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Both sides make sporting declarations before play is abandoned in weather-hit round

ECB Reporters' Network23-May-2021Kent and Glamorgan drew their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury, after rain thwarted their attempts to make a game of it on day four.Glamorgan were 23 for 1 in their second innings when play was abandoned, after the teams agreed sporting declarations.The visitors declared on their overnight score of 64 for 3, 243 behind, and Kent then declared on 60 for 1, setting Glamorgan a target of 304 from a minimum 84 overs.Just 38 balls were bowled on day three and, with a draw effectively useless to both sides’ Group 3 ambitions, they attempted to set up a finish.Kent’s only loss in their brief second innings was Ollie Robinson, who made 14 before he was caught behind, glancing Michael Neser down the leg side. Jordan Cox was unbeaten on 27 and Zak Crawley 18 not out when the declaration came.Glamorgan had made 22 for nought when rain forced an initial five-minute delay. Matt Quinn then bowled David Lloyd for 17, but a second, far heavier downpour led to an early lunch and with no prospect of the ground conditions improving, the sides agreed a draw at 1.45 pm. Joe Cooke was six not out and Marnus Labuschagne unbeaten on 0.Kent collected 12 points and Glamorgan 11.

Several clubs have cancelled their overseas trips though Northants remain in Singapore

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2020Derbyshire
Landed in Zimbabwe last Monday, March 9. Were scheduled to return to the UK on March 29, but club announced on Saturday – after winning the first game of the tour – that they would head home on Monday (March 16). A club statement said: “While no member of the touring group has shown any symptoms related to COVID-19, the health and safety of our players and staff remains of paramount importance and therefore the decision has been made to bring the group home at the earliest available opportunity.”Dave Houghton, head of cricket, said: “While the decision to return was not an easy one to make, it is the correct one for all players and everyone associated with the club currently in Zimbabwe.”Durham
Landed in Zimbabwe on Thursday, March 12. Initially scheduled to return to the UK on March 29 but confirmed on Sunday that they would be returning to the UK early. “It is regrettable that the county teams have been forced to cut short their Zimbabwe tour as a precautionary move,” said ZC’s acting managing director Givemore Makoni, “but it is totally understandable as the clubs are concerned, like all of us would be, about the worsening COVID-19 situation back in their country and elsewhere in the world.”Director of cricket Marcus North said: “The health and safety of our players coaches and staff is the main consideration in any decision we make. Due to the potential travel disruption and uncertainty around the ongoing situation it is in the best interest of everyone to bring the traveling party back to the UK at this time.”ALSO READ: England series in Sri Lanka postponedEssex
Flew out to Abu Dhabi on Monday, and will return home at weekend rather than the planned date of March 21. Chief exectuive Derek Bowden said: “We have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation for a while, and although the area we’re based in is currently one of the least affected regions, the health and wellbeing of our players and staff is our highest priority, as is the season ahead.”Therefore, the decision has been made for everybody to return early and to continue with pre-season preparations at Chelmsford. We’d like to thank and acknowledge the Members and fans who were planning on making the trip to support the team in both Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka.”Earlier, the Champion County fixture against MCC in Sri Lanka was cancelled, but the Abu Dhabi leg had been expected to continue as planned.Chris Cooke of Glamorgan bats against Gloucestershire•Getty Images

