All posts by csb10.top

Despite his side having to settle for a draw after dominating their championship match against Warwickshire, the Somerset coach Kevin Shine was in upbeat mood at the end of the day at the Taunton.Looking forward to the NUL game tomorrow against Warwickshire Bears he told me: “It’s quite simple we just have to win. Mathematically we could still stay up so we must get a result from the game tomorrow.”There will be two changes to the championship side that has faced Warwickshire over the last four days.Steffan Jones, who performed the twelfth man duties today comes in to replace Richard Johnson and Piran Holloway replaces Peter Bowler.

PERTH, Oct 21 AAP – England’s form batsman Michael Vaughan will sit out his team’s tour opener, but insists his knee injury will not stop him playing in the upcoming Ashes series starting next month.The Yorkshireman enjoyed a remarkable northern summer in which he registered four Test centuries including scores of 195 and 197 against India.But his right knee, which he had a minor operation on last month, has pulled up sore forcing him out of the match against an ACB Chairman’s XI at Lilac Hill tomorrow.His knee will be of an enormous concern for the England team as it already has some major injury worries in the 16-strong squad.But the 27-year-old said he hoped to be fit in time for the two-day match against Western Australia starting at the WACA ground on Thursday.Allrounder Andrew Flintoff and Darren Gough will also miss the Lilac Hill fixture as they try to recover from respective hernia and knee operations.But Vaughan will arguably be the tourists’ biggest concern as his partnership with Marcus Trescothick at the top of the order is seen as pivotal to England’s hopes of winning an Ashes series for the first time in 16 years.Vaughan has scored 1710 runs in 23 Tests and his average of 47.50 is easily the best in the England team.The only other batsman with an average of more than 40 is Trescothick.”A bit of dehydration from the flight and obviously a little bit of swelling (of the knee) but it has gone really well the past 48 hours,” Vaughan said today.The right-hander is one of the great unknowns for Australia as he missed the 2001 Ashes series also because of a knee injury.Vaughan has only played one match against Australia in a one-day encounter at Old Trafford last year but was bowled first ball by quick Jason Gillespie.”I have played one game so far and only lasted one ball, so things can only get better,” he said.And despite averaging an impressive 90 in six Tests over the northern summer he also conceded he was also dismissed first ball by Australian paceman Glenn McGrath in their only encounter in a county match.However the amiable Vaughan didn’t appear very concerned about his previous efforts against Australia’s pace attack.He said he and Trescothick would try to play in a positive fashion against McGrath who reached the 400 Test wicket mark in Sharjah today.Vaughan said the openers probably wouldn’t follow New Zealand’s tactic against Australia last summer of leaving anything slightly outside of off stump.”If it is there to leave you have got to leave it, but I think the positive approach is the best approach,” he said.”Marcus and I are the type of guys who go out looking to be positive.”But Glenn McGrath is going to have periods of play where he’s bowling very well and leaving the ball might be the best option.”But we’ll have to judge the wicket and the best way to play on the day.”The first Ashes Test starts on November 7 in Brisbane.Meanwhile the ACB Chairman’s XI made one change with West Australian batsman Chris Rogers replacing teammate Scott Meuleman who has a thigh injury.The England team is: Nasser Hussain (c), Mark Butcher, Andrew Caddick, John Crawley, Richard Dawson, Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, Simon Jones, Robert Key, Alec Stewart, Marcus Trescothick, James Foster.The ACB Chairman’s XI is: Michael Hussey (c), Ryan Campbell(v-c), Michael Clark, Kade Harvey, Brad Hogg, Chris Rogers, Matthew Nicholson, Marcus North, Callum Thorp, Paul Wilson, Kim Hughes, David Hookes, Wayne Clark.

