraj grabbed five for 94, improving upon his previous best of three for 25, as India A dismissed the visitors for 426 in their first innings but not before conceding a 57-run lead.

Yuvraj, who had scalped Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell yesterday, added the wickets of Samit Patel (104), Matt Prior (51) and James Anderson (19) in the morning session today after England resumed at 286 for four.

India A scored 124 for four in 40 overs before the play was called off ahead of the scheduled close by mutual consent on the third and final day of the game.

Openers Abhinav Mukund (3) and Murali Vijay (32), Yuvraj (14) and Ajinkya Rahane (54) were the batsmen out in the home side`s second innings.
The openers were claimed by Anderson while Tim Bresnan sent back Yuvraj, who has come back to top level cricket after undergoing treatment for cancer that put him out of the game for close to a year.

Rahane hit six shots to the fence before Samit Patel had him caught at slip. Captain Suresh Raina (19) and Manoj Tiwary (2) were the unbeaten batsmen at close.

Raina was lucky to be dropped on nought by Anderson at second slip off Bresnan and his stay at the crease later too was unconvincing against Bresnan`s pace.

England now take on Mumbai A in their second warm-up game at Navi Mumbai`s D Y Patil Stadium from November 3-5 before proceeding to Ahmedabad for the third game, a four-day tie, against Haryana from November 8-11.

The opening Test of the four-match series versus India is set to commence at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad from November 15-19.

England were dismissed half-an-hour after lunch with Yuvraj, who has taken just nine wickets in 37 Test matches, finishing with his first five-wicket haul in first class.

His previous best was three for 25 in a Ranji Trophy game against Jammu and Kashmir in the 2001-02 season.

Captain and lanky left-handed opener Alastair Cook and stocky middle-order batsman Samit Patel notched centuries while Jonathan Trott and Matt prior hit half tons for England.

Resuming at the overnight 286 for 4, Cook and his overnight fifth wicket partner Patel were then kept in check by the home side pacers.

Cook departed when Dinda angled a ball away to which he poked his bat at and edged to keeper Wridhiman Saha. His partnership with Patel yielded 169 runs and came off 321 balls, pulling the side from 133 for 4 to beyond 300.

The England skipper must have been satisfied with the long vigil he had, battling at the crease for six hours and 19 but he added just seven runs in 18 balls today.

The arrival of Prior quickened the pace of scoring as the Sussex player looked for runs from the beginning even as his partner Patel preferred to inch his way to the three-figure mark from 82 overnight.

Prior was also lucky to be dropped by Rahane when on 4 as he slashed Dinda to the gully fielder. Patel reached his first 100 on the tour with a single to square leg in the 11th over, having taken almost 50 minutes to add the 18 runs needed to attain the landmark.

Dinda was unlucky not to have added the wicket of Prior to those of openers Nick Compton and Cook in his bag.

Prior raced to his 50 in as many balls and with the help of nine hits to the fence before his forward prod resulted in an edge to slip fielder Raina off Yuvraj. The left-arm spinner struck again off the last ball in the over by dismissing Patel for his fourth wicket of the innings.

Patel was caught by Vijay at covers off a leading edge when trying to flick the left arm slow bowler. He had stayed for more than four and a half hours and struck 14 boundaries in 173 balls. The partnership between Patel and Prior was worth 65 runs in 12.1 overs.

Swann was bowled when a ball from Vinay Kumar kept a bit low as England reached 396 for 8 at lunch.

In the seventh over after the break, and after the addition of 30 runs, Yuvraj completed his five wicket haul by having Anderson caught at short leg for 19.

Tim Bresnan remained unbeaten with 33 off 61 balls with four fours and a six. The innings ended with last man, the injured Steven Finn unable to bat.

By tea, India A wiped off the deficit by reaching 68 for the loss of one wicket in 20 overs. Abhinav Mukund, who made 73 in the first innings, fell for three in the second over off James Anderson with 4 on the board.

At the end of the second session, Vijay (32 in 58 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (33 in 49 balls) were the not out batsmen.

Vijay departed soon after resumption by slashing Anderson to slip fielder Swann after batting for 87 minutes and striking 4 fours and a six. He also added 65 runs for the second wicket with Rahane in 76 minutes.

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Sourav Ganguly has said he won’t be playing in IPL 6

New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has said he won’t be playing in IPL 6 calling time on his domestic career after he had earlier opted out of Ranji Trophy as well.

