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Scorecard

Nathan Adcock made his third half-century for 2006-07 © Getty Images

Nathan Adcock and Jason Borgas frustrated Western Australia’s attempts to make the Pura Cup final, putting up strong resistance and ensuring a tough chase for the Warriors. South Australia reached 5 for 273 at stumps, with an overall lead of 198.Adcock made 95 and Borgas scored 83 as they built an important 147-run third-wicket partnership. Adam Voges’ part-time spin troubled the Redbacks near the end of the day and he finished with his best first-class figures, 3 for 42.Borgas again proved a slow but steady scorer and his 264-ball innings was his fourth half-century in his five-game career. Adcock blasted his runs in more entertaining fashion, smashing four sixes and nine fours from his 136 deliveries.Voges had both batsmen caught at slip shortly before stumps and also removed Darren Lehmann, who made a lively 36. The Warriors added only 12 to their overnight score before Ryan Harris finished the innings with 5 for 92, which was his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.The Redbacks, searching for their first and only win in a depressing season, have the chance to set Western Australia a challenging final-day target. The Warriors would have nothing to lose in the chase and a victory would likely push them into the Pura Cup final against Tasmania.

Kenya 135 for 5 (Tikolo 50*) trail Netherlands 474 (ten Doeschate 158, van Troost 86, Schiferli 69) by 339 runs
Scorecard

Edgar Schiferli comes in after making 69 © David Waters / Cricinfo

Netherlands ended the second day of their Intercontinental Cup tie against Kenya at Nairobi Gymkhana in a commanding position after scoring 474 and reducing the home side to 135 for 5 at stumps. Only Steve Tikolo, unbeaten on 50 at the close, stands between Netherlands and a large, probably match-winning, first-innings lead.Kenya had fought back well on the first evening, but they failed to make any inroads after showers had delayed the start today. Their only success of the morning came when Jeroen Smits was bowled by the impressive Thomas Odoyo for 8, but runs flowed as Luuk van Troost was cutting loose at the other end.He found a valuable partner in Edgar Schiferli, the pair adding a competition-record 95 for the ninth wicket. Schiferli was far from daunted by a wilting attack, dominating the partnership with a 95-ball 69, while van Trrost, who was dropped by wicketkeeper Maurice Ouma immediately after lunch, began to open up in the afternoon as clouds gathered, eventually holing-out to Odoyo at long-on off Collins Obuya.As he departed for a well-made 86, the rain returned causing another 45-minute delay. Schiferli swatted the first ball after the restart from Tikolo for six over long-on, before finally perishing to a good catch in the deep by Obuya off the persevering Peter Ongondo. Netherlands’ total was the highest in the competition’s history and Kenya were left needing something special to stay in the game.

Maurice Ouma digs out a yorker from Edgar Schiferli © David Waters / Cricinfo

They were already without Hitesh Modi, who broke a finger yesterday, and so their batting line-up looked even more dependant than usual on Tikolo. They needed a good start, but they lost Ouma to the last ball before tea, well caught low down by Jeroen Smits, and never regained the initiative. Brijal Patel, whose recall had raised an eyebrow or two, fell for 22 and in the next over Tony Suji was bowled by Schiferli for 11 to leave them wobbling on 50 for 3.Although Tikolo looked assured, the worry was who would stay with him. The precocious Tanmay Mishra again looked more than capable before he perished for 16, and when the in-form Obuya was cleaned up by Mohammad Kashif shortly before the close, it was hard to see any way back into the match for the Kenyans.

Jenny Gunn was the shining light for England© Getty Images

Rain severely disrupted the opening day of the 2005 World Cup, with all four matches washed out after heavy rain lashed Pretoria. There are no reserve days in the opening group matches and so all teams will receive three points.
ScorecardEngland struggled after choosing to bat at the Technikon Oval, and were indebted to a brisk 40 from 50 balls by Jenny Gunn to give their total some respectability. Charlotte Edwards and Laura Newton gave the innings a steady start, content to see off the new ball threat of Cathryn Fitzpatrick. But Julie Hayes removed both openers, and when Clare Connor fell without scoring England were struggling at 63 for 3.Clare Taylor set about trying to rebuild the innings, as Australia’s seamers proved hard to get away. The middle-order fell trying to up the tempo, and when Rosalie Birch was run out England were in trouble at 102 for 6, leaving them trying to bat out the overs. Gunn played positively, adding 41 with Jane Smit for the eighth wicket, but the rain arrived before England got the chance to see how competitive their total would be.

