Callum Ferguson has been starved of cricket over the past month but he cashed in with a swift century as South Australia finished the second day at 7 for 405

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2010

ScorecardCallum Ferguson scored a century in his opening first-class game after knee surgery last year•Getty Images

Callum Ferguson has been starved of cricket over the past month but he cashed in with a swift century as South Australia finished the second day at 7 for 405 against Western Australia. After only 4.1 overs were allowed on the first day, Ferguson showed he was back in excellent nick in his opening first-class game since knee surgery last year.Aiden Blizzard also played a significant part as he brought up his first hundred in his second Sheffield Shield match for the Redbacks. After making 96 on debut, he backed up with 108 not out, hitting 12 fours and three sixes, including one to the legside which moved him to 95.Ferguson, who didn’t play during Australia’s one-day tour of India, breezed to 129 from 143 deliveries to set up South Australia’s bid to get some points over the next couple of days. He put on 176 with Michael Klinger (86) for the third wicket after Daniel Harris became Michael Hogan’s second wicket. Once Ferguson departed lbw, having been hit trying to sweep the spinner Michael Beer, Blizzard took over until bad light and rain ended the day.Mitchell Johnson has been on Western Australia’s books for two years but this is his first match for the Warriors as he prepares for the Sri Lanka ODIs and the Ashes. He struggled for much of the day and had 0 for 96 before he picked up Graham Manou, who left a ball coming back to be lbw. Daniel Christian then hit Johnson to backward point and he finished with 2 for 108 off 24 overs.

West Indies’ batsmen struggled on the first day of their tour match against a Sri Lanka President’s XI at Colombo

Sa'adi Thawfeeq10-Nov-2010West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka got off to a disappointing start when the tourists were bundled out for 176 by seam and spin on the first day of their three-day match against Sri Lanka President’s XI at the SSC. Only middle-order batsmen Brendan Nash and Shivnarine Chanderpaul got useful practice out in the middle ahead of next Monday’s first Test in Galle.The pair rescued West Indies from 29 for 3 with a partnership of 81 before spinners Ajantha Mendis and Malinga Bandara wrapped up the lower order. Nash who scored 62 off 107 balls said, “We would have liked to have batted some more overs and got used to the conditions over here. The wicket was quite good although it played a few little tricks. Maybe it was just one of those things where we started the tour a little slowly today.”Shiv and I batted together for a while and a few of the other guys showed signs of hanging there for a little bit. We were a little disappointed by the way we batted but we were surprised by the wicket being quite easy to bat on. Maybe that took us a little bit by surprise and we didn’t adjust as well as we should have.”Describing his maiden half-century in the subcontinent, Nash said, “I was a little scratchy in patches for my first innings in this part of the world. Personally I am pleased with it – the mental and physical side of things.”I was interested with the pace of the wicket, it was two-paced. Just when you thought you were sort of going quite easy something would happen to keep you on your toes. Although it was a nice wicket to bat on, every now and then it reminded you that something can happen out there.”Nash said that West Indies should take a good look at their batting today and establish how they were going to move on from there. “We got this out of our system and had a bit of a knock in the middle, so we got to know the conditions and what they are going to be like. We can learn from today. We have to move forward and keep going.”Nash expressed surprise in the way the home team approached their batting. “The top four batsmen who came out played real shots. They obviously had a plan to come out quite hard and score runs quickly. We sort of pegged them back towards the end by taking a few wickets.”It’s a three-day match and there is plenty of time. The wicket might break up a little bit more so it would be another test for our batsmen and bowlers to use those conditions,” he said.

Michael Hussey believes his interrupted rescue act with Brad Haddin needs to double if they are to earn a dominant position in the opening Ashes Test