Ganguly, who leads Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League, told a leading Indian daily on Sunday that he has informed the owners of the franchise of his intentions.

"I had a wonderful time playing in the IPL for five seasons. It gave me a chance to keep playing top-class cricket even after quitting international cricket. But I can`t go on forever, and I have requested the franchise owners not to consider me for IPL 6," Ganguly was quoted as saying by the Times of India on Sunday.

Ganguly, who represented India in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, had earlier said that he won’t be plying his trade in the Ranji Trophy.

"There is no question of playing in Ranji Trophy, if I`m not playing IPL," he said.

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Michael Lumb pummels Lions, Sydney Sixers win 2012 Champions League Twenty20

Johannesburg: Sydney Sixers produced an all-round clinical display to clinch the Champions League Twenty20 title with a dominating 10-wicket victory over Highveld Lions in a lop-sided summit clash here on Sunday.
Sixers vs Lions: As it happened…»

The Sixers first rode on a brilliant bowling display by spinner Nathan McCullum (3/24) and pacer Josh Hazlewood (3/22) to dismiss Highveld Lions for a modest 121 in their stipulated 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to field.

The Australian side then returned to overhaul the target with 7.3 overs to spare, thanks to some powerful hitting by opener Michael Lumb and Brad Haddin, who notched up an unbeaten 124 run partnership.

Chasing 122 to win, Lumb annihilated the Lions with eight fours and five sixes in his 42-ball 82-run unbeaten innings, while his opening partner Haddin blasted four boundaries and a six in his 33-ball unfinished 38 here.

The opening duo were in marauding form as they toyed with the Lions bowlers, taking them to the cleaners every now and then. They were particularly harsh on Chris Morris and Aaron Phangiso as the bowlers bleded 54 in four over combined.

Lumb finally finished off the chase in style when he blasted Pretorius for a six over deep wicket in the first ball, pulled the next over fine leg and then sent the third delivery across the boundary line as well to trigger celebration for the Sixers.

Earlier, McCullum and Hazlewood claimed three wickets each to help Sydney Sixers dismiss Highveld Lions for a modest 121 in the finals.

Sydney Sixers broke the back bone of the Lions as they reduced them to 9-4 in just 3.3 overs after winning the toss and electing to field.

Jean Symes top-scored with a 46-ball 51 to help Lions put up a total or else things could have been more embarrasing for the home team at the New Wanderers Stadiums here.

Symes added 23 runs with Sohail Tanvir for the fifth wicket to start the recovery but the Pakistani player lost his wicket in the seventh over as the Lions lost half their side with just 32 on board.

Symes then forged a 41-run partnership with Thami Tsolekile for the sixth wicket and another 38 with Dwaine Pretorius for the seventh wicket to help Lions cross the 100-mark. Symes had eight fours in his 46-ball innings.

For Sydney Sixers, Steve O`Keefe and Mitchell Starc were the other wicket takers with one wicket each here.

Put into bat, opener Gulam Bodi started off with a six of McCullum but he was send packing in the next delivery by the spinner to deal the first blow in the opening over.

First down Quinton de Kock was then sent back to the pavilions by pacer Hazlewood, courtesy a stunning catch by O`Keefe. Three balls later, Hazlewood reduced Lions to 8-3 after picking new man McKenzie in the last ball of the over.

Stranded all this while, Petersen was the next to go when he outside edged a O`Keefe delivery to Neil McCullum at the first slip.

Symes then tried to resurrect the innings with a couple of boundaries in the fifth over of Starc, while Tanvir also clipped one over square-leg. However, his stay didn`t last long as the Pakistani player was trapped in front of wicket by McCullum.

Undeterred, Symes continued his job and picked up successive fours in the 10th over off Pat Cummins. New man Tsolekile also got into the act and blasted a couple of sixes to ease the pressure.

But McCullum broke the partnership dismissing Tsolekile when he had him caught at short midwicket.

Symes and Pretorius then joined hands and tried to accelerate. Symes picked up a couple of fours off Cummins, while Pretorius clobbered Hazlewood and Starc for a couple of sixes, before becoming a victim of Starc.

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Proteas confident of Test success in Australia, says Smith.

Johannesburg: South Africa captain Graeme Smith has said that his Proteas squad is ‘quietly confident’ of succeeding in Australia as they prepare to leave for their three-Test tour at Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, with the first starting on November 9 at the Gabba.

