Kevin Pietersen could be leaving this tournament at any moment should his wife go into labour, and in the form he showed against Pakistan it will be a considerable hole to fill if he is absent

Andrew McGlashan in Barbados06-May-2010Kevin Pietersen could be leaving this tournament at any moment should his wife go into labour, and in the form he showed against Pakistan it will be a considerable hole to fill if he is absent.His unbeaten 73 meant England eased home with three balls to spare against Pakistan to put them in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals. Pietersen arrived a few days later than his team-mates for this event, after spending time at home following the IPL, and his only warm-up innings was a first-ball duck against South Africa.However, he’d shown consistent form at the IPL and was in decent touch in Guyana before twice falling to poorly-placed pull shots. Pietersen used to be the one batsman England could rely on to clear the boundary, but now the line-up is packed with power following the inclusion of Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter at the top, plus Eoin Morgan at No. 5.”I’ve played in the team for five or six years and to have a batting line-up like we have now is incredible,” Pietersen said. “For every bloke from one down to nine or ten to be able to hit sixes is brilliant. When I started we had [Marcus] Trescothick but didn’t have many six-hitters and now most of our guys can hit sixes so it’s brilliant for English cricket.”Pietersen’s first significant impact on the match had come in the field when he sprinted around the boundary at deep midwicket to hold a stunning catch to remove the dangerous Umar Akmal, who still had time to extend Pakistan’s total. Pietersen hasn’t always been the safest pair of hands in the field having started his Test career with a rash of dropped catches in the 2005 Ashes, but this take highlighted how mobile England now are in the field.”Those are catches you go for and if you get them they look great,” he said, “but with hands like I’ve got you aren’t meant to catch them, that is for sure.”The contrast with Pakistan couldn’t have been greater as they produced a horrific fielding display. Saeed Ajmal managed to drop three chances at mid-on and mid-off, Abdur Razzaq put down a caught-and-bowled opportunity against Pietersen and Fawad Alam palmed a tough catch over the boundary for six. However, coach Waqar Younis played down the significance of a poor match.”The way we dropped the catches was very frustrating, but we aren’t out of the tournament so don’t have to worry about that,” he said. “I thought 147 was a decent total, maybe 15 runs short, but with our bowling attack I thought we could manage it. However, you have to give credit to Kevin Pietersen. He batted like a champion and took the game away from us.”

Scotland’s selectors have named a 15-man squad for the ICC World Cricket League Division 1, to be held in the Netherlands from June 30 to July 10

Cricinfo staff04-Jun-2010Scotland’s selectors have named a 15-man squad for the ICC World Cricket League Division 1, to be held in the Netherlands from June 30 to July 10. The emphasis is on youth, as the squad has nine players aged 25 or under, but Fraser Watts’s excellent recent form in the domestic leagues has also earned him a place.Gavin Hamilton and Ryan Watson are both unavailable due to work commitments, while Freddie Coleman is taking time off in the lead-up to the event to concentrate on finishing his school term. This gives opportunities to young batsmen Ewan Chalmers, Preston Mommsen and Josh Davey, who have also been included in the squad to take on the hosts in a four-day Intercontinental Cup and one-day international match prior to the tournanment.”The World Cricket League will be a highly-competitive event, and it gives our players an excellent opportunity to test themselves against the other leading Associates,” said Peter Steindl, Scotland’s head coach. “We have picked the squad with the future as well as the present in mind, so I am looking forward to seeing how the players cope with the tournament environment.”Scotland squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Richie Berrington, Josh Davey, Ewan Chalmers, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Omer Hussain, Neil Laidlaw, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Gregor Maiden, Neil McCallum, Preston Mommsen, Matthew Parker, Fraser Watts

Tuesday’s contest, a dress rehearsal for the final, despite the monotony of what began in January last year, will be one that India will welcome

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya21-Jun-2010

Match Facts

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)
Upul Tharanga will play his 100th ODI•Associated Press

The Big Picture

The neighbourly affection between India and Sri Lanka knows no bounds. What was meant to be a ceaseless flow of riveting action between the two teams was rudely interrupted by an inspired Zimbabwe, who deprived India of a place in the tri-series final in Harare. But India bounced back in the Asia Cup, upstaging Pakistan to seal another meeting with their favoured rivals and restore the trend. Tuesday’s contest, a dress rehearsal for the final, despite the monotony of what began in January last year, will be one that India will welcome. They are without Virender Sehwag, ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury, and will want to achieve some stability at the top of the order leading into the final.Sri Lanka have won their games with greater comfort, with their bowlers restraining Pakistan in the opening match and the batsmen, led by Tillakaratne Dilshan, dominating Bangladesh to prepare themselves well for the remaining two games. Both teams, however, have untested players and could try out their bench strength ahead of the final.

