Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2nd Test, SSC, Colombo, 3rd day

Sri Lanka 70 for 1 (Dilshan 46*, Junaid 1-22) trail Pakistan 551 for 6 dec. (Hafeez 196, Ali 157, Misbah 66*, Herath 3-165) by 481 runs

Afternoon showers on day three put an outright result in serious doubt as only one session could be played out. In that session, Pakistan added 63 to their overnight 488 before declaring. In the next 70 minutes, Sri Lanka were put through a sterner test than the Pakistan openers, but they lost just one wicket.

Pakistan's quicks generated more response from the pitch than their Sri Lankan counterparts, but that didn't translate into too much success as Tillakaratne Dilshan rode his luck. An overnight declaration on 488 was a consideration because of the weather: 45 overs had already been lost on day two, and forecast for the rest of the Test wasn't the brightest either. However, Pakistan went for the scoreboard pressure, and declared only after they reached 550.

Pakistan didn't meander aimlessly, though: Misbah-ul-Haq went at a strike-rate of 82.50, much higher than his ODI career statistic, and Abdur Rehman hit two straight sixes in his 18 off 13. It took Pakistan little under an hour, and 12.4 overs, to score the 63 runs that took them past 550. In the process Misbah reached his 17th half-century, scoring 37 off 40 balls on the third morning. The fields were spread far out so he had to rely more on well-placed ones and twos as opposed to boundaries. Asad Shafiq and Adnan Akmal perished for the cause, but Rehman provided the required thrust with sixes off both spinners. Rangana Herath bowled one over fewer than a whole ODI innings.

Ten minutes later, with runs on board already, Pakistan made a spirited start with the ball. Aizaz Cheema and Junaid Khan bowled faster and hit the seam more often than the Sri Lankan bowlers. As a result, they bowled more threatening deliveries in one spell than Sri Lanka did in the whole innings. Cheema began with a short-of-a-length delivery that reared towards Tharanga Paranavitana's chest. Paranavitana never settled in, and was caught bat-pad to a Junaid delivery that seamed in. This was Paranavitana's seventh duck in his 28th Test, a high rate for a Test opener.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, at the other end, tried every trick in the book to get out, but the pitch and luck smiled on him benevolently. The seam movement in Junaid's first over seemed to have rattled him, and he hoicked at the last ball of that over; the leading edge fell straight of mid-on. Until lunch, Dilshan kept slashing and flashing, twice edging short of the cordon, once bisecting keeper and first slip. In Saeed Ajmal's first over, minutes before lunch, he survived a desperately close lbw shout when he was hit just above the knee roll bang in front and inside the crease. However, nothing stopped the aggressive Dilshan: he followed that lbw shout with two lofted fours, a response not too different to the rest of his innings. By lunch he had raced along to 46 off 54.

Kumar Sangakkara was much more reassuring for Sri Lanka, clipping the first ball he faced for four, and continuing to do so. The only moment of concern at Sangakkara's end arrived when he got a thick inside edge onto his pad, but it was too meaty for Azhar Ali at short leg to react in time.

England v Australia, NatWest Series, The Oval

England 252 for 4 (Bopara 82, Bell 75) beat Australia 251 for 7 (Watson 66, Hussey 65, Bresnan 2-50) by six wickets

 

It is one of the ironies of England's recent resurgence in all formats of the game that, for all their meticulous planning, two of the crucial ingredients of their success have come through luck. Just as it was only the sacking of Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores as captain that brought Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss together as captain and coach, so it has only been the "retirement" of Pietersen from limited-overs international cricket that presented another chance to Ian Bell as an ODI batsman
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It is not just luck, of course. It is how England have adjusted to circumstance and overcome the obstacles that have arisen. But it remains true that, had Pietersen not departed the England limited-overs set-up recently, it is most unlikely that Bell would have returned to the top of the England order.

Bell has certainly embraced his opportunity. Since returning to the ODI side, he has contributed scores of 126, 53, 41 and now 75 and played a significant role in England not only taking a 2-0 lead in this five-match series, but extending their unbeaten record to eight successive victories in completed ODIs this year. It equals England's best run of ODI results and sustains their chance of leapfrogging Australia to become the No. 1 ODI side; a position they will assume if they win this series 5-0. That will also make them the first team to hold No. 1 rankings in all three forms of the game. This was the first ODI in which they had beaten Australia at the Oval since 1997.

