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A most incredible match ended with Sri Lanka nearly chasing down the second highest target in the history of one-day cricket

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran15-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Kumar Sangakkara’s whirlwind 90 was the innings of the match•Associated Press

The numbers were mindboggling enough. Virender Sehwag and Tillakaratne Dilshan made big hundreds at a frantic lick, but the innings of the match was Kumar Sangakkara’s
90 from 43 balls.The decisive spells were bowled by Harbhajan Singh, whose three overs in the middle had gone for 32 runs, and Zaheer Khan, who finished with the most expensive analysis in India’s
one-day history. At the end of it all, after 100 overs in which 825 runs were scored, Sri Lanka’s lion cubs couldn’t quite hold their nerve. Ashish Nehra did, and India crept home by three runs.When India piled up a team-record 414 for 7, it seemed as though this too would be a depressing no-contest. But with a full-throttle approach their only option, Sri Lanka came out with genuine intent and no little menace. India had the chance to strike early, but with Upul Tharanga on 10, Virat Kohli grassed the simplest of chances at short point, and they were made
to pay as Dilshan cut loose with a flurry of boundaries. He pulled and cut anything short or wide, and drove precisely down the ground when the ball was pitched too full. Just for variety, he threw in a couple of scoops as well, each evading the fielder placed at short fine leg to stop it.Dilshan got to his half-century from just 38 balls as 81 came from the first 10 overs. Zaheer’s introduction drew an imperious drive through the covers and Ravindra Jadeja was greeted with six-four-four in an over that yielded 17. Soon after, he had his hundred from 73 balls and it was Tharanga who then took up the attack, lashing Jadeja straight down the ground for two sixes on his way to 50 from 51 balls. Suresh Raina too was thumped for a straight six, before an error of judgement saw him stumped.Sangakkara was put down by Zaheer when he had just 16, a difficult return catch, and after that India were chasing shadows. Raina was heaved for two sixes over midwicket and one down the ground and when Dilshan scooped Zaheer over fine leg for six the two had taken just 28 balls to add 50. With 164 needed from 20 overs, Sangakkara then smacked Harbhajan over long-off to reach his half-century from 24 balls.Harbhajan then put down a straightforward chance at midwicket when Sangakkara had 58, and by the time the batting Powerplay was taken, Sri Lanka needed 124 from 15 overs. Sangakkara started it as though he intended to finish the game in a hurry. Zaheer was taken over mid-on
(four), slapped over midwicket (six) and then stroked through the covers twice in an over that cost 21. But then Sri Lanka, as with India, lost the plot somewhat.Sangakkara miscued one from Praveen Kumar to deep square leg, and after Dilshan had swung over over midwicket to reach 150, Harbhajan returned to have Sanath Jayasuriya stumped. When Dilshan was bowled going for a big heave off the first ball of his next over, the game was once again in the balance but it swung India’s way when Mahela Jayawardene was run out by Kohli’s throw from square leg.Thilina Kandamby and Angelo Mathews got within range with singles and the odd shot that breached the field but with Zaheer and Nehra started to get appreciable reverse swing, knocking off the runs was no formality. They whittled it down to 15 from 12 balls when disaster struck. Kandamby didn’t bother to ground his bat while going for a single and Zaheer whipped the bails off after Sachin Tendulkar had arrowed in a throw. Thilan Samaraweera too was caught short and suddenly Sri Lanka needed 11 from the final six balls.Mathews got that down to six from three before swinging Nehra to Tendulkar’s right at midwicket. Unlike some of his younger teammates, he held on without a problem, and as Mathews trudged off disconsolate, he took Sri Lanka’s hopes with him.Such drama had appeared unlikely when India started quietly after being sent in on a well-grassed pitch. There was some early movement for both Nuwan Kulasekara and Chanaka Welegedara, making his one-day debut, and the openers didn’t taken too many chances as just 19 came from the first five overs. Suddenly, though, the game exploded into life, with Sehwag taking Welegedara for three fours in an over.Virender Sehwag reached his century off only 66 balls•AFP

