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Andy Flower has praised the “resolve and resilience” of his team after England’s narrow victory in the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge

George Dobell15-Jul-2013Andy Flower has praised the “resolve and resilience” of his team after England’s narrow victory in the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.Flower, the England team director, also defended the DRS despite some controversial dismissals during the Test and expressed the belief that such an entertaining start to the series would prove beneficial to the game as a whole.”It was a sensational game,” Flower said. “I’m very proud of our team, obviously, for the resolve and the resilience they showed. They held their nerves under pressure. It was a tense game for five days. It’s obviously great to come out on top and we can go to Lord’s with real confidence. But I must say both teams provided an outstanding game of Test match cricket.”We’re in the business of winning, so to win is outstanding. They can take a lot of confidence from the way they held themselves, especially as our lead was whittled away. They were good in breaks, they were good in the middle.”Alastair Cook led them well; he showed his strength and calmness as a captain again, not to mention his catching ability. Jimmy Anderson, particularly, with the ball showed again his skill and class. I must also make mention of Ian Bell’s innings. He obviously showed real skill, but also, I think more importantly, a real determination and courage out there in the middle to bat like he did.”It’s not only meaningful for the players. We had full crowds here every day and I’m sure they’ll be like that through the rest of the series. For those people to create such a great atmosphere for the competitors to play in, but also for everyone on TV and radio hearing what was an amazing game of cricket and a special atmosphere, it’s really great for the game of cricket that we have games of this type.”While there were some issues with umpiring decisions during the game – Flower approached the match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, for clarification of ICC protocols after Aleem Dar’s not out decision for an leg before appeal against Jonathan Trott was overruled by the TV umpire, Marais Erasmus, despite a user error denying him use of the side-on Hot Spot image – Flower defended the system and insisted it helped the officials “get more decisions right than wrong.””I think that using the review system is the correct way for international cricket to go, because we get more decisions right using it,” Flower said. “I think that’s very simple and very clear. The protocol for making those decisions must be adhered to. Of course, we will never get everything right but at least using the system we get more decisions right than wrong.”Flower also defended Stuart Broad, who chose not to walk despite a thick edge that the umpire Aleem Dar did not see. “Stuart Broad, like every other batsman in international cricket, has the right to wait for the umpire to make his decision,” Flower said. “The umpire’s job is to make those decisions.”Accepting that the first Test would have drained the players of both sides, Flower expressed his confidence in the “fitness” and “resilience” of his players and his belief that those qualities would serve them well with the scheduling of back-to-back Tests allowing them little time to rest and recover from their exertions.”It was a Test match full of tension, but it was great fun to be involved in as well. I think the players from both sides will reflect on a sensational match to have been involved in, but yes, it will have taken something out of all the players involved. That’s why our guys work so hard on their fitness and they are mentally resilient – they have shown that. Over a number of our Test match campaigns, they have come out on top because of that resilience and I expect them to show that resilience at Lord’s in the second Test.”What I must say is we never for a moment thought that this match or the series would be a walkover. I know we hear the odd thing in the media predicting some funny results, but we always knew this would be a tough battle. This is a really good example of a tough battle and I’m sure it will be a tough fight for the remainder of the series.”

Yorkshire have defended renaming their limited-overs side “Yorkshire Vikings”, insisting the name reflects the history of the region and will help the club appeal to a new, young audience