Glamorgan
Pre-season tour to La Manga in Spain cancelled. Mark Wallace, director of cricket, said: ‘While cancelling the tour is not ideal, the health of our players and staff is paramount to the club.”We have excellent facilities at the ground and our players and coaching staff will work hard to make sure the impact on our pre-season preparation is minimal.”Gloucestershire
Pre-season tour to La Manga cancelled. Chief executive Will Brown said: “The welfare of our employees and players is paramount to all at Gloucestershire Cricket. As such we think it is not advisable for our tour to go ahead to La Manga at this time.”We would like to thank the La Manga resort, the PCA and all of the coaching and playing squads for all of their support and understanding and we look forward to returning to La Manga next year.”Hampshire
Bowling group flew to La Manga on Wednesday. Rest of squad were due to join on Friday but have not travelled, and those in Spain will return today. “The health and wellbeing of our players and staff is our primary concern and after monitoring the situation related to COVID-19 closely, we have taken the decision to return from La Manga as a precautionary measure,” said director of cricket Giles White.”Following significant uncertainty around travel overseas and the further disruption this could cause, we will now continue our pre-season preparations at the Ageas Bowl, giving us the best opportunity to be prepared for the coming season.”Kent
Travelled to Potchefstroom, South Africa for a training camp earlier in the week, will return early this weekend. “This is the right decision for our players and support staff as the club exercises its duty of care over its staff,” said a statement.Lancashire
Scheduled trips to Dubai and South Africa cancelled. Head coach Glenn Chapple said: “South Africa isn’t one of the most affected areas, but [considering] the challenges faced by teams travelling together and being in hotels together, we have decided it would be better to stay at home and give everyone the best chance to stay fit and be ready to play.”You could end up with 25 of you quarantined abroad and then you might have to do the same when you get back. You’re then not ready to start the season because you’ve had four weeks of inactivity. That’s why we decided it was best avoided particularly with the start to the season so close now.”Leicestershire
Originally scheduled to travel to Desert Springs in Spain on March 17 for a five-day training camp. The club issued a statement on Monday saying that the trip had been cancelled. Paul Nixon, Leicestershire’s head coach, said: “The welfare of the players, coaches, staff and their families is absolute paramount in this situation. Based upon this, we do not think it would be wise for the squad to travel to Spain for their tour.”We would like to thank the resort, our travel partners, the ECB, the PCA and all of the coaching and playing squads for all of their support and understanding. We have already spoken about the possibility of returning next year.”Max Holden celebrates his century•Getty Images

Middlesex
Returned on Monday from a trip to Oman, having been scheduled to stay until March 19. A club statement said: “The players have returned early from their pre-season tour in Oman – returning to the UK this morning, several days earlier than planned. Whilst all medical advice we received was that remaining in Oman posed no additional threat to the club’s players or staff, we felt that the speed with which the situation is changing across the globe – often hourly, that the welfare of the players and staff in Oman would be better served by them returning early to the UK. They landed this morning at Heathrow and will spend some time with their families before returning to their pre-season training preparations at Merchant Taylors’ School.”Northamptonshire
Having flown to Singapore on March 9, Northants spent a week in the country before deciding to return home early due to concern about the situatuon in the UK. Chief executive, Ray Payne, said: “It’s important to understand that this isn’t a case of us wanting to get the first available flight out of Singapore. It’s about the worsening situation at home and people being concerned about their families and wanting to be with them. It’s a very safe environment here but it’s understandable, there’s a lot of players with young families in our squad and right now that’s what’s most important.”Having been due to fly back on Friday, that has now been brought forward. Under current UK government advice, returning travellers from Singapore should self-isolate for 14 days if they experience any symptoms of the virus, however mild. ESPNcricinfo understands that none of the players on the tour has experienced any health issues and that the mood in the squad is good.Nottinghamshire
Club announced cancellation of friendly against Northants, replacing it with a fixture against Lancashire. Were never scheduled to go overseas for pre-season.ALSO READ: West Indies Tests, T20 Blast in spotlight as UK moves to ‘delay’ phaseSomerset
Tour to Abu Dhabi cancelled. Director of cricket Andy Hurry said: “Obviously, the health and wellbeing of our players, support staff and their families are of the highest importance.”Although Abu Dhabi has appropriate protocols in place, the change of the national state from ‘Contain’ to ‘Delay’ coupled with the potential escalation of any isolation process for those returning to the UK have become key factors in the decision making process.”Any imposed period of inactivity due to isolation of our players and staff would certainly adversely impact our pre-season preparation and potentially some early season fixtures.”Surrey
Tour to Dubai cancelled. Director of cricket Alec Stewart said: “While it’s disappointing we won’t be able to return to Dubai this year, the health of our players and staff is paramount. The directive from Dubai Sports Council advising all venues to cancel or reschedule all international activities until the end of the month as a precautionary measure related to the spread of the COVID-19 means the ICC Academy are unable to host our training camp.”As well as this, current uncertainties around travel and potential quarantine periods, either abroad or in the UK, mean this trip would simply be too disruptive to our preparations for the 2020 season.” Sussex
Flew to South Africa on Monday, March 9 for two-week tour. Initially scheduled to return on March 21 but confirmed on March 16 that they would return to UK on next available flight. The club’s AGM has been postponed.Performance director Keith Greenfield said: “We have been monitoring the fast-moving situation regarding Coronavirus prior to and during the tour and, with travel restrictions increasing, we’ve made the decision to return to the UK at the earliest opportunity. This is obviously disappointing, but – as ever – the wellbeing of our players and staff is our number one priority.”Warwickshire
Bowling group flew to La Manga last Friday, rest of squad followed on Tuesday. Squad will return to Birmingham on Saturday. Paul Farbrace, the club’s sport director, said: “We have been closely monitoring the Coronavirus situation in Spain and have been working closely with our tour partners Sporta Group to get the latest local information.”Whilst the Murcia region of Spain is currently one of the least affected parts of the country, the health and wellbeing of our playing squad and management is our utmost priority and bringing them back to Edgbaston is the best outcome for everyone.”We will continue our pre-season preparations at Edgbaston next week ahead of the first friendly versus Leicestershire, which starts on March 26.”Worcestershire
Tour to Abu Dhabi cancelled. A club statement said: “Contingency plans at WCCC have been worked on since mid-February 2020 and we hope to be in a position to update members when these plans are concluded shortly.”Yorkshire
Arrived in Mumbai on Thursday, shortly before India confirmed suspension of foreign visas. Were due to return on March 23, but announced on Friday after that squad will come back to UK “at the earliest possible opportunity”.”Having monitored the situation regarding the Covid-19 virus, the club has taken the decision to bring all players and staff back immediately,” a statement read. “With England’s tour to Sri Lanka postponed earlier today, and the spread of the virus expected to continue, this was deemed as the only possible course of action. The health of the players, support staff and their families come first. The club will continue to monitor the situation surrounding the virus as plans for alternative preparations for the season are made.”