Thereafter, Sri Lanka were all over the place, with Tendulkar timing the ball magnificently in the V and Sehwag moving into six-hitting mode. Kulasekara, with his lack of pace, was the ideal target, clouted over cover and then pulled over midwicket with an ease that must have sent a
chill down Sangakkara’s spine.Another emphatic pull off Welegedera took him to 50 from just 34 balls and he then spent some time at the non-striker’s end watching Tendulkar do his thing. After two glorious lofts down the ground, Tendulkar opted for the impudent, upper-cutting Fernando over gully and slip to reach his own half-century from 48 balls.Worse was to follow. Mathews was introduced, and Sehwag immediately went downtown, thumping one behind the sightscreen and then over cover as the six balls cost 18. Tendulkar joined in with an imperious straight loft off Jayasuriya and it needed Fernando to give the Sri Lankans some breathing space, with a beautiful incoming delivery sending him back for 69.Sehwag, though, doesn’t like pauses, and after a brief lull when only singles were taken, he whacked a short one from Jayasuriya over midwicket for six. Two fours off the hapless Mathews later, he had his 12th century, from just 66 balls. On such a great surface for batting, Dhoni wasn’t going to stand and watch the fun. A six off Jayasuriya nearly went out of the ground, and when a desperate Sangakkara turned to the part-time spin of Kandamby and Dilshan, the fours continued to flow. Dhoni should have gone on 31, but Sangakkara missed a stumping after Kandamby sent down an innocuous full toss, a reprieve celebrated with straight sixes off both
spinners.Sehwag had the record individual score in his sights, but soon after the batting Powerplay was taken, Welegedara returned to get him with a low full toss that lobbed to point off the leading edge. Dhoni, after 72 from just 53 balls, followed four balls later, miscuing a slower ball from
Fernando into the hands of cover. The stutter continued as Gautam Gambhir edged Kulasekara behind, and the Powerplay fetched Sri Lanka three wickets for 33 runs. Raina and Harbhajan didn’t inflict much damage, but attractive cameos from Kohli and Jadeja ensured that the last few overs would be all about breaking records.But Sri Lanka refused to blink till the very last, and it was almost the Wanderers all over again. Unfortunately for Sangakkara’s brave side, Mick Lewis was nowhere to be seen.

Harbhajan Singh, the Indian offspinner, wants to win the 2011 World Cup and be part of teams that reached the top in all three formats of the game

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2009Harbhajan Singh, the Indian offspinner, wants to win the 2011 World Cup and be part of teams that reached the top in all three formats of the game. India are presently the No. 1 Test side after beating Sri Lanka 2-0 at home; they won the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 and so the only world title that has eluded this team is the World Cup.”We’ve won the Twenty20 World Cup, we are the number one Test side and now if we can win the 2011 World Cup, that would be a great thing for Indian cricket and all of us who will be part of that triumphant squad,” Harbhajan told . “I will be on top of the world if it happens.”The closest India got to winning the World Cup, after their triumph in 1983, was in 2003, when they reached the final in South Africa but were crushed by Australia. “It would have been nice if we could win the 50-over cricket World Cup in 2003,” Harbhajan Singh said. “We could not win it but I have great memories of that tournament, of playing some really great matches along with some great players. It will be very exciting if we can win the 2011 World Cup.”India were drawn in Group B for the 2011 World Cup along with South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands. They will play the tournament opener against Bangladesh in Dhaka on February 19. “It would require special efforts and special performance [to win the World Cup] and that would add on to team’s success,” Harbhajan said. “I will be very happy if we can achieve that. It would be very satisfying.”

Queensland are keen on signing West Indies fast bowler as their overseas player for the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010-11

