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Matt Dunn spearheaded one of Surrey’s best days of the season as they took control against Gloucestershire

Press Association09-Jun-2014
ScorecardMatt Dunn spearheaded an excellent Surrey day•PA PhotosRory Burns and Zafar Ansari shared an unbeaten opening stand of 186 as Surreytook complete control on day one of their Division Twomatch against Gloucestershire.Matt Dunn took 4 for 37 while Jason Roy recorded career-best figures of3 for 9 from just four overs as Surrey dismissed their hosts for 112before lunch at Bristol.Burns (98 not out) and Ansari (84 not out) then set about putting their teamfirmly in the driving seat, guiding them to 186 without loss at the close atBristol, a lead of 74.Gloucestershire won the toss and decided to bat but lost their first wicketwith just the 11th ball of the innings as Dan Housego, making his firstChampionship appearance of the season, was bowled by Chris Tremlett without arun scored.Skipper Michael Klinger (4) soon followed with Gary Wilson taking the catchoff Dunn behind the stumps and Alex Gidman (11) was removed in the same overwith Jason Roy taking the catch.Tremlett had taken 6 for 59 against Gloucestershire earlier in the season andwhen he had Hamish Marshall caught behind for just one, the hosts were 17 for4.That became 25 for 5 when Ian Cockbain, another man making his firstfour-day appearance of the season, went for a duck, caught behind off Dunn.Geraint Jones and Will Gidman (19) put on 32 for the sixth wicket before thelatter was trapped lbw by Jason Roy and the part-time bowler was on a hat-tricktwo overs later as he removed Benny Howell (eight) and Tom Smith in successiveballs.Matt Taylor ably supported Jones before the former England wicketkeeper wascaught by Hashim Amla off Dunn for 28.Lunch was delayed with the home side nine down and Taylor (24) was the finalwicket to fall, caught behind off Jade Dernbach.The afternoon session would then belong to the visitors with Burns reaching2000 first-class runs and bringing up his half-century off 90 balls.Surrey trailed by just 14 at the tea break and were soon in credit withoutlosing a wicket with Ansari registering his 50 in 125 balls.The duo continued their progress and Burns ended the day just two runs short ofa century off 187 balls.Despite not taking a scalp on Monday Will Gidman, who leads the Division Twocharts with 31 wickets, was the pick of the bowlers, surrendering just 16 runsin 13 overs.

Fast bowler Shaun Tait is set to play his first one-day match for three and a half years after being named in South Australia’s squad for their opening Matador Cup game this weekend

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2014Fast bowler Shaun Tait is set to play his first one-day match for three and a half years after being named in South Australia’s squad for their opening Matador Cup game this weekend. Tait retired from one-day cricket after the 2011 World Cup and since then has become a Twenty20 specialist, but he said earlier this year he was keen to help South Australia win more silverware.South Australia’s 14-man squad for their match against New South Wales in Brisbane also includes uncapped batsman Jake Lehmann, the son of national coach Darren, as well as Mark Cosgrove, who has returned to the Redbacks after spending the past few seasons with Tasmania. But it is the presence of Tait that will create the greatest interest after he appeared to be lost to the state system.”Taity isn’t a contracted player, but we have been blown away with his commitment,” South Australia’s coach Darren Berry said. “I told him, mate, you come along when you want to come along because you aren’t contracted, but he hasn’t missed a session. He has been a role model for our players and is bowling very fast, so I am delighted to have him back involved.”Cosgrove brings so much class and experience to our group. He has spent a lot of time with our young batsmen and has been such a positive influence on them. It is fantastic to have him back playing for South Australia.”Jake Lehmann and Alex Ross have been the standout performers in our lead-in games and have been rewarded. It is great to see young South Australian players putting their hand up and demanding their position in our squad.”The Matador Cup begins with two matches on Saturday and continues throughout most of the month, with the final to be played on October 26. All the games will be played in Brisbane and Sydney, with the opening games between Queensland and Victoria at the Gabba and New South Wales and South Australia at Allan Border Field.Victoria have named a 15-man squad for the tournament, with former New South Wales fast bowler Chris Tremain set to make his debut for his new state. The New South Wales squad for their opening match will be captained by allrounder Moises Henriques, and includes the uncapped offspinner Chris Green.Western Australia have also confirmed a 15-man squad for the whole competition, although they do not begin their campaign until October 8. Michael Klinger will make his debut for the Warriors having switched from South Australia, while Craig Simmons will have the chance to return to one-day cricket for the first time since 2011-12, following on from his outstanding form in the BBL last summer.New South Wales squad Moises Henriques (capt), Ryan Carters, Trent Copeland, Chris Green, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Henry, Josh Lalor, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu.South Australia squad Johan Botha (capt), Mark Cosgrove, Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Travis Head, Trent Lawford, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Gary Putland, Alex Ross, Chadd Sayers, Shaun Tait, Nick Winter, Adam Zampa.Victoria squad Matthew Wade (capt), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Jake Haberfield, Peter Handscomb, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Clint McKay, Rob Quiney, Ryan Sidebottom, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Tremain, Cameron White.Western Australia squad Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marcus Harris, Michael Klinger, Simon Mackin, Joel Paris, Nathan Rimmington, Craig Simmons, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman.