Form guide (most recent first)

India: WWLLW
Sri Lanka: WWWLW

Watch out for…

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli: Though relatively inexperienced, they have acquired a strong reputation in India’s middle order and their responsibility has grown in the absence of Sehwag at the top. Both batsmen have had a quiet Asia Cup, following impressive performances in Zimbabwe, and now have the match they need to shape up for the big game.Upul Tharanga: He has filled in admirably at the position vacated by Sanath Jayasuriya. Tharanga’s scores in his previous six innings read 40, 27, 69, 72, 11 and 54, complementing the belligerence of Dilshan with an assured solidity.

Team news

Dinesh Karthik is Sehwag’s replacement for the remainder of the tournament and is likely to open on Tuesday with Gautam Gambhir. India may be tempted to rest one of their seamers, possibly Ashish Nehra who has just recovered from back spasms. They have Ashok Dinda in the reserves as well as the spinner R Ashwin. Saurabh Tiwary is a candidate for the middle order, but the rest will be keen to spend some time in the middle ahead of the final.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Dinesh Karthik, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh/R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra/ Ashok Dinda.If Sri Lanka choose to try out their bench strength, they may consider resting Lasith Malinga and play allrounder Farveez Maharoof. Another possible change is the inclusion of Suraj Randiv for Muttiah Muralitharan, who may be given a break ahead of the final.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera/ Thilina Kandamby, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Suraj Randiv, 11 Chanaka Welegedera.

Stats and trivia

• India and Sri Lanka are meeting for the 18th time since the start of 2009 in an ODI.
• The game is the 2999th ODI. The 3000th will be held on the same day, between England and Australia. Incidentally the same two teams played the very first ODI in 1971.
• Upul Tharanga is set to play his 100th ODI
  

  Quotes

  “This is an important game for us. We don’t take any game lightly. Obviously, if we win the match, we can go to the final with a better frame of mind.”
  values the momentum India stand to gain if they win on Tuesday.

A burst of three wickets in nine balls from Chris Tremlett saw Surrey wrap up
victory by an innings and 175 runs against Northamptonshire at The Oval

22-Jul-2010
ScorecardChris Tremlett finished with three top-order wickets as Surrey completed a resounding victory•PA Photos

A burst of three wickets in nine balls from Chris Tremlett saw Surrey wrap up
victory by an innings and 175 runs against Northamptonshire at The Oval.Northamptonshire had been 96 without loss following on but they dramatically
collapsed to 205 all out.The visitors, dismissed before lunch for 240 and forced to follow-on still
trailing by 380, were making a better fist of things second time around until
Andre Nel, limping with a suspected thigh strain, provided the inspiration for
Surrey.Openers Stephen Peters (50) and Ben Howgego (45) had posted 96 in 35 overs
before Surrey’s three-pronged pace attack of Tremlett, Nel and Stuart Meaker
took a grip on the game by bagging four wickets in 16 balls without addition to
the total.Nel got one to lift off a length to have Peters caught in the gully then, from
the very next ball, Tremlett went around the wicket to see Howgego, pushing
hesitantly, edge onto his own off stump.Three balls later David Sales fenced at a Tremlett lifter to edge low to Nel at
slip and, in his next over, the 6ft 7in strike bowler saw Rob White chop onto
the base of off stump.The collapse continued after tea when Meaker got in on the act with 4 for 59
during a fiery stint from the Vauxhall End.David Wakely (seven) was superbly caught one-handed by Nel at slip, Andrew Hall
(two) sliced a leg-cutter to point, Elton Chigumbura (25) snicked a drive to
third slip and David Murphy (eight) was comprehensively castled.Surrey’s excellent fielding continued when Usman Afzaal took another athletic
catch on the run at wide mid-off to account for David Lucas (14) off Gareth
Batty’s bowling. Afzaal then helped himself to a wicket as James Middlebrook’s
(36) slog sweep was caught at mid-on and completed Surrey’s maximum points win
with 13 overs of the day remaining.After a 15-minute delay for rain at the start of the day, Northamptonshire
resumed their first innings on 174 for 8 and reached their only batting
bonus point in style thanks to a lusty 36 from last-man Jack Brooks.Lucas (13) fell with the visitors two short of their initial 200-run target
when he was late on a quicker ball from Batty to go leg before and make it 198
for 9.Number 11 Brooks went for his shots from ball one, sweeping Batty for two sixes
into the Peter May Stand and then backing away to cut another six over the
ropes at backward point off Meaker.Batty had his revenge however, having Brooks caught at backward square-leg to
end the Northamptonshire innings just after mid-day allowing his skipper Rory
Hamilton-Brown to enforce the follow-on with more than five sessions of the
match remaining.Batty, the pick of Surrey’s attack, finished with 5 for 76 – his first
five-wicket return since re-joining the county from Worcestershire – while Nel
and Tremlett bagged two apiece.

