Virender Sehwag, as economical with words as with his technique, is not looking for any excuses after his side lost 15 wickets in 124.3 overs

Sidharth Monga in Galle21-Jul-2010Virender Sehwag, as economical with words as with his technique, is not looking for any excuses after his side lost 15 wickets in 124.3 overs and is still 63 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first-innings total, with a full day’s play to go. He said they were aware that their shot selection wasn’t good, that they were now hoping for rain to go with the best efforts of VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni.”Fantastic that we are getting a result even after losing one day’s play,” Sehwag said. “But it is bad for the Indian side. We are on the losing side unless VVS Laxman can play [well] tomorrow, and we are hopeful that after lunch or before tea, rain will come and the match gets washed out as a draw.”Asked about his shot to get out in the first innings, an attempted cut to a delivery that would have otherwise been called wide, with three fielders deep in the off side, Sehwag said: “That’s my scoring shot. If you look at the 7000 runs that I have scored, more than 3000 runs have come through the cut shot. In coming matches too, I will play the same shot. Sometimes you get out, sometimes you score runs. Almost every time, I score runs with the cut shot.”But aren’t India in the position because several batsmen played ill-advised shots? “Everybody is aware of that, but you can’t control certain things,” Sehwag said. “Sometimes you play that shot and you get away with that, sometimes you get out. That’s Test cricket where everybody has played enough matches. They are experienced. It happens in cricket.”Sehwag conceded the pitch hadn’t deteriorated enough to justify the scores and that it was “still a good track to bat on” which made him confident that India could still save the Test. “If you look at the last Test match that we played against South Africa, MS and VVS scored hundred-plus and remained not out and batted really well,” he said. “So they can do that. Laxman and Dravid did that against Australia in 2001, so we have the hope. Still we have one more pair of batsmen, they will go tomorrow and try and their best.”

A round-up of the first round of games at the European Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Ireland

Cricinfo staff10-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Caroline Salomons’ first century for Netherlands launched her team’s run in the European Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in stunning fashion as they chased down the ECB Development XI’s competitive 244 with more than three overs to spare.Having won the toss, the Dutch must have wondered about the wisdom of asking their opponents to bat first when the ECB side rattled along at almost five runs an over despite being bowled out just short of a full 50 overs. But Salomons, with excellent support from Helmien Rambaldo and Marijn Nijman, completely dominated the bowling, reaching her century at better than a-run-a-ball as she struck the match-winning boundary off Deanna Cooper in the 47th over.The ECB innings got off to a stuttering start, Marloes Braat grabbing two wickets in her opening spell while Mariska Kornett and Esther Lanser picked up a wicket apiece to reduce the ECB XI to 34 for 4. But Fran Wilson and Beth MacGregor’s fifth-wicket stand changed the complexion of the game completely as they put together a highly entertaining partnership of 122 before Wilson was dismissed for 76, made in just 85 balls and including 12 boundaries.MacGregor continued on with good support from the lower order before she was ninth out, in the final over, for 89. She had struck eight boundaries in her 109.The Dutch innings began quietly but soon started to pick up pace through some good stroke play and intelligent running between the wickets. Violet Warrenburg fell at 26, followed by Caroline de Groot at 46. At this stage Salomons entered the scene to partner Rambaldo and the two added 107 in even time as they took total control of the game.Rambaldo eventually fell to Westbury for 44 but this didn’t stem the flow of the Dutch innings as Nijman then joined Salomons and immediately set about the bowling, making a quick-fire 34. By the time she was well caught by a diving Hannah Phelps, only four more runs were required and it was appropriate that Salomons should bring up her hundred and win the match with her ninth boundary. Her century had taken just 98 balls.”The pitch was quite slow so every ball was a challenge,” said MacGregor. “I was happy with the way I paced my innings, we did well to recover to 244 after a low total looked on the cards. Unfortunately we weren’t able to defend our total but we have learnt a lot from today, particularly the way we need to bowl and field here in our next two games.”

