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Match facts

Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Ravi Rampaul has been a quiet performer for Royal Challengers•BCCI

Big picture

While it would have disappointed them immensely, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s loss to Kolkata Knight Riders hasn’t hurt their chances of qualifying for the play-offs much. They are still fourth on the points table, ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad in terms of net run-rate and are much better placed than them.Their last two matches are at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where they’ve had an enviable record this season. There’s an outside chance that Royal Challengers can qualify even if they lose their remaining two matches. But they’ll be looking to secure their position in the top four as quickly as possible, with a last game against Chennai Super Kings on May 18*.Royal Challengers’ opponents tomorrow, Kings XI Punjab, still have an outside chance if they win their remaining matches but, at this stage, that seems purely academic. More importantly, they can affect Royal Challengers’ chances. The last time these two teams played each other, David Miller struck a whirlwind century to stun Royal Challengers in a big chase.Having struggled on a slow pitch, Royal Challengers will find the easy pace of the Chinnaswamy track a welcome relief. The bigger problem for the home side, however, is their struggle to shut the opposition out of the match. That defeat to Kings XI aside, Delhi Daredevils ran them close in spite of Royal Challengers having posted 183 on the board. They’ll be hoping to shut out Kings XI, else there is a possibility a top four spot could prove elusive.

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bangalore LWLWL (most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab LLWLL

In the spotlight

He may not have picked up as many wickets as Vinay Kumar, but Ravi Rampaul has been effective. In the nine matches he’s played this season, he has 12 wickets at an average of 20. He’s created the breakthroughs at the top of the order and done that without conceding too many runs – his economy rate of 6.75 is the lowest among Royal Challengers’ bowlers this season.With their tournament almost drawing to a close, the spot of the fourth foreign player is still a conundrum for Kings XI. They’ve rotated between Azhar Mahmood, Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, David Hussey, David Miller, Dmitri Mascarenhas and Ryan Harris throughout the tournament, and the inconsistent form of some of these players has troubled the team.

Stats and Trivia

• With 210 T20 games till date, David Hussey is second on the list of players who played the most matches in the format. Albie Morkel leads the list with 222 games.
• Chris Gayle is one run short of 1000 T20 runs in this calendar year. This is the third successive year that the West Indies batsman has scored 1000 or more runs in T20 cricket in a single calendar year.

Quotes

“Since no one else is going to do us any favours, we need to take care of ourselves.”
*0600 GMT. This has been corrected to reflect the result of last night’s game

MS Dhoni has said that while fielding strategies and placements on India’s slow, low turners have re-written the conventional textbook around attack and defence, the assessment of pitches and tactics appeared somewhat slanted.Sixteen wickets fell on day three and four innings were completed over three days at the Kotla as India finished its 4-0 creaming of Australia. When asked whether surfaces like those in Delhi were right for Test cricket, Dhoni’s reply was sardonic and also contained his response to past criticism of his captaincy. “Well, you’ll have to answer what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ because your opinion really counts … When four fast bowlers play, it becomes strategy, when three spinners or four spinners play, it becomes a bad wicket.”He went on to give an example of how the interpretation of the same deep-field placements were different for different captains: “For Virender Sehwag, if you have a deep point and a deep-third man and a deep-square leg, it’s a strategy. If MS Dhoni has a deep point and a deep-square leg for David Warner, it’s a defensive field set. You have to see the mindset [of the batsman] and accordingly go ahead.”Dhoni also stated that the era of aggressive cricket, wherein having a mid-on up was common, has gone. Dhoni said: “The kind of cricket that we play has entirely changed … The era of seeing aggressive cricket, where you had to have a mid-on up, has gone.” The in-out field, used in plenty by the Indians, has become the norm with positions distributed between fieldsmen in catching positions and the boundary riders.In the Delhi Test, Dhoni described the offspinner’s conventional field: “You have a short leg, a backward, and a slip. And you have three fielders – deep midwicket, long-on and deep-square leg.” The latter three may have been conventionally considered boundary-saving, defensive fielders, but Dhoni said today’s field placements had much to do with studying the comfort zone and mindset of individual batsmen. Whether to employ a mid-on or long-on fielder was a decision that had to be made through a flexible reading of different batsmen, he said, and not on whether to stop the single or the boundary against all batsmen or the scoreboard situation.”You read the batsmen to see if he is in the mindset of rotating singles, if there’s a mid-on, deep midwicket and four catching fielders, and if he can rotate every ball. If he’s not having any problems, then you try to bring in the mid-on fielder or deep-midwicket fielder to build up the pressure.”If a batsman has more confidence going over the infield, “especially on wickets like these, it’s important that you don’t concede runs in a bunch”. The aim of the deep fielders was, he said, to deny the batsman the boundaries and check the opposition scoreboard from racing ahead. At a time like that, Dhoni said, he was fine with the batsmen taking singles because it created more chances. “If you rotate [the strike] four times, you get four runs and [on] those four runs, you can get them out as many times.”