A pair of teenagers and a trio of New York Red Bulls headline Goal's selections as the best values, based on salary, in Major League Soccer

Salaries in Major League Soccer continue to rise, and have seen a considerable spike since the infusion of targeted allocation money in the past two seasons. That has led to a near doubling of the number of million-dollar salaries in the league, and a sizable jump in the number of players making more than $500,000.

That doesn't mean there still aren't some super-sized bargains to be had. Players signed via homegrown player deals and those who enter the league via the MLS draft continue to give MLS teams a steady stream of bargains, several of which make up the squad chosen by Goal to be part of the MLS Bargain XI, the best values in the league.

Here is the 2018 MLS Bargain XI, with salaries based on guaranteed compensation as released by the MLS players union last week .

Greg BartramGK Alex Bono, Toronto FC, $102,200The 24-year-old goalkeeper is in the midst of his second full season as Toronto FC's starter and is continuing to show improvement, building on his MLS Cup-winning 2017 season. His exploits in TFC's CONCACAF Champions League run turned heads, and he has also broken into the U.S. national team picture. Still playing on his rookie contract, Bono should be securing a new contract soon, assuming he doesn't head to Europe via transfer.AdvertisementRB Julian Gressel, Atlanta United, $111,250A midfielder who has thrived this season since being moved into a right wing-back role, Gressel has carried over the success from his MLS Rookie of the Year award-winning 2017 into the 2018 season. He has been one of the key reasons Tata Martino has seen his team enjoy such success playing in a 3-5-2 formation. The 24-year-old German-born standout should be drawing attention from scouts and will have a strong case for a new contract this winter.Mark J. RebilasCB Tim Parker, New York Red Bulls, $115,935How is Parker so underpaid? He's still playing on his original rookie contract, which expires at the end of this season. He is in line for a big payday this winter, either in Europe or in a new MLS deal. The Vancouver Whitecaps traded him rather than making him one of the league's highest-paid defenders. Since joining the Red Bulls, Parker has been outstanding and has helped his new team forge the best defense in club history.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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CB Aaron Long, New York Red Bulls $73,125A repeat selection on the MLS Bargain XI, Long has followed up his breakout 2017 season with a strong start to 2018. His skill on the ball, coupled with an improving defensive skill set, make him one of the league's most underrated defenders. It shouldn't be long before the 25-year-old central defender secures a new contract with the Red Bulls.

