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Players who take part in the unofficial Cricket Wars tournament face a lengthy ban from the game after Cricket Kenya refused to sanction the event

Martin Williamson12-Feb-2013Players who take part in the unofficial Cricket Wars tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Nairobi over three days starting on Friday (February 15), face a lengthy ban from the game after Cricket Kenya confirmed its decision not to give its approval to the event.Reports in the local media suggested that the Ministry of Youth and Sports had brokered a deal after calling a meeting between organisers and CK but this was denied by a board spokesman who said there remained questions as to the finances behind the venture and CK unanimously voted not to give its approval. This stance has been backed by all the country’s provincial boards.As a consequence of this, no overseas players, past or present, will be permitted to participate. If they do then the ICC has made clear that they will be in contravention of its own regulations and are likely to face hefty sanctions including bans of at least one year. The same applies to all local players and officials.High-profile names such as Andrew Symonds, Damien Martyn, Ian Harvey and Chris Cairns are believed to have obtained NOCs, which allow them to play overseas, from their own boards but it is not clear if those boards or individuals were aware the tournament had not been sanction by CK. ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC is writing to all boards to advise them that Cricket Wars is an unapproved event, something that seems likely to lead to the withdrawal of the NOCs.Although the organisers have said that Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the players taking part, ESPNcricinfo has learned that he received an invitation earlier in the month which he declined.The Cricket Wars organisers, who include former KCA boss Sharad Ghai, claim that former players do not need any approval to play in such events but the ICC has confirmed this is not the case.Local cricketers will make up the numbers, and even those who are paid are unlikely to earn more than $50, but will also face sanctions if they take part. While for club cricketers these punishments are unlikely to be serious, centrally-contracted national players face fines and/or suspensions. The Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association has made clear that the priority for local players is to participate in this weekend’s knock-out tournament.It is also possible the Nairobi Gymkhana club, which is hosting the competition, will face punishment if it goes ahead. CK is understood to have written to club officials last month to raise concerns that they should not stage a non-approved event but that was met with a response that as a private club what games they ran was of no concern to the national board. However, the board has it within its power to withhold grants and not stage official matches there.Concerns have also been expressed at the details of the money likely to be paid over from the event to a local charity. ESPNcricinfo has learned that while it is being flagged proceeds would go to the Children’s Village in Naivasha, in fact only an undisclosed percentage of the gate money will be paid over.

Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, has dropped a veiled hint that he would like to be formally considered for the coaching job on a permanent basis

David Hopps28-Jan-2012Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, has dropped a veiled hint that he would like to be formally considered for the coaching job on a permanent basis after Pakistan beat England by 72 runs in Abu Dhabi and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.Moshin and his captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, have been widely acclaimed for bringing stability and contentment to a Pakistan dressing room so often riven by conflict, but while Pakistan have added England to their list of scalps in their adopted home in the UAE, the PCB has been openly engaged in finding Mohsin’s successor.Dav Whatmore is widely viewed as the favourite for the job. He met with board officials in Lahore a fortnight ago immediately after Mohsin left for the UAE with the Pakistan squad. He was taken to the National Cricket Academy and held talks with the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf. An appointment is predicted at the end of the one-day series.Mohsin, asked directly whether he wanted the job full-time after adding a series win against England to successes against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, gave a cryptic reply. “What Mohsin Khan is today is because of Pakistan and Pakistan cricket,” he said. “My services are always there for my country but I don’t want anybody to take me for granted.”People were saying that performing well against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was nothing great, okay agreed, but to perform against England, whether they are No. 1 or not, is always creditable.”If Mohsin does not gain the job full time, he at least expects his candidature to be taken seriously. He took temporary charge earlier this year after Waqar Younis stood down for health reasons. He was among the 30 people who applied for the job, but Ashraf reportedly said he was not qualified to assume the role on a full-time basis.Mohsin also said he had been the chief advocate of the selection of Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali, two young players whose maturity in Pakistan’s second innings set up their platform for victory in Abu Dhabi.”I was the one who selected them because a year and a half back when I became chairman of the selection committee we picked up these two youngsters and I felt they were very talented,” he said. “All the credit goes to the boys because they played well under tough conditions.”We were hoping for a lead around 225 or 230 but we finished up with much less than that. But I have a lot of belief in these players of mine. I said to my boys if we play proper and disciplined cricket we can get them for 100. It was to give a morale-booster to the boys. I think England went a little bit on the defence, though I am not telling them what they should have done.”Pakistan yearn for the time when they can stage home Tests again but in a curious way perhaps neutral territory has suited them. Had they gone 1-0 up in Pakistan the temptation would have been to try and create two dead pitches to escape with draws in the last two Tests. Instead, the Sheikh Zayed pitch provided a compelling contest and Pakistan emerged victorious.”Whenever you play in conditions you are not used to, you face some difficulties,” Misbah said. “When we go to England there are difficulties for us. The confidence our team has gained in the last 18 months is also a big factory. They now believe in themselves.”Any team batting last on this surface would find it difficult. The way the ball was turning it was hard to play the spinners, so we thought ‘we can put pressure on England, let’s have a try.’ Just bowl wicket to wicket, that is the key here. Some balls were turning, some skidding on and it was really difficult for the batsmen to guess what was happening.”Pakistan used to be forever asked about spot-fixing. Now they are forever asked if it time to stop talking about spot-fixing. Cricket will not forget so easily but Misbah is convinced that it is time to move on. “It should be,” he said. “Just concentrate on what is happening now. Both teams are playing good cricket in a good atmosphere. Nothing is happening. That’s really good for cricket.”

Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. Michael Bates took 4 for 11 as the Pakistanis were bowled out for 91

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010
ScorecardAbdul Razzaq couldn’t script a recovery for Pakistan as they slumped to 91 all out•Getty Images

Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The hosts won with 40 balls to spare, easily chasing down the target of 92 after Pakistan were bowled out in 17.4 overs.Pakistan were put in to bat and were in immediate trouble, sinking to 7 for 3 inside the third over. Left-arm seamer Michael Bates did the early damage, getting Mohammad Hafeez out caught and bowled off the fourth ball of the match. Two balls later he got Ahmed Shehzad to nick to Lou Vincent and be dismissed for a duck. In Bates’ next over he got rid of the big fish – the captain Shahid Afridi, for 1. Afridi tried to pull Bates, but only got it as far as square leg, where Anaru Kitchen took a sharp catch.Pakistan never recovered from that rocky start. Umar Akmal provided them with a silver lining, showing some signs of form to get to 25 – Pakistan’s top score of the innings. Left-arm spinner Roneel Hira dismissed Younis Khan for 18 and then Umar in his next over, and Fawad Alam was run out for 0 in between, to leave the visitors reeling at 52 for 6. Umar was trying to power Hira through the off side off the back foot, but missed the ball and was bowled. Abdul Razzaq wasn’t able to pull off a recovery and fell to offspinner Bhupinder Singh for 16. Bates came back into the attack and dismissed Wahab Riaz to finish with figures of 4 for 11 in three overs.Auckland opener Colin de Grandhomme was in a hurry to knock off the required runs and raced to 20 off 12 before he was caught at gully by Shehzad off Shoaib Akhtar. Martin Guptill, the only member of the Auckland side who is in New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, played the sheet-anchor role, and batted through the innings, making 28. Shoaib managed another wicket, bowling Lou Vincent, but was expensive, going at 7.75 in his four overs.Saeed Ajmal did a good job of drying up the runs, giving away 20 in his four overs, and picked up the wickets of Anaru Kitchen and Colin Munro. Gareth Hopkins, who was dropped from New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 and Test series against Pakistan, made only 8 before falling to Wahab Riaz. But Auckland were always comfortable, and reached their target with plenty of overs to spare, helped by the 17 extras conceded by Pakistan’s bowlers.Pakistan will have two days to recover before the first Twenty20 match of the three-match series against New Zealand, in Auckland, on December 26.

Jhulan Goswami will lead the side, and Amita Chopra, like in the 2009 World Cup, will be her deputy

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2010The offspinner Nooshin Al Khadeer has been recalled to Indian squad for the first two matches of the one-day series against England starting February 19 in Bangalore. Jhulan Goswami will lead the side, and Amita Chopra, like in the 2009 World Cup, will be her deputy.Al Khadeer, a former No. 1 ranked international bowler, was not part of the World Cup in Australia or India’s squad for the World Twenty20 in England last June. From the squad that played the World Cup – which was India’s last one-day assignment – the notable absentees are Reema Malhotra, Sulakshana Naik, and Snehal Pradhan.England, the world champions and World Twenty20 champions, will be playing five one-dayers and three Twenty20 matches. The tour will open with a warm-up match against Board President’s XI in Bangalore on February 17. The city will also host the first two ODIs on February 19 and 21. The next two matches have been scheduled for February 24 and 26 in Visakapatnam, with Mumbai’s MIG stadium hosting the final ODI.Squad: Jhulan Goswami (capt), Mithali Raj, Anjum Chopra, Rumeli Dhar, Amita Sharma, Priyanka Roy, Anagha Despande (wk), Poonam Raut, Harmanpreet Kaur, Thirush Kamini, Gouher Sultana, Nooshin Al Khadeer, Preeti Dimri, Sonia Dabir.