You want action, forget the one-dayers, stick to Test cricket. The third day of the fourth Test saw Ajay Ratra become the first Indian stumper to score a ton overseas, India declare on 513/9 and West Indies respond with 187/3. Not before Anil Kumble, with a broken jaw and a return-ticket booked, took the field anddismissed Brian Lara. What a day!It all began with Ratra, increasingly under pressure for not making runs, watching in dismay as Laxman became the seventh Indian wicket to fall. After making 130 (244 balls, 14 fours) Laxman played back to a short ball from Merv Dillon and trod on his wicket. An unusual dismissal but one that West Indies would take on a flat wicket.Zaheer Khan (4) then hung around long enough to see Ratra reach three figures. It did not come easily, but when it did, the joy was unbridled. The whole Indian team stood on the balcony clapping and cheering as Ratra became the first Indian ‘keeper to score a Test century overseas. This is of course overlooking Vijay Manjrekar’s similar achievement, as he was not really aspecialist ‘keeper.The effort took India to a substantial total. And when the declaration came, after Javagal Srinath made 15 and was dismissed, Ratra was unbeaten on 115 (282 balls, 12 fours).In response to India’s healthy 513/9 declared, West Indies got off to a solid start. There was almost no movement off the wicket or in the air. Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra shared the new ball but could not trouble the batsmen.Zaheer Khan, with his extra pace and awkward angle, got a couple of deliveries to jump. This was not yet cause for concern, however, as Hinds and Gayle drove fluently through both the off and on-sides.The first real chance for the visitors came in the 24th over of the day. Gayle, moving across his stumps and flicking a full delivery that found Shiv Sunder Das at square-leg. The fielder reacted a touch late, however, and floored the catch.Fortunately for the Indians, Gayle did not make them pay for their mistake. Without adding another run to his tally of 32, he nicked Zaheer Khan through to the ‘keeper soon after.Sarwan replaced Gayle as the ball was beginning to lose its shine. India were prompted to bring Sourav Ganguly and Tendulkar into the attack and this helped the overs roll along. Tendulkar, in particular, infused some interest into the proceedings with leg-breaks and googlies that turned prodigiously. The wrong ‘uns in particular troubled the left-handed Hinds more than once.When Wavell Hinds brought up his half century with a spanking cover drive, the fans at Antigua were on their feet. After watching India bat for two days and a bit, there was finally some West Indian batting on display. And it was gorgeous clean hitting at that.That was until Tendulkar enticed a false shot from Hinds. A looping wrong’un seemed badly pitched, a shade outside the leg stump. Leaning forward and preparing to clout the ball to the fence, Hinds found the ball dipping on him, played down the wrong line and heard the death rattle. The ball spun back enough to clip the leg stump. Hinds’ well-made 65 (117 balls, 9 fours) had come to an end.Sarwan watched quietly from the non-striker’s end as the biggest roar of the day welcomed Lara out to the middle. Lara on a flat wicket… a run fest on the cards?Not much later, just after news came in that Kumble was flying back to India the next day for surgery, out walked the man himself. Heavily strapped up, with bands going around his jaw, over his head and across the back of it, a semi-mummified Kumble walked out to the middle.The ball was tossed to Kumble and a slider slipped past Lara’s outside edge off the very first ball. There was much speculation about the wisdom of such a move. Perhaps it was foolhardy to ask a man with a fractured jaw to bowl?All talk was put to an end, as is so often the case with Kumble, by one delivery. Tossed up, fizzing through, pitching on off and spinning in just a touch, Lara’s across the line swat was not good enough. The pad was struck, Kumble appealed as well as his plaster would allow and umpire David Shepherd confirmed that Lara (4) was plumb lbw.Hooper and Sarwan then went on to steady the ship. On a flat wicket, the last thing the West Indies needed was a flurry of wickets. And that almost happened.In the 64th over of the day, Kumble had Hooper caught at forward short-leg, only to see umpire Shepherd call a no-ball. Off the next ball, one thatbounced and turned, Hooper flashed hard to slip. Dravid got hishands to it but could not latch onto the chance.The rest of the day, thankfully, passed off uneventfully. Hooper chipped and drove his way to 26, Sarwan, the very picture of solidity and cool composure racked up 50.

