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If anyone in the England camp takes a look at the scorecard from this game, it will be noted that Chris Tremlett, who missed out on selection for the fifth Test at The Oval

Les Smith at Chester-le-Street22-Aug-2013
ScorecardScott Borthwick is Durham’s leading run-scorer in first-class cricket this season after making his third hundred•Getty ImagesIf anyone in the England camp takes a look at the scorecard from this game, it will be noted that Chris Tremlett, who missed out on selection for the fifth Test at The Oval, was the only name to feature in the Surrey wickets column. A five-for kept his team in touch against Durham and will provide further grist for those questioning England’s decision-making.That the home side were not too inconvenienced by Tremlett was largely down to the efforts of Scott Borthwick, a local lad who made his third first-class century of the season. England may well be interested in that, too.Durham is a proudly local county cricket club. Every time an outsider visits Chester-le-Street the sense of community and the bond between supporters and players is tangible.The man who leads them in their cricket, Geoff Cook, Durham’s first captain in first-class cricket and now their coach, is a Middlesbrough native. Cook is recovering from a heart attack but the spirit he brought to the club after a career with Northamptonshire and England pervades the place. His captain, Paul Collingwood, born in Shotley Bridge, has been playing for them long enough now to be termed a stalwart, and nobody in Durham will hear a word said against him.Borthwick and Will Smith, another who warrants acceptance as an adopted son, provided the runs that gave Durham cause for satisfaction at the end of a day which started with Surrey winning the toss and putting the opposition in. Whether Collingwood would have made the same decision as Gareth Batty had the coin landed the other way up is debatable, as his side entered the fixture with a depleted seam attack.Borthwick, who has been capped three times in limited-overs cricket, is a Sunderland boy and Smith, while born in Bedfordshire, was educated at Durham University. Between them they contributed 222 runs to Durham’s effort. Borthwick came to the wicket in the second over of the match after Tremlett had castled Mark Stoneman. Five hours later he had a hundred and until he was dismissed for 135 he never looked remotely vulnerable. He was tidy, compact, and seized on the loose ball to register 21 boundaries.Smith joined Borthwick after a tumbling slip catch by Zander de Bruyn saw off a promising innings by Keaton Jennings, who added 69 with Borthwick. Then the pair dug in and built a partnership of 183 in a little over 50 overs. Smith fell 13 runs short of a century and Borthwick followed him just before the close of play.Borthwick’s innings leaps off the scorecard but look further down it and you find the other outstanding contribution. Tremlett might not have been expecting to play in this game, but he was released by England and made his way up the A1. His presence in the side might well have influenced Batty’s decision to bowl first but, while the outcome at the end of the day might have disappointed, his faith in his bowler was justified.Tremlett took all five wickets to fall, bowling off 17 precisely calibrated steps before leaping into a colossal delivery stride. His accuracy rarely wavered, as evidenced by an economy rate of 2.31 and the modes of dismissal: one bowled, two lbw, and two caught behind the wicket. It was a joy to watch and he will be a potent asset for England in Australia in the winter – though some will wonder if he could have been as effective in south London this week.

Peter Borren has been named captain of Netherlands’ 14-man squad for the ODI against South Africa in Amstelveen on May 31

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013Peter Borren has been named captain of Netherlands’ 14-man squad for the ODI against South Africa in Amstelveen on May 31.On May 28, Netherlands’ YB40 squad will travel to Amsterdam for the Canal Bike Race against the South Africans. They will then practice for two days in Amstelveen before the ODI.Squad: Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Daan van Bunge, Mudassar Bukhari, Tom de Grooth, Tim Gruijters, James Gruijters, Tom Heggelman, Ahsan Malik, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart.

A preview of the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors in Mohali

