CAPTAIN INNINGS FROM CLARK LEADS AUS TO VICTORY

Australia rode an unbeaten century from captain Michael Clarke to hand Pakistan an eight-wicket defeat and secure the five match one-day series with a match to spare.
Clarke scored a fluent 100 off 122 deliveries while Shane Watson supported him with 85 not out, the two helping Australia easily overhaul Pakistan's measly total of 197 all out, after they had batted first.
Doug Bollinger had wrecked Pakistan's line-up with an accurate spell which earned him five wickets for 35 runs in only his second one-dayer, but Shoaib Akhtar threatened to better that effort when he sent back both openers cheaply, reducing Australia to three for two.
But Clarke and Watson weathered the storm and lifted Australia out of a slump with an unbroken third-wicket stand worth 197 as Australia finished at 200 for two in 44.2 overs.
Shoaib dismissed Brad Haddin for a golden duck and ended debutant Marcus North's innings early by trapping him in front for one.
Shoaib should have had the wicket of Watson immediately thereafter, but his appeal for leg before was turned down by umpire Aleem Dar.
Sohail Tanvir, Akhtar's new ball partner, kept the pressure on with a maiden first up, but Clarke and Watson slowly wrested control.
Younus shuffled his bowlers around and even brought on Shahid Afridi inside the powerplay in an effort to break the partnership, but the Australian duo remained watchful and resolute.
Afridi's match ended at the start of the 36th over when he came on to bowl, but pulled up with a strained calf muscle even before he could deliver. He hobbled off the field, with three overs of his quota remaining.
Clarke brought up his fourth one-day century with a cracking cover drive off Shoaib, while Watson finished off the chase by sweeping Seed Ajmal for a boundary.
Earlier Afridi made a run-a-ball 40 and opener Ahmed Shehzad top scored with a patient 43, but Pakistan's innings stuttered and stumbled and eventually ended in 48.4 overs.
Bollinger, who was handed the new ball, secured his first one-day international wicket when he dismissed the dangerous Salman Butt (two) off just the third delivery of the innings.
Then Younus, who got off the mark with an inside-edged boundary that narrowly missed leg stump, made seven before he was accounted for by Nathan Bracken, the left-arm seamer pegging back leg stump via an inside edge.
Bracken should have had the wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq with his next ball, the Pakistan vice-captain edging to Haddin, but umpire Dar ruled not out.
Misbah struggled against the spinners and looked scratchy right through, but he rode his luck and added 68 for the third wicket with Shehzad.
Misbah's laboured innings finally ended on 34 when he attempted to sweep Clarke, missed the ball completely and was trapped plumb in front.
Pakistan then lost wickets in quick succession as Shehzad holed out to long-on.
Shoaib Malik (27), who had shown positive intent, was trapped in front by Bollinger, the left-arm quick's second wicket and Kamran Akmal managed just one run before he was bowled by Stuart Clark.
Afridi, in typically brisk fashion, knocked the bowlers around, all the while getting Pakistan closer to the 200-run mark.
He had hammered Clark for a couple boundaries in the seamer's sixth over, but mistimed a pull while attempting to force the pace in the batting powerplay and presented Bollinger with his third wicket.
Yasir Arafat chipped in with a useful, unbeaten 23, but Bollinger ran through the tail, claiming the wickets of Shoaib and Saeed Ajmal in his eighth over as Pakistan's innings ended prematurely.
The fifth match of the series is on Sunday.

RAJASTHAN SNATCHED A VICTORY FROM DECCAN CHARGERS IN THE THRILLER

It was a battle within a battle - a battle of two captains. Both members of an all-conquering Australian team, both legitimate contenders for an all-time eleven, both retired now but leading their respective teams in the IPL. Most importantly perhaps, both known to respect the other's skill, but not best friends off the field. They would both be going in with extra determination in this contest, irrespective of the state of the tournament or the points table. As it happened, this was an important match in any case. Rajasthan had to win to not fall back and make it that much harder to reach the semis, while Hyderabad had to win to get back the winning momentum after the loss to Delhi. Rajasthan were without new find Kamran Khan who had injured himself in the previous match against Chennai. On a pitch that looked deceptively full of runs, Gilchrist won the toss and chose to bat. Warne unveiled yet another tactic when he not only opened the bowling with Yusuf Pathan, but kept him on for his entire quota of four overs. Yusuf returned with impressive figures of 4-0-19-1, scalping Herschelle Gibbs. Gilchrist started with a flurry of shots, but got tied down by Shane Harwood and Ravindu Jadeja, eventually falling to the latter after scoring 39 (35 balls). The Rajasthan bowlers had kept things under control with some good bowling, and never allowed the Hyderabad batsmen to get away. Shane Harwood and Siddharth Trivedi bowled a clever mix of slower balls and yorkers to deny scoring opportunities to the batsmen. Rohit Sharma and T Suman made useful contributions of 38 (32 balls) and 41 not out (30 balls), which took Hyderabad to 141 for 5. For Rajasthan, debutant Shane Harwood bowled well to return with figures of 4-0-25-2. Rajasthan's run chase started off in the most disastrous fashion possible. After being nearly run out first ball, Graeme Smith slashed the second one straight down the throat of third man. Swapnil Asnodkar was run out next ball and Rajasthan were 1 for 2 in the first over. The next over saw them slide to 3 for 3, when Naman Ojha cut the ball straight to Gibbs at short point, and Rajasthan were digging a hole that would be difficult to get out off. They lost two more wickets before the halfway mark and were 60 for 5 at the strategy break with Warne and Abhishek Raut at the crease, and Yusuf still to come. The break seemed to have revitalised Rajasthan, with Warne and Raut stepping up a gear, until Warne fell trying to clear the boundary once too often. With the equation reading 49 runs to get from 35 balls, Rajasthan had the perfect man to walk out to the middle in Yusuf Pathan. He came, he saw, and he left just before he had fully conquered. But he had ensured that the task was made easy by hitting 24 off 14 balls, and leaving just 11 to get off the final two overs for Rajasthan. It wasn't made easy though, with West Indians Dwayne Smith and Fidel Edwards bowling exceptionally well, and Hyderabad might even have sneaked a win, had it not been for their fielding lapses - a misfield went for four and two fairly easy run-out opportunities were missed - and Rajasthan won through with 2 balls and 3 wickets standing. Youngster Abhishek Raut played a gem of an innings of 36 not out off 23 balls, and Rajasthan served notice that it cannot be taken lightly in spite of some initial setbacks.

Turning Point of the Match:

The 18th over of the Hyderabad innings which Siddharth Trivedi bowled to T Suman and Dwayne Smith. With Suman scoring at a strike rate of nearly 150 and Smith renowned for his big-hitting, Trivedi conceded just 4 runs. Had the Chargers got 10 more - which they would have expected to get at that stage - the result could well have been different.

Man of the Match:

Yusuf Pathan, whose contributions with both bat and ball were game-changing. He stifled the strong Hyderabad top order with his bowling and hit crucial blows while batting to turn the match his team's way.

