Cricket

Starting their second innings with a 235-run deficit, South Africa's captain Graeme Smith said he rated his team's latest triumph over Australia as one of the greatest victories in recent times.
"It's got to be one of the great comebacks in Test cricket," said the captain after leading his team to an eight-wicket victory in the first of two Tests at Newlands, Cape Town on Friday.
"It's so easy when you're so far behind to just go through the motions, but we showed resilience and stayed focussed throughout."
After an extraordinary second day of cricket, with 23 wickets falling for 294 runs, the balance had swung to and fro several times in the match.
It was the most number of wickets to fall in a day since 1902 and the fourth highest in cricketing history.
South Africa started the third morning on 81/1, and Smith and Amla went on to set a record 195-run, second-wicket partnership for South Africa against Australia.
Amla scored his first hundred against the Baggy Greens - his 13th in his career - and his 112-run contribution took him past 4000 Test runs.
He had his luck along the way, when he was dropped twice, on 29 and 30, but he deserved his standing ovation when his fortune finally ran out. Amla edged a delivery from Mitchell Johnson to Michael Clarke at gully, with the hosts needing 14 runs to win.
Smith, who started to regain his form with a half-century in Port Elizabeth during the one-day series, finished unbeaten on 101 for his 23rd ton and his second against Australia.
He is the only batsman to have scored 1000 runs in successful fourth-innings chases, and to have scored four centuries in the process.
Jacques Rudolph's return to Test cricket, after a five-year absence, was disappointing after his recent form in both county and franchise cricket.
He shared the distinction of being one of the two batsmen to lose their wickets twice on Thursday, with Michael Clarke, who had been bowled out for 151 in the morning and dismissed for a mere two runs just after tea.
Rudolph was bowled on his off-stump before lunch, for 18, and, after a lightning quick (95 minutes) Australian second innings, he found himself out in the middle again after tea.
This time he tried to pull away, but the ball shaved the outside edge and he was caught behind for 14.
Vernon Philander returned the second best figures for a South African bowler on debut (5/15) after Lance Klusener's magnificent 8/64 against India in Calcutta in 1996/97.
Philander, who finished with match figures of 8/78 said he had watched the way Shane Watson bowled and knew what he had to do.
After scratching out a first inning total of 284, thanks largely to Clarke's innings, Australia buckled in their second innings to 47 all-out, their lowest total since 1902.
Australia also set a new benchmark with the lowest total (21) on record at the fall of the ninth wicket.
Smith said the team had joked about bowling out Australia for 60 or 70 but nobody really believed it could happen.
"At 21/9, it was an incredible sight. I don't think I've ever seen a scoreboard like that, not even as a young schoolboy," Smith said.
In the midst of the chaos, it was easy to lose sight of South Africa's first innings paltry total of 96, their second lowest since re-admission.
Shane Watson's 5/17 off 21 balls was the second fastest "fifer" in history, the fastest came from fellow Australian Ernie Toshack, off 19 balls, in 1947/48.

November 16, 2011 issue
Cricket
One of the great comebacks - Smith
Starting their second innings with a 235-run deficit, South Africa's captain Graeme Smith said he rated his team's latest triumph over Australia as one of the greatest victories in recent times. "It's got to be one of the great comebacks in Test cricket," said the captain after leading his team to an eight-wicket victory in the first of two Tests at Newlands, Cape Town on Friday. "It's so easy when you're so far behind to just go through the motions, but we showed resilience and stayed focussed throughout." After an extraordinary second day of cricket, with 23 wickets falling for 294 runs, the balance had swung to and fro several times in the match. It was the most number of wickets to fall in a day since 1902 and the fourth highest in cricketing history. South Africa started the third morning on 81/1, and Smith and Amla went on to set a record 195-run, second-wicket partnership for South Africa against Australia. Amla scored his first hundred against the Baggy Greens - his 13th in his career - and his 112-run contribution took him past 4000 Test runs. He had his luck along the way, when he was dropped twice, on 29 and 30, but he deserved his standing ovation when his fortune finally ran out. Amla edged a delivery from Mitchell Johnson to Michael Clarke at gully, with the hosts needing 14 runs to win. Smith, who started to regain his form with a half-century in Port Elizabeth during the one-day series, finished unbeaten on 101 for his 23rd ton and his second against Australia. He is the only batsman to have scored 1000 runs in successful fourth-innings chases, and to have scored four centuries in the process. Jacques Rudolph's return to Test cricket, after a five-year absence, was disappointing after his recent form in both county and franchise cricket. He shared the distinction of being one of the two batsmen to lose their wickets twice on Thursday, with Michael Clarke, who had been bowled out for 151 in the morning and dismissed for a mere two runs just after tea. Rudolph was bowled on his off-stump before lunch, for 18, and, after a lightning quick (95 minutes) Australian second innings, he found himself out in the middle again after tea. This time he tried to pull away, but the ball shaved the outside edge and he was caught behind for 14. Vernon Philander returned the second best figures for a South African bowler on debut (5/15) after Lance Klusener's magnificent 8/64 against India in Calcutta in 1996/97. Philander, who finished with match figures of 8/78 said he had watched the way Shane Watson bowled and knew what he had to do. After scratching out a first inning total of 284, thanks largely to Clarke's innings, Australia buckled in their second innings to 47 all-out, their lowest total since 1902. Australia also set a new benchmark with the lowest total (21) on record at the fall of the ninth wicket. Smith said the team had joked about bowling out Australia for 60 or 70 but nobody really believed it could happen. "At 21/9, it was an incredible sight. I don't think I've ever seen a scoreboard like that, not even as a young schoolboy," Smith said. In the midst of the chaos, it was easy to lose sight of South Africa's first innings paltry total of 96, their second lowest since re-admission. Shane Watson's 5/17 off 21 balls was the second fastest "fifer" in history, the fastest came from fellow Australian Ernie Toshack, off 19 balls, in 1947/48.