The Preview by Rachna Shetty20-Apr-2013Match factsSunday, April 21
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big pictureWhen they clash on Sunday night, Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors will be looking to shake off their inability to shut out games, and an inconsistency to carry forward a winning momentum, which has placed both teams in the bottom half of the points table. For Kings XI, their batting has been a let-down, with the experienced batsmen failing to shoulder the responsibility of guiding an innings. Their performance can be evidenced from one telling statistic: after five matches, none of their batsmen have scored a half-century. It’s a record they will be eager to erase. They will be buoyed by the arrival of Shaun Marsh, possibly Kings XI’s most valuable player. In 42 IPL matches for Kings XI, Marsh has scored 1603 runs at an average of 45.80 and a strike-rate of 135.96 and, with his fitness issues behind him, should be an automatic pick for the game, as Kings XI try to get past their batting woes against a good bowling attack.Pune have been patchy so far, following up a stunning victory against Chennai Super Kings with mediocre batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With the chase against Sunrisers under control, the Warriors batsmen, including Angelo Mathews, played some inexplicable shots to find themselves on the losing side and the middle order, in particular, needs to return to sensible cricket and back their top order better. Their next few fixtures are against top-billing teams and a win against Kings XI could help them gain some confidence going ahead.Form GuideKings XI Punjab LWLLW (most recent first)
Pune Warriors LWLWLPlayers to watchOne of T20 cricket’s journeymen, Azhar Mahmood has emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker for Kings XI so far after Praveen Kumar. It’s his batting, though, that Kings XI will need if they are to challenge Pune Warriors. He has scored 35 runs in four innings so far.With his effective swing bowling, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the leading strike bowler for Warriors, providing breakthroughs at the start of the innings. This season, he has picked up seven wickets at an economy-rate of 6.00 and has also impressed with his tactical nous while opening the bowling.Stats and trivia In the five matches between the two teams, Warriors have won three times, while Kings XI have won twice. David Hussey is joint-second in the list of batsmen to score most ducks in Twenty20 cricket. Hussey has 14 ducks from 195 innings, behind Herschelle Gibbs (23 from 161)Quotes”There are still plenty of matches to go this season. So, everyone in the team has to back each other moving ahead and pray for the best.”

Derbyshire have announced a profit of £23,310 for 2012, a further sign that the club is in good health ahead of their return to Division One of the Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2013Derbyshire have announced a profit of £23,310 for 2012, a further sign that the club is in good health ahead of their return to Division One of the Championship. The club have generated a surplus for the second year running – and the sixth in seven – despite a wet summer that caused financial headaches for several counties.Derbyshire recently revealed plans to redevelop their Derby ground, with a view to hosting games at the 2019 World Cup, as part of a six-point blueprint to develop and promote cricket in the county.”After a very challenging summer for English cricket, in which we were competing with both the weather and sporting spectacles such as the London Olympics and Euro 2012, our financial results for the year are very pleasing indeed,” the chief executive, Simon Storey, said. “The profit is testament to the hard work of everyone involved and it caps a special year for the county both on and off the field.”Derbyshire chairman, Chris Grant, added: “It has been a momentous year for Derbyshire County Cricket Club and – given the economic climate – posting a profit for the second successive year is an excellent achievement. Even more importantly we are embarking upon an exciting period both on and off the field with no debt and on a sound financial footing.”

Chris Gayle consigned a quiet start to a chase of 155 a distant memory with another calm demolition job of an opposition team

The Report by Siddhartha Talya11-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
An all too familiar sight in the IPL•BCCIChris Gayle took centre stage once again for Royal Challengers Bangalore, after a rare-slip up in their previous game. He consigned a quiet start to a chase of 155 to a distant memory with another calm demolition job of an opposition team, backed up by his captain Virat Kohli, as Kolkata Knight Riders suffered their second defeat in a row following a promising start to their new season as defending champions.Gautam Gambhir guided the Knight Riders batting, happy at being asked to bat during the toss, but the total his side managed proved below-par on an excellent track for batting. The Royal Challengers seamers bowled impressively to restrict partnerships after they had begun encouragingly, and struck in the late overs to stifle an attempted surge. It kept Knight Riders down to a chaseable score, and Gayle made it look worse than it was.Gambhir was at ease piercing the gaps through the in-field, dispatching Moises Henriques, who opened the bowling, through the leg side and RP Singh past point and extra cover. Muttiah Muralitharan was driven through off, smacked over mid-on, and slog-swept, all this during a half-century stand with Jacques Kallis that promised to take Knight Riders beyond what they eventually got. Kallis sliced Vinay Kumar to deep point, but the promotion of Yusuf Pathan to No.4 triggered an acceleration.Yusuf struck his first three balls, all from Vinay, for boundaries to different parts of the ground, before whipping Jaidev Unadkat for six over midwicket. But Royal Challengers pulled things back, breaking the stand when Yusuf holed out to long-on off a slower delivery from Henriques. Gambhir and Tiwary put together a spirited partnership of their own, but the pair, together with Eoin Morgan, fell in a space of two overs at the death. RP leaked a few fours, but picked up three wickets and ran out Ryan McLaren in his final spell. The last four overs, which began with seven wickets in hand, yielded just 31 runs.Knight Riders would have expected a closer contest, having limited the hosts to 21 for 1 in the first five overs of the chase. But both Gayle and Kohli compensated for their early restraint. They targeted McLaren – who was replacing Brett Lee – first, Kohli whipping him for two fours through the leg side and Gayle swinging him for two massive sixes near cow corner. Kohli cashed in on anything bowled too straight, dismissing Pradeep Sangwan for two consecutive sixes.The occasional relief for Knight Riders came through Sunil Narine’s miserly spell and when Sangwan managed to york Gayle, though not well enough to beat his defense, but there was a generous supply of length balls against a batsman well set and in the groove to finish things off quickly. Gayle picked out the deep midwicket area, sending Sangwan again, and L Balaji, over the ropes before reserving the same treatment for Kallis twice in an over.Changes of pace, cutters, and variations in length were all futile against Gayle, who was the architect of another dominating Royal Challengers performance. Just how will bowling attacks find a way through that formidable trio of Gayle, Kohli, and AB de Villiers?