George Dobell06-Mar-2013Yorkshire have defended renaming their limited-overs side “Yorkshire Vikings”, insisting the name reflects the history of the region and will help the club appeal to a new, young audience.While immediate associations with the Vikings might not be positive – Yorkshire are understandably keen not to be seen to endorse pillaging or plundering – the club feel the name will provide a useful marketing hook and should have no negative connotations. As part of the rebranding the club have agreed a partnership with the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, which will offer “match-day experiences” to younger supporters in a bid to attract new followers to the club.”We wanted a name that was relevant to the community,” Danny Reuben, Head of Media & Marketing at Yorkshire, told ESPNcricinfo. “And, as the Vikings settled here 1,300 years ago and shaped the look and the language of the region, they have had a huge impact. One of their legacies was establishing the three Ridings of Yorkshire and the words ‘York’ and ‘Yorkshire’.”We are also entering into a partnership with the Jorvik Centre in York, which is the home of Viking history in this part of the world, and they will provide match-day experiences which will hope will capture the imagination of younger supporters.”We did have an online poll to pick a new name but we had to ignore the results as it was high-jacked by Lancashire supporters. Had it been up to them, we would have been called the Yorkshire Puddings.”Yorkshire’s commercial director, Andy Dawson, said: “With the Vikings brand, we now have a name that is marketable and gives us a hook to promote the club to a wider audience. Our creativity in developing a new look and feel for the team will enable us to implement new revenue streams and attract a younger audience.”Cricket cannot be viewed simply as a sport. It is a form of entertainment that in modern times operates in a highly competitive environment vying for consumers’ leisure time. We hope that people and in particular children will identify with the Yorkshire Vikings and embrace the activity we have planned at Headingley this season.”Sarah Maltby, director of attractions at the Jorvik Group, agreed that the Vikings’ negative reputation was largely unfair. “The Vikings did many things,” Maltby told ESPNcricinfo. “They did invade, but then they settled, they created towns and cities, they manufactured and they traded across the world. The fierce stereotype people have of them is only one side of the story. They were much more than that.”As well as having a bat and ball game that some have compared to cricket, the Vikings also invented the words “ball”, “run”, “leg”, “loft”, “hit”, “cake” and even “sledge”.Yorkshire, who had been branded as Yorkshire Carnegie in limited-overs cricket until the end of their sponsorship deal with Leeds Metropolitan University, will play under the Vikings name for the first time on their pre-season tour of Barbados, which commences on March 16 against Hampshire Royals.

NWSL expansion side Bay FC smashed the world-record transfer fee to sign Madrid CFF superstar Racheal Kundananji on Tuesday.

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Bay FC sign Kundananji for world-record feeMadrid CFF superstar joins NWSL expansion sideLook ahead at 2024 campaignWHAT HAPPENED?

The Zambian superstar has signed from Madrid CFF in the biggest transfer in women's soccer history, for a staggering fee worth €735,000 ($788,000/£625,000). The 23-year-old striker will travel to the United States to now be one of the highest-paid players in the league, with a deal that will pay over $2m across her contract through 2026, according to

AdvertisementWHAT BAY FC

“We are delighted to add Racheal to our group,” said Bay FC General Manager Lucy Rushton. “She is a tremendous talent with dynamic attacking qualities and an incredible physical profile who has produced for both club and country. Racheal has a composure in-front of goal and a natural ability to score with different types of finishes and from various locations. We believe she will continue to grow and develop at our club, showcasing her skillset and adding to the array of exciting attacking talent we have here.”

GettyWHAT KUNDANANJI SAID

“Every place that I’ve been to, I always take something from there; I learn something from there,” Kundananji told . “Good or bad, to me it’s a good experience because you have to experience something to know something. I’m looking [forward] to having a great time in the U.S., have a great time with the team. Now, Bay FC is my new family.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kundananji, who has eight goals and two assists this campaign in Liga F, is one of the top prospects in all of women's soccer. After signing in Spain in 2022, she ended her debut season with 25 goals across all competitions for Madrid CFF. Now, she's taking her talents to the West Coast to be the first-ever superstar signing for Bay FC ahead of their inaugural season.

Glenn McGrath, the former Australia fast bowler, will be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on January 4, during the New Year’s Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2012Glenn McGrath, the former Australia fast bowler, will be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on January 4, during the New Year’s Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney.McGrath is the 68th male cricketer to make it to the hall of fame, with Brian Lara, who was inducted in September 2012, being the last before him. Enid Bakewell, the former England Women’s allrounder, was also inducted this year. The ICC will announce a final inductee for 2012-13 next summer.”I am honoured that the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame voting academy, which includes all the current living Hall of Famers, have nominated and voted me to be inducted,” McGrath said. “I am very much looking forward to celebrating the occasion on January 4 at the SCG, which is of course is like a second home to me.”Glenn McGrath played 124 Tests, claiming 563 wickets at 21.64. That puts him second on Australia’s list of wicket-takers, behind Shane Warne, and fourth on the overall list – he has the biggest tally among all fast bowlers though. He also took 380 ODI wickets (plus one for the ICC World XI) in 249 games, the joint-highest for Australia alongside Brett Lee. He was part of Australia’s World Cup-winning teams in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