Cricinfo staff27-Dec-2009Queensland are keen on signing West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach
as their overseas player for the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010-11. The Australians were impressed with his pace during West Indies’ recent Test tour of the country and the state side wanted to sign him up for the upcoming Twenty20 season but the West Indies Cricket Board declined to release him due to concerns over his workload.Queensland chief executive Graham Dixon has confirmed that they were in negotiations with Roach’s manager over the last three weeks. They recently signed New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori for a short Twenty20 stint.”We’ve been talking to Roach for some time now,” Dixon told the . ”The definite feedback we’ve got from his manager, as recently as (Wednesday), is that Roach wants to play for us. Our talks heated up in Adelaide [during the second Test] and we had to wait for the Test to finish in Perth.”By then Kemar had some wear and tear and the WICB had some concerns about his body and we understand that. As a young guy, they want him for 10 years. Unfortunately, with the niggling injuries he’s had, we couldn’t get the clearance from the West Indies for him to come for even part of the [Big Bash] tournament, so we went back to Daniel Vettori. This time it hasn’t worked out, but we’ll see how we are placed next summer.”Dixon said he had acted on the recommendations by Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden, both Bulls players, who were impressed by Roach’s tearaway pace. Since making his international debut for West Indies during the home series against Bangladesh this year, he has taken 20 wickets in five Tests and 16 wickets in seven ODIs. He bowled a spectacular yorker to get rid of Shane Watson, first ball, during the Champions Trophy in South Africa.Roach also bruised Ricky Ponting’s left elbow with a brutal delivery and sent the Australian captain to hospital during the third Test in Perth.”Kemar would be a great drawcard,” Dixon said. ”His X-factor is his pace and he would be great in Twenty20. We’ve taken some advice from Andrew Symonds and Matt Hayden and they think Roach would be a great fit for our side.”The fast bowling aspect of Kemar really appeals to the coach, the players and the selectors. It’s rare to find a guy who can bowl 150 kmh. He would certainly give us an edge. The more that young man bowls, the more attractive he will be to six states, not just one.”Four West Indies players have been signed up for the forthcoming Big Bash, including Chris Gayle (Western Australia), Dwayne Bravo (Victoria), Kieron Pollard (South Australia) and Dwayne Smith (New South Wales).

Chris Gayle raised some eyebrows when he tipped a West Indian thrashing of Australia in the one-day series

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG06-Feb-2010It wasn’t quite a Glenn McGrath 5-0 Ashes whitewash prediction but Chris Gayle still raised some eyebrows when he tipped a West Indian thrashing of Australia in the one-day series starting in Melbourne on Sunday. Australia have not lost a match in any format all summer but Gayle dismissed the notion that it would be intimidating to take on Ricky Ponting’s men in a five-game series.”It’s not, to be honest,” Gayle said. “We’re going to beat them 4-1. Not to worry.”Little does worry Gayle. Not the fact that Australia have won 20 of their past 24 one-day internationals, nor that West Indies lost 5-0 at home to Australia 18 months ago and haven’t beaten them in an ODI since 2006, nor even that the visitors are missing eight players including several who would be in their best XI.The loss of key men like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo to injuries will increase the reliance on Gayle. But it will also provide a chance for the next rung of players such as Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith, who have starred in domestic Twenty20 competitions without yet showing their best for West Indies, to lock in their long-term futures.”They definitely can put pressure on us [senior players],” Gayle said. “They are the future. It couldn’t be a better opportunity for them, the likes of Pollard, Dwayne Smith coming back and [Lendl] Simmons and those guys. Those guys can actually step up. We expect things from these guys to play a big part to win the series.”Australia are playing some good cricket. They will be difficult to beat. It’s an inexperienced team at this point in time but at the same time it’s a lovely opportunity for the guys to step up against Australia and make a name for themself and then look forward to their career.”He said Smith and Pollard, who enjoyed productive stints in the Big Bash over the past month, appeared to be in impressive form in the nets leading in to the series. However, he warned them against over-confidence – an ironic choice of words after his series prediction – flowing from their Twenty20 successes.Gayle himself deserves to be full of belief considering his Player-of-the-Series effort in the Tests before Christmas and his wonderful 146 within 29 overs in the tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI. The Australians know the importance of removing Gayle early after he plundered 346 at 69.20 in the Test series.”He’s a dynamic player at the top of the order and generally if your openers get you off to a good start it makes things a fair bit easier for the middle order in all forms of the game,” the captain Ricky Ponting said. “He started the tour pretty well down in Canberra.”He’s a very dangerous one-day player. He had a good Test series against us here as well and scored quickly. One thing we did just touch on then with our team meeting was making sure that our plans to him are spot on. They’ve got him and probably Pollard in the middle order that are very, very dangerous, and the other guys will try and work in around those guys.”But while Ponting was wary of Gayle, he refused to take the bait on making a series prediction of his own. With a squad that hasn’t been beaten all summer, he hopes to simply let his men do the talking on the field.”I don’t really care what he’s got to say as far as results go,” Ponting said. “All I can say is that I’m pretty confident this group can keep improving.”

