Leicestershire reactivated their faltering Friends Provident t20 campaign with a demolition job on Warwickshire at Edgbaston

23-Jun-2010 by eight wickets

ScorecardLeicestershire reactivated their faltering Friends Provident t20 campaign with a demolition job on Warwickshire at Edgbaston.After three defeats on the bounce, the Foxes stormed back by making 172 for 6 and wrapping up a 32-run victory by dismissing the home side for 140 in 16.5 overs.A chaotic performance by the Bears began when Jonathan Trott was given out, caught low down at cover by James Taylor after TV replay evidence, and continued with substitute Matthew Boyce running out three batsmen. This was all in sharp contrast to Leicestershire’s progress to their highest t20 total this season.Will Jefferson smashed 50 from 31 balls and Brad Hodge top scored with 54 in a throwback to his last Twenty20 fifty for the county in the 2004 final against Surrey at Edgbaston. Rejoining the Foxes for this year’s competition, the Australian had scored only 38 runs in five innings before making 43 against Yorkshire at Grace Road on Sunday.With form restored, he subdued Warwickshire’s attack in successive partnerships of 71 with Jacques du Toit and 73 in eight overs with the hard-hitting Jefferson. The home side may have thought it was a much-needed breakthrough when Tim Ambrose stumped du Toit for 40, but the South African’s departure only exposed them to rougher treatment from Jefferson.The former Essex batsman hit sixes in four consecutive overs before sparking a spate of dismissals when pulling a full toss from Ant Botha to deep square leg. Keith Barker benefited most from the late stumble by taking three wickets, the first when Hodge carved a catch to backward point.Jefferson did not field when Warwickshire began heir reply and his absence worked in Leicestershire’s favour when livewire replacement Boyce ran out Neil Carter, Jim Troughton and Ambrose.Darren Maddy made a quickfire 20 against his former county before adding to the catalogue of errors with an ugly heave to mid-wicket. The lower order attempted to restore some pride as Botha (21), Chris Woakes (15) and Ian Westwood (23) entertained the crowd before falling in quick succession to left-arm spinner Claude Henderson.There was more fun when the last pair, Barker (23 not out) and Imran Tahir (11), put on 33 and took the Bears beyond their previous lowest of total 114 in the competition.

Salman Butt is not convinced that returning Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan to the Test team would be the right move

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2010Salman Butt has a question for those of us who feel Pakistan are hitting themselves in the foot by continuing to ignore the Ys – Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan – out of the batting ranks. “Having seen the past results can anybody over here tell me how many wins Pakistan had with the people who were previously playing?” Butt shot the query at the media after Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat in Nottingham.He probably meant Pakistan’s record in England, as out of the five and six Tests Younis and Yousuf have played respectively in this country, they were part of only one victory – at Old Trafford in the summer of 2001 when Inzamam-ul-Haq bolstered the middle-order with his calm presence. Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s current coach, was then leading an experienced side, which also featured Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar and Saqlain Mushtaq.However, Butt, if he has been referring to the stats books, would also be aware of the Y-pair’s outstanding record in England: Yousuf has compiled 716 runs at 65.09 including a double-century and Younis has logged 470 runs at 52.22 with one hundred and a highest of 173. Those are big runs and Pakistan could do with such stone-walling efforts, going by the fragility of their batting order this summer.The call for their return is bound to get louder if you consider the fact that in the six innings so far on this trip, Pakistan’s middle-order, comprising Nos. 3-7, has recorded a solitary half-century. Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal have have all wobbled and succumbed to pressure easily.Yet Butt and Waqar have stressed that Pakistan possess the best possible unit at the moment and it was only healthy and apt to think beyond the Ys. “Whoever is in the Pakistan side is there because of his ability and needs to be given time to show what they are capable of,” Butt said. “Had we been winning with them in the team in the past two years then it could’ve been a mistake. But the results were the same. In fact these guys pulled off a victory after 15 years [against Australia last week at Headingley]. So people are not seeing the reality.”Waqar was more direct on Saturday evening, when Pakistan had lost their top three wickets in a matter of minutes. Asked if he felt the inexperienced middle order needed reinforcement in the form either Yousuf or Younis, or both, he did not entertain the thought too much. “Look, one is retired [Yousuf]. We can’t really bring somebody back from retirement. The other one [Younis] has got serious issues with the cricket board [PCB],” Waqar said with a smile.Waqar said he was disappointed at some of the shots his batsmen played but felt this team was on the right track, in light of what he had witnessed in the past few years where Pakistan cricket had been marred by relentless controversies. “If you compare the Pakistan side from the last two to three years to this one it is a big improvement,” Waqar said. “We want to make this into a big unit. We might have to take a couple losses but this unit looks good.”Pakistan’s biggest problem on this trip has been the weak spine the batsmen have shown in the face of challenging seaming and swinging conditions. Their ineptitude to raise a challenging score has only hurt and eventually demoralised their fast men – Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul, who have put in stellar performances. Butt accepts the blame. “Yes, because we have got out very quickly today and we lost seven wickets in an hour’s time you can say we have the problems against the seaming (swinging) ball.”Butt himself was a failure, getting a single-digit score in both innings. Ironically for Butt, though just two matches old as captain, he is Pakistan’s highest run maker this year and so remains the man to lend a direction for the rest of the batting order. “All of us need to take responsibility having played a bit more cricket than some others in the team,” Butt said.However Butt is not willing to pull the pin on any of the batsmen. “I am just two games old: we have won one and lost the other. So I can never think of saying they have not responded. I can’t be that impatient,” Butt said. According to him, expecting Pakistan to win every match is asking for the moon. “What do you expect from them – win every game? That will not happen. This is the time when you back your players. It is just a matter of putting up a performance whether it being bowling, fielding, batting. The faith I have in them, I know they can make a comeback.”