JAKATI'S SPIN MAGIC TAKES CHENNAI TO VICTORY

Delhi and Chennai were ready for another face-off. This time it was Johannesburg, hosting its first IPL match. Gautham Gambhir came out for the toss replacing Sehwag as the captain. Sehwag was ruled out of the game due to a finger injury. Gambhir won the toss and he elected to bowl first. There were two changes in the Delhi team - Rajat Bhatia came in for the injured Sehwag and David Warner replaced Daniel Vettori. The out-of-form Parthiv Patel made way for Murali Vijay in the Chennai team.
Chennai started off with Hayden and Murali Vijay as the openers. Hayden got off the mark with a boundary in the first over. The pair got going with some good strokes off the bat. Murali Karthik could not make use of the start as he was dismissed by Nehra. Attempting a pull, he top edged the ball and was caught by Bhatia. The dangerous Hayden was the next man to go, holing out to de Villiers at long-on. Sangwan picked up his first wicket with Hayden's dismissal.
Chennai's hero Suresh Raina, walked in to the crease and started off in a quick fashion. Being in good touch, Raina was dealing in boundaries and sixers. Badrinath on the other hand was slow to start off with. The Chennai team went into the break at 77/2.
Post break, Badrinath started to break loose. He took the attack to Dilshan and Sangwan scoring three fours and two sixers. Delhi got a big break-through when Raina got out trying to go for a big one. Coming down the wicket, Raina tried to hit a Bhatia delivery over mid wicket but could only find Dilshan latch on to the catch. Raina got out after scoring 32 runs. Bhatia got his second wicket when he dismissed Badrinath. Walking across the stumps, Badrinath tried to play the ball to fine leg but missed it completely and was bowled. Badrinath scored 45 runs off 34 balls. At this stage Chennai were 103/4 after 15 overs.
More success was in store for Delhi when the South African all-rounder Albie Morkel was dismissed by Nehra. Trying to go for quick runs towards the end Jacob Oram and MS Dhoni got out in quick succession to Nannes. Balaji was the next man to go giving Nehra his third wicket. Jakati, after hitting Nannes for two consecutive fours, got out to Nannes. Delhi got their 10th wicket after Muralitharan was run-out. Chennai ended their innings at 163. Nehra and Nannes finished with identical bowling figures - 3/27.
Delhi started the chase steadily with the aggressive Warner and the dependable Gambhir at the crease. Sudeep Tyagi's inclusion proved to be the right move when he dismissed Gambhir and de Villiers off back-to-back deliveries. While Gambhir got out to a brilliant catch by Raina, de Villiers was out bowled to a good delivery. After the early jolt, the Australian dasher Warner broke loose. Morkel was at the receiving end, being smashed for three consecutive boundaries. Delhi had another setback when the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by Jakati. An outstanding delivery beat the defences of the batsmen and went on to hit the stumps. Delhi went into the strategy break at 72/3 requiring 92 more runs to win off 60 balls.
Karthik and Warner continued the chase after the break. Karthik came out in an aggressive frame of mind, taking the attack to the bowlers. Warner gave him good support as the pair dealt in fours and sixers. Together they piled on runs at a quick rate. Warner reached his fifty during the process. However, the partnership of 74 runs came to an end when Warner was out stumped off Jakati's bowling. Warner left for the dugout after scoring 51 runs off 40 balls with 5 fours and a six.
Mithun Manhas was the next man in. However he did not stay long as he was bowled to a tossed up delivery by Muralitharan. At this stage, Delhi required 36 runs off 3 overs. Karthik was going strong at the other end and he reached his fifty with a boundary off Jakati. However, the bowler had the last laugh when he dismissed Karthik, thanks to a good catch by Muralitharan. Jakati's good run continued as he got the wicket of Sangwan. Jakati finished off his quota of overs with figures of 4/24. Morkel bowled the 19th over and he picked by his first wicket by dismissing Bhatia. Despite a six and a four in the final over by Mishra, Delhi fell 18 runs short of their target.
The efforts of Badrinath with the bat and Jakati with the ball helped Chennai to settle scores with Delhi.


Interesting facts:
Dirk Nannes picked up 3/27 - his best figures of the tournament. He now has a total of six wickets.
AB de Villiers was bowled first ball, becoming the 20th batsman to be dismissed for a golden duck.
Shadab Jakati picked up 4/24 - his best figures and only the sixth 4-wicket haul of IPL 2009.
David warner registered his maiden fifty on his IPL debut.
Dinesh Karthik scored his first fity of IPL 2009.

AUSTRALIA BEATS PAKISTAN IN THE THIRD ODI

Michael Clarke starred with bat and ball as Australia won a low-scoring third one-day international against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi by 27 runs.
Clarke, leading his country in the five-match series as regular captain Ricky Ponting is being rested, hit 66 as Australia posted a score of 198-7 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Pakistan looked well on course to overhaul their modest target while opening pair Salman Butt and Ahmed Shehzad shared a stand of 95 in 22 overs.
But the dismissal of Butt (48), caught at slip by Clarke off Nathan Hauritz's bowling, prompted a spectacular collapse as Pakistan subsided to 171 all out in 47.1 overs.
Off-spinner Hauritz (2-25) took his second wicket in as many balls as Younus Khan was surprised by some extra bounce and lobbed a catch to midwicket for a golden duck.
Clarke (3-15) then took centre stage with his part-time left-arm spin, removing Shehzad (40), Misbah-ul-Haq (9) and Shahid Afridi (6) to reduce Pakistan to 123-5.
And although Shoaib Malik resisted bravely until being run out for 30, Australia's seamers ran through the tail to complete the turnaround.
Earlier, Australia also struggled against the slow bowlers as they crawled along at a scoring rate of less than four runs an over.
After being reduced to 91-4 at the mid-point of the innings, Clarke and Calum Ferguson produced a crucial fifth-wicket alliance of 53.
Clarke completed to his 35th one-day international half-century before being caught and bowled by leg-spinner Afridi (2-31) for 66 off 93 balls, including eight boundaries.
Ferguson followed for 41, one of Umar Gul's (3-38) three victims, before a late flurry from Hauritz (18no) saw Australia finish just shy of the 200 mark.
Australia are now 2-1 up and can clinch the series with victory in the fourth one-day international on Friday, also in Abu Dhabi.

