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Groundsman Roy McLaren’s last Championship match at New Road appeared to be in danger of folding in two days as Gloucestershire crashed to 21 for 5 in their second innings.But McLaren, who is retiring after 18 years in the job, was spared an abrupt send-off when the West Country side rallied for long enough in a partnership of 35 by Jeremy Snape and Jack Russell.Kabir Ali came back to nail Snape for 25 and finished with a career-best 5 for 22 as the visitors were dismissed for 87. In two overs before the close Worcestershire safely made 14 towards a victory requirement of 70.Gloucestershire’s top-order collapse was the work of Andy Bichel and Kabir in exploiting a seaming pitch of uneven bounce. The new-ball pair bombed out the first five wickets in 39 deliveries, starting with a leading edge by Kim Barnett and peaking with two in successive balls for Bichel.Mark Alleyne became a first-ball victim for Bichel for the second day in a row and the Australian went on to take 4 for 32 for a match return of 10 for 86.Alleyne had some compensation for his “king pair” after claiming 4 for 30 when Worcestershire were dismissed for 240 after starting the day in an unbroken stand of 84 by openers Philip Weston and Anurag Singh.Ian Harvey had danger man Graeme Hick caught at slip in a morning spell of 10-7-12-2, but the other wicket-takers, James Averis and Ben Gannon, were much more expensive.Worcestershire finally scrambled a lead of 18 thanks to 45 by Paul Pollard in his first innings for a month and a rapid 25 by Kabir.

David Miller did not break his drought of international half-centuries but could still find himself at the top of South Africa’s ODI order more often in the future as part of a new strategy which involves saving the most skilled players to face spin.”He is a very positive player. I like him up the order with new hard ball in India,” AB de Villiers, South Afirca’s captain explained. “It gives myself, Hashim [Amla] and Francois [du Plessis] an opportunity to bat against the spinners in the middle overs. They’ve got 30 overs of spin in the game and I’d like to think Hashim, myself and Faf are the best players of spin in the team so for us to bat 3, 4 and 5 gives India a feeling that they’ve got a lot of work to do to get through our batting line up which worked to the ‘t’ today.”

Morkel bowls two spells with injury

Morne Morkel’s match-winning last two spells, in which he took 3 for 29, were delivered despite an injury that could have ruled him out of action before the death overs. Morkel hurt himself in his sixth over but pushed on through the pain to earn the plaudits and the praise of his captain, AB de Villiers.
 “Morne came to me after he bowled six overs and said had got a bit of a sore leg so I might have to get his overs out of the way but he bowled so well in his return spell that I had to keep him for one at the end there,” de Villiers said. “He showed a lot of guts and determination to get through that spell. It would have been a very easy decision for him to go off and to call it a day but he pulled through for the boys and he bowled exceptionally well with a sore leg. He turned the game on it’s head.”
South Africa’s attack made particularly good use of the short ball and Morkel, with the advantage of added height, could generate added awkwardness, which he is confident he will be fit enough to deliver in the next match too.
“On these sort of wickets, with my height, if I hit the deck hard I get a lot of inconsistent bounce and that’s a strength in the subcontinent,” Morkel said. “I am a little concerned, I pulled up my quad my fourth ball of my sixth over. We have a very good medical team and I am confident I will be ready for the next game.”