Offspinner Johan Botha has been named captain of South Africa’s Twenty20 team, replacing Graeme Smith, who stood down earlier this week

Cricinfo staff21-Aug-2010Offspinner Johan Botha has been named captain of South Africa’s Twenty20 team, replacing Graeme Smith, who stood down earlier this week. Smith remains captain of the Test side and will continue to captain the one-day side until the end of the World Cup.”Johan was the unanimous choice of the Board and we have every confidence that he will do an excellent job leading up to the next edition of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2012,” Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola said.Botha stood in for Smith during the limited-overs leg of South Africa’s tour of Australia in 2009, leading the team to a series win. That experience appears to have convinced CSA he is the right man for the job.”Johan has an excellent record as a leader,” selection convener Andrew Hudson said. “He was an inspirational captain when he stood in for Smith in the ODI series victory in Australia in 2009. His appointment is part of the process of refreshing our Pro20 squad and also deciding whether to follow the route of having different captains for different formats of the game.”Botha said he had enjoyed his earlier taste of the captaincy was hopeful he would do well enough so that when the time came, he would be considered for the one-day captaincy as well.”I really enjoyed the captaincy when I stood in for Graeme before, and I am proud to be offered the job now. I am looking forward to working with such a special team. I will have three Pro20 games before the World Cup and hopefully we can play some good cricket during that period.”As far as the 50 overs captaincy is concerned, I will have to see how my own form goes and how the team performs. If everything goes according to plan I would like to think I have a chance of captaining in the 50 overs format as well when Graeme stands down at the end of the World Cup.”Botha has played 21 Twenty20 internationals, taking 22 wickets at an average of 19.18 and scoring 113 runs at an average of 18.83.

Nottinghamshire’s chances of winning a Championship title have all but vanished after rain washed out the entire third day’s play at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2010

ScorecardHeavy cloud and persistent rain ruled out any play on the third day•Getty Images