Andrew Hall, Johann Louw, Alfonso Thomas, Pierre de Bruyn and Hylton Ackerman have been informed that they are no longer required by the Durban-based team

Firdose Moonda17-Feb-2010The Dolphins franchise has terminated the contracts of five senior players with immediate effect, with a view to developing younger players and unearthing local talent. Andrew Hall, Johann Louw, Alfonso Thomas, Pierre de Bruyn and Hylton Ackerman – whose contracts were to expire at the end of the season – have been informed that they are no longer required by the Durban-based team.”We need to develop younger players,” Jessie Chellan, the KwaZulu-Natal CEO said. “Everything was done in an amicable way and all the players understood why we were letting them go.” He said the franchise wanted to concentrate more resources on unearthing local talent that would form the squad’s base. Richard Pybus and Lance Klusener have also been roped in as additional coaches to work alongside Graham Ford.Ackerman believed the franchise did the “right thing”, given the unsuccessful season they have had. “In terms of moving forward, the franchise, literally, does not have the right personnel in terms of players,” he told Cricinfo. “If you look at the players, all of them do okay but there are no match-winning performers.”Ackerman has not played for the Dolphins since November last year and he said he was “not surprised” to hear that they had no further use for him. “I’m not upset, but for someone like Johann, who has been successful, it’s not a nice thing to have happened. There was a general feeling that the franchise was shopping around too much and not bringing their own players in, so it’s a good thing that they are going to develop players.”Of the five players, Louw is the only one from the region. Ackerman is originally from the Cape, but spent time at the Lions and the Warriors. Hall is from Johannesburg as well but signed with the Dolphins on his return from the unofficial ICL. De Bruyn and Thomas were part of the Titans.Despite the amicable settlement, Tony Irish, CEO of the South African Cricketer’s Association (SACA) said his organisation would be looking into the matter. “We don’t believe that what happened was right for the players,” said Irish. “All of them are technically out of a job from today.” Chellan confirmed that Irish had began discussions with him but said that only one player had an issue regarding the termination of his contract.All five players – who will be paid the amounts outstanding on their contracts – appear to have plans in place for the future. Ackerman was due to retire at the end of the season and will be doing television commentary, while Thomas and Hall both have County contracts. Louw will be playing for the Cape Cobras.The Dolphins have had a poor season and are winless in the Standard Bank Pro20, with one match to go. They did make it to the MTN40 final, after a surprise victory over the Titans and they lie second from the bottom in the SuperSport Series. They have named an inexperienced side, with four franchise debutants, to take on the Lions in a Pro20 match on Friday. The new faces are Cameron Delport, Vyash Gobind, Ruan Pietersen and Khaya Zondo, all of whom hail from Natal and have been playing in the amateur divison.

Michael Clarke has arrived in New Zealand to prepare for the two-Test series after taking a week off to deal with the breakdown of his engagement

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010Michael Clarke has arrived in New Zealand to prepare for the two-Test series after taking a week off to deal with the breakdown of his engagement. Clarke did not speak to the media on his departure in Sydney on Monday morning or after landing in Wellington and was flanked by team officials and security at both ends of the trip.Clarke, the vice-captain, was given time off by Cricket Australia to deal with his personal life but his team-mates are confident he will be in Test mode by the start of Friday’s opening game at the Basin Reserve. After missing the final three one-day internationals in the 3-2 series win over New Zealand, Clarke’s next step is to train with the squad on Tuesday.Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach, said Clarke would be treated as just another batsman during the series. “He’s a qualified and wonderful Test player, we’ll have plans to bowl to him like we have for the other guys,” he said. “He won’t be any different.”Phillip Hughes, Steven Smith, Marcus North and Simon Katich also touched down in New Zealand to join the outfit. Smith, the batsman-legspinner, is on a high after his selection in the squad and he also won the Steve Waugh Medal as New South Wales’ player of the year in Sydney on Sunday.

A new cricketing and educational facility will be opened in Mirpur, thanks to funding from the non-profit Sport for Life! foundation, the Pakistan government and cricketing authorities across the country

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2010A new cricketing and educational facility will be opened in Mirpur on March 6, developed and funded by the non-profit Sport for Life! foundation, the UK government and international cricketing authorities. The Pakistan government is supporting the venture.The new co-educational facility will provide youngsters between the ages of 10-16 in the rural area with the latest desktop computers, interactive whiteboards and classrooms with the aim of increasing levels of numeracy, literacy and IT skills. Coaches will be recruited from local communities and trained to maintain the centre.The project in Pakistan is supported by some of Pakistan’s greatest cricketing role models, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan. Sport for Life! was founded after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. Following the implementation of Sport for Life! centres in the Caribbean and UK, the programme continues to use cricket as a recruiting mechanism to motivate and inspire young people to participate in sport, education and healthy lifestyle training.Sport for Life! plans to develop more centres in Rawalpindi and other parts of Pakistan. The foundation will continue to sustain the initiative through a combination of internal and external, private, public and philanthropic donations.