Peter English at the Gabba26-Nov-2010Michael Hussey believes his interrupted rescue act with Brad Haddin needs to double if they are to earn a dominant position in the opening Ashes Test. Australia will start the third day 40 runs behind England’s first-innings 260 after Hussey and Haddin lifted the side with a partnership of 77.The hosts were 5 for 143 when the pair joined forces after Steven Finn and James Anderson had held up the hosts following an opening stand of 78. Hussey (81) and Haddin (22) provided some comfort for Australia but are now headed for the most important part of the match.”We had to battle pretty hard throughout that partnership,” Hussey said. “We managed to get a good partnership but it’s probably not even half what we require, we’ve got some really hard work to do tomorrow morning. The second new ball is going to be a really challenging time in the game.”England were about to take it when bad light stopped play 17 overs early, but they gained a slight boost when the groundsmen were slow to cover the pitch when a shower arrived. “The game is interestingly poised, it’s pretty tight, probably 50-50 at the moment,” Hussey said. “The first hour or two is going to be interesting to see what happens. It might be the pivotal point of the match.”Finn said England were happy with their results on a pitch that is still providing some help to the bowlers, and contributing to regular shifts in momentum. “That’s been the nature of the game so far,” he said. “It’s ebbed and flowed, and I’m sure it will tomorrow.”This is Finn’s first Ashes Test and the 21-year-old had an encouraging day. He collected the wickets of Michael Clarke, who edged behind pulling, and Simon Katich. Katich drove firmly back to Finn and he leaned forward for a stunning take just off the ground.”If you watch me in the mornings, I practise catching low like that all the time,” he said. “It’s something I try and work on and am conscious of. I need to be able to take catches like that to make myself a better cricketer.”Finn was also punished at times by Hussey, particularly when he was pulling, and finished with 2 for 61 off 15 overs. The Gabba was almost full, but Finn said he wasn’t intimidated.”It was great to get out there and bowl,” he said. “I heard the crowd all of yesterday shouting, 35,000 people. To be able to play in front of 35,000 today was great. I’m used to playing championship cricket in front of 20 people. To have so many people watching has been fantastic. I’m loving it at the moment.”

The International Cricket Council has turned down India’s request to replace Mike Denness as match referee for the third and final Test match betwen South Africa and India

Stephen Lamb14-Jan-2011The International Cricket Council has turned down India’s request to replace Mike Denness as match referee for the third and final Test match betwen South Africa and India. The request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India followed penalties imposed by Denness during the second Test at Port Elizabeth.Denness fined and imposed a suspended ban on India’s Sachin Tendulkar for ball-tampering, after TV evidence showed him using a fingernail on the seam of the ball.The ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed, said: “We have received and are currently considering a written complaint from the BCCI regarding the
actions of Mike Denness during the recent India v South Africa Test match.”Mike Denness is a former Test captain and a very experienced match referee.
During his time refereeing Test and one-day international matches his record
has been one of fairness and consistency. On the previous 9 occasions where
Mike Denness has acted as referee for a match involving India, no Indian
players have been reported or penalised.””The BCCI has requested that another match referee be appointed to officiate in the third Test. However, given that the ICC is satisfied that all procedures have been adhered to, we cannot agree to this request.”It remains to be seen whether the final Test at Centurion, which is due to start on Friday, will now go ahead. In demanding Denness’s replacement, the BCCI president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, indicated that several of India’s players wished to pull out of the series.Tendulkar was fined 75% of his match fee and handed a one-match ban, suspended until the end of this year, while five of his team-mates were also punished.The most severe penalty was handed to Virender Sehwag, who was banned for the next Test and fined 75% of his match fee for excessive appealing. Shiv Sunder Das, Harbhajan Singh and Deep Dasgupta were fined the same amount and given suspended single-match bans for the same offence.India captain Sourav Ganguly was given a suspended ban for one Test and two one-day international games for failing to exercise control over his team-mates.The ICC President, Malcolm Gray, said: “The ICC is concerned about standards of on-field behaviour of players and has asked umpires and referees to take a stronger stance in respect of charging offending players and imposing appropriate penalties. This initiative has the strong support of all members of the ICC Executive Board.”If any member country of the ICC is concerned about the processes that have
been in place for many years, the proper way of dealing with this is to raise it as an issue at the next meeting of the Executive Board.”There is no doubt that he can expect an extra item on the forthcoming agenda as a result of the events of the past two days.

MS Dhoni says India’s batsmen need to improve their shot selection but must also look to score quickly in the second ODI against South Africa at the Wanderers

