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England batsman seeks redemption during this year’s World Cup, after losing his starting place in ODI team

David Hopps03-Apr-2019For a man who has put what should be the climax to his career at risk with a night of madness, Alex Hales was looking remarkably chipper. Anticipation of a World Cup in England this summer has left him bursting with vigour and optimism. All he needs now is a chance to show his worth.Hales’ cricket suspension for bringing the game into disrepute, arising from his involvement alongside Ben Stokes in that fateful 2.30am street fight after leaving Mbargo nightclub in Bristol, is now well behind him. Unlike Stokes, who was later cleared in court of affray, he was not charged, but also unlike Stokes he has not regained a permanent place in England’s one-day side. That is not because of lingering resentment, just the way things turn out.He has spoken to for the first time about that night and now, understandably, wants to move on. “Sometimes I make mediocre decisions – I always have – but I don’t want to make them anymore,” he said. He referred to “learning the incredibly hard way”.Perhaps unknowingly, he even found himself quoting the billionaire American businessman Warren Buffett in his acknowledgement of his mistakes. Buffett warned that it took 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. Hales who is considerably younger and not quite worth $84 billion, adjusted that to 10 years and 10 minutes. But the message was the same.Forget the fines, the suspension, the tarnished reputation. It is the fear that he might miss out on the World Cup that really eats away at him. Hales has hardly been ignored – he has played another 17 ODIs since he was dropped after the Bristol match against West Indies in September 2017. But because of the disruption to his career he is no longer an automatic choice with Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root filling the top three places and scoring runs for fun. By his own admission, he is the stand-by batsman in the strongest and most destructive England one-day line-up in history.”It’s probably the most excited I’ve ever been in pre-season,” he said. “It’s arguably the biggest summer ever for England with a home World Cup. We are heading in as the bookies’ favourite. Hopefully I can play the part in a memorable summer. Playing in a World Cup in front of home fans is something I’ve always dreamed off as a kid.”I can’t have any complaints about being a reserve batter. It’s obviously disappointing, knowing I have played well for England since the last World Cup. I have a decent record. But Joe Root averages mid-50s batting at 3 and Jason and Jonny have probably been the best opening pair in world cricket in the past 18 months. For me it is just about staying hungry. I’ve no doubt that at some point my services will be required. Keeping everyone on their toes is my general plan.”Alex Hales speaks at a Chance to Shine Street event•Chance to Shine

It was good to see him looking so positive, with hail showers strafing Cossington Road Sports Centre and the temperature dipping to 4C, as he took part in a Chance to Shine session in a predominantly Indian area of Leicester.Anyway, if he wanted to find out about real misfortune he could find it in these young and talented cricketing wannabees. Leicester City Council plans to close the sports hall to indoor cricket and extend the existing gymnasium which will be calculated to bring in more revenue at a time when central Government funding to local councils has fallen on average by nearly 60 percent in a decade. More candles blown out for cricket, and these passionate, largely first-generation immigrant kids, which Chance to Shine is fighting so hard to counter.Hales is 30 now, a batsman who should be recognised as at his peak. He played IPL as a replacement for David Warner at Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, but missed out this year, not helped by the limited availability of England’s players. He has retired from red-ball cricket and, as things stand, has no inkling that he will one day change his mind.Four Royal London Cup matches over 50 overs for Nottinghamshire, from mid-April onwards, will be crucial in his World Cup preparations. He is fortunate that he does not need hours of match time to feel in form. The first ball struck cleanly over the ropes is normally enough to do that.”I’m not reliant on a huge volume of practice. I don’t have to hit for hours and hours. If I can middle a few I feel confident. Luckily I get those four games in for Notts. That will be a good chance to get some runs on the board and feel in good form.As for not becoming morose, that is hardly likely when Nottinghamshire’s coach has international pedigree to go with indecent levels of energy and enthusiasm. “We are so lucky at Notts to have Peter Moores in charge,” Hales said. “For me he is one of the best coaches in the world. To be around his knowledge and enthusiasm is ideal.”It was at Trent Bridge where Hales made his name with an unbeaten 150 against Worcestershire in a Pro40 match in 2009. He was still thrilling home supporters last summer with 147 against Australia as England made a world record 481 for 6 in ODIs. Memories of those destructive, long-limbed blows that day makes it hard to believe that he might not be part of the World Cup XI when Pakistan face England at Trent Bridge on June 3. He averages 90 on this narrow ground at a strike rate of 139, and knows every angle intimately.But he has brought about his own disruption and he must battle through it. Hales had to fulfil another commitment this week: a social media training course in Birmingham, where the indecorous images he posted on Snapchat many years ago, and which also attracted the ire of the ECB, were doubtless discussed at some length.Alex Hales has certainly chosen a few bad options along the way. But he has a right to move on and this summer he yearns for the chance to choose the right option – with a bat in his hand. He was a forerunner in English cricket’s one-day reinvention long before Eoin Morgan’s uncompromising captaincy dragged it into the modern era. He deserves a chance to bring that story to fruition.”If we don’t win the World Cup,” he said, “the last three-and-a-half years will count for nothing.”Chance to Shine is supported by England and Wales Cricket Board, Sport England and NatWest. Find out more at www.chancetoshine.org/street.