Jamaican all-rounder, Andre Russell, swung his way ferociously to 108 runs off 65 balls, as the final day of the Jamaica Cricket Festival match against Ireland petered out to a draw at Chedwin Park

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2010Close Jamaica 339 and 314 for 7 (Russell 108*, Kidd 3-102) drew with Ireland 275
ScorecardJamaican all-rounder, Andre Russell, swung his way ferociously to 108 runs off 65 balls, as the final day of the Jamaica Cricket Festival match against Ireland petered out to a draw at Chedwin Park.The game was called off with over a hour to play, but Russell excited the crowd with 10 massive sixes and seven fours as Jamaica chalked up a lead of 369 runs. This was the icing on a positive outing from the youngster, who earlier helped himself to 4-41 with the ball during Ireland’s first innings of 275, which they carried over into the final day
without adding to the score.Russell was elated with his contribution over the three days but was particularly pleased with his four-wicket haul. “It was a typical innings for me, I got a few bad balls and I managed to put them away. It’s my first hundred at this level so it means a lot to me, I’m very happy with my innings and my overall performance in this match,” Russell said. “I’m more pleased with my bowling performance. I’m stepping up a notch and I can see that I’m improving at both aspects of my game.”Earlier in the day, opener Brenton Parchment scored 83 with opening partner, Danza Hyatt, battling to his second half-century of the match, ending with 53. The two registered a 100-run partnership, before Hyatt was removed by Andre Botha. The Jamaicans found themselves in a spot of bother shortly after lunch when they lost three wickets in quick succession. Donovan Pagan (16) went with the score on 158 runs before Horace Miller (0) and Brenton Parchment left shortly afterwards adding just one run between them.In the end, with little to play for, both captains decided to call it a day with an eye on Wednesday’s opening fifty over clash at the Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay, St Ann.William Porterfield was a little disappointed with some aspects of his team’s play but was happy to be back in the warmth and was more than grateful for the opportunity to get much needed match practice ahead of their ICC World Twenty20 assignments.”I thought our performance was pretty good and we got a chance to play some cricket again in the heat. We played some good cricket, I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t get some more runs with the bat,” said Porterfield. “A couple of guys spent some good time in the middle and got some fifties but it’s unfortunate no one was able
to push on and get a century.”Former West Indies player and Ireland coach, Phil Simmons, was not too disappointed with the result, but was hoping to see a better performance from his players with the bat.”We had a couple of good days, I think we did well on a flat pitch to get them out for that score. They were going well at one point but we did well,” Simmons said. “Batting-wise, we also had a good run because two or three guys got fifties but they are still getting acclimatised, we have only been here four days.”

David Warner says Australia are fully focussed on ending their poor record in Twenty20 cricket, and believes they have the strength in depth to cope with all conditions they will face in the coming fortnight in the Caribbean

