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Brendan Taylor has said the biggest factor in Bangladesh’s 3-0 win over his Zimbabwe side was in the spin department, terming it a “chalk and cheese” comparison. Zimbabwe went down by 186 runs in the third Test and he said that the 3-0 series loss was hurtful not just to him but the whole team.Zimbabwe lost the first Test in dramatic fashion after a spectacular collapse at the hands of Taijul Islam on the third day in Dhaka. It was followed by big defeats in Khulna and Chittagong. Throughout the series, Bangladesh’s spinners held sway in most of the key moments.Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul were the top two wicket-takers in the series, with 18 and 17 respectively, while Jubair Hossain picked up 11 wickets, including a five-for in the third Test. Shakib’s scalps came at an average of 18.27 while Taijul had Bangladesh’s best bowling figures, 8-39 in the fourth innings of the Dhaka Test.In comparison, Zimbabwe’s Natsai M’shangwe took seven wickets at 62.14 and though Malcolm Waller took six wickets in Khulna, he was pulled up by the umpires for a suspected action and was promptly dropped in Chittagong.Sikandar Raza bowled 82 overs in the series, picking up five wickets, a bonus for a part-time spinner, while specialists Tafadzwa Kamungozi and John Nyumbu were dropped after taking one wicket between them in Dhaka.”I think Bangladesh are a slightly better side in their conditions,” Taylor said. “The difference is in the spin department. Chalk and cheese. The first Test match set the tone. In hindsight had we gotten 20-30 runs [more], it could have been a different result. I think if we managed to pull that first Test off it would have given the side momentum. To lose in the fashion we did is tough. Toss is always important, you cannot control that. But that’s not the reason why we lost the series. We lost the series because Bangladesh have been better than us in the three Tests.”It certainly hurts as an individual. It hurts the team. It is tough to comprehend that, but Bangladesh have played better cricket so we’ve got to give them credit. They made it difficult for us. In all three Test matches, batting first in the last two Tests and getting 450, 500, it’s always tough to try and come back and win from there. So we fought pretty hard but the better team held on in the end and got the results.”Despite the trouble against spin throughout the series, Zimbabwe were actually on equal footing going into the fifth day’s play at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. They had nine wickets in hand, with Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza creaming the Bangladesh attack for 19 overs on the fourth evening after being set 449 to win.But rather than being patient and getting on top of the spinners, aggression cost both batsmen in the first hour of play. Masakadza’s reverse-sweep went awry while Raza struck a full-toss down midwicket’s throat. It triggered a slowdown and ultimately the bowling out of Zimbabwe by the end of the second session. Apart from Regis Chakavba, none of the Zimbabwe batsmen or allrounders were able to stand up to spin.Taylor said the batsmen’s approach was correct but they had little experience of playing on such a deteriorating pitch on the fifth day, against a spin attack that was making them play differently. “I think we did show the right approach,” he said. “We don’t really bat on wickets like this on day five when it deteriorates like that. They are very good batting wickets for the first three days then they become really difficult.”When you’ve got a quality spin attack, on day five it is certainly going to be a massive challenge. I think that’s certainly the difference between the two sides. They have got world-class spinners and we are struggling for a couple.”Taylor praised Chakabva for his two fifties and hundred in the series, including his resistance on the fifth day in Chittagong, but otherwise he said an opportunity to show survival instinct was not taken.”[There have been] players who have found a bit of form and have been good for us throughout the series,” he said. “There have been other players, including myself, who haven’t really had the series they would have liked. It was an opportunity for us to step up and bat 90 overs. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Regis Chakabva showed a lot of character. But that’s done now; we need to focus on the shorter format.”

