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Sri Lanka legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay said that his side’s ability to pick wickets in clusters made the difference in the tri-series final against Zimbabwe

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo27-Nov-2016Sri Lanka legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay picked up three wickets to help to set up Sri Lanka’s six-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the tri-series final, and his dismissals of Craig Ervine and debutant Tarisai Musakanda proved to be the turning point in the match. Vandersay, who last played an ODI series for Sri Lanka in January, said that his side’s ability to pick wickets in clusters made the difference against Zimbabwe.Vandersay snapped the 53-run stand between Ervine and Musakanda when he had the former caught and bowled, and two overs later he had Musakanda caught at slip for a run-a-ball 36 as Sri Lanka asserted their dominance. “It was not only [the two early wickets I took], but the quick sessions we bowled where wickets were falling regularly,” Vandersay said. “We kept it going, kept building up the dot balls, and that built pressure.”Under low cloud, on a tacky track, Vandersay finished with three scalps, while Sachith Pathirana took two of his own and Asela Gunaratne’s slow-medium off-cutters helped to wrap up the tail. It was as much as Sri Lanka might have hoped for after losing the toss – though had they won it, they would also have batted first.”We wanted to bowl second, mainly because we thought it was going to spin in the second innings,” Vandersay said. “That’s what we were thinking. So I’m not surprised Zimbabwe took that decision, batting first.”Vandersay had been picked to play in Sri Lanka’s last match against Zimbabwe, but inclement weather meant the game was washed out. Given another chance today, he made the most of helpful conditions to add his name to the list of young Sri Lankans who have excelled on this tour.”Even the first game that I got with Zimbabwe, when it was rained off, it looked like a turning wicket,” he said. “Today, of course we saw so much turn, so it was definitely the right track for me to play on. I’m really happy that we won the series, first of all. Personally, I’m happy that I was able to play today and get a few wickets. It’s been a good series.”Players like Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, even Asela Gunaratne, they’ve been performing consistently. The younger guys have shown some maturity, and done really well in the series. It is quite a satisfactory feeling for us as a team. We lost Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal before this series, and they’re consistent performers. To see our guys putting their hands up and performing well for the team, without some of the seniors being here, is quite satisfying.”

Sunil Narine, the West Indies offspinner, has been reported for bowling with a suspect action during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2015Sunil Narine, the West Indies offspinner, has been reported for bowling with a suspect action during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.Narine finished with figures of 0 for 24 in the Pallekele ODI, which Sri Lanka won by 19 runs based on the Duckworth-Lewis method. The match officials’ report, handed to the West Indies team management after the game, cited concerns about the legality of Narine’s deliveries.Narine will need to undergo testing on his action within 14 days, and will be permitted to continue bowling until the results of his testing are known.This is the first time Narine has been reported in an international game, though he has undergone scrutiny of his action during the IPL and the Champions League T20. He was reported twice in two matches during the 2014 edition of the CLT20, forcing him to miss Kolkata Knight Riders’ final against Chennai Super Kings.Though he was free to bowl in international cricket, West Indies withdrew Narine from their tour of India to allow him “the opportunity to have his action assessed and plan his return to cricket”. West Indies left him out of all their subsequent international assignments until they picked him for the 2015 World Cup. Though he had remodeled his action in the interim, Narine pulled out of the tournament, saying the return would be “a little too much too soon”.Narine endured further trouble with his action during the 2015 IPL – he was first cleared to bowl in the tournament, reported and sent for a re-test, banned from bowling his offbreaks, and then cleared again, with a “final warning”.The Sri Lanka tour was Narine’s first international tournament since August 2014. He picked up four wickets at an average of 18.00 in the three ODIs, while conceding 3.34 runs per over.

