Bangladesh look to avoid PNG upset with Super 12s place at stake

Inexperienced PNG will look to capitalise on Bangladesh’s lack of run-scoring in the powerplay and at the death

Mohammad Isam20-Oct-2021

Big Picture

The last time the T20 World Cup qualifiers round needed to be settled on the last day, one of the greatest chases in the format took place in Sylhet. Netherlands chased down 190 in 13.5 overs against Ireland to vault over from No. 3 to No. 1 in the group. It was a game that, many believe, helped change the perception of T20s.Down to the final round of matches this time around, there are a lot of equations facing all four teams in Group B on Thursday. Even winless Papua New Guinea have a chance at a place in the Super 12s. If Sylhet in 2014 is anything to go by, expect fireworks in Muscat. Bangladesh remain in a must-win situation as they take on PNG in the afternoon game at the Al Amerat Ground. The proceedings of this game will have a knock-on effect in the evening match between Oman and Scotland.Bangladesh, though, have recovered from the Scotland shock by beating Oman. It was a hard-fought win that exposed some of the gaps in their system, but it has served its purpose. Shakib Al Hasan brought out his trademark Player-of-the-Match-winning performance, scoring 42 and taking three wickets. Mohammad Naim batted well with Shakib, getting 64, while offspinner Mahedi Hasan and seamer Mohammad Saifuddin stifled Oman at crucial stages. Mustafizur Rahman, despite a wayward first spell, finished with a four-wicket haul.Related

  • Group B scenarios – Scotland, Oman, Bangladesh eye net run rate calculations

Bangladesh did tick some of the boxes on Tuesday that they couldn’t against Scotland, but some problems still need solving. Their powerplay scoring remains low, which is mostly due to Liton Das’ indifferent form. They are also struggling with the bat at the death, a period in which Mahmudullah, Nurul Hasan and Afif Hossain have done well in the recent past.PNG will look to capitalise on all of these and cause an upset. They are short on confidence as well as on experience, but they have the makings of a potentially exciting T20 side in the near future. Assad Vala and Charles Amini batted well against Oman in their first game, while Kabua Morea and Norman Vanua performed against Scotland. But they need a team effort, with a few more contributors.6:54

Nafees: Whenever Bangladesh have needed Shakib, he has done it

Form guide

(Last five completed matches)Bangladesh WLLWL
PNG LLLLL

In the spotlight

PNG must do their homework on Mahedi Hasan. He started off with three wickets against Scotland, reducing them to 53 for 6 before Bangladesh let it slip. Against Oman when Bangladesh were in big trouble, Mahedi’s 1 for 14 from four overs bailed them out. His batting hasn’t fired, though.Kabua Morea was PNG’s first wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, and later went on to complete a four-wicket haul. Morea is a lively left-arm quick who showed accuracy against Scotland. PNG will, thus, hope that he can take advantage of Bangladesh’s powerplay struggles.

Team news

Bangladesh are likely to stick with the same XI that beat Oman.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Liton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanBatter Hiri Hiri, left-arm spinner Jason Kila and pace-bowling allrounder Gaudi Toka are yet to play, so PNG may consider giving them a chance.Papua New Guinea (probable): 1 Tony Ura, 2 Lega Siaka, 3 Assad Vala (capt), 4 Charles Amini, 5 Sese Bau, 6 Simon Atai, 7 Norman Vanua, 8 Kiplin Doriga (wk), 9 Chad Soper, 10, Nosaina Pokana, 11 Kabua Morea

Stats and trivia

  • PNG will be Bangladesh’s 21st opponent in international cricket. They have, however, played twice as Associate nations at a time when matches between such sides were not counted as internationals. While PNG beat Bangladesh in the ICC Trophy in 1982 in the third-place playoff, Bangladesh beat them once in the 1996 ACC Trophy.