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg14-Jan-2011India find themselves caught in an ODI series that is neither here nor there. This is no preparation for the World Cup by any stretch of the imagination, for the surfaces, the overhead conditions, the pressure, will be completely different in February and March in India. Still, everything is going to be looked at with an eye on the World Cup. If, for example, one of the younger ODI specialist batsmen struggles against the bouncing ball, the team is not likely to fret too much. The conditions, it will be said, will be different in the subcontinent.The series is not even a chance for the final 11 or 12 players who will be expected to feature in the World Cup to play together; Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Praveen Kumar are already back in India, nursing injuries. Also, winning is looking difficult, especially if even one of the bowlers has an off day, as Ashish Nehra did in the first ODI, in Durban. That leaves the batsmen with a lot to do, and the younger lot is not going to find it easy on bouncy pitches against an attack featuring Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.The Wanderers game on Saturday will be India’s last before the final World Cup squad is announced, which should get rid of any distraction there might be because of the ICC tournament. MS Dhoni, though, wants his side to forget the tournament even before that, saying the second ODI would not have any bearing on who gets picked for the World Cup. “I don’t think it is just one performance that will matter,” he said. “The guys who have worked hard throughout the year, and have delivered in the last one to one-and-a-half years will get a chance. It will be wrong if you try to select the team on the basis of one performance. We will try to select the best XI [in South Africa].”That seems to be the best way to go: let the selectors do their job in India, let us do our job of trying our best to win the series here. To do that, India will have to quickly adjust to the conditions here in South Africa. If Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh don’t do well, the middle order looks inexperienced despite the number of matches they have played between them.Dhoni called for better shot selection, but not at the expense of scoring runs at a good pace. “Being selective is important, but positive intent is too because you can’t look to [just] survive. There will be something for the fast bowlers initially, especially if you are batting second, but you need to score runs and boundaries off the bad deliveries because that takes the pressure off you. If you are scoring at 2.5 an over, at the end of the day, you are mounting pressure on yourself.”With overcast conditions predicted for Saturday’s match, and perhaps rain interruptions too, the bowlers will look for a better showing than in Durban. The job will only become tougher for the batsmen, with more seam movement expected than in Durban, especially if Dhoni keeps up with his form at the toss, which would mean India will be batting under the lights again.”What we have told ourselves is that the toss is one thing beyond our control. Irrespective of what happens at the toss, we shouldn’t really let it have any impact on ourselves because what is important is to give our 100% on the field, and if you are concentrating too hard on the toss, you are not giving your 100% in a way.”Dhoni said the right mindset will be the key to whether India can make a comeback from yet another slow start to a series. “You lose games, you win games. What is important is to have the same mindset throughout the series. It will be very important to start afresh because whatever has happened has happened. You have to start from scratch, we just need to play to our potential.”Duncan Fletcher, South Africa’s batting consultant, spoke of the need for his side to stay alert to the kind of comeback India staged in Durban after they were outclassed in the Centurion Test. However, both the sides know, with the difference in quality between India’s Test and one-day sides, Wanderers is not as likely to see a comeback as Kingsmead was.

A round-up of the action from the first day of the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2011Manish Pandey smashed an unbeaten 203 off just 191 as South Zone raced to 416 on the first day of their match against Central Zone at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Central had made a terrific comeback against East Zone in the quarter-finals, and seemed to carry some of that momentum into the match against South, getting rid of Robin Uthappa and Subramaniam Badrinath early.But they were thwarted by a 174-run third-wicket stand between Karnataka’s Pandey and Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund. Mukund scored 105 off 146 runs. Pandey was dropped when he was on 127 by Pankaj Singh off the bowling of RP Singh, and then carried on the destruction after Mukund fell. Wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end and South were eight down by the end of play. Their quick scoring rate, however, means they already have a strong total on the board, and could add to it on the second day with Pandey still at the wicket. Pandey’s double-century included 19 fours and seven sixes.

North Zone also managed to score at a fairly brisk rate against West Zone at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, reaching 315 for 5 at the end of the first day. Nineteen-year-old Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh led the way for North with a century, while Delhi’s Mithun Manhas and Punjab’s Uday Kaul got half-centuries. Kaul was unbeaten at the end of play, and his 86-run partnership with North’s captain Amit Mishra was also unbroken. Saurashtra seamer Jaidev Unadkat had given West an ideal start, dismissing Sarul Kanwar in the first over of the match after North chose to bat, but the batsmen dominated after that and have put North in a strong position.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga’s hundreds set up Sri Lanka’s victory, officially securing their place in the quarterfinals

The Bulletin by George Binoy10-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a century and then picked up four wickets as well•AFP

