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Harbhajan cleared as Australia bat in Mohali

Toss Australia chose to bat v India


Harbhajan Singh passed a fitness test to play in Mohali


Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat as Australia attempt to stop India, the world No.1, in the opening Test at Mohali. The hosts received some good news with Harbhajan Singh cleared of a leg injury and he will hope for an early opportunity to challenge Ponting, who has struggled against the offspinner throughout his career.


MS Dhoni wants to keep the visitors quiet on the field and will go into the match with Harbhajan and Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm orthodox, along with two front-line fast bowlers. Australia chose a three-man pace attack of Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus, with Nathan Hauritz the only specialist tweaker.


As India aim to defend their hard-won position, Australia are desperate not to slip any further. If Ponting's men lose the two-Test series, it will leave them ranked 5th entering the Ashes campaign in November.


Both teams have players coming into the match on limited preparations, with Bollinger, Michael Hussey, Dhoni, and Suresh Raina all recent arrivals from the Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa. They will need to settle quickly on a surface that has some green tinges but lots of cracks.


India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Pragyan Ojha.


Australia 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Marcus North, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Doug Bollinger.
Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo

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Advantage India at favoured venue

Shane Watson began the tour in style, with a century in each innings of Australia's warm-up match


Match Facts
Friday, October 1, Mohali
Start time 9:30am (0400 GMT)


The Big Picture

A Test series between India and Australia should be enough to whet the appetite of any cricket fan. But is that true of a contest spanning only two matches? We're about to find out. The abbreviated nature of the trip notwithstanding, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is up for grabs. India are the holders after their 2-0 win at home this time two years ago, but much has changed since then. Australia entered that tour ranked No. 1 among Test teams and India were third. MS Dhoni's men are now at the top of the list, while the Australians have slipped to fourth. If Australia lose the series, they'll fall to fifth and begin the Ashes ranked lower than England.


There are several fascinating subplots in this series. Will Harbhajan Singh continue to mesmerise Ricky Ponting? How will Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, Test cricket's highest scorers, fare in what could be their final series against each other? Can Rahul Dravid find a way to dominate Australia, a team that has had his measure since 2004? Will Nathan Hauritz hold his own against the world's best players of spin? Is Marcus North on his last chance? And what controversy will arise?


India haven't lost a Test series for two years and, despite drawing their last two, have so much talent in their batting line-up that it is hard to see how Australia can win. That is especially true of the first Test in Mohali, where India have lost only once, winning thrice and drawing five Tests. Can 20 wickets come from Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger and Hauritz? Australia can dream, but India are unquestionably the favourites.


Form guide

India WDLWL
Australia LWWWW


Watch out for...

It has been a heady couple of years for Suresh Raina. In that period, he has managed to force his way back from the wilderness through some compelling performances in the IPL, and done well in the shorter formats for India. Injury to Yuvraj Singh gave him a rare opening into Test cricket and he latched on with a fine debut century against Sri Lanka. That innings was testimony Raina's mental fortitude but, coming as it did on a flat track against a friendly attack, it did not say much about his technical prowess. Questions remain over Raina's ability to handle the bouncer and the next few months, including a tour to South Africa, offer him a chance to address those concerns. At some point over the next five days, Johnson and co. are going to test Raina with the short stuff, possibly with the help of the second new ball. How will he respond?


Since Shane Watson stepped into the opening role during last year's Ashes, only Simon Katich and Michael Clarke have scored more Test runs for Australia. Last time Australia played Tests in India, Watson was making his long-awaited return to the baggy green and slotted in as a useful, if not outstanding, No. 6. He will be wary of Ishant Sharma's ability to jag the ball back in; that angle has been a weakness for Watson at the top of the order. Stuart Broad and Graham Onions repeatedly trapped him lbw using that method last year and three of his four dismissals against Pakistan in July also came against the ball moving in. But Watson has started the tour well, with a century in each innings of the warm-up game, and will look to use this trip to add to his one Test hundred.
Team news



An ankle sprain to Harbhajan has cast a cloud over India's hopes of having their first-choice attack back in action, following endless fitness issues in Sri Lanka. Dhoni said India will take a call on the offspinner on Friday morning. If Harbhajan does not make the cut, Pragyan Ojha will assume the role of lead spinner. Mohali's seamer-friendly reputation gives Sreesanth an opportunity to make the final XI as the third fast bowler, ahead of legspinner Amit Mishra. The batsmen pick themselves and, barring last-minute fitness issues, M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara are likely to sit out.


India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh / Amit Mishra / Sreesanth, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Pragyan Ojha


Australia are waiting to see how well Doug Bollinger and Michael Hussey train after their last-minute dash to India from the Champions League in South Africa. However, it would be a surprise if either man was left out. The only change from the team that lost to Pakistan at Headingley in July is likely to be the inclusion of Nathan Hauritz, who has recovered from his foot injury, at the expense of Steven Smith.


Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Marcus North, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Doug Bollinger.


Pitch and conditions

The Australians spotted a tinge of green on the pitch after heavy rain in Mohali, adding to the likelihood they would play just one specialist spinner. However, there is a chance the normally quick surface might play a little slower than usual due to the weather. It was here two years ago that Peter Siddle announced himself by thumping Gautam Gambhir on the helmet with his first ball in Test cricket. Dhoni admitted the difficulty in predicting how the pitch would play. "We will have to see the wicket tomorrow. It looks a bit damp, it's been watered a bit. It looks like a good track. There may by a bit of skid for the fast bowlers," he said.
Stats and trivia

  • Over the last ten years, Australia have lost more Tests to India than they have won. India are the only team that can boast of this record over Australia for the decade
  • During that period, Australia are the only team to have beaten India in a series at home
  • No bowler has dismissed Ricky Ponting more times in Test cricket than Harbhajan Singh, who has claimed his wicket on 10 occasions
  • With the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan, Harbhajan is now the leading wicket-taker among active Test spinners, with 357
  • Michael Hussey and Simon Katich, who started their careers as opponents in Under-13s cricket in Perth, begin this series each having played 52 Tests and each having scored exactly 3981 runs
    Quotes


"It doesn't matter on whom the pressure is. At the end of the day, you are expected to win if you are playing at home. Your ranking doesn't matter here much."
MS Dhoni is not too caught up with the rankings

"It is going to be a very big test for our bowlers and for me as a captain. India is the No. 1 team in the world and they are there for a reason."
Ricky Ponting, on the other hand, is not losing sight of India's standing

"Whenever I play against the Aussies and perform, I feel good. I will try to perform even better this time so that next time when the next series happens they should again take my name first."
Harbhajan Singh gears up to play his favourite opposition

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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Time for the cynicism to go away


With two of India's main bowlers coming out of injuries and two of Australia's yet to play a Test in India, this series looks to be a battle of attrition


Ten seasons ago, with cricket still smarting from the match-fixing blows, India and Australia created magic over three unforgettable Tests. Along with the 2005 Ashes, that series has without doubt been the best Test series in a long, long time. Since then, every arrival of the Australians in India gives Indians an excuse to reminisce that heady series. It is an indulgence, but the memories of that series alone are enough to create anticipation every time Australia come calling.