Clint McKay has been called in to Australia’s squad as cover for Ben Hilfenhaus, who remains in doubt for the second Test in Leeds

Brydon Coverdale18-Jul-2010Clint McKay has been called in to Australia’s squad as cover for Ben Hilfenhaus, who remains in doubt for the second Test in Leeds. Hilfenhaus hurt his left shoulder during Australia’s win over Pakistan at Lord’s, when he dived to save a boundary on the fourth and final day.Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris has been working with Hilfenhaus since Friday’s victory, and the bowler was reported to be feeling better on Sunday. Hilfenhaus was the most convincing of Australia’s fast bowlers at Lord’s, where he finished with match figures of 3 for 74 and swung the ball with excellent control.Although Australia remain hopeful that Hilfenhaus will be fit for the Headingley Test, which begins on Wednesday, the selectors have covered their bases by calling for McKay, the Victoria seamer. McKay was part of the one-day squad that lost to England in the lead-up to the Tests and he won’t have far to travel, as he has been playing for Yorkshire in the Friends Provident Twenty20.McKay was playing in Derbyshire on Sunday afternoon and was expected to join the Australians in Leeds on Sunday evening. Although McKay has already played Test cricket, the more likely scenario if Hilfenhaus is ruled out would be a debut for Peter George, the South Australia fast man.George, 23, was a late addition to the squad when he replaced Ryan Harris, who flew home after the one-day series with a knee injury. George bowled in Australia’s warm-up match against Derbyshire but did not collect a wicket.

Dominic Cork has expressed his disappointment at not being able to take Hampshire to the Champions League in South Africa after leading them to the Friends Provident t20 title

Andrew McGlashan16-Aug-2010Dominic Cork has expressed his disappointment at not being able to take Hampshire to the Champions League in South Africa after leading them to the Friends Provident t20 title. They clinched the trophy by losing fewer wickets as scores finished level against Somerset but, unlike last year when Somerset and Sussex headed to India in October this season, there are no places for English counties due to a fixture clash.The Champions League runs from September 10-26 which coincides with the closing two weeks of the domestic season, including the conclusion of the County Championship and CB40, and also England’s one-day series against Pakistan. The ECB had brought the end of the season forward by a week under the belief the tournament would be held in late September but it was shifted so that India could play Australia.It left the ECB with no choice but to say to counties couldn’t take part because of the extensive changes that would have been required to the domestic fixtures. There is a certain irony, then, that Hampshire with their strong IPL links to Rajasthan Royals are one of the teams that would have qualified for the Champions League and Cork said it was a major loss for the club as well as English cricket.”It’s a disappointment for me as a player because I’d have loved to have gone but also for the guys who have performed so well, the younger players who would have benefited from playing against top international cricketers,” he told Cricinfo Switch Hit podcast. “It’s just a shame we won’t be able to go and I hope the ECB are looking at that to make sure counties are represented in the biggest competitions in the future.”We’ve seen how when the England players were first refused a chance to go to the IPL England’s Twenty20 campaign was disastrous and when they were allowed to go all of a sudden we win a World Cup in West Indies,” he added. “That’s no coincidence, that’s the fact that players are able to perform in the biggest competitions. Hopefully now the ECB can look at the Champions League, put all these rows to bed with India and sort it out because English cricket will suffer if we don’t have clubs represented.”It is hoped that from next year there will be a clear window after the English season which will allow counties to rejoin the tournament although there remains a feeling that the ECB have been left behind in the global development of Twenty20 despite inventing the format back in 2003. Discussions remain ongoing about the structure for domestic cricket from next season with serious movements being made towards a franchise-style structure based around the Test grounds.Cork believes the biggest change that needs to be made is a reduction in the number of matches after an explosion in fixtures meant 151 games in this year’s Friends Provident t20. But he thinks that county teams would be able to hold their own against IPL franchises.”The English Twenty20 is a very strong tournament,” he said. “It was too long with 16 qualifying games and the ECB need to look at that because we don’t want to reach overkill, but the fact we can attract some very good Twenty20 players, and the fact there are some good domestic players, means we can be very proud in having a strong competition. Hopefully we can keep it as strong as possible and I’m sure if we were able to play IPL teams all counties would put up a good performance.”