The Somerset players left Taunton earlier this afternoon to drive to Scarborough where they play Yorkshire in the county championship tomorrow.After their drawn game against Surrey over the weekend there was a mood of confidence in the camp before they set off.Coach Kevin Shine told me: "The county championship table is wide open, apart from Surrey who seem to be running away with it at the top.At present there are only ten points between ourselves and Hampshire who are in third place, and they have a game in hand, so we will be looking to consolidate our position when we play Yorkshire."The coach continued: "We picked up decent points against Surrey over the weekend on a good wicket at Taunton. To win you have to play exciting cricket, and with our resources we have to plan carefully. Scarborough can be a funny wicket, and it will be very interesting to see what they do with it."He went on: "Last time they left a lot of grass on the wicket, so we will wait and see what they do this time. We have got a well balanced attack with Graham Rose, Steffan Jones and Matt Bulbeck, and Ian Blackwell and Keith Dutch."The coach concluded: "We are going up there with confidence and will perform as professionals."Jamie Cox , who will miss the championship match, but is expected to play in the NUL game on Sunday told me: "In short we need points to move ourselves up and away from the congestion in the table and into a better position."Matt Wood, who scored a hundred in each of his innings against Surrey at Taunton told me: "We need a good result up there, and I hope that my run of good form continues."Somerset bring veteran all rounder Graham Rose into replace the injured Simon Francis, and take the highly rated eighteen year old batsman Arul Suppiah as twelfth man.The full squad is: Matt Wood, Piran Holloway, Mike Burns, Peter Bowler, Keith Parsons, Ian Blackwell, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Graham Rose, Matt Bulbeck, Steffan Jones and twelfth man Arul Suppiah.

If there’s one thing that the England cricket system is capable of producing it is fast-medium swing bowlers who know how to make the most of conditions that suit them – and Yorkshireman Matthew Hoggard added himself to the list today.New Zealand-England contests are full of bowlers who have left their marks in such fashion like: Brian Statham, Geoff Arnold, Mike Hendrick, Chris Old, John Lever and more recently Darren Gough to name a few.Hoggard’s haul of seven for 63 to help skittle New Zealand for 147 in the first National Bank Test at Jade Stadium in Christchurch was the fifth best effort by England against New Zealand.Ahead of him were: Derek Underwood (7-32 in 1969), Tony Lock (7-35 in 1958), Phil Tufnell (7-47 in 1991/92) and Lock (7-51 in 1958).His was an impressive demonstration of stamina as he bowled unchanged for 20 overs, broken by stumps last night and lunch after an abbreviated first session in the morning. In that time he had five for 59.Having had Mark Richardson last evening, he added Matt Horne, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent and Nathan Astle before he was rested.Then after Andy Caddick took three wickets in five balls, Nasser Hussain hurried Hoggard back into the attack and he responded by taking Craig McMillan and Ian Butler to wrap up the innings and complete 21.1 overs.Hoggard said it was nice to bowl in helpful conditions, especially after toiling so hard in India.”It swings a little more and seems to seam a little more here,” he said.His first hour today was largely fruitless until he picked up Vettori’s wicket.”Daniel Vettori played really well, but we knew when we got the breakthrough we always had a chance of getting the next batsman quickly,” he said.And despite the long spell he had, he said, “It is surprising how tired you don’t get when you are taking wickets.”Like the New Zealand bowlers on the first day he did feel the slowness, and heaviness, of the outfield and he got some cramp towards the end of his spell.Captain Hussain had to take the ball off him to get him to have a break because as Hoggard said, he wasn’t going to give it up.”I have bowled as well before but not taken as many wickets. It is just one performance, I have a few more to put together on this tour.”I just want to step up and keep performing,” he said.