Scorecard
Ireland began the qualifying competition in Stirling with a comfortable five-wicket victory over Scotland. Despite Kari Anderson’s unbeaten 86, Scotland could only muster 160 for 4 after being put in by Ireland captain Heather Whelan. Eimear Richardson’s 66 then guided Ireland’s run chase as they passed the target with more than 13 overs to spare.Scotland got off to a very slow start against accurate bowling by the Whelans, Heather and Jill. Catherine Smaill was soon trapped in front of her stumps by Heather and then two wickets fell in quick succession to reduce Scotland to 31 for 3 after 17 overs.However, it was to be a long time before Ireland had any further success as the remainder of the Scottish innings belonged to skipper Anderson, who made an unbeaten 86 from 148 balls. Her partnership with Kathryn White began slowly but gradually gained in momentum as they put on 103 before White was bowled for 39 by Jill Whelan in the 46th over.Ireland lost their first wicket at 15 when Laura Delany was bowled by Leigh Kasperek. Isobel Joyce joined Richardson and they advanced the total to 36 in the 12th over before Joyce was caught by Tams. When the third wicket, that of Jill Whelan, fell at 62 in the 16th over the match seemed to be well-poised.However, Richardson had other ideas and she began to score freely all round the wicket. By the time she was dismissed in the 34th over she had passed a well-paced half-century and her side was within 12 runs of victory.

In two weeks, Canada host Bermuda in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup, with a place in the semi-finals awaiting them if they win

Wisden Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2010

In two weeks, Canada host Bermuda in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup, with a place in the semi-finals awaiting them if they win. But the venue for the match in Toronto remains undecided, with the initial choice – the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club – ruled out after the Canadian board (CCA) failed to reach an agreement with the ground authorities.The search for an alternative has been frantic and frustrating, with alternative venues not being sufficiently prepared for such a major game. The only venue remotely in with a chance of being ready is at Sunnybrook, but a cursory inspection over the weekend revealed that there was bare soil on the mottled wicket intended for the match. Furthermore, the surface is far from flat, and it is almost inconceivable that there is enough time before the tie – which is scheduled to start on August 13 – to put things right. The facilities at the club are also basic.The TCSCC is clearly the major ground, having hosted the Sahara Cups in the 1990s, and the one assumed by outsiders to be the natural choice. But the CCA refused to agree to the financial demands of the owners, starting the desperate hunt for an alternative. According to a senior official of the TCSCC, the CCA only formally approached them on July 26, less than three weeks before the match, even though the TCSCC had been asking for clarification of the board’s intentions since April.The main problem facing the CCA is that the match has to be played on grass, and the bulk of matches in Canada are on artificial or matting wickets. Experience of preparing and maintaining grass pitches is limited, and by refusing the TCSCC terms so late in the day, the board has painted itself into a corner.It stands accused of poor management of the whole venture. Aside from the farrago surrounding the venue, with less than a fortnight before the game it was impossible to find out information about the fund-raising banquet intended to coincide with the match.This is the board’s chance to put Canadian cricket on the map and show the international community that it has what it takes to be taken seriously. It is looking set to do just the opposite.

The Rajasthan Royals franchise has filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court against the BCCI’s decision to terminate its IPL status