The ICC has fined Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, over his comments that Stuart Broad had blatantly cheated in failing to walk when he edged Ashton Agar during the first Test

Brydon Coverdale22-Aug-2013The ICC has fined Australia’s coach, Darren Lehmann, over his comments that Stuart Broad had blatantly cheated in failing to walk when he edged Ashton Agar during the first Investec Test at Trent Bridge. Lehmann has been fined 20% of his match fee for the final Test over the interview with the Australian radio station Triple M this week, in which he also said he hoped spectators would “give it to” Broad during the upcoming Ashes series in Australia.Lehmann pleaded guilty to breaching Article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an international match or any player, player support personnel, match official or team participating in any international match.”The ICC chief executive, David Richardson, laid the charge and on Thursday night, Lehmann admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the match referee Roshan Mahanama, who is overseeing the ongoing Test at The Oval.”Whilst noting the context and nature of the comments made, showing mutual respect for one’s fellow professionals – including for coaches, players and match officials – is a cornerstone of how we play the game,” Richardson said.During the radio interview, Lehmann was asked about the incident from the first Test in which Broad edged and the catch was taken at first slip after deflecting off the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. Lehmann said it was a case of cheating on the part of Broad.”Certainly our players haven’t forgotten, they’re calling him everything under the sun as they go past,” Lehmann said in the interview. “I hope the Australian public are the same because that was just blatant cheating. I don’t advocate walking but when you hit it to first slip it’s pretty hard.”

The two-member panel, which was formed to look into the involvement of the owners of two IPL franchises in corruption during the tournament, has found “no evidence of any wrongdoing” against Raj Kundra, the Rajasthan Royals team and India Cements