India’s spin-heavy attack, which featured a trio of tweakers for the first time in the series, managed to tie South Africa down but not to shut them out. Du Plessis employed his signature uber-patience to survive the strangle and gave South Africa’s finishers a chance to end with a flourish, and it may be the way they look to play in the subcontinent in the future.”Hashim didn’t come off, I also didn’t come off but Faf came off,” de Villiers said. “There’s always one of the three that comes off in the middle overs and gives freedom for Farhaan [Behardien] and JP [Duminy] to enjoy themselves at the end.”The new plan did not entirely answer the questions that have been plaguing Miller, who has looked out of touch and unsure in both his footwork and his strokeplay, but de VIlliers was pleased with the start he had. “David [Miller] and Quinton [de Kock] played exceptionally well, there’s not a lot of turn with the new ball and both left-handers looked very comfortable against the spin on what was a slowish wicket and not easy for us to bat on. They made it look easy so I was very happy with the start today. They laid a foundation.”De Kock went on to build on that foundation to announce his return to the international circuit after months of struggle which started when he was rushed back into the squad following an ankle injury. He was expected to spend months out of the game after he rolled on his ankle last December but made a remarkable recovery to return to action in January, although he appeared out of touch.He was dropped from the South African side in Bangladesh over the winter but worked his way back with centuries for the A side in India, and in Rajkot showed how he refound his form. He batted through difficult periods of heat – in the literal and figurative sense (it was 37 degrees and India’s spinners were making life tough) – to score his first century this year.”I think he answered a lot of questions,” de Villiers said. “He is a unique player, he has an immense amount of talent and I love to have him in the side. It’s very nice to have him back doing his thing with the bat and with the gloves. I thought he played extremely well, against the spin, against the seam, paced his innings well, played a mature knock. A lot of opening batsmen on this kind of wicket would have thought to get too many boundaries upfront. He paced his innings well, he got his ones with the odd boundary in between. Amazing batting.”South Africa are back in the lead and de Villiers hopes they can go for the kill at the earliest opportunity. “We sit here 2-1 up against India and it’s a great position to be in,” he said. “We have a wonderful opportunity to win a series. We won’t touch the money yet but we’ve got a good chance. We have to win one out of the last two, of course we’d love to win both.”

The BCB’s tournament committee has introduced a new one-day tournament, as a part of the Bangladesh Cricket League, which will take place before Pakistan tour Bangladesh in April. The four-team competition has been introduced to facilitate the Bangladesh team’s preparation ahead of Pakistan’s tour that is scheduled to begin on April 15.The List-A tournament will be played in a league format where the four teams will face each other once. The top two teams of the table will then qualify for the final. All the matches will be day-night and played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium or the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.”The BCL one-day tournament will begin in the first week of April and conclude by April 11 with the final game,” Akram Khan, the tournament committee chairman, said. “After that the national cricketers will join national camp for the Pakistan series while we are thinking to start the BCL four-day season from April 20.”The BCL has four zonal teams with only the North Zone being financially backed by the BCB, the other three are backed by Walton (Central Zone), Prime Bank (South Zone) and Islami Bank (East Zone).Akram said that the decision to run the new tournament was due to the demand of the three franchises for national cricketers.”The franchises usually want national cricketers, so since we are first playing the ODI series against Pakistan, we thought of introducing this new tournament,” he said.

Dave Cameron has been re-elected WICB president for a second term, till 2017, after the Jamaican defeated his sole challenger, former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, with a convincing 8 votes to 4 margin. Cameron further stamped his authority when his deputy Emmanuel Nanthan won the vice-presidency elections for the second successive time, defeating Trinidad & Tobago businessman Baldath Mahabir also by an 8-4 margin.The elections, which were held in Kingston on Saturday as part of the WICB annual general meeting, assumed particular importance since Cameron had received a lot of criticism for his handling of West Indies’ pull-out from the India tour last year.Players, both current and former, and politicians, including prime ministers in the Caribbean, wanted Cameron to take the responsibility for the India debacle and resign after Dwayne Bravo and his team decided to abandon the tour midway into the ODI series last October. Consequently, the BCCI slapped a $42.7 million claim on the WICB, to cover damages from the loss of revenue.The relations between the WICB and the players became extremely strained and it all came out in the open after Chris Gayle questioned the Clive Lloyd-led selection panel’s decision to omit Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the World Cup squad. Gayle was pulled up by the WICB disciplinary panel even as the team was in the middle of the World Cup campaign.Despite the growing criticism, though, Cameron remained steadfast during their campaign, the Cameron camp proudly listing their achievements: installing a professional franchise structure at the domestic level, improving relations with the West Indies Players Association, and putting in place a fresh memorandum of understanding with the players that should lend financial security to not just the internationals but also to players from the regional teams.Cameron’s detractors, meanwhile, said that under Cameron’s watch the WICB had lost respect, especially in the eyes of powerful BCCI. Garner, in his manifesto, said he wanted to help West Indies cricket strengthen its base and climb up the ladder once again. But Garner, who was nominated by his native Barbados Cricket Association and supported by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, was aware of Cameron’s dominance. Leading up to the elections, Cameron had secured the support of four WICB members – Guyana, Windward Islands, Leeward Island and his home country, Jamaica. Garner’s camp hoped that people might change their mind on voting day, but it did not happen.