Ten seasons later, not much has changed. Match-fixing has changed its name to spot-fixing. Hardly any high-profile series goes by without controversy - look no further than the IPL, India in Sri Lanka, Pakistan in England, or even the ICC Test rankings. Cricket can definitely do with a high-quality Test series free of controversy. The controversies have so far stayed away, but the buzz that an India-Australia series should bring is building only slowly. Having been in Chandigarh for the last week or so, it just doesn't feel like an India-Australia series is around the corner.


The reasons are various. Perhaps what has happened in England has disillusioned some. Perhaps the Champions League Twenty20 kept some involved - not least four first-choice players who landed two days before the start of the series. There is, of course, the small matter of the mess masquerading as the Commonwealth Games that is hogging all sorts of headlines in India. The Ashes are an obvious distraction back in Australia.


For some, India and Australia are playing each other too often - Australia have been here for some series or other for each of the last three years. The cricketing world is already limited, and these two powerful boards' manipulation of schedules to exploit the financial opportunities in the two countries doesn't help much either. More importantly, two Tests hardly a series make. Even last year, the two-Test series against South Africa ended as soon as we had started to smack our lips with India's rousing comeback after South Africa's dominant start.


Most importantly, perhaps, India loves it when a team comes here looking to complete its world supremacy, a sort of final frontier. The phrase rings a bell, doesn't it? Australia are no longer that team, the team to beat. This is the first time since that 2000-01 tour that they have come here as one of the pack. Nathan Hauritz is almost in awe when he talks of the Indian batting. Michael Clarke is talking up Harbhajan Singh, even his batting. Mitchell Johnson ruins the effect of the short-ball threat when, in the same sentence, he says Virender Sehwag can reach 50 by the time you look up at the scoreboard.


Last year, when Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel arrived as arguably the best new-ball pair in the world (well, that was before Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif came together), there was so much anticipation that you wanted India to bat first and get on with the contest between them and Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. That kind of excitement has so far been missing in the build-up to this series

.
Like India's recent tour of Sri Lanka, this one promises to be a contest between two heavy-scoring batting line-ups. Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting alone have more than 25,000 Test runs between them, and 87 centuries. Two of India's main bowlers are coming out of injuries, two of Australia's main ones have never played a Test in India before. India's lead spinner has averaged 46 over the last 12 months; Australia's is not expected to run through sides either. A lot about this series is pointing to a battle of attrition.


Perhaps it's not such a bad thing to let the actual cricket benefit from low expectations. Australia may not be the best Test team in the world, but they are still a really good one. Good enough to challenge any team anywhere. They have the advantage of having gathered here early, and having put in more than a week of training. India arrived disjointedly, and have only now started functioning as a unit. If Australia feel their preparations have been disrupted by the Champions League, India's captain was in South Africa too.


Perhaps once the first Test starts on Friday morning, the cynicism will go away. When Johnson bowls the bouncers to Sehwag. When Harbhajan goes at Ponting again. When Doug Bollinger shouts at his captain from the boundary, asking for another spell. When VVS Laxman comes out to face his favourite opponents. When Gambhir and Shane Watson come face to face again. Who knows a new star might be on the horizon? Even in 2000-01, Harbhajan and Matthew Hayden were largely unknowns. Here's to the new rivalries, the new Harbhajans and Haydens.


Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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Australia undecided on Bollinger - Nielsen


Tim Nielsen said the decision to play Doug Bollinger would be made on Thursday

The Australian team management is largely pleased with how Doug Bollinger and Michael Hussey fared in the training session, but the fast bowler is not a sure starter for the first Test that begins on Friday. Bollinger and Hussey joined the team just two days before the Test, after returning from their successful Champions League Twenty20 campaign with Chennai Super Kings in South Africa.


"We just talked about it from the start that Michael and Doug wouldn't be here till a certain stage," Tim Nielsen, Australia's coach, said. "When that changed, we pushed it back. Everybody is understanding [of that]. We just let them [Bollinger and Hussey] know upfront that if they are fit, they are more than likely to take their place in the team. We have to make the right decision, not only on their getting a spot, but [make sure] they are physically and mentally and technically right to play.


"So we will have another look at them tomorrow, and make sure they are ready to go."


Nielsen said the uncertainty centered more on Bollinger than Hussey. He was pleased with how the fast bowler had got through his short bowling stint today, but how he performed tomorrow would be the big test. "It's not as if he was sitting on a beach on his bum, he has been playing cricket. He has got some miles in his legs. [However], he certainly hasn't had six-seven-over spells two or three times a day."


Bollinger bowled in the nets for about 20 minutes, and was seen working with the physio. "They are a little bit behind time wise," Nielsen said. "They are in pretty good place today, we will probably know more tomorrow morning. But at this moment, they have had a bat and a bowl today, and at this stage we are pretty positive about them."


Peter George, who played in the tour game against the Board President's XI, could make his Test debut if Bollinger is not picked. Nielsen had positive things to say about the tall fast bowler. "Peter George did a good job in the practice match, especially in the first innings. Admittedly he came on to bowl when we had already taken two or three wickets. So it was a little bit easier for him, and things didn't work out that well from results' point of view in the second innings when they batted nicely.


"The thing we know him about him is that he runs in, he is consistent with his pace, and we like to think he is a bit like McGrath in his action and in the bounce he extracts. He is not an express fast bowler, but he has got enough pace to make the ball bounce off a length. Most importantly he runs in all day to try the right thing for the captain. Given the opportunity he will do a very good job at Test level."


Last year, too, when Australia toured India for a seven-ODI series, they had a similar situation. Brett Lee, Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz joined the team on the eve of an early-morning start. Lee lasted just one match then. "We talked about it right from the start," Nielsen said. "There is no running away from these things. It could have been the captain if he was playing for a Champions League team.


"It's harder and throws a little bit more chaos in the system when somebody has a late injury or somebody is ill late in the last couple of days leading up to the Test. Your plans are set, you have a kind of idea in your head what players are going to play, then somebody gets hurt late... We understand what we had with Doug and Huss [ Hussey]. Yes, this is not ideal preparation, but this is the modern world of cricket.


"They play for different franchises, for different teams, and their countries. That's what we have to deal with. I suppose this is where we've got to earn our money. We have got to make sure that they are as close to their best as possible, come Friday."


Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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Playing for country must come before IPL, CLT20 - Clarke


Doug Bollinger and Michael Hussey have joined the Australia squad two days ahead of a high-profile Test series


Michael Clarke, the Australia vice-captain, has said international players can find a way around hectic schedules, but it could involve giving the IPL and Champions League T20 an occasional miss to make sure they are at their best when playing for the country. Clarke was speaking on a day two of Australia's first-choice players - Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger - joined the squad, two days before the start of the Test series. India await their Chennai Super Kings players MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and M Vijay.


