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Ned Eckersley hit a superb 118 as Leicestershire fought hard to avoid defeat against Surrey following Kevin Pietersen’s epic 355 not out in the Second Division match at the Kia Oval

Press Association12-May-2015
ScorecardNed Eckersley ensured a strong Leicestershire retort•Getty ImagesNed Eckersley hit a superb 118 as Leicestershire fought hard to avoid defeat against Surrey following Kevin Pietersen’s epic 355 not out in the Second Division match at the Kia Oval.Pietersen did not field before lunch, or for much of the day’s last session, because he needed ice treatment on a slight calf strain, but he fielded throughout the afternoon session with Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, confirming that Pietersen “felt let down” by Strauss’s comments at Lord’s earlier in the day.His remarkable innings meant an eventual Surrey total of 557 and a 265-run first innings lead, but by stumps on day three Leicestershire had worked hard to get themselves 45 runs in front at 310 for 5 in their second innings.Eckersley struck a six and 17 fours in a fluent and attractive knock, dominating a second wicket stand of 161 with Angus Robson, who made 55 from 110 balls before becoming the first of three scalps for Zafar Ansari’s left-arm spin.Ansari and Gareth Batty, the Surrey spinners, chipped away at Leicestershire after Eckersley’s tenth first-class hundred ended when he was beaten by Ansari’s turn and edged to Jason Roy at slip.Offspinner Batty then snared Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove, who also survived a stumping chance off Ansari on 14 but was caught at short leg by Rory Burns for 44 as he tried to flick away a ball to leg from a couple of paces down the pitch.Leicestershire were still five runs short of making Surrey bat again when Neil Pinner, with whom Cosgrove had added 42, was leg-before to Ansari for 24 after resisting for 74 balls.Niall O’Brien and Ben Raine battled hard until the close, however, seeing off the second new ball too as they added an unbroken 50 for the sixth wicket.Earlier, Pietersen had been left just two runs short of Bobby Abel’s 116-year-old record for the highest individual innings by a Surrey player, set against Somerset at the Oval in 1899, when last man Matt Dunn’s brave resistance finally came to an end 4.5 overs into the third day.Dunn, though scoring only five in 104 minutes, had stayed with Pietersen while a remarkable 139 runs were added for Surrey’s final wicket. Pietersen’s historic knock contained 15 sixes and 36 fours and occupied 396 balls.It was the sixth highest score ever made in the County Championship and the seventh highest first-class innings made in England. It was also the highest first-class innings against Leicestershire, eclipsing Yorkshire legend George Hirst’s 341 in 1905.All eyes were on Pietersen, 326 not out overnight, when Surrey resumed on 528 for 9 in reply to Leicestershire’s 292, especially as the resumption of his innings coincided with the announcement at Lord’s, by newly-installed England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, that an international recall for Pietersen was “not in the short-term interests of the England team”.Twenty-nine runs were added to Surrey’s overnight total, and all of them by Pietersen. There was a flipped four to fine leg, from a ball pitching outside off stump, a five when he tipped and ran for a short single to keep the strike and a run-out attempt ricocheted off the stumps to the boundary, a six slammed high over long off against Raine’s fast-medium, and then a four launched over mid off to go to his 350.When Dunn popped up a catch to short square leg off a lifting ball from Raine, every Leicestershire player ran to congratulate Pietersen on his magnificent seven-and-a-half hour innings. Pietersen, with 467 runs from five innings, now averages 233.50 in championship cricket this season.Leicestershire’s second innings began badly, with first innings century-make Lewis Hill leg-before to Dunn for a duck to the fifth ball of the opening over, but Eckersley and Robson both impressed in the big partnership which followed.