Match facts

Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:38

KKR’s big test at Chepauk

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings have won five of their six matches, but are only a place above Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won three of their five completed matches.Knight Riders, unlike some of the other teams this season, have relied on more than just two or three players for victories, and thankfully for them, one of those is not Sunil Narine. He has not been among the wickets, but has stalled the flow of runs with an economy of 7.35.If they don’t play him on Tuesday, Knight Riders will have to find a way of keeping the middle overs quiet since their other spinners aren’t as effective currently. Their pacers, meanwhile, are in top form and among the wickets. One issue they need to rectify is winning matches batting first. All their three wins have come while chasing, after winning the toss all three times. Even though they would have preferred a win over Rajasthan Royals two days ago, a point from that washed-out match still keeps them third in the table.Super Kings are unbeaten at their fortress this year, making it eight matches in a row overall even though they didn’t play in Chennai last season. Despite being in better form than Knight Riders, their story has been somewhat similar – pacers have been their match-winners, led by Ashish Nehra, and their frontline spinner R Ashwin has not taken as many wickets but has stopped the runs with an economy rate of seven per over. They also rely heavily on their top order. Not once have Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith been dismissed cheaply in the same match this season, and if Knight Riders can do that, Super Kings will be in unfamiliar territory with a so-far unexposed lower order required to consolidate.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LWWLW

Watch out for…

There comes at least one match every season, every year, every IPL when Yusuf Pathan takes off his (underperforming) cloak like a boxer and hammers everything that is thrown at him. Ninety-one runs in five matches, high score of 40* and a strike rate of 124.65 is not what you expect in the stats table in front of Yusuf’s name. A rollicking innings will give Knight Riders the momentum they need to show a more dominating side of themselves.Ravindra Jadeja has leaked runs the way franchises splurge money for Yuvraj Singh in auctions these days. Since he’s not required as much as a batsman currently, his role as bowler is in focus. With an economy of 10.15 until their last match, the pressure on Jadeja was increasing before he responded with 3 for 22 against Kings XI Punjab. Can he continue to perform this way through the rest of the tournament?

Stats and trivia

• 79 – No. of 50-plus scores by batsmen in the IPL at Chepauk, the most at any ground
• With 73 dismissals, MS Dhoni is only second to Dinesh Karthik in the list of most fielding dismissals in the IPL. Robin Uthappa is third on the list with 72 dismissals

Quotes

“It is unsettling and disturbing, but we do not have a choice, we have to deal with the issue. The attack has always revolved around him, but if we do not play him, we will have to wait and see what can be done. We’ve got enough spinners to trouble anyone.”

Jeremy Snape, the Leicestershire allrounder who played 10 ODIs for England, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket.Snape, 35, joined Leicestershire five years ago, moving from Gloucestershire, and helped the club win two Twenty20 Cup trophies, in 2004 and 2006.”I have been very fortunate to play cricket for nearly 20 years and have some very special memories, including eight domestic trophies wins,” Snape told Leicestershire’s website. “In retiring now, Leicestershire have an opportunity to develop some younger players in the exciting Twenty20 format.”Cricket has provided me with many wonderful experiences and friendships and looking to the future, I can start to explore new opportunities with my sport and business coaching consultancy Sporting Edge.”His last one-dayer came against Zimbabwe in 2002, and he represented England in one match during the ICC World Twenty20 last September.”On behalf of the players and members at Grace Road, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Jeremy for his contribution towards the club’s one-day success,” Tim Boon, Leicestershire’s coach, said, “and in particular in the two Twenty20 Cup wins that were achieved in 2004 and 2006.”Snape’s last match is a Twenty20 Cup game against Nottinghamshire on Tuesday, June 24.