Clarke said the Australian team had no choice with Bollinger and Hussey, but he saw the positives in the fact that they were playing "tough" cricket, playing well, and winning it. Australia arrived in India in similar circumstances last year as well, with Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz and Doug Bollinger joining the team on the eve of the first ODI after their Champions League commitments. Lee lasted one match in that series.


Clarke was firm that the players needed to be wise while choosing where and when to play in a modern cricketing world full of opportunities. "For me, we all have a choice," he said. "You don't have to play IPL. You don't have to play Champions League. For me, personally, right now it is about representing my country, and every game I can play for Australia, I will do that. That's my priority. If, as an individual player, you are tired or your body needs some rest, you need to make that commitment outside of international cricket. You need to, maybe, play less in the IPL or play less in the Champions League."


Clarke and Mitchell Johnson are two high-profile Australia players to have not taken part in the IPL yet.
Hectic schedules, he said, were part of a modern cricketer's life. "There is obviously a lot of cricket on at the moment, but it's a part of what you do as a professional athlete," he said. "You train every day, and when you are not training, you are playing or travelling. I think it's all about adapting and trying to make do as much as you can.
"When we leave this tour, we have one day at home before we fly to Perth to play the Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka. So you have completely different conditions, completely different opposition, completely different format. So you have to be able to adjust, and that's probably the toughest thing about cricket these days. You have three different formats, in so many different conditions around the world."


Like Australia, who have three days between the India tour and the home limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, India have five days between their last ODI against New Zealand and their first Test in South Africa. Clarke, however, said that players enjoyed the fact that there was so much cricket to choose from. "That's a great challenge that you look forward to. Having success in all the different conditions in the world makes you a good international cricketer," he said. "That's probably the hardest thing: that you have to travel and play in so many different conditions. But there are so many positives. You get to experience so many different cultures. Different parts of the world. It certainly helps your cricket."


Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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Clarke wary of Harbhajan despite injury scare


Michael Clarke knows Harbhajan Singh loves playing against Australia

Michael Clarke  the Australia vice-captain, has said his side was preparing for the best of Harbhajan Singh, despite reports of an injury scare for the India offspinner ahead of the first Test.


"I am very confident Harbhajan will play," Clarke said. "I saw him bowling yesterday after the end of day's play, and I know how much he loves playing against Australia. I will be very surprised if he doesn't play so I am going to be preparing like he is going to.


"But of course, if he doesn't play it's a huge plus for us. He's a very good bowler and he has had a lot of success against Australia."


Clarke also spoke about Harbhajan's carefree batting, which has hurt Australia on occasion. "If the first ball is there to be hit for four or six, Harbhajan will probably try and do that," Clarke said. "I think he is quite carefree in his batting. He just sees the ball and hits it. Batting lower down the order gives him the freedom to do that too... He has scored runs against Australia in the past, so we will have to plan to combat that."


Clarke said they will like to focus more on Harbhajan the bowler, and not the man who brings the confrontational aspect to India-Australia contests. "I think certain players like that confrontation," Clarke said. "There are guys like this in all the teams around the world who perform better with that kind of confrontation. But I know how good a bowler he is so I will be more focused on trying to counter what comes out his of hand and try my best to adapt to that. He's always tough to face, he's always a great challenge and I really enjoy facing him because I think he is one of the best spinners in the world."


Harbhajan has been an important part of the India-Australia rivalry over the last 10 years. Ricky Ponting, too, recently admitted that Harbhajan has managed to trouble him more than other offspinners. "None of the other offspinners have their way around me as Harbhajan does," Ponting said. "So I have to give it to him. He has bowled very well against me."


Clarke disagreed with what Mark Taylor said about Ponting's batting. "Ricky looks as fit as I have seen him since I started playing with him," Clarke said. "He is training as hard as ever, and I do believe what I said the other day, that his next six-eight-twelve months will be as big as you have seen from Ricky Ponting.


"He is keen as mustard to do well, he is really looking forward to the start of the tour. He is enjoying, I guess, so much youth being around in the squad. Obviously he has played over a 150 [146] Tests. There is so much knowledge and experience, he is really enjoying helping the younger players. I mean when I say that I wouldn't be surprised if these are Ricky's best four months of his career."


Clarke said Ponting has been a great influence on the team as a leader. "The effect Ricky has on the team is unbelievable, even before he walks out to bat," Clarke said. "He is a leader, and the way he takes responsibility, the way he leads by an example on and off the field is a huge thing. He has done that for such a long time. He is one of the greatest to have ever played cricket for Australia."


Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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Team to be picked from all-star country teams selected so far world XI


Bradman: one of the few certainties in an all-time XI



ESPNcricinfo is set to pick an all-time world Test XI as the conclusion to its 15-month-long exercise of selecting all-time XIs for the leading Test countries.


The team, to be announced on October 12, will be selected from the 88 players who made it to the all-time teams for their countries.


The jury consists of a former captain from each of the top eight Test-playing countries - Ian Chappell, Tony Greig, Clive Lloyd, Ajit Wadekar, Intikhab Alam, Ali Bacher, Duleep Mendis and John Wright - and four cricket writers and historians: Gideon Haigh, Peter Roebuck, David Frith and Ramachandra Guha.


In the front rank of contenders are such all-time greats as Don Bradman, Garry Sobers, Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, all of whom were unanimously voted into their respective country XIs.
Each jury member will pick two XIs - his first-choice world team and a second XI. A weighted points system will be used to determine which players make it to the composite world team.


ESPNcricinfo users will have the opportunity to pick their XIs from the same shortlists as the jury, here. The readers' choice team will be announced at the same time as the jury's XI.


"It was only natural that our all-time XI series for the top Test-playing countries should culminate in an all-time World XI," ESPNcricinfo editor Sambit Bal said. "It's an apt finale to what has been hugely successful exercise. Not only have these features been widely read, but our readers have participated in numbers in picking their own XIs.


"We have taken great care in choosing the jury for the world XI. All the cricketers on the panel have been captains, thus well-versed in the business of selecting teams. Also, they have either played alongside, or watched first-hand, a significant number of the nominees."