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2013A two-member panel has found “no evidence of any wrongdoing” against Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, the Rajasthan Royals franchise, and India Cements, the owner of Chennai Super Kings. The panel, comprising former high-court judges, was formed to look into the involvement of the owners of two IPL franchises in corruption during the tournament.The BCCI working committee met in Kolkata on Sunday and Niranjan Shah, a BCCI vice-president, said that the report submitted by the two retired judges, T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian, will now be forwarded to the IPL governing council.”There is no evidence of any wrongdoing found by the judges against Raj Kundra, India Cements and Rajasthan Royals,” Shah said. “The report will now be forwarded to the IPL governing council which will take a final decision when it meets on August 2 in New Delhi.”Meanwhile, Joint commissioner of police (crime) Himanshu Roy said, “The BCCI had written to us asking for the investigating officer to depose before the board. We wrote back a month ago, seeking clarification on the legal provisions of their request. But they have not replied.”The investigation into Gurunath Meiyappan, a top Super Kings official and BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law, India Cements, Kundra and Rajasthan Royals’ owner Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd was sanctioned after Meiyappan was arrested by Mumbai Police and Kundra reportedly confessed to betting in IPL matches.When asked if India Cements – the company of which Srinivasan is managing director and vice-president – has been given a clean chit in the report, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the interim BCCI chief, said: “The final call will be taken in the IPL governing council meeting. The governing council will examine the report and accordingly will take a decision. The copy of the report will be made public in due course.”Dalmiya also said that Srinivasan, who stepped aside from his duties till the investigation was complete as it included the probing of his son-in-law, will decide who will chair the governing council’s meeting on August 2. The question arose because Rajiv Shukla had resigned as the IPL governing council’s chairman on June 1. However, Dalmiya said he had not accepted that resignation. “I have requested him to continue,” he said. “I have not accepted Shukla’s resignation.”He conceded that BCCI Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chief Ravi Sawani’s findings on the Rajasthan Royals players accused of spot-fixing was discussed on Sunday, but since one of the three players involved – Ajit Chandila – was still in police custody, he could not be spoken to and so the probe is as yet incomplete.”We will wait for some time and then proceed accordingly,” Dalmiya said. “Sawani is currently on leave because of his son’s marriage. Let him come back.”Regarding the controversy over MS Dhoni’s conflict of interest because of his involvement with player management company Rhiti Sports, Dalmiya said “nothing will be swept under the carpet”.”I had said nothing will be swept under the carpet, many were asking what happened to that,” he said. “We have changed our mode of working. The players will have to declare their interest in sports management companies.”
By Sharda UgraThe BCCI’s working committee meeting in Kolkata has turned an important step of “Operation Clean-Up” into something resembling “Operation Cover-Up”.BCCI vice-president Niranjan Shah said the two-member probe panel had found “no evidence of wrongdoing” against Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, and India Cements, the owner of Chennai Super Kings. Interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya announced that the panel’s report would be formally tabled at another meeting five days later in Delhi.These facts spin out a series of questions.Does “no evidence of wrongdoing” erase the fact that Gurunath Meiyappan, who went from being “team principal” of Chennai Super Kings to an “enthusiast” and happens to be the son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, was arrested and questioned by Mumbai Police, and that Kundra was called in for questioning by Delhi Police?The arrest of a top-ranking team official and the questioning of a team owner about his association with bookmakers are not routine for any self-respecting sporting league. The damage caused to the IPL’s credibility by these events is as much of a “wrongdoing” as the arrest of and allegations against the three Rajasthan Royals players. Both Gurunath and Kundra were in positions of authority, with access to inside information.The next question that arises is with regards to the still-amorphous nature of the two-member probe panel that was set up to investigate the Rajasthan and Chennai honchos. To begin with, its appointment took place without a formal meeting of the IPL governing council. After the resignation of BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, who was originally named on the panel, it was neither disbanded nor was there a third member chosen to replace him. It is not known whether either Gurunath or Kundra deposed before the panel and who else was questioned. Had help been sought from the Mumbai or Delhi Police, whose investigations had a two-month head-start over BCCI’s own probe panel? The bazaar says the panel did approach Mumbai Police, but were refused help. Mumbai Police says that it had asked the panel a question, but nobody replied. So, what were the panel’s questions and where did their answers come from?Two conclusions emerged from Kolkata: Rajasthan Royals will benefit from the fact that they share the dock with Chennai Super Kings, the IPL’s best-connected and most powerful team. If Super Kings owners are to be spared, regardless of the arrest of a key official, so will Royals’. Even though the Delhi Police chief said that Kundra had confessed to betting in the IPL. Secondly, the probe panel’s report is now in the hands of the BCCI’s one-man disciplinary committee, Arun Jaitley. The other two members are Srinivasan, whose company India Cements is under investigation, and Shah.The report will then pass on to the IPL’s governing council, which will meet on August 2 in Delhi, home turf for Jaitley and Rajiv Shukla, whose resignation as IPL chairman, Dalmiya said, has not been accepted.With the IPL’s standing eroded, the ground beneath the BCCI’s feet is merely becoming shifting sand.

South Africa enjoyed the type of day teams dream of which ended with England staggering on 102 for 4 after being overwhelmed by the insatiable hunger of two batsmen

The Report by Andrew McGlashan22-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMorne Morkel added to a wonderful day for South Africa by removing Kevin Pietersen•Getty Images

