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Craig Overton bags five-for before hosts build on imposing lead over Northants

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022Somerset will go into the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Northamptonshire at Taunton in a strong position, knowing that victory will guarantee First Division survival.With a lead of 401 and nine second-innings wickets still in hand, the home side can feel confident of at least a draw, which would put them 17 points clear of second-from-bottom Warwickshire.Having bowled out Northamptonshire for 265 from an overnight 184 for 6, Craig Overton finishing with 5 for 38, Somerset built on a first innings lead of 124 by posting 277 for 1.Unbeaten centuries from skipper Tom Abell, his second ton of the match, and Tom Lammonby led the way, while Imam-ul-Haq contributed 52. Abell hit 112 not out and Lammonby 101 not out to effectively bat Northants out of the game.If Somerset can complete victory, it will open up a 25-point gap on Warwickshire and lift them to a comfortable sixth place in Division One, with the final round of fixtures next week.They began the third day against Northants in perfect fashion when Josh Davey had Saif Zaib well caught low down at second slip by Overton off the first ball of the morning.But Tom Taylor, unbeaten on 19 overnight, moved to an impressive fifty off 69 balls by cutting his tenth four off Kasey Aldridge.Another Taylor boundary off Abell took Northants past the follow-on figure at 240 for 7 and Somerset’s attack, lacking the injured Lewis Gregory, were looking frustrated as Lizaad Williams helped add 63 for the fourth wicket.That changed with a needless run out. Taylor played Sajid Khan into the leg side with no intention of taking a single, but Williams, on 23, charged down the pitch from the non-striker’s end and was sent packing by Josh Davey’s throw to the bowler.Aldridge had Ben Sanderson caught at mid-on and Overton wrapped up the innings when Jack White was caught behind, backing away towards square leg.By lunch, Somerset had extended their lead by 12 to 136 and the afternoon session saw Lammonby and Imam build further without undue alarm.Imam was first to his half-century off 74 balls, having hit four fours and a straight six off Rob Keogh, a shot which took the lead to 200.The Pakistan Test opener fell shortly afterwards, allowing a ball from off-spinner Keogh to run up his pad onto a glove before being taken by wicketkeeper Ricardo Vasconcelos, running in front of the stumps.By then the lead was 225 and Lammonby soon followed his opening partner to fifty, having faced 115 balls and hit five fours.By tea, Somerset had progressed to 118 for 1, with Lammonby on 54, and arch-rivals Gloucestershire were on the verge of doing them a huge favour by beating Warwickshire.The final ball at Bristol was shown on the screens down the M5 at the Cooper Associates County Ground to relieved applause from Somerset fans, as in front of them, Lammonby and Abell built a half-century stand from 70 balls.Abell launched a six over mid-wicket off Keogh as his side accelerated towards a declaration in the morning. His fifty occupied 49 deliveries and also featured five fours.Successive Abell boundaries off Keogh took the lead past 350, while another four in the off-spinner’s following over took Somerset’s captain past 1,000 first class runs for the season.A swept single off Keogh completed Abell’s fifth hundred of the summer off 87 balls, with 14 fours and a six.Lammonby lost nothing by comparison, curbing his natural attacking instincts to strike just eight boundaries in his patient 221-ball century. By stumps the stand between the pair was worth 176.Abell left the best till last, a swashbuckling six over extra cover off Josh Cobb in the final over of a Somerset-dominated day.

Rahul Dravid has held this position till now and he can apply again if he chooses to