Allenby ton defies Harbhajan burst

ScorecardJim Allenby’s first hundred of the season and a fighting half-century from Ben Wright ensured that Glamorgan came away with a draw from their County Championship battle with Essex at Colchester.The game ended with the visitors on 260 for 6 in their second innings, an overall lead of 178 after Essex had looked the likely winners 75 minutes into the opening session. After resuming on 16 without loss, the visitors slumped to 63 for 4 as Harbhajan Singh claimed three wickets.In the India offspinner’s opening over, he had Will Bragg caught behind by James Foster pushing forward and, in his next, got rid of first-innings centurion Stewart Walters, the wicketkeeper again holding on. Harbhajan also trapped Nick James lbw for 32 in between paceman Graham Napier bowling Australian Marcus North off an inside edge.But from the precarious position that Glamorgan found themselves in, Wright and Allenby pointed the way to safety with a partnership embracing tenacity and concentration. They defied a succession of bowling changes for well over three hours to deny Essex the victory they required to give themselves a realistic chance of getting into the promotion race.Captain Foster consistently juggled his six-man bowling attack but the fifth-wicket pair were able to survive for 53 overs on a pitch, which despite the early flurry of wickets, generally favoured the batsmen.Wright was first to his fifty containing just four boundaries from 115 balls, while the more aggressive Allenby followed him to that landmark in 87 deliveries with the help of six fours and one maximum. The pair were to add 180, which signalled a record fifth-wicket stand for a visiting side at Castle Park before they were separated. Wright’s fine effort was ended by seamer Charl Willoughby for 83 as Harbhajan accepted a slip catch with the total on 243.Willoughby got rid of Graham Wagg immediately afterwards but long before then, Glamorgan had completed their mission of saving the game and the captains shook hands on a draw. Allenby finished on 103 not out, an effort lasting four and a quarter hours containing 11 fours and two sixes, as the visitors were left to settle for nine points to Essex’s 10.Harbhajan toiled away for 30 overs to claim his three wickets at a cost of 62 runs and emerge with match figures of 7 for 153.

Gayle will be hungry – Pollard

Chris Gayle will have enough ‘hunger and desire’ when he returns to West Indies colours for the first time in 15 months to perform against England. That is the opinion of Gayle’s West Indies team-mate Kieron Pollard

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jun-2012

Kieron Pollard returns for West Indies’ ODI series with England•AFP

Chris Gayle will have enough “hunger and desire” when he returns to West Indies colours for the first time in 15 months against England. That is the opinion of Gayle’s West Indies team-mate Kieron Pollard, who said that Gayle’s return only means West Indies would be well-equipped to face England in the three-match ODI series followed by a solitary Twenty20.”Obviously it is a boost. Chris is a world-class. He has proven himself over the years,” Pollard said on the eve of West Indies’ tour match against Middlesex at Lord’s. “I am a youngster and have seen Chris on television and I get the opportunity to play alongside him in the same team. It is fantastic. He has been out for a while so he will be hungry to go out there and perform.”Gayle last played for West Indies last March during the 2011 World Cup when West Indies lost to Pakistan in the quarter-finals. He was included in the 15-man squad for the England ODI series but subsequently got embroiled in a bitter dispute with the WICB, which was resolved on the eve of the squad announcement.Gayle kept himself match-fit in the time away from the West Indies dressing room in various Twenty20 domestic leagues around the world. He has topped the run charts in the last two editions of the IPL, which Pollard says can only be a positive now for West Indies.”He has been doing well in IPL and all over,” Pollard said. “It is now a matter of transforming it to West Indies cricket. And I am sure he is willing and ready to do that so hopefully we can go out there as a team and do well.”Pollard said it was obvious that Gayle would have the “desire and the hunger” after being out of international cricket for more than a year but he did not know what exactly Gayle’s plans were and it would be better for him to speak, but he knew he was determined to be successful for West Indies again.Pollard, who is one of the seven ODI players to join the squad, said West Indies would definitely prove to be a tough challenge for England. “We are a very good team. We have a wealth of experience with Chris back at the top of the order. He is one of the most explosive batsman in the world and an experienced former captain. Then we have Marlon Samuels, who has been around for a while along with Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin and myself so we have a very experienced team. The days of just competing in ODIs are over. It is a matter of performing on the field.”Pollard though was cautious about calling West Indies the favourites only because he felt every player, no matter how big a name, had to still prove himself through performances. “At the end of the day names on the paper count for nothing. Your performance on the field matters. You can’t judge from the names on the paper that we are a stronger team in ODIs than in Test cricket. If we go out there and give a good account of ourselves and win games, that would be better.”