South Africa enjoyed the type of day teams dream of which ended with England staggering on 102 for 4 after being overwhelmed by the insatiable hunger of two batsmen. Hashim Amla scored the country’s first triple century in Tests, building an overwhelming stand of 377 with Jacques Kallis, as South Africa amassed a lead of 252. The visitors then made major inroads into a dispirited England side who lurched to the close with a huge task ahead to leave The Oval with the series level.The first two sessions of the day were filled with Amla and Kallis earning themselves a place in the record books. Mostly those honours belonged to Amla who, after overtaking AB de Villiers’ 278 as South Africa’s highest innings, reached his triple century with a drive which brushed the fingers of a leaping fielder at cover. He barely put a foot wrong and looked as though he could have gone past Brian Lara’s 400 if the opportunity had presented itself.However, South Africa had a Test match to win. Graeme Smith surprised most people at the ground when he declared at tea, rather than giving England’s footsore bowlers and fielders another half an hour of drip-drip agony. Smith, though, knew his team were in an impregnable position and it was a show of attacking intent from the captain.Apart from a period on the first day, Smith has had a wonderful Test both with the bat and in the field, and his decision soon brought rich rewards. By the close Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara were clinging on, still facing a deficit of 150. An escape here would match anything achieved at Cardiff or Cape Town.With the eighth ball of the innings Vernon Philander – who again shared the new ball with Morne Morkel – found Alastair Cook’s outside edge with ball that nipped away to bring the first wicket of the day. By the 11th over, South Africa had as many wickets as England managed in 188 when Jonathan Trott, for the second time in the match, nibbled outside off stump when he could have left the ball. That gave Dale Steyn his first wicket after he had been brought into the attack much sooner than in the first innings.Kevin Pietersen’s brief stay in the middle was not one of his finest moments. A feature of how South Africa batted was that they were willing to give periods of time to the bowlers, but Pietersen wanted to impose himself from the start. When that method comes off it thrills; when it does not it will invite criticism.Pietersen played two well-timed pulls, one in front and one behind square, but also top-edged another over the keeper. He was then dropped at slip by Kallis when he flapped at a short delivery from Morkel and in his next over Pietersen managed to miss what was basically a straight ball as he was caught on the crease.The early breakthroughs made life much less pressurised for Imran Tahir and he proceeded to work over Andrew Strauss with a classy over from round the wicket. He located the footmarks to make one delivery spit and also skidded one past the outside edge. Then, in a flashback to England’s problems in UAE, Strauss was drawn into sweeping a wide delivery and the resulting top edge looped to square leg. Strauss had turned in disgust before the catch had been taken. This was not the first time an England captain had been humbled by a Smith-led team.This was the same pitch that, a few hours earlier, had produced a scoreboard that read 637 for 2. Amla and Kallis firstly ensured they played themselves in as Smith and Amla had done 24 hours previously. The first hour brought just 36 runs, but each demoralising over England spent in the field meant it was less likely they would be able to quell the onslaught once South Africa decided to switch gear. The second half of the session saw 75 runs added and a further 123 came between lunch and tea even without it feeling the batsmen went quite into top gear.Amla’s innings was a display of unyielding concentration and determination, yet he rarely lost his graceful touch until he became a little tense in the 290s. His driving continued to be the stand-out feature of the innings and even when England packed the off side he would calmly and carefully pierce the gaps with regularity.Kallis, who began the day on 80, batted at his own pace and reached his hundred from 227 deliveries with a glide to third man and immediately pointed to his eye, a clear reference to his team-mate, and close friend, Mark Boucher who was forced to retire early in the tour. The incident shook Kallis badly, but like many of the greatest sportsman he has channelled his emotions to the benefit of his team.It was also, notably, his first Test hundred in England since Old Trafford in 1998. This will be his final Test tour to the country and he appears determined to at least go some way to narrowing the gap between his record here and everywhere else. His partnership with Amla, to follow the 259 for the second wicket, was the highest third-wicket stand against England by anyone and meant it was the first time they had conceded two 250-run stands in the same innings.It was a sobering experience for the England attack. When James Anderson managed to swing a delivery with the third new ball past Amla’s edge the crowd gave him a warm round of applause. Early in the afternoon session all England’s frontline bowers went past their centuries, Stuart Broad completing the set when he was driven for three boundaries by Kallis who took the lead in upping the scoring rate while Amla focussed on his triple hundred.Broad had been off-colour throughout the innings and operated at no more than medium pace on the fourth day. Although that could partly be put down to conditions, England’s policy of a four-man attack means they cannot afford to carry any of their quicks especially with Graeme Swann proving ineffective as he sent down 52 wicketless overs, the most he had bowled in a Test innings. Since the start of the second day’s play they have looked anything but the world’s No. 1 team.