Ian Botham (1976-1992)

Born 24 November 1955 at Oldfield, Heswall, Cheshire, England
Ian Botham was England’s greatest match-winning all-rounder. This was highlighted by his legendary performances in the 1981 Ashes series. He helped England to improbable wins at Leeds with a blistering century in a follow-on innings and finished the Test at Birmingham with a spell of five wickets for one run.
He then added another quick hundred at Manchester and took ten wickets in the final Test at The Oval to inspire a 3-1 series win. In all, he scored a century and took five wickets in an innings in the same Test on no fewer than five occasions. He was for a while the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket and was also a superb slip fielder. A larger than life character he briefly played league football for Scunthorpe United and became well known for charity walks. He was knighted in 2007.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 102 5200 208 33.54 14 120 383 28.40 8-34 27
ODIs 116 2113 79 23.21 0 36 145 28.54 4-31 0

Geoff Boycott (1964-1982)

Born 21 October 1940 at Fitzwilliam, Yorkshire, England
One of cricket’s great technicians, Geoff Boycott reached the summit of Test run-making during England’s tour to India in 1981/82, passing the record held by Garry Sobers at the time. He was a very determined opening batsman who never gave his wicket away. He was sometimes criticized, and once dropped, for scoring too slowly. He memorably scored his 100th first-class century at his home ground in Leeds during a Test against Australia in 1977.
He captained England in four Tests on the 1977/78 tour to Pakistan and New Zealand. A fiercely proud Yorkshireman, he played well into his forties and made 151 first-class centuries in all as well as becoming the first player to average over 100 in an English season twice. He became a well-known commentator constantly expressing his forthright views. In 2002 he won a tough battle against throat cancer.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 108 8114 246* 47.72 22 33 7 54.57 3-47 0
ODIs 36 1082 105 36.06 1 5 5 21.00 2-14 0

Don Bradman (1928-1948)

Born 27 August 1908 at Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia Died 25 February 2001 at Kensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Don Bradman was simply the greatest run machine the game has known. A relatively short man, he was relentless in his pursuit of high scores. He made 12 Test double-centuries and went over 300 twice. He held the record highest score both for Tests (334) and first-class cricket (452*). His 29 Test centuries stood as the world record for many years, and he is the only man to score 100 first-class centuries without appearing in county cricket.
It is unlikely that anyone will approach his Test batting average of 99.94. Famously, he was dismissed for a duck by Eric Hollies in his final Test innings at The Oval in 1948 when he needed just four to maintain his career average over 100. He was a shrewd captain and involved for many years in cricket administration. He was knighted soon after retiring from playing.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 52 6996 334 99.94 29 32 2 36.00 1-8 0

Ian Chappell (1964-1980)

Born 26 September 1943 at Unley, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
A highly determined competitor, Ian Chappell was one of Australia’s most notable captains. As a middle-order batsman he was known more for his grit than his elegance and was a particularly good hooker of the ball. He captained the team in 30 Tests between 1971 and 1975.
In a Test match against New Zealand at Wellington in 1974 he and his brother Greg remarkably both scored two centuries in the match. A man who did not always see eye-to-eye with the administrators of the day, he was an influential figure in World Series cricket. He was also a fine slip fielder and useful leg-spin bowler. He spent many years as a knowledgeable and outspoken TV commentator.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 75 5345 196 42.42 14 105 20 65.80 2-21 0
ODIs 16 673 86 48.07 0 5 2 11.50 2-14 0

Greg Chappell (1970-1984)

Born 7 August 1948 at Unley, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
A member of one of Australia’s most notable cricket-playing families, Greg Chappell was a graceful right-handed batsman and useful medium-pacer. The grandson of Test cricketer Vic Richardson, he followed his brother Ian into the Australian Test team. Another brother Trevor also played for Australia. Shortly before retiring he passed Don Bradman’s record to become the leading run-scorer in Tests for Australia.
He became Australia’s captain in 1975/76, replacing his brother, and captained the team in 48 Tests until 1983 except for a two-year break when he as involved with Kerry Packer’s World Series. He was also one of the best slip fielders the game has known, being the first man to hold seven catches in a Test match and on retirement he held the world record for most catches by a fielder in Tests with 122.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 87 7110 247* 53.86 24 122 47 40.70 5-61 1
ODIs 74 2331 138* 40.18 3 23 72 29.12 5-15 2

Denis Compton (1937-1957)

Born 23 May 1918 at Hendon, Middlesex, England Died 23 April 1997 at Windsor, Berkshire, England
Denis Compton was an attractive batsman, particularly famous for his sweep shot. He was also a great character, well known for his Brylcream advertisements, who captured the imagination of a legion of English cricket supporters. He formed a great partnership with Bill Edrich for Middlesex and England and in 1947 he set records for most runs (3 816) and most centuries in a first-class season (18).
He scored the fastest triple-century in first-class cricket in just 180 minutes playing for MCC against North-Eastern Transvaal at Benoni in 1949. He also had some success with his left-arm wrist-spin bowling taking over 600 first-class wickets. A talented sportsman, he played soccer for Arsenal and appeared in wartime matches for England. His brother Leslie also played soccer for Arsenal and England and cricket for Middlesex for many years.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 78 5807 278 50.06 17 49 25 56.40 5-70 1

Colin Cowdrey (1954-1975)

Born 24 December 1932 at Bangalore, Karnataka, India Died 4 December 2000 at Angmering Park, Littlehampton, Sussex, England
A stylish middle-order player, Colin Cowdrey was particularly well known for his cover-drive. He was the first player to appear in 100 Tests and passed Wally Hammond to become Test cricket’s leading run-scorer. He also passed Hammond’s record for most catches in Test cricket and captained England in 27 Tests.
In 1963 he came into bat in the final over of a Test against West Indies at Lord’s with his arm in plaster, although he did not have to face a ball as the game ended in a draw. At the age of 42 he was recalled to the England squad in 1974/75 to face the rampant Australian fast bowling attack of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. He became President of the MCC and Chairman of the ICC and was knighted for his services to the game in 1992 and made a life peer in 1997.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 114 7624 182 44.06 22 120 0 - - 0
ODIs 1 1 1 1.00 0 0 0 - - 0

Kapil Dev (1978-1994)

Born 6 January 1959 at Chandigarh, Punjab, India
Kapil Dev was a swashbuckling all-rounder. He was the first genuinely successful fast bowler produced by India and went on to become the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket. He was particularly skillful in his use of swing. His best bowling of 9-83 came against West Indies at Ahmedabad in 1983, the first captain to take nine wickets in a Test innings.
With the bat he was a natural striker of the ball who scored his runs quickly, once saving the follow-on in a Test match at Lord’s by hitting four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings with number 11 at the other end. As captain he led India to a surprise win in the 1983 World Cup. During that World Cup he played his most famous innings, rescuing India from 17-5 against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells with 175*. In all, he captained the team in 34 Tests and 74 ODIs.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 131 5248 163 31.05 8 64 434 29.64 9-83 23

ODIs 225 3783 175* 23.79 1 71 253 27.45 5-43 1

Sunil Gavaskar (1971-1987)

Born 10 July 1949 at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
One of the game’s great opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar was the first player to reach 10 000 Test runs and held the world record for most centuries for many years. A short man with an excellent technique, he made an immediate impact on Test cricket when he scored 774 runs at an average of 154.80 in his first series against West Indies in 1971.
He was the first player to score two centuries in a Test match on three separate occasions. He was the first Indian fielder to take 100 Test catches and he captained India in a then record 47 Tests and also 37 ODIs. In retirement he served as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee as well as being a TV commentator.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 125 10122 236 * 51.12 34 108 1 206.00 1-34 0
ODIs 108 3092 103 * 35.13 1 22 1 25.00 1-10 0

Lance Gibbs (1958-1976)