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2010The Rajasthan Royals franchise has filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court against the BCCI’s decision to terminate its IPL contract. The case is likely to be heard on Wednesday.The BCCI’s decision to end the franchise’s IPL affiliation was taken on October 10, on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms that threatened to “shake the very foundation of the tender process”. The Kings XI Punjab’s IPL connection was also terminated the same day.”We have tried to meet with the BCCI to understand the basis for the termination, which was received without notice,” a Royals statement said. “We do not understand what we have done wrong, and it is therefore our duty to the fans of the IPL, our employees, our players and our partners to pursue the matter.”The BCCI contended that Rajasthan violated the franchise agreement on three counts:* The original bid document was picked and signed by Manoj Badale, representing Emerging Media (IPL) Limited, a UK-based company, which wins the bid for the Jaipur franchise. The shares of the franchise, however, were held by two individuals, Ranjit Barthakur and Fraser Castellino, who are the only two shareholders representing Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Limited, the firm which signed the final franchise agreement on March 31, 2008. According to the BCCI, this amounts to stepping into the shoes of the original bidder without being a “group company or entity controlled by the bidder,” which violates the tender process.* The franchise agreement states that no change of control can occur in the first three years. However, the BCCI claimed Rajasthan restructured its ownership pattern twice – in March 2008 and January 2009.* The board felt Rajasthan had provided wrong information about the corporate structure of Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Limited. The board also raised the inclusion of Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Limited as “incorrect” as the firm holding the franchisee rights.

A round-up of the third day of the opening round of matches in Division 1 of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2010Water and Power Development Authority completed a thumping innings and 151-run victory against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium with a day to spare.Ali Azmat and Ahmed Said, who had stalled Sialkot’s surge with a doughty resistance on the second day, continued their effort well into the third morning. Azmat, who was on 112 overnight, progressed to 130, while Said crossed triple-figures as well, and remained unbeaten when the innings was declared closed at 429 for 8.Trailing by a mammoth 303, Sialkot’s second innings was only marginally better than their first. Sarfraz Ahmed wreaked havoc with a five-wicket haul, while Naved-ul-Hasan and Umaid Asif chipped in with two apiece to derail Sialkot, who were shot out for 152.Habib Bank Limited‘s bowlers put their side on course for victory by stumps on the third day, after their batsmen piled on the advantage to finish with a mammoth first-innings lead of 361 against Faisalabad at the Iqbal Stadium. Ahmed Shehzad, unbeaten on 207 overnight, powered along to 254, but Salim Elahi was unable to drive home the advantage as HBL lost three wickets in quick succession following the marathon 371-run association. Their captain Hasan Raza, however, ensured that his side maintained full control, with a quick 69, inclusive of three fours and three sixes, before declaring the innings closed at 533 for 7.Farrukh Shehzad settled into a defensive mode as Faisalabad fought to save the game, accumulating an unbeaten 46 in his near three-hour stay, but HBL made regular breaches from the other end. Qaiser Iqbal departed early, before spinners Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Aslam snared two more wickets to leave Faisalabad 248 runs in arrears with only seven wickets to survive the final day.Islamabad held a slight upper hand against National Bank of Pakistan at the end of the third day’s play at the Diamond Club Ground. Beginning the day at 201 for 5 – 151 short of Islamabad’s first innings effort – NBP’s lower order was unable to make a reasonable dent in the deficit. Nasrullah Khan and Shehzad Azam finished with four wickets each, while Hammad Azam held one end up for with his 61, but NBP still fell 63 runs short of the lead.Hammad was at it again with the ball, snaring two early wickets in Islamabad’s second innings. Mohammad Talha then got into the act, and at 52 for 3, NBP had a strong chance of running through the middle order. Ameer Khan and Ali Sarfraz, however, scuppered their hopes with a crucial 96-run stand to build the lead. Talha struck late in the day, removing both batsmen to give his side an opening, but unless NBP can strike early on the final day, this will be Islamabad’s game to lose.Rawalpindi‘s lower order authored a stirring fightback to neutralize Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited‘s advantage from the first two days, and leave the game interestingly poised going into the final day
at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Resuming at a wobbly 117 for 4 – still three runs short of wiping the first-innings deficit – Rawalpindi were propelled by weighty contributions from Nos. 6, 7 and 8, Babar Naeem, Zahid Mansoor and Adnan Mufti, into a position of strength.Naeem began the resistance along with opener Shoaib Nasir who went on to make 73, before Mansoor took centre-stage. He struck 19 fours and a six in his attractive innings, and added 116 with Mufti, who made 65 off 98 balls. Mohammad Khalil dismissed Mufti to complete his five-wicket haul, but there was no respite for ZTBL who ran into a determined No. 11 in Sadaf Hussain. He played out 101 minutes and 55 balls, helping Mansoor add 65 runs, and take the overall lead to 296. ZTBL have a tricky final day ahead of them, and Rawalpindi will fancy their chances of setting a 300-plus target and pushing for a win.Multan‘s lower order failed to capitalise on the strong foundation laid by their top half, and conceded a 72-run first-innings advantage, before their bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza’s seven-wicket haul, redressed the balance to leave the match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines delicately balanced at the Multan Cricket Stadium.Resuming their first innings at 226 for 5, Multan ran into a rut as they lost their last five wickets for the addition of only 40 runs. Kashif Naved, unbeaten on 44 overnight, did the bulk of the scoring on the third day but fell six short of a well-deserved hundred. Adil Raza and Yasir Shah were the pick of the bowlers, picking four wickets each as Multan were bowled out for 286.Ahmed Raza got into the act thereafter, continuing from his six-wicket haul in the first innings as SNGPL floundered against his wiles once again. Barring Usman Arshad and Yasir Shah, no one managed to cross 30 as they were bowled out, two short of 200, setting Multan a target of 271. There was to be one final twist in the day’s play, as opener Babar Ali fell to Asad Ali in the three overs of play remaining in the day. With 269 runs to get and nine wickets standing, it is anybody’s game going into day five.