The shortlists
Openers Arthur Morris, Barry Richards, Glenn Turner, Gordon Greenidge, Graeme Smith, Hanif Mohammad, Marvan Atapattu, Saeed Anwar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sir Conrad Hunte, Sir Jack Hobbs, Sir Leonard Hutton, Stewie Dempster, Sunil Gavaskar, Victor Trumper, Virender Sehwag


Middle order Arjuna Ranatunga, Bert Sutcliffe, Brian Lara, Dudley Nourse, George Headley, Graeme Pollock, Greg Chappell, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Jacques Kallis, Javed Miandad, Ken Barrington, Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, Martin Crowe, Martin Donnelly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Viv Richards, Vijay Hazare, Wally Hammond, Zaheer Abbas


Allrounders Aubrey Faulkner, Chaminda Vaas, Imran Khan, John Reid, Kapil Dev, Keith Miller, Mike Procter, Sir Garry Sobers, Sir Ian Botham, Sir Richard Hadlee, Vinoo Mankad


Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, Alan Knott, Ian Smith, Jackie Hendriks, John Waite, Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni, Rashid Latif


Bowlers Abdul Qadir, Allan Donald, Anil Kumble, Ashantha de Mel, Bill O'Reilly, Curtly Ambrose, Daniel Vettori, Dennis Lillee, Derek Underwood, Erapalli Prasanna, Fazal Mahmood, Fred Trueman, Glenn McGrath, Harold Larwood, Hugh Tayfield, Jack Cowie, Javagal Srinath, Lance Gibbs, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Muttiah Muralitharan, Rumesh Ratnayake, Shane Bond, Shane Warne, Shaun Pollock, Somachandra De Silva, Sydney Barnes, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram

cricinfo

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Dominant Chennai seal title

Chennai Super Kings 132 for 2 (Vijay 58, Hussey 51*) Warriors 128 (Murali 3-16, Ashwin 2-16) by 8 wickets

R Ashwin removed the dangerous Davy Jacobs, and changed the tenor of the game

It was a reverse sweep that changed the entire complexion of the game. Davy Jacobs had started off imperiously and catapulted Warriors to 45 in the sixth over. Then R Ashwin got one to turn quickly towards the leg stump, Jacobs went for the reverse sweep, but was trapped in front. It's a shot that he had successfully played in the previous game; the adventurous unorthodox spirit is his calling card, and he has reaped much success with that approach. But tonight it hurt his team. This can be a cruel game, sometimes.


After Jacobs fell, Muttiah Muralitharan suffocated the Warriors with his skill, and L Balaji maintained the pressure with a disciplined spell in the middle, keeping the Warriors to 128, which was never going to be enough. And it wasn't. This is the last time this group of players will turn out for Chennai, and they gave themselves a nice farewell present.


Warriors' Achilles heel is their lower order. Johan Botha bats at no 6; the batting isn't that deep. And so, the middle-order chose caution over valour and Chennai closed in. L Balaji, who grew in confidence with the Warriors' non-violent approach against him, slipped in a few quiet overs with his steady line and length stuff. Ashwin continued to tease them with his variations and Muttiah Muralitharan came on in the 10th over to harass them with his ability.


He kept his doosras to a minimum, and ripped offbreaks across at varying pace. Success came in the 14th over: Mark Boucher, who has fallen most to Muralitharan than any other bowler in his career, was bowled, and Justin Kreusch was beaten by the dip and flicked straight to midwicket.


There was a brief little moment in the 17th over when things stirred at the bull ring. "Fast cars and big shots, that's Craig Thyssen," Jacobs had said earlier in the week. Tonight Thyssen went after Balaji to pick up three boundaries - a pulled four, a delicate late steer and a muscled six over midwicket. The home supporters in the crowd started to find their voice: They chanted out "Let's go Warriors" and tried to inspire the local team but Thyssen's cameo was too late and too little to matter in the bigger scheme of things. In hindsight, Ashwell Prince's fall - he was bowled missing a slog against a full toss from Doug Bollinger- also proved critical as there was too much pressure on the middle-order.


The only chance for Warriors after that effort was take early wickets. They didn't. M Vijay and Michael Hussey shut them out of the contest with assured knocks. Both play spin well. Vijay used his feet to repeatedly drive inside out while Hussey, as ever, worked the angles. There was a brief moment at the end when Vijay and Suresh Raina fell in quick succession and you wondered, 'Hold on, do we have a twist here?' The equation jumped from a comfortable 26 from 31 deliveries to 13 from 12. However, Hussey and Dhoni calmly escorted Chennai home. A score of 128 wasn't enough to test Chennai. Jacobs' wicket was the key.


Half-way through the evening, Jacobs' blitz at the start already seemed a distant memory. As ever, he had moved around on his nimble feet and ripped shots with slaughterhouse finality. He smashed Doug Bollinger and Albie Morkel to all parts of the ground. There were his usual shuffle-and-smash shots, but there were also some skillful upper cuts and neat cover drives. Things looked so bright for Jacobs and his team in the sixth over but the lights went out very quickly.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

InningsDot balls4s6sPowerplay16-20 oversNB/Wides
Warriors5813147/242/20/4
Chennai Super Kings4111339/029/1(16-19)0/3

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Clinical Warriors charge into final

Warriors 175 for 6 (Jacobs 61, Ingram 46, Harris 3-16) beat South Australia 145 for 7 (Ferguson 71, Tsotsobe 2-16) by 30 runs

Davy Jacobs made 61, off 41 balls, to become the leading run-scorer in the Champions League


Warriors owned this Centurion night. The batting defined purpose at the start: Davy Jacobs and Colin Ingram unleashed hell in the Powerplay and allowed the middle-order to soak up the inevitable pressure exerted by the slow men in the middle overs. Then the tail finished strongly. Warriors were 77 for 1 from seven overs, reached 128 for 4 in 16, when the tail wagged in style to push them to a strong total. The perfect script reached its climax when their spinners Johan Botha and Nicky Boje choked the chase after Lonwabo Tsotsobe left South Australia gasping for breath by removing their in-form openers in the fourth over.


The script had its moments of drama. South Australia had given the second over to a spinner Aaron O'Brien. It made sense. The pitch appeared as it was raked before the start; it looked dry and withering. It was obvious that spin was the way to go. It took one aggressive move by Ingram to upset the plan, though. Ingram rushed down the track to the third delivery of the over and smacked it to the straight boundary. Immediately O'Brien pushed it through shorter. Mistake. Ingram pulled one for a six and cut the other for a four and Warriors had moved to 20 for 1 from two overs. It was the beginning of a ferocious assault.


The game lurched forward even more dramatically in the next over. It was Jacobs v Tait and we had a clear winner. Jacobs's batsmanship is simple: a cocked wrist that snaps late to unleash violence, and tonight it was Tait who copped it. Jacobs unfurled a peach of a straight drive and followed it up his trademark shuffle-and-explode move: He moved across the stumps, waited back inside the crease and whipped a 151 kmph full delivery over square-leg for an outrageous six. He moved across again and dragged the next ball past mid-on for another boundary, and Warriors were truly up and away. When Daniel Christian bowled an over of tripe with three overpitched deliveries on the legs - all of which were put away for boundaries by Jacobs - the score read 77 for 1 from 7 overs.


South Australia's slow men - O'Brien, Cullen Bailey, the legspinner, and Daniel Harris, the mediumpacer so ideal for this track - kept them in the game by picking three wickets for only 51 runs in the next nine overs. You wondered then, if this trio can cause this much damage, what would Botha and Boje do later?


Boje's first blow of the day came with the bat, though. He mowed Christian in the final over for two sixes and unfurled a smart sweep to pick up another boundary. And when Justin Kreusch smote the final delivery beyond the long-on boundary, the crowd grew delirious. They could sense that it could be a special night. It was.
South Australia must have fretted about playing spin on this track but it was the seamer Tsotsobe who stunned them with a double strike in the fourth over of the chase. Both the Redbacks' openers, especially Michael Klinger, are extremely strong on the off side and so, Tsotsobe tied them by bringing the ball back into the middle stump.