Here Bell showed not just his class - a straight six off the bowling of Shane Watson quite majestic - but also his composure and maturity. Against an attack containing two men bowling in excess of 90 mph, he had time, confidence and the range of stokes required. He slog-swept David Hussey, cut Watson, swept Xavier Doherty and drove Mitchell Johnson with power. He looked a high-class player, quite at home on the ODI stage.

Ravi Bopara also enjoyed an excellent match. Having contributed a miserly five overs and taken the key wicket of Michael Clarke, pushing indeterminately at one outside off stump, he produced an admirably calm and increasingly assured innings of 82 to take England to the brink of a comfortable victory.
Clarke briefly created some uncertainly in the England ranks. He ended Bell's innings with his first delivery - the batsmen attempting to cut a delivery that was too full for the shot - and then saw Eoin Morgan adjudged leg before just two balls later. Hot Spot, which showed (on the third umpire's television, anyway) the faintest of touches on Morgan's inside edge, reprieved the batsman. England were never seriously troubled again and cruised to victory with six wickets and 4.2 overs in hand.

But Clarke's senior seamers let him down. Mitchell Johnson, perhaps rusty having bowled just six List A overs since sustaining a foot injury in November, came into the side due to Pat Cummins' withdrawal with a side strain, but donated three no-balls in his first two overs, with Alastair Cook and Bell taking advantage to thrash two of the resulting free-hits through mid-off for four. Brett Lee also donated five wides down the leg side in his second over. Only Clint McKay,


who beat Cook with a good one that swing back in to trap the England captain leg before, and Watson, who might have had Bell caught for 70 had David Warner, at point, been able to hold on to a diving chance, threatened to stem the tide.

Nor did Australia score enough runs. Winning first use of a good batting pitch, they were indebted to half-centuries from Shane Watson and George Bailey but would reflect that they fell perhaps 25 runs short of par in such conditions.

Watson lived dangerously for much of his innings and, apart from edging the ball just past his own stumps (on 2 and 30), was dropped by Jonathan Trott, at gully, on 8. He also survived a run-out chance on 47 - had Ian Bell, at mid-on, hit with his throw Watson would have been out - and two decisions that were referred to the third umpire for review.

But if Watson was somewhat fortunate, Australia were grateful for his sense of urgency. His top-order colleagues struggled for fluency and, after David Warner had top-edged a pull to square leg, Peter Forrest, having scored only two from his first 17 deliveries, was brilliantly caught down the leg side. The departure of Clarke and the introduction of Graeme Swann and Bopara, saw Australia make only 24 in 10 overs and 53 in 18 in mid-innings as Bailey, in particular, became bogged down.

The pressure told on Watson, whose final 10 runs occupied 25 balls, and who, in attempting to loft Graeme Swann over the top, succeeded only in gifting a catch to deep mid-wicket.

Bailey - who scored only 26 from his first 61 balls - eventually found some momentum and, in partnership with the more dynamic Hussey added 78 in 13 overs before Finn, in his follow through, ran out the latter with a superb throw with just one stump to aim at.

That wicket stalled Australia's hopes of some late-innings acceleration. Bailey's lavish drive was beaten by some inswing, before Matthew Wade's attempt to scoop one over the keeper's head resulted only in a simple catch to short fine leg.

But England were far from their best with the ball or in the field. England's bowlers, missing James Anderson who was absent with a groin strain, donated eight wides, two no-balls and numerous deliveries that drifted on to the pads. Apart from dropping Watson, Bailey was also missed on 52, a tough chance offered to Tim Bresnan off Graeme Swann at deep midwicket, and could have been run out on 55 had Bopara hit from short distance. Lee was also dropped on 2 and 17, from the final ball of the innings, after Morgan, at long on, failed to cling on to tough chances.

In an odd way, however, England might find it encouraging that they could play so far below their best and still ease to victory against the No. 1 ranked ODI side.

West Indies v New Zealand, 2nd Twenty20, Florida

West Indies 177 for 5 (Gayle 53, Bravo 35*, McCullum 2-19) beat New Zealand 116 (Narine 4-12) by 61 runs