The BCCI has made it mandatory for all domestic IPL players to appear for their domestic teams in the zonal leagues of the domestic Twenty20 championship rather than joining their franchises for IPL preparations

Amol Karhadkar20-Mar-2014The BCCI has made it mandatory for all domestic IPL players to appear for their domestic teams in the zonal leagues of the domestic Twenty20 championship rather than joining their franchises for IPL preparations. A circular explaining the decision has been issued to all 27 affiliates of the BCCI.The five zones will stage their respective Twenty20 league from March 30 to April 5. However, with the IPL set to start in the UAE from April 16, most of the franchises were hoping to get the players assembled for preparatory camps. While the West Zone league will be played in Mumbai from March 30, Central Zone teams will compete in Nagpur from March 31. North, South and East Zone leagues will start in Chandigarh, Vijayawada and Kolkata, respectively from April 1.”We have informed the affiliates that no player can skip the zonal T20s and join a franchise for IPL preparations instead,” Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s general manager – game development, said.While the move will bolster the state teams and avoid the IPL overshadowing the domestic T20 league, it will be a setback for the franchises. Following the full auction, most teams will enter the IPL with totally revamped squads. The IPL team coaches were hoping to spend more with the new players ahead of the tournament. “Ideally, we would like players joining us three weeks before the season starts,” an IPL team’s support staff member said. “But it would be good in a way that the players will be playing competitive games.”The state teams who will make it for the Super League for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, to be played in Mumbai and Rajkot from April 8, will have to do without their IPL players. The top two teams from each zone qualify for the Super League. “Most teams would leave for UAE around a week before the IPL starts, so we can’t make it compulsory for the players to play theSuper League,” Shetty said.

Opener Stephen Moore impressed with an unbeaten century as Derbyshire piled on the runs on the second day against Hampshire

Press Association21-Apr-2014
ScorecardStephen Moore helped Derbyshire respond strongly•Getty ImagesOpener Stephen Moore impressed with an unbeaten century as Derbyshire piled on the runs on the second day against Hampshire.Moore, the former Lancashire batsman, was unbeaten on 106 by stumps as the home side reached 203 for 2, trailing by 125 runs after Hampshire were bowled out for 328 in their first innings.Starting the day 231 for 5 after a weather-affected first day, the visitors lost Kyle Abbott for a duck after he was bowled out by Mark Footitt in the first over of the day but recovered thanks largely to a half-century from Joe Gatting.Sean Ervine fell five overs later – caught by Richard Johnson off Tim Groenewald – leaving Hampshire on 248 for 7 as Derbyshire continued to attack.Gatting, who began the day on 25, passed the fifty mark and continued to cause problems before he was sent packing, caught by Chesney Hughes for Wes Durston’s first wicket of the match. Footitt bowled Matt Coles lbw for 9 before Moore caught last man out Michael Bates, who managed 31, to leave Hampshire with a total of 328.In reply, Derbyshire lost opener Billy Godleman early on to leave his side 4 for 1 in the third over, but Moore began to pile on the runs, reaching his ton off 178 balls in 227 minutes. Wayne Madsen shared a 106-run second-wicket partnership with Moore before he was stumped for 36 off Liam Dawson.That brought Shivnarine Chanderpaul to the crease and, alongside Moore, he reached 35 not out as Derbyshire saw out the second day in a strong position.

R Ashwin has said he is in the “best frame of mind” and has not been thinking too much about his recent lack of wickets

