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Pradeep Sangwan, the Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders seamer, has failed a random dope test conducted during the 2013 season of the IPL, PTI has reported

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2013Pradeep Sangwan, the Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders seamer, has failed a random dope test conducted during the 2013 season of the IPL, PTI has reported. Sangwan’s ‘A’ sample has reportedly shown traces of banned substances, the nature of which can only be confirmed after the ‘B’ tests are done.The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has been informed about the tests by the BCCI, but any decision about the offence can only be taken once the results of the ‘B’ tests are available. Sangwan, is reportedly in the UK, undergoing treatment for a shoulder injury.Random tests are conducted during the IPL, like in ICC tournaments. The BCCI, which doesn’t come under the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) or the NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency), follow their own anti-doping procedures.*AN Sharma, Sangwan’s first coach, said the problem could have arisen due to treatment Sangwan was receiving for a shoulder problem. “I immediately called him up and Pradeep explained to me what had happened. He had acute pain in his shoulder just before the IPL,” Sharma told . “Since he had no time to consult or visit the BCCI doctor, he saw a local doctor, who gave him an injection. There was instant relief from the pain thereafter and he also managed to play the IPL.”Sharma also said players needed to be more aware of the substances they take while injured. “We have to start stressing this point to the players to be very vigilant about what they are consuming and where they are getting treated,” Sharma said. “It is very important that they understand what substances are being injected into their body during a treatment.”Sangwan, 22, played only two matches for Knight Riders this season and failed to pick up a wicket. He made his first-class debut in 2007 and has played 38 matches for Delhi.* July 19, 6.30am GMT This story has been updated with AN Sharma’s quotes

The ECB are continuing their efforts to persuade Mervyn Westfield to give evidence at Danish Kaneira’s appeal hearing

George Dobell17-Apr-2013The ECB are continuing their efforts to persuade Mervyn Westfield to give evidence at Danish Kaneira’s appeal hearing into his life ban for the game for corruption.Officials from the ECB met Westfield and his legal representatives in London on Thursday afternoon with discussions continuing into the evening. A further round of meetings has been scheduled for Friday with no agreement having been reached.Westfield, whose evidence was crucial in the original hearing that found Kaneria guilty of corruption, has had no contact with the ECB for many months and has so far resisted all attempts to persuade him to appear at the appeal. While the ECB were successful in gaining a summons from the High Court compelling Westfield to attend the appeal hearing on April 22, doubts remain as to whether the court has any jurisdiction in this case.Westfield remains angry with the ECB and the PCA. He feels that the harshness of his penalty – he spent two months in prison and was banned from the first-class game for five years and the recreational game for three – does not reflect that he cooperated with the investigating authorities, pleaded guilty and gave evidence against Kaneria.The fact that he has agreed to meet the ECB suggests a deal could be imminent, however. Westfield is understood to desire a return to club cricket – he remains connected with Wanstead Cricket Club in the Essex League – and he could be offered a chance to partially revive his career if he cooperates. Westfield would be expected to earn several hundred pounds a week as a club professional.Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, was banned from the game for life and charged £100,000 in costs by an ECB panel in June 2012 for his part in the spot-fixing case involving Westfield.Kaneria had been found guilty of inducing his former Essex team-mate to underperform in a limited-overs game in 2009 and of bringing the game into disrepute. Westfield, who was jailed for his role in the case, gave evidence against Kaneria at the hearing.As all boards under the governance of the ICC have an agreement to mirror bans imposed in such circumstances, Kaneria’s ban has been effective worldwide.Kaneria’s appeal hearing was originally scheduled for December but, after the ECB was unable to gain Westfield’s cooperation, it was postponed until April. Without Westfield’s evidence, the ECB’s case against Kaneria is severely compromised. Kaneria’s lawyers are looking not just for his ban to be overturned – at 32, he harbours hopes of a reviving his international career – but they are also claiming “very substantial damages” from the ECB.Kaneria returned to the UK on Wednesday. His lawyers remain adamant that, without Westfield’s evidence, the ECB “has no case”.This is an updated version of the story first published on April 17

This was one of New Zealand’s greatest days of Test cricket in recent times as they outplayed one of the strongest Test teams in the world from start to finish