Jimmy Adams celebrated the birth of his new born son by scoring his fastest ever T20 fifty as Hampshire started their bid for a sixth successive Finals Day with a 17-run win against Essex

ECB/PA15-May-2015
ScorecardJimmy Adams powers through the off side during his unbeaten fifty•Getty ImagesJimmy Adams celebrated the birth of his new born son by scoring his fastest ever T20 fifty as Hampshire started their bid for a sixth successive Finals Day with a 17-run win against Essex.Adams – who was also making his 100th T20 game for Hampshire – smashed his way to an unbeaten 55 from 25 balls – his milestone coming in just 22 balls.The Championship captain missed Hampshire’s horror performance against Yorkshire in the longer format to attend the birth of his second child, Joshua, on Monday.Hampshire have beaten Essex five out of the past seven meetings – with the other two games rained off – and looked likely to make it eight unbeaten against James Foster’s men from the early stages.In overcast conditions, James Vince won the toss and elected to bat and modestly started to compile a total – the openers taking 12 balls before Michael Carberry clipped away the first boundary of the night.But that started a flurry of runs as the opening pair of Carberry and Vince brought up a typically brisk 50 stand – from exactly seven overs.Wickets were at a premium for the Essex attack, but the introduction of Adeel Malik – brother of Pakistan Test player Shoaib – found Carberry slashing into the deep to make the breakthrough.Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate landed in the country at six this morning and only signed his registration documents on the team bus 35 minutes before the five o’clock deadline after flying back from the IPL – but celebrated the wicket of Vince in the 12th over.Insights

Hampshire are one of the most settled, if not the most settled team in the T20 Blast. They consistently select the same top four and shared their bowling between just five bowlers. Stability breeds familiarity and confidence. It has all helped them build an enviable records of reaching finals day.
Essex were always playing catch-up in the chase after they lost four wickets in the first ten overs, but losing four wickets in 28 balls in between overs 13 and 18 ensured they could not launch an unlikely assault on Hampshire’s impressive total.
Freddie Wilde

Adams struck the first six at the Ageas Bowl this season, before former Essex man Owais Shah followed suit with a humongous maximum over mid-on.New father Adams continued his onslaught with an upper cut six as he bagged a 67-run partnership with Shah – before the latter was well caught on the fence.Adams brought up his fifty with a single after five fours and two maximums to start this season as he ended last year, with a half-century.Sean Ervine was excellently snaffled by a diving Greg Smith in the final over but Hampshire reached an impressive 173 for 4 in their allotted overs.Essex’s reply started Chris Wood bowled dangerman Jesse Ryder in the second over – splaying his stumps across the deck before wheeling away in delirious delight.Fiery West Indian Fidel Edwards struck with his first ball for Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl with a speedy in-swinger – dismissing Nick Browne as the away side faltered.Velani set about a mini-rival with a considered 21 from 18 but gave himself too much room to home debutant Yasir Arafat – another set of stumps demolished.Greg Smith top scored for Essex with a 21-ball 30 before a clever change up to come around the wicket by his namesake Will sent him back to the dugout.Wickets kept on falling as Foster and Callum Taylor – making his first senior appearance – both fell to spinner Danny Briggs.Ten Doeschate quietly went about maintaining the contest with a fifty from 32 balls. The Netherlands man will travel back to India after Essex’s clash with Surrey tomorrow.Graham Napier bludgeoned the biggest six of the night before Arafat got him next ball before Malik was foolishly run out without facing a ball.Ten Doeschate created a nervous ending but was bowled in the final over as he finished on 68 but his side lost by a convincing 17 runs with three balls to spare.