Sri Lanka are no strangers to playing on dustbowls, but Bangladesh can only hope their familiarity with Mirpur, where they recently picked up wins over Australia and England, gives them an edge

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Feb-2018

Big Picture

Thank heavens the first match is over. In Chittagong, bowlers were buffeted by meaningless run-making gales, boundaries came in endless waves, and the game, eventually, was sunk – a few confidence-boosting hundreds the only salvageable thing from the whole affair. It was a pitch so heavily loaded in the batsmen’s favour, it was difficult to get a gauge on how these teams really stack up. Sri Lanka’s batsmen certainly outlasted their counterparts in the first innings, but will the same necessarily hold true on a track that is a sterner test of defensive technique? Lahiru Kumara, the Sri Lanka quick, was ineffective in Chittagong, but would facing him have been a different proposition on a pitch that gave him something – anything – to work with?The track in Mirpur, however, is expected to be substantially different. Here is where Bangladesh roll out the dustbowls that yank their spinners emphatically into the game. In Mirpur have they recently claimed two huge Test scalps – England and Australia.Sri Lanka are no strangers to the “maximum spin” strategy, of course, having employed it with great success at home when certain teams come to visit. But Bangladesh will hope their familiarity with this particular surface will provide them with an advantage – mild though it may be.The hosts are, however, more hamstrung by the absence of Shakib Al Hasan than Sri Lanka are by the absence of Angelo Mathews. In the most recent match here – against Australia last August – Shakib claimed 10 wickets and scored a vital first-innings 84. Even if the likes of Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam can be effective in Mirpur, the wonderful balance Shakib adds to the XI will be missed. That he is the leader of this team only makes the loss more acute.

Form guide

Bangladesh DLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka DDLDW

In the spotlight

Having not made a century since November 2014, Mominul Haque took full advantage of the Chittagong surface, hitting 281 runs in total to properly reclaim his place in the side. If that Test was the fillip that gets Mominul’s career back on track, the boredom might even have been worth it. A player of obvious quality, and, when he is at his flowing best, scintillating to watch, it is now up to Mominul to get his average above 50, where it belongs, and keep it there.Like Mominul, Dhananjaya de Silva is the most watchable batsman in his side, and he too is re-establishing his place. At Chittagong, he became the joint-fastest Sri Lanka batsman to 1000 Test runs, one innings after scoring an excellent rearguard hundred in Delhi. So far, de Silva has been a confidence player – one good innings rolling into two or three more, just as had been the case in his debut series against Australia, in which he was the top run-scorer. Full of form now, and with a good track record on turning pitches, he may be a key player again in Mirpur.