India overcame Mohammad Hafeez’s masterclass to win by 11 runs and level the two-match series

The Report by Siddhartha Talya28-Dec-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ashok Dinda’s second spell swung the game India’s way•BCCIIndia overcame a Mohammad Hafeez masterclass to win by 11 runs and level the two-match series. His wristwork and effortless clearing of the ropes would have inspired admiration from those he tormented today. But Ashok Dinda bowled an excellent second spell at a time when Pakistan, led by Hafeez, were on track to chase down 193, a target set up by a dominating innings by Yuvraj Singh, who treated a packed house in Ahmedabad to an airshow that included seven sixes.Dinda was at the receiving end of a last-ball six that sealed victory for England in their T20 against India less than a week ago, but he came back well despite being put under pressure early in each of his two spells. He conceded 13 in his first over, during a promising opening stand of 74 between Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, and was struck for two consecutive fours by Mohammad Hafeez in the 15th over that began with Pakistan needing 68 to win off 36 balls.The conditions in Ahmedabad were pitted against the seamers, with no movement on offer and thereby forcing them to rely on variations to contain the batsmen. Dinda not only did that, he was largely accurate and picked up three wickets, including Hafeez, in a three over spell that yielded 23 when Pakistan still had wickets in hand and the target appeared within reach. A slower ball that bowled Umar Akmal ended a 62-run stand with Hafeez that had given Pakistan the edge in the chase, and Dinda got Hafeez and Kamran Akmal to hole out in the penultimate over at the start of which Pakistan required 26.India’s spinners, R Ashwin, part-timer Suresh Raina and Yuvraj, slowed down Pakistan’s openers between overs six to 11, resulting in their wickets at the cost of just two boundaries. The required rate had climbed to more than 12 in the 12th over, when Hafeez began his charge with a scoop for four that highlighted the feature of his innings, swift but skilful and interspersed with some wonderful touch-play, but little brute force.Smart stats

India’s score of 192 is their third-highest total in T20 internationals, and their highest against Pakistan. Pakistan’s 181 is also their highest against India.

Yuvraj Singh’s 72 is his fifth half-century, and his highest score, in T20 internationals. It’s also his first against Pakistan. Among Indians, only Gautam Gambhir has more fifty-plus scores.

Yuvraj’s seven sixes is the joint sixth-highest in a T20I innings, and the highest by an Indian. It’s the second time he has struck seven sixes in an innings. His tally of 54 sixes is the fourth-highest in T20Is.

Mohammad Hafeez’s 26-ball 55 (strike rate 211.53) is the fastest 50-plus score by a Pakistan batsman. He reached his half-century in 23 balls, the second-fastest for Pakistan.

Umar Gul picked up his fifth haul of four or more wickets in T20Is, which equals Ajantha Mendis’ record. Saeed Ajmal has four.

