Batting blitz propels Chennai to 188

Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, Centurion

The Bulletin by Shwe Wai

Chennai Super Kings (Raina 52, Dhoni 40, Bailey 30) v Kolkata Knight Riders
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Suresh Raina hit three fours and three sixes during his breezy 52

Chennai were deprived of the services of their most prolific batsman this season, but Matthew Hayden's team-mates ensured his absence didn't factor largely in their performance, as they posted a formidable score to boost their chances of a smooth sail into the final four. The effort was a product of a calculated performance by Suresh Raina and an equally shrewd effort by MS Dhoni, who built on a solid opening stand to put Kolkata Knight Riders under immediate pressure as they pursue a stiff task.

Raina saw off a relative slide in form - he had managed just 48 in his previous three innings - to quickly slip into his natural mode of play, using the flicks, dabs and cuts that characterize his batting with relentless frequency and opening up in timely fashion to retain the tempo set by the openers. He handled the spinners particularly well, playing them constantly in the V, and stepping up to the one pitched short, smacking Murali Kartik through point and pulling Ajantha Mendis over midwicket.

Dhoni, meanwhile, proved again that he remains Chennai's best middle-order batsman. He had been involved in four 50-plus stands before this, and added another one to his tally, mixing up his raw power and rotating the strike. He lofted David Hussey over long-off, and flat-batted Ajit Agarkar before surviving a chance, squandered yet again by Kolkata, as Kartik dropped a sitter at midwicket.

Chennai gained complete control in the 16th over as Raina launched into Ajantha Mendis, carting him for two sixes over midwicket, and punishing Dinda for one more in the 17th before miscuing a catch to point. It is an interesting statistic that Raina has managed just two fifties in the tournament, and still remains his team's second-highest run-getter, a measure of his incredible consistency. Dhoni and Albie Morkel accepted the baton, and promptly clubbed the opposition as 48 runs were leaked in the last four overs. Agarkar was once again guilty of gifting freebies as Morkel punished him in his final over, smashing a flat six over square leg before dismissing him into the stands the next ball and pinching 19 runs to seal the advantage at the halfway stage.

The Chennai innings was set up by a 59-run opening stand between Hayden's replacement George Bailey and Parthiv Patel, who recovered some form after a disappointing run that left him out of the side for five games. Kolkata again had to rely on spin to arrest Chennai's charge and the frequency with which they altered the attack provided a glaring indication of their plight.

Patel's six sends Ireland packing

Friends Provident Trophy round-up

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	Marcus Trescothick flips one over the leg-side in Somerset's easy win at Canterbury

Discarded by England, Samit Patel proved his worth with 6 for 13 in Nottinghamshire's nail-biting two-wicket win over Ireland in Dublin, winning with one ball to spare. Ireland managed just 140 from their 34 overs after rain had delayed the start of the match, yet the visitors struggled to 77 for 5 when Ali Brown departed for 32. Wickets were shared around by the Ireland seamers, and they were on the brink of an upset when Ryan Sidebottom was run-out for 2. However, Paul Franks (11 from 11) and Luke Fletcher saw them home off the penultimate ball. Neither Ireland or Scotland, the two Associate nations in the Friends Provident Trophy, have recorded a single win out of a combined total of 12 matches this season.

Rain prevented Leicestershire and Worcestershire's match from finishing at Grace Road, with Worcestershire reaching 67 for 1 from just eight overs before the heavens opened.

Group B

Martin van Jaarsveld's superb 132 went in vain for Kent as Somerset's Peter Trego took 4 for 56 in their comprehensive 45-run win at Canterbury. van Jaarsveld's hundred, which came from 103 balls, stood out like a beacon as he lost partner after partner with Kent chasing a sizeable 297. Justin Kemp was the next highest scorer with 29, and though van Jaarsveld eventually reached a career-best, Somerset were already home and dry. Somerset's innings was built around fifties from Marcus Trescothick (56), Justin Langer (77 from 60) and Zander de Bruyn (72 from 83)

Scotland put up a better fist of things in their pursuit of their first win of the tournament, but couldn't haul down a revised 238 from 48 overs, eventually collapsing to their sixth straight loss against Warwickshire in Edinburgh. Scotland were reasonably well placed at 131 for 3 but lost Neal McCallum for a breezy 22, followed by two more quick wickets, to leave them stumbling on 139 for 6. Craig Wright did his best with a quickfire 28 from 19 balls, but with wickets tumbling and the required rate in excess of 10-per-over, Scotland folded meekly. Ant Botha was the pick of Warwickshire's attack, grabbing 3 for 27, in addition to his sprightly 28-ball 37 in his side's 242 for 6. Jim Troughton top-scored with a calm 77 from 125.