Tom Latham and Luke Ronchi both scored 80s as New Zealand recovered from 2 for 2 and 144 for 5 after being inserted at Headingley

The Report by Alan Gardner29-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:41

New Zealand live and die by the sword

Before the start of the second Test, Brendon McCullum wondered whether England were comfortable playing aggressive cricket or if a “conservative brand” was “more authentic” to them. McCullum also suggested Alastair Cook’s side may have stumbled upon their performance at Lord’s but, if so, they kept going headlong through the first day of the second Investec Test at Headingley. New Zealand, with their two-year undefeated record on the line, were in no mood to take a backward step either.Following on from a rollicking Test at Lord’s, the teams tore into each once again, even though the Yorkshire weather appeared to shrug its shoulders at the new mood of optimism pervading English cricket. New Zealand, too, were disinclined to believe the hype. Only 65 overs were possible, as rain and a wet outfield put paid to the morning session, but the tourists still managed to score at more than 4.5 runs an over after being inserted.If this Test is to be a battle of the brands, New Zealand edged the first day, despite James Anderson taking two wickets in his second over to become the first Englishman – and 12th bowler overall – to pass 400 in Tests. Tom Latham’s gutsy 84 dragged New Zealand up from 2 for 2 and 144 for 5 and his century stand with the 34-year-old debutant Luke Ronchi threatened to take them off into a watery Leeds sunset. Both fell within three balls from Stuart Broad, as England throttled things back a touch during an extended evening session.Latham began the New Zealand counterattack with a sprightly half-century, reached from 72 balls, before steeling himself for a more substantial stay at the crease; his next 34 runs took 108 deliveries. His innings involved some luck, as he was dropped twice in an over from Moeen Ali, but he struck several crisp cuts early on and was strong off his pads. He was also a DRS magnet, once using a review to overturn a caught behind decision off Broad and twice being spared lbw decisions against Moeen.Ronchi could have fallen first ball, fending Mark Wood over the slips for four, but tucked in whenever given the opportunity – and sometimes when he wasn’t. Three times Moeen was put into the stands and Ronchi was on course to break Shikhar Dhawan’s record for the fastest debut hundred when he pulled straight to fine leg. His fifty, reached with a six off his 37th ball, was the second-fastest by a Test debutant and he had accelerated past his partner when both fell in quick succession.New Zealand recovered admirably after Anderson took his 400th and 401st Test wickets within three balls of each other to give England a wonderful start. Latham put on 66 in 12.2 overs with Ross Taylor, who fell lbw to Broad not offering a shot, and then 55 in 10.1 overs with McCullum. New Zealand’s captain muscled 41 off 28 deliveries before tea, which included slapping his first ball for six, only to then miscue another drive to mid-off immediately after the resumption. BJ Watling was then removed by a snorter from Wood that straightened to shiver the top of off stump before Latham and Ronchi forced another shift in momentum.England’s bowlers found plenty of assistance throughout the day but were regularly punished as they went in pursuit of wickets. There was also some sumptuous strokeplay, particularly from Latham, McCullum and Ronchi, though England were guilty of not converting their opportunities. A frantic period during the evening saw Latham dropped at square leg sweeping – a simple chance to Wood – and then missed at leg slip by Gary Ballance next ball; in the following over, Broad found Latham’s outside edge only for Cook to grass it as he dived to his left.Earlier on, play was interrupted by rain showers sweeping in from across the Pennines and it was a Lancashire wind that initially boded ill for New Zealand, as Anderson blew through Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson, both without scoring. The players were forced from the field even as Anderson was celebrating becoming the 12th bowler to the 400 mark, Guptill having been dismissed in classic fashion as Ian Bell held a thick edge above his head a second slip.They were back on a few minutes later and Williamson was duped by an even more subtle outswinger before further rain caused another, more lengthy delay. Anderson’s record at Headingley before this game read 15 Test wickets at 43.13 and he had never before taken more than three wickets in an innings; he now had two in his first two overs.The toss had been delayed until 1pm and England were encouraged to bowl when a greenish pitch emerged from under the covers. There was a suggestion that the surface was already quite dry and a run from the mower left it looking a decent surface to bat on but Headingley is as much about the overhead as underfoot and the scudding clouds provided a helpful backdrop for the glowering Anderson. When the sun shone in the evening, New Zealand made hay.It is twelve years since Anderson burst on to the scene, with blonde highlights in his hair and five wickets in Zimbabwe’s first innings at Lord’s. Now, with the sides of his head closely cropped and a bouncy quiff on top, he looks a little like another Lancastrian with a mournful mien, Steven Patrick Morrissey. Even when he’s at his best, Anderson tends to look miserable. “Heaven knows he’s miserable now,” Morrissey might have said after Anderson reached another landmark.When Anderson broke Ian Botham’s England record of 383 in the Caribbean, the look on his face was one of relief. As “Oh Jimmy, Jimmy” flashed up on the Headingley scoreboard, he cracked a broad smile, which threatened to become a genuinely joyful expression when he tempted Williamson to nick his second ball through to Jos Buttler. The fast bowler’s perma-frown later returned as he was twice taken for consecutive fours, by Latham and Taylor.Headingley pitches can be on the capricious side but bowling short and wide will get you hit in most parts – Wood, in particular, was guilty of easing Latham into his innings with some hittable fare. McCullum is capable of treating good and bad balls with equal disdain and he crunched his first delivery, from Broad, over the rope at deep cover. Several more boundaries followed – confirmation, if any were needed, that he was sticking to his aggressive approach – and he survived a gloved pull down the leg side that flew over Buttler.That was just another half-chance in a day of fast-forward cricket, which tried to pack a quart of entertainment into two-thirds of a pint pot. Headingley may not have been quite full to capacity but it felt like it was bursting at the seams.