Hafeez deftly guided Yuvraj past point, then proceeded to dispatch Ashwin for two straight sixes over midwicket before driving and paddling Dinda for two consecutive boundaries, all in successive overs. A flat six over extra cover off Ishant Sharma showed the confidence he was playing with, but Dinda’s comeback was vital in preventing Pakistan from pushing on. Two wickets in the penultimate over brought the equation to 20 required off the last, too much for Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik against Ishant.India’s middle order played a prominent role in the win, after having squandered an excellent foundation laid by openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane in the opening encounter in Bangalore. The openers did their job again, and Yuvraj and MS Dhoni, in a stand of 97 off 44 balls, ensured their work wasn’t laid to waste.Yuvraj , who was struck a painful blow to the toe off a Mohammad Irfan yorker early in his innings, recovered well and seemed to be in his element, striking the ball cleanly, with a lovely flourish. Afridi and Saeed Ajmal were deposited towards cow corner, and two successive short balls were pulled over the square-leg boundary. Ajmal was targeted in the penultimate over, as Yuvraj took him for three consecutive sixes, the last of them smacked over long-on.The last five overs yielded 74 and though Dhoni played the supporting role, he wasn’t left far behind. He ran well between wickets, and pulled and drove Umar Gul for two straight fours. Though Gul picked up four wickets, accounting for India’s openers and the pair that took them towards 192, he was short of support from the rest of his attack and bowled a no-ball in the final over that yielded a boundary off the free-hit. Tanvir, Ajmal and Afridi each went for over 10 an over, leaving their batsmen too much to compensate for.

Allrounder Ryan McLaren has been called in as a replacement for the injured Wayne Parnell for South Africa’s Twenty20 series against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2012Allrounder Ryan McLaren has been called in as a replacement for Wayne Parnell in South Africa’s Twenty20 squad that will play New Zealand in a three-match series starting December 21. Parnell has suffered a wrist injury that has ruled him out for two weeks.McLaren will have the chance to play his first Twenty20 international since October 2010. He has had a productive domestic season so far, taking 15 wickets in six games at an average of 15.06, and scoring 179 runs at 44.75 in the recently concluded Momentum one-day competition. In his only first-class game this season, he took six wickets.He was also called up as a reserve during South Africa’s Test series against Australia, for the injured Jacques Kallis.A bowling allrounder, Parnell has had his share of injury woes before. In 2010, he had picked up a groin injury that stalled his international career and gave him little game-time, something he gained in the IPL next year. He has not had the most fruitful of careers since then – in the 14 limited-overs internationals he has played since, he has taken only seven wickets and scored 121 runs at 24.20.

On a shortened day in which Somerset took five Lancashire wickets, they also discovered that Marcus Trescothick will be out for longer than first thought

George Dobell at Taunton27-Apr-2012Vernon Philander was one of the Somerset bowlers to find his length on day two•Getty ImagesOn the face of things, this was a decent – if brief – day for Somerset. Showing they had learned the lessons of a disappointing first day, their seamers maintained a much tighter line and length and reaped immediate rewards. In the 21 overs possible before rain arrived, Lancashire lost five wickets for the addition of just 32 runs. Somerset, therefore, claimed full bowling bonus points, while Lancashire may yet be denied their fifth batting point.Scratch beneath the surface, however, and this was a grim day for Somerset. Most seriously, it has become apparent that Marcus Trescothick’s injury is worse than feared. Trescothick underwent surgery on the tendon in his right ankle on Thursday but, during the procedure, the surgeon discovered the tendon was not torn but ruptured. As a consequence, he is now expected to miss at least two months of the season. The mouth watering prospect of Trescothick and Chris Gayle opening together in T20 cricket at Taunton may well never come to fruition.Indeed it is becoming increasingly likely that neither man will be available. Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, spoke to Gayle on Friday with the pair agreeing to talk again after the West Indies announced their squad to tour England. As things stand, Gayle remains unclear of his inclusion in the touring squad and will speak to Rose again within the next few days. Bearing in mind the fragility of the West Indies’ batting, it would be odd if they felt they could do without Gayle.There are, at least, some intriguing names that could be available for Somerset to bring in on loan. Durham’s Liam Plunkett, struggling for form and languishing in second-XI cricket, is one experienced bowler who might benefit from a change of scenery, while his team-mate Steve Harmison is a less likely possibility. Naqaash Tahir, now with Lancashire, and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, of Yorkshire, are potential targets, too, while Kabir Ali of Hampshire is another. Whether Division One sides are persuaded to help Somerset is one issue; whether Somerset are interested in bowlers unable to win a place in Division Two sides is another. Either way, Somerset will not make a decision until assessing the fitness of all their bowlers in the days following this match.Somerset’s better bowling display on the second day here could be interpreted in different ways. While the bonus points were welcome, they may also reflect that Lancashire’s struggles provided a better indication of the true nature of this pitch. Had the hosts bowled better on the first day, Lancashire may have struggled to reach 300. Instead, the damage is done and Lancashire have already established a match-defining total. Somerset may yet be grateful for Sunday’s anticipated deluge.Amid the storms – literal and metaphorical – Craig Kieswetter enjoyed an accomplished performance in front of England selector, James Whitiker. Kieswetter remains very much a work in progress with the gloves, but he does inconsistently show an ability to cling on to very difficult chances. Here he claimed three in ten deliveries – two of them low, diving efforts in front of his slips – that would have made any keeper proud. Perhaps, for some, that will make his run of the mill blemishes – and there are still too many for a professional keeper – all the more infuriating, but it does suggest great potential.Vernon Philander, in particular, hit a perfect length and, with some balls nipping away and others going straight, soon spread confusion amid the Lancashire batting. Gareth Cross was the first to prod at one leaving him, before Luke Procter and Steven Croft followed suit. Glen Chapple’s counterattack was ended when George Dockrell found the edge of his bat with some turn and James Hildreth, at slip, pulled off another sharp catch.Such wickets must have inspired mixed feelings. While Somerset would celebrate the successful bowling, the fear remains that Lancashire, with the likes of Chapple and Simon Kerrigan in their line-up, have an attack that will not require a second invite to exploit these conditions.