After rain washed out the entire third day’s play at Old Trafford, Nottinghamshire’s chances of winning the Championship title now rest on the hope that Lancashire can be convinced to play a shortened game on the fourth day, with both sides needing to forfeit an innings, in order to engineer a result.If Somerset lose to Durham, Nottinghamshire could also sneak to the title if they get nine points by scoring 400 – they are currently 89 for 2 – and then taking three Lancashire wickets and drawing the match. That would be a breakdown of five batting bonus points, one bowling bonus point and three for the draw. The other way is, obviously, more unconventional.”Our only chance is Somerset [and Yorkshire] not winning,” admitted Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s head of cricket. “We need nine points, which we could get in bonus points. Or we could have some sort of run chase with Lancashire tomorrow.”The word from the ground on the third evening was that there remained a chance that could happen, but any target would have to significantly favour Lancashire for them to accept. In what could be a controversial end to the Championship race, Nottinghamshire will gain 16 points if they can pull off an unlikely victory, but also need Durham to fight out a draw with Somerset at Chester-le-Street. Of course, this entire scenario also rests on the weather and while it’s likely that the sun will be out at Chester-le-Street tomorrow, intermittent showers are expected in Manchester.”We’ve been sat talking quite a lot this afternoon,” added Newell. “We’ve already started looking at that situation. That looks like the best option at the moment in terms of trying to get a minimum of nine points. If Lancashire are prepared to chase a score tomorrow afternoon then that discussion is going to have to take place.These two teams have form in that department, with Lancashire setting Nottinghamshire a contrived 260 in 64 overs on the final day at Trent Bridge last month in a match they had to win. The hosts won by three wickets.”You’ve got to keep the integrity of the game to the extent where you can’t give anything away. We chased 260 off 64 at Trent Bridge a couple of weeks ago. That, to me, would be a similar amount off maybe a few more overs.””At the moment I wouldn’t like to plan too far ahead for anything because I think it might rain again,” explained Lancashire coach Peter Moores. “What happens tomorrow, I don’t know. We’ll see if the weather’s set fair and if we’re going to get a day’s cricket.”Then you decide where you are from there like you would in any game. There’s a responsibility to make the sure the integrity of the game and competition is kept. We’ll cross all those bridges tomorrow when you sit down with the captain, look at conditions, the pitch and then take it from there and then make your call.”Nottinghamshire will have been keenly aware of events at Chester-le-Street, where Somerset remained in pole position in the Championship by claiming a full hand of batting bonus points after James Hildreth’s seventh Championship hundred of the season. His knock ensured a six-point lead over Nottinghamshire and took Somerset to 426 – a lead of 140 over Durham. Nottinghamshire have been left needing a miracle.

Allrounder Abhishek Nayar has replaced Dhawal Kulkarni in the Mumbai Indians squad for the ongoing Champions League Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2010Allrounder Abhishek Nayar has replaced Dhawal Kulkarni in the Mumbai Indians squad for the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa. Kulkarni injured his back during training the day before the tournament started.Nayar has been a steady performer for Mumbai during the IPL, scoring 457 runs in 30 games at a strike rate of 134.01 and also picking up five wickets at an average of 30.40. However, he played only three matches in the last IPL, having spent most of the tournament recuperating from a wrist injury. He last played in the BCCI Corporate Trophy earlier this month, turning out for Bharat Petroleum.Mumbai play their next game on September 14 against South Australia in Durban. It is not clear whether Nayar would be available for the match.

The ECB have given Glamorgan a partial refund on the staging fee for the second Twenty20 international against Pakistan in September

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2010The ECB have given Glamorgan a partial refund on the staging fee for the second Twenty20 international against Pakistan held in September.The SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff hosted two Twenty20 matches in the immediate aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal and suffered poor ticket sales as the rumours surrounding the Pakistan players led to uncertainty over whether or not the matches would go ahead.The effect on walk-up sales at the ground was clear as a crowd of just 6,000 attended the second match on September 7 – a drop of around 5,000 on the first encounter 48 hours earlier. Glamorgan claim they have been given half of their staging fee back but, while an ECB spokesman confirmed that a rebate had been granted, no figures have been confirmed.Glamorgan chairman Paul Russell told BBC Sport: “We have come to an agreement with the ECB because we were faced with a set of circumstances that were not entirely of our making to put it at its mildest.”[The second match] was still in doubt the day before the game because of rather silly statements and claims that were being bandied around,” he said. “Because Pakistan, more than any other nation, attracts a following that turns up on the day, of course all of the shenanigans led to us having a [poor crowd].””The way it works is that you pay the ECB fee for the game. What we suggested was that it was unfair that we should be charged a full fee on the Tuesday because of the circumstances which affected the crowd which were beyond our control. The ECB have agreed with us and reduced the fee accordingly. They reduced it by 50%. As a result we have not made a loss on the international Twenty20.”