Punjab hang on after thriller

Deccan Chargers v Kings XI Punjab, IPL, Johannesburg

The Bulletin by Shwe Wai

Kings XI Punjab 134 for 7 (Sangakkara 52, RP Singh 3-26) beat Deccan Chargers 133 for 8 (Rohit 42, Yuvraj 3-13) by 1 run
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	It was a tremendous effort from the Kings XI Punjab bowlers as Yuvraj Singh bagged his second hat-trick of the tournament

Kings XI Punjab lived to see another day in the IPL after a tremendous bowling effort - highlighted by Yuvraj Singh's second hat-trick of the tournament - gave them a one-run win over the Deccan Chargers off the last ball of the game. Rohit Sharma played yet another crucial innings for Deccan but Punjab fought back valiantly after a poor batting performance.

Adam Gilchrist had given Deccan a brisk start of 30 in three overs. But Ramesh Powar's entry into the attack turned things around. Powar took two in two in his first over and the scoring rate dropped considerably. But Deccan were still ahead of the required run-rate in the 12th over when Yuvraj struck with Gibbs' wicket. He returned in the 14th to take two more and after that Deccan were playing catch-up.

They needed 43 off 18 when Rohit hit two sixes and a four off Wilkin Mota to bring Deccan back in the game. Fourteen off the next over meant Deccan needed 11 off the final. Irfan Pathan, who went for 18 in his first over, was handed the ball. Rohit got an edge to go for four off the second and Pathan followed with a wide. Four needed off the last three: Rohit tried to hit to midwicket and was bowled, RP Singh survived one ball before top-edging the next to Pathan. Needing four of the final ball, Ryan Harris hit it to the off side and Brett Lee fumbled in the pick-up but Harris was never interested in the unlikely third run that would give Punjab the tie. Now Deccan have to win their next game against the Bangalore Royal Challengers to have any hope of reaching the semi-final.

Powar's introduction worked as an antidote to Pathan's horror first over - Gilchrist pulled a short and wide one for four, hit a fuller ball for six over midwicket, drove an over-pitched delivery between point and cover for four before flicking another boundary to fine leg. Gilchrist leapt out of the crease to the first ball, pitched outside leg, looking to hit it over midwicket. But it turned sharply towards off stump and he was too far down the track to make his way back. T Suman, the new batsman, also stepped out of the crease and completely missed the line to be bowled. Andrew Symonds faced the hat-trick ball and lofted it over mid-on for a four, though he didn't middle it.

Windies fight against rising tide

England v West Indies, 2nd npower Test, Chester-le-Street, 4th day

The Bulletin by Shwe Wai

West Indies 310 (Sarwan 100, Anderson 5-87) and 115 for 3 (Chanderpaul 18*, Simmons 3*) trail England 569 for 6 dec (Cook 160, Bopara 108) by 144 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

	Stuart Broad produced a superb over to remove Ramnaresh Sarwan for 100 and push West Indies towards the follow-on

England closed in on a 2-0 series clean sweep on the fourth day against West Indies at Chester-le-Street, as West Indies slumped to 115 for 3 in their second innings, having been asked to follow on, 266 runs in arrears, shortly after tea. By the close, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Lendl Simmons were fighting hard to stave off the innings defeat, but their hopes of the draw were dealt a huge blow when their first-innings centurion, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and their captain, Chris Gayle, were dismissed in the space of three deliveries from Graham Onions - Gayle having rampaged to 54 from 43 balls in an innings of massive intent.

Despite the one-sided nature of the scoreline, England were made to fight hard on what was comfortably the most entertaining day of the series so far. In addition to Sarwan and Gayle, West Indies' stand-out batsman was Denesh Ramdin, whose 55 from 82 balls helped rescue his side from a flaky 216 for 7 in the first innings, the bulk of those runs coming during a sparky eighth-wicket partnership of 70 with Sulieman Benn. For England, James Anderson wrapped up a richly deserved five-wicket haul, but their main man of the day was Stuart Broad, who bowled with thuggish intent and set England on course for victory with the pre-lunch scalps of Chanderpaul and Sarwan

Up until the moment that Broad had Chanderpaul caught behind for 27 with a well-disguised offcutter, England had toiled with little luck or reward for an hour and a half of the morning session. Under clear blue skies, West Indies' fourth-wicket pair extended their partnership to 99, with the only real moment of discomfort coming when Sarwan, on 58, was struck a painful blow in the nether-regions. He upped his ante after Chanderpaul's departure, however, and rushed to his hundred with a blazing straight drive off Broad followed by a cracking pull in front of square.

But those strokes merely stoked Broad's ire, and in a brilliant response he blasted Sarwan from the crease with a trio of vicious lifters, the third of which ballooned off his glove to Tim Bresnan at slip as he attempted to ride the bounce. England were jubilant, an opening had been forged, and when lunch was taken ten minutes later, West Indies were rocking on 188 for 5.