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Virat Kohli, in his second match as captain, smacked an 83-ball 102 to power India to a tall score against West Indies, but he said more than his innings, India earning a bonus point was more satisfying

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2013Virat Kohli, in his second match as captain, smacked an 83-ball 102 to power India to a tall score against West Indies, but he said that earning a bonus point was more satisfying than his innings.India were in a difficult position in the tri-series before the start of the match because they had lost their first two games – the second against Sri Lanka being one of their heaviest defeats – and needed to win this match to keep their chances afloat. India’s much-vaunted batting line-up had struggled for fluency at Sabina Park, but at Queen’s Park Oval the openers responded with a 123-run opening stand to set an ideal platform. Kohli, despite limited support from other middle-order batsmen, ensured it wasn’t wasted.”We got a good start. It’s a bit of a tricky situation if you go in after a good start,” Kohli said. “You don’t know whether to play yourself in or go after the bowlers. To get a hundred in my second game as captain, I am pretty happy. I was getting good starts, but hitting that one shot straight to the fielder, so I was waiting for this big innings. But more than the hundred, I am happy we won with a bonus point.”Darren Sammy credited Kohli for lifting India’s score beyond 300, but said that West Indies’ bowlers could have bowled better. The fast bowlers were expensive and even Sunil Narine wasn’t able to control the flow of runs, giving away 35 in his five overs.”We have to give credit to Kohli and the Indians for the way they played. We did not bowl as well as we know we can,” Sammy said. “That is one area where we went wrong today. India played really well. They knew they had to come hard at us, to get a win and stay in the tournament, and they did just that.”Chasing 312, West Indies lost Chris Gayle early to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who struck again in his next over to dismiss Darren Bravo. A rain disruption added to West Indies’ woes as the target was readjusted to 274 off 39 overs, but none of the West Indian batsmen stayed long enough to put up a challenge.”The way Kohli played just goes to show what can happen when a set batsman stays in to the end of the innings,” Sammy said. “We had two very good innings in Jamaica when Chris [Gayle] got a hundred against Sri Lanka and [Johnson] Charles got 90 against India to win those two matches for us, but we did not get any real big partnerships going today.”West Indies are still placed at the top of the table with nine points and need to win their next match against Sri Lanka to confirm their entry into the final.”We are still very much in the tournament. Today we lost but there is need to panic,” Sammy said. “We are still at the top of the points table and we have all to play for when we face Sri Lanka on Sunday. We still believe we can win this tournament. We will regroup and look to bounce back when we meet Sri Lanka on Sunday and look to move into the final.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore finally got their first away win of the season, beating bottom-placed Pune Warriors by 17 runs