After contrasting performances in the semi-finals, Central Zone’s batting and South Zone’s bowling will vie in the Duleep Trophy final at Feroz Shah Kotla from Wednesday. Central’s batsmen had amassed 850 runs against North Zone in Mohali, while South’s bowlers had routed East Zone for 84 and 62 on a lively Lahli pitch. It is the last first-class match in India before the Australia tour and hence the last opportunity for fringe players to make a case for inclusion in the Test squad.One of the front-runners is the in-form Naman Ojha. Before his 217 and 40 against North, he had three consecutive centuries, including a double-hundred, and all of them in Australia. While Ojha’s runs have come in the middle order, India’s hunt for openers is still on. KL Rahul is likely to get another chance for South since his Karnataka team-mates Manish Pandey and Karun Nair have left for the warm-up one-day game against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Thursday. The available opening slots will also give hopes to Abhinav Mukund, who last played a Test in 2011.South will also be without Stuart Binny, who took seven wickets against East Zone, and Sanju Samson, who was not in the semi-final XI. Both of them will join Pandey and Nair in Mumbai. The replacements are Tamil Nadu’s batsman R Prasanna and offspinner Malolan Rangarajan, Kerala batsman VA Jagadeesh and Hyderabad medium-pacer Ravi Kiran.South coach Hemang Badani was asked if the squad looked depleted in the absence of some prominent names. “I don’t think so because if some guys are replacing them, it means that they are good enough to play at this level,” Badani said.Central will be dented only in the spin department, losing out on Kuldeep Yadav and Karn Sharma, to be replaced by Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza and Vidarbha offspinner Akshay Wakhare. They will be led by Piyush Chawla again.The Kotla pitch, which shows variable bounce and turn later on, is said to have a green cover but South captain Vinay Kumar was not sure if that would stay till Wednesday morning. “I don’t know whether they will shave off some grass tomorrow before the start of the match,” Vinay said. “Looks a good grassy wicket but I can only assess it once the match starts.”Compared to South Zone’s 13 titles, including the shared trophy with North last year, Central are underdogs with five trophies to their name.

There might not be much relevance to a Twenty20 contest right now, but Shahid Afridi said a good performance in the two-match series against New Zealand would build into Pakistan’s preparations for the 50-over World Cup.Pakistan have had a tough time in one-day cricket over the past 12 months. They lost to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in February, and conceded a three-match series to the same opposition in the UAE. Recently, they were beaten by a young Australia side 3-0. But an upswing in their Test form has put the team in a good frame of mind.”I think the boys are feeling very confident ahead of the series and my side is a very well-balanced one,” Afridi said. “You can’t compare the T20s with the ODI cricket. It’s a totally different format. But I think a victory, and to have a winning combination is very important. You feel more confident after a victory. Each victory and each game before the World Cup is important to us.”Afridi also voiced confidence in his bowling resources. Umar Gul, who has recovered from knee injury and appears fit for international cricket after going through six first-class matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Wahab Riaz is also making a comeback after hurting his knee during the second ODI against Australia in October. Since then, he’s played two four-day games during which he bowled 68 overs.”Both Umar and Wahab have performed very well for Pakistan in the past,” Afridi said. “They are both looking very fit and they seem to be in good form. I am very happy to see them in the squad.”With Mohammad Hafeez under scrutiny for his action and Saeed Ajmal – the top wicket-taker in T20s – suspended from bowling, Afridi sees an opportunity for fringe players to shine.”Our spinners have done very well despite Ajmal’s absence and played a very important role in our wins. I believe that Pakistan has got good bowling strength. We have bowlers sitting who are waiting for their chance to get into the team. It’s not as if we are struggling to find another spinner. I think we have always been blessed with good bowling combinations.”

Sri Lanka Cricket has retained the same officials in charge of the national women’s team for their UAE tour, despite the men involved being under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct from some players. According to Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, the officials have not been proven guilty and the board saw no reason why they should not continue in their roles.A preliminary inquiry carried out by a one-person fact-finding committee had allegedly received evidence from players that three officials were involved in the alleged acts. SLC handed over that report to the sports ministry for a full-scale investigation by a three-member committee appointed by the sports minister.Ashley de Silva, the SLC chief executive, told the Sri Lanka-based that the board would wait for the final report of the investigation. “Once the final report comes in, the Ex-Co will decide the next course of action.”Local media reports in October had alleged that some women cricketers were compelled to perform sexual favours for officials, in order to earn or keep their place in the national side, leading to an “initial investigation” from SLC, followed by the preliminary inquiry.