Born 29 September 1934 at Queenstown, Georgetown, Demerara, Guyana
Lance Gibbs was a tall off-spinner who became Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker when he passed Fred Trueman in 1976. He was the first spinner to hold this record. He had an unorthodox action but could get the ball to drift away from the right-hander and used spin and bounce to great effect.
He could bowl very long spells and was extremely economical conceding less than two runs per over in his Test career. His best Test bowling figures were 8-38 against India at Bridgetown in 1962 which included a remarkable spell of 8-6 in 15.3 overs with 14 maidens. He played county cricket for Warwickshire between 1968 and 1973, taking 131 wickets at an average of 18.89 in 1971. He was a cousin of West Indies great Clive Lloyd.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 79 488 25 6.97 0 52 309 29.09 8-38 18

ODIs 3 0 0 * - 0 0 2 29.50 1-12 0

Graham Gooch (1975-1995)

Born 23 July 1953 at Whipps Cross, Leytonstone, Essex, England
Graham Gooch was a prolific opening batsman for England. A big hard-hitting batsman he played for England for 20 years, and captained them in 34 Tests and 50 ODIs. He retired as England’s leading run-scorer in Tests. He was also a useful medium-pace bowler and fine fielder. In a Test against India at Lord’s in 1990 he scored 333 and 123 becoming the first player to score a triple-century and a century in the same first-class match.
His finest Test innings came when he carried his bat to score 154* out of 252 and lead England to a rare victory over West Indies at Leeds in 1991. He played county cricket for Essex for many years and scored over 44 000 first-class and 22 000 limited overs runs in total including 128 first-class centuries.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 118 8900 333 42.58 20 103 23 46.47 3-39 0
ODIs 125 4290 142 36.98 8 45 36 42.11 3-19 0

David Gower (1978-1992)

Born 1 April 1957 at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
An elegant and entertaining left-hander, David Gower looked the part of a quality international batsman from the moment he pulled the first ball he faced in Test cricket for four against Pakistan at Birmingham in 1978. In 1985 he led England to a 3-1 Ashes series win over Australia. In that series he scored a career best 215 at Birmingham, one of his two Test double-centuries.
He went on to pass Geoffrey Boycott’s 8 114 runs to become England’s leading run-scorer in Tests. In all, he captained his country in 32 Tests and 24 ODIs. He was also a fine cover fielder in his youth and went on to become a well-known TV commentator after retiring from playing.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 117 8231 215 44.25 18 74 1 20.00 1-1 0
ODIs 114 3170 158 30.77 7 44 0 - - 0

WG Grace (1880-1899)

Born 18 July 1848 at Downend, Bristol, England Died 23 October 1915 at Mottingham, Kent, England
WG (William Gilbert) Grace was the father of modern cricket. Tall, strong and famously bearded his play was far advanced from those of his contemporaries. He compiled the first two triple-centuries in first-class cricket and was the first man to score 100 first-class centuries. His Test cricket was limited as he played in an era in which there was little international cricket, but he made his mark with 152 on debut against Australia at The Oval in 1880.
He played first-class cricket for 43 years from 1865 to 1908, scoring over 54 000 runs and taking over 2 800 wickets with his round-arm mostly slow medium-pace bowling. He was a medical doctor by profession and almost certainly the highest paid ‘amateur’ sportsman of all-time. He came from a great cricketing family and his brothers EM and Fred both played for Gloucestershire for many years as well as appearing in Test cricket.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 22 1098 170 32.29 2 39 9 26.22 2-12 0

Tom Graveney (1951-1969)

Born 16 June 1927 at Riding Mill, Northumberland, England
Tom Graveney was a graceful middle-order, and occasional opening, batsman who was a pleasure to watch. His execution of front-foot shots was particularly attractive. He was also a reliable slip fielder and occasional leg-spin bowler. Against West Indies at Nottingham in 1957 he scored 258, which was his highest Test score.
He captained England in one Test against Australia in 1968 when Colin Cowdrey was unavailable. He played over 700 first-class matches mostly for Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, scoring over 47 000 runs with 122 centuries. He was President of the MCC in 2005. His brother Ken and nephew David both played many years of first-class cricket.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 79 4882 258 44.38 11 80 1 167.00 1-34 0

Gordon Greenidge (1974-1991)

Born 1 May 1951 at Black Bess, St Peter, Barbados
Gordon Greenidge was a destructive opening batsman. On Test debut he scored 93 and 107 against India at Bangalore in 1974. At Lord’s in 1984 he led West Indies to a memorable nine wicket victory smashing 214* when West Indies were set 342 in less than a day to win. In ODIs his average of over 45 is one of the highest in the world.
With Desmond Haynes he formed one of the most successful opening pairs. Together they made 16 first wicket century partnerships in Tests and 15 in ODIs, both establishing world records. He also opened with Barry Richards for Hampshire for many years. He did some coaching after retirement, and performed this role for Bangladesh at the 1999 World Cup.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 108 7558 226 44.72 19 96 0 - - 0
ODIs 128 5134 133* 45.03 11 45 1 45.00 1-21 0

Richard Hadlee (1972-1990)

Born 3 July 1951 at St Albans, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Richard Hadlee was New Zealand’s best all-rounder. One of the finest exponents of fast-medium bowling the game has seen he became Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker. He became particularly successful when he shortened his run-up and concentrated on impeccable control. His Test wickets came at a rate of more than five per Test.
His best bowling was in the Test against Australia at Brisbane in 1985 when he took 15-123 in the match including 9-52 in the first innings. He was also a hard-hitting batsman and one of the few men to complete the double of 3 000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. Playing for Nottinghamshire in 1984 he completed a carefully planned and well executed double of 1 000 runs and 100 wickets in the first-class season. He was knighted shortly before his final Test match in 1990.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 86 3124 151* 27.16 2 39 431 22.29 9-52 36

ODIs 115 1751 79 21.61 0 27 158 21.56 5-25 5

Wally Hammond (1927-1947)

Born 19 June 1903 at Buckland, Dover, Kent, England Died 1 July 1965 at Kloof, Natal, South Africa
Wally Hammond was one of the greatest batsmen the game has seen, in addition to being a fine medium-fast bowler and great slip fielder. His batting style was powerful and authoritative. He set a world record for the highest score in Test cricket when he made 336* against New Zealand at Auckland in 1933, an innings that included a then record 10 sixes.
His finest Test innings was probably the 240 he made against Australia at Lord’s in 1938. In the 1928/29 series against Australia he scored 905 runs at an average of 113.12 in five Tests. He captained England in 20 of his Tests. His final Test aggregates for both runs and catches set world records. His bowling was useful and nippy and he took over 700 first-class wickets. In all first-class cricket he took scored over 50 000 runs and took 800 catches.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 85 7249 336* 58.45 22 110 83 37.80 5-36 2

Neil Harvey (1948-1963)

Born 8 October 1928 at Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Neil Harvey was an attractive left-hander who made his Test debut at the age of 19. A short man he was particularly good at the cut and hook. His footwork against spinners was excellent He was a superb fielder especially in the covers. His fielding skills were developed from playing as a baseball infielder.
He bowled occasional off-spin. In the 1952/53 series against South Africa he scored 834 runs at an average of 92.66 in the five Tests including a career best of 205 at Melbourne. He captained Australia once in 1961 when Richie Benaud was injured. He was an Australian selector between 1967 and 1979.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 79 6149 205 48.41 21 64 3 40.00 1-8 0