“We`ve earned the right to go there with that mantle (of being the number one Test team) through the way we`ve played over the last period of time. We know we`ve got a quality team that`s proved its ability to win away from home,” a website quoted Smith, as saying.

“We knew the two tours [to England and Australia] were coming this year. Both were going to be tough and we`ve overcome one of those hurdles, and we`d like to do the next one,” he added.

Coach Gary Kirsten also concurred with the Proteas captain.

“We are going to make sure we prepare as diligently as possible. We went to England in the same way. We wanted to prepare really well. We didn`t want to say too much [because] we wanted to make our performances count,” Kirsten said.

South Africa claimed the world number one ranking with a 2-0 Test series victory over England in August and Smith felt his side was in good shape to produce another solid performance, the report said.

"For me, I would say it’s one of our strongest touring squads to go to Australia," he said.

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CL T20: Daredevils top group after match abandoned due to rain

 The match has been abandoned due to persistent rain. This means that the Delhi Daredevils have not only become the only IPL team to reach the semis, but they are also the table-toppers in their group with 12 points from 4 matches. They won two matches and shared two points with their opponents in the remaining ones.

The Daredevils will now lock horns with Group B runners-up Lions in the first semifinal on October 25 at Kingsmead in Durban. The Titans will take on Group B winners Sydney Sixers in the second semifinal on October 26.

It is still drizzling at Centurion.

Weather Update: It raining heavily at the Centurion!

TOSS: The Titans have won the toss and they have decided to bowl first.

The Delhi Daredevils lock horns with the Titans in their last league match of the Champions League Twenty20. After Auckland's defeat against the Scorchers, Delhi along with the Titans have automatically qualified for the semis and the match becomes inconsequential.

The Daredevils registered a narrow win over Perth Scorchers in their previous match, going atop the table with 10 points. Delhi would want to move into the semis with confidence and thus they wouldn't be complacent against their opponents in this match which is now a formality.

Meanwhile the Titans are second in the group with 8 points from three matches and they have also made it to the semis. They were humiliated by Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous encounter, where while chasing 189, they folded for 89.

The positive news for the Daredevils is Sehwag regaining his form as he played a match-winning knock in the previous game which his side won against the Perth Scorchers. Both teams would want to take some confidence from this match ahead of the semi-final clashes.

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current updates

 
Gary Ballance struck half-century as Yorkshire crawled to 140 for six against Chennai Super Kings in their Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2012 match at Durban on Monday.
 
Put in to bat first, Yorkshire made a slow start and lost their way in between, after which Miller and Ballance revived their innings.
 
The first wicket partnership between Andrew Gale and Adam Lyth garnered 36 runs, before Albie Morkel removed the Yorkshire skipper for 23 in the sixth over.
 
Gale’s knock of 23 included two sixes and a boundary, from 22 balls.
 
Ben Hilfenhaus struck in the very next over to dismiss Lyth, who was caughy by Murali Vijay for 11.
 
The English County side slipped further when Joe Root fell to Morkel, which left Yorkshire struggling at 43 for three.
 
Ballance and Miller then joined forces to take Yorkshire ahead, adding 78 runs for the fourth wicket.
 

• Brief Scores: yorkshire 140 for 6 in 20 overs (Gary Ballance 58, David Miller 28, Andrew Gale 23; Albie Morkel 2 for 12, Doug Bollinger 2 for 16) vs Chennai Super Kings.

 

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Champions League T20 2012: Lions beat CSK by six wickets

Cape Town: Highveld Lions beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Champions League Twenty20 here on Tuesday.
AS IT HAPPENED»

Chennai made a sensational start in their defence of 158 with Bollinger removing Lions captain Alviro PetersEn with the first ball of the innings in an LBW decision.
Two overs later, Bollinger induced an edge to Quinton de Kock (5) for Dhoni to take an easy catch behind the wicket.
The two early wickets pegged the Lions back and they were just 18 for two after the fifth over and 59 for two at the halfway stage.

But Bodi and McKenzie steadied the run chase after the initial jolt and then took their side to a position from where they could launch for a win.

Bodi was the dominant partner as he played most of the shots, including the two sixes off Albie Morkel in the ninth over. He reached his half century in 38 balls with a six off Faf du Plessis in the 12th over which yielded 14 runs.