*West Indies Tour of India 2011*
India win first Test but Tendulkar misses milestone
Sachin Tendulkar missed out on his 100th international century but India still strolled to a relatively easy five-wicket win over West Indies with a day and a half to spare in the first Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. The batting legend, who passed 15,000 runs in Tests on the third day's play, fell for 76 after resuming the day on 33 but by then, India's victory had been virtually assured. Tendulkar, however, was one of three wickets to fall as India, starting the penultimate day of the Test on 152 for two, reached their target of 276 half-hour after lunch. The 38-year-old right-hander appeared en route to the astonishing milestone when he missed a pull at leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and was adjudged lbw. Stroke player VVX Laxman carried India sedately to victory with an unbeaten 58. The win was India's first in six Tests after being swept by England during the summer. Requiring another 124 runs to win at the start, India had an early setback when Rahul Dravid was bowled by fast bowler Fidel Edwards after he added just one to his overnight 30. The veteran right-hander was beaten by late in-swing from Edwards as he drove at one that was pitched up, but Tendulkar and Laxman scored briskly in adding 71 off 100 balls for the fourth wicket, a partnership that put India on the brink of taking a vital 1-0 lead in the three-match series. West Indies captain Darren Sammy acknowledged there was a "missed opportunity" in the first Test to record a victory over a higher-ranked Test nation. Sammy however was buoyed by the fact that his team made the Indians work hard throughout the four days of play. On the second day, the Windies bowled out the home side for 209 to earn a first innings lead of 95. The visitors were however dismissed for 180 in the second innings leaving India a gettable target. "We played some good cricket though we could have batted better in the second innings. Had we scored 250-plus in the second innings, India would have had to chase around 350 and the game would have been different. We were ahead for a portion of the match and we should have maintained that advantage. In many ways we see this as an opportunity missed, as we let India back into the match and they took it away from us," Sammy said. The West Indies bowlers again did well with Sammy taking five wickets in the match; Fidel Edwards troubled the batsmen with his pace and got reverse swing; Devendra Bishoo caused problems with his variations; while Ravi Rampaul made the batsmen fight for their runs. The 37-year-old Shivnarine Chanderpaul, in his 136th Test match, stood out with the bat making 118 off 196 balls in the first innings – his 24th Test century and 47 off 58 deliveries in the second innings. "When you play against a top team, you want to create the opportunity to win. We did that in the first innings, but did not bat well in the second innings. The pitch played much better on the third and fourth days. We want improvement, and when we create opportunities we have to cash in. We still believe we can win matches here." Sammy added: "We lost 15 wickets for 220-odd runs (last five in first innings and all 10 in second innings). We need to find a way to score against spin. Attacking against the spinners could be an option like Shiv showed in both innings. When the spinners operate, we kind of went into a shell. We could have been more positive without being reckless. That is something we can look at for the second Test. We will have a few days in the nets and look to get it right." Man of the Match was debutant Ravichandran Ashwin, who along with Pragyan Ojha, comprised India's spin attack. They immediately impressed, and together accounted for 16 of the 20 Windies wickets. Ashwin bagged a total of nine wickets while Ojha made a haul of seven. In the pace section was another debutant, Umesh Yadav, along with Ishant Sharma. India's most experienced spinner, Harbhajan Singh, was dropped on account of poor form. Their pace spearhead, Zaheer Khan, who was injured during the tour of England is still recovering from his injuries. Upcoming Matches 2nd Test: Nov 14-18 at Kolkata (In progress: At lunch on Day 3, India with a first innings score of 631/7 declared, bowled out WI for 153 and enforced the follow on. 3rd Test: Nov 22-26 at Mumbai; 1st ODI: Nov 29 at Cuttack 2nd ODI: Dec 2 at Visakhapatnam; 3rd ODI: Dec 5, Ahmedabad
Dwayne Smith to captain Windies 'A' Twenty20 squad