England’s bowling coach, David Saker, has criticised his charges for a “complacent” performance on the third afternoon of the second Test at Edgbaston

Andrew Miller10-Aug-2010

England’s bowling coach, David Saker, has criticised his charges for a “complacent” performance on the third afternoon of the second Test at Edgbaston, during which Pakistan’s tail took advantage of the best batting conditions of the match to turn a likely innings defeat into a potentially tricky target of 118. Though the match was eventually won by a comfortable nine-wicket margin to hand England their sixth Test victory in a row, Saker insisted that such lapses cannot be tolerated if England are to pose a real threat when they fly to Australia for the Ashes later this year.”That’s the thing we’ve been trying to talk about since I came on board [in April],” Saker told Cricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast. “We’ve been trying to make sure that, when the conditions are a bit tougher, we have good plans and go about our job meticulously, and build up some pressure on the batsmen. So as far as I was concerned that was a bit of a worrying sign, and it showed a bit of complacency from the whole group.”Having excelled in swinging conditions to bowl Pakistan out for 80 and 72 in consecutive innings at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston, England appeared to believe that the match was as good as over when Pakistan – still trailing by 97 – slumped to 82 for 5 in their second innings. However, Zulqarnain Haider escaped a king pair to top-score with a battling 88 on debut, and England’s frustrations were summed up by the 50% fine that Stuart Broad incurred after throwing the ball at Haider’s shoulder in a fit of pique.”There were definitely signs that we were going through the motions, and when we were put under pressure we didn’t think that well on our feet,” said Saker. “We made some fielding errors and we just weren’t on top of our game in that little period, so it wasn’t great. But moving forward we definitely need to work on that part of our game, because when we come up against Australia there are going to be times when the ball doesn’t swing and we’ll need to come up with some plans to be successful and get though the ten wickets we need every innings.”However, Saker – whose own playing career was notable for the occasional bout of “white-line fever” – came to the defence of Broad following the Haider incident. While accepting that his player had been in the wrong, he said that that there was no way he would seek to temper the aggression that he brings to his game, because the desire to get into the face of the opposition batsmen was an essential trait for any paceman, especially one who hopes to get the better of Australia.”He’s tall and he hits the wicket hard so he needs to be aggressive, and I like it,” said Saker. “He had some things building up – there was a caught-behind [off Haider] that most of our guys thought was out, and he didn’t get the rewards he wanted for a very good spell – but he knows there’s a fine line that you have to tread, and he’d be the first to admit that he went over it a little bit the other day. But there’s no way I’ll take that aggression out of his game. It’s just about focusing it and making sure it works for the team and not against us.”Even though there are still two Tests remaining of the Pakistan series, the spectre of the Ashes is looming ever larger, with the former Australian coach John Buchanan already in the country to help the ECB with their strategic planning. Saker, for his part, has also chosen to step up those preparations this week by introducing the Australian-favoured Kookaburra ball to England’s nets session at The Oval on Sunday.”We’re definitely not looking further ahead than the third Test against Pakistan, so we’ll be training with the Dukes ball as well,” said Saker. “It’s more about them getting the ball in their hands a lot between now and the Ashes, so that it’s not something that’s foreign when they first get thrown it in Australia. I’m convinced it’s a mind thing. The ball simply doesn’t swing in Australia like it does in England, so we as a bowling group have to come to terms with that and still have plans in place.”The timing may seem strange, coming in the midst of a series that is not yet over, but Saker said that the nature of the abrasive Oval wicket was a factor in bringing forward England’s experiments with the Kookaburra. “Seeing as it is more like an Australian surface, we might get a good idea of how it roughs up and what we can do to protect the ball, and what we can do to get reverse swing,” he said. “We’re still concentrating on the next Test and making it 3-0, but we have one eye definitely on another thing further down the track.”To that end, Saker was pleased with one aspect of England’s performance in the second innings at Edgbaston, and that was the effort of James Anderson, who excelled with 15 wickets in the first three innings of the series, but knuckled down to bowl 28 tidy overs second-time around when the skies cleared and the lateral movement eluded him. In years gone by, Anderson has searched for magic balls when conditions have been against him, and has leaked runs as a result, with his current record in Australia reading five wickets at 82.60. Now, however, Saker believes he is learning how to defend as well as attack.”We know how effective he is with the swinging ball, the pressure is on him to do that when we go somewhere where it is not swinging,” said Saker. “But what I’ve liked that I’ve seen of late is he’s not getting cut and hit off the back foot through point, or pulled and hooked. He’s bowling the ball in an area where he’s always putting the pressure on a batsman to make a good decision, and if he can do that, he’s always going to be an asset whether it’s swinging or not. We want him to bring the batsman forward, because we don’t mind him getting driven occasionally for four. We just don’t want him to be cut or pulled.”According to Saker, the same principle applies to all of England’s bowlers, especially on wickets such as Edgbaston where reverse swing doesn’t come into play. “We have set out a focus in the whole group of dropping our economy rates down, and if we can do that we’ll put pressure on any team,” he said. “If we can get that economy rate under three, we’ll be bowling sides out for less than 300, and if you do that you are in a good position to win Tests.”Despite his concerns about their hiccup at Edgbaston, Saker is confident that the squad of bowlers at his disposal – with Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad waiting in the wings – has the tools and the temperament to rise to the challenges that lie in wait this winter.”With the make-up of our team, with Jimmy the swing bowler, two taller bowlers in Broad and [Steven] Finn, and the best spinner in the world in Graeme Swann, I’m really excited, and confident,” said Saker. “When you’ve got taller bowlers on whatever surface you’ve got, if you are banging away on a good area for good periods of time, the natural variations of the wickets, allied to their height and pace, will cause some big dramas for the batting team.”But for me, it’s about making sure they are thinking in the right way, and that tactically they are aware,” he added. “If they are playing Test cricket they are pretty good cricketers to start with, so I don’t want to change their techniques too much, unless there’s something glaring that needs to be addressed. Steven Finn is young so he needs a bit of guidance, but with Broad it’s about keeping him team-orientated in every over he bowls, and with Jimmy Anderson it’s all about making sure his tactics are right, and how he thinks when he goes about his bowling.”