Both perished to weak on-side shots. Harris top-edged an intended pull and Klinger flicked lamely to midwicket. And when Botha and Boje came on with their strangulation acts, the chase petered out. Ferguson played a few big hits in the end but the fight had long evaporated into the Centurion night. The home crowd lapped it up with great delight. Right through the game, they kept chanting, "Let's go Warriors, let's go". It felt as if one was back at the Warriors' den at St George's park in Port Elizabeth.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

InningsDot balls4s6sPowerplay16-20 oversNB/Wides
Warriors4617662/147/20/2
South Australia5214436/233/30/6

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Little to choose in knockout fight

Match facts
Saturday, September 25
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)


Johan Botha's economical bowling has been a key factor in the Warriors' success

Big Picture


The progress of South Australia Redbacks and the Warriors to the semi-finals owes as much to inspiring leadership as much as it does to all-round excellence. Michael Klinger's solidity at the top of the order, which has earned him three half-centuries, and Davy Jacobs' explosive openings together with some acrobatic fielding, have influenced the teams. The middle orders have rallied along while the opening seamers have stepped up amid support from the rest of the attack.

 
Both lack the star value of the IPL teams they've encountered in the run-up to the knockout stage but have infused their share of excitement into the Champions League: Warriors, by keeping the local interest alive by reaching this far and South Australia, by pulling off a surprise given the absence of Kieron Pollard and Shahid Afridi, who had revived the team's domestic season in the Twenty20 tournament after they had been battered in other formats.


Little separates the two going into Saturday's clash but it'll be interesting to see how the two spin attacks compete on a traditionally batting-friendly Centurion surface. Left-arm spinner Aaron O'Brien and legspinner Cullen Bailey have largely played a supporting role and met with some harsh treatment, unlike Johan Botha, whose accuracy has had a crippling effect on the opposition in the middle overs. A possible source of weakness for South Australia is an area of strength for the Warriors - a potential decider in a seemingly even contest.
Team news



The performance of wicketkeeper-batsman Graham Manou, who's averaged 9.75 in four games thus far, will be a bit of a worry for South Australia. The middle order had a good crack at Guyana with Callum Ferguson and Cameron Borgas shining through - could that prompt a tweak in the batting order?
South Australia (possible): 1 Michael Klinger (capt), 2 Daniel Harris, 3 Callum Ferguson, 4 Cameron Borgas, 5 Daniel Christian, 6 Graham Manou (wk), 7 Tom Cooper, 8 Aaron O'Brien, 9 Gary Putland, 10 Cullen Bailey, 11 Shaun Tait.


The Warriors stuck with the same team in their four league games and it is unlikely, injuries notwithstanding, they'll make any changes.
Warriors (possible): 1 Davy Jacobs (wk), 2 Ashwell Prince, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 Justin Kreusch, 5 Mark Boucher (wk), 6 Craig Thyssen, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Nicky Boje, 9 Rusty Theron, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Watch out for ...



Gary Putland: He made his List A debut for South Australia in 2005 but his opportunities have been fairly limited. He has been noticed lesser than his fast-bowling partner Shaun Tait, and has had a mixed tournament so far. His three wickets have come at an economy rate of over eight, and he needs to step up with his left-arm pace upfront. South Australia have been more generous than the Warriors in terms of conceding runs - teams have scored more than 150 against them in each of the four games - and some early pressure from Putland, known for his ability to move the ball around, will help in breaking the trend.


 
Justin Kreusch: He would remind you of New Zealand's proud tradition of dibbly-dobbly bowlers and highly capable allrounders. He played a decisive role in his team's qualification for the semis, choking Chennai with 3 for 19 in four overs and chipping in with 25 to help his side past the qualification target. Ideally suited for the limited-overs format, Kreusch could be a key player, both as a support bowler and in the middle order.
Key contests



Opening partnerships: Klinger and Daniel Harris, Jacobs and Ashwell Prince have helped lay the platform for their sides with productive stands right through the tournament. In each, there has been one dominant partner: Klinger, the more assured, has led the way for South Australia while Jacobs, the more belligerent, has done so for the Warriors. There will be pace and movement to contend against Tait while some nagging accuracy and variations from Rusty Theron. Which of the two pairs will emerge more successful?
Quotes


"Four in four, we're super-confident"
Michael Klinger, the South Australia captain

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Ruthless Raina takes Chennai to final

Suresh Raina made mincemeat out of the Royal Challengers Bangalore attack

Chennai Super Kings 174 (Raina 94*, Vijay 41) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 123 (Pandey 52, Bollinger 3-27) by 52 runs according to D-L method


A steady drizzle, a slippery ball, a wet outfield and a shortened game did nothing to dampen the action-packed tenor of the Champions League semi-final between two Indian heavyweights. Suresh Raina more than compensated for the loss of a Powerplay over in an electrifying innings that sealed Chennai Super Kings' place in the final in Johannesburg. Capitalising on a significantly weakened Royal Challengers Bangalore attack which was deprived of Dale Steyn due to a lower back injury, and with support from M Vijay, Raina treated the sporting crowd to an air show. It propelled Chennai to a massive score and put the game beyond the reach of a line-up even as power-packed as Bangalore's.
The turning point was Steyn's injury off a superbly-judged catch in the fourth over. Michael Hussey, looking to force the pace after a 153-minute rain delay, tried to loft Vinay Kumar over mid-off where Steyn was stationed. The shot was mistimed and Steyn back-pedalled several yards to snap the catch over his head, but fell backwards in the process. The impact of the fall left him gasping in pain and he had to be helped off the field, robbing Bangalore of the short-ball barrage he would have unleashed in the middle overs, a strategy that had served them well.


Raina had little time to settle in with the Powerplay overs running out and the game reduced to 17 overs, but set about getting into his groove against a generous offering of length and short deliveries. Bangalore captain Anil Kumble had to resort to Virat Kohili's dibbly-dobblies and the medium pace of Dillon du Preez, who was himself a replacement for Jacques Kallis, out due to a neck injury. Raina's response was ruthless, one that forced Vijay to cede the floor after he had himself set the tone with a couple of imperious pulls off the opening seamers.


The onslaught began, ironically, in the over after the Powerplay as two of Kohli's pitched-up deliveries disappeared over Raina's favourite zone on the cricket field - the deep-midwicket region. du Preez met the same fate and his attempt to show any spunk with the short ball, as his injured fast-bowling team-mate had so successfully done in previous attempts, was laid to waste. Raina pulled him into the stands over deep square leg.


There was perhaps one moment when Bangalore could have rebounded against the psychological setback that Steyn's loss had dealt them. Raina slog-swept Kumble to deep midwicket in the seventh over and Manish Pandey attempted an acrobatic catch but couldn't hold on. The effort was praiseworthy but incurred Kumble's wrath as Pandey had walked in a fair distance for that delivery rather than standing at the edge of the rope.