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin07-Mar-2013Was this really the team bowled out for 45 two Tests ago? Was it really the team who sacked their captain in such a way that he took time away from the game? Was it really the team whose off-field exploits make as many headlines as those on it? Was this really the team whose management and executive structure do not appear to see eye-to-eye?What this was, without doubt, was one of New Zealand’s greatest days of Test cricket in recent times. This was not dominating against a lowly Zimbabwe or Bangladesh side. They outplayed one of the strongest Test teams in the world from start to finish. There was an air of disbelief from those who have followed New Zealand cricket’s recent woes.”We’re in the position that every team can dream of at the moment,” Neil Wagner said, and even that sounded like an understatement.It was Wagner who sparked New Zealand’s incredible day. In his first over, with his second and third deliveries, he removed England captain Alastair Cook and trapped Kevin Pietersen lbw first ball. England’s top order looked a little vulnerable coming into the match due to the lack of match practice and the home side made it count.Wagner had been bullish in Queenstown after roughing up England’s batsmen, including removing Pietersen, and highlighted keeping him short of runs. He said New Zealand would try to “hammer” on his confidence. He was as good as his word today and, when asked about England’s performance, did not produce a dead-bat answer.”They were under a bit of pressure and thought they might take lower-risk shots but at the end of the day, that’s the way they play,” he said. “There’s days when it doesn’t come off and days when it comes off and on those days you don’t want to be the opposition and they can hurt you badly. Other days it doesn’t come off and it was just one of those days when it didn’t work for them.”The standout feature of New Zealand’s day, of which there were many, was that the key individuals – Wagner, Bruce Martin and Hamish Rutherford – could, in slightly different circumstances, have been playing in the Ford Trophy one-day tournament rather than a Test match.Wagner was only included in the squad after impressing for the New Zealand XI in Queenstown. Initially, Mark Gillespie was tipped to be the likely option to bolster the pace resources, but Wagner’s six wickets last week tipped the balance back his way. He may still have missed the final cut, though, if Doug Bracewell had not decided to clean up his house, in the process stepping on a piece of glass. In this case, Wagner’s glass was certainly half full.However, his first three Tests had brought five wickets at 68.80 and it was already being suggested that he was another player unable to transfer dominant domestic form to the top level. One good day does not mean he has cracked it, but the relief from him was palpable. “I needed it and I was just glad to get it under the belt I guess,” he said.Wagner shared eight wickets with Martin, but the 32-year-old left-arm spinner was not a certain starter in this match just the day before. Four quicks were being seriously considered by Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson. It’s difficult to say Martin bowled for his wickets (caught point, deep square-leg and short fine-leg) but his presence ensured England’s batsmen could not settle in against four medium-fast bowlers.Martin also made it clear before the series that he was not too interested in being a defensive bowler and “would look to take a few poles and bowl to some attacking fields” if he got his chance. McCullum, a captain out of the same aggressive mindset, supported him with men around the bat and also gave him the ball straight after lunch when logic might have suggested resuming with two seamers. When Matt Prior began to open his shoulders, McCullum did not withdraw Martin to the safety of the outfield and the following over he claimed the wicket.Then there is Rutherford, like Wagner, an Otago cricketer playing on his home ground. Of all the problem areas in the New Zealand team over recent times, the opening partnership has been one of most vexing.Rutherford did not look remotely out of place, resisting England’s attempts to disturb him with the short ball and driving more confidently than during the one-day series. His opening stand with Peter Fulton, currently worth 131, is New Zealand’s best since Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming added 163 against England, at Trent Bridge, in 2004.A compact left-hander from the same school as McCullum, Rutherford was picked on the basis of strong domestic form but was not the most prolific option available.  There is also the likelihood that if Martin Guptill had not been injured during the one-day series, he would have been given another chance alongside Peter Fulton.  It was a day for a host of accidental heroes.