When Elton Chigumbura chose to bowl in Pallekele, to avoid his spinners having to struggle with a dew-soaked ball, little did he think his team would fail to take a wicket for 44.3 overs. But Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga batted forever, notching up the first double-century opening partnership in World Cup history, and their hundreds set up Sri Lanka’s victory, officially securing their place in the quarter-finals.The result was a foregone conclusion once Sri Lanka scored 327 but there was a flutter of hope in the Zimbabwe camp when Brendan Taylor was at the forefront of the pursuit. He combined orthodoxy and innovation during an aggressive half-century, taking advantage of a wayward Sri Lankan pace attack. The hosts gathered themselves, though, and struck twice at the other end after a century opening stand. Taylor eventually departed for 80 in the 25th over, and with him ended Zimbabwe’s improbable chances.The struggle of Zimbabwe’s batsmen was in contrast to the ease with which Dilshan and Tharanga had entertained a packed house. They started at top speed, taking 84 of the first 11 overs by playing a shot a minute, and then shifted to a lower gear, bleeding Zimbabwe steadily and so easily through the middle overs. There were regular bursts of acceleration later in the innings and a concerted push during the final ten overs. At no stage were they bothered and rarely has a bowling performance looked so toothless – Chris Mpofu’s shout after striking Tharanga’s pad with the first ball of the game was the only appeal against the openers. Tired shots, rather than incisive bowling, brought about the dismissal of Tharanga and then Dilshan, and more middle-order wickets fell as batsmen came, swung and pushed the total beyond 300.

Smart Stats

• bulleted_text: The 282-run opening partnership between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga is the highest opening stand in World Cups, going past the 194-run stand between Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti in the 1999 semi-final. Tharanga has been involved in five 200-plus stands in ODIs.

• The record opening stand is also the second-highest stand for the opening wicket in ODIs, only behind the 286-run stand between Sanath Jayasuriya and Tharanga against England. It is also the fourth-highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs and the second highest in World Cups.

• Sri Lanka’s 327 is their third-highest total in a World Cup game and their tenth best in ODIs. It is also their highest total against Zimbabwe in ODIs.

• The 116-run stand between Brendan Taylor and Regis Chakabva is the highest opening stand for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in ODIs and their fifth-highest for any wicket in World Cups.

• Dilshan became only the second player after Feiko Kloppenburg of Netherlands to score a century and take four wickets in a World Cup game. Overall, in ODIs, Dilshan is the 11th player to achieve the feat. It is also Dilshan’s first century in World Cups.

• The 139-run margin is Sri Lanka’s fifth-largest victory margin in World Cups and the largest against Zimbabwe in World Cup games.

• The 398 runs aggregated by both opening pairs is the highest in an ODI surpassing the 368 runs aggregated in the match between Sri Lanka and England in 2006.

• Dilshan’s figures of 4 for 4 is the best bowling performance by a Sri Lanka spinner in World Cups and the tenth-best overall for a spinner in World Cup games.

• This was the first time in World Cups and the 22nd time overall in ODIs that both openers scored centuries in an innings.

Tharanga threaded the fourth ball through point with a square drive and Sri Lanka were away. For the first time in the tournament Chigumbura did not use Ray Price with the brand new ball and gave the second over to Tinashe Panyangara. It was a costly decision as Dilshan ran amok, driving the full balls, and cutting and pulling the short ones to take 18 runs off the over.There was no let-up in Sri Lanka’s pace during the mandatory Powerplay, off which they scored 77. Dilshan and Tharanga slashed through point, pulled through square and then drove when the length was too full, punishing everyone who bowled at them. When Price was brought on in the fifth over, Dilshan skipped down and drove him inside out through cover.Not until the 12th and 13th over was there spin from both ends and then Price bowled the innings’ first maiden. The spin trio of Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer began to exercise more control over the run-rate, which dipped below six for the first time in the 19th, but they failed to take a wicket. Tharanga and Dilshan seamlessly shifted to a lower gear and focused on accumulation.Zimbabwe’s spinners had conceded only 76 runs off 17 overs when Chigumbura gave pace another run by bringing himself on. Dilshan slapped a wide offering through cover to move to 99 and then reached his century off 95 balls, his first in World Cups. Panyangara returned and Tharanga immediately lofted over mid-off and pulled past fine leg. Sri Lanka took 30 off overs 31-33.Tharanga and Dilshan broke Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti’s World Cup record of 184 for the first wicket and then became the first openers to score hundreds in the same World Cup innings. They reached 200 in 33.4 overs. During the batting Powerplay, taken in the 41st over, Tharanga’s inside-out play through cover was exquisite. With the highest opening partnership in ODIs – 286 between Sanath Jayasuriya and Tharanga at Headingley 2006 – within striking distance, Tharanga holed out to deep cover, bringing Zimbabwe some relief. Dilshan followed in the next over, leaving the finishing touches to his well-rested team-mates.As impressive as Sri Lanka’s display was, Taylor played some of the best shots of the game. Using Malinga’s pace, Taylor flicked a low full toss to the backward square-leg boundary, pushed a wide one through covers and chipped a short one over Kumar Sangakkara’s head. There was only touch and timing in those shots, no power. Taylor got to his fifty off 39 balls and carried on batting aggressively.Muttiah Muralitharan came on only in the 16th over, after the bowling Powerplay was completed, and in the 20th he spun a doosra on to Regis Chakabva’s off stump, ending the opening stand on 116. Tatenda Taibu was bent on reverse-sweeping Murali whenever he could, and got away with it. He didn’t get away with edging Angelo Mathew though, and Sangakkara dived to his right to take the catch inches off the ground.Those two wickets set back Zimbabwe’s chase considerably, and Taylor’s dismissal was the definitive blow. On 80, he chipped a slower ball from Angelo Mathews straight to midwicket and the contest was over. Dilshan returned to torment Zimbabwe, picking up four batsmen – his finishing touches on a terrific game. And Murali, playing his final ODI in front of his home crowd, took the final wicket.