Vijay's supporting role in the partnership had its moment in the sun when he smashed du Preez for a six over midwicket. Bangalore's woes did not abate even after he was dismissed by Vinay in the 12th over; Raina slapped the next ball ferociously into the crowd to bring up his half-century.


It only got worse for Bangalore from there, and the helplessness was evident amid further catching lapses, missed run-outs, byes conceded by Robin Uthappa and the spate of no-balls and wides. Cameron White had bowled just once in 37 Twenty20 games but Kumble had no option but to turn to him. Bowling seam-up, White conceded two wides and as many no-balls in an over that yielded 13. The result was worse when Kumble reposed his faith in the final over where Raina deflated White with three fours, all off long-hops.


Nor was Kumble spared. On a track and in conditions where he could only hope to skid the ball through, his variations were less potent and Raina cashed in. Two short balls were dispatched for fours in the 15th over and, as if to not deny the Bangalore captain of the treatment meted out to the rest, Raina gave him the customary swipe over cow corner. Kumble's spell was acrimonious one, Raina's victory sweet and Bangalore's woes endless. Not long after, Kohli injured himself taking a catch but he did come back to bat in what soon developed into a hopeless chase.


The signs were ominous for Bangalore in the first over of their response. Albie Morkel moved the ball prodigiously, beating the bat with a frequency normally witnessed on the first morning of a Test. The bounce was uneven and amid the mounting pressure, a wicket looked seemingly inevitable. Doug Bollinger snared Rahul Dravid off his first ball to an unconvincing drive, Morkel got Uthappa to produce a top-edge and Bollinger returned to undo Ross Taylor with some extra bounce. Kohli fell soon after and at 35 for 4 in the eighth over, there was no coming back. Manish Pandey and Praveen Kumar, though, did display some pyrotechnics of their own to give Bangalore some consolation on an otherwise dispiriting day.

InningsDot balls4s6sPowerplay13-17 oversNB/Wides
Chennai Super Kings3312734/155/23/2
Royal Challengers Bangalore508526/3


Siddhartha Talya is a sub editor at Cricinfo

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Tour was 'very difficult to cope with' - Afridi

Shahid Afridi at Karachi airport after returning from England


The Pakistan squad returned home after completing one of the most acrimonious tours in history, with limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi calling the four-month trip to England the "most difficult" of his career.

"It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with. Every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us," Afridi said on arrival in Karachi. "The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England."
Pakistan's coach, Waqar Younis, said the tour had taken a toll on the team's support staff as well because of the effort needed to keep the players upbeat amid the barrage of allegations. "If you take into account the tour to Sri Lanka [for the Asia Cup] before we went to England, it was four months on the trot and the tour of England was difficult both on and off the field," Waqar, who flew into Lahore, said.


"We had success against Australia which was pleasing, but because of the controversies it was tough against England. You needed that extra effort to gee up the players when you see a report in the newspaper every other day."


Pakistan's next international assignment is a home series against South Africa in the UAE in October-November. Afridi, who ended a four-year hiatus from Tests this year when he led Pakistan in the very first Test of the summer against Australia only to retire again from the format immediately after losing it, did not rule out another comeback for the Test leg of that tour. "I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa," he said.


The tour of England had begun positively for Pakistan, with victories in the two Twenty20 internationals against Australia. Despite losing that first Test at Lord's and Afridi's retirement, Salman Butt took over the captaincy and led Pakistan to a series-leveling victory at Headingley. It was Pakistan's first Test win over Australia in nearly 15 years.


The Test series against England began poorly, with defeats at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston before Pakistan kept the contest alive with a victory at The Oval. During their defeat at Lord's, however, the series was plunged into scandal when a British tabloid ran a story alleging that Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were involved in spot-fixing by bowling deliberate no-balls.


The players under scrutiny were questioned by the police and provisionally suspended by the ICC before the Twenty20 series between Pakistan and England began. Pakistan lost both Twenty20 matches, and the one-day series that followed was at 2-1 when the ICC announced that it was investigating the Oval ODI, which Pakistan had won, after receiving information from another tabloid that bookies were aware of certain scoring patterns that would take place before the match.


It was decided that the last two ODIs would be played but, before the fourth game at Lord's, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt alleged that England's players had thrown the third match as part of a wider conspiracy to "defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket", plunging the tour deeper into controversy.


The ECB reacted by issuing a strong statement deploring the allegations and said it would seek an apology from Butt or take legal action. There was also an altercation between Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz and England batsman Jonathan Trott during a net session ahead of the Lord's game.


Pakistan eventually leveled the series 2-2 before England won at the Rose Bowl to take the series

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South Indian battle in South Africa

Michael Hussey and M Vijay have given Chennai two solid starts in two matches

Big Picture
The Champions League Twenty20 may not have the massive following that its more glamorous sibling, the IPL, has but it is clear the players consider it an important tournament. Several incidents highlighted how desperate they are to win it: the dejection on Virat Kohli's face as he sat on his haunches mid-pitch in Durban after a revelatory innings which nearly pulled off a heist against Mumbai Indians; and the ever-smiling Muttiah Muralitharan's broadside at S Badrinath for a less-than-perfect piece of fielding when Warriors were threatening to dump Chennai Super Kings out of the competition.



Perhaps the people happiest with the results over the two days will be the organisers, with two of the IPL teams making it through to the semi-finals and one of them guaranteed a place in the final, ensuring a higher number of eye-balls than if non-Indian teams had qualified.


Chennai have the bragging rights after winning this year's IPL, but Royal Challengers Bangalore can have something to boast about if they upstage MS Dhoni's men on Friday. The two sides have already met in the semi-final of a tournament in South Africa - in the 2009 IPL, when Bangalore eased to a six-wicket victory.
Both have had stop-start league phases, but they will take heart from the fact that their best seasons in the IPL also came after campaigns that started off poorly. Both possess formidable batting line-ups, and their main difference lies in the nature of their bowling attack - Chennai have plenty of spinners, while Bangalore rely heavily on quick bowlers.


The two sides also missed key South African allrounders in their final league matches - Jacques Kallis is out of the tournament with a neck injury, while Albie Morkel has been out for two matches due to an illness. Kallis' absence has upset Bangalore's balance, and Chennai will have even more of an advantage if Morkel recovers from his illness in time.


The overall head-to-head record - Bangalore winning four to Chennai's three - shows how competitive the rivalry between the two sides has been. Friday's semi-final promises to live up to that.
Team news


Chennai packed their bowling with spinners for their match against Warriors in Port Elizabeth, but that strategy might not work in Durban where the track has been less helpful for the slow bowlers. That means they might consider picking one of either L Balaji or Joginder Sharma in place of Shadab Jakati.

Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 S Anirudha, 7 Albie Morkel / Justin Kemp, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji/ Joginder Sharma.