CEO Kevin Roberts says an important question to ask is whether there is enough emphasis placed on performance over potential

Andrew McGlashan04-Jan-2019Cricket Australia will assess if the selection criteria used for the men’s team promotes potential too much over on-field performance, as the debate intensifies whether a group of players at state level are being overlooked when they could be better suited for a struggling Test side.The recall of Marnus Labuschagne, who has averaged 28 with the bat this season in the Sheffield Shield and nearly 60 with the ball, and his elevation to the No. 3 position for the fourth Test against India, has again thrown the spotlight on what parameters the selectors use to make their judgements.Australia head coach Justin Langer recently referenced that those players pushing for Test selection with the bat are only averaging in the 30s, which appears to ignore the likes of Matthew Wade (571 runs at 63.44) and Joe Burns (472 at 47.20), despite the ongoing struggle to find a top order that can compete in the absence of Steven Smith and David Warner. Of the top 10 Sheffield Shield run scorers so far this season, two of them are in the Test side (Marcus Harris and Shaun Marsh) while of the other eight six are averaging over 40.”Over the last decade or so there has been some suggestion that perhaps potential may have played more of role in selections than previously and I think that’s a good question for us to ask,” Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia CEO, told on the second day in Sydney. “I’m not saying we have it way out of whack at the moment, but they are important questions to ask ourselves. Are we placing enough emphasis on performance – potential is important but, as they say, potential never won a game.”A 35-year-old athlete today is probably quite similar to a 25-year-old athlete of say 20 years ago when I was playing and we have to be conscious of that. A lot of cricketers reach their potential in their late 20s, even early 30s. It’s really important to identify young talent, the next Ricky Ponting if you like, but for other players who are not the next Ponting, I think it’s important we have a system that inspires them to stay in it and inspires them to feel like they have opportunities when they are reaching the peak of their careers.”The structure of the Australian domestic season will also be looked at, although it seems unlikely there will be any solution to the clash of the BBL with the Test summer which leaves players without any red-ball cricket to state their case of selection or recall, but Roberts denied that was a major shift in position.”One of things we really need to look at is how do we give maximum respect to domestic competition as a foundation for our international teams both male and female, making sure our national programme compliments our domestic competitions rather than collide with them. That’s not easy, but we can really elevate the focus on our domestic competitions and make sure they are the best nursery for our international players.”I wouldn’t suggest it’s a backflip or significant change of direction. We need to look at the challenge that is scheduling, how do we optimise that, how do we make sure the best players are available for domestic competition. We know international players have a very heavy schedule and we know their availability is limited, but we can do our best to optimise our scheduling to make sure it provides the best grounding possible.”Roberts also said there would be ongoing discussions with Langer over how to prioritise the on-field demands of the next two years which includes the World Cup, Ashes and World T20. An indication of the juggle of resource taking place was the omission of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood from the one-day squad to face India.”One of things I’ll be discussing with Justin, and I’ve started in recent weeks, is that everything is important but how can we make sure we are having our best possible crack at the ODI World Cup, then the Ashes and then T20 World Cup rather than the caravans just rolling on from one series to the next. We need to really determine what is most important and ensure Australian cricket is performing at its best at those junctures.”