Emphasis on fitness in PCB's new contracts

The PCB has asked all centrally contracted players to undergo a fitness test, before they are considered for a new, year-long central contract

Umar Farooq09-Apr-2012The PCB has asked its centrally-contracted players to undergo a fitness test, before they are considered for a new, year-long central contract. All centrally-contracted players are required to undergo the fitness test, though Umar Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal will take the test – being carried out on Monday and Tuesday – on a later date. Hafeez is currently unavailable for the test for personal reasons, Ajmal’s just had his third son and Akmal is out of the country.The contracts, which expired in December, 2011 were due to be reviewed after the England series in February – but it was delayed after a new selection committee headed by Iqbal Qasim was formed.The PCB has decided to increase pay scales of those awarded the new contracts, given that there have been no increments in the last three-and-a-half years.The PCB earlier issued six-month contracts to 29 players, spread over four categories. The new committee now aims to issue a year-long contract to each of its players. The committee met last week to discuss the central contracts, but sought more time to make its decision.Among those likely to make a comeback is Shahid Afridi, the former captain, who had automatically lost his contract in May 2011 when he announced his retirement from international cricket, in protest against the board’s decision to replace him as captain of the ODI team.In the past the board has handed out central contracts to the players based on their performance and fitness, however now they aim to assess the fitness of the players and then gauge their future prospects.

Television ratings slump in India

Indian viewers have been turned off by their team’s abject capitulation to Australia in the Test series, with television ratings down substantially in comparison to India’s last tour four years ago. The TRPs (one TRP represents 1% of viewers in the surveyed area in a given minute) for the first two Tests were 0.89 and 0.70 compared to 1.07 and 1.30 in 2007-08, according to TAM Sports, a division of TAM Media Research, the leading television ratings agency in India.Prior to the first Test, India were thought to have their best chance of winning a first series in Australia. The prospect of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international hundred added to the build-up and the series was eagerly anticipated. Instead the tour has turned out to be a mismatch so far, with India losing the first three Tests, the previous two by an innings.”I think the primary factor [for the low ratings] is the performance of the team itself,” Ravi Rao, the South Asia leader for Mindshare, told ESPNcricinfo. “People expected India to rebound in the second Test. Typically, the Indian team’s first match is a bad performance. [But] this has been a desperate performance so the channel is going to be affected in terms of getting revenues.”Sridhar Ramanujam, who heads brand consulting firm Brand-Comm, said “People want to see their teams win. That’s probably why the ratings are low.”In contrast, the reports that Australian ratings are up by more than 30% over last year’s Ashes series, which Australia lost 1-3. Host broadcaster Channel Nine has pulled in an average of 1.49 million viewers during the two Tests, while last summer 1.14 million tuned in to see England humble the home side.However, India’s abject run – they have now lost seven consecutive away Tests – is not expected to affect the appetite of viewers or advertisers for the upcoming tri-series that will also feature Sri Lanka. “Cricket has no other competition, especially for the male market,” Patrick Gomes, the vice-president of Lintas Media Group, said. According to Gomes, there was no shortage of advertisers wanting to a piece of the one-day series pie, though he also suggested that some of them were hoping that rates would come down given India’s recent poor run.One of the reasons for optimism about the one-day series is the high profile nature of the participants. Joining the home team Australia are India, the current 50-over world champions, and Sri Lanka, the losing finalists. Sanjay Kailash, EVP & head of sales, ESPN-Star Sports, said that the channel has already sold 70% of its inventory and does not expect to have a hard time selling the remaining 30%. He sees the Test series as distinct from the one-day tournament. “For us, no two things are attached to each other.”Rao said that one-days are typically a better bet than Test matches because “even if India does not do well, in the initial phase I would still get more eyeballs. Crowds still want to know how the games are going to go.”Ramanujam also expected fans to tune back in for the tri-series. “I think people will watch and hope. The Indian cricket fan is a die-hard optimist.”India will also play two Twenty20 internationals before the tri-series. In 2007-08, the Twenty20 international between the teams drew a TRP of 4.46, while the tri-series featuring Sri Lanka had an average rating of 3.24.ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

Pakistan thwarted by Sangakkara, dropped chances

Five dropped catches and four wickets summed up a profligate day for Pakistan on which their bowlers toiled to create numerous chances only for their fielders – led by Mohammad Hafeez – to spill them

The Report by Abhishek Purohit21-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKumar Sangakkara made his 26th Test century•AFP