Thirteen wickets went down on the second day, but that didn’t change the overall match situation as Sri Lanka continued to dominate

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran23-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara became only the second batsman in Test history to be stranded on 199•AFPAfter the first day in Galle, the score was 300 for 2; on the second day, 13 wickets went down for 219 runs. Those contrasting statistics, however, did nothing to change the overall status of the match: Sri Lanka continue to boss the game, first piling on 472 (their highest total against Pakistan in Sri Lanka), and then raising more questions about the fragile Pakistan batting by taking out five early wickets.Despite Sri Lanka being in charge, it was a bittersweet day for Kumar Sangakkara. He became the quickest batsman to reach 2000 Test runs against a single team, but he also became only the second player in Test history to be stranded on 199. That too, after signalling his double-century in the penultimate over of the innings, only to be told it was a scorecard error.In the morning, Saeed Ajmal had underlined why he’s the top-ranked Test spinner in the world by taking three big wickets to raise hopes of a Pakistan fightback. Prasanna Jayawardene, though, again showed his value as a lower-order scrapper, supporting Sangakkara for a couple of hours to keep Sri Lanka firmly ahead in the Galle Test.That advantage was multiplied in the final hour and a half as Pakistan’s batting floundered in the fading light. Nuwan Kulasekara repaid his recall to the Test side after more than a year on the sidelines by taking two wickets in his third over. His trademark inswinger made only an infrequent appearance but that didn’t affect him as he had Taufeeq Umar lbw shouldering arms to a delivery on the stumps, and then handed Azhar Ali a golden duck as the batsman flirted with a ball outside off, only to feather it to the keeper.Then the spinners took over. Mohammad Hafeez was a prime candidate for the lbw as he adopted the dangerous tactic of playing flighted length deliveries off the back foot. He escaped a few times against Rangana Herath, but not against Suraj Randiv, who then dismissed the nightwatchman Ajmal first ball. Herath had reward for his sustained interrogation of the batsman’s technique by getting Asad Shafiq to edge to the keeper. The umpires had a tough time as there were innumerable vociferous appeals, as the spinners regularly operated with five fielders round the bat. Younis Khan survived, but at 48 for 5, a long tail and the follow-on 224 runs away, Pakistan are left needing a miracle.Batting wasn’t easy in the morning either as only 11 runs had come off the first seven overs. Like on Friday, Mahela Jayawardene decided to ease the pressure with an enterprising stroke, this time a reverse-sweep for four. Two balls later, he went for the slog-sweep against Ajmal, but missed and was bowled.Smart stats

Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten 199 is only the second such score in Test cricket.The only other batsman to remain not out on 199 was Andy Flower, against South Africa in 2001.

Sri Lanka’s total of 472 is their sixth-highest Test score against Pakistan, but their highest against them in Sri Lanka.

Four Sri Lanka batsmen fell without scoring, which makes it the second-highest innings total in Tests to have four or more ducks. The highest is West Indies’ 501 against India in 2002.

This was Sangakkara’s 15th score of 150 or more in Tests, which is fourth in the all-time list. Had he scored another run, it would have been Sangakkara’s ninth double-hundred in Tests, which would’ve put him in second place, next only to Don Bradman’s 12 and level with Brian Lara’s nine.