Washout at Supersport Park: a scene repeated all over Pretoria as the Women’s World Cup got off to a damp start in South Africa© Getty Images

ScorecardSouth Africa were on course to post a decent score at Centurion Park, before rain put paid to their opening match against Ireland. They were made to work for their runs by a determined Irish team, who reduced them to 92 for 5 before the middle-order led a recovery.Barbara McDonald was the pick of the Irish attack, here two early wickets included Johmari Logtenberg, the teenage star who is tipped for an impressive future. Shandre Fritz and Claire Terblanche added 90 for sixth wicket before bad light, and eventually rain, arrived with two overs of their innings remaining.
ScorecardMaia Lewis was the star for New Zealand, the defending champions, making 77 from 148 balls, but the rest of the batting struggled. Nicola Browne offered the only real support, making 25 from 35 balls, while Philippa Thomas and Nelly Williams claimed two wickets each.
ScorecardThe Indian bowlers kept a constant stranglehold on the Sri Lankan batting, never allowing them to gain any momentum. Even Shashikala Siriwardena, the top-score, struggled for 63 balls to make 29. Neetu David was the pick of the attack with 3 for 17, and the Indians would have been highly confident of reaching their target, but only had the chance to face two overs.

South Australia 225 and 2 for 122 drew with Victoria 8 for 331 dec
Scorecard

Matthew Elliott made the best of a drawn match © Getty Images

Victoria had to be content with two points from their Pura Cup match against South Australia after rain washed out the last day’s play and the game ended in a draw. With these points, Victoria moved 12 points clear of second-placed Tasmania. This result also means that they will host the final regardless of the result in their last two matches.The match was called off a little after 2pm local time. This meant that Greg Blewett’s dismissal, LBW to Cameron White for eight, on the third day, ended up being the final ball of the match. In addition to the final day being abandoned due to rain, three hours of play were lost on the third day.The big plus from the match was the form of Matthew Elliott. Even though he recently told an interviewer he thought his days of playing for Australia were well behind him, there must be hope, if he can consistently rattle up big scores. The 154 not out he made in Victoria’s only innings, formed almost half the team’s total and included 15 fours and a six.

The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) has confirmed that Damien Fleming will undergo surgery during January and be unavailable for the remainder of the season.Fleming has been suffering from anterior instability in his right shoulder and will undergo surgery on January 14 to repair the damage.Fleming is looking forward to having the surgery and commencing his rehabilitation, and to assisting the State team for the remainder of the season.”The shoulder has been giving me problems off and on during the past few months and I’m really looking forward to having it repaired so I can continue playing for South Australia during next season,” he said.”For the rest of this season I’ll work with the Redbacks and coaching staff to help out the boys in any way I can, and hopefully help see them get some wins on the board during the second half of the season.”This follows yesterday’s announcement by the SACA that right-hand batsman, Chris Davies will have surgery to repair a ruptured ligament in his left elbow on January 7 and also be unavailable for the rest of the season.Davies’ elbow injury worsened during the Pura Cup game against the Western Warriors recently, and following that match, Davies and the SACA medical staff decided to proceed with surgery.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered an encouraging update on where things stand with Joe Gelhardt’s new contract at Leeds United.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Joe Gelhardt is rapidly shooting up the list of players who Leeds United would like to tie to a new contract. He’s already asking the same question of Jesse Marsch as he asked of Marcelo Bielsa – how long can you hold him back?”

In a follow-up article for The Athletic, Hay then added: “The 19-year-old’s form over the past nine months has pushed him towards the upper end of the list of players who Leeds would like to tie to new contracts as soon as possible.

“The terms he signed when he moved from Wigan in 2020 ran for four years and the subject of an improved deal has already been broached with his camp, although with Leeds tied up in a relegation fight, negotiations are likely to wait until the season is resolved.”

Gelhardt’s the future

Make no mistake about it, Gelhardt represents the future of Leeds United’s attack, whether that be in tandem with Patrick Bamford over the 12 next months or so, or else leading the line on his own in the years to come.