Five dropped catches and four wickets summed up a profligate day for Pakistan, on which their bowlers toiled to create numerous chances only for their fielders – led by Mohammad Hafeez – to spill them. Kumar Sangakkara’s fighting century was the only positive for Sri Lanka, and his continued presence their only hope of saving the match.The bowlers created pressure and some panic but Sri Lanka emerged relatively unscathed, with Sangakkara and Pakistan’s fielders taking the match into a fifth day. After four catches had gone down during a 153-run second-wicket partnership that was beginning to hurt Pakistan, they were given an opening via Lahiru Thirimanne’s suicidal attempt at a second run. Thirimanne and Sangakkara had survived for more than 50 overs; Sri Lanka then lost three batsmen in little over ten, before an astonishing fifth let-off kept them afloat.Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan, who had both been denied by the slippery hands of Hafeez, took the fielders out of the equation, bowling Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan respectively for single-digit scores. An inside edge off an attempted cut against an offbreak accounted for Jayawardene while Dilshan drove loosely at one that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad.It was a characteristic burst from Pakistan after a period of frenzy before lunch when their fielding fell apart in a rush of squandered catches. It allowed Thirimanne and Sangakkara to survive a testing first session as the bowlers were let down three times by Hafeez, including twice off successive deliveries from Junaid.On a pitch that did not offer much even on the fourth day, the bowlers gave Sri Lanka a hard time, producing false shots, going past the outside edge and hitting the pads. The batsmen countered in their own ways, Thirimanne using the sweep to ward off Ajmal, Sangakkara playing straight, and nudging and cutting when the opportunities came.Junaid produced the first real chance off the last ball of the 27th over when he induced Thirimanne to edge an attempted drive. It went low to first slip where Hafeez grabbed at the ball and grassed it. Hafeez was to deny Junaid and reprieve Thirimanne again, off the next delivery. If anything, this one was easier. Thirimanne had another escape as lunch approached, when he cut Ajmal straight to the gully fielder, who backed away and was hit on the body. It was Hafeez yet again.Junaid was to suffer a third time when Younis Khan was unsure whether he had taken Sangakkara’s edge cleanly after diving forward at second slip. Younis let off Sangakkara once again before lunch, on 56, dropping a tough diving chance at slip off, ironically, Hafeez.Thirimanne could not capitalise on the good fortune but Sangakkara continued to resist, even as wickets fell. He used the abundant short deliveries to cut and steer for boundaries on the off side and kept nudging and clipping for runs on the leg. Pakistan fed his strengths throughout the day. Sangakkara looted 81 off 42 deliveries square on the off side and another 51 off 33 square on the leg. Yet another cut shot to the point boundary off Junaid earned him his 11th second-innings Test century, off 173 deliveries.Angelo Mathews could not reprise his first-innings salvage effort, though. Umar Gul – who hadn’t bowled after sending down four overs in the morning – trapped him leg-before off the first delivery with the second new ball, after having got Tharanga Paranavitana right away with the first last evening.Almost inevitably, Pakistan’s fielding came to haunt them again as substitute fielder Wahab Riaz put down a mistimed pull by Prasanna Jayawardene off a disgusted Gul. Jayawardene was also fortunate to get away with a close leg-before shout against Junaid but by the end, he had frustrated Pakistan along with Sangakkara for 125 deliveries.With Sangakkara’s effort beginning to rival Taufeeq Umar’s first-innings marathon, Pakistan had no one to blame but themselves for what could have been.

كايسيدو يعلق على اهتمام تشيلسي بضمه من برايتون

علّق موسيس كايسيدو، لاعب فريق برايتون، على التكهنات المرتبطة بإمكانية مغادرة النادي الإنجليزي والانتقال إلى فريق آخر في ظل اهتمام نادي تشيلسي بضمه.

وخاض لاعب الوسط الإكوادوري 26 مباراة بقميص برايتون في الدوري الإنجليزي، وجذب انتباه تشيلسي الذي يتطلع إلى التعاقد معه.

وقدم تشيلسي عرضًا بالفعل بقيمة 55 مليون جنيه إسترليني من أجل ضم كايسيدو، ولكن نادي برايتون رفضه.

وعندما سُئل عن خططه المستقبلية، قال كايسيدو في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “جول” العالمية: “أنا أركز على برايتون، أنا هنا، ألعب كل يوم”.

