All posts by h716a5.icu

Somerset’s players skedaddled away from the Riverside before lunch on Wednesday with a draw in their results column and eight points gained from the match

Paul Edwards at Chester-le-Street13-Apr-2016
ScorecardChris Rushworth could have been a threat to Somerset had there been any play on the final day•Getty ImagesThe point about fire alarms is that they go off while the fire can still be put out. Somerset’s players skedaddled away from the Riverside before lunch on Wednesday with a draw in their results column and eight points gained from the match. Durham received ten points for their efforts. At which point even the most passionate former inhabitant of the Stragglers’ Bar might offer a polite cough and a wry smile. The reassuring thing for Somerset supporters was that Chris Rogers would understand that reaction only too well.Heavy overnight rain and a mid-morning shower put paid to any chance of play on the final day of this match. Somerset’s skipper admitted that, on balance, his relief at not having to face Chris Rushworth and Graham Onions outweighed his disappointment at losing two days’ cricket.”We want to challenge ourselves and we want to get better but it was probably a relief to us in many respects because we were behind in the game and it was going to be hard work, particularly against Rushworth and Onions in that last innings,” said Rogers. “On the other hand, it would have been a useful opportunity to see where we’re at.”The more caustic West Country critics might be quick to tell Rogers where they think his team is “at” but they might be wisely advised to listen to what else he had to say. For example, here is his assessment of Somerset’s performance in a game in which they were bowled out for 179 and in which Durham were 53 for 1 after ten overs in their first innings and – the real horror show – 72 for 0 after 11 overs in their second.”Our fielding was top class and our attitude was top class but we disappointed with the new ball and that’s pretty unforgivable at Durham in the first game of the season. But the guys who had that ball in their hands will know that and they will get better. We found it hard with the bat and lost wickets in groups. Then we were shown that it was possible to stick around by our Nos. 7 and 9.”Given the limitations placed on Rogers by the fact that his comments were for public consumption, there is not too much skipper-speak in them. If he described the new-ball bowling as “unforgivable” outside the dressing room one wonders what adjectives he attached to it in private.Rogers is a fighter and he wants to lead a team of players with similar dispositions. He will be delighted to welcome the Overtons back for the game against Surrey at The Oval a week on Sunday. This is him on the challenge of facing Durham’s seamers on the first evening and second morning of this game.”I loved being back in the fight. To be up at Durham against Rushworth and Onions is probably as tough as it gets and I thought I was coming out at the other end of it when I was run out. These things happen. There were a couple of glances at Peter as I was walking off but I’ve done it to other people too, so you just have to cop that on the chin.”And so he did. But he will not be deceived by that return of eight points. One imagines there are some things Rogers will take on the chin and others which he will refuse to accept.”I’ve learned a lot about the guys and there is plenty to work on,” he said. “There is a lot of talent in the squad but how they put that into practice out in the middle is going to be our challenge. Every game’s going to be tough but it comes down to us. We didn’t get it right in this match but it’s a long season.”

Travis Dean became the fourth batsman to cap off his first season with a century as his 111 helped Victoria take giant strides towards overhauling SA’s 340 in the Shield final