Abhishek Purohit in Hamilton27-Jan-20140:00

‘Tie could be the turnaround for us’ – Ashwin

When he bowled Corey Anderson in Auckland, it was the first wicket R Ashwin had taken for close to 80 overs. The previous one had come seven weeks earlier, on December 8, when he dismissed Quinton de Kock in the second ODI against South Africa in Durban. Thereafter, he had gone wicketless in the Centurion ODI, the Johannesburg Test and in Napier and Hamilton on the current tour of New Zealand.It was not as if he was being taken apart each time he went without a wicket, but such a run can easily play on your mind. But Ashwin said he was in the “best frame of mind” and was not thinking too much about the lack of wickets. He had been dropped in favour of Ravindra Jadeja for the Durban Test after his failure to break through in Johannesburg, and said he had learned a lot from that tour.”Honestly I was not reading or looking into anything,” Ashwin said. “This is probably the best frame of mind I have been in. I have locked away a few things. I had a tour of South Africa which was quite a learning curve for me. I have decided if I am giving my best that is all I can do. I cannot go back reading articles and what people are saying about me. It does not make sense. I just locked myself out. I spoke to Dhoni about a couple of things, to the coach, had chats with a few people I trust. I thought things were going alright. It can happen, you cannot keep taking wickets or making runs all the time. The frame of mind I was in helped me perform the way I did.”Ashwin said he was feeling satisfied with the way he was bowling and had worked out how he had to go about the job away from home. “I have sorted out what length and what kind of bowling needs to be done. There are certain ways you need to construct a spell abroad. I have learnt that and put that into practice.”R Ashwin: “I had a tour of South Africa which was quite a learning curve for me”•BCCIThe new fielding restrictions have made it harder for bowlers in general. With lesser help available for spinners in overseas conditions, Ashwin said it had become difficult to look for wickets even if the batsmen were playing their shots and taking risks. “That particular thing falls out of the window with the current scenario. If there is spin and you are playing with the conditions helping you, then of course there is an opportunity to look to get a wicket but if it is stacked against you then you are fighting against something which is like a wall. You cannot box against a wall. You cannot fight against the conditions and go head on and take it on.”You definitely tend to be targeted as a spinner away from home. With the five-fielder [within the circle] rule you can only look to give a single. You cannot err on lengths. The batsman knows if you have your sweeper up you are not going to err on the shorter side so you are giving away some cues to the batsman in terms of what field you are setting, and you cannot be foolish enough to try and fool the batsman. They are going to look for boundaries. You have to be really smart and try and make sure you do what the team requires. It is easy to say wickets are not coming so I will look for wickets, but you end up giving 20-30 runs extra and you have to get it back at the end of the day.”Before the Auckland game, Dhoni had said one also had to look at what stage of the innings India were making Ashwin bowl. “I am using him in the Powerplay, in the slog after the 40th over also. You have to see all these things,” Dhoni said. “If you keep saying he is not getting wickets, then that will put pressure on him and in turn what may happen is he will be bowling the 42nd or 43rd over and look for a wicket and it may add another 6-10 runs. I am quite happy with how he has been bowling. If I try to use him upfront, he will be slightly less expensive. As of now both spinners are doing their job quite well. Looking at the conditions, I am practically judging them.”

A second top order batsman showed his potential for England Lions as Alex Lees made a century to lead his side into a strong position on the opening day of the second tour match in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2014
ScorecardAlex Lees struck 15 fours in his century•PA PhotosA second top-order batsman showed his potential for England Lions inside a week as Alex Lees made a century to lead his side into a strong position on the opening day of the second tour match in Colombo.Sam Robson made three figures in the opening fixture and Yorkshire’s Lees, 20, here provided more optimism for England supporters left wondering where the national side can turn to after the carnage of the Australia tour.Lees’s fourth first-class century outshone his more highly regarded opening partner, Varun Chopra, who fell for 47, but the pair added 152 for the opening wicket, raising eyebrows at the decision of Mahela Udawatte to bowl first.After 15 boundaries in 216 balls, Lees fell to Shehan Jayasuriya who also trapped James Taylor, captain for this match, lbw for 47, the type of score Taylor curses – enough to show he’s a good player but far from a figure to seduce selectors.Taylor’s dismissal was the first in a mini-collapse of 3 for 42, where the Lions rather gave up their dominance, and when Jonny Bairstow fell five overs from the close for the third middling score on the card, the opposition were left with not such a bad day.The Lions’ preparation for this game included a visit to the Sri Jinananda children’s home in Colombo, home to 67 orphaned boys who were each presented with a tennis ball by the players to practise their cricket with.Lees’s practice, with tennis balls or otherwise, proved adequate as he put the Lions in a position from where they can dominate the match.”I think every hundred that I get is slightly emotional no matter where I am,” he told the ECB’s website. “I like to think it means the same no matter where I am. But obviously when you’re representing your country at any level it’s very, very pleasing and that emotion comes in afterwards.”On the subcontinent the new ball’s very important. Me and Varun were fortunate enough to get over that. We had a little bit of luck – I think you always need that in any innings – and we got through that and put on a real good opening first stand.”

Stuart Broad, whose refusal to walk in the Trent Bridge Test proved a pivotal point in the last Ashes series, has wasted no time in informing his critics that if the circumstances were repeated he might do the same again.