Bangalore are unlikely to make too many changes to their line-up that beat Lions on Tuesday. One drawback is that their only recognised spinner is Anil Kumble. They do have Cameron White in the line-up, who once played as a specialist Test legspinner, but he has bowled only one over in Twenty20s in his previous 37 matches.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Manish Pandey, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Cameron White, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Dillon du Preez, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Anil Kumble (capt), 11 R Vinay Kumar


Watch out for ...

Ross Taylor was a part of three teams which qualified for the Champions League, but he hasn't yet shown the form that has made him such a coveted Twenty20 player. The semi-final presents a chance for the world's leading six-hitter in Twenty20s to make the impact expected of him.



Another big-name player who has had a quiet tournament so far is Dhoni. A late onslaught against Warriors showed glimpses of what he is capable of, but Chennai will be hoping for more from their captain on Friday.
Key contests


Murali v Bangalore middle-order The constricting spin of Murali, bowling from around the stumps and choking the batsman for room, has been effective all tournament. Bangalore, though, possess a bunch of lethal hitters in the middle-order who could prove hard to contain.



Kumars v Chennai openers M Vijay and Michael Hussey have provided Chennai with solid starts in both the matches they have opened together, giving the likes of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni the license to go for the big hits. Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar could face a stern test.
Quotes


"Your plans have to be very fluid in this format."
Anil Kumble on the key to strategising in Twenty20.


"The spinners have done the job for us so far. Hopefully, on the Durban pitch, the fast bowlers will do well for the team."
MS Dhoni

cricinfo

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Australia's inexperience not a worry - Tim Nielsen


Despite not having played a Test in India, Marcus North has significant experience touring the country

The Australian team believes the upcoming two-Test series against India will be really tough, but its inexperience shouldn't hurt its chances. Australia's likely first XI will have four players - Marcus North, Tim Paine, Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus - who haven't played a Test in India, and a specialist spinner who played only one Test back in 2004.


Coach Tim Nielsen said the inexperience wasn't much of a concern, given that some of those who hadn't played a Test in India had toured the country in various capacities. "I honestly believe it's not just about playing Test matches," Nielsen said. "It's the whole experience - the travel, the fanatical following, the heat, the rain, different food, different culture, different ideas, different ball. Our boys are lucky to have experienced that before.
"We are a better prepared team now. Mitchell [Johnson] has been around for three-four years. A lot of other players have been here before, be it for ODIs, A tours, the IPL or the Champions League. Their understanding of conditions in India and their culture is much better."


One such player is North, even though he doesn't play the shorter versions of the game. "I have played here a lot," North said. "I've toured Bangalore twice with Western Australia and I've been here with the Australia A team before the last Australian Test tour. I've been to the MAC spin academy [in Chennai] a number of times.
"I have had quite a bit of experience in the subcontinent, not at this level obviously. But I have enjoyed all my trips to India. I have enjoyed the challenges of different conditions as well. It's not foreign to me. I know what's coming ahead and I am just looking forward to the series."


Doug Bollinger, one of the bowlers who'll be playing his first Test in India, has played with Chennai Super Kings and Tim Paine was here with the ODI team last year.


Michael Clarke, Australia's vice-captain, said his team was looking forward to the challenge. "Playing against India in any conditions in any form of the game is tough," he said. "But Test cricket here is especially hard. We need to be as well prepared as we possibly can be and that's why we're here so early before the first Test. To get a practice match against a very good Board President's XI team, to get that feel of the conditions under the belt is very important.


"All these guys have played a lot of first-class cricket and some Test cricket," Clarke said. "We just haven't played much Test cricket as a team in India. But we're excited about that. If we can play our best cricket, I'm confident we can beat India in this series."


One of the challenges for Australia will be to not look too far ahead, at the Ashes series that follows their tour of India. North said the team is not running that risk. "Obviously the next seven Tests are pretty exciting," he said. "Each of these Tests is going to be a big one for us. We respect the baggy green, and respect very Test match we play.


"And playing a Test series in India is up there with the Ashes or playing Test matches in South Africa. Especially now, as India is No.1. I am really excited about playing here. That pressure-cooker cricket that India play in their conditions, with their crowds behind them. We all know Test cricket in India is tough, but Australians love tough cricket, we have never shied away. We can't wait for the Test series to start."

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Chennai pip Warriors, both make semi-finals

Chennai Super Kings' openers, Michael Hussey and M Vijay, were involved in the biggest stand of the match

Chennai Super Kings 136 for 6 (Hussey 50, Vijay 35, Kreusch 3-19) beat Warriors 126 for 8 (Jacobs 32, Ashwin 3-24)

It's not often that both contestants of a sporting encounter celebrate at the end of a match. That strange sight was on offer in Port Elizabeth after Chennai Super Kings prevailed over Warriors in a tense league match, paving the way for both teams to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 at the expense of Victoria.

Chennai's chances seemed to have evaporated when they stumbled to 136 after choosing to bat in a must-win match, but on a spin-friendly track their strategy of packing the team with slow bowlers paid off as they tenaciously defended that total to set up an all-IPL semi-final against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Durban.
Briefly, midway through the chase, it looked as though an IPL team would break the hearts of the home crowd for the second day in a row but it was the Chennai fans who faced some panicky moments when Justin Kreusch and Mark Boucher revived the Warriors with a 44-run fourth-wicket stand. .

Two Boucher sixes off Shadab Jakati left Warriors needing a gettable 32 off three overs with seven wickets remaining and two set batsmen at the crease. Chennai's edginess was shown by Muttiah Muralitharan's tirade at S Badrinath after a run-out chance was muffled following some kamikaze running between the wickets in the 16th over.

R Ashwin, battered in the Super Over against Victoria, then returned to virtually ensure David Hussey's side will be returning home early. His carrom ball worked to perfection in the 18th over, foxing both Kreusch and Boucher, to swing the game Chennai's way, though a four in between raised the biggest cheer of the day as it confirmed Warriors' qualification - they needed 109 to seal a place in the final four. Chennai's key bowlers, Doug Bollinger and Murali, then held their nerve against Warriors' non-specialist batsmen to preserve their team's 100% record of progressing from the league phase of every tournament they have played in so far.

Victoria would never have felt more confident of making the semi-finals than when Warriors captain Davy Jacobs was batting in his usual thrill-a-minute style to power the chase of a seemingly inadequate target early on. Jacobs survived in the second over when the ball rolled off his bat onto the stumps and Warriors confidently progressed to 38 for 1 in the Powerplays, but Chennai clawed back after that.

Shadab Jakati and Murali choked the runs, before Jacobs fell to a well-judged overhead catch from Michael Hussey at deep midwicket. Three overs later, Suresh Raina's magic arm earned a wicket with his third delivery to further slow down the home team. In seven overs after the Powerplays, Warriors made only 28 and lost two major wickets, pushing the asking rate to double digits. The game then tilted the Warriors' way before Ashwin's intervention proved decisive.