On a day when he was named in the Australia A squad to take on the England Lions, Nathan Coulter-Nile showed why he has excited Australia’s national selectors, bowling Western Australia to victory over Queensland at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2013
ScorecardOn a day when he was named in the Australia A squad to take on the England Lions, Nathan Coulter-Nile showed why he has excited Australia’s national selectors, bowling Western Australia to victory over Queensland at the Gabba. Coulter-Nile’s career-best 6 for 84 ensured there was no chance the Bulls would chase down their hefty target of 440, despite Greg Moller scoring his maiden first-class century.Moller made 120 and had good support from the captain James Hopes with 61, but Coulter-Nile and the left-arm spinner Ashton Agar kept chipping away at the Queensland line-up with regular wickets. Agar picked up 3 for 91 but it was Coulter-Nile who removed the key threats, including Moller, who was caught at slip, and Hopes, who played on from a short ball.Coulter-Nile picked up the final wicket, that of Cameron Gannon caught at gully, to secure the 99-run win. The victory was not enough to lift the Warriors off the bottom of the Sheffield Shield table but the even nature of the competition this year means that they remain in the hunt for a place in the final with three rounds still to be played.

Cricket Ireland have named a full-strength squad for their upcoming ODI’s against Canada that will be played at Clontarf next week

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2011Trent Johnston has recovered from a knee injury and has been named in a full-strength Ireland squad for their upcoming ODI’s against Canada that will be played at Clontarf next week. Boyd Rankin, Niall O’Brien and Ed Joyce, the three players who missed the Intercontinental Cup game against Namibia because of their county commitments, are also back in the side for the two one-dayers on September 19 and 20, as is captain William Porterfield. Kevin O’Brian led the team against Namibia in Porterfield’s absence.Johnston has suffered through an injury plagued season, but took a cortisone injection two weeks ago and said his knee has felt a lot better since then. “I’ve a lot more mobility, and I’m due to start bowling again in the nets tomorrow while the I-Cup game is going on. I’ll be building up my workload as the week progresses, and I’d be pretty confident of playing next week.”Having said that, I’ll probably still have the operation on my knee on the 29th of this month. If that goes to plan, I’ll be back in full training in December ahead of the tour of Kenya and the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in UAE in mid March.”Ireland coach Phil Simmons said the return of Trent gives the side a boost. “I like experience in my squad as everyone knows, and it’s no surprise that it’s the World Cup squad, with the exception of Andre Botha,” Ireland coach Phil Simmons said. “We’ve been boosted by the return of Trent, who always gives the squad a lift by his very presence.”Ireland take on Canada in a four-day game that starts on September 13.Ireland ODI squad: William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert Van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson

Abdul Qadir, the former Pakistan legspinner, has said he rues the fact that the Lahore-born Imran Tahir went on to play for South Africa and not Pakistan

Umar Farooq29-May-2012Abdul Qadir, the former Pakistan legspinner, has said he rues the fact that the Lahore-born Imran Tahir went on to play for South Africa and not Pakistan. Tahir had met Qadir in Lahore on Tuesday, and will remain in Pakistan for the rest of the week, for personalised training sessions in preparation for South Africa’s tour of England in July.The pair had worked on increasing the variations in Tahir’s bowling. “He is here to enhance his variations, and sought my guidelines regarding the finger googly and using flight as a weapon,” Qadir told ESPNcricinfo. “He is very keen to learn more and I love to help him, because he applies what I teach him. I have only shared the googly information with him and Shahid Afridi.”Qadir is confident of Tahir making an impression in England. “England [have always] struggled against spin bowling a lot, but once it comes to their home conditions, they are good. I have shared my past experiences with Tahir, told him how to counter English batsman in their own conditions … I am optimistic that he will make an impact with his improved bowling.”Tahir, who has played seven Tests for South Africa, played cricket in Pakistan from 1996 to 2006. “My relations with Imran aren’t something new,” Qadir said. “I’ve know this boy since he was playing in the Under-19 team here; he had tremendous talent and I was urging the [Pakistan] board to try him. I still regret not having this boy in Pakistan colours, but I am proud of him.”Tahir was once part of the Pakistan A team and was one of the popular legspinners on the Pakistani domestic circuit in 90s. He was team-mates with Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq in 1996, in the Under-19 squad that played against England and Australia.”He has played an ample amount of cricket in Pakistan, it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t have him playing for Pakistan,” Qadir said. “He was so hardworking and a good learner, and always wanted to play cricket on the big stage. He eventually got there, where he always wanted to get.”This is not the first time he has come up to me for tips, he was consistently in touch with me and always visits me when he is here in Lahore.”