Dhaka Division won their third consecutive match of the National Cricket League by an innings, this time crushing Chittagong Division by an innings and 174 runs. It put them top of the points table with 75 points, 19 ahead of second placed Rangpur Division, while Chittagong are scraping near the bottom with only seven points.While it was Mosharraf Hossain’s five-wicket haul (his 13th in first-class cricket) that handed Dhaka the early advantage, once again it was the grand start given by the openers Rony Talukdar and Abdul Mazid that put them in total control of the game. The pair put on their second consecutive 300-run stand for the first wicket, adding 304 runs in 77.1 overs. They also had a 197-run partnership in Dhaka’s first match against Barisal Division.Talukdar struck his second double-hundred in three games (and his third consecutive 150-plus score), making 201 off 240 balls with the help of 22 fours and seven sixes. Mazid was slightly more sedate with his 248-ball 113 that had 17 fours. It was his second hundred in as many games.After the Rony-Mazid pair had plundered the Chittagong bowlers, Shuvagata Hom struck his sixth first-class century while Raqibul Hasan and Taibur Rahman hit fifties as Dhaka declared on 616 for 5 on the third day. Chittagong, who had made 155 in the first innings, folded for 287 in the second innings with Tasamul Haque making 114 off 180 balls. Irfan Sukkur also made 74. For Dhaka, pace bowler Dewan Sabbir took four wickets while Mosharraf added three more to his first innings five-for.Rangpur Division moved into second position after their 193-run win over Khulna Division in Mirpur. Mahmudul Hasan’s nine wickets was pivotal for Rangpur and the haul fetched him the Man-of-the-Match award.Batting first, Rangpur were bowled out for 310 with Tariq Ahmed and Ariful Haque making 63 and 68 respectively. Khulna were bowled out for 213 in reply, falling 97 runs behind. Mahmudul took five wickets with his offspin while debutatnt offspinner Sanjit Saha took four wickets.Rangpur batted slower in the second innings, making 259 for 8 in 105 overs before declaring on the fourth morning. Khulna lost their first three wickets by three overs for just two runs, and were ultimately bowled out for 163 in 51 overs with more than an hour to spare on the fourth day. Mahmudul took four wickets, while there was two each for Subashis Roy and Sanjit, who recently returned from Bangladesh Under-19’s tour of Sri Lanka.Rajshahi Division and Sylhet Division played out a draw at the BSKP-2 ground. Batting first, Rajshahi made 482 with Maisuqur Rahman and Junaid Siddique hitting centuries.But the most significant moment came in the 137th over of Rajshahi’s innings when Enamul Haque jnr became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 400 first-class wickets, in his 100th first-class match. He finished with 4 for 137, the 46th time he has taken four or more wickets in an innings.Sylhet were bowled out for 324 and asked to follow on by Rajshahi captain Farhad Reza. They batted through the fourth day to make 335 for 3, with Rahatul Ferdous notching his maiden first-class hundred.The Barisal Division–Dhaka Metropolis match was also drawn in Fatullah.Batting first, Dhaka Metro were bowled out for 400 with Shadman Islam hitting his maiden first-class hundred. His innings was quite two-paced as he made 140 off 301 balls, with 110 runs coming in boundaries (26 fours and a six). He made the rest of his 30 runs off 274 balls. Left-arm spinner Al-Amin took his first five-wicket haul.In reply, Barisal raced to 161 for 0, but once the the opening partnership between Shahriar Nafees and debutant Saif Hasan was broken, they were bowled out for 261. Elias Sunny took a career-best 7 for 73, his 13th five-wicket haul.Dhaka Metro furthered their lead by another 247 runs in 52.4 overs before declaring their second innings. Shadman struck 89 while Asif Ahmed and Mehrab Hossain jnr made 53 and 51 respectively. Nafees and Saif once again gave a good start adding 90 for the first wicket. Unlike the first innings though, the next two batsmen held it together. Fazle Mahmud struck his second first-class century and added 140 runs for the unbroken third-wicket stand with Mohammad Sajib.