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran02-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers’ daredevilry made the difference•BCCIRoyal Challengers Bangalore finally got their first away win of the season, beating bottom-placed Pune Warriors by 17 runs. The margin of victory suggested a comprehensive win, but Royal Challengers were run close by Robin Uthappa, who showed his potential with a blazing fifty which gave Warriors hope of chasing a tall 188. AB de Villiers was at his innovative best with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 50 off 23 balls to launch Royal Challengers past 180. His blows were the difference in the end.De Villiers’ assault helped Royal Challengers ransack 68 off the last five overs. Warriors needed 66 off the last five overs, but with a set Uthappa at the crease, Royal Challengers couldn’t afford to relax. Angelo Mathews too gave the visitors a scare with his cameo, but his untimely departure only piled further pressure on Uthappa. Uthappa’s form was good news for Warriors, but had he received better support, the result could have been different.The pitch at Pune has been one of the slower ones in the IPL and one that was going to test the batsmen more than the one in Bangalore when the teams last met. Chris Gayle found out the hard way early in his innings when he found the spinners hard to get away. It was a clever ploy by Warriors to take the pace off the ball, giving Ajantha Mendis the new ball and bringing in the part-timer T Suman. A repressed Gayle plodded to 15 off 19 balls before lofting Suman over the sightscreen for a six. It was hardly a sign of things to come as he tried to repeat that shot the following the ball and miscued it to deep extra cover, falling for a sluggish run-a-ball 21.Since there was no blazing launchpad by Gayle for a change, it was unusual watching Royal Challengers scrap to 59 after nine overs. Saurabh Tiwary and Virat Kohli gave the innings some impetus with a rousing stand of 63. Tiwary, who has batted in the middle order, had requested to go up the order and he justified his promotion with a half-century.The most decisive phase in the match came in the final over. De Villiers was on 24 off 17 balls when Ashok Dinda – not the most reliable death bowler – ran in. De Villiers moved across his stumps and smoked a full delivery outside off stump to deep midwicket for a flat six. The second was smashed over the bowler’s head for four, the third over long-off for six, the fourth reverse-swept to third man and the fifth scooped over short fine leg. De Villiers had raced to 50 off 23 by the end of the over, rousing Royal Challengers and demoralising the Warriors before the chase began.Warriors needed a pacy start but they too found the going difficult early on, moving to 49 for 2 after eight overs. Yuvraj Singh gave the innings a push with two exquisite sixes and his confidence began to rub off on Uthappa, who was starting to peak when he launched Muttiah Muralitharan over the sightscreenRoyal Challengers bounced back with two wickets in an over from Vinay, but Uthappa’s was the wicket they needed. The equation narrowed after one over when Uthappa and Mathews targeted the most experienced of the lot, Muralitharan, smashing three clean sixes in one over. Forty-five off 24 was achievable, but Vinay provided some relief to the visitors when he had Mathews caught at backward point. Uthappa’s heroics ended the following over when he top edged Murali Kartik to point. The chase was all but over when he walked back.

Gurinder Sandhu has been voted the Australian Cricketers’ Association Player of the Month for March

Brydon Coverdale12-Apr-2013Gurinder Sandhu began the 2012-13 season with a state rookie contract for the first time and modest goals in mind. By the end of the summer he had represented Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI, played all three formats domestically, and won the Steve Waugh Medal as the best New South Wales player of the domestic campaign. That would be enough to satisfy anyone in their debut season.But there is one final honour heading Sandhu’s way: he has been voted the Australian Cricketers’ Association Player of the Month for March. It has been an incredibly rapid rise for Sandhu, a 19-year-old fast bowler who first emerged in the BBL in December while playing for the Sydney Thunder. Last year he was part of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup team; over the coming year a call-up to the senior side is not out of the realms of possibility.”At the start of the season I would have been happy just playing a couple of Ryobi Cup games,” Sandhu told ESPNcricinfo. “I played four of them and then a couple of Shield games at the end of the season and that topped it off even better. The Australia A games came out of nowhere, a bit like the Prime Minister’s XI game. I just ran with it all and tried to do my thing.”And Sandhu’s thing is to take wickets. In six one-day games – including two for Australia A against the England Lions – he has collected 18 wickets at 14.22 and in his two Sheffield Shield appearances he has managed 14 victims at 11.85. At 194 centimetres, Sandhu uses his height to gain bounce and he has shown that he can swing the ball both ways.”I like to keep the batsman guessing,” he said. But Sandhu knows there is plenty of room for improvement. He and another young New South Wales fast bowler, Chris Tremain, recently travelled to Perth for some sessions with Dennis Lillee and Sandhu said Lillee had helped him with some technical issues, including a tweak to the way he positions his front arm.Of course, Sandhu is of a generation that has only heard of Lillee’s exploits rather than witnessing them first hand. The men he wants to emulate are much more modern. Although he hopes to bowl in a similar style to Glenn McGrath, hitting a consistent spot and nibbling the ball around a fraction, Sandhu also sees Andrew Flintoff as another role model.”He’s a pretty big guy as well and I’m trying to work on my batting to become a bowling allrounder,” Sandhu said. “Maybe one day.”An innings of 45 against South Australia in his second Shield match showed that there is some batting potential there, although he is yet to score a half-century in first-grade cricket for Fairfield-Liverpool in Sydney. He is not the only Sandhu to have played at the top level for that club: his younger brother Harmon Sandhu made his first-grade debut this summer.”He filled in for me when I played the couple of Shield games,” Sandhu said of Harmon, who is also a fast bowler. “He played two games before the end of the season. He’s not as quick yet, he’s only 16 at the moment. Hopefully maybe this year we might play a couple of games together.”The Sandhu brothers were born in Australia after their parents Iqbal and Mukhtyar, originally from Punjab in India, moved to Sydney in the 1980s. Iqbal’s job as a taxi driver allowed him to ferry the boys around to all their junior cricket matches, a commitment that has paid off handsomely given his son’s success this season.And while Sandhu dreams of one day earning a baggy green, his ambitions for the coming year – which should feature a stint at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and a trip to the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai – are more grounded.”Hopefully I can cement my spot in the New South Wales team in the Ryobi Cup and the Sheffield Shield and then any higher honours are a bonus, like any more Australia A games,” Sandhu said. “One day if I could play for Australia it would be pretty nice.”Sandhu received 23.5% of the votes for the ACA’s Player of the Month award for March, ahead of Michael Hussey on 21.6% and Ryan Harris with 11.8%.