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2021The BCCI has advertised for the position of head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. The position was till now held by former India captain Rahul Dravid, whose two-year term has come to an end. Dravid can apply again should he be interested in getting an extension.The job mainly involves development of emerging and youth cricketers not only at the NCA but also India A and age-group teams, working in close co-ordination with both men’s and women’s national coaching teams and captains to ensure a seamless supply of talent, assisting selectors of both men’s and women’s sides at senior, age-group and India A level, and developing all coaching programmes at the NCA.The qualifications required for the job are an experience of representing India in at least 25 Tests and having coached for at least five years at international level or at India A, India Under-19, India women or IPL. Candidates must be under 60. The last date to apply is August 15.If Dravid does apply for the job, it will end, for the time being, any speculation around his becoming India’s next coach. The current coach, Ravi Shastri, and his team of B Arun, R Sridhar and Vikram Rahour, end their term with the T20 World Cup later this year.Dravid’s term began in July 2019. India’s feeder systems have come in for praise after a severely depleted Test side beat Australia in Australia earlier this year. India were able to send a second-string side to Sri Lanka when all the first-choice players were in England this July. They won the ODI series, but lost the T20I series. They had lost the services of eight players during the last two T20Is of the series because of Covid-19 cases in the Indian camp. Dravid travelled to Sri Lanka as the coach of this team.

South Australia were consigned to the bottom of the table little more than an hour into the third day at the Gabba

Daniel Brettig13-Mar-2019Queensland wrapped up a tense, low-scoring victory over South Australia to consign the Redbacks to the bottom of the Sheffield Shield table little more than an hour into the third day at the Gabba after 37 wickets fell over the first two days.Resuming at 7 for 94 in pursuit of 175, the visitors had placed much of their hope in Jake Lehmann, unbeaten overnight on 41. But in the third over of the morning, he was deemed lbw to Michael Neser, in the same over as he had been dropped in the slips by Marnus Labuschagne.The Bulls celebrated this wicket with relish, but still had to sweat through another 13.1 overs as SA’s last two wickets scrapped another 36 runs. The critical breakthrough was made by the spin bowler Mitchell Swepson, not previously used in the match, who coaxed Joe Mennie to slap a catch to cover. Luke Robins fell to Cameron Gannon shortly after to leave the Bulls victorious.

Both teams begin the new season with rejuvenation on their minds, and both have been hurt by injuries to key fast bowlers

The Preview by Akshay Gopalakrishnan07-Apr-20184:35

KKR have enough opening options – Agarkar

Big picture

When Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore walk out on Sunday, both sides will be conspicuously lacking a familiar left-handed opener. Royal Challengers let go of Chris Gayle, perhaps their biggest match-winner ever, ahead of the January auction, and Knight Riders did the same with Gautam Gambhir, their captain for seven seasons in which they won two titles.If these events show us anything, it’s how unpredictable this league, and by extension the format, can be. Just in 2016, Virat Kohli, the Royal Challengers captain, called out Sarfaraz Khan for his fielding and fitness. And yet, he was one of three players retained, alongside AB de Villiers and Kohli himself. This is a slightly different RCB line-up. After falling flat in 2017, when they finished last, they seem to have made amends with smart buys aimed at remedying their over-reliance on the top order. They will also be served well by domestic talents who have successfully transitioned to international cricket, such as Yuzvendra Chahal.Knight Riders have endured three seasons without a trophy, and have sought to address that by appointing a new captain in Dinesh Karthik, who is in the middle of a late career renaissance of sorts. Karthik, who has a wealth of leadership experience in domestic cricket, recently earned a recall to the Indian side and responded by playing probably the defining innings of his career: all signs of a man high on confidence and at peace with his game. Not a bad way to start.

In the news

Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the tournament with a tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg, and the Knight Riders coach Jacques Kallis has pinned his faith on Tom Curran, the bowling allrounder from England, to fill in ably. There were also doubts surrounding Chris Lynn and Andre Russell, who pulled out of the PSL due to injuries, and Sunil Narine, who was reported for a suspect action in the same tournament. But the Knight Riders management has assured fans that all three will be available for the opener.Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was Knight Riders’ second-highest wicket-taker last season, will miss the opportunity of taking on his former franchise. As he has continues to recover from a back stress fracture, Coulter-Nile has been withdrawn from the Royal Challengers squad and replaced by Corey Anderson.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Dinesh Karthik (capt, wk), 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Piyush Chawla, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh NagarkotiRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Brendon McCullum/Quinton de Kock, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Navdeep Saini

Strategy punt

Dinesh Karthik would do well to unleash Piyush Chawla at the Royal Challengers line-up. De Villiers has an appalling record against the legspinner in IPL: 43 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 97.7, while being dismissed four times. McCullum fares even worse, averaging 8.00 and striking at 80 while also being dismissed four times in eight innings. That’s two of the opposition’s most dangerous batsmen.