Round-up of the first day of the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2010

Group B

RP Singh scored 47 and then took two quick wickets for Uttar Pradesh against Himachal Pradesh•Getty Images

Rains across the country meant that little or no play was possible in five out of the seven Super League matches on Wednesday. Karnataka would have been happy that weather didn’t interrupt their match against Orissa at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, as they managed to bowl the visitors out for 191 on the first day. Orissa ended the day on a positive note, taking two Karnataka wickets for 18 runs before stumps. Sunil Joshi, the former India spinner who completed the double of 5000 runs and 500 wickets in first-class cricket in Karnataka’s last match, took 5 for 35 as Karnataka struck at regular intervals after putting Orissa in to bat. Niranjan Behera was left stranded on 83 not out after facing 235 balls and watching nine wickets fall at the other end. Adithya Sagar gave Karnataka two early breakthroughs, removing both Orissa openers within the first three overs of the morning and then Joshi ripped through Orissa’s middle-order. Karnataka and Orissa are separated by just two points in the Group B table, having played two games each.Himachal Pradesh surprised table-toppers Uttar Pradesh, bowling them out for 197 on the first day at Green Park in Kanpur, but what could have been a perfect day for them was ruined in the last over, when they lost two wickets to finish at 9 for 2. Himachal seamer Rishi Dhawan, playing in only his fourth first-class match, picked up his maiden five-for as UP lost wickets at regular intervals. RP Singh, the left-arm seamer who has played 13 Tests for India, was UP’s surprise top-scorer with 47, while their leading run-getter this season Parvinder Singh missed out on a half-century, falling for 46. Singh then gave UP an opening back in to the game, taking two wickets in his last over of the day.Only 48 overs were bowled at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, where Baroda crawled to 94 for 1 against Punjab. Baroda, who will be trying to get over the horrific collapse that saw them lose to UP in the last round, were put in to bat and their openers Connor Williams and Jaykishan Kolsawala made steady progress before Kolsawala edged one behind off Manpreet Gony, the Chennai Super Kings fast bowler. Yusuf Pathan and Ambiti Rayudu are not playing for Baroda and have been replaced with Jyot Chhaya and Utkarsh Patel.