Jonathan Trott has insisted England don’t hold any ‘grudges’ against Pakistan despite the home side’s impressive form being overshadowed by the spot-fixing allegations

Andrew McGlashan in Leeds11-Sep-2010Jonathan Trott has insisted England don’t hold any ‘grudges’ against Pakistan despite the home side’s impressive form being overshadowed by the spot-fixing allegations which have dominated the last two weeks and will linger until long after the tour has finished.Since the controversy erupted England have completed a 3-1 Test series victory, won the two Twenty20 internationals and taken a 1-0 lead in the one-day series, but still the talk is dominated by the fall-out after the investigation which led to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir being questioned by police and suspended by the ICC.The three players arrived back in Pakistan last night – slipping quickly out of the back door of Lahore airport – but that doesn’t mean the issue has left the current series with Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick, set to be interviewed next week by police in London and Kamran Akmal under the scanner for previous series.As England defended their total at Chester-le-Street, Trott was involved in an ugly exchange with Kamran which required intervention from umpire Billy Doctrove, but Trott said it had nothing to do with the off-field issues and that England never use the controversy as a subject for sledging.”It was just a few things that go on on the field. That’s it really,” he said. “I said a few words, and he was saying a few – and the umpires got in the middle of it, and made a mountain out of a molehill really.”Whatever is going on in the background is none of our business. We don’t talk about it really, on the field. We don’t have any grudges, or anything. We just play cricket. The last thing you want is to be dragged down on the field. It’s important we project a good image and play within the rules, hard but fair.””As far as the England team are concerned, we go about our job – in another four very important games,” he added. “I myself feel as though, whatever happened in the Test series, I’ve moved on and am looking forward to this one-day series.”Whatever has happened is a closed case for us. All our jobs are just to play against 11 guys on the field against us. I don’t think we can take off-the-field stuff on to it.”Shahid Afridi was in the dark over what words were exchanged, but said that he enjoyed playing an aggressive brand of cricket so long as certain lines weren’t crossed by the players. “I’m afraid I don’t know what went on. But I think it’s part of the game playing good, aggressive cricket. I always enjoy cricket like this, it’s good. But in a positive way, not using bad words.”Trott really doesn’t have to resort to verbals on the field because his run-scoring is speaking for itself at the moment, but he could be forgiven for feeling a little bitter as his prolific form remains something of an afterthought. He has had a memorable summer which, in normal circumstances, with an Ashes tour looming, would be the major topic of conversation.His outstanding 184 at Lord’s was completed just a few hours before the initial spot-fixing story erupted and was quickly consigned to footnotes rather than backpage leads and he continued his form with 69 in the opening ODI at Chester-le-Street. Trott began the season with
226 against Bangladesh at Lord’s then, having been recalled for the one-day series against the same team, hit 94 at Bristol and 110 at Edgbaston before his Man-of-the-Series display against Pakistan where he notched 404 runs in a bowler-dominated contest.His one-day chance has come largely through Kevin Pietersen’s absence both from the Bangladesh series and the current one against Pakistan. The No. 3 spot is Pietersen’s home in the one-day game, but Trott is making a strong case to fill that crucial berth. Pietersen’s one-day form had been poor long before he was dropped and although it’s impossible to believe England could have a successful World Cup without him, Trott’s success means he won’t just waltz straight back in without pressure.”There are quality players out of the side,” Trott said, who is also up against Warwickshire team-mate Ian Bell for a long-term place in the one-day unit. “I have the opportunity to bat at three at the moment, and it’s up to me to do the best I can. The last few knocks haven’t been the worst. I’m pretty happy personally with how things have gone in the last few games. But I’m always looking to improve on areas I can work on.”The guys know competition for places is really good, and in a good way. It’s not people looking over their shoulders, but they know to play for this England team you have to be at the top of your game.”