Stats that matter

• Sixteen out of 26 matches at the Eden Gardens in T20Is and IPL since 2015 have been won by the chasing team: a strong case for bowling first.
• Sunil Narine has increasingly proven his utility as a batsman in recent years. His effectiveness shoots up significantly when he’s facing spin. Since IPL 2015, Narine has averaged 17.2 against pace and struck at 145.8. Against spin, the corresponding numbers are 29.5 and 226.9.
• Both teams are relatively evenly matched at the Eden Gardens. In their five most recent meetings at this venue, Knight Riders hold a marginal 3-2 edge. However, Knight Riders have won all their three matches batting first, while RCB have chased down totals for both their victories.
• While Dinesh Karthik is solid in the middle overs and a blazing finisher, he has trouble getting going in the Powerplay. Since the 2015 IPL, Karthik has batted 16 times in the first six overs and faced 63 deliveries for a strike rate of 92.1.
• If Knight Riders win on Sunday, they will tie Chennai Super Kings for 41 home victories – the second-highest among all IPL teams.

1:19

RCB: The perennial bridesmaids

Fantasy picks

• First, the obvious choices: Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. You’d have to be brave and perhaps foolish to leave either out.
• Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are coming off a bumper limited-overs tour of South Africa. They took 33 wickets between them in six matches and averaged 13.88 and 16.37 respectively. Royal Challengers struggled at the death in the last IPL, losing an average of three wickets per innings in the last five overs, and scoring at just 8.64 per over. Kuldeep was the most successful spinner at the death last year, taking seven wickets and conceding a boundary once every 6.67 deliveries.

Quotes

“Unfortunately Starc got injured but we have got a replacement in [Tom] Curran. We look forward to some exciting stuff from Tom who should stand up and play a big role in the absence of Mitchell.”

Tim Gruijters could play his first matches for Netherlands in more than two years after he earned a recall to the Dutch squads to play Afghanistan and Nepal in the next round of the Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016Tim Gruijters is in line to play his first matches for Netherlands in more than two years after he earned a recall to the Dutch squads for the four-day Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan from July 29-August 1 and the two WCL Championship matches against Nepal on August 13 and 15.Gruijters has not played for his country since he went home early from the 2014 World T20 in controversial circumstances. Officially, Netherlands management applied to have him replaced after scans revealed a back injury. Gruijters’ injury opened the door for Tom Cooper to arrive as a replacement player and he wound up as the tournament’s second-highest scorer behind Virat Kohli. However, Gruijters claimed he was bullied into going for a scan in order to have Cooper enter the squad when the Australian-based batsman became available after South Australia failed to reach the Sheffield Shield final.Despite the ill-will between Gruijters and team management at the time, the two sides have since reconciled to open the door for his way back into the Dutch side. He is joined by Shane Snater, a former Zimbabwe junior representative who has yet to make his senior team debut for Netherlands. Sikander Zulfiqar has also been named in the squad for the Nepal matches.Making way for Gruijters and Snater from Netherlands most recent WCL Championship and Intercontinental Cup squads are batsmen Michael Swart and Rahil Ahmed. Cooper and Logan van Beek, who were part of Netherlands’ 2016 World T20 squad in India, have also both been omitted.Paul van Meekeren, who impressed at the World T20 and recently signed to play for Somerset for the rest of the current English County season, has made himself available as has fellow Somerset team-mate Roelof van der Merwe.Netherlands currently sit in second place on the Intercontinental Cup table, 14 points behind Ireland but five points ahead of third-place Afghanistan. Afghanistan have won both prior meetings in the four-day competition, by one wicket in 2009 and three wickets in 2012.In the WCL Championship standings, Netherlands are in first place at 10 points after six games and hold a one-point advantage over Hong Kong. Netherlands are currently undefeated, having swept the UAE and Papua New Guinea while their series against Scotland last September ended with a pair of no results after rain ruined proceedings.Netherlands squad for Afghanistan match: Peter Borren (capt.), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Quirijn Gunning, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Shane Snater, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van MeekerenNetherlands squad for Nepal matches: Peter Borren (capt.), Wesley Barresi (wk), Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tim Gruijters, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar, Shane Snater, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Sikander Zulfiqar