MS Dhoni has said that he would have loved to have had those extra overs that were lost to bad light, but his team weren’t too disappointed that they couldn’t force a result

Sriram Veera at the Kensington Oval03-Jul-2011India needed three West Indian wickets in about 11 overs when bad light forced the Barbados Test to be abandoned. The loss of Darren Bravo and Darren Sammy in quick succession, gave India the advantage at that late stage, but they couldn’t press on because of the conditions. MS Dhoni has said that he would have loved to have had those extra overs, but his team weren’t too disappointed that they couldn’t force a result. “We are not disappointed, because it [the draw] happened due to things that are beyond our control, like rain and bad light,” he said. “We wanted to bowl around 80 overs, but unfortunately we were not able to do so. But we tried our best, so there’s no reason to be frustrated.”The game could have meandered towards a dull draw if Dhoni hadn’t declared in the morning. He is not known for generous third-innings declarations: his previous declarations have set oppositions targets of 516, 403 and 617. So why did he choose to declare today at that stage? “It is a difficult target to achieve, if you are batting for around 80 overs to get around 280 runs,” Dhoni said. “The outfield was also very slow, so we thought that was a good enough target and that’s why we declared.”You will not know how much rain you going to get during the course of the game, so we thought 80 overs are enough to bowl the opposition out. We started with an attacking field straightway, and that’s why they got a few boundaries initially. That’s why we thought of 280 and didn’t declare at 240, so that we can have close-in fielders for those extra five-six overs.”West Indies lost three quick wickets at the start, before they rallied through a 54-run partnership between Darren Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and then a 69-run stand between Bravo and Carlton Baugh. At one stage, West Indies needed 100 runs from 18.3 overs when rain intervened. Was Dhoni worried then? “It was pretty balanced then. They were five down, and we needed just two more wickets. We got them towards the end, and from that point it would have been difficult for them to get 70-80 runs. So the declaration was a right decision.”Dhoni had words of praise for Ishant Sharma who made that declaration look really good with a four-wicket haul. “Right from IPL, Ishant has been bowling well. If you look at his performance in the IPL, he was doing everything right – like the seam position – and he has been pitching the ball in the right areas, that’s why he’s able to get pace and bounce. The time he spent with Zaheer Khan has been very useful for him, because Zaheer has shared his experience with him.”On a day where India pushed hard for a series victory, some youngsters learnt that they were dropped from the squad that will begin to tour England later this month. That couldn’t have been easy situation to handle for the captain, in the middle of a Test… “That’s a difficult one, because we need to interact with the players to see what’s happening with them and make sure they are not bogged down,” Dhoni said. “Selection is really not in their hands. But they [those who are dropped] need to take positives out of a series or match, and go back and work on their game.”

There hasn’t been much wrong with Matt Prior’s batting on this tour, it’s just that his best work hasn’t been required yet