Andrew Miller30-Apr-2010David Warner says Australia are fully focused on ending their poor record in Twenty20 cricket, and believes they have the strength in depth to cope with all conditions they will face in the coming fortnight in the Caribbean.Despite ruling the roost in 50-over cricket for the past decade, with three consecutive World Cup victories – including the last tournament in the West Indies in 2007 – Australia’s fortunes have not been so great in the shortest format. They were knocked out in the group stages in England last summer, and although they reached the semi-finals in the inaugural tournament in South Africa, they suffered an embarrassment along the way when they were defeated by minnows Zimbabwe.That result was revisited earlier this week, when Zimbabwe inched to a thrilling one-run victory in the teams’ opening warm-up match in St Lucia, but Warner demonstrated the extent of his own form with a rollicking 72 from 49 balls, including five sixes. He followed that up with 51 from 41 balls in a 101-run win against the Windward Islands on Thursday, and is ready to carry that momentum into their first fixture of the tournament, against Pakistan on Sunday.”It’s been a good lead-up for myself with a couple of half-centuries in the games just gone,” Warner told Cricinfo. “I don’t want to waste my runs in the warm-ups, but it’s always good to get them under the belt, and I hope to put in a good performance on Sunday. As a team, we are aware of our shortcomings in Twenty20 cricket, but we’ve played a lot in Australian cricket in the last couple of years, and we know we’ve got the resources to take it on this year and win.”Despite the setback against Zimbabwe, Warner believed that the experience would serve as a timely wake-up call, and felt that Australia would be better prepared for future contests now that they had had a chance to gauge the West Indian conditions. “Twenty20 is a funny game,” he said. “Anyone on their day can come out on song and roll a few teams over, or be a superstar with the bat. We’re looking forward to the contest, we’ve got the depth in bowling and batting to take on any side in this tournament, and we hope to do that.”We didn’t bowl too well that day and they got away from us, but we played positive cricket right up to the end,” he added. “The pitches so far have been pretty slow and low, and we’ve been playing on big grounds with a lot of wind around, so we’ve been running a lot of twos and threes which is a bit different for Twenty20 cricket. But the boundaries will come in a bit on Sunday, so our hopes are high and we’re a positive bunch. We’re looking to put the disappointments of last year behind us, and have a good tournament.”Warner had little opportunity to show what he can do in England last summer, scoring 63 and 0 in his two innings before Australia’s elimination, but since then he has expanded his Twenty20 experience with successful stints in the IPL, where he opened the batting for Delhi Daredevils, and with New South Wales, whom he helped to win the inaugural Champions League in India last year.”Personally, I’ve learned that time at the crease is vital,” he said. “With wickets in hand at the end, you can have an onslaught for the last five or six overs. My game is not just to bat in the top six overs, it’s to bat through and maintain my momentum through the innings. If there’s a batsman in, we can keep firing and keep wickets in hand, to post a good total or chase a big total. If I can keep up the onslaught, it stands us in good stead.”One slight disappointment for Warner is the lack of recognition from Cricket Australia, who left him off their list of centrally contracted players for 2010-11, despite his integral presence in the shortest form of the game. Earlier this week, Michael Clarke voiced his concerns on the subject, pointing out that playing Twenty20 cricket was the ultimate for players such as Warner who haven’t cemented their places in the more established forms of the game.”You go away on all these trips playing Twenty20 cricket, but the only way to get a contract is by being upgraded to Test or ODIs,” Warner said. “I believe that if you play one form of the game for Australia, you should be rewarded with one of those central contracts, but I reckon that’s going to come in the next year or so. Meanwhile, any opportunity I get to play for Australia, I’m going to grab with all I can and try to do my best.”Once the World Twenty20 is out of the way, Warner’s next international ambition is to earn a place in the Australian 50-over squad for the tour of England in July, and to that end, his forthcoming stint with Middlesex in the Friends Provident T20 could prove invaluable. When he arrives at Lord’s next month, he will team up at the top of the order with Adam Gilchrist, and the prospect already has him extremely excited.”I can’t wait,” he said. “My aim is to win this tournament, then get over to England to open with an idol of mine, who I’ve looked up to for many years. In the IPL, I had Virender Sehwag at the other end, another guy who I looked up to, but Gilchrist was my childhood hero so it’s going to be amazing and surreal for me. It might feel like a dream at first, but we’re both going to be there for business so our aim is to get Middlesex to the final, and win it.”Before that, however, there’s the serious business of international cricket to contend with, and Warner can already feel an upsurge of intensity as the competition draws closer. “The word round the camp is we really want to win this,” he said. “We’re not here for a holiday, we’re here to actually win and we’re not going home until we’ve achieved that. Everyone is 100% focused on winning this tournament and hopefully we can this time.”To see Warner and Gilchrist in action this summer, call 0207 432 1000 or visit www.lords.org for Lord’s match tickets, or for matches at Richmond & Uxbridge visit www.middlesexccc.com.

Leicestershire’s County Championship game against Middlesex was abandoned as a draw without a ball being bowled on the last day at Grace Road

01-Jun-2010
ScorecardLeicestershire’s County Championship game against Middlesex was abandoned as a draw without a ball being bowled on the last day at Grace Road.After steady rain throughout the morning, umpires Mark Benson and Nick Cook decided no play would be possible after an inspection at 2.15pm.The draw left Leicestershire with nine points and Middlesex took eight from a match badly affected by the weather, with only 9.2 overs bowled on the first day.