Tom Maynard, the former Surrey batsman who died in an incident on the London Underground last year, had significant levels of alcohol and traces of illegal drugs in his system at the time of his death, an inquest in London was told.Maynard, who was 23 at the time, was found on the tracks near Wimbledon Park tube station in the early hours of June 18. He had been pulled over by an unmarked police car after “driving erratically” but subsequently abandoned his car, a black Mercedes, and fled the scene. The inquest on Tuesday heard that Maynard was more than three times over the legal alcohol limit for driving. The jury subsequently returned a verdict of accidental death.Tests on hair samples revealed evidence of cocaine “consistent with regular or habitual use”, as well as traces of MDMA – commonly known as ecstasy – Dr Simon Poole, a forensic pathologist, told the Westminster hearing.After the verdict was announced, the ECB said that it would be working with the Professional Cricketers’ Association to develop out-of-competition testing for recreational drugs. Currently, recreational drugs are only tested for during competition, when they are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency according to their performance-enhancing properties. The PCA already runs a Personal Development Programme in conjunction with the ECB to help young county players deal with off-field challenges, which is this year being supported by the Tom Maynard Trust.In a statement, the ECB said: “In the light of today’s verdict, ECB and Surrey CCC would like to reiterate that this incident was a terrible human tragedy and again extend our condolences to the Maynard family and to Tom Maynard’s many friends and colleagues within the professional game.”While the ECB accepts that recreational drug use is a part of modern society, we do not condone it and will take all reasonable steps to prevent its use within the game. We also believe we have a responsibility to educate all our players and are committed to supporting any player who needs help in this area.”In summing up, the coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, described the entire episode as “absolutely tragic” and recommended that Surrey introduce hair-based drug testing as soon as possible.Maynard had been on a night out with team-mates Jade Dernbach and Rory Hamilton-Brown and had decided to visit his girlfriend before being stopped at around 4am. He evaded police and was found dead around an hour later, after being hit by an underground train. Dr Poole was unable to say, however, whether the cause of death had been electrocution or the impact of the train. The driver, Martin Hopping, told the inquest that he had seen a body on the tracks, “not fallen but laid down”, but was unable to stop in time.Dernbach, the England bowler, and Hamilton-Brown gave evidence to the inquest in which they said they had at no stage been aware of Maynard taking illegal drugs. His girlfriend, Carly Baker, also said she did not know he had ever taken drugs. Several times she was heard to say the word “disgrace” from the public gallery, in the direction of the police officers.While Baker said Maynard had sounded “very down, very depressed” when he had called her to say he was coming over, the two players insisted he was in good spirits. “He was his normal bubbly self,” Dernbach said.They did admit, however, that Maynard had been frustrated with himself following an incident in Brighton about 10 days previously. Maynard had been hit by a car while out drinking and had suffered a damaged shoulder and black eye. He had also been disciplined by Surrey following the incident.Maynard, whose father Matthew played for England and Glamorgan, had been considered a good enough prospect to also play internationally. His family released a statement on Tuesday through the PCA.The statement read: “The results of the inquest do not define our son. The fact that so very many people thought the world of him is what defines him as a person. The only people who would judge Tom on the findings of the inquest are people who didn’t know him. He made choices that night that tragically cost him his life but his devastated family and friends will love and miss him unconditionally always. He was a very special person and his death leaves a huge hole in all our lives.”Gareth Batty, another of Maynard’s former Surrey team-mates, and the club’s chief executive, Richard Gould, were in attendance at the hearing, as was the PCA chief executive, Angus Porter. Hamilton-Brown, Dernbach and Baker all struggled to fight back tears throughout proceedings.The effect of the tragedy was significant for Surrey, with several members of a young squad to struggling to come to terms with the loss. Hamilton-Brown, who was Maynard’s flatmate at the time, gave up the captaincy and has since left the club, while wicketkeeper Steven Davies, another close friend, has spoken about suffering from depression.