Colin Graves, the incoming ECB chairman, has insisted that the consultative document about the future of professional cricket in England has no hidden agendas and that, for the foreseeable future at least, he retains an open mind about the future direction of the game.Minds cannot remain open for ever, however, when views have already been shown to be so varied. Graves has also emphasised that he regards the ECB executive, led by himself and the new chief executive Tom Harrison, as empowered to decide the future direction of English cricket and it will not be overly long before some ideas – to adopt his own phrase – are tossed “into the long grass”.Details of the “Strategy Conversation Summary”, exclusively revealed by ESPNcricinfo as a melting pot of options that now provides the basis for further examination, showed support for ideas as diverse as a revamped Twenty20 tournament not based on the 18-county system, a cut in the number of Tests in an English summer, and a return to three-day Championship cricket with no promotion or relegation.The summary was drawn up by Harrison around a series of “away days” between the ECB executive, county chairmen and the recreational game and was a deliberate attempt at a widespread consultation exercise before the executive draws up firm priorities.Graves re-emphasised the document’s democratic nature when he told the : “It’s just something where everyone has thrown into the pot. There are no agendas, nothing has been pre-empted and nothing is cast in stone.”This is where we’re starting from. We’ve got a blank sheet of paper and we want to discuss everything. Nothing will be swept under the carpet. Nobody wants to say afterwards ‘Why didn’t we think of that?’ ‘Why didn’t we discuss this?’ We’ll discuss everything and if it gets thrown into the long grass, it gets thrown into the long grass.”I’m open and transparent, and that’s how I’m going to run the organisation with the executives – for the first time ever that’s what we’re doing. I now get to look at certain areas and make changes.”There’s no timescale: we want to do it openly and properly. We’re trying to do the right thing for what spectators want and the right thing for cricket. I’m prepared to put my head on the chopping block. We’ve got a massive opportunity to make a difference.”Some of the more left-field ideas – such as four-day Test cricket – have caused a general outcry among cricket fans worldwide, accentuating the distinct impression that the ECB, for the moment anyway, is not in a rush to raise the matter at the ICC.Other proposals in the document, such as a fresh T20 competition, are being actively discussed, however, and are already the subject of passionate and conflicting views among the 18 first-class counties.Graves, who is about to step down as Yorkshire chairman after 13 years, where he has won widespread respect within a county, has a five-year term at the ECB in which he intends to stamp is mark. The question remains if the counties, whose contrary views have already been established, will allow him to do just that or whether despite being elected unanimously he will only win or lose after a prolonged and messy civil war.

Match facts

Friday, February 12, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

Well, that’s put the cat among the pigeons. Just when it seemed that England’s 50-over fledglings were set to spread their wings and secure a hugely impressive second overseas series victory of the winter, they were clawed back to earth by a performance that AB de Villiers, South Africa’s captain, rightly described as “hungry”. With local knowledge spilling out of a team containing six Titans players, South Africa hunted down a stiff target of 319 with disdain, thanks almost entirely to a record-breaking opening stand of 239 between Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla.So, at 2-1 up with two to play, England know they are suddenly in a contest – and life is unlikely to get much easier in the equally stratospheric conditions at the Wanderers. The Bullring comes into his own for floodlit one-day games, and South Africa’s record at the venue is hugely impressive – 19 victories in 27 completed matches including, ten years ago next month, the jewel in the crown: their astonishing chase of 435 against Australia.On the evidence of the series so far, there could be similar scoring feats in prospect on Friday. England’s total of 399 at Bloemfontein might have been challenged more closely had the weather not intervened in the first match, while their apparently hefty 318 for 8 at Centurion proved to be at least fifty runs shy of par. With power-hitters on both teams, including some – such as AB de Villiers and Jason Roy who haven’t entirely got going as yet – there is unlikely to be much let-up in the thin, six-friendly, air of the Highveld.South Africa’s fightback at Centurion was made possible, in part, by the improved balance of their team, with the inclusion of the allrounder David Wiese at the expense of Rilee Rossouw allowing de Villiers to use the part-time seamers of Farhaan Behardien more sparingly. But England in return struggled to use their own options, with Chris Jordan’s erratic seamers proving particularly expensive once again. One thing is clear: it has not so far been a series for the bowlers, so whichever team’s attack holds its nerve the best when the fur begins to fly is liable to claim the spoils.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa: WLLWL
England: LWWWW