The IPL has terminated the franchise agreements with Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals and has issued a notice to the Kochi franchise, asking them to resolve their disputes and form a joint venture company to hold the rights

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010The IPL governing council has ejected Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from the league on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms that threatened to “shake the very foundation of the tender process”, while granting a temporary breather to the Kochi franchise to put its house in order.The IPL chose to invoke powers vested with it to terminate a franchise contract with immediate effect at an emergency meeting of the governing council held in Mumbai today. The notices seeking explanation why action shouldn’t be taken again remained unsent to the franchises.The two franchises are now considering their options. A statement from Rajasthan Royals pointed out that it had never received any notice from the BCCI and hinted at legal redress without explicitly mentioning it.The Punjab franchise said its legal team was studying the BCCI’s decision, which it called unfair and not in the IPL’s collaborative spirit, and hoped for negotiations to settle the issue.However, a top BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that IPL 4 was almost certain to feature only eight teams. “These two teams [Rajasthan and Punjab] cannot come back,” he said. “IPL 4 will have only eight teams.” Asked if the BCCI would draft a fresh tender process to replace Rajasthan and Punjab, he said that would happen only the Kochi franchise failed to resolve its internal disputes.The announcement to terminate agreements with the two franchises came after days of hectic speculation and raised further questions about its implications. Though the BCCI president Shashank Manohar said the decision had nothing to do with Lalit Modi both Rajasthan and Punjab have co-owners who are relations of the ousted IPL chairman.After the announcement was made through a media release, Manohar explained the reasons for the decision. “With regards to Rajasthan, the bid was given by a different bidder and the agreement was entered into with a different company,” he said. “The shareholding pattern was different. The shares were transferred into with different people without the permission of the governing council.”When asked about Kochi, Manohar said the franchise hadn’t been scrapped because it hadn’t violated the agreement yet, but was only suffering from internal disputes. He said Kochi had ten days to resolve all problems and form a joint venture company to hold the franchise rights otherwise it also ran the risk of being ejected from the league.Sunday’s meeting was the first for the reconstituted governing council, which had its membership reduced from 14 to eight, and its tenure and powers cut. Chirayu Amin was appointed the chairman of body, replacing ousted chairman Lalit Modi, and the rest of the council comprises five other members – Arun Jaitley, Ranjib Biswal, Anurag Thakur, Ajay Shirke and Rajiv Shukla – and two former cricketers, Ravi Shastri and Mohinder Amarnath, as honorary members.

A round-up of the fourth round of games from the MetBank Pro40 Championship in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2010Matabeleland Tuskers ran to their third consecutive win in the MetBank Pro40 Championship, Terry Duffin’s 88 guiding them to a four-wicket victory over Mashonaland Eagles at the Country Club ground in Harare. After being put in by Tuskers captain Gavin Ewing, Eagles struggled against seam and spin alike and were bowled out for 196 in the 36th over. Though he fell before the job was quite done, Duffin’s knock set up the win with 25 balls to spare.Mashonaland Eagles are traditionally one of the strongest domestic sides, while Tuskers endured a nightmare season in 2009-10, battling Southern Rocks for the bottom spot. But the roles have been reversed this time around, and this result solidifies Tuskers’ position at the top while Eagles remain winless from four games.After Tuskers’ seamers dealt with the top order, Keegan Meth, Chris Mpofu and Tawanda Mupariwa picking up six wickets between them, the spinners ensured there would be no fightback from the Eagles. Forster Mutizwa blazed to a 25-ball 39 and stand-in captain Ryan Butterworth battled hard for his 45 – his best effort in List A games – but Eagles couldn’t put together any significant partnerships and offspinner John Nyumbu closed the innings by removing Tinotenda Mutombodzi for his second wicket.Duffin, not known for his quick scoring in limited-overs games, seemed to find the boundary with ease and managed 11 fours and a six before falling to Greg Lamb, who was the pick of the Eagles bowlers with three wickets. The 72 runs Duffin put on for the fourth wicket with Charles Coventry swung the game firmly Tuskers’ way, and though both fell before the job was done Keith Dabengwa was on hand to guide the team home.On a batsman’s track at Kwekwe Sports Club, four of the Mountaineers’ top order passed fifty as they reached a massive 301 for 7. Tino Mawoyo continued the good form he showed against New Zealand A with 50, while Jonathan Beukes shrugged off his failures in the opening round of the Logan Cup with a boundary-laden 67. Greg Smith and Timycen Maruma then combined to put on 60 at better than 10-an-over, and despite a lower-order wobble Mountaineers set a daunting target.With stormclouds approaching, Brendan Taylor launched Mid West Rhinos’ chase with a brutal half-century, lacing 12 fours and a six and putting on 90 for the first wicket with Gary Ballance. But after he was dismissed, caught by Hamilton Masakadza off the bowling of Tinashe Panyangara, the innings lost momentum and when the weather intervened Rhinos were 43 runs short on the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Virat Kohli dominated the Bengal bowlers but his dismissal for 173 gave Bengal the upper hand in a day of contrasts, with Delhi still trailing by 145 runs