David Hopps28-Oct-20130:00

Siddle doesn’t blame Broad for not walking

Stuart Broad, who has been presented as Australia’s “public enemy No. 1” since his refusal to walk in the Trent Bridge Test proved a pivotal point in the last Ashes series, has wasted no time in informing his critics that if the circumstances were repeated he might do the same again.England have indicated that Broad will have an extra security presence if there are signs of lingering aggression among the Australian public, but despite the personal pressures that puts him under, nearly four months later he is still determinedly standing his ground.It was never likely that Broad would attempt to mollify his critics with a tactical expression of regret for the fateful moment when he nicked the teenage Australian spinner Ashton Agar off the gloves of wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to first slip and indulged in some red-faced gardening while the umpire Aleem Dar, seemingly confused by the deflection, adjudged him not out.He will simply try to win them over with a searingly honest cricket assessment: he has never been a walker, he is not about to start now and, in that, he is no different to the vast majority who play the game.The issue of whether Broad had any regrets was raised by a former England captain, Michael Vaughan, on BBC Five Live. It was a question he would have been expecting. “No, we would have lost the game,” he responded. “I’ve never been a walker so why would I walk when the umpire’s given me not out?”I could name you 18 or 19 players who played in an Ashes series who nicked it and didn’t walk. We could be here all day if I named players from the past. I am trying to think of someone in the modern game who is consistently a walker.”It’s a really interesting debate and something that got blown so out of proportion maybe because the Australians were frustrated they had wasted two referrals. It was an important moment in the game because, let’s be honest, if Belly and I hadn’t put on those runs, we wouldn’t have won the Test match so we would only have won 3-1 or something.”As the debate raged about whether Broad had offended the Spirit of Cricket, England sneaked the Trent Bridge Test by 14 runs, the 138-run stand between Broad and Ian Bell proving decisive. Broad was pilloried by the media for his lack of moral self-policing but he was widely defended by those in the game.On the surface, as he showed in that split-second at Trent Bridge, he is blessed with the ability to look a picture of serenity, but until Manchester gets its act together and drills bore holes into the underground Cheshire Basin reservoir he remains Britain’s major source of geothermal energy with copious amounts of steam liable to bubble to the surface at any moment. His only sensible choice is to tell it as it is.Stuart Broad reasserted that he is not a walker and is not about to start now•Getty ImagesHe would be encouraged to know of a poll taken in the Melbourne back in mid-July when Australia’s resentment was at its highest. The case for Broad to walk was argued eruditely by the Age’s respected columnist, Greg Baum, who termed his decision “unconscionable”, but 40 per cent of respondents to a poll – presumably, even in this global age, predominantly Australian – supported his decision to await the umpire’s decision. As anger has a habit of gradually subsiding, Broad can safely assume that as the first Test in Brisbane nears at least half of the Australian cricketing public has no issue whatsoever with what he did.As it happened, he did walk later in the Ashes series, but that should not be regarded as a change of policy. “It happens in a split second,” he said. “There are times when you nick it and you’re so frustrated with yourself you get your head down and you storm off because you’re annoyed.”Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann later accused Broad of “blatant cheating” and in a laddish, none-too-serious interview on the Triple M radio station, exhorted the Australian public to “get stuck into him when he comes to Australia”. The England team, and the ECB, were incensed with Lehmann’s truculence and he was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for “inappropriate comments”.Broad revealed more details of his peace-making chat with Lehmann after the series as well as suggesting that Australia’s players had also rebuked their coach for overstepping the line.”Ryan Harris came over to me and apologised,” Broad said. “First of all he said from the players we have given him a hard time and his comments were unacceptable. Then Lehmann came across and said: ‘I meant it in jest’. I said that in black and white it doesn’t look like jest to me. He said something along the lines of: ‘Listen to the interview’, and I said: ‘I have far better things to do with my time’, and that was about it. We shared a nice beer and I said: ‘See you in November’.”But if Broad is relying on honest-to-goodness debate on to see him through the Test series unscathed, it is by no means certain that a section of the Australian media feels the same way. That has been interpreted by one Australian newspaper as a refusal to accept Lehmann’s apology and described as “fanning the flames”. When he asked for some interesting Australians to follow on Twitter, his attempt at bridge building was reported, quite outlandishly, as him “baiting” Australia fans on social media.Australia has its public enemy No. 1 and they intend him to top the charts until the New Year. That he will receive a hostile welcome at The Gabba in little more than three weeks’ time can be taken for granted.