Bodi was not afraid of taking on a quality spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin as he smashed a four and a six in the 13th over as the Lions had to come up with some big overs in view of the soaring asking rate.

Dhoni brought back Morkel, who was hit for two sixes in the ninth over by Bodi, and the change in bowling did the trick as the fast bowler gave the much-needed breakthrough.

Morkel removed Bodi with an angled delivery which the batsman wanted to hoist but it took the edge of his bat for Dhoni to complete an easy catch behind the wickets.

Bodi faced 46 balls for his 64 which he made with the help of five fours and four sixes. His dismissal ended the 93-run stand from 9.5 overs for the third wicket with Neil McKenzie.

Lions needed 51 runs from the last five overs and nine from the last over. Jean Symes, who remained not out on 39, hit two fours to end the match in style.


Earlier, Dhoni top-scored with a 26-ball 34 as Chennai Super Kings posted a challenging 158 for six.

Dhoni, who promoted himself to number four, hit two fours and as many sixes in his knock after coming at the halfway stage of the innings after his side was sent into bat at the Newlands in the Group B match.

Chennai lost wickets at regular intervals and looked like they would settle below 150 but the 50-run stand from 4.2 overs between Dhoni and S Badrinath (27 not out) for the sixth wicket saw them go past that mark.

The last two overs yielded 27 runs, with the penultimate bowled by Dirk Nannes, producing 19 and that saw Chennai reach a challenging total.

Badrinath was the second highest scorer while all the other batsmen, except for Albie Morkel (4), contributed in the 20s.

For the Lions, Aaron Phangiso grabbed two wickets for 17 runs from his quota of four overs while Sohail Tanveer, Nannes, Chris Morris and Zander de Bruyn took a wicket each.

The Chennai openers Faf du Plessis (25) and Murali Vijay (22) began on a confident note with the former launching Nannes for a huge six in the second over and then gave the treatment to Tanveer with three fours from the next over.

Vijay, who played second fiddle so far, then struck an effortless six off Nannes to take Chennai score to 43 for no loss at the end of fifth over.

The breakthrough for the Lions was provided by Morris with Phangiso taking a stunning catch to get rid of du Plessis who consumed 20 balls for his 25.

Phangiso, who had dismissed Sachin Tendulkar in Lions` previous match, ran back from the point region, dived full-length and pouched the ball before thudding himself into the ground.

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Champions League T20 2012: Sydney Sixers crush Yorkshire by 8 wickets

Cape Town: In-form Sydney Sixers produced a clinical all-round performance and romped to a crushing eight-wicket win over Yorkshire in their Champions League Twenty20 match here on Tuesday.

Sixers chased down the paltry target of 97 with 67 deliveries to spare after Yorkshire opted to bat at the Newlands.

The English outfit was earlier restricted to 96 for nine in their allotted 20 overs.

This was Sixers' second win of the tournament, the first was against the IPL outfit Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

Left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc was the star of the day as he returned impressive figures of three for 22 on a pitch where there was no major demons, making the batsmen's job much easier even before the chase had begun.

In pursuit of a small total, opener Michael Lumb led the way with a quickfire 24-ball 43. His knock was studded with eight fours and he was there in the middle when the winning runs were scored.

Skipper Brad Haddin chipped in with a 41-run knock, which came off just 21 balls, and was laced with eight hits to the fence.

It was always going to be a herculean task for Yorkshire after their batsmen were done in by the Aussie pacers, with Starc leading the way.

Playing probably in his last match after Cricket Australia decided to pull him out of the tournament in view of the upcoming Test series against world number one South Africa, Shane Watson picked up two for 27 from his four overs.

The figures were even better for Pat Cummins as the young pacer was measly in his four-over spell in which he conceded just 13 runs while claiming two wickets.

However, it was Josh Hazlewood who dealt the first blow on Yorkshire when he bowled Andrew Gale in the sixth over.

Last match's hero Moises Henriques chipped in with the wicket of Joe Root, before the trio of Starc, Cummins and Watson took over.

Yorkshire needed to bowl out of their skins to defend such a small total, and even needed Sydney to have a poor day with the bat. But that was not to be as the Australians cruised past the target in just 8.5 overs.

Big Bash champions, Sydney Sixers defeated IPL runner-ups Chennai Super Kings to make a resounding start in the event, while it was Yorkshire's first game in the main round of the tournament after having beaten Uva Next and Trinidad & Tobago in the qualifiers.

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