A round-up of the second day’s action of Group B matches in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2012
Scorecard
Shrikant Mundhe scored a half-century but Tamil Nadu gained a first-innings in Chennai•K SivaramanTamil Nadu’s bowlers had rescued the side on the first day, and on the second they did their specialist job to bowl out Maharashtra for 233 and gain the first-innings lead in Chennai. L Balaji did the early damage, getting the first three wickets to fall. Opener Harshad Khadiwale was bowled by Balaji for 15 and his partner Chirag Khurana was caught behind for 2. Balaji also got rid of Nikhil Paradkar and soon Maharashtra were in big trouble at 41 for 4.Maharashtra’s revival began through Sangram Atitkar and Kedhar Jadhav’s 53-run stand, but both were dismissed within 15 runs of each other. When Jadhav, who made a triple-century in the previous match, was stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Malolan Rangarajan, Maharashtra were 109 for 6 and Tamil Nadu were looking at a huge lead. They hadn’t bargained for the seventh-wicket stand between Maharashtra captain Rohit Motwani and Shrikant Mundhe though. The two added 98 to briefly threaten to put Maharashtra in the lead, but Motwani was lbw to J Kaushik after which Tamil Nadu polished off the tail.
Scorecard
Uttar Pradesh completed their first task of taking the first-innings lead against Karnataka in Meerut, but three second-innings wickets late in the day boosted the visitors. Karnataka’s batting floundered either side of a 93-run stand between Manish Pandey and Amit Verma for the fourth wicket. The pair came together at 28 for 3 after the settled top order of Robin Uthappa, KB Pawan and Ganesh Satish flopped. Both Pandey and Verma hit half-centuries but both were dismissed soon after, and Karnataka’s lower order folded to the pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Imtiaz Ahmed.In what is shaping up to be a low-scoring match, UP grabbed a substantial 102-run lead. However, in the 22 overs before stumps, they lost three wickets, including the important one of Suresh Raina, who made his second low score of the match.
Scorecard
After bowling out Haryana for 66 on the first day, Odisha couldn’t bat them out of the game with a big first innings score, but still remained well in control of the game at Rohtak. Mohit Sharma took the wicket he needed to complete his five-for, and none of the Odisha batsman went on to make half-centuries as their side was bowled out for 219, still a handy lead of 153.Haryana fared much better in their second innings, though their openers both fell in the first five overs. Another chance of a reprise of the first innings was ruled out as Sunny Singh and Abhimanyu Khod added 50 runs for the third wicket. Khod ended the day unbeaten on 56, and he steered Haryana to 165 for 5, still only a lead of 12 runs.
Scorecard
Baroda, led by centuries from captain Ambati Rayudu and Abhimanyu Chauhan, continued to pile on the runs against a listless Delhi attack, reaching 525 for seven at stumps on the second day. There were no signs of declaration and it now seems a foregone conclusion that the visitors will be playing for three points on a track that is getting slower. Baroda will back themselves, given Delhi’s inconsistent batting over the last two games. Read the full report.

Glenn Maxwell might be the very model of the modern cricketer, raised on Twenty20 and thriving on the short format’s fast pace, but he insists he has the patience to make it as a Test cricketer as well

Brydon Coverdale02-Feb-2013Glenn Maxwell might be the very model of the modern cricketer, raised on Twenty20 and thriving on the short format’s fast pace, but he insists he has the patience to make it as a Test cricketer as well. On Thursday, Maxwell was named as the main spinning allrounder in Australia’s Test squad to tour India, meaning he is likely to earn a baggy green on the trip, and the following day he crunched an unbeaten 51 from 35 balls in Australia’s one-day annihilation of West Indies.Promoted to open the batting Maxwell scored nearly three-quarters of Australia’s runs in their tiny chase of 71, racing to the target within the first ten overs. Maxwell’s brisk scoring is nothing new to those who have watched him at domestic level over the past few seasons, but he has also managed to average 42 at first-class level and believes his technique can stand up to the challenges of the five-day game.”I feel like I’m definitely a genuine batsman,” Maxwell said in Perth ahead of Sunday’s second ODI. “I’ve done a lot of work on my technique over the last few years. [Victoria coach] Greg Shipperd has been a big believer in my technique and I feel that’s shone through in Shield cricket.”I’ve played some good Shield innings where I’ve played technically really good cricket. I’m hoping I can showcase that when the opportunity arises, but yesterday wasn’t really the time to do it. I’m sure if I get the chance to play Test cricket I’ll probably be a bit more reserved.”Maxwell has spent some time in India in the past, visiting the country in 2010 for a training camp as part of the Centre of Excellence intake, and enjoying a short stint with the Delhi Daredevils in last year’s IPL. He said his plan, if he was given the opportunity in Test cricket on the upcoming tour, would be straightforward.”I’ve thought about how I’m going to be playing spinners over there,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play over there a little bit, I had the Academy a couple of years ago and had the IPL experience last year. I know my game plan over there is going to be pretty simple, using my feet against the spinners and hopefully that will hold me in good stead.”Although Maxwell is considered a batting allrounder, his offspin has developed over the past few months and the selectors would expect significant overs from him if he was slotting into the Test outfit. Maxwell said he had worked with Shane Warne this summer on the mental side of spin bowling, as well as Ray Bright and Shawn Flegler, and he was confident that the sharp turn expected on the Indian pitches would allow him greater margin for error.”With the wickets and the way they spin, you can bowl a lot faster over there and really use your pace variations to your advantage,” Maxwell said. “In Australia you’ve got to be a lot more accurate, a lot more consistent in a certain area, where India allows you a lot more margin for error just because of the way it spins.”