Team news

Sabbir Rahman is likely to pip Mosaddek Hossain as he appears to be a more aggressive option. Sunzamul Islam’s place is still up for grabs, with Abdur Razzak being slightly ahead of Kamrul Islam and Nayeem Hasan, who could still get a chance.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Liton Das (wk) , 6 Mahmudullah (capt), 7 Sabbir Rahman/ Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Mustafizur RahmanLahiru Kumara, who fielded poorly, in addition to being wayward with the ball in Chittagong, is likely to give way to Lahiru Gamage. Dushmantha Chameera might have been the preferred replacement, but is in fact back in Sri Lanka after picking up an injury. There may be no other major changes.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kusal Mendis, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt), 5 Roshen Silva, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dilruwan Perera, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Lahiru Gamage

Pitch and conditions

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal strongly suspects the pitch will produce a result, as it already appears pretty dry on the eve of the match. The weather in Dhaka is expected to remain good for the duration of the Test, with temperatures in the high-20 degrees range.

Stats and trivia

• Rangana Herath needs only four more wickets to surpass Wasim Akram’s tally of 414 and become the most successful left-armer in the history of Test cricket.
• Herath is also seven wickets shy of becoming the most successful finger spinner in history (counting Muttiah Muralitharan as a wrist spinner). Harbhajan Singh is at 417 scalps, and the only spinners ahead of him are bona-fide legends: Murali, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble.
• No fewer than 34 wickets in the most recent Test in Mirpur fell to spin. In the previous Test, featuring England, 32 wickets fell to spin. Neither match went to the fifth day.
• Having played Sri Lanka in six of his 11 Tests, 29% of Mominul’s 2121 Test runs have come against them. He averages 48.20 overall and 62 against Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“We got out of a tough position in the first match. So this game is a great chance for us to win a Test series. I think all the players are thinking positively, which will help our outcome.”
“When you look at this pitch, definitely there will be a result. The pitch looks dry. Spinners will definitely come into play. It is challenging for both teams. It won’t be like Chittagong. We saw in the ODI tri-series that they were really bad pitches at this ground. It was good for the spinners but not for the batters. This pitch looks similar.”

Suzie Bates made a 46-ball 64 and put on 100 quick runs for the first wicket with Sam Curtis (55*) as New Zealand women beat Pakistan women by eight wickets in the first ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2016
Scorecard
Suzie Bates’ dominant 64 took her side to a comfortable victory in the first ODI•Getty Images

Captain Suzie Bates made a 46-ball 64, and put on 100 quick runs for the first wicket with Sam Curtis (55*), as New Zealand women beat Pakistan women by eight wickets, with 27 overs to spare, in the first ODI in Lincoln.Bates’ decision to put Pakistan in was vindicated when the visitors were reduced to 27 for 3 in the ninth over. Nain Abidi (49) put on a 62 with Nida Dar (19) for the fourth wicket to begin a recovery, but Pakistan collapsed after Abidi’s dismissal. They went from 89 for 3 to 90 for 6, with medium-pacer Lea Tahuhu (3-37) removing Abidi and Dar, while captain Sana Mir was caught and bowled to 16-year old debutant legspinner Amelia Kerr (1-21).Allrounder Asmavia Iqbal scored an unbeaten 49, but was one of only three batsmen to reach double figures as Pakistan folded for 156 in 49 overs.Bates and Curtis knocked 100 off the target in just 13.3 overs, before the New Zealand captain was caught behind off Sana Mir. Amy Satterthwaite fell four overs later. But the wickets only marginally slowed down New Zealand’s scoring rate, as Curtis took them home with her first ODI fifty.The second ODI in the five-match series will be played in the same venue on November 11.

Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes set the platform by stroking 73 each, before Mahmudullah’s late fireworks helped Bangladesh ride a middle-order wobble to post 276/9 in the third ODI against Zimbabwe in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam in Mirpur11-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes put together their first century stand to set a strong platform for Bangladesh in the third ODI in Mirpur•AFP