South Africa will be at full strength in the opening Castle Lager/MTN Test match against Sri Lanka at Wanderers starting Friday after key all-rounder Jacques Kallis passed a fitness during the team’s final practice session on Thursday morning.Kallis had injured his hamstring during South Africa’s crushing defeat overBangladesh at Potchefstroom 10 days ago and had been sufficiently doubtful for the selectors to call up Easterns all-rounder Andrew Hall as cover.But Kallis batted in the nets and bowled off a full run-up during three-hourpractice, satisfying Physiotherapist Shane Jabbar that he could play a fullpart in the Test.That leaves South Africa needing to decide whether to gamble on playing fivefast bowlers and no specialist spinner on a green-tinged pitch that promisesplenty of seam movement.According to skipper Shaun Pollock, the final decision will only be made on the morning of the match: "We will have see what the overhead conditions are like tomorrow morning and see what the wicket is like. It is always a bit risky going into a Test match without a spinner but maybe the conditions will warrant playing five fast bowlers."Pollock admitted that Sri Lanka posed a far tougher challenge than Bangladesh and urged his side to raise their game accordingly."It is definitely a step up for us this series," he said. "Bangladesh are the minnows of world cricket whilst Sri Lanka are far more established with some quality players."They have Murali, who is probably going to become the world’s leading wicket taking in the future, and have a batting line-up that has been settled for some time now."They have a pretty balanced side and are going to be a tough nut to crack.We are going to have play some good cricket."Muttiah Muralitharan, who has taken 70 wickets in just 10 Tests against South Africa was identified by Pollock as the major threat even if conditions are not expected to be in his favour."Murali is the main man and the one to watch out for," he said. "He is a hell of an effective bowler – anyone who turns the ball as much as he does is going to cause problems, not only for the top class batters but the tail which he can wrap up very quickly."But Pollock believes his batters have done their homework and will be equal to the challenge posed by the dangerous off-spinner."We have played against him enough times and have had some good discussions bout playing him," he revealed. "It is all about each individual working out a game plan that he is comfortable with."South Africa have recalled middle order batsman Neil McKenzie to the squad ater the right-hander, an excellent player of spin bowler, scored an impressive hundred against Sri Lanka in the tourists first warm-up game at Kimberley.McKenzie’s Titans team-mate, fast bowler Steve Elworthy, is another to berecalled, having also impressed the selectors for the A side. His last of two Test matches was at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand in 1999.Elworthy and left-arm spinner Claude Henderson appear to be battling out forthe last place in the side.South African preparations have been overshadowed by high profile comments from Sports Minister Ngonde Balfour that suggested he was less than supportive of the white members of the team.Pollock revealed that Balfour had faxed a personal assurance that this wasn’t the case and that the team had his full support on the field. Nevertheless, Pollock confirmed his disappointment with the comments."The Sports Minister sent me a fax and I read that out to the guys today before practice and we have put it behind us," he said. "It was disappointing because when guys go out to represent the country you want them to have the full support of the minister."South Africa squad: Shaun Pollock – Captain, Mark Boucher – Vice-captain, Steve Elworthy, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Mornantau Hayward, Claude Henderson, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Graeme Smith.Coach: Eric SimonsAssistant Coach: Corrie van ZylPhysiotherapist: Shane JabbarFitness Trainer: Andrew GrayManager: Goolam Rajah