Sri Lanka head coach Marvan Atapattu is confident his team will be able to put aside the 5-0 defeat they suffered in India and bounce back in the seven-match ODI series against England.

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Nov-2014Sri Lanka head coach Marvan Atapattu is confident his team will be able to put aside the 5-0 defeat they suffered in India and bounce back in the seven-match ODI series against England.The whitewash in India was just Sri Lanka’s third loss in their last ten series and Atapattu insisted the trip was not as bad as the scoreline suggests.”The best thing that happened to us in the three weeks in India is that although we went through a very bad period losing one match after another we had a very positive dressing room,” Atapattu said.”The players kept motivating each other, contributions were coming from every corner and the players wanted to do well although the execution was not right there. I’ve been in dressing rooms especially in India where things had gone wrong and I’ve seen worse than what I have experienced with this team.”We want to think that this is a new series and India is just a bad experience. Teams will go through such periods. We are a team that has done so well in the past few months or so winning six of our last ten one-day series and lost only three to Pakistan, South Africa and now India. For a team that has lost very few series we are a unit that is quite capable of bouncing back.”I am quite confident of the boys doing well especially in their preparations, practices, meetings and the efforts they are putting in. At the same time we got to know there are a few areas we need to brush up the bowling for instance. Lasith Malinga is nursing an injury and Sachithra Senanayake hopefully will come back very soon. We won’t be at full strength at least till mid-January. But the ones that we are working with are giving their 100 percent.”Atapattu said the team had started to show signs of playing the kind of cricket they are capable of during the fifth and final ODI at Ranchi, which was only lost by three wickets in the penultimate over.”The last game we really played to a plan that we are renowned for and if we had played the series that way it would have been more competitive. I wouldn’t guarantee victories but happier knowing that we had done something we are capable of doing without worrying about what the Indians can do.”Does that mean that Sri Lanka were under prepared going into the Indian series?”In a sense yes. It’s a known fact that this tour was not in our calendar but we were informed and people who had to take a decision took a decision. I am not going to debate on that. If this tour ended on a positive note it would have been a different story.”The Indian series was Atapattu’s first after being officially appointed full time head coach. He compared the beginning of his two-year tenure as head coach to the start of his international cricket career.”I see no difference to the start of my coaching career to the way I started my international cricket career,” Atapattu said. “I would’ve liked to have started on a better note but it has not gone that way. It cannot get any worse than this I can only see myself getting better and see the good side of it from here.”Atapattu began his Test career with a pair against India at Chandigarh in 1990 and his first six Test innings comprised five ducks and a single before he was able to break the hoodoo by scoring 25 against New Zealand at Dunedin seven years later.He went onto become one of the most successful opening batsmen the country has produced, scoring 5502 runs from 90 Tests at an average of nearly 40 and 8529 runs in ODIs.The upcoming seven-match one-day international series against England provides Atapattu with a chance to put the record straight. He described England, even without James Anderson and Stuart Broad, as a “very competitive side”.”The ODI teams around the world come with different strategies to adapt to the new rules that are implemented. They are two huge names that have made huge impact for England.”The bowlers they have brought on the tour are quite capable of disturbing some of the best batsmen on their day. It’s about respecting the ball not the bowler. England are a very balanced and strong side and they are also trying to figure out their best 15 for the World Cup. They are going to be very competitive no doubt about it.”