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Smith will captain the West Indies 'A' Twenty20 Team which will face Bangladesh 'A' in two Digicel T20s at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia. The 28-year-old, who cracked a century on his Test debut against South Africa in 2004, has played in 10 Tests and 10 Twenty20 Internationals along with 77 One Day Internationals. The 13-man squad includes just three players who have never played for the West Indies senior team - Trinidadian leg-spinner Samuel Badree, Guyanese left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and Trinidadian batsman Jason Mohammed. Mohammed was awarded the Player-of-the-Tournament and the Richie Richardson Trophy for most outstanding batsman in the recently concluded Regional Super50 Tournament. The other ten members of the squad have played international cricket with Grenadian fast bowler Nelon Pascal and Smith being the two to have played Test matches. WI T20 specialists, Guyanese all-rounder Christopher Barnwell and Jamaican left-armer Krishmar Santokie are included in the squad. St Lucian Garey Mathurin who had an impressive international debut for the West Indies against England joins Badree and Permaul as the three specialist spinners. Mathurin's countryman, aggressive opener Johnson Charles will also get a chance to play in front of his home crowd in Windies colours. Barbadian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite, who is a member of the West Indies 'A' Test squad also got the selectors' nod as did Vincentian opening batsman Miles Bascombe. The two Digicel T20s will follow the Second Digicel 'Test'. The two teams will then move to three Digicel One Day games in St Vincent. The West Indies A One Day squad will be announced at a later date. West Indies A Twenty20 Squad: Dwayne Smith (captain), Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Miles Bascombe, Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brathwaite, Johnson Charles, Jason Mohammed, Gary Mathurin, Nelon Pascal, Veerasammy Permaul, Krishmar Santokie and Devon Thomas.
Malinga inspires Sri Lankan win over Pakistan
Paceman Lasith Malinga took three wickets to help Sri Lanka to a 25-run win over Pakistan in the second one day international to level the five-match series 1-1 in Dubai on Monday. Malinga took two wickets in the first over and then returned in his second spell to finish with 3-36 to help dismiss Pakistan for 210 in 46.3 overs after setting them a target of 236 runs. Pakistan won the first match by eight wickets on Friday. Umar Akmal led the chase with a brilliant 102-ball 91 but Pakistan lost three wickets in succession in the batting power-play, including that of Akmal which saw them lose their way. Akmal hit one six and eight boundaries - three of them in Dilhara Fernando's 38th over - before hitting the sixth delivery of the same over straight into the hands of mid-on to end Pakistan's hopes of winning. Earlier the 28-year-old Malinga removed opener Mohammad Hafeez (4) with the third delivery of his first over - his 150th ODI wicket in his 96th match - and then Younis Khan (nought) off the fifth. Thisara Perera (2-30), removed Imran Farhat (three) before Akmal steadied the innings through a 64-run fourth wicket stand with Misbah-ul Haq (21) and another 62-run stand for the next wicket with Sarfraz Ahmed (24). The remaining matches in the series will be played in Dubai (November 18), Sharjah (November 20) and Abu Dhabi (November 23). Both teams will also play a Twenty20 in Abu Dhabi on November 25.
Butt appeals sentence
Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has filed an appeal against a 30-month prison sentence for fixing parts of a Test match last year. Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed last week for their part in a gambling-inspired plot to bowl no-balls at pre-arranged times during the match against England at Lord's in August 2010. Lawyer Yasin Patel said that an appeal has been lodged against the sentence handed down at London's Southwark Crown Court. Butt and Asif have been held in London's Wandsworth Prison while teenager Amir is in a young offenders' institute. Judge Jeremy Cooke told the court that the offences had damaged the integrity of a game famed for its fairness and left cricket fans to wonder if matches were a genuine contest between bat and ball. Asif was jailed for a year and Amir for six months in sentences seen as sending a strong message to sporting cheats. Agent Mazhar Majeed, who was secretly filmed by a reporter of a British tabloid accepting 150,000 pounds ($242,000), got the stiffest punishment when he was sent to jail for 2 years, 8 months.
Ban countries: Condon
Countries who lack the resolution to deal with corrupt cricketers should be barred from the sport, the first head of the International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption unit Lord Condon told the BBC on Sunday. The former head of the Metropolitan Police – who became the first head of the unit in 2000 following the match fixing scandal involving then South African captain Hansie Cronje – added that the ICC also had to get tougher with their punishments. Condon – who was succeeded by former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) chief Sir Ronnie Flanagan – was speaking following the prison sentences handed down in London on Thursday to three Pakistani cricketers and their agent Mazhar Majeed for spot-fixing in last year's test series against England. "The ICC has to give out the harshest sentences it can," he said. "The nuclear option is banning boards from international cricket. The ICC must get tougher. This is a big wake-up call. Cricket is at a credibility crossroads."
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