Gautam Gambhir has been ruled out of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval, while offspinner Harbhajan Singh is also a doubtful starter

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2010Gautam Gambhir, the Indian opener, has been ruled out of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval, while offspinner Harbhajan Singh is also a doubtful starter. Gambhir had missed the second Test because of a swelling in the knee and Harbhajan, who was not at full fitness for the first Test, did not train with the team today.Gambhir’s unavailability is a blow to India’s chances of leveling a series they trail 0-1. M Vijay, who scored a half-century at the SSC, will retain his place alongside Virender Sehwag at the top of the order.The replacement for Harbhajan, should he not play, is not as clear cut. India will have to decide whether to play two spinners, Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra, or bring in a third seamer in Munaf Patel. Ojha was wicketless in the first Test and took 1 for 185 in the second.Gambhir, along with Harbhajan, had been rested from the squad for the tri-series that follows the Tests but he had trained with the team two days ahead of the third Test. Harbhajan had skipped a practice session on Sunday as well but the team management had suggested there was no injury scare.

Following on from the recent sacking of Rafa Benitez as Everton manager, the hunt is now on for the Merseyside club to appoint a new boss that can steady the ship and end the current season on a strong note.

One name that has been mentioned with the position is current Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who has previously had a stint managing Everton a few years ago.

However, it seems as though a potential return to Goodison Park for the Spaniard may not be on the cards just yet.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent Twitter post from journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Belgian FA are not keen on allowing Martinez to leave his current role and join Everton as they apparently want him to stay to coach the international team through the upcoming World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Romano also added in his post that there is “no full agreement yet” between Martinez and Everton on a potential contract, “as things stand.”

Fans will be relieved

During his time in charge of the Toffees between June 2013 and May 2016, the Spaniard took charge of 143 games across all competitions, winning 62, drawing 37 and losing 44 along the way.