Kumar Sangakkara is not a man to indulge in hyperbole, but even he rated Sri Lanka’s miraculous comeback win at the MCG as one of the two best victories in his 277-game career

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG03-Nov-2010Kumar Sangakkara is not a man to indulge in hyperbole, but even he rated Sri Lanka’s miraculous comeback win at the MCG as one of the two best victories in his 277-game career. Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga somehow rescued their side from 8 for 107 chasing 240, and in the process rewrote a ninth-wicket partnership record that had stood since the 1983 World Cup.That they achieved the feat against the No. 1-ranked side, and in Australia, was even more impressive. After the match, Sangakkara was reluctant to put the triumph categorically at the top of the team’s achievements, but he was full of praise for the way Mathews and Malinga resurrected what looked like becoming a miserable failure.”It’s the second-most remarkable, I think, or at least one of two, because we were five wickets down for six runs against Bangladesh in a final and managed to get home in that with Murali hitting 33 off 15. But Bangladesh is one thing and the Australians are another, so this is incredible.”There’s nothing much you can think [at 8 for 107] – you just hope. And the way Angelo batted, I thought he showed immense maturity. He’s coming off a tough couple of months with the bat, he’s had an injury so he can’t bowl, but I think he just repaid our trust many times over with the way he batted. And Lasith Malinga did the hard yards in the bowling part and then managed to go out there and again contribute fantastically to the win.”Australia looked headed for certain victory when the debutant Xavier Doherty ran through the top order and by the time Malinga joined Mathews, a home win seemed only moments away. Immediately, they took the batting Powerplay, hoping to manufacture something out of nothing, and the gamble quickly began to pay off.They picked off 45 runs in during the fielding restrictions and gradually the momentum shifted. Malinga used his brute force to plant a few sixes into the stands and sow some doubts in the mind of Michael Clarke, while Mathews worked the ball around at the other end, conscious that time was not Sri Lanka’s enemy. Slowly they started to think of victory, which had not been on their agenda when the partnership began.”We never thought of winning the game from there,” Mathews said. “We just wanted to bat on and see how we go. We just took the Powerplay and it worked for us, we got some runs and the game got closer. When we got close to 200 we thought that we could do it, because we had a big partnership and Lasith was batting extremely well, he was hitting big sixes and it was so easy for me to knock it around and play freely.”It looked easy, too. Neither man gave a genuine chance until the scores were already tied, when Malinga was run out attempting a winning single. It prompted groans from the 19,000-strong crowd, which was dominated by Sri Lankan fans, while many of the Australians who would normally turn up stayed away, having already had a day off work for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup public holiday.”Melbourne is the best place for us to come and play, it’s like playing at home,” Sangakkara said. “Today I think there were many more Sri Lankans than Australians to watch the game, so it’s incredible to play here. Sydney is also great. Australia has been a great place to come to, but we haven’t won enough here, so it’s good to get off to a win.”However, as wondrous as the one-wicket victory was for the visitors, Sangakkara knows that much work remains if Sri Lanka are to win a series in Australia for the first time. They head to Sydney with an opportunity to secure the series on Friday, but barely half an hour after the players streamed on to the field to celebrate the victory, Sangakkara was already warning his men that they had to lift their game.”This is an incredible but very lucky win,” he said. “I thought we fielded quite poorly today. We bowled very well to restrict them, I though the Powerplay overs were fantastic. Thisara Perera again, he seems to be able to pick up five-fors and wickets in one-dayers when you don’t think that he can. We made some very poor decisions in our batting especially, when Doherty came on, and we made it really hard for ourselves. There are a lot of things to work on.”The batting of Mathews and Malinga is not one of them.