Defending champions Australia will take on England at Townsville’s Tony Ireland Stadium on Saturday to kickstart the latest edition of the Under-19 World Cup, in Queensland

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2012Defending champions Australia will take on England at Townsville’s Tony Ireland Stadium on Saturday to kickstart the latest edition of the Under-19 World Cup, in Queensland. On the same day, two-time former champions Pakistan play Afghanistan at John Blanck Oval on the Sunshine Coast, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face each other at Townsville’s Endeavour Park. At the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Zimbabwe play Papua New Guinea.The biennial competition features 16 teams, including the 10 Full Members of the ICC and six qualifiers (Afghanistan, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Scotland). The teams are divided into four groups of four each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The bottom two from each group will compete in the Plate Championship. The grand final will be played at Tony Ireland Stadium on August 26.Australia captain William Bosisto said his side cannot expect an easy journey, despite playing at home. Australia have won the tournament a record three times. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that Australia is a firm favourite in any way,” Bosisto said. “I think we see ourselves as having a very good chance to win the title, and hopefully we can do everything in our power to do that. But I know there will be many strong sides from the subcontinent, and obviously England, so we know there is a lot of tough competition out there.”England last won the title in 1998, under Owais Shah, and the captain Adam Ball said consistency is the key.”It is definitely time for England to add to that previous success,” Ball said. “It will be very tough for us to repeat that but I feel the team has what it takes to do so. I think Australia have to be one of the favourites as they are playing in their own country and have won the tournament several times before. I also think that Pakistan will be a very hard team to beat even in conditions that may not favour them.”Pakistan captain Babar Azam said his team’s chances will depend on how soon they adapt to the conditions.”I think we are one of the tournament favourites as we bat deep, have a couple of good allrounders and also possess a few quality fast bowlers and spinners in the side,” Azam said. “Moreover, our recent performance at the international level is encouraging so I think our team could be termed as favourites alongside some other teams. However, it will all depend on how quickly we adjust to the conditions in Australia. We all know that pitches and outfields in Australia are very hard and there is extra bounce on the pitches.”South Africa have never won the tournament, though they came close in 2008 in Malaysia, finishing as the runners-up. They open their campaign on Sunday, against Bangladesh.”This squad has been on a two-year progression plan for this event,” the captain Chad Bowes said. “We have arrived in Australia to play good, solid cricket and we believe that we have the potential to be the first South Africa side to win the U-19 World Cup.”