Chris Gayle provided the substance, yet again, Dwayne Bravo provided the late blast, and Sunil Narine ended New Zealand's chase before it could even begin. West Indies completed their second big win over New Zealand to take the Florida and Twenty20 leg of the series 2-0. Already weakened by injuries to key players, including captain Ross Taylor, New Zealand had no answer to West Indies' combination of power, explosiveness and intrigue.
Gayle threatened to cause as much damage as he had on Saturday before Nathan McCullum restricted him to 53, but Bravo's burst ensured West Indies had another substantial total to defend. Narine, who had gone for some runs on Saturday, made a return to his miserly and productive ways from the IPL, picking up 4 for 12.
New Zealand were much more disciplined with the ball today than they had been in the first T20, but Doug Bracewell proved the weak link once again. In the absence of Kieron Pollard - rested after hurting his shoulder in the field on Saturday - it was Gayle who delivered again, after another slow start.
Gayle didn't face his first delivery till the third over, and when he did, he went on to play out a maiden to Kyle Mills. With Gayle intent on taking his time, Dwayne Smith falling early and Johnson Charles easing off, West Indies went through a period of only one boundary in 24 balls.
Even that four was a thick edge off Gayle's bat to the third man rope. Bracewell had removed Smith with his first delivery, but West Indies were to regain momentum in his second over, the eighth of the innings. Charles swatted a full delivery over long-on, Gayle pulled a slow bouncer over deep square leg and turned one for four past short fine leg.
New Zealand managed to pull things back again, conceding only 26 in the next four overs and dismissing Charles. But Bracewell came back into the attack, and Gayle took toll again, powering consecutive sixes over long-on and reaching his fifty with a slice over extra cover for four.
The momentum was to change sides once again. McCullum bowled Gayle after a missed heave and had Lendl Simmons caught at deep square leg to leave West Indies on 124 for 4 after 16 overs. Enter Bravo, after Darren Sammy and before Marlon Samuels. Bravo swung his first ball, from Tim Southee, over wide long-off for six, and hit three more in the next three overs as West Indies took 53 off the last four overs.
In hindsight, Bravo needn't have bothered, given the way New Zealand crumbled against Narine. Struggling to pick him in the face of a tall asking-rate, Martin Guptill skied Narine to extra cover in his first over. Next ball, Rob Nicol walked past a flighted carrom ball to be stumped.
New Zealand continued to dig a deeper hole for themselves. Kane Williamson, leading the side in place of Taylor, managed to run himself out in the next over. Southee, promoted to No. 3, holed out off his fifth ball to give Samuel Badree his maiden international wicket.
Narine signed off his first spell of three overs with his third wicket, bowling Dean Brownlie after the batsmen backed away and missed. New Zealand had limped to 43 for 5 after nine overs, and the game was as good as over

Under19 Asiacup Thrilling Tie Final

Pakistan Under-19s 282 for 9 (Aslam 134, Kalaria 5-37) tied with India Under-19s 282 for 8 (Chand 121, Aparajith 90, Nawaz 3-45)

For the second time in two matches, there was very little separating India and Pakistan's Under-19 teams, as they tied the final of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in dramatic fashion. Pakistan opener Sami Aslam scored his second hundred of the series to carry his team to 282, before India captain Unmukt Chand did the same for his side. But both centuries went in vain, with neither team claiming the trophy.

Pakistan did well to achieve the tie. India were in relative control in the chase, needing 37 in the final six overs, with seven wickets in hand and Chand batting on 101. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz then produced two effective overs, claiming two wickets and conceding just five, to bring Pakistan back into the game. Chand was still around though and almost carried his bat, but his dismissal off the fourth ball of the final over - caught on the cover boundary off seamer Ehsan Adil - left India needing five off two deliveries. No. 8 Rush Kalaria pierced the off side for four, to bring the scores level. The final delivery, though, he could only chip gently to mid-off. Dot ball. Shared title.

Like in their one-run defeat to Pakistan in the group match, India chose to field. And once again, Pakistan's innings was built around Aslam. India managed to keep the scoring in check early in the innings, but a 100-run stand at over a run a ball between Umar Waheed and Sami Aslam for the third wicket put Pakistan on course for a sizeable total.

Pakistan had launched the final assault, scoring 49 from overs 41 to 45, when Kalaria removed Saad Ali and Aslam off consecutive balls. He took three more wickets, and Pakistan managed only 30 for 5 in the final five.

India's reply revolved around a 175-run stand for the second wicket between Chand and B Aparajith. Aparajith fell 10 short of a hundred, Nawaz's first victim of the game. Apart from these two, none of the other India batsmen managed to go past 23, as the lower-middle order let the game slip from their grasp.

Aslam's century came after scores 82 not out, 121, 47 and 77, and he, expectedly, won the Player of the Series and best batsman awards. Sri Lanka offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who picked up 12 wickets in four games, was named the best bowler of the tournament.