Track who was sold to whom at the 2013 IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2013BoughtRicky Ponting – $400,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $400,000)
RP Singh – $400,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Johan Botha – $450,000 to Delhi Daredevils (base price $300,000)
Michael Clarke – $400,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $400,000)
Luke Pomersbach – $300,000 to Kings XI Punjab (base price $50,000)
Phillip Hughes – $100,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $100,000)
James Faulkner – $400,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price $100,000)
Glenn Maxwell – $1,000,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $200,000)
Moises Henriques – $300,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Abhishek Nayar – $675,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $100,000)
Thisara Perera – $675,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $50,000)
Jesse Ryder – $260,000 to Delhi Daredevils (base price $100,000)
Darren Sammy – $425,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Jaydev Unadkat – $525,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Pankaj Singh – $150,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $50,000)
Ravi Rampaul – $290,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $50,000)
Manpreet Gony – $500,000 to Kings XI Punjab (base price $200,000)
Fidel Edwards – $210,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price $100,000)
Sudeep Tyagi – $100,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Dirk Nannes – $600,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $200,000)
Nathan McCullum – $100,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Ajantha Mendis – $725,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $50,000)
Jeevan Mendis – $50,000 to Delhi Daredevils (base price $50,000)
Chris Morris – $625,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Sachithra Senanayake – $625,000 to Kolkata Knight Riders (base price $50,000)
Christopher Barnwell – $50,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price 50,000)
Nathan Coulter-Nile – $450,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $100,000)
Ben Laughlin – $20,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Kane Richardson – $700,000 to Pune Warriors (base price $100,000)
Jacob Oram – $50,000 to Mumbai Indians (base price $50,000)
Quinton de Kock – $20,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $20,000)
Dan Christian – $100,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore (base price $100,000)
Akila Dananjaya – $20,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Clint McKay – $100,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad (base price $100,000)
Jason Holder – $20,000 to Chennai Super Kings (base price $20,000)
Ryan McLaren – $50,000 to Kolkata Knight Riders (base pirce $50,000)
Kushal Perera – $20,000 to Rajasthan Royals (base price $20,000)
UnsoldAaron Finch – base price $200,000
Upul Tharanga – base price $100,000
Martin Guptill – base price $100,000
Darren Bravo – base price $100,000
Herschelle Gibbs – base price $200,000
Adam Voges – base price $100,000
Matthew Wade – base price $200,000
Tim Paine – base price $100,000
Matt Prior – base price $200,000
Kaushal Silva – base price $20,000
Prasanna Jayawardene – base price $50,000
Dane Vilas – base price $20,000
Denesh Ramdin – base price $50,000
Dinesh Chandimal – base price $100,000
Ravi Bopara – base price $100,000
James Hopes – base price $100,000
Vernon Philander – base price $100,000
Doug Bollinger – base price $200,000
Cameron Boyce – base price $20,000
Veerasammy Permaul – base price $20,000
Suraj Randiv – base price $50,000
Devendra Bishoo – base price $50,000
Steve O’Keefe – base price $100,000
Paul Harris – base price $20,000
Rangana Herath – base price $100,000
Sulieman Benn – base price $20,000
Aaron Phangiso – base price $20,000
Farveez Maharoof – base price $50,000
Scott Styris – base price $100,000
Ben Cutting – base price $100,000
Josh Hazlewood – base price $100,000
Travis Birt – base price $100,000
Henry Davids – base price $20,000
Ben Rohrer – base price $50,000
Rilee Rossouw – base price $20,000
Kevin O’Brien – base price $50,000
Rory Kleinveldt – base price $50,000