Australia Women secured their second win in two days as they chased down the 223-run target set by India Women with five wicket in hands at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.Australia were 117 for 4 at one stage, but captain Jodie Fields scored a quick half-century and put up 39 with Lisa Sthalekar and 41 with Alyssa Healy to keep India’s bowlers at bay. Fields retired when 26 were needed off 15 overs and Healy scored quick runs to complete the chase. Amita Sharma got the wickets of the openers, but the rest of the bowling attack was taken for runs.India chose to bat and made a strong start getting to 100 for 1 in the 21st over. But they lost three wickets within the space of six balls – two to Sthalekar – to lose momentum. Important lower-order contributions by Reema Malhotra (35 off 63 balls) and Nagarajan Niranjana (35 off 26) helped India cross 200.In Cuttack, half-centuries by Nain Abidi and Bismah Maroof and stifling spells by the bowlers helped Pakistan Women annihilate Odisha XI by 95 runs. Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 7 for 2 after choosing to bat, but a 148-run stand between Abidi and Maroof lifted the team. Javeria Khan (33) and Qanita Jalil (25) were the other two main contributors, while the rest were out for single-digit scores. Sujata Mallik and Gangotra Behera shared three wickets each.Opener Madhusmita Behera responded with a slow half-century to take Odisha to 84 for 1 in the 31st over. But once Sana Mir struck twice in the same over, the rest of Odisha batting crumbled. Asmavia Iqbal returned with figures of 3 for 20 from her 10 overs as Odisha limped to 145 for 8 in their 50 overs.In a tight contest at the MIG ground in Mumbai, Sri Lanka Women edged out South Africa Women by two wickets in a low-scoring match. Chasing 165, Sri Lanka had collapsed to 66 for 6. But No. 8 Sripali Weerakkody, who scored an unbeaten fifty, first partnered Eshani Kaushalya (22) in a 40-run stand, then put up 41 with Chamani Seneviratna and finally shared an unbeaten 20-run stand for the ninth wicket to help Sri Lanka clinch a win.South Africa’s innings had followed a similar pattern earlier. Kaushalya struck thrice in the early overs as South Africa were reduced to 59 for 6. But a half-century by captain Mignon du Preez and her 72-run partnership with Dane van Niekerk (46) revived the team. Once du Preez was out in the 35th over, the rest folded and the team was all out for 164 in the 46th over.Danielle Hazell’s five-wicket haul went in vain as England Women lost to New Zealand Women by 13 runs in Mumbai.New Zealand, after being asked to bat, were in a position to put much more than the 223 they eventually got. They were 209 for 5 with five overs to come. But Hazell first removed the well-set Sara McGlashan (88 off 90 balls) and then ran through the tail as only 14 came off last five overs. McGlashan had helped revive the team from 117 for 5 with a 92-run stand with Nicola Browne (40).England stumbled at the start of their chase as they lost the openers with 25 on the board. But Sarah Taylor (32) and Lydia Greenway (51) did the repair job and took England past 100. Loss of regular wickets, though, pushed them to the brink on 152 for 7. A 48-run eighth-wicket stand between Jenny Gunn (35) and Tammy Beaumont (22) threatened for a while, but New Zealand removed the last three wickets quickly to complete the win.