According to chief executive David Richardson, as much as the ICC would like to have a uniform DRS applied consistently across the board, India remain unconvinced.

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jun-2015″No,” was ICC chief executive Dave Richardson’s considered, one-word response, delivered with a chuckle, when asked about whether there was any indication that India would buy into the DRS in the foreseeable future. That puts to rest any imminent change of mind by the BCCI as being predicted based on the open-ended statements delivered by two senior players: MS Dhoni during the Australia tour last December and Virat Kohli after India’s one-off Test against Bangladesh earlier this month.Richardson paused, creased his eyebrows as if he was giving a considered thought before responding, but in the end he just realised it was futile. Still he remains optimistic.”But having said that, times change, players move on. The modern player is more amenable to new ideas and innovation. So who knows, in the next couple of years,” Richardson said, addressing the media in Barbados at the end of the ICC’s annual conference which concluded on Friday.Richardson has encountered the ‘Are India ready for DRS?’ question virtually at every press briefing. Every time, Richardson has had to put a straight face to give the same answer. Unfortunately for him today, N Srinivasan, the ICC chairman and former former BCCI president, who was scheduled to sit with Richardson to address the media, was absent.According to Richardson as much as the ICC would like to have a uniform DRS applied consistently across the board, India remain unconvinced. “The ICC has said it would prefer to have a consistent DRS system used wherever international series are played. However there is one Member who does not want to use it. And until we have everyone seeing form the same hymn sheet in that regard it remains upto the host board to pay for the technology that is used in a series.”So that is why in some series you have got the full works: ball tracking, Hot Spot, snicko, you name it and in others series they have to do with less,” Richardson said responding to a question about whether ICC was satisfied with the DRS and its various components.Richardson said he continues to remain hopeful of eventually getting to a state where the same technology would be applied in a consistent fashion. “We are not there yet. But to that end we trying to take the approach of making sure everyone has full faith or full belief that the technology that we use is accurate and reliable.”To take matters forward Richardson said that the pair of ICC general manager Geoff Allardice and Anil Kumble, head of ICC’s cricket committee, would be travelling to the Massachussetts Institute of Technology in Boston from Barbados. The pair are will meet with engineers from the Field Intelligence Lab and discuss the scheduled testing of performance of all technlogies being used in cricket.This plan was originally recommended at the ICC meeting in Mumbai in May where it was decided that once the results are known, the DRS protocol and procedures would be reviewed. The testing is scheduled for the second half of 2015.”Hopefully they will now put those testing processes in place, finalise those, then we can put our various technologies through the testing process, come out with a clean chit,” Richardson said. “If everyone is saying they are accurate, they are fit for purpose which will help I think convince some doubters that technology is not what it is cracked up to be.”