A decision on Pakistan’s participation in the Women’s World Cup is likely to be taken on Friday, with the addition of a second venue in India the most likely solution

Amol Karhadkar and Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jan-2013A decision on Pakistan’s participation in the Women’s World Cup is likely to be taken on Friday, with the addition of a second venue in India the most likely solution. There has been uncertainty over India’s willingness to host Pakistan in Mumbai – as of now the sole venue – following recent political tensions and the threats of a regional party to disrupt the tournament; staging Pakistan’s matches in another city in the same country could bypass that problem.Both the BCCI, the hosting country, and the ICC were tight-lipped amid growing media speculation about whether Pakistan would play the tournament but late in the day the organisers confirmed that the tournament – from January 28 to February 14 – would be played in India.”The World Cup will happen in India. It will take place at two venues. As for the Pakistan team, the BCCI and ICC are trying to work on an alternate venue. It will be finalised tomorrow,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricnfo.The ICC, too, dismissed reports that Pakistan would not be playing in the tournament. “A decision should be taken by the weekend, latest. We are working with the BCCI about the logistics,” an ICC spokesperson said.According to the existing schedule, all matches will be played in four venues across Mumbai: Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, the Bandra-Kurla Complex Cricket ground and the Middle Income Group ground, Pakistan, in Group B, are scheduled to play their league matches against Australia (January 31), New Zealand (February 3) and South Africa (February 5).However with the Shiv Sena remaining adamant about disallowing Pakistan to play in Mumbai, the organisers have been forced to go hunting for an additional venue. Though Kolkata and Bangalore have been reported by the media as being open to hosting Pakistan, officials from both associations denied any knowledge. “We have no information,” Jagmohan Dalmiya, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, said. A Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official, too, said that he was unaware about any such development.Meanwhile, the England squad lands in Mumbai tomorrow morning before heading to Pune where they will hold a preparatory camp.

James Taylor is “relishing” the prospect of facing South Africa’s bowling attack at Headingley having been called into the squad for the second Test but is not taking his debut for granted