ScorecardAround noon, during their lunch break, Railways came to know Saurashtra had won their match. That meant Railways would not qualify for the knockouts even if they won. Around that time, Sanjay Bangar, one of the most respected domestic workhorses, made up his mind it was time to end his 20-year first-class career.Bangar’s team-mates were stunned at the decision, but they delivered him and Railways a consolatory win. One for the road. Or track, in the case of the team made up for Indian Railways’ employees.Bangar himself took two important wickets, those of opener Arindam Saha and captain Wriddhiman Saha. It went into the final session, though, and towards the end Anureet Singh began Bengal’s final slide with the wicket of Debabrata Das, who scored 44 off 55.
ScorecardRajasthan had taken the lead on the third day, sending Hyderabad into relegation, and day four was pretty academic. However, Vineet Saxena used the day well to sign off the season with an unbeaten 146.
ScorecardAlong with the paucity of quality spinners in India, probably as big an issue could be the inadequacy of domestic batsmen against good spin bowling. Madhya Pradesh provided the latest example of that, losing eight wickets for 45 runs in 22.1 overs to hand the remaining quarter-final spot in Group A to hosts Saurashtra. And it wasn’t even an experienced slow bowler who did the damage. It was 22-year old debutant left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, bowling with a classical pivot, who ran through MP to finish with six wickets in the innings and nine in the match.Click here for the full report.
ScorecardMumbai aborted a chase of 135 off a minimum of 41 overs and instead settledfor three points for the first innings lead against Gujarat in their lastRanji Trophy Group A game at the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium.Click here for the full report.

On the eve of the meeting in which Cricket South Africa will restructure its board, the organisation has been dealt another blow. Acting chief executive Jacques Faul has confirmed he will not apply for the post full-time which means CSA will need to search for a new boss.”I don’t see myself doing the job permanently,” Faul told ESPNcricinfo while sources close to him said the recent infighting was the last straw. Faul has been in the position as a stand-in since March last year after Gerald Majola was suspended and then dismissed. His tenure will only end when a replacement has been found.Since Faul was appointed, CSA’s board has had multiple speed bumps on the road to transition. The latest involves a feud with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) over the composition of the new structure. In accordance with the ministerial-convened Nicholson commission, CSA’s new board must contain five independent directors, one of whom is the chairperson but SASCOC are opposed to an independent chair.Tomorrow, CSA will decide how they will make up their new board and whether they will honour Nicholson or give in to SASCOC. They will also make a call on the acting president Willie Basson against whom allegations of Apartheid-era wrongdoing were made last week. Basson’s initial threat of resignation and subsequent withdrawal has thrown the board into further turmoil which Faul has decided he can do without in the long-term.The post of CEO has been advertised but the successful applicant can only be appointed after the new board is put in place. Faul was considered the frontrunner for the job because of the positive gains made by CSA in his time in office. The organisation went from losing major sponsors across all formats during the Majola debacle to regaining corporate backing to the tune of millions of Rands.Although deals with Test-sponsor Sunfoil and ODI-backer Momentum were put in place before Faul took over, under him the former’s agreement was extended and the latter’s sewn up. Fast-food giant KFC have the naming rights to international and domestic T20 matches and Blue Label Telecoms back the T20 squad. Some of those agreements now also hang in the balance because they were conditional to board restructure.Faul was previously the CEO of the North West Cricket Union and has had a long involvement in the game. He is completing a doctorate and may walk away from cricket altogether, although he has also been linked to the Titans job, who also have an acting CEO in operation after the sudden death of their boss Elise Lombard last August.Former ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat has also expressed interest in the position but stipulated that he would only consider it if the corporate governance issues at CSA had been sorted out. Since leaving the ICC, Lorgat has worked as a consultant with Sri Lanka Cricket and is now doing work in Pakistan. Lorgat has worked with CSA before as convenor of selectors.