Match Timeline

South Africa will approach their quarter-final match against New Zealand in much the same way as each of their group games – by playing to plans and laying a platform rather than attempting anything overly flashy

Firdose Moonda in Mirpur24-Mar-2011South Africa will approach their quarter-final match against New Zealand in much the same way as each of their group games – by playing to plans and laying a platform rather than attempting anything overly flashy. Some call it calculation, others cautiousness, but for South Africa it’s a tactic that’s worked on pitches that have made this World Cup a far more even contest between bat and ball.The Mirpur pitch has yielded one high-scoring game, in the tournament opener, and another, isolated meaty total from South Africa last week but all the other five scores have been low. It’s a surface that has been slow and required patience, and South Africa have reason to approach it with care. “It’s not a free-flowing wicket here, you need to set your base and work hard,” Graeme Smith said at his pre-match press conference in Mirpur.In their six group stage matches, South Africa have had practice in building an innings from the ground, with cautious starts that allow for explosive endings. They went at less than five runs an over in the first four games: on a tricky Delhi surface against West Indies, on the most seamer-friendly pitch they’ve come across in India in Mohali against Netherlands, on a crumbling Chennai pitch against England and even on a batsmen’s paradise against India in Nagpur. They crept over the five-an-over mark at Eden Gardens against Ireland and in Mirpur against Bangladesh, but not by much.Four out of those six times, the team has gone on to score more than 250, indicating that the acceleration in the run rate comes later on. It’s a move away from the style of one-day cricket that was seen a few years ago, when teams would look to reach 75 runs or more inside the first 15 overs. It may be the result of the additional Powerplay that can be taken later on, but even that’s proved to be a double-edged sword for batsmen, who can lose their wicket in a moment of rashness. On pitches where there is something for the bowlers, it’s created a delightful tension that can run through an innings and one that can only be broken if there is a solid base laid first on which the fireworks can shoot off from.West Indies’ capitulation to spin against Pakistan could prompt South Africa to retain a spin-strong attack•Getty Images

Smith expects the pitch on which the quarter-final will be played to be similar to the surfaces they have found throughout the sub-continent, perhaps with a little more life. “It looks very green, probably because we are not used to seeing grass here so it might be more even paced than the wickets we have played on previously,” Smith said. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be a strip the seamers can make merry on. “I expect it to turn a bit, because it’s still very dry.”It will present a challenge for the batsmen and the bowlers, who will have to exploit conditions to their advantage. After watching Pakistan’s demolition job of West Indies last night, South Africa may be prompted to go in with all three frontline spinners. The convenor of selectors, Andrew Hudson, only arrived this morning, and Smith could not reveal whether that is their line of thinking just yet. Going down that route will probably mean going in with only six, specialist batsmen which suggests that Morne van Wyk will have to be benched and AB de Villiers would have to keep, a decision that can only be taken later on.If de Villiers can’t keep and if the choice becomes two out of the three spinners, matters get more puzzling. Legspinner Imran Tahir is certain to play a role, because of his wicket-taking ability that complements the strikeforce of seamers. “Imran has been an asset. He is the most attacking of the spinners,” Smith said. There should also be place for left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who took a career-best 4 for 12 against Bangladesh and is the team’s highest wicket-taker. “It’s been a process for Robbie. He has been around the team for a long time and in the last six to eight months people have been showing confidence in him and that has helped his self-belief,” Smith said.While Johan Botha didn’t get any special words from Smith at today’s press conference, his ability to control the game in the middle overs has already earned him high praise. Botha does exactly what Smith was referring to in a batting sense, about working hard and building a base, in the bowling sense. Because of his primary ability as a container, Botha works on drying up runs and in the process is usually on the receiving end of wickets, particularly in the crucial middle phase of an innings.Smith recognised that having someone who can perform that role is what has made the South African attack more dynamic. “We’ve been able to pick up wickets outside of the fist 10-15 overs in the middle period. It’s a mindset thing, the spinners believe they can take wickets and as the captain, I have to believe in them.”It could boil down to another selection dilemma for South Africa, one they will be only too happy to have. In keeping with the watchful nature of their approach, they will pick the starting XI on who best will contest with the opposition on the day. Smith said that New Zealand have “a top four with power hitters who take the game to you,” which could imply the need for a container in the Botha mould. Smith also said the New Zealand bowlers have done a good job of “taking the pace off the ball,” which means that the middle order, which is most likely to face those bowlers, will be expected to give another solid account of itself.