A round-up of the first day of Group B games from the fourth round of Ranji Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2017Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten ton powered Saurashtra to 341 for 5 after they elected to bat first against Jharkhand at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot. Pujara’s 42nd first-class hundred ended a spell that saw him go without a half-century in his last ten innings.Coming into bat at the fall of opener Robin Uthappa in the 11th over, Pujara faced 223 balls during the course of his unbeaten 125, which included 18 fours. Saurashtra were in trouble on 46 for 3 after they lost Snell Patel and Sheldon Jackson in quick succession, but Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja (42) revived the innings with an 88-run stand. After seamer Ashish Kumar got rid of Jadeja, Pujara added 137 runs with Prerak Mankad, who notched up a 118-ball 85 before Varun Aaron had him lbw.Pujara and Chirag Jani (40*) then ensured Saurashtra didn’t suffer any further losses with an unbroken 70-run stand. Ashish picked up three wickets.Haryana captain Amit Mishra led from the front with a four-wicket haul to restrict Gujarat to 236 in their first innings in Valsad. Electing to bat, Gujarat kept losing wickets at regular intervals – they were at 127 for 5 at one stage – and only Bhargav Merai (52) and Rujul Bhatt (40) produced knocks of substance. Mishra’s wickets – three of which were bowled and lbw – included those of Parthiv Patel (4) and Manprit Juneja (19). Haryana got off to a bad start in their response after opener Shubham Rohilla was dismissed by left-arm seamer Siddharth Desai in the first over. They went to stumps at 0 for 1.Jammu & Kashmir captain Parvez Rasool’s six-for resulted in Kerala crumbling for 219 in their first innings in Thiruvananthapuram. With the exception of Sanju Samson (112), there was little resistance from Kerala’s batsmen after they chose to bat first. Kerala slipped from 19 for 2 to 91 for 4. Samson and KB Arun Karthik added a 79-run partnership for the fifth wicket.But after Karthik’s departure, wickets continued to tumble again as Rasool ran through the lower order to complete his 10th five-wicket haul. Samson, who hit 14 fours and a six in his 187-ball knock, was the eighth batsman to fall.

On Wednesday evening, Batty’s phone buzzed with the call from James Whitaker, the national selector, to tell him he was on the plane to Bangladesh

Andrew McGlashan16-Sep-2016October 22, 2003, Dhaka, 1st Test, 2nd day. Gareth Batty claims his first Test wicket: Alok Kapali, bowled shouldering arms.October 22, 2016, Chittagong, 1st Test, 3rd day. Gareth Batty claims his 12th Test wicket, a week after his 39th birthday.It is now not an impossible thought. On Wednesday evening, Batty’s phone buzzed with the call from James Whitaker, the national selector, to tell him he was on the plane to Bangladesh and, after a gap of more than 11 years, has the chance to add to his seven Test caps.”It was a bit surreal, but a great honour – it’s a great phonecall to get,” he said. “It’s never going to be a bad one one when you’re told you’re going to get on a plane to represent your country.”

Ansari thumbs-up for second chance

You could forgive Zafar Ansari if he was a little careful during the Royal London Final against Warwickshire on Saturday. A year ago, a matter of hours after his maiden England call-up, he badly broke his thumb, required multiple operations, and was out for seven months.
Now he is back for the tour of Bangladesh – despite a season disjointed by further injuries – and has been boosted by the show of confidence.
“Obviously last year was deeply disappointing but it’s come around quite quickly again,” he said. “I am not extra protective of my thumb. It was a big injury, but I am looking after it and it’s been okay for a while now, and I am confident it will get through most things.”