England v West Indies, 1st Test, Lord's, Cricinfo,Highlights

England 398 (Strauss 122) and 193 for 5 (Cook 79, Bell 63*, Roach 3-60) beat West Indies 243 (Chanderpaul 87*, Broad 7-72) and 345 (Chanderpaul 91, Samuels 86, Broad 4-93) by 5 wickets

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West Indies had commanded respect and, for a fleeting moment, they even invited hope among their long-suffering supporters but at the end of the Lord's Test it was a familiar tale of defeat. Two early wickets briefly raised West Indies' expectations that a startling victory might be in their grasp but they were summarily dashed as Alastair Cook and Ian Bell swept England to a comfortable five-wicket victory.

From 57 for 4, still 134 short of victory, Cook and Bell should have been under pressure, but they gambolled along at roughly four runs an over in a stand of 132. It ended with England two short of victory when Cook chopped Darren Sammy to gully. Ian Bell, who is already beginning to look like his old self again after a torrid winter, flicked Marlon Samuels through mid-on for the winning boundary in the next over.

The sun that is now finally promised after a raggy-arsed spring will have been a relief for West Indies, but it shone upon on an England victory that has put them 1-0 up in the series with two to play.

West Indies have now won just two of their 31 Tests since they dismissed England for 51 in Jamaica in 2009. They have only a few days to reassess before the second Test begins in Nottingham on Friday. All manner of theories will be bandied around about which absent players might have made them better, but the debate should not be about absent individuals, it should be about the reason most of them are absent - and that debate is about how the financial lure of IPL is threatening Test cricket, and Caribbean cricket in particular. There must be a window, a compromise, a solution. Instead what we have is a short-sighted flexing of muscles.

Apart from Kemar Roach, no West Indies bowler was able to build much pressure. England will feel stronger for having to answer a few questions and Tim Bresnan, who does not much look like a lucky mascot, which tend to be cuddlier and fluffier, now has 12 Test wins in 12. Mascot or not, it is about the identity of their third seamer at Trent Bridge that England's own debate will most centre.

There were no 4am queues as there had been at Lord's for the final day against India a year earlier but expectancy was high and there were officially 7,000 in the ground for a final day that many had assumed would not happen. West Indies had given England a fiery four overs on the fourth evening but they needed early wickets to stir the imagination a second time.

Smart stats England's five-wicket win is their sixth in their last seven Tests at Lord's, and their 14th in 25 Tests here since 2000. Their win-loss ratio of 4.66 is among their best inhome venues during this period. For West Indies, the Lord's defeat is their 43rd in their last 58 Tests in overseas or neutral venues (excluding Tests in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe). They have only won two of those matches. The 132-run partnership between Alastair Cook and Ian Bell is the second-highest fifth-wicket stand for England in the fourth innings of a Test. Kemar Roach's match haul of six wickets is his highest in an overseas Test. Only twice has he taken more wicketsin a Test match. Cook's 79 is his fifth 50-plus score in 23 fourth-innings efforts. For Bell, it's his sixth half-century in 19 innings.

They got them too: Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen removed with the new ball still hard. On each occasion, a West Indies fast bowler responded to a boundary by delivering something better.

Roach, West Indies' main hope, set things moving in his third over of the morning. Trott steered him deliberately through the slips for four, and had a similar outcome in mind from the next ball, but this time it gripped up the hill and Darren Sammy took a good catch to his left at second slip.

Pietersen had fulsome strokeplay in mind to get England out of a tight corner. He had memories of a big hundred in Colombo to sustain him, and the adulation of IPL. It was not long before he was met by a debutant, Shannon Gabriel, and the temptation to break his nerve immediately must have been high.

Gabriel, a 24-year-old Trinidadian, dragged his third ball down short and wide and Pietersen pulled it haughtily to the midwicket boundary for four. The next ball was also short, but straighter, and Pietersen was cramped as he again sought out midwicket's open spaces and succeeded only in bottom-edging to the wicketkeeper.

At 57 for 4, even though one of the wickets was the nightwatchman Anderson, England were under the cosh. But the wicket was still sound and England accepted opportunities to press ahead quickly. Cook kept England's innings moving forward with several controlled drives and West Indies turned to Samuels' off spin. It was delivered at a saunter with no suggestion that a Test was in the balance and Bell's late cut in his first over brought up the 50 stand in only 12 overs.

Roach apart, West Indies' attack offered little. Edwards was out of sorts, Gabriel's accuracy wavered and Sammy lacked menace. Cook's pull shot against Sammy, followed up by a crisp late cut against Samuels to bring up his fifty, smacked of restored England authority. England rustled up 121 runs in 28 overs in an enterprising morning's batting with Cook, still to score at start of play, reaching his half-century in the penultimate over before the break.