Group A

Railways could fit only eight overs in after play began at 4.30pm in their match against Tamil Nadu at the IIT Chemplast Ground in Chennai. Tamil Nadu were put in to bat and Abhinav Mukund hit three boundaries taking the hosts to 26 for 1 at stumps. Railways are currently languishing at second from bottom in the Group A table, while Tamil Nadu are second, having one won game and drawn two others.There was no play in any of the other Group A matches scheduled to start on Wednesday. At the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, Amol Muzumdar will have to wait for his return to Mumbai to face his old team as Assam take on table-toppers Mumbai. Saurashtra are at the foot of the table and will welcome back Cheteshwar Pujara from India duty for their match against Delhi at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Laxmi Shukla, the Bengal allrounder fresh from his double-century in the last round, will have to wait till Thursday to see some action, as the first day of Bengal’s match against Gujarat at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad was washed out.

Rangana Herath struck three times in the morning and West Indies’ tail seemed set to capitulate quickly once again before the weather intervened to force an early lunch

The Bulletin by Andrew Fernando04-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Only 22.3 overs were possible on the fourth day before rain intervened once again•Associated Press

A sizeable crowd arrived at the Pallekele Stadium to finally see some action after rain washed out yesterday’s play, but only 20 overs were possible before the clouds opened up once again to frustrate fans and players alike. Rangana Herath struck three times in the morning and West Indies’ tail seemed set to capitulate quickly once again before the weather intervened to force an early lunch.Herath might not have expected a wicket when he fired one down the leg side in the second over of the day, but Brendan Nash’s attempted sweep took a bottom edge on its way to Prasanna Jayawardene, who had moved smartly to collect the wayward delivery. Nash exited for a valuable 67, kicking himself for the indiscretion. Herath didn’t have to wait long for his second wicket of the day, when Carlton Baugh was struck in front in his following over, again attempting to sweep. Baugh had successfully overturned two decisions in his previous innings in Colombo and tried his luck with the review once more, but this time the decision stood.Herath continued to trouble the West Indies batsmen with a succession of beautifully flighted deliveries, varying his length subtly to keep them guessing. Benn landed a couple lusty blows over midwicket, but Darren Sammy played back to one that straightened to be caught dead in front for 8, continuing his horror tour with the bat – he had made only two runs in two previous innings.West Indies’ tail was ill-equipped to handle Herath and Ajantha Mendis as they groped and prodded at some high-class spin bowling on a turning pitch. Benn’s unbeaten 26 was especially wrought with unorthodox technique and strokeplay. His ungainly wallops into the stands were followed by a sweep which found the back of the bat and flew over slip and a comically unsuccessful forward defensive to a full delivery, which hit him on the thigh as he went down on a knee. Both he and Roach were content to pick up the ones and twos after Kumar Sangakkara sent men back to defend the leg-side boundary.Play resumed when the weather abated after lunch, but it returned in torrents following another 2.3 overs of play. Out of 360 overs that should have been bowled thus far in the match, only 103 have been possible as the series heads towards a wet stalemate.

Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, has said he’s pleased with his team’s performance in the 39-run win at Seddon Park that gave his side the Twenty20 series against Pakistan with a game in hand