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2012James Taylor is “relishing” the prospect of facing South Africa’s bowling attack at Headingley having been called into the squad for the second Test but is not taking his debut for granted.Unless England change the balance of their side and play five bowlers, which is unlikely, Taylor will earn his first cap at No. 6 after Ravi Bopara became unavailable due to personal reasons shortly before the squad was named on Sunday morning.Taylor, who has been captain of England Lions over the last two years and averages 61.60 from ten first-class matches for them, has long been earmarked as a Test batsman in waiting. But he had seemingly fallen down the pecking order at the start of this season after failing to secure a place in the extended England performance squad and Jonny Bairstow was chosen to replace an injured Bopara against West Indies.However, Taylor led the Lions against the West Indians in May and scored an impressive century at Derby and this week hit his first Championship hundred for his new county, Nottinghamshire, against Sussex. It is actually Taylor’s one-day form that has been more consistent and he has made 345 runs at 69 in the CB40.”Facing South Africa’s bowling attack is always going to be a tough challenge but it’s something that I would relish because getting an England Test call has been my aim from the word go,” he said. “Test cricket is the pinnacle but there was a noticeable step up to division one of the Championship and wickets haven’t been easy to bat on this season”I’ve always backed myself to play at the highest level and even though I’m young I’ve played a lot of cricket and I’ve got a lot of runs behind me. The next goal is to get a place in the eleven and if I get that opportunity I have to take it with both hands. If I get in the team then I have to work hard to get runs and then work harder again to do that consistently.”I’ve always tried to keep my feet on the ground and strive to become a better player and that will always be my mantra.”Taylor’s move from Leicestershire to Nottinghamshire for this season was with the aim of boosting his Test ambitions after getting a brief taste of international cricket last season against Ireland. He has now jumped back ahead of Bairstow while fighting off the challenge of Eoin Morgan and Nick Compton.”I hoped that I would be next in line but I never took anything for granted although I have scored consistent runs in all forms of the game to earn this chance,” he said. “Playing at Headingley would be a very proud moment for me but nothing has happened yet, I’m just one step closer and waiting for the nod and the opportunity to help England to get back into the series.

The fast-bowling pair of Delorn Johnson and Kevin McClean combined to put West Indies A firmly in control of the unofficial Test against India A in St Lucia, on day three

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2012
ScorecardKevin McClean brought India A’s fightback to an end with the wicket of Manoj Tiwary•West Indies CricketThe fast-bowling pair of Delorn Johnson and Kevin McClean combined to put West Indies A firmly in control of the unofficial Test against India A in St Lucia, on day three. After West Indies’ last two wickets had added 16 to their overnight score of 320, Johnson and McClean scythed through India’s top order, leaving them gasping at 35 for 4 while facing a first-innings deficit of 106. Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha promised to stage a recovery, before West Indies struck once more, India going to stumps on 181 for 7.In their second innings, India began with a flourish: Abhinav Mukund hit two fours and a six to race to 20 off 12, before edging left-armer Johnson to the keeper, Devon Thomas. Four balls later, the other opener, Ajinkya Rahane also nicked one off Johnson behind. Then McClean had captain Cheteshwar Pujara – he was caught by a diving Kieran Powell at gully. Rohit Sharma fell, caught at third slip, just before lunch.After the interval, Tiwary and Saha rebuilt. They accumulated 95 runs from 34.2 overs, before McClean broke through, trapping Tiwary lbw for 62. Robin Bist did not come out to bat, and was spotted with heavy strapping on his right thumb. While Saha remained not out on 48, West Indies continued to chip away at the other end, leaving India seven down and 75 ahead at the end of the day’s play. The stars, Johnson and McClean, finished with three apiece.

Paul Horton batted for more than seven and a half hours as Lancashire escaped with what had appeared more than once to be a draw that was beyond their reach.