Batty was close to a recall this time last year after Zafar Ansari, who he will now be touring alongside after the allrounder was also included in England’s 17-man squad, broke his thumb just hours after earning his first call-up for the trip to the UAE.Instead the selectors went for Samit Patel and the thought was that the last chance for Batty to rekindle his Test career had passed him by. However, another solid season for Surrey, in which he has collected 41 wickets at 31.32, has earned him selection ahead of the more prolific Jack Leach or Ollie Rayner.If Batty does make a final XI, he will be a cricket veteran in the side, if not a Test veteran. It is the gnarled experience which has helped tip the scales in his favour as England try to find a solution – albeit short term – to the challenge of competing in the spin department in Bangladesh and, although the squad has yet to be confirmed, most likely in India as well.”Until you get out there you don’t know but, certainly in the last few years, I feel I have learnt more about my game and I understand my body and bowled better more consistently,” he said. “I feel in a good place that, maybe in the younger part of my career, I didn’t feel as confident about things, or know exactly what it was going to do, so fingers crossed that stands me in good stead if I get an opportunity..”All sport is pressure but as you get older you perhaps know how better to deal with it, but it’s why we play the game. It’s about dealing with pressure and being a good performer under pressure.”Although Batty has been brought back because the selectors feel he is one of the best four spinners available, it has also been mooted that he can provide a mentoring role for the other three. England do not have a dedicated spin-bowling coach, even for back-to-back tours of the subcontinent, with Saqlain Mushtaq only scheduled to be involved for a couple of weeks during India.”We have not had any conversations about that but, whatever they require from me, I will try to deliver as best I can – anyone within the game knows that about me,” he said.”As a spinner, our country is not blessed overly with a huge amount of knowledge in that area, so if there is anything I can possibly help with in any way shape or form, I will. But I would do that if I were in an England shirt, a Surrey shirt or just my shirt at the local cricket club.”As ever with this tour of Bangladesh, the talk of security is never far away but nothing was going to stop Batty if the call came, even though he has recently become a father for the first time.”As soon as the security guys said it was okay, that was good enough. I am not somebody who is going to second-guess somebody who’s doing their job, but I totally understand people’s reservations and that is their decision. I spoke to my wife and had a quick word to my little daughter, who gave me a little dribble which I took as meaning it was okay.”If Batty returns home having helped England win a Test series, it will be quite a story to tell his daughter in the years to come.

Stuart Binny said he got the opportunity to spend some time in the middle against Zimbabwe, something he had not had in his previous ten ODIs

Liam Brickhill10-Jul-2015Stuart Binny has been a professional cricketer for more than a decade, and an international one for 18 months. Yet in 10 one-day internationals before this one he’d never really had the chance to show what he’s capable of with the bat. In the first ODI against Zimbabwe, Binny walked out with his side in deep trouble at 87 for 5 – but importantly there was still half the innings to be played, and he had time to express himself fully with a career-best 77 at better than a run a ball.”I’ve played 10 ODIs and I haven’t had the opportunity to bat more than five or six overs,” Binny said. “It was a great opportunity for me to go and spend some time in the middle and try and get as much as we could.”Binny didn’t have it all his way at the start of his innings. With Chamu Chibhabha in the middle of a parsimonious spell of medium pace, Binny suppressed his attacking instincts for a good half hour before biffing legspinner Graeme Cremer over long-on for six. Slowly but surely Binny and his partner, centurion Ambati Rayudu, eased India back into the game.”We didn’t set any totals when we went into bat, we just wanted to bat the next 10 overs and try not to lose any more wickets. It was a bit tough, but the wicket started to ease out a bit. Once you were set you could rotate the strike a bit more and play a few shots. But we just wanted to bat the first ten overs.”The pair eventually added 160 for the sixth wicket – a record for India – and combined to help India reap 90 runs from the last 10 overs as the hosts’ attack grew increasingly ragged. The match was ultimately a close one, with India winning by just four runs, and Binny stressed upon the advantage of having set batsmen in the crease at the death.”The difference was when we were batting it was me and Rayudu both set at that point of time, but [Zimbabwe] had one batsman set and the other one was trying to rotate the strike so two didn’t go hard at the same time. But when we were batting we set the platform. We had batsmen in the shed who could go, and we were both set on 60-plus. If you’re set you’ve got to take it as far as you can.”With all of the matches on this tour being played at Harare Sports Club, it’s likely that India will have to overcome bowler-friendly conditions again, and Binny suggested that a healthy respect for the new ball was needed.”If we get a chance to bat up front again early in the morning it’s crucial, with the Dukes ball that does swing and seam a bit, that we’ve got to give the bowlers a lot more respect, compared to playing with the Kookaburra ball in other ODIs. If you can get through the first 15 overs without losing more than a wicket or two, then we’ve got the firepower to get 300 in an ODI.”