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, feels that the new umpire decision review system that will be implemented on a trial basis during the home Test series against India next month should be utilized in a manner that shows respect to the on-field umpires. Jayawardene said he welcomed the trial but admitted that it would place more responsibility on the captains.”In general, the system will be good for the game as it will reduce the scope for mistakes,” Jayawardene told Cricinfo. “But you need to do it in a respectful way. The on-field umpires are human, after all. They do make mistakes, just as everybody else does, and we should respect that during the trial. We should be clear that the idea is only to reduce the mistakes.”Jayawardene revealed that his team would be holding extensive discussions prior to the series on how to utilise the system in the “best manner possible”. “We will take the views of everybody on what is best for the team. We want to keep it simple and not make it into a complicated issue.”He dismissed suggestions that the system would mean extra pressure on the captain, but admitted that it will bring in added responsibility. “It seems so. Especially because you have three chances and the captain takes the call for the fielding side. But while batting, others share the responsibility – it’s the batsman who has to take the call and maybe, he can consult his partner before doing so.”David Richardson, the ICC’s acting chief executive, said that the decision to trial the system during India’s visit to Sri Lanka is “an attempt by the ICC to enhance still further the game at the international level”.”The system will see the fielding and batting side allowed three unsuccessful appeals to the umpire per innings to change a decision if it is perceived to have been incorrect,” the ICC said in a press release. “These appeals can be made only by the batsman in receipt of the umpire’s original decision or the captain of the fielding side, in both cases by the player making a ‘T’ sign with both forearms at shoulder height.”The on-field umpire will consult with the third umpire, who will review available television coverage of the incident before relaying fact-based information back to his colleague. The on-field umpire will then deliver his decision either by raising his finger to indicate “out” or by crossing his hands in a horizontal position side to side in front and above his waist three times – as per a “safe” decision by an official in baseball.”The BCCI said on Monday that it has agreed to implement the trial for the three-Test series from July 23 to August 12.

Tom Westley will continue as England Under-19 captain for their two-Test series against New Zealand Under-19s at Taunton and Worcester. The first Test begins on July 26 in Somerset.Alex Wakely returns from the wrist injury that made him sit out their recent match against Bangladesh A. The news came on a day when Chris Woakes, who has also been included, took a career-best 5 for 37 for Warwickshire against Middlesex.Squad Tom Westley (capt), William Beer, Ben Brown (wk), Liam Dawson, Luke Fletcher, James Goodman, Alex Hales, Daniel Redfern, Ben Sanderson, Ian Saxelby, James Taylor, Alex Wakely, Chris Woakes.

BRISBANE, Nov 14 AAP – A crafty trap set by stand-in captain Michael Kasprowicz to snare the prized wicket of Tasmania skipper Ricky Pointing and some aggressive bowling by Andy Bichel put Queensland in the box seat after a poor opening session in the Pura Cup clash at the Gabba.The Bulls, facing a potentially huge run chase when the Tigers cruised at 0-98 at lunch, ran the cleaners through the the visitors soon after with Test pace man Bichel fittingly shutting down Tasmania’s innings on 187 when he shattered tailender Shane Jurgensen’s stumps.At the close Queensland was in good shape at 1-69 trailing Tasmania’s meagre first innings by 118 runs.Tasmania lost 10 wickets for 83 on a pitch that didn’t offer the bowlers much assistance after being hurriedly prepared following Australia’s blowout first Test win over England at the weekend.Whatever was on the lunch menu must have been spicey because there was some extra fire in the Bulls attack when they resumed.”The ball didn’t swing as much as we thought in the first session,” said Kasprowicz, who added he wasn’t concerned after watching Tasmania coast to 98 without loss.”Bic (Bichel) got two wickets after lunch which got us on the right foot.”Leading Queensland for the first time, 13-season veteran Kasprowicz appeared in danger of doing a “Nasser Hussain” after putting Tasmania in and watching them rattle up the runs.But two wickets by Bichel in the space of five deliveries to remove openers Jamie Cox (51 off 104 balls) and Michael DiVenuto (50) in the second over after lunch triggered a stunning turnaround.Cox, playing a record 147th first-class game for Tasmania, the most by any player for one state, looked on target for a big score until he became the first of Bichel’s four victims.When Ponting fell to Kasprowicz’s three card trick, the Tigers were wobbling at 3-113.Kasprowicz shrewdly positioned Scott Brant at deep backward square leg and then tempted Ponting to a rash pull shot with a shortish delivery.As as soon as Ponting hit the ball he knew he was out, Brant barely moving to swallow the catch like a Venus fly trap.The top order collapse continued with big Joe Dawes having Michael Dighton caught in slips by Stuart Law for 13 after Daniel Marsh (1) threw away his wicket cheaply by not offering a shot to a Kasprowicz off cutter.While his chief rival Brett Lee took five wickets in Sydney against South Australia, Bichel did his second Test claims no harm finishing with an impressive 4-46 off 17.2 overs, well supported by Kasprowicz (2-38) and youngster Scott Brant (2-41).