Peter McGlashan, the New Zealand and Northern Districts wicketkeeper, has retired from all cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2012Peter McGlashan, the New Zealand and Northern Districts wicketkeeper, has retired from all cricket. McGlashan was named in New Zealand’s 30-man preliminary squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in September, but he has chosen a career outside of cricket with the Glenn Family Foundation, an initiative geared towards eliminating domestic violence.”It’s an incredible chance to make a difference to people’s lives, through Owen’s [Owen Glenn, the foundation’s founder] remarkable vision,” McGlashan said. “I’m going to be assisting in the community in an area in which I know I would love to be working for the next 35 to 40 years.”Having seen how excited people in Otara [a South Auckland suburb] are about this project, and knowing the difference it will make, I realised I would not feel comfortable standing out there catching balls while that work waited. I wish the Black Caps well and I will miss being part of the Northern Knights, something that I’m sure will really hit me in summer. But I’m already comfortable that it’s the right decision to retire at this point and I feel very fortunate to be exiting the game for an exciting role about which I am truly passionate.”McGlashan, 33, played four ODIs, scoring one half-century, and 11 T20 internationals for New Zealand. He made his first-class debut in 2000-01, and went on to lay 71 games, averaging 29.57 with the bat and finishing with 195 catches and 13 stumpings. In 2009, he set a New Zealand first-class wicketkeeping record for the most dismissals in a match – 12. He took six catches in each innings of that Plunket Shield game against Central Districts and, incidentally, it was also a world record for the most catches taken by an individual in a first-class match.Northern Districts coach Grant Bradburn said McGlashan’s innovative ability stood out. “Pete is a hugely experienced and skilful player, particularly in the shorter forms of the game – and that calibre of skills you just don’t develop overnight,” he said. “His amazing ability to innovate and look at things from a different angle, whether it’s been through introducing new gear and equipment or using fresh approaches in the middle, have helped the game in New Zealand.”An example is a one-day match we played against the Otago Volts two seasons ago in which he changed bats between overs, depending on which bowler he would be facing plus the direction of the wind. He’d use the shorter Mongoose bat for the downwind bowling and the long-handle into the wind.”I’d never seen an innovation like that before, but he was the master of putting pressure on bowlers at the death in one-dayers or Twenty20s, as well as being the master of the reverse-sweep. And, of course, one of our most accomplished wicketkeepers, to boot. We will miss him, but I’m stoked for Pete as we’re losing him to a very fine cause.”Northern Districts CEO David Cooper added: “The New Zealand Cricket Players Association takes a lead role in ensuring players have the skills and networks to manage their post-cricket future and I think Pete is a shining example to all players of someone who has taken those opportunities and developed his personal and professional abilities whilst still a player.”There is no question Pete would have featured in our plans for the coming season, however he now has another tremendous opportunity with the Glenn Family Foundation and, knowing the man he is, we are certain that Pete will add real value there and continue making a significant and positive difference to our society. He leaves with our very best wishes.”Prior to joining Northern Districts in 2004, McGlashan represented Central Districts in 2000-01 and 2000-02 and Otago in 2002-03.

A round-up of the final day’s action of the ICC WCL Division Five in Singapore

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2012Hosts Singapore lifted the World Cricket League Division Five trophy, beating neighbours Malaysia by nine wickets in a one-sided final at the Kallang Ground. Both teams have been promoted to Division Four, and will join Nepal, Tanzania, Denmark and the United States of America in the division to be played late this year.Malaysia’s 159 turned out to be woefully inadequate as Singapore, led by Chaminda Ruwan’s unbeaten 91, guided them home in just 26.4 overs. Ruwan smashed 14 fours and a six and shared an unbeaten stand of 118 with Anish Param for the second wicket.Malaysia’s middle order let the side down after the captain Suresh Navaratnam opted to bat. The opener R Madhavan scored 48 to get the team off to a steady start, but Singapore fought back thanks to their legspinner Christopher Janik, who took 3 for 17. Hassan Ghulam resisted with 33 at No.10 but it came a little too late. Malaysia lost their last nine wickets for only 85 runs.Singapore coach Trevor Chappell said: “I am very pleased to have been able to have coached the side to promotion, they’ve worked hard this week and it’s a good group of cricketers from many different backgrounds trying to play as much cricket as they can while also raising families, studying or working full-time.”I have to say our bowler who has stood out for me is Shoaib Razzak, he’s probably my Singapore player of the tournament. Shoaib’s worked really hard on his bowling.”The other two that have shone for me are the opening partnership of Chaminda Ruwan and Chetan Suryawanshi – although Chetan needs to work hard on keeping his head out in the middle, it was frustrating today when he got out early and it would have been nice to have not lost a wicket with the win – they both proved very capable batsmen throughout this week and continue to improve in their performances.”Malaysia’s coach Roy Dias said poor batting had let the side down in the event.”There have been few players that have really performed this week with the bat for us and in my opinion we did well to win the first four matches with the performances we put in. I am disappointed we lost today but our batting and bowling wasn’t up to the mark this week at all and I want to go back to Malaysia and look at the pool of players on offer and start to phase out some of the older members of the squad to help the team develop.”I really expected more from the likes of Suhan Alagaratnam and Ahmed Faiz but perhaps they didn’t have enough match practice ahead of the event. I was pleased with how Sharif Shafiq has performed this week making runs for the side and doing well behind the stumps.”I’m looking forward to Division 4 and facing my former team Nepal, the whole division is going to be tough for Malaysia but I believe we have got what it takes to be there.”3rd Place Play-offIt was a tense finish at the 3rd place play-offs at the Padang as Guernsey sneaked home by one run against Cayman Islands. Jeremy Frith top scored for Guernsey with 57, off 81 balls before he was trapped lbw to Troy Taylor, the right-arm seamer. Taylor took 4 for 50 and he was supported by Ryan Bovell, who took 3 for 41. Cayman Islands though conceded a massive 49 extras, including 32 wides and six no-balls, amounting to just over six extra overs.Guernsey bowled with better discipline and were led by a five-wicket haul by the right-arm seamer David Hooper. Pearson Best was the only batsman to show solid resistance, scoring 79. Conroy Wrght made a patient 39, off 77 balls, but Hooper took two more lower order wickets to help Guernsey sneak home.5th Place Play-offBahrain coasted to a five-wicket win against Argentina in the fifth place play-offs at the Indian Association Ground. Bahrain’s off-spin duo of Adil Hanif and Zafar Zaheer took four wickets each to restrict Argentina to a paltry 139. Argentina featured some of the reserves who had not played in the tournament this week, and the batsmen struggled. Martin Siri’s 26 was the highest individual score in the innings. Hanif followed up his efforts with the ball to hit 38 to set up Bahrain’s easy win. He picked up the Player of the Tournament trophy as well, in addition to his Man-of-the-Match award.