The Report by Daniel Brettig in Adelaide27-Mar-2016
ScorecardGetty ImagesBack in October, Travis Dean was the talk of Australian cricket, as only the second man after Arthur Morris to make dual centuries on his state debut. As Victoria sought to squeeze South Australia, Dean joined another select group by becoming the fourth batsman to cap his first season with a hundred in the Sheffield Shield final.Justin Langer, Phillip Hughes and Jordan Silk are the others, and their efforts all contributed to victories. Dean helped the Bushrangers take a giant stride towards doing likewise, setting the platform for what may yet become a mighty first-innings total in reply to the Redbacks’ reasonable, but now eminently reachable 340.SA took the second new ball with four overs remaining and Daniel Worrall, the day’s most outstanding bowler, soon curled a perfect inswinger through the defences of Matthew Wade. Nightwatchman Scott Boland survived numerous uncomfortable moments before the close, including a missed chance by Sam Raphael behind point, as another vocal Glenelg Oval crowd of 2,548 rode every delivery.Aided by a fluent Peter Handscomb, Dean absorbed plenty of pressure on a cool and overcast day that lent itself almost perfectly to seam and swing bowling. His technique stood up to more or less everything Chadd Sayers, Joe Mennie and Daniel Worrall hurled at him, and it was not until the final hour that Elliot Opie was able to coax him into an edge.Dean’s occupation thwarted a bowling attack that had carried much before them this season, and highlighted the trouble with choosing four seamers on a pitch that has offered some movement but is also drying into something where a spinner can prosper. SA’s captain Travis Head was left to bowl his offbreaks a little more than he might have preferred, with Adam Zampa in India and Tom Andrews, the left-arm spinner, missing out on the final XI.The final two South Australian wickets had added only 15 on resumption, giving Sayers and company the chance to defend a greater tally than many they had successfully followed up on over the course of the season. Rob Quiney was able to get off to a swift start as several Sayers deliveries swerved towards his hip. But after those early boundaries, it was a challenging time for batsmen.Quiney succumbed when he guided Worrall low to Raphael at gully, and Marcus Stoinis was beaten first ball. Plenty of questions were asked by the bowlers, and Dean needed all his technical skill to answer them. He achieved one small victory by prompting Worrall to try a short-pitched attack, but Stoinis was unable to endure, judged by umpire Paul Wilson to have gloved a bouncer to Alex Carey behind the stumps.Handscomb’s beginning was somewhat skittish, and he survived one vehement lbw appeal from Sayers. But he showed an inclination to get the scoreboard moving more regularly, and eased the pressure on Dean by putting some back onto SA’s seamers. Gradually, some of the Redbacks’ earlier discipline wavered, and Dean was able to pick off a few more loose balls.The partnership gathered momentum after tea, as SA became increasingly fretful for a wicket. Words were exchanged between Handscomb and Head when SA’s captain fielded off his bowling and fired a throw back towards the stumps, which the batsman swatted away to the boundary by way of self-preservation. The Redbacks appealed for obstructing the field, and after some consultation between the umpires, were turned down.Dean’s well-deserved century arrived soon after, not only making some Shield final history, but also breaking a recent sequence of lean scores – 9, 11, 1, 4 and 0 before this innings. An emotional celebration was follow by further occupation, but on 111, Opie was able to find a crack in the wall to break the stand at 140. That wicket gave SA an opening, and the loss of Wade before the close left the match delicately balanced once more.

Erik ten Hag looked to have transformed the Red Devils but his side are showing many worrying signs associated with his predecessor

"They were easy give-aways," said the Manchester United manager, assessing how his side had fallen behind so early in a match they were expected to win comfortably. "It was a horror start. With all respect, we can't allow them [those goals]."

The Red Devils' boss added: "The first one is that we play a short corner and forget about the man up top. That’s unforgivable… We’ve not done our roles, it’s my responsibility. You don’t see goals like that at this level. You shouldn’t concede easy goals like that. When you do, it makes winning matches a lot harder."

Spot the difference? The first line of quotes was Erik ten Hag's reaction to United's 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest last Saturday, a game in which his side fell two goals behind within the opening four minutes. The second comment was from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after United's 2-1 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir in November 2020.

Solskjaer could not believe his eyes after 35-year-old Demba Ba had ran from his own half towards goal, completely unopposed, to give the unfancied Turkish side the lead in the 13th minute. Ten Hag, meanwhile, had just witnessed Taiwo Awoniyi run unchallenged from the halfway line to score the opening goal, taking advantage of childish defending after United had just taken a corner.

Getty A thrilling yet concerning start

It has been 21 months since United parted ways with Solskjaer, who fans loved for his contribution as a player and his commitment to the club. However, by the time of his sacking in November 2021, having won no trophies in nearly four years, almost everyone recognised that the Norwegian was a limited and inexperienced coach incapable of taking United back to where they belong.

Ten Hag, by contrast, is one of the most admired tacticians in Europe, with a track record of overseeing elaborate football and winning trophies. In just a few months in charge he ended United's six-year silverware drought by lifting the Carabao Cup, while he also took them to the FA Cup final and secured Champions League qualification at the first time of asking.

However, after a chaotic start to the season, which included fortunate wins over Wolves and Forest as well as a limp defeat to Tottenham, Ten Hag's United are showing many of the traits that Solskjaer's team were known for. They are making unforgivable mistakes defensively, players are not doing their jobs, and they are having to pull off dramatic escape acts. It might be thrilling to watch, but it is also deeply concerning.

AdvertisementGettyComebacks are in United's DNA

While United fans were struggling to make sense of what they were witnessing in the opening minutes at Old Trafford, Forest fans were staging a party in the away end. In another throwback to the Solskjaer era, they were gleefully chanting "You're getting sacked in the morning" to Ten Hag.