In three spells that tested the skill of the Zimbabwe batsmen and drew plenty of oohs and aahs from the crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mustafizur Rahman claimed figures of 5 for 34 to ensure Bangladesh’s 3-0 sweep of the ODI series. He is the first bowler in history to have as many as three five-wicket hauls in under 10 matches played.Mustafizur conceded boundaries from time to time but Zimbabwe’s batsmen could not dominate him. There were many plays and misses, and edges that almost carried to the slips. There were several occasions when the ball missed the stumps by a whisker as he got the ball to swing and cut. When he ran in to bowl with Zimbabwe nine-down, Mashrafe Mortaza gave him eight slips.Mustafizur’s first two strikes upset the boundary-filled start that Zimbabwe made in the first seven overs. Off the second ball of the chase, Chamu Chibhabha had little clue as Mustafizur got the ball to swing enough to get past his driving arms. Craig Ervine and Regis Chakabva kept finding fours but in the seventh over again, Mustafizur removed Chakabva with a slower delivery that the opening batsmen could only lob to cover.Ervine fell to Nasir Hossain in the ninth over when he played back to a delivery that didn’t get up as much as he anticipated and he was trapped lbw for 21 off 25 balls.Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura then joined Sean Williams in an attempt to resurrect the innings and get a measure of the required run-rate. Williams was given a lifeline when the substitute fielder Anamul Haque dropped him at mid-off on 23. The two batsmen found boundaries, too, and Mashrafe started to look for his sixth bowler. Sabbir Rahman bowled an excellent delivery to get rid of Chigumbura in the 23rd over after he had added 80 runs for the fourth wicket with Williams. Chigumbura made 45 with six boundaries and was removed before he could open up in a big way.Zimbabwe could have ended this ODI series without a single fifty from their batsmen had Arafat Sunny not trodden on the stumps in the 30th over when Williams – batting on 49 – was short of the crease.For the next six overs, Bangladesh had to contend with a dangerous partnership between Malcolm Waller and Williams but Nasir intervened, taking a head-high catch in the covers to dismiss Waller. Next over, Williams fell to an easy catch at cover after he failed to time a drive off Mashrafe. He made 64 off 84 balls with five fours.Mustafizur came back to remove Sikandar Raza, who was caught splendidly by Sabbir as he ran from mid-on to mid-off. Next ball, Luke Jongwe holed out at midwicket, but his hat-trick ball was kept away by Graeme Cremer. Later, Mustafizur took a return catch to dismiss Tinashe Panyangara and complete a third five-wicket haul in ODIs, figures that complemented the work of Bangladesh’s opening batsmen.Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings was split into two parts after they opted to bat. The first part comprised the 147-run opening stand between Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal. It was enough of a base to get close to 300 runs but it wasn’t to be, and the second part saw them restricted to 276 for 9.Tamim started the early rush of boundaries with a pull off Panyangara; it was his only four through the leg side as the remaining six fours were played through the covers. Tamim’s only six came off a blast over the bowler’s head. But by then Kayes had struck four sixes – three between midwicket and square-leg and, the best of the lot, one over extra cover. He also struck six fours, three on either side of the wicket.Kayes was dropped on 35 and survived a stumping and caught-behind off the same delivery on 48 after Chakabva missed a stumping and replays showed there was an edge. Both Tamim and Kayes fell for 73 in the space of five overs, but Bangladesh still had their eyes on a bigger total with Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle after the fall of the first wicket.Mushfiqur, too, fell before they reached 200, which meant much of the work depended on Liton Das and Mahmudullah, two batsmen who had struggled to get going in the first two matches. Liton gave a catch one to cover after making 17 while Nasir Hossain and Sabbir Rahman fell to Luke Jongwe in the space of three deliveries, Cremer holding on to easy catches at point.Bangladesh slipped from 222 for 3 to 226 for 6 within 11 deliveries and were in danger of getting bowled out before 50 overs. Mahmudullah, who was on 32, then got mixed up with Mashrafe in the 45th over only for wicketkeeper Chakabva to knock down the bails seconds before Sikandar Raza’s direct hit found Mahmudullah short of the crease.Mahmudullah stood near the dressing-room while TV umpire Enamul Haque saw many replays and finally decided it was not-out. Chigumbura, however, protested the decision and the broadcasters then showed a replay in which Chakabva had uprooted the stump but did so after Aleem Dar had initially given out to the direct throw.With the second decision also not out, Zimbabwe gathered into a huddle for a few minutes but both captains shook hands and the game resumed.Mahmudullah added another 20 runs, and was run-out in the last over as Bangladesh scampered towards their highest score in the three-match series.Jongwe and Cremer took two wickets each while Panyangara, Raza and Waller took one each. Among them, Panyangara bowled the best spells.