New Zealand closed out day two in a state similar to their position the previous evening, struggling to compete with an opponent they had dominated in passages of play, but allowed to charge back emphatically in others

The Report by Andrew Fernando16-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mark Gillespie picked up a career-best 5 for 59, but South Africa still ended the day on top•Getty ImagesNew Zealand closed out day two in a state similar to their position the previous evening, struggling to compete with an opponent they had dominated in passages of play, but allowed to charge back emphatically in others. That the hosts are not yet doomed is thanks to Mark Gillespie, who at 32 and after three years in the wilderness was a vexing selection for Hamilton, but produced a staggering burst of pace, movement and luck to decimate South Africa’s middle order and finish with 5 for 59. But AB de Villiers’ 83, a cameo from Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander’s now vicious routine to New Zealand’s top order undid all Gillespie’s work, and left the hosts with four second-innings wickets down, still trailing by three, and a daunting climb to prevent their second successive loss inside three days at Seddon Park.New Zealand had had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 in reply to their own 185, but could not maintain the intensity, as de Villiers shepherded the lower order with an effortless innings that made the chaos that came before seem outlandish. The ease of his progress betrayed the flatness of the surface that had browned considerably – the tawny pitch appeared unrecognisable from the green tinged surface that had been unveiled on day one. de Villiers made 63 with Mark Boucher for the seventh wicket, before continuing the recovery alongside Philander and Morkel – the latter took charge following de Villers’ ill-fortuned demise to add a further 34 with last man Imran Tahir, giving the visitors a 68-run head start in the second dig. The last four wickets had cost New Zealand 165.The hosts then dug themselves further into the mire, when Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill fell in the first five overs of their second innings. Nicol, perhaps, was unlucky – a bunted short ball dribbled off the bat, down his leg and onto the stumps – but McCullum and Guptill were out to the same stroke, falling away to the off side as they attempted a clip off the pads. McCullum missed entirely and was caught in front, while Guptill couldn’t control the shot and found short midwicket.Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson attempted a recovery, blunting the new-ball movement and negotiating Tahir’s first spell on a wearing pitch to add a sedate 57. But they were tested again, when the ball began to reverse late in the day, and Taylor could not dig out a hooping yorker from Dale Steyn that struck him in front.Although New Zealand had dismissed Graeme Smith and nightwatchman Steyn the previous evening, South Africa’s beginning to day two augured a day of toil, with Hashim Amla and Alviro Petersen settling gradually into their innings. Chris Martin and Doug Bracewell found a hint of movement in the air, but little off the pitch, and though their opening partnership was tight, it posed few penetrative threats to the overnight pair.But just as Amla began to add attractive scoring strokes to solid defence, Gillespie stung South Africa in a four-over salvo and transformed the outlook of the visitors’ innings, and for a while, the match.Amla was removed first, a thick edge from an attempted square drive flying low to backward point. Jacques Kallis then experienced the extremes of fortune in Gillespie’s next over. He top edged a short ball past fine leg for six, before glancing one down the leg side, only to turn around to see Kruger van Wyk celebrating his wicket. In the next over, Gillespie’s movement off the seam trapped Petersen lbw. Jacques Rudolph completed the quartet with a regulation edge, ending a seven-over period that yielded four big scalps for 25 runs.de Villiers meanwhile, had few issues timing the ball and working the field as New Zealand’s supporting cast failed to match Gillespie’s penetration. South Africa’s recovery was slow at times, but assured, under de Villiers and Boucher, who helped the side through to lunch.Boucher’s dismissal completed Gillespie’s five-wicket haul, but de Villiers was unfussed, as he called on one-day nous (shuffles across the crease to work the ball to the leg side, downward dabs to third man …) to keep the larger share of the strike, and minimise his fast-bowling team-mates’ exposure to tight New Zealand bowling. Ten boundaries, mostly through the off side, punctuated a steady stream of singles and twos, as de Villiers oversaw the eclipsing of the hosts’ total, and edged his side ahead.Morkel had hit three confident boundaries before de Villiers departed lucklessly – when a forward defence to Vettori spun back onto his stumps – and ratcheted up the tempo in the company of Imran Tahir, dispatching Gillespie for three successive fours upon the bowler’s return to the crease. Tahir wasted little time in matching Morkel’s ambition, though most of his 16 came from edges over or past the slips. The pair added an adventurous, and often fortuitous, 34 for the final wicket, before Williamson ended the innings with his third ball of the match.At stumps Williamson was unbeaten on 41 – his first substantial batting contribution of the series – alongside Vettori, unbeaten on nought.