Australia are considering unleashing four specialist fast bowlers to soften up England, but first Ricky Ponting has to be convinced the WACA surface will not trick him again

Peter English at the WACA15-Dec-2010Australia are considering unleashing four specialist fast bowlers to soften up England, but first Ricky Ponting has to be convinced the WACA surface will not trick him again. Ponting delayed naming his XI for Thursday’s crucial third Ashes Test until he has a final look at the pitch, which is much greener than usual.Ponting has misread this wicket before, most notably against India in 2007-08 when it looked fast but played low and slow, and had a rare discussion with the groundsman Cam Sutherland today. If Australia go with the pace quartet of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus they will be flooded with options. Shane Watson’s availability actually makes a speed quintet possible, while the legspinner Steven Smith is also on call.The chances of Michael Beer, the left-arm orthodox spinner, making his debut have reduced slightly, although the hosts could quickly revert to a more traditional attack if the pitch dries out before the toss. To level the series 1-1 Australia require 20 wickets, four more than they have managed in the first two Tests.The WACA used to be a fast-bowling Mecca and every time teams come here they expect short-pitch tactics to stir up their opponents. Australia are preparing an attempt to bounce England’s top order and deliver some discomfort to the tourists, who have dominated since being dismissed for 260 on the opening day of the series. “I honestly feel the pitch conditions here are as foreign to English players as probably anywhere else in the world and hopefully we can exploit that this week,” Ponting said.It is impossible to understate the importance of this game for Australia. If they lose England will retain the Ashes and Ponting’s captaincy and playing future will be on the line. He usually announces his side the day before the game but will toss and turn for another night before deciding what to do.Western Australia, the local state side, have also been confused by the surface, which although it looks green is not always conducive to seam. Ponting is unsure whether it will play as it looks. “There’s a chance of that and that’s probably due to the different type of grass that’s on it at the moment,” he said. “It’s not the thicker, coarse grass that was on the wicket the last couple of years, it’s a finer leaf sort of grass.”When you’ve got wickets like that the ball tends to skip off that grass rather than holding on it. That’s why it’s important to get a good feel of it tomorrow morning and see how hard it is, and whether there’s any moisture left in the surface before we make our decision.”Hilfenhaus and Harris will be used as into-the-wind bowlers while Johnson, who has been trying to rebuild his action over the past week, will be able to charge in with the breeze. Siddle is another who will enjoy having the wind at his back if he is selected. Both Hilfenhaus and Johnson didn’t bowl in the nets during the final practice session in preparation for their returns after being dropped for the Adelaide game.Whether Siddle, who hasn’t take a wicket since his six on the opening day in Brisbane, or Beer fits in is still to be determined. Ponting said Beer’s inexperience would not be a factor in deciding the line-up.”It’s more so we can get the best four bowlers for us on that wicket, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “The fact that Michael is a debutant doesn’t come into it. If he’s in our four best bowlers for the wicket we see tomorrow then he’ll play.”Spinners have been successful over the latter stages of Shield games in Perth this season and Ponting planned to have lunch with Beer to talk tactics. Australia have Smith to bat at No.6 and bowl as well, but the team management seems confused by all the potential options.If he plays, Beer will be heavily involved in the second half of the game, while an extra paceman will be expected to cause more problems in the first innings. Ponting has too much to think about but must be wary about over-stocking his pace department on a surface that has bitten him before.

ESPNcricinfo previews the only Twenty20 between South Africa and India at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban

The Preview by Firdose Moonda08-Jan-2011

Match Facts

Makhaya Ntini will bowl in South Africa colours for one last time•Getty Images

January 9, Durban

Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)

The Big Picture

The cricket is going to be a sideshow to the festivities. It’s Makhaya Ntini’s farewell match, which is enough to charge the occasion with emotion. Sachin Tendulkar is going to be honoured for continued contribution to the progress of cricket. The match also forms part of the commemoration of 150 years of Indians in South Africa and tribute will also be paid to the South African team who toured India in 1991. All that will end with a Bollywood extravaganza.It’s a magical stage for such an occasion. The Moses Mabhida Stadium, best recognised by its arch, has been talked up as one of the most beautiful venues built for the Football World Cup. It’s doesn’t have the dimensions of an international cricket field and the straight boundaries are particularly short, which means boundary hitting may be the order of the day.The pitch, which was laid the day after the World Cup semi-final on 7 July between Spain and Germany, may not be singing the same tune. It’s rumoured to sustain only knee-high bounce and is quite slow. During a practice match in mid-December, players said they found cutters to be effective but not the short ball.The match has been sold out with over 50,000 fans expected to pack into the stadium. It will be the biggest attendance for a cricket match on the African continent.