Northamptonshire’s early season form has suggested that are promotion candidates as David Willey runs through Essex

Tim Wigmore at Wantage Road19-Apr-2013
ScorecardDavid Willey grabs a caught-and-bowled during his five-wicket haul•Getty Images

After missing out on Championship promotion by a point in 2011, Northamptonshire endured a miserable 2012, with only two Championship victories and dire performances in both the CB40 and Twenty20. But a squad that could be backed at 20-1 to be Division Two champions before the season started has so far hinted at possessing the quality, balance and depth to justify talk of Championship promotion.Under conditions that remained good for batting, David Willey produced a compelling display of left-arm swing bowling to seal an innings victory over Essex halfway through the third day. The highlight was when Ravi Bopara, whose 41 had been a rare source of solace amid the disintegration of Essex’s top order, was deceived into playing at a ball that shaped away from him. The dismissal came only a few deliveries after Willey had changed his angle from around to over the wicket, and was his fifth of the innings.In a match-clinching spell of 6-2-15-3 shortly after lunch, Willey showed an array of talents. He displayed the classic left-armer’s trait of being able to shape the ball back in from around the wicket, but it was a ball that went straight on that accounted for James Foster, playing for swing that wasn’t there. A spectacular caught-and-bowled then claimed Greg Smith.It completed Willey’s best first-class game yet: match figures of 8-110 to complement a perky 76. As an allrounder and left-armer there may be those saying he could be considered for England, but Willey’s bowling, impressive as it was, could do with a little extra pace – and coach David Ripley believes he could yet put on another yard – to trouble batsmen less complicit than Essex’s were here. But he would not be undeserving of an England Lions call-up for their match against New Zealand next month.After bowling out Essex for 183 in the first innings, Northants will have been even more thrilled to have dismissed them for 207 in the second. While the pitch offered some assistance for seamers on the first day, it flattened out – as it often does at Wantage Road – on the second and third. Northants displayed unrelenting discipline, seldom straying from their line outside off stump and trusting that rash shot selection from Essex’s batsmen would do the rest.That it certainly did. Of Essex’s top order in the second innings only Bopara and – at a push – Foster could not honestly claim culpability for their dismissals. The wickets of Rob Quiney, who had played well for 56, and Mark Pettini, both swiping outside the off stump attempting to cut balls when more attritional batting was required, were particularly disappointing. They could learn from Maurice Chambers, who played with admirable disciple for his 65-ball 3.

Copeland may return

Trent Copeland will play as Northants’ overseas player for the first seven Championship matches of this season, but coach David Ripley explained that the club plan to review the situation with a view to signing another overseas player – Copeland returning could be one possibility – for the final five Championship games of the season, from August 20.

“We’re not a bottomless pit, our budget is tight,” he said. “We’ve done very well and the club’s been very supportive to get the squad together that we’ve got. There’s not a lot of money left in the budget for us to take that on. Realistically we’d certainly have to be in the top half of the league and pushing.”

Reflecting on the victory, admitted “it was a good toss to win” and said that the 228 runs added for their last two wickets proved decisive. “They’re good players and we said they’re good players but they batted – rather than sulking because they’re down the bottom – with purpose and that swung the game our way. The match-winning effort was that few hours where the game swung massively in our favour.”Ripley believes Northants could win Championship promotion. “Absolutely. I’ve said right from the start we’ve been very competitive generally over the years in four-day cricket. We perhaps haven’t been the same in one-day cricket and we’ve focused hard on our one-day skills.””We’ve got a good balance in that seam attack. Trent Copeland is relentless and has got good skills; Andrew Hall is a master of hitting the seam; David gives us left-arm and swing; and Steven Crook gives us a bit of cutting edge and a bit of pace so I think we’ve got a good variety in that attack.”On Willey, Ripley added: “He’s come a long way in 18 months. He’s a good professional, he looks after himself very well off the field. He’s an absolute athlete – his caught-and-bowled, not many in the country would have taken a catch like that.”Based on this evidence, there is every chance a disciplined side with the longest batting line-up in the country – and, in Matthew Spriegel and Olly Stone, some solid players who have yet to appear – may yet challenge for promotion. For Essex, this performance, coming on the back of conceding 409 for 5 against Gloucestershire at Chelmsford last week, will raise some serious questions. Their coach Paul Grayson was unavailable for comment.Instead, it was left to Bopara. “They bowled relentlessly on a length, they bowled very well as a unit which we can learn from I think,” he said. “It really showed us how to get stuck in with the ball. I didn’t think anything was special when it came to their batting – we had them 170 for 8 but unfortunately their last few batters played really, really well and you’ve got to give it to them.” He admitted that “we kind of did lose control” during Northants’ game changing lower-order intervention.Compounding their problems, Essex could yet face a points penalty on account of their slow over-rate in this match.