In the spotlight

England have one imperative above all others if they want to sew up the series without having to win a decider at Cape Town on Sunday. Stop de Kock. Quinton de Kock‘s preposterous form has harvested three centuries in his last four innings, including a maiden Test hundred at Centurion last month. In one-day cricket, however, he is in overdrive. His match-smashing 135 on Tuesday was his tenth in 55 innings . No ODI player in history has ever reached that milestone so quickly, or so young either – at 23 years and 54 days, he pipped Virat Kohli to the mark by four months. The power and purity of his strokeplay is extraordinary, and seemingly unstoppable when he gets on one of his rolls.Adil Rashid has been quietly going about his business in the series so far, and if his figures to date, 2 for 130 in 26 overs, don’t look like an awful lot to write home about, then they are perhaps best expressed alongside those of his legspinning counterpart in South Africa’s ranks, Imran Tahir – 2 for 193 in 28. Following coolly on from his breakthrough stint with Adelaide Strikers in the BBL, Rashid has applied a tourniquet to his previously leaky economy rate, and South Africa’s willingness to see off his spells rather than take the long handle to them is a testament to his control and variety. He’s got the confidence to be a trump card in the closing stages of this series.

Team news

South Africa have given no clear indication as to whether they will make changes to their XI but the balance provided by Wiese served its purpose at Centurion. A continuation of that policy would mean no room, once again, for the specialist slugger, David Miller, although the million-dollar man, Chris Morris, might believe he would be worth a shout for that extra allrounder’s role. Morne Morkel is due a rest and could miss out for Marchant de Lange but, since he is not playing the T20s, he may just keep going for now.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Wiese, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran TahirEngland’s big dilemma is the form of Chris Jordan. His value in the field was demonstrated by the stunning running catch off AB de Villiers at Port Elizabeth that could prove a pivotal moment in the series. But he has so far taken one wicket in 17.3 overs in the series, at an average of 143 and an economy rate of 8.17. The obvious replacement is also the odd man out in the squad. Stuart Broad’s recall for white-ball cricket was made all the more curious when he was yesterday omitted from England’s World T20 squad. However, with a series to win, and fond recent memories of Johannesburg, a recall would seem to be the pragmatic approach.England (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

A typical Wanderers ODI pitch is packed with runs and consistent bounce and carry. South Africa have scored over 300 in their last four matches at the venue and won three. The pitch is off-centre for this match which means one boundary will be shorter. A fast outfield and thin air will also aid the batsmen. Thundershowers are forecast between 4pm and 6pm.

Stats and trivia

• With scores of 46, 55 and 33 not out so far, Faf du Plessis has returned to form after a tough Test series and is within 90 runs of reaching 3000 in ODI cricket.
• If selected, Stuart Broad will play in his first ODI since England’s victory over Afghanistan at Sydney in March 2015, their last match of a dismal World Cup campaign.
• At 1633m above sea level, the Wanderers Stadium is at an unusually high altitude. Scientific models have worked out that a shot that would just reach the boundary at the Wanderers (approx. 65m) would fall some four metres short at lower-altitude venues.
• South Africa will take the field in pink kit as part of an annual breast cancer awareness day. That could be ominous for England. The last time de Villiers wore pink for an ODI, he slammed 149 from 44 balls against West Indies.

Quotes

“It’s key for us to assess conditions very early; what is working on the day. AB is fantastic in picking up the rhythm of the batsmen and where they’re looking to target areas. We’ve done our research into exercising our skills to keep them quiet.”
Kyle Abbott believes South Africa can keep England’s line-up quiet. “Stuart’s played more than 100 one-dayers for England and has huge amounts of experience. If he comes in, that’s just one of a few things he’ll bring – that experience and knowledge of one-day cricket.”
Joe Root, for one, welcomes the prospect of Stuart Broad reclaiming his berth in the one-day team.