He has already proven himself to be a player for the big occasion this season in the Premier League, netting the dramatic late winner against Norwich City last week and also being the man to earn a stoppage time match-saving penalty against Wolves earlier in the campaign.

Whether or not the Whites remain in the Premier League, tying down Gelhardt to a new long-term deal and protecting him from the vultures of some of the top flight’s European-contending clubs will be crucial.

The former Wigan ace is already making a big impression at just 19 years of age, and you can only wonder at how just how good he will become in the next few seasons or so.

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Leeds fans should be excited with Hay’s latest update on their talismanic youngster.

AND in other news, Beren Cross reveals huge behind the scenes Leeds decision, Jesse Marsch will be fuming

	India have not been averse to trying out different combinations in the slips during the ongoing Test series © AFP

One of the features of the first three Tests in Australia has been India’s constant changing of their slip cordon and close-in fielders in front of the batsman. Throughout the games Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Wasim Jaffer have often switched positions in the slips.Robin Singh, India’s fielding coach, revealed the logic behind shuffling around the close-in fielders and trying to put senior players close in when the new batsman walks in. He also admitted that a young one-day side selected for the forthcoming CB Series would field with a higher intensity.”We have been working on certain things,” Robin said after arriving in Adelaide for the final Test. “Sometimes it’s difficult for some guy to stand at short leg for the whole day, especially when Anil Kumble is bowling. We don’t really want to miss a catch.”Fielding has a lot to do with experience as well. Sometimes a younger guy may not know where to stand. He may not be able to gauge the bounce and pace of wicket. VVS [Laxman] and Rahul [Dravid] have played a lot with Anil [Kumble]- for the zones and states. Sachin [Tendulkar] has played a lot with Anil. Sometimes it makes sense to have stalwarts of the game in the opponents’ face. They [Australia] were really under pressure in this game and at any given point of time, with these guys who have done well and their confidence behind them, it definitely makes an impact. You see Ricky Ponting goes and stands at silly point. He need not stand there but sometimes I think it’s done for effect. And it really puts pressure on a new guy that comes in.”Even at practice India have been trying out different combinations in the slips, with players switching positions in every session. “VVS has put his hand up, Sourav [Ganguly] has too,” he said. “I spoke to him and said, ‘Why don’t you have a go’. Sometimes when the game is tight you want senior guys at your opponents’ face. I think Sourav did that well last game.”Sachin has been available to stand in the slips and Rahul is our best fielder against Kumble. You try and juggle these guys around. Wasim [Jaffer], in fact, has been working a lot in the slips. I’m working on RP [Singh] too because I think he can be a really good slip fielder. What we need to focus on is ground fielding. Grounds are really big and we don’t have the strongest arms. Sydney game and Perth game, even first innings and second innings, things were different. At least we have noticed the effort from everyone.”India’s one-day squad, though, consists of a bunch of youngsters and can be expected to be a far better fielding unit. Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman were left out and Tendulkar will be the only member of the side on the other side of 30.Robin, while admitting it was an advantage, preferred to look at the pros and cons. “You can look at it both ways. If you take the senior guys and the batting experience they have, it’s a big asset in Australian conditions. It’s a question of how you want to go ahead.”The younger guys are better fielders and easier to work with but senior guys are thorough professionals too, Sourav for example is somebody who’s done exceptionally well along with Sachin. Definitely his experience is going to make a huge difference. But people have to fill the gaps. It’s a balancing act and somewhere along the line you have to see how to go forward.”Ganguly’s omission has been a major talking point in India but Lalchand Rajput, India’s assistant coach, didn’t think it would distract the team from the job at hand. “All these guys are professional cricketers who will focus on the game rather than what’s happening outside,” he said. “At the moment they’re concentrating on the Test series and not looking ahead to the one-dayers. It’s a very, very important game for us and we’re focussing on the upcoming Test.”