Half-centuries from Karl Brown, Paul Horton and Steven Croft enabled fast-improving Lancashire to set Leicestershire a target that proved far beyond them on a good pitch at Grace Road

ECB/PA10-Jul-2015 beat Leicestershire 151 for 8 (Clark 3-41) by 40 runs
ScorecardSteven Croft starred with bat and ball as Lancashire pushed for a last-eight spot•Getty ImagesHalf-centuries from Karl Brown, Paul Horton and Steven Croft enabled fast-improving Lancashire to set Leicestershire a target that proved far beyond them on a good pitch at Grace Road.Croft followed up his innings with a fine bowling spell, with his four overs going for just 17 runs and including that rare event in T20 cricket: a wicket maiden.Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove put the visitors in after winning the toss, but although Ashwell Prince went early, bowled off the inside edge by Ben Raine, Brown and Horton ensured the power play was a productive one, with Brown particularly effective, hitting six fours and two sixes in going to his 50 off just 31 balls in the ninth over.Insights

Leicestershire’s season has flown off course and they need to win both of their remaining matches if they are to qualify for the quarter-finals. Insights pointed out earlier in the season the value to Leicestershire of players such as Kevin and Niall O’Brien, who are regularly available for domestic cricket despite being international quality players. Well, the World T20 Qualifiers could’ve have come at a much worse time, snatching the O’Brien brothers and Rob Taylor away from Leicestershire just as they needed them most.

His dismissal was a curious one, run out after backing up too far and failing to regain his ground when Cosgrove back-handed the ball into the stumps, but Horton was joined by Croft in keeping the run rate high. Horton’s 50 came off 38 balls, including seven fours, and in the same over in which he holed out to long-on off Clint McKay, Croft went to his own half-century, from just 25 balls.Leicestershire lost wickets regularly in their reply after Jordan Clark persuaded Cosgrove to hit a length delivery into the hands of Horton at extra cover, and though debutant Aadil Ali hit two sixes in his lively 26, they fell well behind the run rate after Croft, bowling the 12th over, did not concede a run and saw Elliott loft a leg stump full toss to Liam Livingstone on deep backward square.With James Faulkner almost as economical, the win was assured, keeping Lancashire in the frame to qualify for the quarter-finals, and Leicestershire, after three consecutive defeats, needing to win their final two games to have any chance of doing the same.

Adam Voges and debutant Josh Nicholas rescued Western Australia from a precarious 8 for 88 to reach 192 in their second innings, setting South Australia a tricky target of 274 at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Travis Head remained the key for South Australia with an unbeaten 61 at stumps•Getty ImagesAdam Voges and debutant Josh Nicholas rescued Western Australia from a precarious 8 for 88 to reach 192 in their second innings, setting South Australia a tricky target of 274 at the WACA. By stumps on the third day, the Redbacks were 5 for 135 in their chase, with captain Travis Head the key man still at the crease on 61, alongside Alex Carey, who had 9.Joel Paris had picked up three wickets to give the Warriors a good chance of victory after the fighting effort from Voges and Nicholas. Western Australia had started the morning at 2 for 31 but the loss of Shaun Marsh for 31 to Chadd Sayers began a collapse of the middle and lower order as Sayers, Daniel Worrall and Joe Mennie all proved a handful.At 8 for 88 the Warriors had a lead of just 169 runs, but Voges was still there and found impressive support from fast bowler Nicholas in his first Sheffield Shield outing. Nicholas made 41 in the 66-run stand with Voges, who then put on 38 for the final wicket with Michael Hogan before being the last man out for 89.