Sangakkara needs only 61 to become the highest run-scorer in Tests against Pakistan. His tally of 2029 is also the second-highest by a Sri Lanka batsman against any opposition.

Saeed Ajmal’s 5 for 146 is his sixth five-wicket haul in Tests, but the most expensive of the lot. It’s also his first five-for in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan lost their fifth wicket at 44, which is their second-lowest score at five down in Tests against Sri Lanka.

Sangakkara has been Sri Lanka’s most assured batsman in the match, but even he had his problems against Ajmal. He used the slog-sweep effectively, picking up a couple of boundaries in an Ajmal over, but in between he was beaten by the extra bounce Ajmal generated. Once, as he looked to defend outside off, he couldn’t get anywhere near the ball as it spun away sharply.He survived, but Thilan Samaraweera didn’t last long. The Ajmal doosra, possibly the most feared delivery in Test cricket today, confounded Samaraweera, dragging him out of the crease, before Adnan Akmal completed a smart stumping. The very next ball, Angelo Mathews perished, though it wasn’t due to any Ajmal magic. It was a full and wide delivery that Mathews limply drove at to hand the bowler a simple caught-and-bowled. In two deliveries, Ajmal had taken as many wickets as Pakistan had on all of the first day.Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman didn’t have the same success as Ajmal, though he too posed plenty of questions for the batsman. Early in Prasanna Jayawardene’s innings, Rehman got a delivery to drift in before spinning just past the outside edge, and bouncing just over the middle stump. A wicket there and Sri Lanka would have been 346 for 6, and Pakistan could have eyed a quick close to the innings.Instead, once again a Sangakkara-Jayawardene partnership frustrated them. The batsmen found it a little easier after lunch, with Prasanna flicking several boundaries off his pads. Sangakkara was circumspect after those early slog-swept boundaries, dealing almost entirely in singles and zeroes, perhaps a silent tribute to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the great logician Alan Turing. The pair added 80 to lift Sri Lanka past 400, and though Prasanna was caught behind on 48, the damage had already been done.Sangakkara moved to 170 by tea, but with Pakistan striking twice more before tea, he showed more urgency after the break. He did decline several singles to keep Rangana Herath away from the strike, but he also launched a six over long-on, attempted a scoop – a shot he hadn’t tried all match – and pushed Herath to return for a tight second that resulted in a run-out. When on 192, there was an impatient swing that lobbed to mid-off but the bowler Mohammad Hafeez couldn’t latch on to a tough chance.Soon after, he swiped a six over midwicket and celebrated as the scorecard showed his 200, but the dressing room soon pointed out that he was still on 199. He defended the next ball, the final delivery of the over, to give strike to the last man Nuwan Pradeep, who was bowled off the second delivery, leaving the Galle crowd disappointed despite Sri Lanka’s strong position.

Chris Gayle’s expected return to the West Indies team has been delayed after no decision could be arrived at during Monday’s high-level meeting

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2012Chris Gayle’s expected return to the West Indies team has been delayed after no decision could be arrived at during Monday’s high-level meeting, which was expected to resolve the year-long dispute between the player and the West Indies Cricket Board. Chaired by Prime Minister of St Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, the meeting was also attended by WICB chief executive, Ernest Hilaire and officials from CARICOM.A resolution would have seen the former captain available for West Indies team’s ongoing series against Australia, which continues till April 27. Gayle, however, is contracted to represent Bangalore Royal Challengers in this year’s IPL from April 4 to May 27 and county side Somerset, in the English Twenty20 tournament. The clash of dates between the West Indies team’s international commitments (the current series is followed by a tour of England between May 5 and June 24) and Gayle’s contractual obligations could be a possible reason for the delay in the talks.Before the meeting, the had reported that Gayle was likely to either submit an apology or retract his comments made against the board and the coach Ottis Gibson during a radio interview.In February, the WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire said he wanted Gayle to make his priorities clear, saying that Gayle could not ask for unconditional no-objection certificates (NOCs) to play domestic Twenty20 tournaments around the world and simultaneously make himself available for West Indies selection.Gayle attended Runako Morton’s funeral in St Kitts on Saturday and was spotted in the stands during West Indies’ second ODI against Australia, in St Vincent. He last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, and has since taken part in Twenty20 leagues around the world, including the IPL, the Big Bash League in Australia and the BPL in Bangladesh. He has turned out for Jamaica in the domestic one-day and four-day competitions. He was left out of the WICB’s 30-man squad for a fitness and training camp ahead of the home series against Australia.