وأضاف: “الأشياء التي تدور في الخارج لا تزعجني، ولا تأخذ تركيزي بعيدًا لأنني أركز فقط هنا، أنا أتعامل مع التكهنات بشكل جيد”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ذا صن: يويفا يعتزم إجراء تغييرات في سياسة الانتقالات بسبب تشيلسي

وواصل: “تسمع شائعات هنا وهناك، لكني أحاول فقط التركيز على النادي الذي أنا فيه الآن، النادي الذي فتح لي الأبواب للعب مباراة تلو الأخرى”.

يُذكر أن العقد الحالي لـ كايسيدو مع برايتون مستمر حتى صيف 2025.

Diego Souza vê São Paulo no nível de favoritos: 'Não deve nada ao Grêmio'

MatériaMais Notícias

Artilheiro do time na temporada com cinco gols, sendo dois nos dois últimos jogos, Diego Souza vive um momento de recuperação no São Paulo três semanas depois de estar próximo de jogar no Vasco. E se enche de confiança para dizer que o Tricolor está no mesmo nível dos favoritos a títulos no Brasil. Inclusive do Grêmio, atual campeão gaúcho, da Libertadores e da Recopa Sul-Americana e responsável por distribuir goleadas recentemente.

– Hoje tem o Grêmio, que tem uma equipe muito qualificada, conheço todos os jogadores de lá. Mas falo sem medo: a gente não deve nada para eles – disse o camisa 9 para a TV Globo, em um discurso de otimismo já adotado pelo goleiro Sidão depois da vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Rosario Central, com gol de Diego Souza, na quarta-feira, que manteve o São Paulo na Copa Sul-Americana.

A confiança do meia-atacante vem depois de estar bem próximo de mudar de clube. O Vasco fez, há três semanas, uma oferta de empréstimo no qual o Tricolor ainda pagaria parte de seus salários. O São Paulo, que gastou R$ 10 milhões para tirá-lo do Sport em janeiro, preferiu dar um novo voto de confiança em Diego Souza e reaproximá-lo do técnico Diego Aguirre.

– Teve um momento em que eu já estava fora, praticamente. Quase fui para o Vasco. Foi quando tive a conversa com o Aguirre. Ele disse que queria contar comigo, perguntei se era o que eu queria, se eu tinha vontade de permanecer. Falei que sim, e colocamos alguns pontos. Nunca tivemos nada pessoal. São coisas de trabalho. Com a minha permanência, a tendência é continuar dando certo – falou, avisando que desfalca a equipe neste domingo, mas o edema na coxa esquerda não deve tirá-lo do clássico contra o Santos, no dia 20.

– Você tem de estar com acabeça forte. Pensei que, dos males, o menor. E, graças a Deus, foi o menor. Fico fora contra o Bahia, mas, no próximo jogo, posso estar a disposição – indicou Diego Souza.

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Big Forest injury boost pre-Sheffield United

Nottingham Forest could welcome back Jack Colback and Ryan Yates for their Championship playoff semifinal clash with Sheffield United. 

The lowdown

Forest, who finished fourth in the Championship, travel to Bramall Lane to take on the fifth-placed Blades in the first leg on Saturday afternoon.

They’re looking to return to the top flight after 23 years away following their relegation in 1999.

Both Colback and Yates missed the last game of the season – a 1-1 draw with Hull City – through injury, but it appears that their problems were minor.

The latest

Forest journalist Callum Castel-Nuovo reported the potential double boost on Thursday evening.

Manager Steve Cooper ‘is hopeful’ that both Colback and Davis ‘will be fit enough to play on Saturday’.

The verdict

These are both significant returnees for Forest. Colback started 36 of Forest’s 46 Championship matches over the course of the season, while Yates was an even more prominent figure, featuring in 41 line-ups.

The former is an important defensive presence in midfield, averaging 2.2 tackles per 90 minutes (second in the squad), while the latter ranks fourth in Forest’s goal charts with eight.

And Yates’ threat may be particularly important to preserving the team’s firepower in the absence of 12-goal hitman Lewis Grabban.

Cooper will surely feel much more confident heading to Yorkshire with both players in the travelling party.

In other news, a huge decision has been made ahead of the semifinal.