Andrew Fernando at Seddon Park28-Dec-2010Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, has said he’s pleased with his team’s performance in the 39-run win at Seddon Park that gave his side the Twenty20 series against Pakistan with a game in hand. The victory included several significant contributions from New Zealand’s top order as they posted 185. The batting was backed up by an impressive slow-bowling effort led by Nathan McCullum as Pakistan’s chase was strangled by regular breakthroughs.”All good sides win the key moments and we did that today,” Taylor said. “With the bat, we’ve lost wickets at crucial moments [in the past] and it’s something we’re not doing at the moment. With the ball, our death bowling is an area we haven’t done as well as we would have liked, but today it was outstanding. We took one side of the field out of play and the bowlers executed their plans.”New Zealand slammed 73 runs in four overs towards the latter part of the innings and Taylor singled that period of play as critical to his side’s success. “There were quite a few crucial stages that we won and that was one of them. We scored 110 or so off the last ten overs and that was pretty good going on this ground.”Taylor was also full of praise for debutant Luke Woodcock who applied the squeeze alongside Nathan McCullum to ratchet up the pressure on Pakistan.”It’s quite a small boundary on the leg side that Woodcock bowled to, and he wasn’t daunted by that. He bowled very well in tandem with Nathan and showed good promise. Being a left-armer he gives us some other spinning options as well.” Taylor also added that he “owed [Woodcock] a few” after dropping a simple chance off Mohammad Hafeez that would have given the debutant his first wicket at international level.Taylor also lauded Scott Styris and Peter McGlashan’s blitz towards the end of the innings, saying, “the way they batted, it took the pressure off me and I played second fiddle to them and just fed them the strike.”The highlight of the New Zealand innings was McGlashan’s 10-ball 26, which included two audacious reverse-swats off Umar Gul, for six.”It’s crazy, I’m never going to try that,” Taylor said of McGlashan’s stroke. “But that’s his shot, I hope he continues to work on that and people just back him to do it. He plays the shot very well and if he continues to perform, that gives us an extra option, not just in the Twenty20 format but in the one-dayers as well. I thought his catches off Nathan were also very good.”
McCullum, whose 4 for 16 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, said his job was made easier by the wickets that had fallen just before he came into the attack.”The time that I was introduced was perfect for a spinner and once they’ve lost a couple of wickets it’s a great time to come on,” he said. “That was a pretty big move from Rossco which was great for me and Woody, to be able to work together and create a partnership.”
“The ball skids a little bit here at night and slightly bigger boundaries are can help with the spinners as well.”Pakistan coach Waqar Younis felt his team were thoroughly outplayed in all departments.
“They batted better than us, they bowled better than us and they definitely fielded better than us,” he said. “We played poor cricket, and when it came to bowling we were well below par. We didn’t hit our lengths right and were missing out in terms of variation. Full credit to New Zealand, they kept coming at us.””We were meant to bowl slow deliveries which we didn’t really do, and Twenty20 is about hitting the yorker at the right time, and we didn’t really do that. Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar were all over the place. We pulled it back in the middle when we bowled three or four overs for not many runs, but when the fast bowlers came back, the whole momentum shifted.”