Quite why Samuels was still bowling after lunch was a mystery. The idea that in the absence of Shane Shillingford, who took 10 wickets in his last Test, Samuels might spin them to victory was a Caribbean fairy story.

To turn to Roach was more appropriate but his threat had diminished. It was eight overs into the afternoon before Ian Bell advanced to drive Samuels for the first boundary of the session, but England had picked off 28 runs of the further 60 they needed in the meantime. Bell gloved a bouncer from Roach to fine leg for another boundary as victory became inevitable, Roach limped from the field at the end of a stout-hearted effort and it was not long before his team mates followed.

Kolkata First Finalist In IPL 2012

Kolkata Knight Riders 162 for 4 (Yusuf 40*) beat Delhi Daredevils 144 for 8 (Jayawardene 40, Kallis 2-24, Narine 2-24) by 18 runs

After four seasons of at times embarrassing underachievement, Kolkata Knight Riders will play for the IPL trophy on Sunday. For almost two-thirds of the qualifier against Delhi Daredevils, they nearly blew it, though the odds were stacked in their favour right from the start. On a pitch where the first ball of spin turned sharply, Knight Riders had three spinners waiting; Delhi Daredevils stuck to playing three specialist fast bowlers.

Daredevils' strategy did not seem to have backfired when Knight Riders lumbered to 106 for 4 in 16 overs. In the chase, despite losing Virender Sehwag and David Warner in the first 13 balls, Daredevils were right in the hunt at 83 for 2 after 10 overs. But like they had suddenly bolted away in the last four overs of their innings, Knight Riders choked Daredevils in the latter half of the chase. Daredevils did not help their cause, sending Pawan Negi ahead of Ross Taylor, who finally came in at No. 7 when the asking-rate was more than 14 an over.

The late boost that carried Knight Riders to a challenging total on the difficult pitch came from the unlikeliest quarters. Yusuf Pathan, who had done almost nothing the entire season, and Laxmi Shukla, playing in place of an unfit Manoj Tiwary, carted the quicks for 56 off the final four overs, and 36 off the final two, as Knight Riders surged to 162.

Gautam Gambhir had once again given Knight Riders a strong start, taking the fast bowlers for several boundaries. He had sped to 32 off 16 deliveries before he failed to make his ground to a direct hit from mid-off after having backed up too far. Not for the first time after Gambhir's departure, Knight Riders lost their way. Only 58 runs came off the next ten overs as Negi, the left-arm spinner, and Irfan Pathan strangled the batsmen.

Just when it seemed Knight Riders had wasted Gambhir's efforts upfront, Yusuf and Shukla launched into the quicks, who did not let up on the pace. Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav kept bowling in the late 140s with Morne Morkel not far behind. But the faster they bowled, the ball only came on better on the slow pitch.

Yusuf began the assault in the 17th over, carting a Morkel length ball for a straight six. Shukla took the lead in the 19th, making room to loft Morkel over extra cover for four and pulling him over deep square leg for six. It was to get worse for Daredevils in the last over. David Warner dropped Yusuf as he ran across from long-on and ended up parrying it for six. Yusuf cover-drove and flicked the last two deliveries for fours.

The core of the attack that had taken Daredevils to No. 1 position after the league stage had been taken apart. Yadav and Morkel went for 37 each, Aaron for 48, including 21 in that final over.

The last thing Daredevils needed at that stage was a rough decision, and pat it came in the second over of the chase. Warner, who had just smashed Shakib Al Hasan for six over long-on, missed the next ball as he pushed forward, but was given out caught by umpire Billy Doctrove as the ball popped up to the wicketkeeper off the pad. Sehwag departed next ball, edging an attempted cut off the impressive L Balaji to the keeper.

Just when it seemed Daredevils had done themselves in even before Sunil Narine came on, Naman Ojha and Mahela Jayawardene responded with the highest stand of the match. The duo took Shakib, who had a forgettable game, for 15 runs in the fourth over. Bowling too quick to get any bite from the surface, Shakib was lofted inside-out and down the ground for two fours and a six.

Though the general lack of pace in the Knight Riders attack started to make its presence felt, Ojha and Jayawardene kept the runs coming. The duo was in control when Ojha cut a long hop from Bhatia straight to Gambhir at backward point. A few tight overs and Venugopal Rao's struggle further increased the pressure on Jayawardene. The threat of Narine, who gave just seven runs in his first two overs, forced him to attack the other bowlers, eventually leading to him being stumped off Abdulla in the 15th over.

With 55 needed off 32, Sehwag sent in Negi ahead of Taylor, who hit his third ball from Narine for six over wide long-on. But it was too late by then. Daredevils have another chance to get it right in the second qualifier on Friday.

Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2012, Mumbai,Cricinfo

Kolkata Knight Riders 140 for 7 (Tiwary 41) beat Mumbai Indians 108 (Narine 4-15, Balaji 2-11) by 32 runs

It had all built up to that one moment. Gautam Gambhir, playing three spinners against the home side's decision to stick to three fast bowlers at the Wankhede Stadium, had hoped at the toss that the pitch would turn later. Kolkata Knight Riders had just about recovered from a horror start to post a decent 140. Mumbai Indians had found run-scoring as difficult as Knight Riders had, but had lost only two wickets at the halfway stage.

The last ball of the 11th over, Sunil Narine bowled a good length delivery to Sachin Tendulkar, who went for the cut. The ball spun in a mile and cannoned into off stump off bat and pad. Had both not come in the way, it would have taken out leg stump. With one of the game's greats not being able to pick Narine, the rest of the Mumbai Indians line-up had little chance. He finished with 4 for 15; had Lasith Malinga not got six off a dropped catch on the straight boundary, Narine could have had 5 for 9.

The 32-run margin was substantial in the end, and it was down to how swiftly Knight Riders barged in to the opening created by Tendulkar's dismissal. The pressure was already on Mumbai Indians after Herschelle Gibbs had crawled to 13 off 24 deliveries, four of those runs being overthrows. When Tendulkar fell, the asking-rate had touched nine. Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard had hunted down a much stiffer target against Royal Challengers Bangalore a couple of day ago. It wasn't to be today. Not on this pitch.

The Wankhede crowd waited for their all-star line-up to fire. They waited for the big hits to come. In vain. With 58 needed off 28, Shakib Al Hasan lured Rayudu out with a wider one to give Brendon McCullum an easy stumping. Jacques Kallis, who had got a ripper from RP Singh first ball, had Pollard edging a slow bouncer to McCullum. Next ball, he trapped Dwayne Smith in front with a skiddy delivery which nipped in. Rohit Sharma was Mumbai Indians' only hope now; Narine had him caught by a diving McCullum off a leading edge. The rest caved in.

Smith's fall had made it 96 for 6, exactly the same perilous position Knight Riders had found themselves in after being stunned early by an atrocious umpiring decision and a terrific ball from RP Singh. Their lower order and Yusuf Pathan rode on some fortune, though, to take 44 off the final 26 balls.

Stroke-making was hard as the usual Wankhede bounce combined with the ball not coming on. The pitch did not have any role to play in the first dismissal, though; umpire Subroto Das had. He adjudged McCullum lbw though the batsman was at least two metres out of his crease to a ball that pitched outside leg and would have missed off. Knight Riders were to get another rough one later, when Tendulkar was caught plumb in front first ball by Shakib, only to be denied by umpire Billy Doctrove.

RP Singh followed up the McCullum wicket by uprooting Kallis' off stump with a ripper, getting a short of a length ball to swing in and zip through the gate. A stunned Knight Riders tamely allowed the home bowlers to build up the pressure.

Even Gautam Gambhir, who has had a golden run this season, found it difficult to score, and could not capitalise on two let-offs. He was dropped by the wicketkeeper and by Tendulkar at third man, but was bowled on 27 as he missed a Pollard cutter.

Knight Riders continued to struggle to time their shots, with Tiwary pottering to 17 off 27 deliveries at one stage. An inside edge off Pollard brought him four, and he hammered the next ball past mid-off for another. Harbhajan Singh and Malinga were hit down the ground for sixes.

From 6 for 2 to 89 for 3 seemed a creditable recovery, given the pitch, but three wickets for seven runs nearly undid Tiwary's efforts. Yusuf, caught off a RP Singh no-ball, could not do much to break his poor run, but along with the lower order, managed to get Knight Riders to 140.

It hadn't looked to be a challenging total at the break, it turned out to be a match-winning one, and all but took Knight Riders to the playoffs.

Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2012, Jaipur,Cricinfo

Chennai Super Kings 127 for 6 (Raina 23, Morkel 18*, Anirudha 18*) beat Rajasthan Royals 126 for 6 (Hodge 33, Hilfenhaus 2-8) by four wickets

You can't rule out Chennai Super Kings. They are no strangers to wriggling out of a difficult situation, and they did it again in Jaipur, when it seemed their playoff prospects were in peril. The teams, at a crucial juncture in the season, could ill-afford a slip-up, and Super Kings huffed and puffed in a low-scoring chase but made it thanks to a late onslaught from Albie Morkel and S Anirudha. They completely altered the flow of a game heading for a close finish and, with 13 points in the bag, Super Kings broke into the top four.