Nine years as an international cricket captain has given Graeme Smith more than just records. It has handed him a wide-angle lens from which to view the game, something that comes in handy when the here and now is seen as the most important thing.Smith remembers the struggles of the early 2000s when South Africa lost series across the sub-continent and the indifference that followed. He walked every step of the slow, steady rise to the top which may have appeared stagnating in second place but to Smith was a crucial process to building a strong side. He was part of the unit that eventually triumphed, a testament to years of grind.With that in mind, the team’s draw in Brisbane last week does not reflect a lack of ruthlessness or a fear of progression. For Smith, it illustrates exactly how far the team has come. “For us, the great thing is that there is a respect about our performance. If we had travelled a few years ago and drawn a Test match anywhere else in the world people would have been raving about it,” Smith said. “The disappointment in the draw is good for us. It shows that people expect us to play well and that’s exciting for us.”Being tagged as favourites is not new for South Africa but being tagged as favourites who may not fall at the final hurdle is. Every one-day competition they enter, South Africa are talked up with an undertone of being laughed at and when they crash out in any fashion, the knowing nods indicate that they were never expected to win.In Test cricket, it’s different. Because South Africa have done so well, especially on the road, when they don’t put on an emphatic performance, it is a surprise. Not to Smith. He refused to read too much into the rut the first Test got stuck in and did not think he should have done any more to dislodge it. “Both teams drew the last game, not just us,” he said defiantly, when asked if he will do more to move the game forward in Adelaide.Rather than employ more aggressive tactics, a sure-fire way to push a match along, South Africa will field a slightly different bowling attack, which Smith thinks will do the same job. After a brief dalliance with an all-pace line-up, which proved to be a mistake, the frontline spinner Imran Tahir is back in the starting XI and Smith expects him to make an impact, given the conditions.”Hopefully there is a lot of rough, not for me but for the Aussie left-handers,” he said. “Imran has used rough well in the time that he has played for us. He created a lot of stress for Andrew Strauss and the left-handers in England and his wrong’un is also a good option.”Smith can well recall the days of South Africa not having an attacking slower bowler and being accused of not being able to produce spinners. That may be why he has been one of Tahir’s strongest supporters. Previously, he went as far as to say that having a wicket-taking spinner has given him most complete attack he has ever had to work with. He does not see Tahir has biding time, waiting for a career-defining explosion, and credits him with already making a difference.”Naturally, he’ll be anxious to do well, always,” Smith said of Tahir. “That is his personality. But he has contributed in key ways for us over the last few Test matches and his role is important. He understands that not every surface that we have played on has offered him the world but he been able to contribute.”For that contribution, bringing in a more defensive bowler, such as left-armer Robin Peterson, did not even come into the team’s thinking. “Imran is the frontline spinner and we backed him,” Smith said.The other weapon Smith has not always been used to having is the ultra-reliability of Vernon Philander, which has wavered on this tour. Rather than be concerned, Smith said he has no doubts that Philander will lift in Adelaide. “We didn’t have any green tracks in England and he did pretty well. I’ve liked the way he looked this week, really good zip in the nets. The ball has been swinging and moving and I expect good things from him,” he said. “He has got the character to bounce back. I don’t think he bowled really badly in Brisbane.”South Africa’s bowling attack hold one of the keys to them retaining the No.1 ranking for a sustained period. But in Brisbane they looked flat. Although they only managed five wickets, compared to Australia’s 14, Smith said both sides had bowlers who “lacked a bit.”One thing South Africa cannot afford is deficiencies in any department. Their defence of the title could not have begun any tougher. To have to avoid defeat against Australia in Australia is something few teams can boast of. That’s another thing Smith knows first-hand, having been part of series losses and a win Down Under.If the team can draw from and repeat the latter, it will give Smith yet another thing to put into perspective. “This is a big challenge for us,” he said. “If we can come through Australia having been successful we will give ourselves an opportunity to create something special.”