Led by Parvinder Awana, Delhi bundled out Karnataka for 192 and ended the day in front despite losing two wickets as the shadows lengthened in Bangalore

Kanishkaa Balachandran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium08-Dec-2012
ScorecardFile photo: Parvinder Awana picked up his eighth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

On a pitch that resembled a lawn, with the only patches of white near the rough on either side, Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar chose to give his batsmen first use of the pitch, despite their batting struggles all season. While it might be perceived as a brave decision, it backfired on the hosts. Karnataka were still searching for their first outright win, and they were presented with what looked like a result-oriented wicket. Delhi weren’t complaining though. Their seamers, led by Parvinder Awana, bundled out the hosts for 192 and ended the day in front despite losing two wickets as the shadows lengthened in Bangalore.There were only seven overs of spin among the 65 bowled by Delhi, rare by Indian standards and current trends in the subcontinent where it’s common to see a spinner bowling with the new ball. Ashish Nehra’s return gave Delhi the extra firepower on paper, but the momentum was with Awana, who took his second consecutive five-wicket haul.It didn’t take long for Delhi to strike, though Nehra could count himself lucky. Robin Uthappa went a long way across and the ball struck his pads, and after a bit of thought, the umpire ruled in favour of the bowler. Nehra didn’t get the ball to move as much as the other seamers, and preferred bowling shorter.A number of Delhi’s bowling manoeuvers brought immediate results, starting with Sumit Narwal replacing Awana from the Pavilion End. Like Nehra, Narwal struck in the first over of his spell when he pitched one up to Ganesh Satish who drove and edged it to the wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht, who took the first of his five catches. Awana too changed ends and the move worked when he beat KL Rahul for movement and sent his off stump for a spin.It was an opportunity for Manish Pandey to take on a leadership role with the debutant Kunal Kapoor, but he too didn’t last long, edging Narwal to Bisht who took a low catch falling forward. Another bowling change brought another wicket, when Rajat Bhatia replaced Narwal from the Pavilion End and had Kapoor edging to Bisht, who came up to the stumps. At lunch, Karnataka had lost five and thoughts went back to their decision at the toss.The only batsman who looked like taking on the Delhi bowlers was Stuart Binny. Post lunch, he batted positively, pulling a short ball to fine leg and driving crisply down the ground. A stable batsman at the other end would have helped Binny build, but the pressure increased when the last-recognised batsman in the line-up, CM Gautam, fell to a loose shot. He was let off by Mithun Manhas at first slip, but it didn’t cost Delhi anything when Gautam slashed and edged Awana to Bisht.Binny motored along to his fifty by whipping Nehra towards deep midwicket for two boundaries. He went on to make 61 before edging Awana to Bisht, who took his fifth catch. By setting attacking fields, Delhi never let the game drift. Karnataka would have expected the pitch to ease for batting after lunch, but the seamers kept the ball up, got it to swing and induced mistakes.Awana picked up his fourth when he trapped Abhimanyu Mithun in front of the stumps with a full ball and later rounded off the innings when he sent KP Appanna’s middle stump back by a few yards. Speaking after the day’s play, Awana said he had been working on an away swinging delivery, in particular the one that beat Rahul’s defense. Awana, who had taken a five-for in the previous match against Haryana in seamer-friendly Lahli, said the pitch in Bangalore had more bounce.Shikhar Dhawan led Delhi’s reply with some crisp cover drives off the front foot and put away HS Sharath for boundaries over the off side as soon as the bowler was introduced first change. Sharath, though, quickly shook off that wayward beginning when he trapped a watchful Unmukt Chand lbw, before having Mohit Sharma caught down the leg side. It was smart field placement that led to that wicket. A short fine leg was in place, the ball was directed at the batsman’s body from round the wicket and Mohit could only fend it straight to the fielder.