Even though Zimbabwe dominated most parts of the third day by taking a 64-run lead and then building on it, three wickets in the last nine balls of the day brought the Pakistanis back and has given both the sides almost equal chances of winning the Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2013Even though Zimbabwe dominated most parts of the third day by taking a 64-run lead and then building on it, three wickets in the last nine balls of the day brought the Pakistanis back and has given both the sides chances of winning the Test. Pakistan’s bowling coach, Mohammad Akram, said they were confident of getting a few wickets by keeping their line and lengths tight to build the pressure.”Our plan was to keep it tight,” he said. “We knew that if we did that, at some point the door would open and then we could push through it.”Zimbabwe had taken a first-innings lead in the first Test too but they had to bat last which put added pressure on them when they were set a target of 342 with a little more than a day left. This time, Pakistan will be batting last and are already 185 runs behind with six Zimbabwe wickets remaining. The pitch, Akram said, has not been causing difficulty till now and said it is still a “good wicket” for both bowlers and batsmen.”So far the pitch has played well,” he said. “Everyone was thinking there would be too many snakes in it but it has been good for batting, once you are in. Stroke-making was not easy but there is still something in it for batsmen and bowlers and it’s been a good wicket.”

‘Not a bad decision to open with Utseya’

Two of the four wickets Zimbabwe lost on the third day were of bowlers as Vusi Sibanda could not open due to illness and Prosper Utseya accompanied Tino Mawoyo at the top of the order in the second innings. Panyangara, the nightwatchman who fell for a duck, said Utseya was the right replacement to open with, instead of sending another top-order batsman. Even though Utseya scored only 5, Panyangara defended the decision of openng with him.
“He [Sibanda] was off the field after lunch because he was not feeling well,” Panyangara said. “The team decided Prosper would be the best one to go and open for us. If you look at it now, it wasn’t that bad. As much as we didn’t want to lose those wickets at the end, we are still in a good position because two of the guys who are out are not top order batsmen.”

Tinashe Panyangara also said the pitch had not deteriorated much so far but hoped that it would on the last two days. “I hope so,” Panyangara said with a laugh when asked if he thought the pitch would get worse. “Every day we’ve thought it would get worse and it hasn’t really. But maybe on the final two days it will. It has been playing up a bit but I wouldn’t say it’s got much worse so far.”Just like Pakistan who had plans of bowling tight, Panyangara said they had planned to bowl around the off stump to keep Pakistan’s scoring rate down. Pakistan had started the day at 163 for 3 but collapsed to 230 after lunch, losing their last six wickets for 19 runs. Brian Vitori, who had not been picked for the first Test, claimed the last three wickets in two consecutive overs to take his first five-for in only his fourth Test.”Our plan was to stay around off stump all the time and keep the run-scoring down,” Panyangara said. “If you look at the run-scoring especially after lunch, they never scored at more than three an over. We knew if we did that right, we would get wickets.”Despite Pakistan’s lower-order collapse, Panyangara said they would need “a day at the least ” to bowl Pakistan out in the fourth innings after setting them a target. With six wickets in hand, he said they did not have any target in mind and would try to get “as many as possible” before bowling in the fourth innings.