The Bulletin by Sharda Ugra at the Feroz Shah Kotla03-Nov-2010
Scorecard
Virat Kohli’s dismissal was the turning point of the day•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The teams in the Durand Cup football semi-finals at the neighbouring Ambedkar Stadium would know exactly what Delhi and Bengal went through at the Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday. Day three of their Ranji Trophy Super League match was a game of two halves. The first belonged to Virat Kohli and Delhi, the second to Bengal, who felt an immovable object suddenly shift an inch, and then didn’t stop pushing.At stumps, Delhi were 328 for 6, still trailing Bengal’s first innings total of 473 – and precious points – by 145 runs. They have two old school types at the wicket, Rajat Bhatia, who has played first-class cricket with the focus and enthusiasm of an Energiser bunny, and Sumit Narwal, the bowler who saved them much face yesterday. What Bengal have now is the belief that they can turn Delhi’s innate swagger into a fall.Kohli certainly swaggered in making 173, scoring more than half of Delhi’s runs in an innings stamped with the authority and superiority of a player who belongs to another, higher, class of cricket. His departure led to a middle order meltdown, four wickets falling for 34 runs, not only because he was the entertainment of the day, but also the centre piece of two top order century stands. For nearly four hours, Bengal laboured and absorbed the punches because they knew that Kohli’s wicket would turn the match into a far more even contest than he had allowed it to be.It took them a while, but they could have had him much sooner. Iresh Saxena grassed a simple chance at mid-wicket, to Ranadeb Bose’s utter misery, when Kohli was on 74. Given a reprieve, Kohli showed even more disdain. He mopped up the remaining 26 runs he needed for his hundred from 35 balls, leaping across the threshold with the help of three boundaries between 87 and 101. Bengal had tried to keep things tight and the runs down to a minimum. Given that their side had unravelled Bengal in the first session on Tuesday, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli were happy to score at a reasonable trickle, and keep coach Manoj Prabhakar relaxed. Dhawan’s departure for 42 didn’t have much of an impact just before lunch, as the comfort of captain Mithun Manhas’ company ensured that Kohli was ready to move in to a higher gear.The moment arrived well into the afternoon, with the sudden surprise of a run-out. Always, an event of extremes, run-outs can either be street-corner slapstick or a thunderous demonstration of speed or athleticism. In this case, it needed a combination of anticipation and good fortune, and Bengal both deserved the luck, and rode it well. The run-rate had moved to just over four an over, and Manhas guided one past a wide second slip and gully. Kohli shot out for the single. It was a fair call, Kohli expecting the gully fielder to cut off the angle at best. Arindam Das, the fielder at second slip, suddenly streaked into the frame, snatched the ball as it bobbed up into his hand, and hurled it towards the stumps. Kohli had his head down and was sprinting for the finish, but before he crossed the line, the bails leapt in to the air.It was, as Bengal’s bowler of the day Ashok Dinda said, the moment his team had worked for, the one idea they had hung all their hats on: “We said if Virat goes, the rest would struggle. Even after the dropped the catch we said, ‘we just have to get Virat’ and we are in the game.”
And so they were. Bose swung one into Gaurav Chabra’s toes just before tea, and convinced the umpire that it was good enough for a leg before. After the break, Manhas attempted a Kohli-esque slash at one so wide from Dinda that it asked for punishment, but received a wicket. Punit Bisht tried to extravagantly turn Dinda over square and Abhishek Chowdhary at short leg pulled off a reflex catch.Bhatia watched stone-faced at the other end and knew what had to be done because he’s done it dozens of time. Along with the sturdy Narwal, the Delhi innings limped along during the last hour of the day’s play. Bengal delayed taking the new ball in the hope that the old one, which was keeping low, would help them snake in another lbw, but all the twists were done for the day. They will now have a fairly new ball tomorrow and no prima donna of Kohli’s capabilities involved in the contest anymore. The last day’s play and the tussle for points promises to be a blinking contest between Bengal and the overnight batsmen. The day of two halves will melt into a session that will seal the deal.