Christian Eriksen's strike breathed life back into Old Trafford and then everyone believed the comeback was on. And when Casemiro equalised and Bruno Fernandes converted from the penalty spot, there was an air of inevitability about it all.

Some of United's best ever moments were comebacks, such as the 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 which paved the way for the first Premier League title win, or the three-minute turnaround against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. Never knowing when they were beaten was a defining characteristic of Sir Alex Ferguson's many great teams.

GettyTurnarounds can mask deeper issues

However, if a team falls behind too often and epic finishes are routinely needed, it is rarely sustainable. United tend to average around three or four comeback wins per season in the Premier League era, but things got ludicrous under Solskjaer. In the 2020/21 season, United won 10 league matches after conceding the first goal, more than in any other campaign.

The Red Devils ended up finishing second in the league but the following season they picked up their lowest points total in Premier League history. Solskjaer was sacked four months into that dire campaign, following a 4-1 thrashing at relegation-fighting Watford.

A similar pattern can be spotted in United's second-best season as far as comeback wins are concerned. In the 2012-13 season, Ferguson's last in charge, United won nine matches from losing positions. They romped to the Premier League title then, but the fact they needed so many late finishes should have suggested there were deeper problems and the winning train was about to come off the tracks.

With almost an identical squad the following season under David Moyes, United had an utterly miserable campaign and came seventh in the table, their lowest-ever Premier League finish.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyTen Hag catching up with Solskjaer

Under Solskjaer, United won a whopping 19 matches in all competitions from losing positions. And as the hero of the team's most famous comeback of all as a player – the 1999 Champions League final – the Norwegian coach revelled in each turnaround.

Take his response to beating Southampton 3-2 in March 2019. “The manner of it is like the old days. I have been part of that so many times myself and so pleased for the boys that they managed to claw three points out of this game." Days later, United pulled off perhaps the best result of the Solskjaer era, beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the last-16 of the Champions League to overturn a 2-0 home defeat in the first leg.

Even in the dying weeks of Solskjaer's time in charge, United were capable of pulling off comebacks. They turned things around to beat West Ham 2-1 with an 89th-minute strike from Jesse Lingard and enjoyed Champions League victories over Villarreal and Atalanta from losing positions, winning each time courtesy of late strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Just one month into his second season, Ten Hag is developing his own reputation for comebacks. The Forest game was his seventh turnaround victory, following wins over Manchester City, Everton, West Ham, Fulham, Aston Villa and Barcelona.

Offspinner Malolan Rangarajan and Abhinav Mukund picked up five wickets between them to put South Zone firmly on top in their Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash against West Zone in Chennai

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2013
ScorecardMalolan Rangarajan struck 58, before picking up three wickets for 50 runs•ESPNcricinfo LtdOffspinner Malolan Rangarajan and Abhinav Mukund picked up five wickets between them to put South Zone firmly on top in their Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash against West Zone in Chennai.Double centuries from B Aparajith and Manish Pandey on Friday had propelled South Zone to a mammoth 553 for 7 at stumps, and Malolan added to the flurry of runs on day three with a 132-ball 58 that included four fours, as the hosts eventually declared on 600 for 9.West Zone began their innings slowly, as the openers Wasim Jaffer and Aditya Waghmode added just 32 in the first 18 overs, before Malolan made the breakthrough, dismissing Jaffer for 11. West Zone stabilised with an 82-run second-wicket stand between Waghmode and Ankit Bawne, but three wickets in seven balls helped South Zone seize the advantage.First, Abhinav dismissed Waghmode for a patient 57 of the second ball of the 55th over, and in his next delivery, he bowled Manpreet Juneja for a golden duck. Yusuf Pathan went in at No.5 to salvage a recovery, but was caught by Rohan Prem off left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas in the next over, leaving West Zone precariously placed at 115 for 4.Bawne carried on, making an unbeaten 62 with six fours, but West Zone were dealt two more late blows, as Malolan trapped both Hiken Shah and Rohit Motwani for lbw in the 74th over to finish the day with 3 for 50, and give South Zone the edge heading into the final day.