South Africa’s domestic one-day title will go the way of either the Titans or the Cobras in a north-south derby that, if recent records are to be believed, will be closely contested

Firdose Moonda14-Nov-2013There have been 31 matches. Seven were decided in the last two overs and three others finished with a result margin of one or two runs. And now there are two teams left.South Africa’s domestic one-day title will go the way of either the Titans or the Cobras in a north-south derby that, if recent records are to be believed, will be closely contested. They’ve already played each twice in the tournament, the Cobras winning both matches, once by two runs and the second time in the final over.”We’ve had two great battles already so whatever happens, I think we’ll have another one on Friday,” Rob Walter, the Titans coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “Of course, it would be nice to be on the right side of things if we do.”In his first season as a franchise coach, Walter has already had his fair share of nerves. After losing four of their first seven fixtures, the Titans seemed destined to end in the lower half of the table. They needed wins in their last three pool matches and pulled them off. Then, they needed a win against the team Walter described as the “best side in this competition”, the Dolphins, in the play-off and pulled that off too.In the process, they lost their captain Henry Davids to national duty, their senior-most player, Jacques Rudolph, to a broken hand and yet, still, three of their batsmen are in the top five run-scorers of the season.Leading the list is Heino Kuhn, the wicketkeeper-batsman who has made five Twenty20 appearances for South Africa but has since been overlooked. He is followed by Davids, who won’t be able to finish what he started because he is in the UAE with South Africa’s T20 squad and another national discard, Farhaan Behardien. Walter believes all three are ready to stake a claim for regular places in the national team.”We had discussions about developing their games to put them in positions where they could compete for places at international level,” he said. “With Heino, it was about going from being a keeper who can bat to showing he is a high-quality batsmen. With Henry, it was about taking good starts with beautiful shots and then getting out to having the responsibility to bat deeper; and with Farhaan it was also about conversion.”Kuhn has handed the gloves to Mangaliso Mosehle and is focused on his role as an opening batsmen. He scored back-to-back hundreds in the last two matches to put the Titans in winning positions. Behardien, who Walters said “stands out as a leader”, has taken over the captaincy in Davids’ absence and blossomed under the burden. He has a century and two fifties so far and has been working on the things that saw him dropped from the South African side, such as his shot selection.While moulding men who can turn out on the international stage, Walter has also had to concentrate on filling a trophy cabinet that remained empty last summer – a rare lack for the Titans. He has had Roelof van der Merwe to help in that mission. The left-arm spinner is the team’s leading wicket-taker and fourth overall. “He knew he had to go from being a containing bowler to an attacking one,” Walter said. He has taken nine wickets in the last four games as proof.All that individual brilliance will come up against a Cobras unit that have played like a team. Only the veteran Charl Langeveldt, who is likely to recover from a hip injury to play the final, is among the top five bowlers in the competition while none of their batsmen feature on the corresponding list.”It was never one individual getting us home. We’ve had performances spread all around,” Paul Adams, Cobras coach, said. “And I think it’s really shown in our fielding, where we’ve picked up a lot of run-outs. In pressure games, the younger guys have learned to step up and the more experienced ones have shown their quality.”Justin Ontong top-scored with 97 in their second win against the Titans, Langeveldt took four wickets at the death when they beat the Lions, Andrew Puttick scored a century against the Warriors to set up a win but it was up to the newer players like Dane Piedt and Lizaad Williams to bowl the Cobras to victory. Adams said tense situations like those helped ready the team for a final. “Guys are really focused now, they know what to expect.”This is the second successive season in which Cobras will feature in the one-day cup final. Last summer, they shared the trophy with the Lions, after two washouts. This time, the Lions finished bottom of the table while the Cobras have maintained their impressive run.”The most important thing is to have a big crop of players to call on and then managing them well so they can pace themselves through the competition,” Adams said when asked how he was able to continue that run. Those stocks will be added to with the inclusion of Vernon Philander and Robin Peterson for the final game.Adams, who is in his second season in charge admitted “the nerves are always there” but said he does his job by “looking for ways to inspire people”. And the ones he wants to influence ahead of the final are the fans.Despite the high quality of cricket, stadiums have been starkly empty throughout the tournament. Matches on school-nights and late finishes are the main reasons for the dampened interest but with no New Year’s Test at Newlands, Adams hopes people will go and watch their domestic team tussle it out on Friday.