Given how there were some fan protests against Martinez during the latter stages of his spell at Everton, it will be a relief to plenty of supporters that a potential return to Goodison is being halted in its tracks by his current employers.

With this in mind, it would be a surprise if Martinez would be open to a move back to Everton after the grief he got as well, especially with a World Cup with Belgium on the horizon where the Red Devils are very much one of the contenders to go all the way.

After all, it would be a rather remarkable decision to leave that behind and head to mediocrity in Merseyside instead.

With this update from Romano in mind, it would be worth Everton moving on from the possibility of hiring Martinez again if he isn’t likely to leave his current position with Belgium and looking at other potential targets who are better suited to the role in order to get their season back on track.

However, for the time being, until they get a new permanent manager, Everton could be forced to give Duncan Ferguson the reins on a temporary basis in the same way he did before Carlo Ancelotti took over back in December 2019.

That feels like a decision that will delight fans in comparison, given his previous association with the Toffees.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist reveals favourites for the job

Alasdair Gold has delivered a potentially exciting transfer claim surrounding Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 11pm deadline this evening…

What’s the word?

Speaking on Twitter, he said:

“Spurs yet to completely rule out more movement today but an expectation at this stage that the two new arrivals could be the only ones. With that, here’s a look at the intricacies of today’s deals in and out, the reasons why but also the problems ahead.”

In an accompanying article, he then added:

‘football.london understands that while Paratici is continuing to scour for opportunities in the market in the final hours of the window, and the club have not yet ruled out further movement, there is an expectation that, at this current moment, Bentancur and Kulusevski will be the only new faces this window.’

Late deals to be done?

With a mere matter of hours left on deadline day, this development from Gold is certainly going to provide Spurs fans with some hope that more business can be done before time runs out.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski are currently the only incomings at Hotspur Way this evening, both signing from sporting director Fabio Paratici’s former club, Juventus.

Meanwhile, there has been a flurry of departures already, if not inbound. Tanguy Ndombele has gone to former club Lyon, Giovani Lo Celso to Villarreal, Dele Alli is expected to sign for Everton, whilst Bryan Gil has also gone out on loan.

The arrival of the Uruguay midfield beast certainly bolsters Conte’s engine room, whereas the Sweden dynamo hands the Italian a very versatile and exciting option anywhere in the attack.

But he could still do with a new right wing-back and potentially a left-footed centre-back as reports suggest that he has little faith in his current options of Matt Doherty and summer signing Emerson Royal due to their lack of threat in the final third.

Whilst left-back Ben Davies has been deployed in a back three as the only natural left-footed option available.

Either way, those around north London will surely be buzzing by Gold’s latest update.

AND in other news, talkSPORT drop exciting Spurs transfer claim on deadline day…

Celtic won’t be able to sign Tottenham defender Cameron Carter-Vickers in a cut-price January deal, Sky Sports report.

The Lowdown: Hoops keen

The Hoops haven’t wasted any time in finalising their winter window business, with moves for Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda already wrapped up.

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Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson have now turned their attention to making Carter-Vickers and Jota’s loan moves permanent, with Celtic having the option to do so.

Carter-Vickers has missed just one Scottish Premiership fixture since moving to Parkhead, but it seems as if the Hoops won’t be able to sign the USA international for as little as £3m, as Spurs insider John Wenham previously stated.

The Latest: Sky Sports source

Sky Sports shared a story regarding moves for Carter-Vickers and Jota on Tuesday evening.

They were informed by a source when it came to Carter-Vickers that an initial fee of £6m is included in the agreement and there is no wriggle-room on the overall price for the 24-year-old following Nicholson and co’s talks with Spurs.

The Verdict: Should Celtic pay it?

Carter-Vickers has been an ever-present figure under Postecoglou, who labelled the defender as ‘calm’ earlier in the campaign.

He’s also been the Hoops’ best performing centre-back in the league this season, as per WhoScored, so Celtic have a decision to make over the coming weeks.

Postecoglou is keen for the deal to be ‘wrapped up quickly’, and even though Tottenham were willing to sell the player for £2.5m in the summer, the Bhoys may have to bite the bullet and pay over the odds for the defender’s full-time services this month.

In other news: Celtic close to another ‘clinical’ signing after Kenny; Ange is a big fan. 

VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni saw off the tricky period with the second new ball, put together the second double-century stand of the innings, and proceeded to virtually bat South Africa out of the Test

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga16-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
HawkeyeMS Dhoni and VVS Laxman took India’s lead to 347•AFP

VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni saw off the tricky period with the second new ball, put together the second double-century stand of the innings, and virtually batted South Africa out of the Test. It was only the second instance of four Indian batsmen scoring centuries in the same innings. It was also Laxman’s fourth hundred in nine Tests at Eden Gardens, taking his tally at his beloved ground to 1041 runs at 94.63.Staring at a massive deficit of 347, South Africa were left needing a huge batting effort, a turnaround of the proportions of the one at the same ground in 2000-01, to make something out of this match. They didn’t help themselves by continuing to drop catches: Laxman added 95 after his reprieve, Dhoni 109 after his, and nightwatchman Amit Mishra 23. That to go with the 118 Virender Sehwag added after he was dropped on the second day. They were not all easy catches, but South Africa usually take eight out of 10 such chances.The crucial period of play was just after Mishra had got out after an entertaining cameo full of edges, plays and misses, and also cracking shots. The lead had reached 88, but with the second new ball Dale Steyn had got his swing back. Morne Morkel was his usual aggressive self, and had Mishra’s wicket in his bag. Laxman was caught in a shell, not struggling but he had let Mishra take the ascendancy. South Africa could sense a comeback and were giving it their best with their best bowlers bowling in tandem.Smart stats

India’s total of 643 for 6 declared is their second-highest total at Eden Gardens, after their 657 for 7 against Australia in that unforgettable Test in 2001.

The only other instance of four Indian batsmen scoring centuries in the same innings was against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2007, when their top four -Jaffer, Karthik, Dravid and Tendulkar – all got hundreds.

This was VVS Laxman’s first Test century against South Africa – before this, he averaged 30.33 in 15 Tests against them, with a highest of 89.

Laxman also became the first batsman to score 1000 Test runs at Eden Gardens; the second-highest is Mohammad Azharuddin with 860.Laxman averages 94.63 at this ground, with four centuries in nine Tests.

The 259-run partnership between Laxman and Dhoni is the third-highest for the seventh wicket in Tests.

The first-innings deficit of 347 is the fifth-largest for South Africa since their readmission into international cricket. The highest during this period is 587, against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2006. It’s easily their largest deficit against India, more than doubling their previous highest – 165, in Johannesburg in 2006.

Laxman handled the fast bowlers well. He left outside off and didn’t let the bouncer barrage or a period of no runs for 37 balls rattle him either. The closest South Africa came to getting a wicket was an inside edge that flew to the left of the keeper. Once Morkel went off – he had fever – runs came easily, the storm had been weathered, and it was time to accumulate.Dhoni welcomed back Paul Harris, who could have had Mishra in the second over of the day but for the drop by Jacques Kallis at slip, with a four and a six in his first two overs. India’s plan was clear then: Laxman was to be the solid anchorman, and the others were to score quickly around him. In the last over before lunch, Dhoni pushed forward at Harris, the ball spun and the edge flew to left of slip. Kallis had by then taken a special overhead catch to remove Mishra, but this one didn’t stick – the third such instance off Harris’ bowling in a session and one delivery. Dhoni was 23 then.In the first over after lunch, Laxman cut Wayne Parnell for four to enter his 40s, and steered him past gully for another four in his next over. Off the next ball, a similar shot went uppishly towards JP Duminy at point. The ball fell slightly in front of him, but those are the catches the South Africans take without making them look tough.After that Laxman and Dhoni, untested, unquestioned, sauntered towards their centuries. They took their own, unique routes. Laxman was unhurried, there were lovely inside-out drives, flicks out of the rough against Harris, and he used the fast bowlers’ pace for scoring on the leg side. Dhoni presented a contrast, walking down the stumps to counter the swing, moving about in the crease, hustling through for ones and twos, relying more on power than timing.After they reached their centuries, both batsmen naturally accelerated, again in their unique ways. Laxman started flicking more and playing more inside-out shots than before. Dhoni lofted Duminy for back-to-back massive sixes, hit Wayne Parnell through covers, and even turned down singles to Laxman. From 100 off 203 Laxman went to 143 off 260, Dhoni went from 100 off 159 to 132 off 187, and the two recorded the third-highest seventh-wicket partnership in Test cricket before the declaration.Thirteen minutes after India declared, light deteriorated suddenly, reducing the possibility of 11 overs to five actual deliveries, which the South African openers survived.