Spearheaded by captain Kieron Pollard’s 63 off 36 balls, the Barbados Tridents produced a stunning performance to knock off the Jamaica Tallawahs by 88 runs on Sunday night at Warner Park in St Kitts.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Spearheaded by captain Kieron Pollard’s 63 off 36 balls, the Barbados Tridents produced a stunning performance to knock off the Jamaica Tallawahs by 88 runs on Sunday night at Warner Park in St Kitts. On a dramatic final day of the CPL 2014 regular season, the Tridents catapulted from fourth place into first to earn a bye through to the tournament final based on having the best net run rate after finishing deadlocked at 6-3 with the Tallawahs, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel and Guyana Amazon Warriors.A loss for the Tridents would have left them in fourth place at 5-4, leaving them needing two wins to reach the final. That fate has now been transferred to the Tallawahs, who could have clinched first place outright with a win. Instead, the nosedive they took on net run rate in a losing effort means they will have to beat the Red Steel in the first CPL play-off match on Wednesday followed by another win 24 hours later against the Amazon Warriors in order to reach Saturday’s final.Pollard’s decision to bat first after winning the toss was met with a good amount of criticism from the game’s television commentators, particularly because teams batting first had managed to win just seven of 26 games on the season heading into the match. The choice was vindicated in emphatic fashion as the Tridents recorded the CPL’s largest margin of victory by runs with the captain leading the charge.Dwayne Smith got the Tridents off to a solid start, bashing 32 of the game’s first 35 runs before falling in the sixth over to Daniel Vettori thanks to a tremendous catch from Andre Russell, who covered 30 yards running across from long-off to take a skied chance at long-on. Shoaib Malik and Raymon Reifer fell cheaply a few overs later and when William Perkins was caught behind off Rusty Theron in the 14th over for 36, the match was evenly balanced at 98 for 4.Pollard and Jeevan Mendis then produced a 57-run stand for the fifth wicket, with 38 of the runs coming off Pollard’s bat as the captain put his stamp on the game. The Tallawahs seemed to have the Tridents held in check at the 16-over mark with the score 124 for 4, but Pollard erupted for a four and two sixes off Russell in the 17th as part of a 20-run over and brought up his half-century off 28 balls in the process.Mendis was run out for 17 to end the 18th over before Rusty Theron nailed the stumps to remove Pollard and Kyle Mayers off consecutive deliveries to end the 19th to make it 161 for 7. Jason Holder cracked two sixes in the final over before falling to Russell for 12 as the Tridents ended on 175 for 8. Theron ended up with figures of 4 for 35.Considering that the Guyana Amazon Warriors chased 189 earlier in the day with relative ease on the same pitch in the small confines of Warner Park, doubts still lingered as to the wisdom of Pollard’s decision at the toss. The Tridents bowling unit turned in a sterling performance to ensure Pollard’s efforts with the bat did not go to waste.Ravi Rampaul struck a major blow in the second over of the chase, striking Chris Gayle low on the pads with a full inswinger to remove the Tallawahs captain leg before for 1. His opening partner Chadwick Walton joined him in the dugout one over later for 5 when the keeper Perkins pulled off an extraordinary one-handed diving catch down the leg side.The Tridents focused effort in the field continued with the run-out of Adam Voges for 10 in the eighth over before Owais Shah missed a sweep to the legspin of Mendis and was struck in front of the stumps for the second lbw dismissal of the innings to make it 54 for 4. Russell was the only player left with the kind of muscle needed to get the Tallawahs back into the game but a brilliant diving catch by Mayers running in from long-on removed Russell for 4 and sparked euphoric cries in the field.Nkrumah Bonner scored 47 at number three, but he and Voges were the only two to reach double figures for the Tallawahs as the tail was wiped out in quick time. Theron was caught on the boundary off Ashley Nurse for 3 to end the game as the Tallawahs were bowled out for 87 in 15.3 overs, the lowest total by any team in this year’s CPL. The Tridents now have five days to bask in the glow of Sunday’s win while the Tallawahs have 72 hours to dust themselves off and regroup for Wednesday’s play-off encounter with the Red Steel.

A day dominated by the two youngest men to represent Middlesex in first-class cricket ended with Derbyshire in the sort of parlous position that many would have predicted after they had lost the toss and were inserted