Royals were favourites when they had Super Kings at 84 for 6 in the 17th over, the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, caught in the deep, prompting a roar of relief from a usually calm Rahul Dravid. But Super Kings were always in the game with Morkel around, and Anirudha matched him shot for shot as the Royals bowlers buckled under pressure. That surge, which produced 43 off 13 balls, left the home crowd deflated and Royals stunned by the sudden transformation it wrought.

As has often been the case this IPL, the seamers erred at the death, with attempts at bowling yorkers failing miserably to end up as length deliveries. With 41 needed off 21, Morkel launched Pankaj Singh just over the long-off boundary, a mistimed hit carrying all the way. A top-edged four and a single later, the equation was down to 30 required off three overs.

Not even the experienced Shane Watson could maintain Royals' hold. A length ball was smashed over long-on, and Anirudha, having a go himself instead of giving his senior partner the strike, pulled over the midwicket fence before steering a full toss past point for a boundary. Shaun Tait was brought back with 12 needed off 12, but another pitched up delivery was swung towards cow corner. Tait then bowled Anirudha with a perfect yorker, only to find out he'd overstepped, just marginally, before doling out five wides down the leg side to hasten the finish.

Morkel and Anirudha undid an impressive performance from the Royals bowlers for the bulk of the innings; they had given the hosts hope of defending their lowest score this season. Suresh Raina had looked threatening, finding boundaries with effortless ease but his attempt to go over extra cover failed against Pankaj. Michael Hussey and Dwayne Bravo tried to consolidate but the ball was not coming on well enough on a slow track, and the Royals bowlers, especially Siddharth Trivedi, kept the pressure on with their accuracy. Bravo holed out, Hussey was run out, MS Dhoni slashed one to point and Jadeja soon followed. That was until Morkel and Anirudha got together.

Royals' below-par score owed partly to the frustration of having their innings interrupted three times by rain, but largely to some disciplined bowling by the Super Kings seamers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus, that kept the batsmen in check. Hilfenhaus beat the bat often, getting the ball to nip away past the outside edge, and maintained a tight line in the channel outside off. His victims were Dravid and Watson, both caught while trying to accelerate during a troubling spell; Watson was brilliantly taken by R Ashwin, diving forward at third man.

While Hilfenhaus finished with figures of 2 for 8 in four overs, Yo Mahesh backed him up with the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny, out after a brief counterattack. Though Brad Hodge targeted the spinners for a couple of boundaries, and an erratic Bravo was taken for runs, the good work done at the start of the game by Super Kings' bowlers was to serve their middle order well in the end.

Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2012, Hyderabad,Cricinfo

Delhi Daredevils 193 for 1 (Warner 109*, Ojha 64*) beat Deccan Chargers 187 for 4 (Dhawan 84, White 65) by nine wickets 

Even a total as formidable as 187 wasn't enough for Deccan Chargers' inexperienced bowling attack to pull off a win against Delhi Daredevils. David Warner filled the vacuum left by Kevin Pietersen with a blistering century - his second in the IPL - in only his second game of the season. With help from Naman Ojha, Daredevils butchered their way back to No.1, overhauling the target with 20 balls to spare.

Chargers fielded a bowling unit without foreign players, the most experienced of the lot being Amit Mishra. It was a recipe for a mauling. There was no respite even at the other end, as the promising Ojha capitalised on his promotion, hitting five sixes in his 64. Warner and Ojha overshadowed a similar performance from another Indo-Australian left-right duo earlier in the evening - Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White.

Daredevils' response was so swift and intimidating that Virender Sehwag's early departure was a distant memory. Sehwag tried to make a mockery of the decision to open the bowling with Dhawan by lofting the first ball to long-off. A similar attempt off the second ball resulted in a top edge that swirled to point, where White held a well-judged catch running backwards.

It was the only memorable bit of fielding from Chargers. The familiar misfields were characteristic of another flat performance, completely out of sync with the batting. Warner hit two forceful boundaries to take 16 off the opening over and set the tone for the rest of the chase.

Warner exposed the lack of depth and experience in the bowling, one that should serve as a lesson for the franchise before the next trading window. TP Sudhindra, back after warming the bench for over a month, gave away 13 in his first over. Ashish Reddy, one of the impressive newcomers this season for Chargers, had his confidence dented with a 20-run opening over. Two consecutive short balls were pounded by Warner over cover and deep square-leg. When Reddy pitched it full, he was hit through the off side.