Rahul Dravid has said he expected India to do better in Australia than they did in England, but both their batting and bowling have been disappointing

Sidharth Monga at the SCG05-Jan-2012Rahul Dravid has said he expected India to do better in Australia than they did in England, but both their batting and bowling have been disappointing. India lost the first Test of this tour inside four days, and are struggling to save the second. With two days to go in Sydney, they need 354 more to make Australia bat again, with only eight wickets in hand. That leaves the last eight wickets at least five sessions to bat. There is rain around, but on the third day it arrived only well after stumps, and only for about 10 minutes.Rahul Dravid: “I feel I have been batting well, but I am just getting out.”•Getty ImagesDravid said there was not much to aim at right now, except to bat for a long time. Looking back, though, he admitted they expected a better performance. “It is disappointing,” he spoke of the five-match losing streak overseas, which is likely to reach six at the SCG. “Obviously we didn’t play well in England. We thought definitely we would play much better here. Things haven’t worked here, but still time to go. It is disappointing and we are not happy about it.”A big share of the blame, he said, lay with the batting. “The key for us is to keep them on the field for a long period of time,” Dravid said of the Australian bowlers and fielders. “If we can keep their bowlers and fielders on the field for more than 100 overs, then we can put them under pressure and see some of their bowlers wilt. Sadly, in the three innings we have played so far, we haven’t been able to do that. They kept us on the field for a long time today. We need to try and do that.”They are coming in hard, running in hard. After drinks, the last 15 overs they came in really hard. Hopefully, if we are batting after tea tomorrow, that’s where their real challenge is. If we can hang in there, play out time, and have them on the field for a long time…”Dravid has been bowled in three out of four innings but said he wasn’t unhappy with his touch. “To be fair, there have been a couple of pretty good balls,” he said. “It’s not like I have got out, you know, inner-edging. A couple of good balls, a couple of things I could have done differently. I feel I have been batting well, but I am just getting out. Hopefully in the next couple of Tests I will be able to convert one of these starts. I got 60 in the first game, I thought I was batting well in the second innings, till I got a pretty good one.”Dravid admitted his side was against a good attack, but that was no reason for India to sit back. “They have bowled well,” he said. “No point saying they have bowled well. We have got look at ourselves and do something about it. They haven’t given us loose balls. Even today, even though we were playing solidly, they didn’t give us too many loose balls. They have bowled well, they are a good attack, but I believe we should play better as well.”Another disappointment, Dravid said, was how listless India looked on the field. “In the sense, okay in England, we were not always with our best attack. Due to injuries and various other reasons, our bowling attack in England wasn’t the best possible attack,” he said. “Here we had the best bowling attack we can possibly hope for. Obviously disappointed. Once partnerships develop, and runs go, we need to pull it back and try to control the runs. Having said that it’s not easy. Even if we don’t take wickets, we have to stop the run flow.”Saving the Test, according to Dravid, was not on the Indian players’ minds at the moment. “I don’t think we can think about saving this game right now,” he said. “We need to go out there and show some fight. And bat as long as we can. Who knows what can happen? We have got quality batsmen who can bat long periods. It’s hard to think about two days from now right away. I am sure the guys will go out and fight and do the best they can. And we will take from there.”