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG12-Dec-2010There hasn’t been much wrong with Matt Prior’s batting on this tour, it’s just that his best work hasn’t been required yet. Alastair Cook is in the form of his life, Andrew Strauss is leading by example, Kevin Pietersen was a matchwinner in Adelaide, Jonathan Trott loves batting against Australia and Ian Bell is in career-best touch. Paul Collingwood is the only one in the top six yet to fire.And so, the man at No. 7 has been almost irrelevant. He hadn’t made a half-century on the trip until the tour match against Victoria – he hadn’t had to. And while this outing doesn’t count towards the Ashes, England are desperate to go through the trip without losing a match, and Prior’s unbeaten 102 ensured that record stay intact as a rainy draw was secured against a local attack that proved more threatening than could have been expected.”It was just nice to get in the middle and have an opportunity to bat for a while, try and build an innings and get through a tricky patch as well,” Prior said. “For me personally, it was perfect preparation for next week. I was delighted to get the hundred but more important was the time in the middle and getting back into the rhythm of building an innings.”If we carry on playing the brand of cricket we have been, there’s certainly no reason why we can’t go through the tour unbeaten. You go on any tour, you want to be unbeaten, whether it be an Ashes tour or anywhere else. If we could manage to do that, it would be a fantastic feat, but it’s something we’re certainly targeting.”That approach meant that a game that featured three declarations, as the captains tried to create a result, was reduced to a dull draw after England’s top order faltered to be 4 for 55 shortly before lunch. The promotion of Tim Bresnan ahead of Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell notwithstanding, England weren’t about to throw away their winning touch.”Going in to lunch we were adamant we weren’t losing this game,” Prior said. “Winning is a habit and it’s a habit that you want to protect. If we had have lost today, I think we would have been very disappointed people. You can’t take for granted being on a good run and you have to sometimes dig in and make sure you continue that run.”One of the main aims England took in to the match was to establish which of their backup fast bowlers will replace the injured Stuart Broad for the third Test in Perth, but Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad took only one wicket between them. Tremlett remains the favourite to join the Test side, but Prior said it was not fair to compare their work on a slow drop-in pitch at the MCG to the quicker, bouncier surface they would be confronted with at the WACA.”This was not an easy wicket to get the batsman out,” he said. “I don’t think any bowler was going to charge in and take a whole load. All three of them bowled beautifully, held up ends, didn’t let the batters score at a rate, and all did a very good job on a wicket that wasn’t helpful at all. They’ve all put their hands up.”So has Prior, who batted at No. 4 to give him time at the crease. Should Australia’s bowlers find the magic solution to running through England’s top order, they’ll be met by the sight of an in-form No. 7 striding to the wicket, and their work will be far from done.

يخوض فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي، مباراة هامة وصعبة أمام منافسه الوداد المغربي، اليوم الأحد، خلال المواجهة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة الوداد المغربي في ذهاب نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، مساء اليوم، وذلك على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي.

طالع | الأهلي يُطارد “الحادية عشر” في مواجهة ثأرية أمام الوداد بذهاب نهائي أبطال إفريقيا

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة الإياب بين الأهلي والوداد المغربي يوم 11 يونيو الجاري على أرضية استاد محمد الخامس. موعد مباراة الأهلي والوداد اليوم في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتنطلق مباراة الأهلي والوداد المغربي في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي والوداد اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ومن المنتظر أن تذاع مباراة الأهلي والوداد عبر فضائية bein sports HD 4.

مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي والوداد في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا..إعلان التشكيلتين معلق مباراة الأهلي والوداد المغربي اليوم

واختارت قناة “بي إن سبورت” المعلق التونسي عصام الشوالي، للتعليق على أحداث مباراة الأهلي والوداد، في التاسعة مساء اليوم الأحد.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Dhawal Kulkarni, who took nine wickets in the Ranji Trophy final to help Mumbai to their 40th title, has attributed his success this season to adding extra pace to his bowling and new variations he has worked on

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2013

Seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, who took nine wickets in the Ranji Trophy final to help Mumbai to their 40th title, has attributed his success this season to adding extra pace to his bowling and new variations he has worked on. He will be a key member of Mumbai’s bowling attack when they take on the Rest of India in the upcoming Irani Trophy.”This is a big game for me; (I have) never been part of a winning (Irani Cup) side,” he said. “I am aiming to do well in this game. I am quite excited about it. Feeling quite confident after my last two games.”I have worked more on my fitness, worked hard in the nets. The aim before the season was to bowl at a consistent pace which was not there earlier and I worked on that. I wanted to increase pace and that’s what I did.”Kulkarni took 30 wickets at 22.90 in nine matches this Ranji season. Before his impressive performance in the final, he took 5 for 32 in the semi-final against Services. Kulkarni said he was also helped by the seniors in the Mumbai side, including Ajit Agarkar and Sachin Tendulkar. With Agarkar out of the Irani Trophy game due to injury, Mumbai would depend on Kulkarni’s positive showing.”I am happy with my performance, have been bowling well throughout the season but the only thing missing was wickets. I managed to get wickets in the last two games. (I am) feeling quite good about it.”Kulkarni will also play for India A in their tour game against Australia in Chennai on February 16.