Alan Gardner at Lord's17-Apr-2013
ScorecardSteven Finn’s return to action was productive with four wickets•Getty ImagesA day dominated by the two youngest men to represent Middlesex in first-class cricket ended with Derbyshire in the sort of parlous position that many would have predicted after they had lost the toss and were inserted. Had it not been for Billy Godleman, who debuted as a 16-year-old for Middlesex in the same match as Steven Finn back in 2005 and made a stoic, 244-ball half-century for Derbyshire here, the situation could have been far worse.In taking 323 minutes, Godleman’s is a contender for the slowest-ever Championship fifty – though he was still half-an-hour quicker than “The Barnacle” Trevor Bailey with his 350-ball effort in the first Ashes Test of 1958-59. Godleman’s innings, assembled in the painstaking manner of a man constructing a model ship in a bottle, was ended six minutes shy of six hours, though it might have felt longer to the smattering of Middlesex members who attended the opening day of the season at Lord’s.”I just love batting,” Godleman said, “I don’t necessarily see it as grinding, although the spectators might have a different view.” When it was suggested he may have set a record, he replied with a grin: “It wouldn’t surprise me, because it was pretty slow.”Godleman is at his third county in Derbyshire, having been released by Essex last year. His first full season at Middlesex, in 2007, brought 832 runs at 38.27 but he has never bettered that return and left his native London at the end of 2009. His Camden twang is still distinct and, although their paths have diverged he refers to Finn – who took 4 for 36 in his first outing of the season – as his “dearest friend”.The innings will undoubtedly long live in the memory – whether those present want it to or not – though it did not provide Derbyshire the platform it might have. Still, Godleman was pleased to have acquitted himself back at HQ. “Lord’s is always a special place but for me specifically, having grown up here and Middlesex being my boyhood club and facing my best friend opening the bowling against me, yeah.”It was a burst of 3 for 11 in six overs from said friend that most severely undermined Godleman’s graft, as Derbyshire’s 132 for 3 at tea rapidly became 150 for 6. In , Laertes warns his sister Ophelia that the “best safety lies in fear” but, having countenanced the danger and avoided it well enough in morning, Derbyshire’s batsmen became comfortably complicit in their demise. Dan Redfern and Chesney Hughes both poked at Finn deliveries they could have left on length, though Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s departure before the interval, pulling loosely to midwicket, was the most surprising.If the morning session had been billed as a horror show, with Division One newcomers Derbyshire put in under cloudy skies against one of the most-vaunted pace attacks on the circuit, it was to prove disappointingly short on video nasties. Finn’s second delivery was a leg-side wide and his opening spell of 7-5-5-0 camouflaged what had been a mixture of the unplayable and the unreachable.Toby Roland-Jones – who took eight wickets in the win over Nottinghamshire last week – was also wayward, though Tim Murtagh should have seen Godleman on his way when he had made just 2 but a low chance to third slip wriggled out of Sam Robson’s grasp.There was one early breakthrough and Wayne Madsen’s eminently preventable run-out foreshadowed the eventual path of the Derbyshire innings. In digging out a Finn delivery, a pinball ricochet sent it via Godleman, the non-striker, towards Chris Rogers at mid-off who was unerring in throwing down the stumps as Madsen belatedly realised his mistake in trying to get off the mark.Wes Durston and Godleman added 83 for the second wicket, the former looking increasingly assured right up until the moment he pulled Finn confidently straight to deep fine-leg and gave the bowler his 300th first-class wicket. That the ensuing collapse unfolded in slow motion was appropriate, though Godleman’s grit may yet prove vital for Derbyshire.

Inter Miami have officially set their first preseason friendly on the calendar, with a match against the national team of El Salvador on the books.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Inter Miami schedule preseason friendlySet to take on El Salvador national teamRumors of River Plate friendly followWHAT HAPPENED?

January 19 will see the Herons return to the pitch for the first time in 2024, with Messi and co. taking on Los Cuscatlecos. The match will be played on the road in San Salvador at the Estadio Cuscatlán, one day before the USMNT take on Slovenia in Texas in an international friendly. In addition to the El Salvador friendly, the Herons have also been linked with a match against Argentine powerhouse River Plate Thursday, that comes on top of previous rumors of matches against Al-Hilal and Newells Old Boys.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With the match being played one day before the USMNT take the pitch, both Gregg Berhalter and Tata Martino will have to make a decision on where Benjamin Cremaschi and Deandre Yedlin go. The young attacker made his international debut in a friendly in September against Oman, but is not yet cap-tied due to not competing in an official competitive match. Yedlin, meanwhile, has been on the outskirts of the program of late, but could feature in January due to it not being an official FIFA window.

WHAT INTER MIAMI SAID

“We’re excited to start announcing our preseason plans and preparations ahead of a thrilling 2024 campaign. We look forward to facing the El Salvador national team in what will be a good first test for our squad against the best players from the country,” said Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI

The Herons will make their official return to the pitch on January 19, but in terms of build up until then, Inter Miami are in offseason mode. They'll go about planning roster additions, contracts and preparation for the 2024 MLS Draft, but more than anything, it's a small break from a congested schedule.