Dan Marsh will lead Tasmania in the Pura Cup final © Getty Images

Dan Marsh has recovered from his torn calf and will captain Tasmania in their first Pura Cup home final against New South Wales starting next Monday. The Tigers have also been boosted by the inclusion of Adam Griffith, who has had hamstring problems.Marsh missed Tasmania’s last two qualifying games, while Griffith has not played a Pura Cup match since January. Xavier Doherty has been left out of the 13-man squad.The selection of Jason Krejza, the offspinner, completes an interesting summer for him. Krejza appeared to be the fourth-choice slow bowler for New South Wales before leaving Sydney mid-season to seek better opportunities in Tasmania. He could find himself playing his former state for the title.Tasmania squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine, Michael Dighton, George Bailey, Travis Birt, Dan Marsh (capt), Sean Clingeleffer (wk), Jason Krejza, Damien Wright, Luke Butterworth, Adam Griffith, Brendan Drew, Ben Hilfenhaus.New South Wales squad Phil Jaques, Ed Cowan, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Ben Rohrer, Peter Forrest, Daniel Smith (wk), Grant Lambert, Moises Henriques, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Nicholson, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill.

West Indies go into the decisive third ODI against New Zealand at Jade Stadium on Saturday 2-0 down and with some unintentional, yet judicious tactical hints from their opponents.Whether Shivnarine Chanderpaul or Bennett King was calling the shots, their approach during the second successive loss in the National Bank Series in Queenstown on Wednesday was openly questioned by New Zealanders. The message was simple – be more assertive. “It was massively close but we should have lost that game,” Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, admitted afterwards, with some relief.And so they should have, recovering from the loss of the top four in the order for 15 in the fourth over and 49 for 5 to overhaul the West Indies’ total of 200 for 9 with as many as eight overs to spare.”The West Indies were reactive in the field,” recently retired allrounder Chris Cairns commented in his new role as television analyst. “They were on the backfoot and seemed to be just waiting for something to happen. I’d say the West Indies ended up losing that game rather than New Zealand winning it.”New Zealand were ultimately carried to their victory by left-handed No.8 Daniel Vettori’s unbeaten 53 off 56 balls with three fours, the last the match-winning hit over mid-on from Chris Gayle. Vettori shared the decisive partnerships of 71 with wicketkeeper Brendon McCallum, who scored 45 from 44 balls, and 63 unbeaten with fellow left-hander James Franklin.He entered at 120 for 6 after Peter Fulton and McCallum had repaired the early damage and acknowledged that he was lucky he didn’t have to contend with Fidel Edwards until the West Indies’ spearhead was brought back when he was well set on 40.Until then, he was confronted mainly by the spin of Chris Gayle and Rawl Lewis. “Against spin, I thought the wicket was reasonably easy to bat on and probably the fields they set made it easy to pick up singles,” he noted. “It wasn’t that difficult. Once you got in there, it was just (a matter) of maintaining the partnership.” With inviting gaps and some slack work in the field, Vettori collected 22 singles and eight twos.Since succeeding Brian Lara at the helm, Chanderpaul has shown himself to be a conservative tactician who favours caution over risk. He has deflected responsibility onto coach King with comments that “there are a lot of things coming from inside” and that “there is not a lot I can do”.But, whatever the circumstances that lead to the strategy on the field, he is not the only international captain who follows a predictable approach to the shortened form of the game, the one that now cries out for more creativity and boldness.That was surely the case on Wednesday when the West Indies’ most obvious, if not only, chance of victory was to bowl New Zealand out for less than their modest 200 for nine. They had the platform but could not close the deal.When Chanderpaul brought back Edwards at 84 for 5 in the 19th over in an effort to break the threatening stand between Fulton and McCullum, he began with a solitary slip and a gully.McCullum, troubled by the extra pace, edged Edwards’ first ball through the open second slip position to the third man boundary. Immediately, Chanderpaul moved the gully into the vacant spot but the moment had already passed.It was a repeat of Edwards’ opening over in the first match in Wellington when Jamie How parried him through absent third slip for four, only for Chanderpaul to plug the position next ball.No tactical lapse can be blamed for the wayward bowling of the promising Jerome Taylor, who has fought for consistency in all three matches on his first international appearance in three years, or for the shoddy fielding. But the captain needs to be bolder in his method, especially when his team have the initiative. It has been shown time and again that nothing slows the scoring rate more effectively than the fall of wickets.As Geoff Longley noted in his report in the Christchurch Press, the West Indies’ problems go beyond the field and beyond tactics.