Match Facts

August 28, West End
Start time 1pm (1200GMT)Alastair Cook has enjoyed a vastly successful 2012 as England’s ODI captain•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Persistent rainfall in Cardiff limited the action to just 33 legitimate deliveries in the first ODI, as England retained their No. 1 ranking by virtue of a no-result. In that short window, however, Ian Bell managed to hit Morne Morkel for sixes over midwicket and long-off, racing to one of the most classy (if pointless) 26 not outs you’re likely to see. He only faced 18 deliveries in the mid-afternoon murk but it was enough to re-emphasise why England are happy with their post-Kevin Pietersen one-day set-up.The proposition remains the same for the second match of the series, with a win for South Africa enough to depose England at the top of the rankings. Conceivably, the No. 1 tag could be handed back and forth in Chuckle Brothers style (“To me, to you”) over the course of the next week and a bit, though England may hope that a return to the sort of damp, overcast conditions that provided the backdrop to their 4-0 win over Australia will aid their pursuit of a fourth consecutive ODI series victory in 2012.Under AB de Villiers, South Africa have won six from eight ODIs, beating Sri Lanka 3-2 at home (losing only the two dead games) and then claiming a 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand. Few of the current squad have played at Hampshire’s West End ground before, though they did manage a visit to nearby St Mary’s for Southampton’s Premier League match against Wigan at the weekend and may take inspiration from the visitors’ 2-0 victory. At the very least, their warm-up games of football should show some improvement.

Form guide

(Most recent first, completed matches)
England WWWWW
South Africa WWWLL

Watch out for…

Steven Finn has taken 23 ODI wickets at 15.91 in 2012, at a better strike-rate than any other bowler in the world with ten or more dismissals to their name. His fiery spell on day four of the third Test evoked the consistent hostility of Finn’s recent one-day bowling, which appears to have improved his discipline and economy. A comparison with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, the only fast bowler currently ranked above him, should be interesting.There are few bigger holes to fill in world cricket than that left by the rested Jacques Kallis. Dean Elgar made his South Africa debut in the first ODI, though it was limited to trudging around a wet outfield, and the 25-year-old should have a more extended chance to impress while filling in for Kallis at No. 3 this time around. Elgar won the domestic one-day cricketer of the year award in 2011-12 and his slow left-arm spin could come in useful if the pitch offers turn.

Team news

Despite Jonny Bairstow’s T20 pyrotechnics, England seem unlikely to ditch Ravi Bopara, who returned to the side at Cardiff after time off for personal issues. Bopara’s form is a question mark, however, and he was released to get some batting practice for Essex in the CB40 today. Samit Patel may return at the expense of Chris Woakes if England want a second spin option.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel/Chris Woakes, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnAlbie Morkel and Dale Steyn missed out on the brief skirmish at Cardiff due to minor injuries and neither is expected to play on Tuesday, though both should be fit for World Twenty20. South Africa could call on Imran Tahir after more than a year out of the one-day side.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Dean Elgar, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Ryan McLaren, 9 Wayne Parnell, 8 Robin Petersen, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Pitch and conditions

On Twenty20 Finals Day in Cardiff, where the first ODI was rained off 24 hours earlier, Hampshire were presented with a familiar slow, low surface on which they duly prevailed. A similar track is perhaps to be expected at West End, though England made 288 against West Indies at the ground earlier this summer and with a bright, clear forecast, batsmen shouldn’t fare too badly. De Villiers has consulted Hampshire’s former South Africa international Neil McKenzie and he advised the touring party to expect the pitch to spin.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have played only once at the Rose Bowl, as it was then called, in 2003 against Zimbabwe – a match they won by seven wickets, with Graeme Smith scoring 69.
• Ian Bell has made his two ODI hundreds – both scores of 126 – at the ground.
• AB de Villiers currently averages 158.33 as captain/wicketkeeper of South Africa’s ODI side.
• As on Friday, if South Africa win this match they will become the first team to hold the No. 1 position in all three formats.