Jon Culley at Edgbaston19-May-2012
ScorecardPaul Horton’s long stay grabbed an unlikely draw for Lancashire•PA PhotosPaul Horton batted for more than seven and a half hours as Lancashire escaped with what had appeared more than once to be a draw that was beyond their reach. It did not prevent Warwickshire overtaking Nottinghamshire at the top of the First Division table, but denied them the 15-point lead they were hoping to secure.Lancashire avoided a fourth defeat in their sixth match of the season and did so in such a way that it felt like a win. Horton finished unbeaten on 137, his best score in the Championship since September 2009 and his first century in the competition for more than two years, and found significant support too from Luke Procter, with whom he shared a partnership of 61 spanning more than 26 overs when the Warwickshire attack was at its most dangerous, and Gareth Cross, who himself survived for 13 minutes short of three hours for his unbeaten 75, playing his part in a stand of 139 that Warwickshire could not break in 51 and a half overs of trying.It could, perhaps, be a turning point in Lancashire’s season. Peter Moores, their head coach, will try to make it one for sure. “It does feel like a win in a way,” Moores said. “In some ways it is like a 19-point win, in that while we get only three we stop them getting 16, which makes it quite a significant result.”It was an opportunity to show some fight and get our season moving after a difficult start. We have struggled for runs so it was important to get some momentum to carry forward.”It was a great knock from Paul because he was under pressure throughout, in light that was not good against a Warwickshire side who went at us really hard. This was a chance to save a game in adversity and he took it. But Luke Procter deserved a lot of credit, too, as did Gareth Cross, of course.”Moores shied away from the opportunity to declare Lancashire’s title defence to be over already, although he would admit that the ground lost will be difficult to make up. Second-bottom of the table, they are 51 points adrift of Warwickshire, who have played one match fewer.”I don’t think you can say the title has gone but we are not thinking about that,” he said. “It is the time now to just think about the next game against Middlesex and take each session one at a time, as we always do. But this gives us some momentum, which you always want, and we just have to build on that.”A draw had scarcely seemed possible when Lancashire were 54 for 5 on the second evening after Warwickshire’s marathon first innings was finally declared. Nor when they were forced to follow on 360 behind midway through the third day.It still appeared unlikely on the final morning, given they had lost eight wickets in the course of Friday and somehow needed to preserve their remaining seven on a pitch, you supposed, that would be at its least benign.But Horton answered Lancashire’s call to shoulder the burden of responsibility by maintaining a vigil that revealed patience, good judgment and unwavering concentration. It was particularly merit-worthy not least because Horton had not scored a Championship century since April 2010 and had been out four times in the 90s last season, which only added to the psychological pressure under which he found himself.Warwickshire lead the First Division, yet will feel they should have taken the opportunity, having already won at Liverpool this season, to complete a double over the side that pipped them to the title last year, and put daylight between themselves and the pack.Lancashire were helped a little by the weather, in that the start was delayed until 11.45 because of rain, but reached lunch with only one more wicket lost after Steven Croft was given out caught at second slip in the seventh of the 84 overs left, the ball coming off a low part of the bat from a full length delivery by Chris Wright, the catch a brilliant one-handed effort by Rikki Clarke.But Horton, making light of the extra responsibility on his shoulders after Stephen Moore, Karl Brown and Ashwell Prince were out on Friday afternoon, had stuck to his task exceptionally well, adding only nine runs to his 56 overnight but more importantly preserving his wicket.The middle session was the toughest. Jeetan Patel did not find much help for his off-spin but was naggingly accurate, while he and Procter had to contend with a hostile spell from Clarke, who tested Horton’s supposed weakness against short-pitched bowling and was convinced he had him caught behind off the glove on 78, only for umpire Martin Bodenham to remain unmoved.A change of pace, with Darren Maddy entering the attack to skid the ball through, accounted for Procter, but Cross was no less dogged, and ultimately found opportunity to unleash some aggression as fielders crowded the bat. Once Warwickshire turned first to Ian Westwood and then even to Varun Chopra, Lancashire knew the job was almost done.Horton deserved his century, that came off 242 balls in a little over five hours and contained 14 fours, and equally so deserved to still be there at the end, at 20 minutes to six to be precise, when Jim Troughton, the Warwickshire captain, decided finally that the win had eluded him.

New Zealand captain Ross Taylor is almost ready to return to competitive cricket, standing shoulder to shoulder with the man who broke his forearm