Yuvraj Singh, the India batsman, has completed his chemotherapy and is expected to return to India in the first half of April

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2012Yuvraj Singh, the India batsman, has completed his chemotherapy and is expected to return to India in the first half of April. He was admitted to hospital for his last cycle of chemotherapy and has now been discharged. Yuvraj underwent three sessions of chemotherapy in Indianapolis at the IU Simon Cancer Centre at the Indiana University Medical Centre under Lawrence H Einhorn, who headed the treatment of cycling champion Lance Armstrong in 1996.Yuvraj had tweeted on Sunday morning about his chemotherapy sessions being complete.

3rd chemo cycles over, back from hospital n I am free. Road to recovery starts now. Can’t wait to be back home.

— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) March 18, 2012

Yuvraj was diagnosed with cancer early last month. His condition is called “mediastinal seminoma”, a germ-cell tumour located between his two lungs – the tumour is a rare one, forming less than 1% of all cancers. He was known to have shown a “slightly better than expected response” to his first cycle of chemotherapy and now, having completed the process, will go through a few weeks of recovery to deal with the side-effects of his treatment.While in the US, where he’s been since the last week of January, Yuvraj has done as much gym work and played pool as was physically possible during his treatment, watched the Superbowl game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots and interacted with a few hundred Indian-origin students of the university after he was recognised when on one of his walks along the Indianapolis canal.

Sri Lanka secured a place in the tri-series finals with a tense victory over Australia

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG02-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDaniel Christian picked up a hat-trick, but it was Sri Lanka who finished on top•Getty ImagesSri Lanka entered this match with their fate in their own hands. It turns out those are pretty safe hands. Not even a hat-trick from Daniel Christian, a four-wicket comeback from James Pattinson, a captain’s half-century from Shane Watson or a remarkable, late, fighting fifty from David Hussey could prevent Sri Lanka from winning the last qualifying match at the MCG. Lasith Malinga led a strong bowling performance to complete Sri Lanka’s nine-run victory, which propelled them into the tri-series finals.No doubt Australia were disappointed, for they must now enter the best-of-three deciders knowing they have lost their previous three games to their Sri Lankan opponents. But India would have been even more gutted. An Australia win would have sent Sri Lanka packing and secured India a place in the finals. Instead, MS Dhoni’s men will now fly home at the weekend, ending a disheartening three-month tour.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have a chance to win a tri-series in Australia for the first time at their ninth attempt. Their total of 238 at the MCG, set up by half-centuries from Dinesh Chandimal, Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne, seemed a fraction skinny on what looked like a reasonable batting surface. But despite losing Thisara Perera to injury during his first over, Sri Lanka’s total proved defendable with Malinga in their attack.Not that it was straightforward. Hussey’s run-a-ball 74 nearly snatched victory for Australia. They needed 10 runs from the final over, bowled by Kulasekara, but Hussey holed out to long-off from the first ball of it and Sri Lanka celebrated. They had been on top early, when Australia were 3 for 26 after Malinga and Kulasekara troubled the top order, but then Australia fought back.Batting at first drop, the stand-in captain Watson – Michael Clarke was not risked ahead of the finals – led Australia’s fightback with a solid, composed 65 and he had good support from Michael Hussey (29). But once their 87-run stand was broken, Australia struggled again.Michael Hussey has proven a handy partnership breaker with his slow-medium bowling recently and this time he was on the receiving end of a similar ploy, as Thirimanne drew an edge behind that was well taken by Sangakkara. It was Thirimanne’s first international wicket and his second in all List A cricket, and importantly for Sri Lanka it was followed a few overs later by the departure of Watson.Watson had brought up his half-century from his 61st delivery with a straight drive off Thirimanne and he had been strong when the bowlers had strayed too straight, but he was in no particular hurry. His innings, an encouraging one in his second match back from a long injury lay-off, ended when he played all around a fast, straight Malinga ball that knocked middle stump out of the ground.David Hussey kept Australia afloat and did a fine job but his partners gradually dwindled. His fifth half-century of the series shot him to the top of the tournament runs tally but it wasn’t quite enough for Australia, whose innings started with the loss of both David Warner and Matthew Wade, who had been reunited as the opening pair. Warner (6) slapped Malinga to short cover, a strange shot to a ball that sat up on him, and Wade was lbw for 9 to Kulasekara, before Peter Forrest tickled a catch behind for 2 when he tried to cut Malinga.Smart stats