Manpreet Gony was the only bowler with respectable figures. Mishra, the most experienced, went for 44 off four. Twenty-six of those runs were scored by Ojha, who used his feet to smash two sixes down the ground.

Warner, who looked below his best on the more sluggish pitches in the West Indies, was at home here with the ball coming onto the bat. He played his trademark pulls, one of which brought up his century. His stand of 189 with Ojha was the second-best in the IPL, behind Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh's 206 for Kings XI Punjab in 2011.

The 126 between Dhawan and White wasn't lacking in quality either. The pair shrugged off a relatively slow first half with power hitting in the last nine overs. The partnership featured audacious shots like the Dilscoop and the paddle sweep, interspersed with powerful straight hits and muscled sixes over deep midwicket.

Dhawan was particularly strong over the on side, hitting consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, and raced to his fifty with consecutive straight hits off Irfan Pathan.

When the slower bowlers tossed it up, Dhawan hammered over the on side; when Morne Morkel aimed at the base of the stumps, he strolled across his stumps and paddled over the helpless short fine leg fielder. A century was there for the taking against a stunned bowling attack, but a brilliant fielding effort from Nadeem, a direct hit from behind square leg, caught Dhawan a mile out of his crease.

White, who had earlier brought up the century stand with a six over deep midwicket off Nadeem, holed out to a top edge in the final over. Chargers, in the last nine overs, plundered 117 runs. Their bowlers, however, failed to defend that effort.

Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2012, Mumbai

Royal Challengers Bangalore 142 for 1 (Gayle 82*) beat Mumbai Indians 141 for 6 (Karthik 44) by nine wickets

It wasn't the easiest of pitches to bat on at the Wankhede Stadium, and Mumbai Indians possess the most potent bowling attack in the competition, but none of that mattered to Chris Gayle as he swung sixes on his way to the orange cap, 500 runs in the tournament and an unbeaten 82 that propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to the fourth spot.

Victories for Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday and Royal Challengers' win today has tightened the table again, with only three points separating the five teams in the middle.

Mumbai's batting has rarely been at its best this season, and continued to struggle today. The Royal Challengers bowling has had some off days this year, but turned in one of their more impressive performances as Vinay Kumar's double-strike in the second over and Muttiah Muralitharan's two wickets off successive deliveries later in the innings limited Mumbai to 141.

With the ball nipping around, it seemed a competitive score, particularly given the strength of Mumbai's bowling. Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan watchfully played out the main threat, Lasith Malinga, and focussed their energy on scoring plenty off the rest.

As he has been all season, Gayle was relatively cautious early on. Mumbai had two gilt-edged chances to dismiss him within the Powerplays: first, in the second over when a direct hit would have caught him well short, and then in the sixth over when Dwayne Smith put down a skier at cover. That potentially game-changing drop rounded off a horror outing for Smith, who also flopped with the bat a mere three days after his final-over heroics against Chennai Super Kings.

Dilshan was dismissed in the ninth over, and the asking rate began to climb towards nine, but it only took Gayle three deliveries to transform the match. Pragyan Ojha gifted him two friendly full tosses on leg stump which were contemptuously dispatched over the leg side; the second of those had been a no-ball as well, and Gayle dismissed the extra delivery for another six, over long-off for a change. That 22-run over brought the required rate closer to seven. Mumbai were never in the game after that as Virat Kohli found some form and helped Gayle finish it off with two overs to spare.

It hadn't begun well either for Mumbai with Zaheer Khan and Vinay troubling their top order. James Franklin upper cut a catch to third man, and Rohit Sharma was plumb lbw later in Vinay's over as Mumbai stuttered to 5 for 2 - the lowest score in the IPL after four overs.

Sachin Tendulkar then survived a close call for lbw, and was again reprieved when a Kohli throw from backward point was wide. Mumbai finally got some momentum in the sixth over as Tendulkar struck three successive boundaries - the first off the bat in the innings. Just as Mumbai were getting some stability, 21-year-old seamer Harshal Patel dismissed Tendulkar getting him to top-edge a pull.

The signing of Smith and the return of Kieron Pollard made the Mumbai batting seem more solid, and when Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik added 44 quick runs, the stage seemed set for a late onslaught from the two West Indians. Murali, though, removed both the well-set Karthik and Smith in the 16th over, seemingly denting Mumbai's recovery. Harbhajan, however, swung a couple of boundaries off Zaheer and Pollard powered two sixes in the final over from Vinay to lift Mumbai, but not to a total that was beyond Gayle's reach.