Damion Jacobs, the Jamaica Select XI legspinner, enforced a rocky start to New Zealanders by claiming 4 for 69 on the first day of the second tour match in Greenfields

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2014New Zealanders 203 for 9 dec (Williamson 47, Jacobs 4-69) v Jamaica Select XI
ScorecardFile photo: Kane Williamson posed the only sustained resistance for New Zealanders•Getty ImagesDamion Jacobs, the Jamaica Select XI legspinner, enforced a rocky start to New Zealanders by claiming 4 for 69 on the first day of the second tour match in Greenfields. Kane Williamson posed the only sustained resistance with 47 off 77 balls, but his exit followed by the middle-order’s failure contributed to the tourists declaring at 203 for 9.Early wickets buoyed Jamaica Select XI as pacer Christopher Powell dismissed both openers. Williamson fixed the wobble and his fluency promised much. Six fours were part of his innings and his partnership with captain Ross Taylor for the third wicket was a shade away from 50 when he nicked off. Jacobs assisted in claiming three further wickets for 19 runs as New Zealanders crashed to 125 for 6.BJ Watling and James Neesham attempted a lower-order rally. They gained useful support from No.11 Ish Sodhi, who struck three fours and a six in a 27-ball 21, but it was only enough to nudge the score past 200, after which Taylor signaled the declaration.

Jesse Ryder’s hundred on his comeback from injury and a doping ban was one of the highlights of a high-scoring draw between Wellington and Otago

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2013
ScorecardJesse Ryder was an immediate success at Otago•Getty ImagesJesse Ryder’s hundred on his comeback from injury and a doping ban was one of the highlights of a high-scoring draw between Wellington and Otago at Basin Reserve, the first game of this season’s Plunket Shield. It was also Ryder’s first match for Otago, after he had moved there from Wellington ahead of this domestic season.It was Wellington, however, that took more points from the contest. They earned six while Otago made five.Otago’s top order provided a rock solid start after they were sent in to bat, with three of the top four batsmen making hundreds. Aaron Redmond made 154, Michael Bracewell made 107 and Ryder contributed 117. They were 429 for 3 before Luke Wookcock and Jeetan Patel worked their way through the middle and lower order rather quickly. Otago declared their first innings on 534 for 9.Wellington’s reply was strong too, with three of their top four passing fifty. Michael Papps and Stephen Murdoch made 79 and 96, and Michael Pollard went on to remain unbeaten on 124. They made 403 for 5 before declaring 131 runs behind Otago.Otago weren’t as impressive in the second winnings and had slumped to 178 for 6 before they were lifted by Derek de Boorder, who made 95, and Mark Craig, who made 80. They scored at more than four runs an over to declare on 369 for 8, setting Wellington an impossible target of 501 in less than a day.Papps scored his second half-century of the game, as Wellington reached 125 for 3 before the game ended in a draw.

Johan Botha, the former South Africa spinner who’s now playing for South Australia, has had his bowling action cleared by Cricket Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2013Johan Botha, the former South Africa spinner who’s now playing for South Australia, has had his bowling action cleared by Cricket Australia. Botha had undergone biomechanical analysis of his action after he was reported by the umpires in a domestic one-day match in early October.The analysis, conducted under CA and ICC testing procedures, required Botha to bowl six balls each of the various deliveries in his repertoire – an offspinner, a quicker ball and a flicker. The analysis found that all of those deliveries fell within – or equal to – the allowed 15 degrees of flex that is deemed legal by the ICC.Botha was cited by umpires Simon Fry, Michael Graeme-Smith and Geoff Joshua in the Ryobi Cup match between South Australia and Victoria in Sydney on October 4. He was eligible to continue playing, though, and would have only been suspended from bowling if the analysis proved his action to be illegal.Botha has had problems with his bowling action throughout his career. He was reported first soon after his debut Test in January 2006 and was subsequently banned from bowling by the ICC. Another examination in August that year found his action to be illegal once again and he was cleared to bowl only in November. In 2009, following an ODI against Australia in Port Elizabeth, Botha was reported once again and this time the ICC ruled that his action while bowling the doosra was illegal and he was banned from bowling it. His other deliveries, however, were found to be within permissible limits and since then Botha had no problems with his action until now.Cameron White, the Victoria batsman, who had faced Botha during the match in which he was cited, and said he did not think any doosras had been delivered during the spells he faced.