Members of the Australia women’s cricket team will be among the country’s highest-paid female athletes as part of a restructure of the Cricket Australia contract system

Brydon Coverdale21-May-2013Members of the Australia women’s cricket team will be among the country’s highest-paid female athletes as part of a restructure of the Cricket Australia contract system. The leading players could earn up to $80,000 over the next year as part of the new payment programme, with the top player retainer having increased from $15,000 to $52,000 and the minimum retainer having been boosted from $5000 to $25,000.There has also been a substantial increase in the player tour payments from $100 a day to $250 a day, which could add up significantly over the next year, when the national team will be touring for 85 days. Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said the move was “a landmark step” for women’s cricket and a fine recognition of the success of the Australians, who currently hold both the World Cup and World Twenty20 titles.”We are still working towards the day when Australia’s female cricketers will be able to earn a full-time, professional living from cricket,” Sutherland said. “But the performances of our female stars justify this step and the day will come when future, full-time professional female cricketers will look back and thank those who went before them.”Sutherland said the success of the national team had contributed to a boost in female cricket participation, which has increased by 18% in the past year to 180,000 female participants across Australia. State players will also benefit from the cash injection, with Cricket Australia to provide each state and the ACT with $100,000 a year to help fund minimum standards for women’s cricketers contracted to play in the national competitions.”This is a massive boost for women’s cricket in Australia and I know all players thank CA and ACA [the Australian Cricketers’ Association] for agreeing to this additional funding,” current Australia player Alex Blackwell said. “Female players have never been better supported. With women’s cricket growing both here and internationally, the opportunities for players are increasing. These extra dollars will help strike a balance between the sacrifices required to reach the top levels and the rewards that come with this. It’s a great time to be playing and makes you look at the upcoming season with a huge level of excitement.”Lisa Sthalekar, who has recently retired from international cricket but remains a member of the ACA executive, said: “For such a long time, female cricketers have trained and played at the highest levels but took a financial hit to do so. From paying for a lot of their expenses to sacrificing earnings for time away from work, the cost has been significant to this point – and forced too many players to retire prematurely. These funds help show how far women’s cricket has come in recent times and will provide a wonderful incentive to current and future players to follow their dreams within a more supportive financial environment.”The first group of national players who will benefit from the new payment system has also been named. Fourteen players will be contracted for the next year, down from 18 last season, with the intention to concentrate on a core group of players.Holly Ferling, 17, has been added to the squad after impressing on debut at the World Cup earlier this year, while other additions from last year’s list include Ellyse Villani and Megan Schutt. Along with the newly-retired Sthalekar, the other players left out from the 2012-13 squad are Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Elliott, Sharon Millanta and Leah Poulton.Contract list for 2013-14 Alex Blackwell, Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Holly Ferling, Jodie Fields, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani.

The Pakistan squad for Champions trophy spent the second day of their conditioning camp in Abbottabad focusing on their batting

Umar Farooq in Abbottabad04-May-2013The Pakistan squad for Champions trophy spent the second day of their conditioning camp in Abbottabad focusing on their batting. The players had a full-fledged session under the guidance of former players Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, while the regular coaches, Dav Whatmore and Mohammad Akram, took a backseat.Misbah-ul-Haq, Nasir Jamshed and Umar Amin were batched together for a batting session with Miandad, while the bowlers – Mohammad Irfan, Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan – also spent time working on their batting with help from assistant coach Shahid Aslam. Ajmal, who is expected to play a significant role with the ball, showed he has worked on his batting with a couple of eye-catching shots – a back-foot cut and a slog over midwicket.Asad Shafiq, who scored four consecutive half-centuries recently in the President’s cup one day tournament, had an extended batting session for two hours. In the absence of Younis Khan, Shafiq will shoulder extra responsibility in the Pakistan middle order.”I have batted on a track that helped both bowlers and batsmen, a pitch similar to what we are (expecting) to get in England,” Shafiq said after the session. “My confidence is already up after playing in South Africa. I am trying to avoid being complacent and maintain my rhythm from these training sessions.””My plan is to bat for big runs as I know the responsibility in his [Younis] absence has gone up. As a team, we understand how important it is to score runs to support our bowlers, as our group is a tough one. It’s in our minds that we have to be ready and have to give our hundred per cent to winning the opening game.”Akram, who arrived today for a two-day visit, cited batting as the key if Pakistan are to succeed. He said that the team’s chances in Champions Trophy are ‘bright’ but batsmen need to contribute regularly. “If our batting clicks, our bowlers will follow it up on a good note,” Akram said. “Our strength has been the bowling. Even in my era, we never felt comfortable chasing the target. So our batsmen need to score runs.”The are indeed preparing well, but we need to see how they execute the plans there in the matchesm,” he said. “I always deem Pakistan as a favourite for such tournaments and with a proper planning we can beat any team any where.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai

The Preview by George Binoy26-May-2012

Match facts

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)When these sides met in Chennai during the league stage, Knight Riders won by five wickets•AFP

Big Picture

They are here, again. Those resilient, stubborn Chennai Super Kings. In another IPL final, their fourth in five seasons and their third in a row, pursuing a hat trick of titles. Love them, hate them or couldn’t care less about them, you have to give it to them – the Super Kings got game. They know when and how to turn it on, too, though this season they dangled off the edge of the precipice, holding on with their pinkies, for longer than was comfortable.Kolkata Knight Riders did not leave their chances hinging on an improbable combination of results over which they had no control. They reached the playoffs with a game to spare and made short work of Delhi Daredevils to enter their maiden IPL final. Their performances have been efficient and consistent and they should logically be favourites tomorrow. But they’re facing a resurgent side on its home turf.Super Kings are blessed with loyal fans and the pricklier among them bristle at insinuations that fortune played a role in their team making it to Chennai on Sunday. They got enough points, didn’t they? And they didn’t design the schedule, so they had to hope three results went their way to make the playoffs. And Kings XI Punjab just weren’t good enough to beat Delhi Daredevils, and Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore weren’t good enough to beat bottom-placed Deccan Chargers. What’s luck got to do with it?That Super Kings had to wait five days to know they would be able to defend their title was because of an out-of-sorts start to the season. At times they, the IPL’s least changed side over five seasons, looked passé compared to some of the other teams, who had strengthened squads with new personnel. Super Kings’ turnaround only began after ten league games, of which they had won four. They won four of their last six matches, so their form, when they entered familiar playoff territory, was satisfactory.And then they were near perfect. After clambering on to level ground, Super Kings’ misfiring batting line-up, the longest in the IPL, found its guns and annihilated Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils with breath-taking confidence.While Super Kings had abundant success in seasons past, Knight Riders had nothing. In the first three years, they were the only team without a top-four finish. So in 2011, Knight Riders abandoned failed strategies, completely overhauled their squad, and climbed to fourth in the league, but lost the eliminator. In 2012, they have gone farther, converting their second-place finish in the league into a berth in the finals by beating Daredevils in the first qualifier.Knight Riders also had an iffy start to the season, losing three of their first five games. Since then they’ve lost only two out of 11, acquiring the rarest quality in Twenty20 cricket – consistency. There were no dramas in their progress to the playoffs. Their success has been built around two people with supporting contributions from the rest. The captain Gautam Gambhir has been a reliable run-scorer, while the spinner Sunil Narine has confounded all and sundry with his unreadable variations.If they perform like they have this season, Knight Riders have little reason to worry. Whether they can perform in their first final, against opponents seasoned to such pressure, is the question.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings: WWLWW
Kolkata Knight Riders: WWWLL

Watch out for …

Sunil Narine: At present, he has the second most wickets this season, the best economy rate, and the best average for anyone who’s played more than two matches – 24 wickets, 5.20 per over and 11.95 per wicket. Gambhir’s used him in a variety of situations – early on to drag back a quick start, in the middle to exercise control over the game and at the end, when batsmen have only attack on their minds. Narine’s delivered each time. Gambhir’s utilisation of Narine in the final will be crucial. Super Kings bat until No. 9 so Gambhir will have to decide when and against whom Narine can have the greatest impact.The middle orders: With top orders evenly matched and Knight Riders shading the bowling battle, this is where Super Kings score heavily over their opponents. The line-up comprising MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, S Badrinath and Albie Morkel is far more reliable and powerful than the one comprising Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Manoj Tiwary, or variations of it. Knight Riders are more dependent on their top order than Super Kings are, although Yusuf Pathan did make his first proper contribution in the qualifier against Daredevils.