Sharda Ugra13-Apr-2012New Zealand captain Ross Taylor is almost ready to return to competitive cricket, standing shoulder to shoulder with the man who broke his forearm. Taylor said he is “probably 95% fit” two days ahead of Delhi Daredevils’ fourth match of IPL V, against Mumbai Indians on Monday. Daredevils is his third team in his fifth IPL season, and he will now share a dressing room with Morne Morkel, the bowler who broke his arm on the fourth day of the Wellington Test between New Zealand and South Africa.Taylor, whose left arm is free of a cast but still strapped, said his current level of fitness was what he had worked towards. “I said I’d be available for the game on the 16th,” he said. “Whether I’m picked or not is obviously up to the coaches, but obviously I’m doing everything I can possible to try and play.”After being hit by Morkel, Taylor had surgery on his broken arm the day after, and had rushed back to the ground in case New Zealand needed him to bat as they battled for a draw. He had the stitches from the surgery removed last week, before arriving in Delhi late on Wednesday. “They [the doctors] were happy with the way things were going,” he said. “It [the arm] has improved every day since I’ve been here and I’m sure it will continue to improve over the next few days as well.”Surgery, he said, helped speed up his recovery. “I think the operation helped. I don’t think I would have been able to be here if it hadn’t been for the operation. The body is a funny thing. I was fortunate that I recovered quicker than perhaps I, or other people, thought [I could].”In his 60-odd hours in Delhi, Taylor has been chatting with his newest IPL team-mates, including Morkel. “I’ve played for Rajashtan Royals and Royal Challenger Bangalore, and now Delhi. So I’ve only got a few more teams to go and I think I’ll have played for everybody,” he joked. When asked whether he agreed with the IPL rule that restricted the number of foreign players in the playing XI to four, Taylor said, “You would rather that four or five internationals vie for one spot rather than [there be] four automatic selections.” Taylor has played 34 IPL matches over four seasons, including 22 for Royal Challengers between 2008 and 2010, and 12 for Royals in 2011.So what is his preferred batting slot in a Twenty20 game? “My preference is to be picked in the side and I’ll bat wherever the coach and the captain want me to bat,” he said. “At Rajasthan, I was the designated finisher, so No. 4 or 5 is probably my spot.”Taylor pointed out that while the IPL teams were sprinkled with New Zealand players, only Daredevils had two – allrounder Doug Bracewell, apart from Taylor. “All New Zealanders will be [rooting] for Delhi now,” he said, before adding on a more serious note that the IPL had not really caught on in his home country because of the lack of live television coverage, as well as the difference in time zones. There were, he said, a lot of people in New Zealand who didn’t know anything about the tournament.”You can only [judge] from what you see. Reading things [about a match] on the internet, and seeing the scoreboard … you don’t get an indication that someone getting 20 off eight balls can be better than 20 scored off 30,” he said. “Last year the IPL wasn’t live [in New Zealand] and I don’t think even the highlights were [on television]. The time slots are a little bit different, it’s little bit tough to watch. The games are live now. I think every year the New Zealand cricket public will grasp it a little more. I’m sure in two years’ time, if it is live, the New Zealand public will have a better perception of it. Once it comes live on TV, the New Zealand public will get in behind it.”What do his fellow countrymen ask him the most about the IPL? “They ask me, ‘Is it as mad as it looks?'”The IPL he said would help the New Zealand players prepare ahead the World Twenty20, which is scheduled for September in Sri Lanka. “The IPL will help us look at different tactics for sure. Spin also becomes a lot more [important] in subcontinent. We are quite a young side, but I’m sure Dougie and a lot of our other guys will get a lot of experience being here. The balance of our side [in the World Twenty20] will be very similar to what happens over here as well.”

Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, will undergo surgery next month as he tries to overcome a persistent back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2012Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, will undergo surgery next month as he tries to overcome a persistent back injury. Bennett, 24, has been out of competitive cricket for more than ten months and is expected to miss the rest of the domestic season.”Scans have revealed that a combination of factors are combining to put pressure on a nerve in Hamish’s back and thus causing recurrent pain when he attempts to bowl at 100%,” NZC medical director Ian Murphy said. “An orthopaedic spine surgeon has recommended that the best management at this stage would be to undergo surgery to attempt to alleviate the pressure on the nerve.”Bennett last played a competitive match in March, for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in the group stages of the World Cup. He was ruled out of the latter stages of the tournament after injuring his ankle and Achilles tendon. He missed New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe in October and November due to his sore back.He had hoped to be fit in time for the HRV Cup which began last month, but the back problem kept him on the sidelines.