Quotes

“The guys who have come in and replaced him have done particularly well. Whoever has stepped up has done really, really well.”
“David has a bright future ahead of him and I look forward to playing with him one day, but we have just got quite a lot [of destructive batsman].”

Never good enough to reach finals day in nine years of trying, never good enough even to earn a home quarter-final, Yorkshire will at least enjoy that privilege when they face Worcestershire at Headingley. Unless the form that has won them seven from eight completed matches in the North Group deserts them at the critical moment, it is hard to imagine that Yorkshire will not go to finals day in the Friends Life t20 in Cardiff on August 25, and possibly as favourites.The Yorkshire transformation has been by some margin the eye-opener in a competition that has found it difficult to attract attention in a damp and chilly summer amid a congested calendar of sport. Some say it is down to the experience brought together in a management trio teaming Jason Gillespie and Paul Farbrace with the established wisdom of Martyn Moxon, others that the signing of two overseas players at the hungry end of their international careers has been the key.While both of those arguments have their strengths, there is another that can be tossed into the debate, namely the appointment of Azeem Rafiq as temporary captain after Andrew Gale dropped out with a hip injury after the third group match. Aged only 21, which made him the youngest player in the county’s history to captain the senior side, Rafiq’s elevation might be seen as shrewd judgment or a lucky gamble but there is no doubt it has paid off handsomely.Given that he had led England sides and Under-15 and Under-19 level and captained Yorkshire in second XI and pre-season matches the gamble was smaller than some might have supposed, although his senior experience was naturally quite limited.Yet Gillespie claimed “it took about five seconds” to conclude that Rafiq was the right man for the job and after five wins from seven completed matches with him in charge, including a comprehensive six-wicket win over strongly fancied Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, it is hard to criticise the Yorkshire hierarchy for making a hasty judgment. When the now recovered Gale returns to lead the side against Worcestershire it will be with a fulsome endorsement of his stand-in.”What I like about Azeem is that I see a bit of myself in him,” Gale said of Rafiq, whose heritage also makes him the first cricketer of Asian origin to captain Yorkshire. But it is not only the “aggressive, up-and-at-’em in-your-face” approach that has impressed Gale. His tactical judgment has also met with approval.”When I am out on the pitch, he comes to me all the time suggesting things,” Gale added, in his weekly newspaper column. “Some lads suggest things and you think: ‘No, that’s not right.’ But what I’ve found nine times out of 10 is that what he suggests is what I’m thinking. I think we’re on the same wavelength.”Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of professional cricket, believes keeping to a pre-meditated game plan made it easier for Rafiq but that he took on the responsibility impressively nonetheless. “He’s got a good cricket brain, and he keeps calm under pressure, which you need to do as a captain,” Moxon said. “We’ve got a set plan on how we want to play, which makes it easier for him in the sense of the bowlers knowing what we’re trying to do. But he’s a great motivator in the field.”It is extraordinary to recall now that Rafiq’s debut for Yorkshire in 2008 cost them a Twenty20 Cup quarter-final after his appearance in a group stage win over Nottinghamshire. Then an academy player, he was selected in good faith but questions over his eligibility led to Yorkshire’s quarter-final against Durham being postponed moments before it was due to begin and ultimately their effective disqualification after the result at Trent Bridge was reversed.If that were a controversy not of his making, the same cannot be said of the error of judgment he made two years ago when an outburst on Twitter against coach John Abrahams on being dropped from an England Under-19 side on disciplinary grounds led to a one-month ban from all cricket. Clearly he has acquired some maturity since then.Worcestershire, having qualified as one of the two best third-placed sides from the group stages, are also bidding to reach finals day for the first time in the 10 years of Twenty20. They might appear to have weaker credentials than Yorkshire, but they emerged from a strong Midlands/Wales/West Group headed by Somerset and Gloucestershire, finishing level with Warwickshire on 11 points but with a better net run rate.What’s more, they possess the 2012 competition’s highest run scorer in opener Philip Hughes, who has hit three half-centuries in an aggregate of 322 from seven innings. Yorkshire, on the other hand, have been well served by several players.Opening batsman Phil Jaques has shared two hundred-plus partnerships – 118 with Gale against Leicestershire at Headingley and 131 with Adam Lyth in the concluding group match against Derbyshire, also at the Leeds ground. David Miller, the 23-year-old South African who forms one half of their overseas duo, hit 28 runs in the last two overs against Durham at Chester-le-Street to finish 74 not out from 35 balls and shared a stand of 91 in 7.1 overs with Gary Ballance against Lancashire at Headingley, in front of a crowd of 10,350.The Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, 22, meanwhile, is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 18 and has been particularly effective at the end of an innings. There is a question mark over Starc’s availability for finals day after he was called up to Australia’s one-day and Twenty20 squads for their series against Pakistan in the UAE, which includes a one-day international against Afghanistan in Sharjah on August 25.Nottinghamshire’s surprise home defeat to Yorkshire did not preclude them also securing a home quarter-final with Hampshire in the other Wednesday tie. It was their only defeat in 10 North Group matches and, with Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Adam Voges, Samit Patel and James Taylor presenting as the strongest top six in the country, they will start as strong favourites, although Glenn Maxwell, the batsman named in Australia’s provisional squad for the World Twenty20, could be a dangerous opponent, especially with Darren Pattinson, a key Nottinghamshire bowler in this competition, failing to recover from a groin injury suffered in a CB40 match on Sunday.