Delhi Daredevils strengthened their reputation as the team to beat in IPL 2012 and marched to a convincing victory over Pune Warriors

The Report by Firdose Moonda 24-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirender Sehwag guided the chase with an unbeaten 87•AFP

Delhi Daredevils strengthened their reputation as the team to beat in IPL 2012 and marched to a convincing victory over Pune Warriors at the Subrata Roy Stadium, with four overs to spare. Warriors had won both previous matches at their new home stadium but were unable to collect a third success after posting too few runs with the bat despite a third-wicket stand of 145 between Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa.Warriors bowlers had few answers for Virender Sehwag and struggled to keep him quiet as they were unable to find the right lines, despite a stern team talk by Allan Donald at the innings break. Their only success came with the run-out of Mahela Jayawardene and wicket of Kevin Pietersen, who top-edged to mid-on. Warriors’ batsmen were made to rue a slow start and an inability to get going despite plundering 47 runs off the last four overs.Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel did early damage to Warriors and removed Jesse Ryder and Sourav Ganguly in the first two overs. Ryder was guilty of a lazy push in front and was bowled by Irfan’s second ball, which kept low and snuck through him and Ganguly sliced Morkel to third man. Warriors were 2 for 2 and needed a quick recovery.Pandey and Uthappa put up a solid resistance and balanced caution with the need to attack fairly well early on. Pandey opened the boundary count with a confident pull over mid-on off Irfan and a superb drive on the up off Umesh Yadav.Just as the pair started to break the shackles, Daredevils left-arm spin duo of Pawan Negi and Shahbaz Nadeem made sure they were restrained again. They gave away just 33 runs in the six overs they bowled in tandem. Negi should also have had the wicket of Pandey to his name. Pandey hit a full ball straight to Kevin Pietersen at long-on but Pietersen seemed to think it would not carry to him and allowed it fall safely.Nadeem also had a chance to claim Pandey’s wicket, when the batsmen hit a delivery straight back to him in his final over. The ball was hit hard and Nadeem got his hands up in time but could not hold on. Despite putting down both chances Pandey offered them, Daredevils were still able to keep a lid on Warriors.Pandey looked to go bigger in the last six overs and started by smacking Irfan for a four down the ground to reach his half-century off 40 balls. He could not get away though, as Negi’s final over kept the pressure on, although he too dropped a return catch which would have sent Pandey back.The only option was to target the quicks at the end. Pandey used Umesh Yadav’s extra pace to his advantage, hitting him over long-on and past third man while Uthappa tried the same off Morkel. He inside-edged a yorker four four and smacked a ball to long-on before scooping a ball over short fine leg to bring up his half-century. Both batsmen played fine knocks but Sehwag’s proved better.Daredevils’ captain started with a mix of fortune and fury as he was involved in the mix-up which saw Jayawardene run out and inside edged Ashish Nehra for four. In between those, he pulled Nehra in front of square to show some measure of control and seized the rest of it against Luke Wight. He helped a ball to fine leg for four and smashed a slower one over long-on for six. He also won the battle of the captains when he too two boundaries off Ganguly’s only over.With Kevin Pietersen at the other end, Sehwag took Daredevils halfway to their target by the time the time out was called after seven overs. When Pietersen was caught by Ryder for 27, Daredevils needed just 36 more to win. Ross Taylor got some much needed time at the crease and accompanied Sehwag for the last rites. Sehwag continued to pepper the boundary rope and won the match with a six over long-on to create some distance between Daredevils and their rivals at the top of the table.