The crisis-ridden Dolphins franchise have been hit by another setback. International batsman David Miller is the latest to leave the outfit after he opted to move to Knights next season

Firdose Moonda20-Apr-2016The crisis-ridden Dolphins franchise have been hit by another setback. International batsman David Miller is the latest to leave the outfit after he opted to move to Knights next season.Miller is the fourth player to leave Dolphins after Kyle Abbott, who is moving to Warriors, Jonathan Vandiar and Daniel Sincuba, who are both joining Titans.”It is always disappointing to lose players, particularly those of the calibre of David and Kyle,” Pete de Wet, Dolphins CEO said. “The last two months have seen significant changes at the Dolphins as we start to build for our future success, and all of this is being done to support our desire to be the number one franchise in South Africa.”The Dolphins have been embroiled in a coaching conundrum after they decided not renew Lance Klusener’s contract and terminated his services before the season was up. At the time, de Wet said the decision was based purely on business but Klusener told ESPNcricinfo he had been given no reason for his sacking.Klusener has since lodged a case with the country’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, a dispute-resolution body which looks at, among other things, unfair dismissals. The hearing is expected to take place in two weeks’ time, when the Dolphins are also set to announce their new coach. That makes it unlikely that Klusener will get his job back, which may cause more drama at the franchise.Abbott’s decision to leave the Dolphins is understood to be linked to Klusener’s departure. Several sources have also confirmed player unhappiness in Durban.

Kent’s new opening partners Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tom Latham batted their side to a 10-wicket victory over Glamorgan and re-wrote their county’s record book in the process

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2016
ScorecardDaniel Bell-Drummond quickly settled in with his new opening partner•Getty ImagesKent’s new opening partners Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tom Latham batted their side to a 10-wicket victory over Glamorgan and re-wrote their county’s record book in the process.In pursuit of 187 for victory the hosts cantered home an hour after lunch to post their maximum points win. It was Kent’s third 10-wicket triumph over Glamorgan in Championship history and their first since Sophia Gardens in 2005.Batting together for the first time in this Specsavers County Championship Division Two match Bell-Drummond and Latham followed their first innings opening stand of 131 with another convincing display.”It is nice to come away with a 10-wicket win but I think the way we started with the ball on day one set the tone for the whole match,” Latham said. “We stuck at our guns pretty well in the field too. Then, it was down to me and Daniel forming a partnership today that saw us through. It was very pleasing. It’s pretty good so far, I’m one from one and credit goes to our bowlers for managing to bowl them out twice.”They are Kent’s first opening partners to post century first-wicket stands in each innings of a championship match since Arthur Phebey and Arthur Fagg recorded 107 and 132 against Gloucestershire in Gloucester in 1954. It is only the third instance in Championship history that Kent have posted two separate hundred first-wicket stands.Amazingly the sides shook hands on the result and started walking off with Kent on 186 without loss and with the scores tied. But once made aware of the error by scorers Andrew Hignell and Lorne Hart, umpires Nick Cook and Rob Bailey replanted the stumps and called play. Bell-Drummond duly steered Harry Podmore’s next ball to the ropes at third man and the celebrations could start for real as Kent reached 190 without loss.Bell-Drummond, fresh from 84 in the first innings, finished unbeaten with 86. While Latham, on debut, hit 53 in his first innings and was unbeaten on 79 at the end. The New Zealand left-hander became the first Kent batsman to pass 50 in both innings of his Championship debut.”It’s clear already that Danny and compliment each other nicely,” Latham said. “We set ourselves small targets, five runs here, five runs there and by the end the runs were flowing. Hopefully we can continue on like this for the rest of the season.”

Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad will face each other for the first time this season, and though they are in the top four of the IPL points table, a loss at this stage of the tournament will not be ideal

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu11-May-2016Match factsThursday, May 12, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Big pictureTell me if you’ve heard this one before. A Daredevil and a Sunriser lock horns… Oh, you have? Well, you probably didn’t hear it this season because Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad have yet to play each other this IPL. Now, after 41 matches, with some teams even bracing against elimination, David Warner will finally have to ask himself, “How do I stop Quinton de Kock?”, and Zaheer Khan, “How can we tackle Mustafizur Rahman?”Fortunately, both have handled tricky questions quite well. Sunrisers are the only team that has opted to bat and defended a total in IPL 2016. That is about the best praise a bowling attack can hope for, especially in light of the chasing teams’ success this year. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has found swing again. Ashish Nehra’s resurgence has gone from strength to strength and Mustafizur’s cutter-yorker combination has mystified batsmen.Meanwhile, Daredevils had begun their season with a 98 all out and Zaheer laughed it off saying that their “one bad day is out of the way”. As a young player – and this team has many – hearing your captain say that brings a feeling of safety. They won the next five out of six games, but arrived in Hyderabad with two losses tied to their neck. Another at this stage of the tournament would not be ideal, even if the two teams meet again in a week’s time.Form guideSunrisers Hyderabad WWWWL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils LLWWLWatch out forThe openers. Warner and de Kock have been powerful influences at the top of their respective teams’ batting orders. Warner’s first boundary against Rising Pune Supergiants on Tuesday was a flat six over cover that gained elevation the longer it travelled. He has combined that innate striking ability with a thirst to bat long. De Kock has pretty much matched him, a mildly surprising fact if one remembers he is a bit like the little brother in the South African team. Little brothers aren’t supposed to smack the ball as hard as he does (with due respect to the younger McCullum.)The other openers. Zaheer and Nehra have had uncomfortably close relationships with injury. Both fast bowlers are in their late thirties, and it becomes quite apparent when they are fielding, but at the top of their run-up, with a batsman in front of them, they are excellent. Their spells with the new ball and at the back-end of the innings will be crucial.Team newsDaredevils may prefer to have both Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir in the XI considering Hyderabad’s pitches are often fairly dry. De Kock is their wicketkeeper and perhaps their best batsman. That leaves two overseas spots for Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Morris, Sam Billings and JP Duminy, who has not played since last Thursday.Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rishabh Pant, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Sam Billings, 6 JP Duminy/Carlos Brathwaite, 7 Pawan Negi/Shahbaz Nadeem/Jayant Yadav, 8 Zaheer Khan (capt), 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Imran Tahir/Chris MorrisSunrisers have found their strongest XI and are unlikely to make any changes. Kane Williamson, though, might be under the scanner considering he has 90 runs off 89 balls from three matches. He is a good bridge between the big-hitters at the top and the finishers below, but would want to up his strike-rate.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Naman Ojha (wk), 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Barinder Sran, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Mustafizur RahmanPitch and conditionsBrief afternoon showers are forecast in Hyderabad, but the match shouldn’t be affected. With a slow pitch and the large square boundaries at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, spin may play a substantial role.Stats and trivia Warner’s strike-rate of 160.06 is the best for a batsman who has faced at least 250 balls. He has faced 293 balls this season – same as Shikhar Dhawan. Daredevils’ openers had added a mere 58 runs in their first six matches. In their last three games, they have added 198.

The Blaugrana won La Liga without losing once but can they emulate the 10 clubs from Europe's top leagues to go undefeated for an entire campaign?

Getty ImagesAC Milan 1991-92

First, Arrigo Sacchi created the greatest team in club history. Then, Fabio Capello made them even better.

As star striker Marco van Basten said at the end of AC Milan's undefeated 1991-92 campaign, "perfection doesn't exist in football, but we came pretty close this season."

Their pursuit of perfection had begun in uncertainty, with Sacchi having stood down as AC Milan boss in 1991 to take charge of the national team and been replaced at the helm by former Rossoneri midfielder Capello. 

The latter's only previous top-level coaching experience at San Siro had come during short spells as a caretaker and an assistant but the in-house appointment paid off spectacularly for Milan, with Capello claiming the Scudetto in his first season in charge with an undefeated record. 