ScorecardSimon Katich guided Hampshire to a comfortable four-wicket CB40 win over Durham with a perfectly judged half-century. Australian veteran Katich struck three sixes and a four in his 59 not out as Hampshire got home with 10 balls to spare.Durham, put in on a slow wicket, mustered 200 for 7 from their 40 overs. Gordon Muchall underpinned Durham’s total with a brave and defiant 96 not out, coming in at 41 for 3 with his side finding it hard to get the better of a wet outfield.Muchall struck five fours and two sixes off 99 balls, sharing in an important stand of 83 for the fifth wicket with Dale Benkenstein, who made 31. Paul Collingwood contributed 28 and it might have been more had he not been beaten by a throw from Jimmy Adams at extra cover when the Durham total was 59.Kabir Ali was the most successful of the Hampshire bowlers, taking 3 for 39, removing opener Phil Mustard in his first spell and then returning to get rid of former Hampshire batsman Johann Myburgh and Gareth Breese.When Hampshire responded they were given a solid base by Adams and fellow opener James Vince who put on 73 for the first wicket.Legspinner Scott Borthwick ended the stand when he removed Adams for 33 and later caused concern in the Hampshire camp by coming back to dismiss Sean Ervine and Liam Dawson. But all the while former Durham batsman Katich was in command, so were Hampshire.Katich twice hit Borthwick for six and did the same to Ben Stokes before finding the perfect ally in Dimitri Mascarenhas. With 30 required off 29 balls at the fall of Dawson’s wicket at the start of the 36th over, Katich and Mascarenhas went on the offensive.Mascarenhas lifted Borthwick for another six to take Hampshire in sight of victory before Borthwick got some measure of revenge by him lbw for 22.The sixth wicket pair had put on 28 in 15 balls and with Hampshire now needing two runs, the rest was a formality. Katich faced 62 balls and, for all his late punishment, Borthwick was the pick of the Durham bowlers in terms of wickets, finishing with 4 for 51 from his eight-over stint.