Duminy double-ton takes Cobras second

Rain didn’t only have a say in the Test match between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park in Centurion, but in the SuperSport series too. The first day of the matches between the Knights and the Warriors in East London, and the Cobras and the Dolphins in Paarl were washed out. The Lions and the Titans were the only teams that played on all four days. All three fixtures saw players on the fringes of the South Africa side record good performances.The Cobras slotted into second place with an innings-and-166-run victory over the Dolphins in Paarl. Play got underway on day two after a wet first day and the Dolphins chose to field, hoping to get some assistance from the overcast conditions. The going was tough for the Cobras openers. Alistair Gray took 199 balls to make his 57 runs but he and Andrew Puttick laid a solid platform for the middle order to launch from.Owais Shah made just 20 but Justin Ontong and JP Duminy cashed in. Ontong has been having a quietly successful season and scored 127. Duminy made his claim for national selection as loudly as he could. He became the second batsman to score an unbeaten double-century this weekend (Jacques Kallis being the other) in the country. Duminy’s 200 not out came off just 201 balls as the Cobras declared on 515 for 5. None of the Dolphins bowlers stood out. Imran Tahir, the highest wicket-taker this season, missed the match because of a back injury. Fellow legspinner Keshav Maharaj was the most successful bowler with 4 for 214.The Dolphins had a shocker in reply and were bowled out for 99. Vaughn van Jaarsveld was their highest scoring batsman and scored just 23. Cobras seamer Vernon Philander finished with figures of 4 for 33. With a 416-run deficit, the Dolphins were made to follow on and fared only a little better in their second outing. Van Jaarsveld scored 57 and Ravi Bopara made 74, but the Dolphins line-up left a lot to be desired. Philander’s three second-innings wickets left him with seven for the match.The Titans stamped their authority on the top of the table with a four-wicket win over the Lions in Potchefstroom. The Titans batted first and found themselves in trouble early on, at 57 for 3, but were rescued in magnificent fashion. Titans wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn scored 92 and Albie Morkel made an impressive return to form with 182 runs. Opener Pieter Malan, legspinner Shaun von Berg and seamer Gerhardus Viljoen also made half centuries and the Titans were bowled out for 513. The Lions spinners were the only ones who enjoyed success with Werner Coetsee and Dale Deeb sharing six wickets between them.Coetsee also starred with the bat in the Lions first innings. He put on 166 runs for the fifth wicket with Zander de Bruyn, who scored 109. The Lions were bowled out for 352, giving the Titans a 161-run lead, which allowed them to enforce the follow-on. The Lions were bowled out in their second innings for two more runs than they were in the first. Neil McKenzie’s 130 was the only century of their second innings with Jean Symes’ 43 the next highest score. Von Berg’s 4 for 130 and Viljoen’s 3 for 50 were the best figures for the Titans as they were set a target of 194 to win.Fast bowler Friedel de Wet was the biggest threat to the Titans getting there. He took the first three Titans wickets to reduce them to 72 for 3. Jacques Rudolph’s 60 had a calming effect on a line-up that was losing wickets quickly. Coetsee, Deeb and seamer Craig Alexander took a wicket apiece and even though the Titans were being pegged back, Morkel and von Berg took them to victory. The Lions have dropped from second to third in the table after the result.In East London, the Knights and the Warriors drew after two high-scoring first innings. Warriors fast bowler Wayne Parnell ripped through the Knights top three and reduced them to 65 for 3 in the ninth over. Centuries from Ryan Bailey and Morne van Wyk, who shared a 236-run fifth wicket partnership, took the Knights to a respectable 430 for 8 declared. van Wyk carried over his superb form from the MTN40 tournament and ended on 150 not out.The Warriors had few problems in their innings, with the top five all making healthy contributions. Wicketkeeper Arno Jacobs was one of two centurions after scoring 110. Kelly Smuts was unbeaten on 100 at the end of the match. The captains shook hands on a draw after he reached his century. The Warriors were on 499 for 5 and were ahead by 69 runs.Batsman of the week: For making the national selectors sit up and take notice of his desire to get back into the Test arena, JP Duminy’s 200 not out earns him the award.Bowler of the week: Vernon Philander’s match-haul of 7 for 73 against the Dolphins lifts him to third in the bowling charts with 23 wickets. He has the best average out of the top ten bowlers.

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