A round-up of the first day’s play of the sixth round of matches of the Ranji Trophy Elite, 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2011S Badrinath scored a century on his second game back from injury and Abhinav Mukund continued his prolific scoring with an unbeaten 150, as Tamil Nadu reached 288 for 2 against Gujarat at Motera. Badrinath, the top run-getter in last year’s Ranji Trophy, missed the first three matches of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji campaign this season with a shoulder injury he sustained during the Challenger Trophy. He took his time constructing his first century of the season, taking 214 balls to score 102. He was at the wicket early; Tamil Nadu lost a wicket in the first over after choosing to bat. M Vijay was caught in front by an Ishwar Chaudhary that nipped in from outside off. That dismissal was a false dawn for Gujarat; the next wicket came in the 72nd over of the day after Badrinath and Abhinav had put on 223 runs for the second wicket.Abhinav got a reprieve early in his innings when what looked like a clear lbw was given not out. He cashed in and scored 150 not out off 264 balls. It was Abhinav’s fifth first-class century of 2011. He already has one double-century in this year’s Ranji Trophy and has the opportunity to get another as Tamil Nadu go into the second day in a strong position. Gujarat’s bowlers did not get help from the Motera pitch, though Faisal Dudhat did get some reverse-swing late in the day.

Ashok Dinda’s impressive season continued with another four-wicket haul, which helped Bengal reduce Delhi to 252 for 8 at Eden Gardens. It was a day on which Delhi lost wickets in clusters. Dinda struck twice in the 11th over, after Bengal had chosen to field, to leave Delhi 30 for 2. Shikhar Dhawan scored his first half-century in seven innings and shared a 69-run partnership with Yogesh Nagar to get Delhi back on track. Dinda returned to remove Nagar and Dhawan was dismissed by Laxmi Ratan Shukla 6.2 overs later. That double-strike left Delhi in trouble again but Rajat Bhatia scored 59 not out and Puneet Bisht scored 40 to take the score to 228 for 5. Three wickets fell in the 12 overs before stumps to make it Bengal’s day, and leave Dinda with figures of 4 for 55. That puts him second on the list of wicket-takers this season with 25.Naman Ojha hit his second hundred in as many innings, and third of the season, to take Madhya Pradesh to 260 for 3 against Haryana at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Ojha hit five sixes and 22 fours on the way to 160 off 226 balls. He dominated stands of 102, with opening partner Zafar Ali, and 101, with Devendra Bundela. When he was dismissed for 160 in the 75th over MP’s score was still 239. Bundela remained not out on 25 at stumps, along with Udit Birla, who had scored 29.Shivakant Shukla’s 96 was the highlight of the day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi as Railways made slow progress against Orissa to end on 204 for 5. Shukla batted till the penultimate over, facing 264 balls, hitting 12 fours and a six. Railways lost Shreyas Khanolkar early but the partnership that stood out was the 107-run stand for the third wicket between Shukla and Sanjay Bangar. Bangar made 46 before he was trapped lbw by Biplab Samantray, who struck again the following ball to remove Prashant Awasthi. Shukla was unlucky to fall four short of his ton, lbw to Govind Podder. Mahesh Rawat remained unbeaten on 38.The runs flowed in Jaipur as Vineet Saxena and Puneet Yadav scored centuries to lift Rajasthan to 369 for 7 against Saurashtra. The pair added 215 for the fifth wicket after the seam trio of Jaidev Unadkat, Sandip Maniar and Siddarth Trivedi left the hosts in trouble at 103 for 4. The pair were together for close to 50 overs before Yadav fell for 108, caught behind off Trivedi. Saxena departed four overs later in similar manner off the same bowler. Both centurions hit 15 fours each. Trivedi managed to sneak in another wicket, that of Dishanth Yagnik to end the day with 4 for 69.A century by Sushant Marathe and a fifty by Kaustubh Pawar took Mumbai to a reasonable 203 for 3 against Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow, though only 63 overs were bowled. The pair resisted for 56 overs to add 189 for the first wicket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dislodged the stand when he removed Marathe for 102, an innings which included 15 fours. Kumar struck soon after, sending back Abhishek Nayar. Mumbai suffered another jolt when Pawar departed for a patient 76 off 191 balls, off what turned out to be the last ball of the day.