Sri Lanka beat Australia for the third time in the series. This is the first ever series in which Sri Lanka have managed three wins over Australia.

Daniel Christian became the fourth Australia bowler overall and the first since Brett Lee (2003 World Cup) to pick up an ODI hat-trick. He became only the fourth bowler after Shahadat Hossain, Shane Bond and Lasith Malinga to pick up a hat-trick in a defeat.

Christian’s 5 for 31 is the third-best bowling performance for an Australia bowler in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Mitchell Johnson holds the record with 6 for 31 in Pallekele in 2011.

For the fourth time against Sri Lanka and the 11th time overall, two Australia bowlers picked up four or more wickets in an innings. The last time this happened was in Colombo in 2011.

David Hussey scored his fifth half-century of the series. He became the ninth Australia batsman to score five or more fifty-plus scores in the Australian tri-series. Mark Waugh and Dean Jones have achieved the feat twice.

The 123-run stand between Kumar Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Sri Lanka in ODIs against Australia.

The target of 239 is the third-lowest that Australia have failed to chase down against Sri Lanka and the second-lowest in Melbourne after the 222 in 2008.

Shane Watson improved on his tremendous record in ODI chases. In chases, he now averages 59.10 with five centuries and 12 fifties.

It was just the start Sri Lanka needed in the field after posting 238. Their three half-centuries at the top of the order made for a lopsided scorecard as the lower order struggled, especially against Christian, who collected a career-best 5 for 31 and wrote himself into the record books as the first player from Australia since Brett Lee in 2003 to take an ODI hat-trick, and the fourth overall alongside Lee, Bruce Reid and Anthony Stuart.Christian was mobbed by his team-mates after completing the feat, which began when Thisara Perera skied a ball and was taken at deep midwicket by Michael Hussey, who caught the ball inside play, tossed it up before he fell over the rope and completed the catch after stepping back in. The ball had gone so high that the batsmen had crossed twice, leaving the new man Sachithra Senanayake on strike instead of the established Thirimanne.Senanayake was lbw first ball and replays indicated the ball would have gone on to hit leg stump. The same could not have been said for the next delivery. Rod Tucker raised his finger to give Kulasekara lbw but the ball appeared to be sliding down leg side and replays confirmed it was a poor decision. Christian didn’t care. It was a hat-trick, and they are rare.Thirimanne (51) was good enough to help Sri Lanka survive their quota of overs, falling only in the penultimate over when he played on while trying to paddle sweep Pattinson. Rangana Herath remained 14 not out and Malinga was bowled off the last ball of the innings to give Christian his fifth wicket.By batting out their time Sri Lanka ensured that the efforts of Sangakkara and Chandimal were not wasted. They had put on 123 for the third wicket and Chandimal was the more aggressive partner. He continued his good series and brought up his fifty off his 47th delivery with a glanced single off Clint McKay, before Sangakkara registered his in the same over from his 79th ball. Throughout his innings, Sangakkara had been in no hurry and didn’t score a boundary until his 55th delivery, when he punched Ben Hilfenhaus forward of point.His runs came largely through ones and twos and it was an important stabilising performance after Sri Lanka were 2 for 17. Sangakkara fell for 64 when he top-edged a pull off Pattinson, and his departure slowed Chandimal down. Chandimal was out for 75 from 84 when he too was beaten by the pace of Pattinson, lobbing a ball to mid-off.Chandimal had been willing to play his strokes and he brought the crowd to life with a muscular hit that sailed straight over the head of the bowler Christian and crashed into the sightscreen. Another followed off the spin of Xavier Doherty, over long-on this time, and Chandimal spent most of his time hovering around the run-a-ball mark.As it turned out, the Chandimal-Sangakkara combination was just what Sri Lanka needed after Mahela Jayawardene was run out early thanks to a poor call by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who followed by edging Pattinson behind. At that point, Sri Lanka were wobbling. But they will enter the finals with stability, and form against Australia, on their side.Edited by Nikita Bastian

Sandip Maniar took five wickets and Saurashtra forced Mumbai to follow-on despite hundreds from Suryakumar Yadav and Hiken Shah

Nagraj Gollapudi in Rajkot08-Dec-2011
ScorecardFile photo: Suryakumar Yadav’s rapid fire hundred did prevent Mumbai from having to follow-on•FotocorpSaurashtra achieved the enviable honour of inflicting the follow-on for the second time in three years against Mumbai, who finished 220 runs short of their opponent’s first-innings target on the penultimate day. Mumbai, who had lost two early wickets in the six overs before stumps on the second day, lost a further two inside the first thirty minutes on Thursday morning, finding themselves in a precarious position at 30 for four.That they didn’t fold immediately thereafter was down to the resolute efforts of Hiken Shah and Suryakumar Yadav, who made contrasting centuries to ensure the match wouldn’t be completely one-sided. Still Saurashtra, lead by their veteran seamer Sandip Maniar, who grabbed a deserving five-for, ensured the hosts would finish the match with at least three points.Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai captain, has struggled so far this season and disappointed once again. Playing across a Maniar delivery, which had cut in after pitching on the off stump, Jaffer was caught plumb in front of the stumps. Then Kaustubh Pawar went chasing an away swinger from Maniar, but could only edge it to the wicketkeeper. Yadav, too, had nearly booked his written ticket when he flashed at an angled delivery from Jaydev Undakat, the left-arm seamer, but Bhushan Chauhan dropped an easy catch at second slip. Yadav was on six at the time and made good use of the life he was granted.So far this season Yadav’s modus operandi has been to hit the ball, good delivery or bad, if he feels he can hit it. His first onslaught came against Siddharth Trivedi, who was hit for four successive boundaries in his first over: a steer, then two punched straight drives followed by a pull that brightened Mumbai’s dressing room. Yadav took just 35 balls to make his third half-century of the season.He then took fancy to the left-arm spin of Nayan Doshi, whose first over was ransacked for 22 runs including a six and four fours featuring a cover drive, a loft, a sweep and a paddle sweep. In Doshi’s third over, Yadav stepped out twice, on the fourth and then the final delivery, to club two handsome sixes, the second of which got him to this second century in successive matches. His 77-ball hundred had come up inside the two-and-a-half-hour first session and Yadav promised a big score for a second week in a row after his 200 against Orissa in the last round.Still Yadav needed to exercise caution only because he had missed out on two centuries in the first two rounds, against Railways (88) and then against Rajasthan (87), by playing the wrong shots. In their efforts to dry up the runs, Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah spread the field and asked Kamlesh Makwana, the off spinner, to attack Yadav’s off stump. Yadav stayed quiet for an over, but attempting a slog sweep, he top-edged to Shah, who had smartly pushed himself back from leg gully to short fine-leg.Luckily for Mumbai, Hiken, playing his first match for Mumbai in three years, did not lose focus. He had played for Jammu & Kashmir in the 2009-10 season, but returned home and spent the mandatory cooling-off period of one year playing in the Mumbai leagues. He had come into this match on the back of three back-to-back centuries in the Police Shield.In the second session, Saurashtra mostly deployed spinners, which was to Hiken’s liking. He brought up both his fifty and his hundred with fours. The half-century came when he cut Makwana past the point boundary. Then on 96, he lofted Trivedi over the bowler’s head. It was his second Ranji, and first-class, century, coming four years after his first.Unfortunately at the start of the final session Hiken tried to uppercut a Maniar short-pitched delivery, which was brilliantly snapped by Kotak, the lone slip, who leapt into the air, raised both his hands and made a difficult catch look easy.Coincidentally, the last match Hiken played for Mumbai was against Saurashtra in the 2008-09 season in Rajkot and Mumbai had been forced to follow-on in that game too. Hiken said it was bittersweet moment for him that despite his century he could not save Mumbai’s blushes.