A disciplined performance from Chennai Super Kings in the field saw them get their IPL campaign back on track as they comfortably defended 142 against the Pune Warriors

The Bulletin by Firdose Moonda25-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Hussey’s half-century took Chennai to 142•AFP

A disciplined performance from Chennai Super Kings in the field saw them get their IPL campaign back on track as they comfortably defended 142 against the Pune Warriors. Chennai backed up their bowlers’ efforts with superb commitment in the field as they made 142 look a lot more daunting than it was.Albie Morkel and Doug Bollinger started the assault, peppering the Pune openers with short balls. Mohnish Mishra, who survived an appeal for caught behind off Morkel’s third ball, was undone by the slowness of the pitch. He tried to steer the ball down to third man but inside edged it onto his stumps.Jesse Ryder was also battling to negotiate the extra bounce but ended up falling to R Ashwin whose arm ball disturbed the middle stump as the batsman backed away for the offbreak. Manish Pandey was dismissed in almost the exact fashion as Mishra was, trying to run a Morkel ball to third man and chopping it on. Pune’s troubles worsened when Ashwin turned on the magic with a full ball that turned away from Robin Uthappa, snuck around his legs and bowled him. For the second match in succession, Pune had lost four wickets inside six overs.Suraj Randiv and Suresh Raina bowled four quiet overs, during which Yuvraj Singh brought up 1000 IPL runs, but it laid the pressure squarely on Pune. Desperation started to creep in and Mithun Manhas mishit Randiv for six over cow corner, luckily getting the ball high enough to escape being caught. Manhas was out two overs later, trying to improvise by playing Bollinger late and only getting an edge that MS Dhoni collected.With the required rate creeping over nine, Chennai, led by Suresh Raina’s commitment, flung their bodies around saving numerous fours. Yuvraj and Nathan McCullum rotated the strike but couldn’t escape the stranglehold. Chennai’s efforts reached their climax when Shadab Jakati flew across from extra cover to take a catch that sent Yuvraj on his way. The lower middle order was left with too much to do and perished.Pune had earlier kept their reputation as the most economical bowling side in the IPL intact, restricting Chennai to 142. Chennai started slowly, M Vijay looking particularly lacklustre and almost getting run out three times in the first six overs.He and Michael Hussey had charmed stints, both scoring boundaries in streaky fashion. Vijay’s first was an edge that flew past first slip while Hussey scored consecutive fours, first off an inside edge and then off an outside edge. He was also dropped on 28 by Yuvraj Singh.Luck eventually ran out and Vijay top-edged a bouncer from Alfonso Thomas, presenting Nathan McCullum with a simple catch at midwicket. Thomas then taunted Raina with two short balls, one of which Raina top edged over mid-off and the third one knocked over middle and leg stump. Chennai were 66 for two at the halfway stage, their lowest score in ten overs in this year’s IPL.Yuvraj and Murali Kartik were economical in the middle overs while it was up to Hussey to provide impetus, bringing up his fifty with a stunning cover drive. Dhoni joined in the fun for a while, with consecutive boundaries off Rahul Sharma but like Chennai, his good fortune ended and he was stumped off a flighted delivery.Hussey was dismissed four balls later, trying to shovel Jerome Taylor over long-on. Albie Morkel made no impact, departing for a duck while attempting a big shot that only found deep cover. Thomas bowled a clutch of yorkers in his last over and Taylor turned on the gas to finish things off. Even a six from S Badrinath in the final over couldn’t take Chennai over the 150 mark, but 142 proved to be more than enough.