Capello's first Serie A loss didn't come until spring 1993, after a record-breaking run of 58 games unbeaten.

Milan retained their title that summer and then, 12 months later, made it three in a row before destroying Johann Cruyff's Barcelona 'Dream Team' in the Champions League final in Athens to strengthen their case as one of the finest sides in history.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesAjax 1994-95

Kluivert, Van der Sar, Reiziger, the De Boer twins, Davids, Seedorf, Rijkaard, Blind, Kanu, Overmars, Litmanen – in 1994, Louis van Gaal's Ajax boasted the most complementary and exciting mix of homegrown youngsters and wily veterans the game has ever seen.

They were an irresistible force, sweeping all before them in the Eredivisie and the Champions League.

PSV may have had a budding Brazilian superstar in Ronaldo but Ajax had their own teenage sensation in Kluivert, who hit 18 goals as Ajax won the Dutch title by seven points from Roda JC. 

They also went unbeaten in Europe, beating title holders AC Milan not once, not twice but thrice on their way to lifting the Champions League, with Kluivert netting the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Rossoneri in the final in Vienna. 

Ajax went desperately close to retaining their crown, only to lose on penalties to Juventus in the 1996 tournament decider, and that signalled the beginning of the end; the break-up of an outstanding squad.

It was a shame because as Jorge Valdano had conceded after watching Real Madrid lose 2-0 at home to Ajax in November 1995, “Ajax aren’t just the team of the 90s; they’re approaching football utopia.”

Getty ImagesArsenal 2003-04

Preston North End's double winners of 1888-89 were the first English side to go through a season undefeated but it is worth noting that they were playing in a league of just 12 teams. 

Thus, Arsenal's perfect campaign in 2003-04 is slightly more impressive. Indeed, whatever one thinks of Arsene Wenger now, his 'Invincibles' will forever remain a Premier League masterpiece, unblemished and unbeatable. 

Billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich had arrived in London in 2003 intent on usurping the Gunners as the capital's top club – Gunners vice-chairman David Dein quipped, "he's parked his Russian tanks on our lawn and is firing £50 notes at us" – but Arsenal decided against splashing the cash, with Jens Lehmann their most notable acquisition, at a cost of just £1.5m.

Instead, they focused their attention on retaining the services of France internationals Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires and that policy paid off, with both playing pivotal roles in the Gunners going the whole season undefeated. 

They enjoyed some good fortune along the way, with Ruud van Nistelrooy missing a last-minute penalty for Manchester United at Old Trafford – which provoked a most unsavoury reaction from several Arsenal players – but, for the most part, Lehmann was fantastically well protected by Sol Campbell & Co. 

Thierry Henry, though, was Arsenal's difference-maker, an attacker as elegant as he was effective. With his pace and poise, he repeatedly inspired them to victory, most notably in a rousing, come-from-behind win over Liverpool at Highbury and he was the embodiment of the team's mix of perspiration and inspiration.

As a rightly proud Wenger declared after watching his side crowned champions at the home of north London rivals Tottenham, "We've been remarkably consistent, haven't lost a game and we have played stylish football. We have entertained people who just love football."

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Getty ImagesAthletic Club 1928-29 & Real Madrid 1931-32

Athletic Club were the first side to go through a Liga season undefeated, in 1929-30, although it is worth noting that only 10 teams participated.

Barcelona had won the inaugural title but they finished second, seven points behind the Basques, who won 12 of their 18 matches, scoring 63 goals along the way. 

Real Madrid matched Athletic's feat in 1931-32, though, again, there were still only 10 teams in the league.

Athletic actually won more games than anyone else (11) but they suffered four defeats, whereas Madrid went unbeaten, denying the Basques a third successive title with a record of 10 wins and eight draws.

Another interesting fact is that Los Blancos were known simply as 'Madrid' at the time because, during the Second Spanish Republic, all clubs dropped Royal patronage from their names and removed any crowns from their crests.