A round-up of matches in the first weekend of the Standard Bank Pro20

Firdose Moonda30-Jan-2011The first three matches of this season’s Standard Bank Pro20 were all decided on the last ball.On Friday night, the Cobras beat the Titans by five wickets in Cape Town. The Titans chose to bat and their innings started in inauspicious fashion when Blake Snijman was bowled by Charl Langeveldt with the first ball of the match. It didn’t affect the batting though because Jacques Rudolph and Roelof van der Merwe repaired the innings with 45 and 65 respectively. Albie Morkel also contributed, his unbeaten 50 off 25 balls, was another statement directed at the national selectors who excluded him from the World Cup squad. The Cobras bowlers were all punished, bar Justin Kemp who took one for 15 in this three overs as the Titans ended on 175 for 4.The Cobras response started gingerly as Andrew Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs departed for 3 and 26 respectively. Owais Shah helped to stabilise matters with 28 and Richard Levi’s 68 set the chase up for a grand finale. Pierre Joubert was the most economical bowler, conceding just 29 runs in his four overs. The Cobras needed 22 runs off the last two overs and 14 off the last one and it was up to big-hitting Justin Kemp to finish the Titans off. He smacked a six and a four off the last two balls to hand the Cobras a nail-biting win.The Cobras lived by the sword on Friday, and died by it on Sunday where they lost by four wickets to the Lions in Johannesburg. The Lions opted to bowl and did an excellent job in the Powerplay, giving away just 27 runs in seven overs. Levi and Gibbs were both dismissed for ducks while Ethan O’Reilly was the man responsible for keeping it tight and conceded just 22 runs in his four overs. Owais Shah hit three gigantic sixes in his 42, one of which went out of the ground. Justin Ontong was the Cobras’ unlikely hero, scoring 56 off 30 and adding much-needed impetus to their line-up. They finished on 155 for 6.The Lions chase started disastrously and they found themselves on 31 for four after six overs, with Alviro Petersen, Jonathan Vandiar, Neil McKenzie and new signing Gulam Bodi back in the hut. Jean Symes and Zander de Bruyn spent some time rebuilding which meant the Lions innings hit comatose levels. After 12 overs, they were 62 for 4, needing to score at almost 12 runs to the over to win. Symes broke the shackles with a six, the first boundary in 42 balls, and then de Bruyn cashed in and reached his half century. de Bruyn laid the platform but the Lions still needed 19 off the last over. Frylinck, who will play for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, hit two sixes and a four off the last three balls to end the match in thrilling fashion for the Lions.In East London, the Warriors began their title defence with a tense, two-wicket win over the Titans. The Titans were off to a rollicking start and brought up their 50 inside five overs. Rudolph’s 58 off 44 balls was the top score of their innings. Justin Kreusch, who took 2 for 23 and Rusty Theron, who took 2 for 31, pegged the Titans back but Henry Davids’ unbeaten 50 off 30 balls took them to a competitive 163 for 5.The Warriors chase looked dead and buried at 65 for 6 in the 10th over. Their big names were out with Ashwell Prince being dismissed for 1, Davy Jacobs for 19 and Nicky Boje for 26. There was one big name left – Mark Boucher. The South African keeper put some serious doubts in the national selectors’ minds when he took the Warriors over the line with an unbeaten 60 of 33 balls. Lyall Meyer’s 36 off 28 balls was crucial and does not deserve to get overshadowed but will pale in comparison to Boucher’s heroics.Batsmen of the week: Three, sensational finishes that could not be valued any differently means that this week’s award goes to the three men who effectively won the matches for their teams. Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher and Robbie Frylinck share this week’s title.

Callum Ferguson has been added to Australia’s squad for the remaining two one-day games against England after Shaun Marsh became the latest casualty in Australia’s batting line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2011Callum Ferguson has been added to Australia’s squad for the remaining two one-day games against England after Shaun Marsh became the latest casualty in Australia’s batting line-up. The hosts began the series without Ricky Ponting (finger) and Michael Hussey (hamstring) and Marsh joined the injury list during the series-clinching win on Sunday when he hurt his right hamstring.Marsh entered Sunday’s game with a question-mark over his hamstring and he has been ruled out of the rest of the series after scans showed a low-grade injury, although it is still unclear how long he will be sidelined. Marsh is not part of the World Cup squad, but was viewed as the most likely candidate to be included if Hussey’s recovery did not allow him to make the trip.The problems have allowed a late-season call-up for Ferguson, who missed a year due to a serious knee injury and did not bat in his only appearance for Australia since his return, in a game against Sri Lanka in Brisbane in November. Ferguson had been gearing up to be part of South Australia’s side for Saturday’s Big Bash final, but will instead be pushing for a place in the Australia team.”Callum has an excellent record in one-day internationals for Australia and is in good form this season,” the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. “We are sure Callum will seize the opportunity that comes following the unfortunate hamstring injury suffered by Shaun Marsh.”The series against England concludes with matches in Sydney on Wednesday and in Perth on Sunday, and the players have virtually no break before heading to the World Cup for their title defence. That means a call will need to be made on Hussey, who has had surgery on a serious hamstring injury he suffered during the opening ODI against England.”At the moment it’s only sort of two weeks since the surgery and basically in those two weeks I’ve been able to hit every target that we’ve set so far,” Hussey told the ABC on Monday. “So that’s a good start but I don’t want to get too carried away. I just want to keep keep hitting my target.”I’ve certainly got exercises I’ve got to be doing two or three times a day, physio probably three or four times a week. The first sort of week-and-a-half I was struggling a fair bit to get around but just the last four or five days it’s been a lot easier to get around. I’ve seen some improvement everyday which has given me a lot of hope.”