George Headley (1930-1954)

Born 30 May 1909 at Colon, Panama Died 30 November 1983 at Meadowbridge, Kingston, Jamaica
One of the very few players to have a batting average over 60 in Test cricket, George Headley was the first great West Indies batsman. He was born in Panama but moved to Jamaica at the age of 10. He was a short man who was a master of back-foot strokes particularly the cut and played the ball very late. His first Test series was against England in 1930 and he scored 703 runs at an average of 87.87 in four matches including four centuries. His highest Test score of 270* came against England at Kingston in 1935. In first-class cricket he had a batting average of 69.86 with a best of 344* for Jamaica against Lord Tennyson’s XI at Kingston in 1932. His son Ron (West Indies) and grandson Dean (England) both played Test cricket, making the family the first to have three generations of international cricketers.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 22 2190 270* 60.83 10 14 0 - - 0

Rohan Kanhai (1957-1975)

Born 26 December 1935 at Port Mourant, Berbice, Guyana
Rohan Kanhai was a flamboyant stroke-maker with a penchant for the unorthodox. His ‘falling over’ hook shot was the most famous example of this. His best Test score of 256 came against India at Calcutta in 1958/59. He played county cricket with much success for Warwickshire from 1968 to 1977.
He set a then world record for the 2nd wicket in first-class cricket of 465* with John Jameson for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire at Birmingham in 1974. He also appeared in domestic first-class cricket in Australia and South Africa. In his early career he was a part-time wicket-keeper. He captained West Indies 13 times in Tests. He was West Indies coach between 1992 and 1995.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 79 6227 256 47.53 15 50 0 - - 0

ODIs 7 164 55 54.66 0 4 0 - - 0

Michael Holding (1975-1987)

Born 16 February 1954 at Half Way Tree, Kingston, Jamaica
Michael Holding was one of the great West Indian fast bowlers of the 1970s and 1980s. Known as ‘Whispering Death’ because of light-footed run-up, he generated great speed and bounce. He was at the peak of his powers in the Test against England at The Oval in 1976 when he took 14-149 in the match, including 8-92 in the first innings.
The 14 wickets included nine bowled and three lbws. He bowled what is regarded as one of the great overs in Test to Geoff Boycott at Bridgetown in 1981. Each ball got progressively faster until the sixth ball clean bowled him. Although a moderate batsman he did score six Test fifties. He became a TV commentator in retirement.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 60 910 73 13.78 0 22 249 23.68 8-92 13
ODIs 102 282 64 9.09 0 30 142 21.36 5-26 1

Len Hutton (1937-1955)

Born 23 June 1916 at Fulneck, Pudsey, Yorkshire, England Died 6 September 1990 at Norbiton, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
Len Hutton was one of the finest opening batsmen the game has seen. He possessed great powers of concentration and tended on the side of caution, but could play wonderful attacking cricket when the mood took him or the situation demanded it. He broke his left-arm in a gymnasium accident and it was left two inches shorter than his right-arm after the operation. At The Oval in 1938 he set a world Test record when he made 364 against Australia.
In 1952 he became the first professional to captain England and led them to an Ashes triumph in 1953. With Cyril Washbrook he set a then world record of 359 for the first wicket against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1948. In all, he captained England in 23 Tests. He bowled occasional leg-spin. He was knighted in 1956. His son Richard played Test cricket for England.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 79 6971 364 56.67 19 57 3 77.33 1-2 0

Imran Khan (1971-1992)

Born 25 November 1952 at Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Imran Khan was an inspirational all-rounder for Pakistan for over 20 years. When free of injury he was capable of bowling genuinely quickly and he was a clean hitter with the bat. He was the first Pakistani to take 300 Test wickets and the third man overall to complete the double of 3 000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. His most impressive series as a bowler was in 1982/83 when he took 40 wickets at an average of 13.95 in six Tests in a high-scoring series against India at home. He captained Pakistan in 48 Tests and 139 ODIs (both records for Pakistan). The highlight of his captaincy was leading his team to victory in the 1992 World Cup. He founded a cancer hospital in Lahore and entered politics in 1996.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 88 3807 136 37.69 6 28 362 22.81 8-58 23
ODIs 175 3709 102* 33.41 1 36 182 26.61 6-14 1

Alan Knott (1967-1981)

Born 9 April 1946 at Belvedere, Kent, England
Alan Knott was a fine wicket-keeper/batsman for England. He passed Godfrey Evans world record 219 Test dismissals in 1976 and went on to become the first wicket-keeper to take 250 Test dismissals. He had an almost obsessive dedication to exercise and diet. As a batsman he was a highly effective lower middle-order player who employed at times quirky stroke-play.
He was best known for his sweep and cut shots. He was at his best in a crisis and shared a number of important partnerships with Tony Greig. His best Test score of 135 was against Australia at Nottingham in 1977. England were 82-5 when he arrived at the crease. In first-class cricket he scored over 18 000 runs with 17 centuries and took over 1 300 dismissals.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct St
Tests 95 4389 135 32.75 5 250 19
ODIs 20 200 50 20.00 0 15 1

Jim Laker (1948-1959)

Born 9 February 1922 at Frizinghall, Bradford, Yorkshire, England Died 23 April 1986 at Putney, London, England
Jim Laker was an off-spinner who generated great turn and bowled with relentless accuracy. He was most famous for his extraordinary world record match figures of 19-90 (9-37 and 10-53) in the Test against Australia at Manchester in 1956. Tony Lock took the other wicket in the match. Laker and left-arm spinner Lock formed one of the best spin-bowling combinations in English cricket history. They played for years together for both England and a highly successful Surrey team. In that 1956 series he took 46 wickets at an average of 9.60. In all first-class cricket he took nearly 2 000 wickets. He was also a useful lower-order batsman who scored two first-class centuries and became a popular TV commentator.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 46 676 63 14.08 0 12 193 21.24 10-53 9

Harold Larwood (1926-1933)

Born 14 November 1904 at Nuncargate, Nottinghamshire, England Died 22 July 1995 at Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Harold Larwood was one of the fastest bowlers of all-time, despite being of average height. He was best known for his role in implementing the ‘Bodyline’ approach adopted by his England captain Douglas Jardine in an attempt to combat Sir Don Bradman on the 1932/33 tour of Australia. He had his finest Test series on that tour, taking 33 wickets at 19.51 but never played in another Test. He was a capable hard-hitting lower-order batsman who scored 98 as night-watchman at Sydney in 1933. Ironically, considering the animosity that the ‘Bodyline’ series generated, he spent most of his later life living in Australia where he died.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 21 485 98 19.40 0 15 78 28.35 6-32 4

Dennis Lillee (1971-1984)