Rajasthan Royals 157 for 2 (Rahane 76*, Watson 73) beat Chennai Super Kings 156 for 4 (Bravo 62*, Smith 40) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane hardly broke a sweat during Royals’ chase•BCCI

Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane made light work of Chennai Super Kings’ 156 for 4, each hitting sparkling seventies in a breezy 144-run stand. The eight-wicket victory also embedded Rajasthan Royals at the top of the table. They have five wins out of five this season, and have now comfortably beaten the only other team that had been undefeated until today.This despite Watson having lost the toss on a sweltering Ahmedabad afternoon. Having assumed the captaincy in his first match this season, his bowlers delivered him four wickets and an excellent economy rate in the first 10 overs. Dwayne Bravo slammed a 36-ball 62 to help the visitors recover, but even though he and MS Dhoni could not be parted, Dhoni’s stuttering 37-ball 31 weighed down the partnership. Their eventual score seemed at least 15 runs too short.Watson was brutish and bullying at the top of Royals’ chase, and Rahane light and flowing. Rahane’s first boundaries were gorgeous drives down the ground, and right through his unbeaten 76 off 55, he never seemed to over-hit a ball. The languid six over midwicket off Mohit Sharma was a particular highlight. He was rarely troubled by the Super Kings bowling all evening, and found singles and twos into the outfield with ease.His opening partner was less pretty, but no less effective. Watson repeatedly backed away towards leg to blast balls through the offside, and when the spinners came on, used that powerful slog sweep with abandon. He reached fifty off 34 balls by clobbering Bravo over long on, then hit two more fours. He was bowled with 13 runs to get, but effectively, the match was already won.In his first five overs as captain in this IPL season, Watson was like a man clicking through his revolver in search of the loaded chambers. He opened the bowling with the left-arm spin of Ankit Sharma, switched to the seam of Chris Morris next, brought in Pravin Tambe the following over, then went to Deepak Hooda and James Faulkner for the fourth and fifth overs respectively. Only the wicket of Brendon McCullum fell in those five varied overs, but in them, Royals had set the tone.Morris had Suresh Raina caught behind with an angled delivery that bounced higher than the batsman expected in the sixth over, and by the end of the Powerplay, Super Kings had been kept to 39 for 2.The wickets kept falling, partly because Super Kings were attempting to lift the pace of the innings. Ankit had Faf du Plessis caught nicely by Morris at the long off fence for one. A few overs later, James Faulkner pegged back the middle stump of Dwayne Smith, as the batsman attempted to swing across the line.When Bravo and Dhoni were joined at 65 for 4 in the 10th over, the pair were forced to rein in their aggression for several overs, while the innings was girded up again. Bravo cracked two successive square boundaries – one on either side of the wicket – off Watson in the 12th over, but both batsmen were more reserved against spin to begin with. The pitch didn’t offer substantial turn off the straight, but Tambe was typically miserly in his first three overs. Morris and Faulkner bowled tightly throughout the innings as well.Though Bravo began to launch the late-overs assault around the 16th over, Dhoni remained oddly inert. His timing had visibly been poor early in his innings, but even in the death overs, where he ordinarily comes into his own, he continued to mishit balls, collecting singles when he wanted sixes. Bravo smoked two fours and a six over cow corner off Tambe’s 18th over to draw near his fifty, which he completed in 29 balls. But with Dhoni so out of touch, Super Kings could only trot in those final overs. As they did not lose a wicket, their lower-order hitters went unused.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
3:57