Chennai's bowlers saved the blushes of a highly rated batting unit, which struggled against a disciplined home side. Warriors have five bowlers with international experience in their line-up but it was the sixth, medium-pacer Kreusch, who made the biggest impact. His no-frills wicket-to-wicket bowling fetched him three wickets and ruined the platform Chennai's openers, Hussey and M Vijay, had constructed.

The other impressive Warriors bowler was Johan Botha, one of the tournament's most economical, who again handcuffed the opposition and dismissed Hussey in the 14th over, one ball after he reached his half-century, to change the course of the innings. From what was a potentially threatening 94 for 2, Chennai could only scrape 20 runs in the next five overs, when they should have been launching an all-out attack.

Chennai's openers had made a rock-solid start, setting up their side for what should have been a far more challenging target. Vijay was the dominant partner in a 63-run stand. Hussey was more circumspect early on, knocking the singles around - his first stroke of aggression as in the fifth over, charging down and lofting Lonwabo Tsotsobe towards long-on. A powerful reverse-sweep for four followed off Nicky Boje, before he started peppering his favourite midwicket region. There were only two dot balls in his final 21 deliveries.

His dismissal, however, sandwiching those of Raina and S Badrinath to Kreusch, derailed Chennai. They got going again only in the 19th over, when MS Dhoni clubbed 17 runs off Tsotsobe, including a giant six over midwicket. In a low-scoring encounter, 136 proved enough.

The result was a hard pill to swallow for Victoria, who are eliminated despite losing only one match in the tournament.
InningsDot balls4s 6sPowerplay16-20 oversNB/Wides
Chennai Super Kings        459 4        37/0        35/20/0
Warriors          5511    3      38/1         41/50/0

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ECB wants apology from Ijaz Butt


The ECB has threatened to take legal action against Pakistan board chairman, Ijaz Butt, unless he makes a public apology for alleging that England's players accepted a bribe to lose the third ODI at The Oval.


"We are looking for an apology. If it does not come we'll look at other options," ECB chief executive David Collier told the BBC. "You can't impugn someone's integrity without having proper evidence.
"To date I can say that we have received zero evidence of anything having influenced any England player. Clearly we will seek advice but there are quite strong laws of defamation."


In an extraordinary statement, which he read out to ESPNcricinfo, Butt had said, "There is loud and clear talk in bookie circles that some English players have taken enormous amounts of money to lose the match [the third ODI]. No wonder there was such a collapse." He had also accused certain "august cricket bodies" of conspiring to defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket.


Butt's allegations were of such gravity that the ECB waited almost 24 hours before formulating an official response, and their statement was issued after a meeting between the board and the team. Present at the discussions were Collier, ECB chairman Giles Clarke, the managing director of England Cricket, Hugh Morris, and the England captain and coach, Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flower, who went on to have a subsequent meeting with all of the England team.


The ECB and the team issued a strong statement rejecting Butt's allegations and Collier said that they had decided to proceed playing the final two ODIs "in the best interests of world cricket, England cricket, the ICC and the world game."


Pakistan went on to win the fourth ODI at Lord's and level the series 2-2 ahead of Wednesday's decider at the Rose Bowl.

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Kohli, Kumble take Bangalore to semis

Royal Challengers Bangalore 160 for 4 (Kohli 49*, Pandey 44) beat Lions 159 for 6 (Petersen 45, Vinay Kumar 2-23, Kumble 1-13) by six wickets



He may have stumbled in the home stretch against Mumbai, but there was no stopping Virat Kohli against Lions

It was nearly another heartbreak for Virat Kohli. Chasing a below-par total, thanks to Anil Kumble's four overs for 13 runs and Alviro Petersen's wicket, Royal Challengers Bangalore nearly messed it up, staying behind the required rate for 16 overs. Nerves began to show when Kohli ran Robin Uthappa out in the 15th over, and followed it up with plays-and-misses in the 16th. However, with 43 required off four overs, Kohli pulled Bangalore out of the hole he seemed to have dug them, hitting Ethan O'Reilly for six, six, and four. It was a cruise after that, making Bangalore the first IPL team to have made it to a Champions League T20 semi-final. Uthappa wasn't angry anymore.


Two nights ago, Kohli was down on his haunches, inconsolable after he fell just short of pulling off an improbable chase against Mumbai Indians. Then at least he had Rahul Dravid to pat his back. Tonight, after he called Uthappa for a non-existent second and then changed his mind, he was all alone, down on his haunches, until Cameron White came out to bat.


In the next over, Kohli top-edged one, refused a single to White, and was beaten twice. It was a gradual turn, but what had looked an easy chase, especially after a 53-run opening stand between Rahul Dravid and Manish Pandey, was now almost out of hand because there hadn't been the urgency earlier to score quickly.
Kohli, just 23 off 20 then, would have seen himself as part of the problem. He was about to become the solution. It all started with his favourite shot. O'Reilly missed a yorker by inches and Kohli flicked it off the pads for a flat six. A low full toss followed; dispatched over long-on. A length ball then, which went past extra cover for four. In three balls, the required rate was down to the original eight an over, and that Uthappa run-out was a distant memory.


The Lions were not so lucky with run-outs. Alviro Petersen and Vaughan van Jaarsveld were punishing Bangalore in a third-wicket stand when van Jaarsveld backed up for a second run that didn't exist. He had taken those two steps that ensure a second should there be a fumble. As it turned out, there was no fumble. But van Jaarsveld slipped while turning back and was run out. Lions were 74 for 3 at the end of that over, the eighth, but could manage only 59 in the next nine as Kumble's smart bowling and tactics choked their innings.


The run-out not only ended a partnership worth 54 off 26, it gave Kumble a look-in. Like Kohli, Kumble was looking for redemption of his own. It was when he dropped Dwayne Bravo in their previous game that they turned towards defeat. Tonight he was at the heart of Bangalore's comeback.


Kumble followed that run-out with an over that went for just four, and then introduced Kohli in an inspired move. Even though one over in between, bowled by Dillon du Preez, went for 10, Lions were finding it difficult to score off Kumble and Kohli. While Kumble gave Petersen and Neil McKenzie zero room, Kohli, a Chris Harris clone when bowling, mixed his cutters and wide yorkers well.


McKenzie's couldn't match the earlier run-rate, or one that was required for a challenging total. In the four overs following that run-out, Petersen, who was scoring at two runs a ball without taking risks, got to face just nine balls, and McKenzie scored just 15 off the other 15. The edginess pushed Petersen into a slog-sweep against Kumble. The predictable result was an uprooted off stump.


Kumble and Kohli refused to release the choke hold as Lions dragged towards 121 by the end of 16 overs. McKenzie continued to struggle, kept moving all around in the crease, and Dale Steyn's yorkers proved too good in the end. A frustrated McKenzie finally got run out for 39 off 35 before Frylinck added respectability to the total with two sixes in the last over.
The Lions would go on to add more respectability to it with spirited fielding and stable bowling, but it was to be Kohli's night.

InningsDot balls4s6sPowerplay16-20 oversNB/Wides
Lions4613557/248/20/4
Bangalore4417438/048/0 (16-19)1/1

Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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