Key moments from the fith day of the 1st Investec Test between England and South Africa at The Oval

Firdose Moonda and George Dobell23-Jul-2012

Interest of the day
Test cricket has flirted with extinction but it is likely that it will not get there for a long, long time. If you needed any proof of its vitality you need only have disembarked at the Oval underground station at around 10.30 on Monday morning. The train was packed and the touts were doing a roaring trade. Fifth-day tickets were a fifth of the price of the other days and school holidays had started but it was a working day and England up against it, which might have lessened the support base. Nothing of the sort happened. When play started, two-thirds of the seats were filled and after four sold-out days, more than 100,000 people had seen some play at The Oval.Drop of the day
AB de Villiers did a handy job in the first innings, when he held on to every catch that came his way but the same cannot be said of the second. With South Africa five wickets away from a series lead, Imran Tahir sent down a venomous legbreak, with enough turn and bounce to take the edge off Ian Bell’s block. Bell was half forward, the catch was fairly simple and de Villiers had two attempts to complete it but could not hold on to register his first fluff behind the stumps. Bell was on 20 at the time and went on to make a stubborn half-century so vital to England’s cause that he received a standing ovation.Celeb-spot of the day
With Olympic fever raging in the air, there was every chance the five rings themselves would make an appearance. They did not quite make it to The Oval but an Olympian did: South Africa’s 4 x 100 metre gold medallist Ryk Neethling, who will compete at the London Games was in attendance when South Africa wrapped up a famous win. The timing of the Games has meant the national cricket team has received support from people who do not usually get to watch them. Two days earlier, the country’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula, who is in the United Kingdom to set up the South African athletes village, was also at the ground to congratulate Graeme Smith on his century in his 100th Test.Contrast of the day:
The dismissal of Matt Prior, top-edging a sweep to slip, produced wildly-contrasting emotions in the batsman and bowler. Matt Prior, aghast at the sheer awfulness of his stroke, was rooted to his crease, head in his hands, coming to terms with the injury he had inflicted upon his team. Imran Tahir, meanwhile, celebrated with the unbridled enthusiasm that has made him such an endearing player. By the time Prior dragged himself from the crease, Tahir was at deep fine leg running in circles and bellowing with joy.Over rule of the day:
England’s last hope died when Stuart Broad, a man with a Test century to his name, was caught down the leg side. It was an interesting decision by the TV Umpire, Kumar Dharmasena. While the on-field umpire – Asad Rauf – had given a ‘not out’ decision and there were no obvious signs of contact from Hot Spot, Dharmasena made his decision partially on the evidence of the stump microphones, which did suggest contact with the glove, and partially on replay evidence which, while not conclusive, was certainly suggestive. He was probably right, but whether there was enough evidence to overrule the on-field umpire was a moot point.Concern of the day:
Amid all the South African celebrations, there was just one area of concern for South Africa: the performance of AB de Villiers as a stand-in wicketkeeper was increasingly unconvincing. He dropped Ian Bell, on 20, standing up to Imran Tahir and his failure to reach the stumps in time to collect JP Duminy’s throw – not the first time in the match that de Villiers failed to do this – also cost South Africa the chance of running Bell out on 28. England were unable to make South Africa pay for the error but, when the tourists select their team for the second Test, they may reflect that their top six is perfectly adequate and they could so with the specialist keeping skills of Thami Tsolekile. If that is the case, it may prove bad news for Duminy. Perhaps if Duminy’s throw had hit, de Villiers error may have gone unnoticed?