Team combination

Barring last-minute fitness problems, Super Kings are certain to play the same XI that won them the two knockout games to reach the final.A couple of Knight Riders players have hamstring concerns. Manoj Tiwary missed the knockout against Delhi because of a strain and was replaced by Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who impressed with 24 off 11 balls. Tiwary is likely to be fit, though, so either Shukla or Debabrata Das, who has also performed well, could make way. The bigger hamstring concern, however, is over L Balaji, who injured himself during the qualifier. Balaji has been the solitary Indian seamer in the Knight Riders attack so his absence could cause significant change to the team composition.

Meetings this season

At Chepauk, Knight Riders won by five wickets and two balls to spare. Super Kings were restricted to a middling total and the victory was more comfortable than the margin indicates.At Eden Gardens, Super Kings won by five wickets off the final delivery. Chasing 159, they* had reached 97 for 0 in the 11th over when Narine derailed the innings during a spell of 4-0-14-2. With 5 to get off the last ball, Bravo launched Rajat Bhatia over the long-on boundary.

Stats and trivia

• In the last five overs of the innings, Super Kings have scored at 10.64 per over on average this season, which is the second best after Royal Challengers Bangalore. Knight Riders have scored at 9.32 per over during this period. There is very little separating the sides’ run rates in the first six overs, though Knight Riders are a little faster.
• Knight Riders have had the best spinners of the tournament. They’ve taken the most wickets at the best average and economy rate – 48, 16.20 and 6.09. Their attack of choice in recent games has been Narine, Iqbal Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan, with Yusuf chipping in. Super Kings’ spinners are second best, but by a distance.

Quotes

“When you go on to the field, you do not go there to make friends but you are there to get results in your team’s favour. You have to be aggressive on the field. That is how we have won matches and now we are in the final and not to just compete.”
.”With his action, it is difficult to catch him as to which side he is bowling, whether it is the one that comes in to a right hander or it goes out. The variation he has got and the consistency that he has got in maintaining line and length has been crucial.”
.*The text said Knight Riders earlier

A round-up of the semi-finals of the One-Day National Cup Division Two tournament in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2011An unbeaten century from Rana Adnan and a collective bowling performance helped Lahore Eagles secure a place in the final by beating State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) by 73 runs in Karachi. Adnan’s 100 off 115 balls held the innings together and his partnership of 77 with Hamza Paracha, who made 51, set a platform for a considerable total. The middle and lower order, however, failed to contribute and Lahore slumped from 212 for 3 to 265 for 8. Jalat Khan took 3 for 53 for SBP while new-ball bowler, Mohammad Naved, was economical during his seven-over spell of 1 for 21.SBP’s chase never got off the ground. Their openers fell for single-digit scores and, after a 63-run stand for the third wicket, the steady fall of wickets resumed. Adnan Raees top scored with 49 and no one else got over 40. Lahore’s new-ball bowler, Emmad Ali, took 3 for 34 while Saad Nasim and Waqas Aslam took two apiece. SBP were eventually bowled out for 192 in 40 overs.Riding on Azhar Ali’s unbeaten hundred, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) chased the target of 273 to beat Karachi Zebras by six wickets and an over to spare in Hyderabad to secure their berth in the final. The chase had begun poorly, with KRL slipping to 19 for 3, before Ali led the revival along with Bazid Khan, who made 50. Bazid departed with the score on 117 but Ali Khan entered and blitzed 80 off 58 balls to shut Karachi out of the contest.Ali’s century had helped overcome Karachi’s strong total of 272 for 9, which was built around Asif Zakir’s run-a-ball 110. Rameez Aziz payed a supporting hand with 40 but there were no other contributions of note. Mohammad Irfan claimed 3 for 46 for KRL while Nauman Ali and Saeed Anwar jnr took two wickets apiece.