Sri Lanka will not often lose games when Muttiah Muralitharan takes five wickets for nine runs, but they did lose one such match against New Zealand at Sharjah on Tuesday.New Zealand started less than ideally, the in-form Nathan Astle being caught behind off Nuwan Zoysa’s first delivery. Chris Nevin, the other opener, brushed aside the setback and proceeded to cut and drive Chaminda Vaas with panache. Zoysa, far more impressive on the day, pulled things back by having Craig McMillan caught off a mistimed pull at long leg.Stephen Fleming started shakily but soon settled down, steering his side past those two initial hiccups and fabricating a stand with Nevin. But Sri Lanka, after the drinks break, brought a dual-pronged spin attack into play, and since one of those prongs was Muttiah Muralitharan, something was bound to snap.The batsmen started to look suspect against spin, pushing and prodding indecisively. Muralitharan feeds insatiably on such mindsets, and he had Fleming (34, 46b, 4×4) in his second over. Extracting his customary prodigious turn, Muralitharan completely foxed Fleming. The southpaw could not withdraw his bat in time and almost guided the ball to slip, ending a partnership of 55.In his next over, Murali induced a pull from Scott Styris, the ball turning enough to balloon into the air and then down the throat of Vaas on the mid-wicket fence. New Zealand were 92 for four, struggling to keep afloat.Nevin, who had played seam with calm elan, had appeared in obvious discomfort against Murali. He fell in an unfortunate manner, though. A bat-pad appeal was referred to the third umpire; the replay showed that the catch was cleanly taken, but that the ball had missed the bat. The third umpire, however, was required to rule only upon the legality of the catch, so Nevin (45, 5bb, 5×5) trudged back to the pavilion.More drama reared its head. In the 26th over, Sri Lanka appealed for a catch against Mathew Sinclair, and umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan acceded. But Sinclair stood his ground, indicating that the ball had hit his arm, whereupon Venkataraghavan called over the Sri Lankan skipper and reversed his decision – a phenomenon as common as hen’s teeth in cricket. Sanath Jayasuriya, to his credit, took the reversal sportingly.The overs between 30 and 40 tumbled past in a hurry, the spinners delivering the ball and striding quickly back to their mark. The batsmen found themselves unable to force the pace; 34 runs and one wicket came off those 10 overs, the wicket that of Matthew Sinclair (28, 55b), caught at short third man trying the reverse-sweep.A late charge came from Jacob Oram, who struck 46 (33b, 5×4, 2×6) and helped New Zealand past the 200-run mark to 218 for eight. For Sri Lanka, the undisputed star was one familiar to that role – Muralitharan, whose figures of 10-3-9-5 were, to put it mildly, fantastic.Sri Lanka lost Jayasuriya early to Daryl Tuffey, but Sangakkara and Marvan Atapattu played sensible cricket, rotating the strike and dispatching poor bowling for four. Atapattu in particular played with elegant fluidity, merely stroking the ball for it to reach the fence.Sangakkara’s dismissal thus came against the run of play. Having just hit Ian Butler for four, Sangakkara (23, 41b, 4×4) looked to pull a short ball on leg-stump. The timing, however, was off, and Tuffey took a simple catch at square leg.The runs continued to flow, steadily rather than spectacularly. Atapattu, who has played the sheet-anchor role for his side so many times, appeared to don the mantle again today. He survived a sharp chance at point, and Fleming not only grassed it but injured himself in the process. Barring that minor blip, Atapattu batted sedately, playing according to the need of the situation.Mahela Jayawardene (38, 51b, 4×4) was dismissed with the score on 125, caught at long-off in going for an expansive drive. The really big wicket, however, was that of Atapattu, the set batsman. Trying to go for an over-the-top shot in the 36th over, he only succeeded in spooning it for Ian Butler at mid-on to hold a fine catch.The required run-rate, at this stage, had crept past the six-per-over mark, and when Romesh Kaluwitharana and Russell Arnold entered the final 10-over stretch, they needed 7.2 runs per over. The pressure, unsurprisingly, got to the batsmen, and Kaluwitharana was the one to succumb, playing across the line to be leg-before-wicket to Astle.The 45th over saw both Upul Chandana and Vaas fall to Styris in trying to go for the big hit, and when Arnold (24, 44b, 2×4) was caught behind in the next over, Sri Lanka were staring down the barrel. Muralitharan holed out soon after, and Sri Lanka had 12 to get off the final over with just one wicket standing.It was the wicket that fell ultimately, giving New Zealand a slender 11-run win that looked improbable earlier in the day. Sri Lanka still top the points table after this win on the basis of Net Run Rate, and Pakistan are now under even more pressure to win their next outing in this Sharjah Cup.

A monster second-wicket partnership between Mark Richardson (97) and Craig Cumming, who ended unbeaten on 125, a tea declaration and three wickets in the last session left Otago in firm control of their Shell Trophy match against Northern Districts with one day to play.Otago declared at 238 for two, 83 runs ahead of Northern on the first innings. By the end of the day, the home side were 61 for three, still 22 in arrears and looking in danger of coming off worst in the points battle at the top of the table.The 220-run partnership for the second wicket was a beast of startling contrast. Cumming and Richardson spent the morning being most circumspect, 86 runs coming from the first 140 minutes’ play. The Northern bowlers were tight and the Otago pair were content to make use of whatever loose balls came their way. There were not many.What was served at lunch? It might have been two different batsmen on duty after the break, reflected in the 151 runs bludgeoned in the 130 minutes until the declaration at tea. Cumming showed particular preference for anything on his legs; Richardson’s innings was best expressed with the left-handers’ classic straight drive.The day certainly did not start like one that would produce two short of 300 runs. Another night of Hamilton dampness, this time heavy dew, ensured a delayed start. Otago resumed half an hour late under high overcast skies at one without loss in response to Northern’s 155. After the early departure of their captain, Matt Horne (1), Richardson and Cumming settled in for what appeared to be the long haul.With an industrious approach that made little room for adventure, they took the score through to 87 for one in the face of Northern bowling that was generally accurate, induced the occasional false shot but offered just enough for the Otago pair to suggest they were doing more than occupying the crease.They certainly did more than that after lunch – although inititally runs tended to come in bursts, eight off an over here, ten off another there, then a pause, then another burst, 12 here, 15 there. However, once past the Northern first innings score, they took to the bowlers. None was immune, the straight drive and the pull in particular doing the damage.New Northern medium pacer Simon Andrews gained particular experience of the split personality of the innings, his first five overs in first-class cricket going for just 11, the four in his second spell contributing 43 to the Otago cause. The rest of his colleagues were similarly dealt to, Simon Doull and Grant Bradburn picking up the only two wickets to fall.Northern’s progress during the final session was slow, just five boundaries, only one in the last hour. Michael Parlane went early, driving outside off and giving Duncan Drew his fourth catch in his first match behind the stumps. That seemed a signal that all Northern batsmen were vulnerable outside off. Certainly, that was where the Otago bowlers, Bradley Scott and Paul Wiseman excepted, bowled again and again and that was where the Northern batsmen ignored them – again and again.David Sewell was rewarded for one straight over, Drew getting his fifth catch of the innings to remove James Marshall (29), but the left-armer’s figures of one for five off 11 were very flattering. On the other hand, Scott’s catching Mark Bailey (23) in front was just recompense for bowling straight.Bailey’s wicket ended a 52-run partnership with Marshall, Northern’s highest of the match. They will need to improve that dismal record if they are to have any chance of coming out of this match with some profit. With Wiseman looking in demanding form, that prospect looks increasingly slim.

Peter Roebuck has been arrested on three charges of indecent assault.According to the BBC, the former Somerset cricket captain has been accused of inviting three teenage boys back to his Taunton home for private coaching before indecently assaulting them.Avon and Somerset police began their investigation after complaints by three 19-year-olds that they were assaulted, on separate occasions, between 1998 and 1999.Roebuck is the man widely credited with rebuilding the Somerset side after the debacle of the departures of Botham, Richards and Garner. He also captained an England XI in the Netherlands and is one of the most respected writers on the game.Roebuck was released on bail and will appear before Taunton Deane Magistrates on Thursday.

South Africa’s bowlers will have to make strident improvements ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide, according to vice-captain AB de Villiers. The visiting attack, talked about as the best in the world, managed just four wickets to Australia’s 14 on an unresponsive pitch in Brisbane and will be under close scrutiny in the second fixture.”The bowlers can get better and they know they can,” de Villiers said. “We had chances [at the Gabba] and we just didn’t take them. There were a lot of edges and 50-50 chances didn’t go our way.”He also admitted what the bowling coach Allan Donald had suggested during the match – that the usually clinical South African attack became complacent after they made early inroads. “When we had them 40 for 3 I thought there was an opportunity to run through them,” de Villiers said. “It is a bit of a worry, but you’re not always going to bowl out a team for 150 and 200. Sometimes you have to work hard for that.”While such a statement is hardly revolutionary, South Africa have become used to slicing through their opposition. Since playing Australia in November 2011, they have beaten Sri Lanka at home and New Zealand and England away. The current Australian batting line-up is arguably the best South Africa have faced over the last year.Against more stubborn batsmen though, a different approach is needed. In his column for ESPNcricinfo, Ian Chappell accused South Africa’s bowlers of lacking imagination and waiting for Australia to make mistakes. He argued it was a tactic that was unlikely to work against good sides, like the one led by Michael Clarke.Ed Cowan and Clarke put on a fourth-wicket stand of 259 runs before Michael Hussey and Clarke combined for 228 runs to give the attack their worst day at the office since Colombo 2006. Then, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were in the midst of compiling their 624-run record partnership.It did not get that bad in Brisbane but South Africa conceded more than four runs to the over and spent the entire fourth day without any of the bowlers taking a wicket. The only one to fall, Cowan, came through a run-out and de Villiers suggested a hard lesson had been learnt.”They sent a message that we have to work really hard to take wickets,” de Villiers said. “This attack of ours has performed on flat decks before. These are just two really world-class batting line-ups, and the bowlers are going to have to work really hard on what seem to be flat decks to take wickets.”The most recent example of that was at The Oval in July. South Africa took 20 wickets while England managed only two on a similarly batsmen-friendly surface. De Villiers believes that ability to repeat that remains and even peeped out at times in Brisbane.”We beat the bat a hell of a lot on the evening of the third day and the morning of the fourth,” he said. “It looks pretty but it’s not effective. For a really good attack to beat the bat that much and not take wickets is disappointing. But what can you do – we’re talking about millimetres.”Glaringly absent from the wickets column was Vernon Philander, whose run of 61 wickets in 11 Tests had to reach its end at some point. Philander is wicket-less in Australia so far. He did not claim any in the tour match at the SCG or in the first Test but de Villiers hoped he may just be waiting to pounce when it matters.”He’s not a concern,” de Villiers said. “His record speaks for itself. The games he was won for us in the past have been the big games, and we’re looking forward to the big game in Adelaide.”Philander is not solely to blame, though. The make-up of the attack also contributed to South Africa’s downfall. They went into the match with an all-pace battery of four seamers and were hopeful that JP Duminy’s part-time offspin would provide rest for the quicks.When Duminy was injured after the first day’s play, South Africa found themselves without a holding bowler. De Villiers, coach Gary Kirsten and assistant coach Russell Domingo all said they favoured the inclusion of a frontline spinner in a Test XI and de Villiers indicated the team will return to that strategy.”I wouldn’t say we made a mistake [in Brisbane] because I honestly don’t think the spinners played a big part,” he said. “I thought we made the right decision to play Rory [Kleinveldt]. It will be different here. We know it takes a bit of turn. It’s more like the traditional Test wicket where it’s a good wicket for a few days, then it starts turning a bit and then probably gets a bit up and down. I’m not going to pick the team now, but I’d say we will definitely go with a spinner.”That will mean changing the XI immediately, something South African sides of old were reluctant to do. They reached No.1 through consistent selection but may need to make adjustments to their XI as they look to stay there. De Villiers said they are willing to be critical of themselves, especially when they have underperformed.”We weren’t that happy with our performance which is always a good sign,” he said. “We are the No.1 team in the world, and for the No.1 team to say they can improve is a really good thing.”

Central Zone took firm control over the proceedings of the game as they reduced North Zone to 198 for 6 on the second day of their CK Nayudu Trophy semifinal encounter at the BOS Engineering Ground in Cuttack on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Central Zone in their first innings folded up at a score of 343.Resuming at the score of 284 for 5, Central Zone lost the overnight batsman S Raza Ali (87) with the addition of only two runs. Afroj Khan (69) then took the total past 300 with the help of the tailenders while realising his fifty. He was the eighth batsman to be dismissed with the score at 333. During the 199 minute stay at the crease, Afroj faced 154 balls and found the signboards on eight occasions and cleared it twice.In response, North Zone were given a good start with openers M Bisla (44) and G Geri (15) adding 32 runs in 6.2 overs. Geri was the first to be dismissed, bowled by CS Atram. Then Dhruv Mohan (52) joined Bisla and took the score to 78 when Bisla was caught by A Deshpande off Raza Ali. This brought TT Dilip (25) to the crease and with Mohan he took the score along to 120. Dilip was the next to be dismissed caught by Raza Ali off N Chowdhury.Sumit Sharma and Mohan then forged a 72 run fourth wicket stand. As North seemed to coast along, they lost three quick wickets. Mohan who held the innings together departed after a 205 minute stay at the centre, bowled by Atram. Mohan faced 138 balls for a well compiled half century, in which he hit eight fours. Sumit Sharma joined him in the pavilion soon after, caught by Deshpande off M Srivastava. New batsman Paras Dogra was then bowled by Atram to leave the visitors in a spot of bother at stumps. V Singh (6) and S Singh (0) were unbeaten at close of play. CS Atram so far has figures of 3 for 46.