Born 18 July 1949 at Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Dennis Lillee had a classical fast bowling action and became the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket. He bowled with much hostility and unrelenting determination. It was this determination that enabled him to recover from serious stress fractures that he suffered early in his career. He and Jeff Thomson were one of the most feared opening bowling combinations of all-time.
He reserved his best performances for Ashes series and took 167 Test wickets at an average of 21.00 against England. He was the first bowler to take 100 wickets in ODIs and was most successful in World Series cricket. A tail-ender who played with a straight bat (and once famously with an aluminum one) his best Test innings was 73* against England at Lord’s in 1975. He became a noted fast bowling coach, starting an academy in Chennai.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 70 905 73* 13.71 0 23 355 23.92 7-83 23
ODIs 63 240 42 9.23 0 10 103 20.82 5-34 1

Ray Lindwall (1946-1960)

Born 3 October 1921 at Mascot, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Died 23 June 1996 at Greenslopes, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Ray Lindwall bowled with genuine pace, great accuracy and effective late out-swing. He formed a most successful new-ball partnership with Keith Miller. His best Test series was in England in 1948 when he took 27 wickets at an average of 19.62. He became Australia’s leading Test wicket-taker when he passed Clarrie Grimmett’s record of 216.
His batting was of such a standard that he could be considered an all-rounder and he scored two Test centuries. He captained Australia in a Test against India at Bombay in 1956 when Ian Johnson was injured. Before concentrating on cricket he played first grade Rugby League as a fullback.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 61 1502 118 21.15 2 26 228 23.03 7-38 12

Clive Lloyd (1966-1985)

Born 31 August 1944 at Queenstown, Georgetown, Demerara, Guyana
A strong tall man, Clive Lloyd was a middle-order batsman who hit the ball with tremendous power. He was one of West Indies most successful captains, winning 36 and losing just 12 of his record 74 Tests in charge. He also led them in 81 ODIs and to two World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979. In the 1975 final he struck a match-winning 102 off 85 balls.
He made his highest Test score of 242* against India at Bombay in 1975. He was the first West Indian to appear in 100 Tests. He was a useful medium-pacer. As a fielder he one of the finest cover fielders around until knee injuries got the better of him and he moved into the slips. He stayed involved in the game as West Indies coach and as an ICC Match Referee.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 110 7515 242* 46.67 19 90 10 62.20 2-13 0

ODIs 87 1977 102 39.54 1 39 8 26.25 2-4 0

Rod Marsh (1970-1984)

Born 4 November 1947 at Armadale, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Rod Marsh was an outstanding wicket-keeper and pugnacious batsman. He was nick-named ‘Iron Gloves’ after his first Test series in 1970/71 against England as a result of the number of times he dropped the ball. But, he rapidly put that behind him and went on to set the record for most dismissals in Test cricket.
His career, both for Australia and Western Australia coincided almost exactly with Dennis Lillee’s and the pair set a record world record combining for 95 Test dismissals. As a batsman he was most adept at the square-cut and scored 110* against England in the Centenary Test in 1977. He went on to become a successful coach, notably at both the Australian and English national academies. His brother Graham was a successful professional golfer.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct St

Tests 96 3633 132 26.51 3 343 12

ODIs 92 1225 66 20.08 0 120 4

Malcolm Marshall (1978-1991)

Born 18 April 1958 at Bridgetown, St Michael, Barbados Died 4 November 1999 at Bridgetown, St Michael, Barbados
Malcolm Marshall was one of the finest exponents of fast bowling the game has seen. A shortish man with a whippy action he had great command of pace, bounce, swing and seam. He was very quick to spot and exploit a batsman’s weakness. In 1984 in England he took 35 wickets at an average of 12.65 in the Test series, including a spell of 7-53 at Leeds when he bowled with his left-arm in plaster having broken his thumb in the first innings.
His Test bowling average of 20.94 is one of the lowest on record. He played county cricket for many years for Hampshire and in 1982 he took 134 wickets in the first-class season at an average of 15.73. A capable lower-order batsman, he scored seven first-class centuries. He coached West Indies and Hampshire in retirement, but died tragically young of colon cancer.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 81 1810 92 18.85 0 25 376 20.94 7-22 22

ODIs 136 955 66 14.92 0 15 157 26.96 4-18 0

Peter May (1951-1961)

Born 31 December 1929 at The Mount, Reading, Berkshire, England Died 27 December 1994 at Liphook, Hampshire, England
Peter May was one of England’s leading batsman in the post-war era. An elegant player, he was a fine driver, especially good at executing the straight and on-drives. His most remarkable innings was 285* against West Indies at Birmingham in 1957 when he and Colin Cowdrey defied Sonny Ramadhin for a match-saving world record partnership of 411 for the 4th wicket.
He was one of England’s most successful captains, leading the team in a then record 41 Tests. His England record of 20 wins as Test captain stood until 2007 when Michael Vaughan surpassed it. He retired early to concentrate on his business career and went on to be chairman of England selectors and President of the MCC. He was a scratch golfer and fine Eton Fives player.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 66 4537 285* 46.77 13 42 0 - - 0

Javed Miandad (1975-1996)

Born 12 June 1957 at Karachi, Sind, Pakistan
Javed Miandad was a precocious talent who made his debut for Pakistan the day before his 18th birthday during the 1975 World Cup. He made 163 on Test debut against New Zealand at Lahore in 1976 and at Karachi later in the series scored the first of his six Test double-centuries. He was the youngest to score a Test 200 at the age of 19 years, 141 days.
He was a middle-order batsman with a touch of genius possessing wonderful off-side strokes. At the end of his career he was easily Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs. He was a useful leg-spin bowler, fine cover fielder and occasional wicket-keeper who took a stumping in Test cricket and two in ODIs. He captained Pakistan in 34 Tests and 62 ODIs and had a few stints as their coach.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 124 8832 280* 52.57 23 93 17 40.11 3-74 0

ODIs 233 7381 119* 41.70 8 71 7 42.42 2-22 0

Keith Miller (1946-1956)

Born 28 November 1919 at Sunshine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Died 11 October 2004 at Mornington, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Keith Miller was a dashing, match-winning, all-rounder who was a great crowd-pleaser. A powerful right-handed middle-order batsman he was capable of a delicate late-cut. He had a classic high bowling action and could produce genuine pace when the mood took him. He shared a famous and destructive opening bowling partnership with Ray Lindwall.
He was also an effective slip fielder. In the Ashes series against England in 1946/47 he scored 384 runs at an average of 76.80 and took 16 wickets at 20.87. He was at his best in tough match situations and famously made a duck when the Australians scored 721 in a day against Essex in 1948 as he was said to be bored. He became a wartime hero as a pilot and was known to live life to the full. He also played Australian Rules Football with much success.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 55 2958 147 36.97 7 38 170 22.97 7-60 7

Hanif Mohammad (1952-1969)

Born 21 December 1934 at Junagadh, Gujarat, India
Hanif Mohammad was a disciplined, patient opener with a solid technique who was the first great Pakistan batsman and was known as the ‘Little Master’. He was responsible for two of the most astonishing innings ever played. In 1958 he batted for over 16 hours, scoring 337, to save a Test against West Indies at Bridgetown. This set a record for the longest innings in Test cricket.
In 1959 he broke Sir Don Bradman’s record for the highest score in first-class cricket with 499 (run out) for Karachi against Bahawalpur at Karachi. He was a useful wicket-keeper at first-class level, although he did not perform this role for Pakistan and, remarkably, could bowl with either arm. He belonged to an extraordinarily successful cricketing family. His brothers Wazir, Mushtaq and Sadiq all represented Pakistan with distinction, as did his son Shoaib.

M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 55 3915 337 43.98 12 40 1 95.00 1-1 0

Bill O'Reilly (1932-1946)

Born 20 December 1905 at White Cliffs, New South Wales, Australia Died 6 October 1992 at Sutherland, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
A feisty character, known as ‘Tiger’, Bill O’Reilly was one of the great leg-spinners. He bowled his leg-spinners, googlies and top-spinners at an unusually fast pace for a spinner. Sir Don Bradman regarded him as the finest bowler he saw. He and Clarrie Grimmett were the most successful wrist-spinning pair in cricket history.
He was a hard-hitting lower-order batsman who thumped a fifty in just 31 minutes against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1936. That 1935/36 series in South Africa was his best with the ball, taking 27 wickets at an average of 17.03. After his playing days he spent many years working in the media as writer and commentator and was a man of trenchant opinions.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 27 410 56* 12.81 0 7 144 22.59 7-54 11

Graeme Pollock (1963-1970)

Born 27 February 1944 at Durban, Natal, South Africa
Graeme Pollock was one of the great left-handed batsmen. He made his Test debut at the age of 19 after some fine performances for Eastern Province. He had one of the highest Test batting averages when his Test career was brought to an abrupt end at the age of 26 as a result of South Africa’s sporting isolation due to its Apartheid policies.
He made South Africa’s then highest Test score of 274 against Australia at Durban in 1970 and played an innings of rare brilliance when scoring 125 against England at Nottingham in 1965. He played on in South African domestic cricket into his forties, scoring more runs (12 409 at an average of 54.66) than anyone else in the Currie Cup and performing well in ‘rebel’ series. In his early days he was a useful leg-spinner. His brother Peter and nephew Shaun were both fine Test cricketers for South Africa.

M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 23 2356 274 60.97 7 17 4 51.00 2-50 0

SWASHBUCKLING YUSUF PATHAN HELPED RAJASTHAN TO REGISTER THEIR SECOND VICTORY BY BEATING DELHI

In the lively Supersport park,the Delhi and Rajasthan captains walked in for the toss. The Daredevils captain Sehwag won the toss and decided to bat first. While Delhi made no changes to their team, Rajasthan had one change. Paul Valthaty came in for Abhishek Raut.

After a blazing start by Sehwag, the Delhi team once again lost quick wickets including skipper Sehwag at the top. Gambhir got out early in the innings thanks to a great catch by Warne off Mascarenhas' bowling. Mascarenhas struck again in the same over dismissing the dangerous Sehwag after Kamran Khan kept his eyes on the ball and latched onto a skier.

Once again it was left to the pair of Villiers and Dilshan to do the repair work. However, things did not work for Delhi when Dilshan was the third wicket to go for Delhi. He mis-hit a pull to Asnodkar off Munaf Patel's bowling. Delhi at this stage were struggling at 38/3. The Rajasthan captain Shane Warne came into the attack in the 8th over and immediately picked up the fourth wicket for the Royals. Dinesh Karthik was tricked by a flighted delivery off Warne and was out to a leading edge caught by the bowler. The next man in, Daniel Vettori, got a lucky break when he edged a Munaf delivery to the slips but a no-ball was called by the umpire as the bowler had over-stepped.

Delhi went into the break at 66/4 with Vettori and de Villiers at the crease. The session after the break started steadily for Delhi. While de Villiers was looking in good touch, the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori gave him company, playing for singles and rotating the strike.

During the process, Rajasthan missed a run-out opportunity and de Villiers survived. The batting pair continued to pile on the runs as Delhi reached the 100 run mark in the 15th over. The pair also reached their 50 run partnership in the same over. de Villiers reached his 50 with a boundary off Shane Warne. However, the very next delivery led to his dismissal when the batsman was wrongly adjudged LBW by the umpire Gary Baxter while Shane Warne picked up his second wicket. Mithun Manhas joined Vettori and the pair hit some lusty blows between them. However, Vettori was bowled by Munaf in the 19th over when the batsmen tried to make room. Kamran Khan got his first wicket of the match when he broke through the defences of Amit Mishra in the final over. After losing quick wickets at the top Delhi finished off their innings at 142/7 mainly due to the efforts of de Villiers, Vettori and Manhas.

Rajasthan started off the chase in a quick fashion with Smith and Quiney opening the innings. Smith looked good at the crease with boundaries flowing freely off his bat. Delhi got their first break-through when Nehra trapped Quiney LBW. The Goan Asnodkar came in at number three and struck some lusty blows. However tragedy struck when a direct hit by Amit Mishra found Asnodkar short of his crease.

The Royals had another setback when Valthaty holed out to Vettori at long-off and Mishra bagged his first wicket. Once again in the IPL 2009, Rajasthan's top order failed to perform. Going into the 'Strategy Break' Rajasthan were limping at 60/3 with 84 more runs required to win. Mishra struck immediately after the break when Jadeja, going for a big one, was caught by Sangwan at mid-off.

To everybody's surprise, the Rajasthan captain Shane Warne walked into the crease ahead of Pathan. However he got out without troubling the scorers after being stumped by Karthik. Mishra picked up his third wicket.

The hard hitting Yusuf walked in to join Smith. He started off in his trademark style, playing the aggressive brand of cricket. He took the attack to Daniel Vettori, striking him for two sixers and a four in an over. The Smith and Pathan combo were the only recognized pair left for the Royals. Together, they played determined cricket, inching closer to the target of 144. The fearless Pathan continued attacking the bowlers and was ably supported by Smith. He reached his fifty in the 18th over with a six off Nehra, taking just 24 balls to get there. Pathan finished it off by striking Nannes for a boundary. While Smith remained unbeaten on 44, the blazing Pathan was not out on 62 of just 30 balls. His innings included 3 fours and 6 sixers. This was the first loss for Delhi in the 2009 edition of the IPL.

Interesting facts:

Yusuf Pathan scored a match-winning 62 off 30 balls, scoring at a phenomenal strike rate of 206.66, only the sixth instance when a batsman had a strike rate of over 200 in an innings in IPL 2009. (min qualification 25 runs) Yusuf Pathan is the only player to have played two innings with a 200+ plus strike rate in IPL 2009. Yusuf Pathan scored his first fifty of IPL 2009 and the fifth of his IPL career. Pathan smashed six sixes in his entertaining knock, the most in an innings equalling de Villier's record.

Man of the match:
Yusuf Pathan was awarded the Man of the match for his match-winning 62 off 30 balls.

Wilfred Rhodes (1899-1930)

 

Born 29 October 1877 at North Moor, Kirkheaton, Yorkshire, England
Died 8 July 1973 at Branksome Park, Dorset, England

Wilfred Rhodes was a Yorkshireman with extraordinary longevity in the game. He was still playing Test cricket into his fifties and is the only man to appear in over 1 000 first-class matches. As an all-rounder he was a solid right-handed batsman and skillful left-arm spinner who used variations of flight to beat the bat.

He is one of the few men to have batted in all 11 positions in the order in Tests, although many of his innings were as an opener. The 1903/04 series in Australia was his most successful with the ball, taking 31 wickets at an average of 15.74. He scored nearly 40 000 first-class runs and is the leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket with over 4 000. He went blind in later life, but would still attend games and follow them by ear.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 58 2325 179 30.19 2 60 127 26.96 8-68 6

Barry Richards (1970)

 

Born 21 July 1945 at Morningside, Durban, South Africa

Barry Richards was a gifted opening batsman with a superb technique. He made an immediate impact in his first Test series against Australia in 1970, scoring 2 centuries and averaging 72.57 but was denied any further opportunities at the highest level when South Africa were expelled from international cricket shortly after that.

He spent most of his career playing for Natal, Hampshire and, for one memorable season, South Australia, scoring over 28 000 first-class runs including 80 centuries at an average of 54. It was for South Australia that he scored a brilliant 356 against Western Australia at Perth in 1970. In that 1970/71 season for South Australia he scored 1538 runs at an average of 109.85. He also had success for the World XI in World Series cricket. He performed various roles in the game after his playing days, most notably that of TV commentator.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 4 508 140 72.57 2 3 1 26.00 1-12 0

Viv Richards (1974-1991)

 

Born 7 March 1952 at St John's, Antigua

Viv Richards was the outstanding batsman of his era and one of the best of all-time. Possessing all the shots he was a powerful attacking batsman who would destroy bowling attacks. He was a superb hooker who refused to wear a helmet. In four Tests on the 1976 tour of England he scored 829 runs at an average of 118.42 with two double-centuries.

He was man of the match in the 1979 World Cup final with an innings of 138* against England at Lord’s. Known as the ‘Master Blaster’ he smashed Test cricket’s fastest century off 56 balls against England at St John’s in 1986. He was a most useful off-spinner, especially in ODIs, and a brilliant fielder remembered for affecting three run outs in the 1975 World Cup final. He captained West Indies in 43 Tests and 108 ODIs and was given a knighthood in 1999 by his native Antigua.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 121 8540 291 50.23 24 122 32 61.37 2-17 0
ODIs 187 6721  189* 47.00 11 100  118  35.83  6-41 2 

Garry Sobers (1954-1974)

 

Born 28 July at 1936 Chelsea Road, Bay Land, St Michael, Barbados

Garry Sobers is widely regarded as the best all-rounder the game has seen. An attacking left-hander, he would have been an all-time great purely for his batting. He set a then Test record highest score of 365* against Pakistan at Kingston in 1958 and went on to become the leading run-scorer in Tests. In 1968, playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea, he became the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in first-class cricket.

The unfortunate bowler was Malcolm Nash. He had incredible versatility as a bowler. He could take the new ball as a fast-medium let-arm bowler, bowl orthodox left-arm spin and bowl left-arm wrist-spin with equal ability. In addition he was a brilliant fielder, particularly as a close catcher. His best all-round series was in 1966 in England when he led his team to a series victory with 722 runs at 103.14, 20 wickets at 27.25 and 10 catches. He captained West Indies in 39 Tests with mixed success. He was knighted in 1975.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 93 8032 365* 57.78 26 109 235 34.03 6-73 6
ODIs 1 0  0 0.00 0 6  32  31.00  1-31 0 

Andy Roberts (1974-1983)

 

Born 29 January 1951 at Urlings Village, Antigua

Andy Roberts was a fearsome fast bowler who was part of the great West Indies fast-bowling attack of the 1970s and 1980s. He generated great pace from his broad shoulders and used the bouncer effectively. He reached 100 wickets in just 19 Tests, taking 32 wickets at an average of 18.28 in his first full series in India in 1974/75.

He appeared in all three of the West Indies World Cup finals in 1975, 1979 and 1983. He played county cricket for Hampshire and Leicestershire, taking 119 wickets at an average of 13.62 for the former in 1974. His batting was very moderate to begin with, but he improved enough to make three Test fifties in the latter part of his career. He did some coaching in retirement, including a relatively brief spell in charge of West Indies.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 47 762 68 14.94 0 9 202 25.61 7-54 11
ODIs 56 231  37* 10.04 0 6  87  20.35  5-22 1 

Brian Statham (1951-1965)

 

Born 17 June 1930 at Gorton, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Died 10 June 2000 at Stockport, Cheshire, England

Brian Statham was an impeccable exponent of line and length bowling and known as one of the gentlemen of the game. He bowled straight at good pace and extracted seam movement both ways. A measure of his accuracy is that 102 of his 252 Test wickets were bowled and 42 lbw. He passed Alec Bedser’s world record of 236 Test wickets.

He formed his most effective new-ball partnership with Fred Trueman, although prior to this he also provided the perfect foil for Frank Tyson. His best Test series was against South Africa in 1960 when he took 27 wickets at an average of 18.18. He took over 2 200 first-class wickets at an average of 16, mostly for Lancashire. He was a moderate batsman and a reliable fielder in the deep.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 70 675 38 11.44 0 28 252 24.84 7-39 9

Fred Trueman (1952-1965)

 

Born 6 February 1931 at Stainton, Yorkshire, England
Died 1 July 2006 at Leeds, Yorkshire, England

Fred Trueman was a great fast bowler and character. He had a rhythmic action and could produce fearsome pace and lethal late swing. In 1952 at Leeds, during his first Test series, he reduced India to 0-4, taking 3 of the wickets. He took 29 wickets at 13.31 in that series. He went on to become the first man to take 300 Test wickets.

Amazingly for a genuinely fast bowler, he played over 600 first-class and took over 2 300 wickets, most of them for his beloved Yorkshire. He was a useful lower-order batsman good enough to make three first-class centuries. He fielded well at short leg and on the boundary. He spent many years as a commentator, mostly on radio.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 67 981 39* 13.81 0 64 307 21.57 8-31 17

Derek Underwood (1966-1982)

 

Born 8 June 1945 at Bromley, Kent, England

Derek Underwood was a left-arm spinner who bowled with such persistent accuracy that he acquired the nick-name ‘Deadly’. He bowled at almost medium pace and use his arm ball to great effect. He made an immediate impact in first-class cricket when took 100 wickets in his debut season of 1963, the year he turned 18 and became one of the youngest bowlers to take 1 000 first-class wickets.

He won a Test for England against Australia at The Oval in 1968 taking 7-50 and finishing the game with just minutes to spare. He took a while to adapt to Asian pitches, but he took 29 Test wickets at an average of 17.55 on the 1976/77 tour of India. He was a stubborn lower-order batsman who was often used as night-watchman who made his only first-class century in his 591st match.

  M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 86 937 45* 11.56 0 44 297 25.83 8-51 17
ODIs 26 53  17 5.88 0 6  32  28.54  4-31 0