Form guide

(most recent first)
South Africa: WWWWW
India: WWLLL

Watch out for…

It’s only the third Twenty20 Hashim Amla is playing. The first two were in 2009 and he has since injected a lot of pace into his game. His one-day international strike rate is up to 93.38 and he had a string of powerful performances recently against Pakistan in UAE.Makhaya Ntini has his last chance to impress in international cricket. His is not a veteran in this format, having played just nine internationals. Even if he doesn’t pick up a single wicket in the match, the emotion that will flow from each ball he bowls and every move he makes is going to be electric.Suresh Raina looked like a deer caught in the headlights during the Centurion Test. The floodlights will be on for this game, and this is the format where he feels much more comfortable. He has more than a point to prove, and could not have asked for a bigger stage.

Team news

Graeme Smith has been ruled out of the match because of bruising to his hand caused by a hit from Sreesanth in the Cape Town Test. Morne van Wyk, from the Knights franchise, takes his place. With the wicket calling for at least two spinners, Robin Petersen is certain to play with one of the quicks due to miss out. Lonwabo Tsotsobe is the likely candidate.South Africa (possible): Hashim Amla, Morne van Wyk, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Johan Botha (capt), Robin Petersen, Rusty Theron, Wayne Parnell, Makhaya NtiniSachin Tendulkar is likely to be rested. India are also looking to give Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth a well-deserved break. In the absence of the regular openers, Rohit Sharma could open along with M Vijay.India (possible): Rohit Sharma, M Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt), R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha/Munaf Patel

Stats and trivia

• In 40 Twenty20s, Ntini has taken 37 wickets at an average of 29.40 at an economy rate of 7.50.
• India have won three out of four Twenty20s against South Africa. Their only loss was in the 2009 World Twenty20 at Trent Bridge.

Quotes

“It will be an emotional game. It would be an emotional moment for anybody. Finishing and saying goodbye to something that you love….that will make it a special day.”

A 134-run stand between Ed Cowan and George Bailey steered Tasmania to a four-wicket victory over Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010
Scorecard
A 134-run stand between Ed Cowan and George Bailey steered Tasmania to a four-wicket victory over Western Australia and ensured that Test-reject Xavier Doherty’s fine spell of 2 for 46 from 12 overs did not go to waste.Cowan stroked 82 at better than a run a ball while Bailey finished unbeaten on 79 to guide his team home with four balls remaining despite a flurry of late wickets.Doherty had opened the bowling after Bailey chose to field first and despite his accuracy the visitors got off to a steady start with Shaun Marsh and Liam Davis. The pair reached 70 before Davis was trapped in front aiming a sweep at offspinner Jason Krejza for 35 but Marsh and Luke Pomersbach ensured further slip-ups before the 20-over suspension.In the second stint Marsh went on to make 52 before becoming the first of two victims for Doherty. Adam Voges contributed a quick-fire half-century, striking seven boundaries in the process but it was a 62-run sixth-wicket stand at the end of the innings that carried the total towards 245.The brisk opening stand between Mark Cosgrove and Rhett Lockyear was in stark contrast to the approach adopted by Western Australia and ensured the home side were in good shape responding to Western Australia’s 20-over score. The openers fell in quick succession, however, just before the break to give the visitors an opening before Cowan and Bailey’s steadied the ship.Tasmania needed a further 150 to win when Cowan and Bailey resumed their stand. While neither battered the boundary boards with expansive shots both ran well between the wickets and picked up runs smartly to build a perfect foundation to the victory. Cowan had reached 82 before he offered a catch to Marsh and Travis Birt was run out for 1 an over later. Jonathan Wells kept Bailey company in an important 35-run stand and despite two more wickets, Bailey held firm to give his team victory.