O’Brien: KKR left their charge for too late

Kolkata Knight Riders had no business losing this. Having restricted Chennai Super Kings to 134, they were rushing towards the target at 52 for 1 in five overs, but they contrived to play headless shots and the excellent Super Kings fielders were only too happy to oblige. The asking rate had come down to under a run a ball when Super Kings went to spin, but possibly out of that fear of spin and also because of some ordinary batting from Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate, they contrived a defeat. Super Kings have now won nine home matches in a row, and are at the top of the table with a match in hand.Robin Uthappa was batting like a dream in reaching 39 off 16, fielding was getting a bit rattled with MS Dhoni refusing to go for a catch as the fifth over ended, and now R Ashwin came on to bowl the sixth over. Uthappa looked to dominate, swept the first ball powerfully, and Brendon McCullum took a special catch at short midwicket. Super Kings had been given a lifeline. In Ashwin’s next over, Manish Pandey, the man reprieved by Dhoni, went for a slog sweep and found deep midwicket. If they were worried about spin terrors, they had brought them to life by panicked batting with the asking rate comfortable.Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina then slipped in four overs for 12 runs even before you could realise. What you did realise, though, was Yusuf’s staunch refusal to run singles and his lack of manoeuvring against good bowling as he also depicted against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Knight Riders’ previous match.If Knight Riders were bent on destruction, Super Kings were effective without being dramatic. The drama was to follow soon. Mohit Sharma came back in the 13th over with Ashwin injured and off the field, and the under-pressure Suryakumar Yadav mis-hit one towards the 30-yard circle at mid-on with no man stationed there. Faf du Plessis from mid-off and Dwayne Bravo converged. A collision seemed imminent, but du Plessis showed great awareness. He didn’t give up the catch, but dived low as Bravo ran in upright. At the last moment Bravo leaned in, dived forward, got one hand – the left – to it, and the ball stuck.Bravo went off on a celebratory, and Super Kings began to run away with the game. With nine overs without a boundary, the asking rate reached nine an over for the last five overs. Now Dhoni went to Bravo the bowler, who bowled like a spinner on a turning pitch, dealing almost exclusively in cutters. Yusuf wasted no time in playing one on. When he came in, Knight Riders needed 74 off 67. He scored 13 off 18, and left the side 44 to get off 28.With ten Doeschate too struggling, Knight Riders had one hope: Andre Russell, whose aggressive bowling earlier had kept Super Kings down. Ten Doeschate ran him out, calling him for a second, realising it wasn’t on, and then turning back to safety. Bravo’s slower balls and Ashish Nehra’s yorkers then took Super Kings to victory, with ten Doeschate unbeaten on 38 off 28 – 14 of his runs came off the last three balls with the requirement having reached 17.Knight Riders will be filthy with themselves after having done excellently with the ball. Super Kings had got off to a streaky start – Dwayne Smith scored 14 off edges in his first 20 – but 38 for 0 in four overs looked menacing. With Sunil Narine – reported again for a suspect action again – missing, Piyush Chawla, Brad Hogg and Russell handcuffed Super Kings in the middle overs. The three conceded only 70 in their 12 overs, and took five wickets too, but as it turned out with some questionable batting from their side, the bowlers needed to do more.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been left out of West Indies’ 14-member squad to face Australia in the first of two Tests starting June 3. He is 87 runs short of breaking the record for most Test runs by a West Indian, but has hit a trough of poor form and both chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd and coach Phil Simmons had felt he did not have a place in their best XI.Chanderpaul made only 92 runs at an average of 15.33 in the three Tests against England in April and May. He has had six single-digit scores and only one fifty in his last 10 innings.Meanwhile, the uncapped duo of Shane Dowrich, who scored twin fifties against the touring Australians, and Rajindra Chandrika find a place in the team.

Changes to WI squad from the England series

In: Shane Dowrich and Rajindra Chandrika
Out:Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith and Carlos Brathwaite

Dowrich, the 23-year old wicketkeeper batsman, peaked over the last two years in first-class cricket, averaging 50.18 against his overall figure of 37.46. He struck three centuries and seven fifties in that period, including a career-best unbeaten 131. Chandrika, the 25-year old batsman, averages 25 as well in first-class cricket. But his selection into the national squad comes on the back of better recent form. Apart from the 74 he hit against the Australians, he’s struck four fifties this year in the Regional four-day tournament.Opening batsman Shai Hope, who made his debut against England, retains his spot. Spinners Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul, who played only one of the three Tests of that series, have kept their places as well. The fast bowling will be headed by Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel.West Indies squad for the first Test Denesh Ramdin (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajindra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor