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A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on November 9, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2014West ZoneMumbai showed off their famous tenacity in domestic cricket by fighting back to take a four-run victory over Baroda. After being bowled out for a meagre 201, Mumbai were in big trouble as Aditya Waghmode’s 69 took Baroda to 157 for 4 in the 35th over. But Baroda lost five wickets for 23 to leave the final pair needing to make 22. The unlikely hero for Mumbai was 20-year-old part-time offspinner Akhil Herwadkar, playing only his second List A game. In 30 youth ODIs, Herwadkar has only one wicket, but with his team in crisis, he chipped in with three, including the final one of Lukman Meriwala.Another youngster, 17-year-old Sarfaraz Khan, came to Mumbai’s rescue with the bat. He top scored with an unbeaten 41 to guide Mumbai past 200. Other major contributions came from the vastly experienced pair of Wasim Jaffer and Suryakumar Yadav. Yet another youngster, 19-year-old Deepak Hooda, did most of the damage for Baroda, taking 5 for 55 in only his second List A match.A violent half-century from Jesal Karia provided the finishing touches as Gujarat gunned down a target of 267 against Maharashtra in Motera. He was unbeaten on 56 off 25 balls, including seven fours and two sixes as the game was closed with 11 balls to spare.Gujarat’s decision to field had seemed to pay off with only Harshad Khadiwale’s 54 being the only significant contribution from the Maharashtra top-four. The middle-order though posed a greater challenge as birthday boy Nikhil Naik struck a breezy 64 while captain Rohit Motwani and Nikhil Paradkar struck forties to push the total to 266.A fifty from opener Smit Patel gave exactly the kind of foundation Gujarat would have wanted to spring from. They made steady progress through the middle overs with captain Parthiv Patel’s 45 off 53 and Karia used that foundation to smash 31 runs in three overs with Rujul Bhat for the fifth wicket and 45 runs in four for the sixth wicket to spoil Naik’s party and give himself a belated 25th birthday present.East ZoneA five-wicket haul from the medium-pacer Rituraj Singh, followed by an unbeaten half-century from Virat Singh helped Jharkhand get off to a winning start, as they crushed Tripura by eight wickets in Kolkata.Tripura, batting first, began shakily and were precariously placed at 30 for 5 before Nirupam Sen Chowdhary and Rakesh Solanki led a mini-recovery with an 87-run partnership. Solanki top-scored with 63 and Sen Chowdhary hit 42, but both batsmen were dismissed within four overs of each other, triggering another collapse. Rituraj ran through the tail to collect 5 for 34, as Tripura fell from 117 for 5 to 173 all out.Jharkhand lost the opener Ishank Jaggi early, but they were never really in danger of missing out on such a small target. Virat stroked 11 fours and a six during his 86, and put up big stands with Ishan Kishan (36) and Kumar Deobrat (48*) to guide the team home in 33.3 overs.Odisha’s bowlers set up a comprehensive five-wicket victory against Assam at the Bengal Cricket Academy. Assam, having been inserted, were bundled out for 103 in 44.3 overs, with only three batsmen managing double-digit scores. Odisha’s bowlers all went at under four an over, with Basant Mohanty (3 for 14) and Deepak Behera (3 for 16) sharing six wickets between them, and Paresh Patel chipping in with 2 for 12.Odisha began the chase with a 55-run opening stand from Paresh and Bikas Pati, but four quick wickets from Pritam Das dragged the team down to 77 for 5. However, with only a few runs left to get, Anurag Sarangi dashed any hopes of an unlikely Assam win by scoring 22 not out to lead Odisha over the line in 23.2 overs.

Half-centuries from Andre Fletcher, Keddy Lesporis and Devon Smith set up a five-wicket win for Windwards Islands over Jamaica in the Regional Super50 semi-final in Bridgetown

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWindward Islands captain Liam Sebastien exults after beating Jamaica by five wickets•WICB Media/Randy Brooks PhotoHalf-centuries from Andre Fletcher, Keddy Lesporis and Devon Smith set up a five-wicket win for Windwards Islands over Jamaica in the Regional Super50 semi-final in Bridgetown. Windwards will play Combined Campuses and Colleges in the final on April 21.Set a target of 243, Windwards lost a wicket in the second over, but consolidated with a 78-run second-wicket stand between Smith and Tyrone Theophile. Smith contributed a 44-ball 59 to the partnership, hitting ten fours in his innings. The Windwards innings slowed down once Smith was dismissed but picked up once again when Fletcher and Lesporis came together at the crease. The pair added 91 runs for the fourth wicket in 131 balls and by the time Fletcher was dismissed for 68 in the 42nd over, Windwards needed 48 off the last eight overs. Lesporis and captain Liam Sebastien shared a brisk 41-run stand before Sebastien steered the side to a win in the 49th over. Fletcher’s 81-ball 68 included five fours, while Lesporis scored 61 off 91 balls, with four fours and a six.Jamaica, who chose to bat first, failed to capitalise on a 166-run second-wicket partnership between Brenton Parchment and Nkrumah Bonner. The pair took Jamaica from 3 for 1 to 169 for 1, before Bonner was out in the37th over. Their half-centuries had given Jamaica a launching pad for a big score but the rest of the batting line-up failed to contribute as Jamaica lost seven wickets for 63 runs. David Bernard struck an unbeaten 32 off 29 balls but lacked the support needed to push Jamaica towards a large total.

This was Derbyshire’s day by some distance, the achievement of Wayne Madsen and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in setting a partnership record against Surrey underpinned by Richard Johnson’s maiden half-century for the county

Jon Culley at Derby31-May-2013
ScorecardWayne Madsen made his 14th first-class hundred•Getty ImagesThis was Derbyshire’s day by some distance, the achievement of Wayne Madsen and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in setting a partnership record against Surrey underpinned by Richard Johnson’s maiden half-century for the county, but there was at least one encouraging subtext for Surrey, who are no closer to breaking their duck for the Championship season.It came in the form of five wickets for Chris Tremlett, who had not taken that many in a single first-class innings since he did so for England against Sri Lanka in June 2011, and never before for Surrey. The 6ft 7ins fast bowler took the wicket that captured the Ashes in Australia in January 2011 but has been ravaged by injuries in the interim, requiring operations for back and knee problems. His return to Surrey’s Championship side last month was only his second appearance in the competition in 21 months.Surrey are nursing him back carefully, which is understandable in the circumstances. England are monitoring his progress but are unlikely to call on him any time soon, unless there is an exceptional run of injuries. At 31, and with a Test record of 49 wickets at 26.75, Tremlett is eager to believe that he has another Ashes series ahead of him but if he is to face Australia again you suspect it will be next winter rather than this summer. Mindful, perhaps, that he broke down after one comeback match last summer, precipitating further surgery in September, he accepts that patience is vital.”I’d like to get back to where I was before the injuries and England is at the back of my mind but it is a matter of not getting ahead of myself,” he said. “I feel I’m going in the right direction. It is nice to get five wickets but the important thing is bowling overs and hoping my body stays strong.”Tremlett, who had bowled Chesney Hughes with his fifth delivery on Thursday, did the most damage with the second new ball as Wes Durston and Ben Slater, a left-hander making his Derbyshire debut, edged deliveries that left them off the pitch. Tremlett bowled tailender Mark Turner and finished off the Derbyshire innings when wicketkeeper Johnson’s fine 72 ended with a catch at first slip.Yet in the context of the day, it was a minor victory for Surrey. If there was an opportunity to acquire some impetus as another year of under-achievement beckons, it was in this match, against a side struggling to make the transition to Division One cricket, particularly with Ricky Ponting in the dressing room and offering encouragement from the slip cordon.However, they are a stubborn bunch, Derbyshire, unwilling to accept that they are destined merely to be whipping boys, determined that promotion will be a genuine learning experience. Resuming at 232 for 2, they built so handsomely on Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s first-day century as to almost double their score.The Guyanese batsman had been labouring with a heavy cold for most of his innings and he was less fluent yesterday morning, although there was handsome consolation. Wayne Madsen, equally impressive as the two built a partnership ultimately worth 265 runs, outscored his partner and was setting his own targets high when Chanderpaul was surprised by a short ball from Stuart Meaker and sent the ball looping off the glove to Ponting in the gully.Madsen went on to reach 152, picking up boundaries with impressive fluency, 17 in all. Surrey’s bowlers again could not hit a testing line and length frequently enough to build pressure and Madsen, having looked so comfortable, was furious with himself when he failed to read a ball angled in by Meaker that took his off stump.It left Derbyshire at a potentially difficult moment, 336 for 6 having been 294 for 2. Had they fallen away it would not have been an unusual development. In the event, they failed to take all the batting points available but will set that disappointment against a strong position at the halfway stage of the match.Johnson batted solidly and took few risks, aided first by David Wainwright in a stand of 59 for the seventh wicket and latterly by some eager and enterprising batting from the tail. His 72 equalled his career best and reaffirmed Derbyshire’s self-belief.It was further enhanced when Madsen ran out Rory Burns with a stunning direct hit almost from the boundary at long-off. Mark Footitt worked up a fierce pace and Vikram Solanki, going in ahead of Ponting at three, needed treatment after taking a blow to the body. The target to avoid the follow-on may feel a long way off when he and Arun Harinath resume.

After the uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament and the venue of their matches, Pakistan began their Women’s World Cup campaign promisingly, but it did not last

Amol Karhadkar01-Feb-2013After the uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament and the venue of their matches, Pakistan began their Women’s World Cup campaign promisingly, but it did not last. They restricted Australia to 175 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, but their batsmen did not make it even halfway to the target.Despite the World Cup being held in India, the favourites to win are defending champions England, New Zealand and Australia. While India have the underdog billing, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are rank outsiders. While Sri Lanka upset England to state they are not here to make up the numbers, Pakistan started positively but their challenge fizzled out against Australia’s experience and tactics.Neither captain expected a high-scoring affair on a low and slow wicket, and when Pakistan had reduced Australia to 99 for 6 in the 29th over, they would have been hoping for a win against the odds. The tail, however, came to Australia’s rescue, as it does consistently. Sarah Coyte’s unbeaten 35 at No. 9 ensured Australia made it past 170.”Our team bats from 1 to 11. We are quite confident about that,” Jodie Fields, Australia’s captain, said. “As Sarah came out and had a partnership lower down the order, just proves that our batting depth is great. I knew that if we got closer to 175, we could bowl to it.”Once they got to the desired total, Australia’s all-round bowling performance helped them win without much difficulty. While the Australian bowlers stuck to their plan of”bowling straight”, Pakistan’s batters played too many rash strokes.”It was a case of poor shot selection from our batters,” the Pakistan captain Sana Mir said. “After we lost early wickets, I would say when I got out, I think that was the turningpoint. We have to be more disciplined, we have to be responsible, because we couldn’t capitalise on all the hard work done by the bowlers.”The pitch was keeping low, no doubt about that. But there is no excuse for this kind of performance [with the bat]. I hold myself responsible.”Mir, however, took positives from her team’s bowling and fielding effort, which produced in four run-outs. “I think this has been our best bowling performance till date against a top opponent like Australia,” she said. “The performance we produced with the ball and in the field is really encouraging. If we can restrict Australia, we can restrict anyteam … be it New Zealand or any other.”While Australia will need to improve their batting against South Africa at the DRIEMS Ground on Sunday, Pakistan will hope to challenge New Zealand at the Barabati. And it being a Sunday, the Odisha Cricket Association will hope the security personnel don’t outnumber the spectators in the stands, like they did today.

Raipur and Ranchi will make debuts as IPL host cities in the 2013 edition, according to the tournament schedule that was released on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2013Raipur and Ranchi match schedule

April 28, Daredevils v Warriors, Raipur
May 1, Daredevils v Knight Riders, Raipur
May 12, Knight Riders v Royal Challengers, Ranchi
May 14, Knight Riders v Warriors, Ranchi

Raipur and Ranchi will make debuts as IPL host cities in the 2013 edition, according to the tournament schedule that was released on Saturday. Raipur will act as a second home venue for Delhi Daredevils, while Ranchi will host two of Kolkata Knight Riders’ matches.The schedule also confirmed that the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur will host all of Rajasthan Royals’ home games. Earlier, the BCCI had relocated Royals’ games to Ahmedabad and Rajkot, following a prolonged standoff between the Rajasthan Cricket Association and the Rajasthan state sports council – which owns the stadium – over the use of the ground.However, doubts remain about where Pune Warriors’ home matches will be played. As of now, the schedule suggests that they will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium – previously the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium – in Pune as has been the norm, but the dispute between the MCA and the Sahara Group, the franchise owners, remains unresolved.The standoff centres around the title rights of the stadium: the MCA had covered the name of the stadium that read ‘Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium’ in January for alleged default over payment of the contract, and Sahara Group officials subsequently moved the Bombay High Court over “termination of agreements”. The court case doesn’t have any direct relation with the hosting of the Sahara-owned franchise’s games in Pune, but the business conglomerate expressed its desire to play their home games at other venues.The IPL 2013 tournament opener, on April 3, will be between defending champions Knight Riders and Daredevils at Eden Gardens. The group matches will end on May 19, following which the play-off matches will be split between the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and Eden Gardens. The final will be in Kolkata on May 26.

England are set to tinker with their top three again by dropping opener Alex Hales for the first warm-up match of their Sri Lanka tour

Alan Gardner20-Nov-2014England are set to tinker with their one-day top three again by dropping opener Alex Hales for the first warm-up match of their Sri Lanka tour. Moeen Ali is expected to take Hales’ place alongside Alastair Cook, with Ian Bell also coming back into the side after missing England’s previous two ODIs against India.The absence of Hales does not necessarily mean he won’t start the Sri Lanka series as Cook’s opening partner but it is a further evidence of uncertainty around the top order.Moeen opens the batting for Worcestershire and has shown himself to be a languid striker of the ball but he is a left-hander like Cook, which could help opposition bowlers find a line to test both. Bell and Cook were England’s previous opening partnership and enjoyed a steady association between 2012 and 2014 but they were broken up to accommodate the more explosive talents of Hales.Hales is currently ranked the No. 3 T20 batsman in the world and his hundred against Sri Lanka at the World T20 earlier this year is the only time an England batsman has achieved three figures in the format. He only managed 92 runs in four ODI innings against India at the end of the summer but had been touted as a possible matchwinner at the World Cup.Moeen made his England one-day debut on the tour of the Caribbean ahead of the World T20, opening the batting alongside Michael Lumb and scoring one half-century from three innings. He made 67 off 50 balls against India at Edgbaston batting at No. 7, before moving up to No. 3 with Bell out injured. His offspin provides another facet, one which could be particularly useful in Sri Lankan conditions.”At the moment, we’re trying to find a settled combination as a team,” Peter Moores, England’s head coach, said. “I think anyone who’s watched us play – we haven’t played as well as we want to. There are certain slots up for grabs, and it’s a case of people getting a chance to go out and grab them.”Hales, initially viewed by England as a T20 specialist, had a breakthrough season in 2014, scoring more than 1000 first-class runs along with four List A centuries at an average of nearly 50. However, Moores and Cook seemingly continue to value circumspection at the top of the order, with the aim of providing a platform for powerful hitters such as Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler lower down.Whether that will work anywhere outside of England is a well-worn subject for debate but the benching of Hales is another rebuke for those calling for a change in ethos. While Moeen’s more dexterous batting may be better suited to the subcontinent – despite Hales’ T20 ton coming in Bangladesh – Moores confirmed that England’s planning goes beyond the Sri Lanka series.”We’ve got to try to win this tour first,” he said. “But it would be daft not to be thinking forward to the World Cup. We’re trying to move to be a more positive side, with both bat and ball, take every opportunity to score runs and put pressure on the opposition. It’s not a simple process to say ‘I’m going to walk out and whack it’.”

The Ireland-Afghanistan Intercontinental Cup match in Dublin, which lost two days to rain, ended in a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2012
ScorecardJaved Ahmadi top scored for Afghanistan•ICC/Rob O’ConnorThe Ireland-Afghanistan Intercontinental Cup match in Dublin, which lost two days to rain, ended in a draw. Afghanistan, facing the possibility of an innings defeat, batted out 67 overs on the final day for the loss of seven wickets – a commendable effort after they were routed for 84 in the first innings – to ensure the draw.Ireland had begun the day on 126 for 2 in their first innings, already 42 ahead of Afghanistan. Alex Cusack was out early, but Gary Wilson pushed on to get to a half-century. He made 73 at a good clip, and was supported by Andrew White, who scored an unbeaten 62. The pair stretched Ireland’s lead to 167, before captain Kevin O’Brien declared the innings closed on 251 for 4.Afghanistan were strong in reply. The openers, captain Karim Sadiq and Javed Ahmadi, put on 106. Sadiq fell just short of a half-century, but Ahmadi – who was recently named Afghanistan’s Under-19 captain for August’s World Cup – got to his third first-class 50. The No. 3 batsman, Asghar Stanikzai, also came good. He saw Afghanistan past the mark required to avoid an innings defeat and on to the close of play, remaining unbeaten on 51. After the early resistance, Ireland struck with regularity, but there still wasn’t enough time to force a result.

Michael Holding has slammed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for its treatment of senior players, including Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2012Michael Holding, the commentator and former West Indies fast bowler, has slammed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for its treatment of senior players, including Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor, none of whom is in the current Test squad in England.Gayle has made himself available for the one-day leg of the England tour but his selection will depend on a meeting with the WICB to mop up ‘residual matters’ relating to their year-long spat. However, Holding wasn’t convinced that the board really wants Gayle back in the team because of the lack of clarity on their stand with Gayle.”He is available, yet the WICB are still putting out press releases saying there are residual matters to be dealt with. What residual matters? It is supposed to be cleared [up], so what residual matter is there now?” Holding told the Jamaica-based SportsMax Cable network. “People responsible for West Indies cricket do not want Chris Gayle in the team.”Gayle, a former captain, hasn’t played for West Indies since the World Cup last year. His stand-off with the board began when he made critical comments against them during a radio interview. Since then he has been flourishing as a batsman in Twenty20 leagues across the world, including the IPL. He recently pulled out of his contract with Somerset to make himself available for the one-dayers in England.Sarwan, a former captain, hasn’t played for West Indies since June 2011. He said comments by the head coach Ottis Gibson broke him mentally. He is currently playing for Leicestershire in the English county season and has been in good batting form, hitting two centuries and two fifties. He said the county stint has helped him gain back his confidence, but would not turn down Leicestershire for the moment.Holding doesn’t expect to see Sarwan return to the team in this current climate even if the board wants to settle their differences.”The man is happy,” Holding said. “He is making runs, yes, and he should be in the West Indies team, but he personally is happy where he is. I don’t see him leaving that now to go back to a situation where he is going to be unhappy, because he knows he’s not wanted. It’s the same thing with Chris Gayle.”Taylor, the fast bowler, hasn’t played for West Indies since June 2010. Taylor was not named in the preliminary squad for the World Cup last year due to a back injury and the board claimed that he had not maintained his physiotherapy appointments. Taylor said the WICB had not contacted him about his back injury before he left to play in the IPL, and it only did so on April 7, 2011, once he’d arrived in India. The board said Taylor had to play a full season of first-class cricket to be considered for selection, but Holding was critical of their stance. Taylor missed the entire 2011-12 domestic season and his IPL franchise, Pune Warriors, bought out his contract.”What sort of motivation is that for a young man like that? You rule him out for 2011, against Australia and against England that they are playing now, more than likely he won’t be selected again to the team. There’s no opportunity to bring him in.”In a separate interview with the , Holding was especially critical of Gibson. “Ottis Gibson needs to understand that the West Indies cricket team is not a boot camp. He needs to learn how to man-manage.”I have no issue with Ottis trying to get discipline back into the team. But it is the way he has done it. As soon as someone says anything he doesn’t particularly like, he doesn’t want them around.”

Lalit Modi’s plan of returning as a cricket administrator in India, via the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections, has been put on hold because of confusion over the election dates

Amol Karhadkar and Nagraj Gollapudi19-Nov-2013Lalit Modi’s plan of returning as a cricket administrator in India, via the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections, has been put on hold because of confusion over the election dates. The association is split into two factions, each of which has announced an election date, and the dispute over who controls the RCA is now being contested in various courts across Rajasthan.Modi had been banned for life by the BCCI from all cricket matters in India but the ban was stayed by the Rajasthan High Court in October, following which he announced his intention to run for the RCA president’s post. His appeal before the court exploited a technicality – since the RCA is governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act, the BCCI ban cannot be applied to him – and the court agreed with his contention.The incumbent, CP Joshi, then advanced the election date from December 7 to November 24 while the opposing faction announced it would hold the election on November 23. Those dates, however, are now a matter for the courts to decide.The Rajasthan Sports Act

When the Rajasthan Sports Act was passed by the state cabinet in 2005, it was the first sports act in India. The Act, with Sanjay Dixit as its key formulator, had suggested drastic measures for sports administration, like one-term rule for principal office bearers for sports bodies.

The Act makes it mandatory for every sports body registered in Rajasthan to follow its guidelines. Had it not been for the Act, Lalit Modi wouldn’t have been able to become the RCA president, nor recontest despite being banned for life by BCCI. Before the Act was framed, RCA elections included votes of 32 district associations and 66 individual members. The new Act nullified individual members’ votes and that paved the way for Modi to head the RCA.

According to the Section 8.2 (c) of the Act, only the secretary can call for an election. Since Sanjay Dixit, the former secretary general, was sidestepped and KK Sharma was appointed as officiating secretary early last year, both the warring officials have announced separate dates for elections.

Though it was initially welcomed by the cricket fraternity, slowly virtually all the sports associations started opposing the Act. In fact, in June 2013, a delegation of various sports bodies in the state met with the sports minister and asked him to repeal the Act which was “brought in only for cricket”.

Modi said his decision to make a comeback – he became the RCA president in 2005 – was because of the way Joshi had ignored cricket in Rajasthan. “Cricket has taken a beating in Rajasthan. My opponent has not done anything for the game. I was hoping as a federal minister he [Joshi] would have done a lot but I am disappointed. We had worked very, very hard and it is about time we start getting our act together,” Modi told ESPNcricinfo from London.He said he’d been in touch with various district associations within Rajasthan and was expecting healthy support on the elections. “I have good support from various associations and we are looking forward to the elections on November 23 and 24.”Modi’s ally in the current campaign is Sanjay Dixit, a senior bureaucrat who had helped Joshi defeat him in a bitterly fought RCA election in 2009. Dixit, who was elected RCA secretary, was a vocal critic of Modi’s autocratic style of functioning but he and Joshi too fell out. Dixit was then replaced by KK Sharma as the officiating secretary at RCA.On Monday, Dixit issued a press release pointing out to an order passed by the RCA election officer that stated that he had returned to function as the secretary while deciding to “divest KK Sharma of all functions with effect from October 28”. Dixit himself announced the elections on November 24.Asked why he had decided to join hands with Dixit, Modi said both men were on the same page as far as cricket was concerned. “Sanjay and I were together as far as cricket is concerned. Then we had differences on certain issues. But he is a strong cricket administrator without doubt, which we had seen when I had left and he came in briefly at RCA. But he had a difference of opinion with Joshi and he was disappointed by the non-performance of the RCA,” Modi said.Modi and Dixit might be positive about their alliance but there is no clarity and certainty about the poll dates. The biggest hurdle surrounds the legitimacy of the list of candidates and voters. There are 33 voters, one from each of the affiliated district units of RCA. Even though both Joshiand Modi are in both lists, their alleged attempt to push their own supporters into the final lists has only worsened the situation.”What most of the voters have been demanding is a free and fair election and I am ready for that,” Dixit said. “But the other party is not agreeing to, which has caused confusion. The voter list is being changed by them to suit themselves and it has resulted in multiple litigations. In a field of 33, if you change seven voters, it is as good as sealing the fate of theelection.”The Sharma faction’s response was similar as it blamed the Modi-Dixit combine for creating the mess.

Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled for the two-match series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2011Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled to the South Africa Test squad for the two-match series against Australia. Legspinner Imran Tahir and allrounder Vernon Philander also got their first call-ups to the Test squad.Rudolph came in for opener Alviro Petersen. Also missing were seaming allrounders Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren who were both in the squad for South Africa’s last Test, in January against India. Graeme Smith will lead the 14-member squad, and AB de Villiers, who missed the limited-overs leg of the series with a hand fracture sustained during the Champions League, will be his deputy if he clears a fitness examination ahead of the first Test from November 9.Rudolph went into a self-imposed exile in 2007 when he signed a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire with the aim of developing himself into a more complete cricketer. His recall was widely expected following an impressive return to South African domestic cricket. He scored four centuries and made more than 900 first-class runs last season, before leading a successful South Africa A tour to Zimbabwe. This year, he came into the South African season after scoring centuries for Yorkshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the County Championship. He has since been prolific in the SuperSport Series, where he leads the run-charts with 568 runs from six innings, including a match tally of 297 against Lions in his most recent outing.”Jacques [Rudolph] will open the batting with Graeme Smith,” selection convener Andrew Hudson said. “His experience and current form make him an asset to South Africa and at the age of 30 he has plenty of good years of cricket ahead of him. Jacques has underlined once again the importance of good domestic form and the fact that it is the gateway to national selection.”Petersen might consider his axing harsh, as the Lions captain also started the season well. In four matches so far, he has scored 369 runs, including a knock of 186 against the Dolphins in the first match of the SuperSport Series campaign. He spent the winter at Glamorgam, where he passed the 2000 runs mark and felt he had done enough to keep his place in the Test side. He will get a chance to stake his claim for a recall when he leads the South Africa A side in a four-day tour game against the Australians from November 1. JP Duminy and Philander feature in both squads, while Parnell and McLaren were also included in the A team.”The A side must be seen as a mix of players challenging for places in the South Africa squad as well as others we have identified as having the potential for the future and whom we now need to test at a higher level than franchise cricket,” Hudson said. “We have to explore our options for the future.”Philander previously played for South Africa in seven ODIs and the same number of T20s between 2007 and 2008. He has performed consistently in the first-class competition for the last two seasons. In the 2010-11 season, he was the fourth highest wicket-taker with 35 wickets at an average of 16.11. He is unlikely to play, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the squad, but has been earmarked as a possibility for the future. While he is not an express paceman, he has become noted for his variations, much like Tsotsobe.Someone who is expected to play is Tahir. The Pakistani-born legspinner became eligible for South Africa in January and was immediately selected for their ODI squad to play India. He made his debut at the World Cup but was initially selected for South Africa’s Test squad to play England in the 2009-10 season, when he had not yet qualified. He has been talked up as the missing piece in South Africa’s attack, which has not had an attacking spinner since Paul Adams.Tahir’s anticipated inclusion was thought to be the final nail in Harris’ coffin, after the left-arm spinner was labelled nothing more than a holding bowler. However, Harris has fought back with impressive showings in his first two SuperSport Series games. His 13 wickets have come at an average of 15.38. On a spin-friendly Newlands pitch, South Africa could field two frontline spinners in a Test match – a rarity for the country that traditionally relies on pace.South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo TsotsobeSouth Africa A squad: Alviro Petersen (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Pumelela Matshikwe, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Stiaan van Zyl