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Maharashtra batsman Kedar Jadhav said he wasn’t surprised to get a call-up for the Bangladesh ODIs after a strong Ranji season and impressive outing in the IPL

Amol Karhadkar28-May-2014Having returned to his hometown, Pune, just a couple of days ago after a personally-satisfying-yet-disastrous IPL campaign from his team’s perspective, Kedar Jadhav was watching X-Men along with a couple of friends on Wednesday afternoon when his phone rang.Jadhav was surprised that the Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke was calling him at a slightly odd hour but wasn’t really surprised to hear what Shirke told him: he had received his maiden call-up to the national squad, for the three-ODI series in Bangladesh to be played next month.”I was thrilled but wasn’t so surprised. Somewhere at the back of my mind I knew that I was in contention in case a couple of regulars are rested,” Jadhav told ESPNcricinfo.” This is something that I have been working hard for all these years. I just hope that I can justify my selection if and when I get an opportunity in the XI.”With Jadhav’s selection, the selectors have, in a way, sent out a signal to all the domestic cricketers that consistent performances may be rewarded, irrespective of a player’s age. A comparatively smaller build gives him the impression of being in his early twenties, but the right-hand batsman is ten months shy of turning 30.Through his decade-long first-class career for Maharashtra, Jadhav has been considered as a limited-overs’ specialist. He has been a regular in the Deodhar Trophy (inter-zonal one-day championship) and the Challenger Trophy for half a decade. However, it took a phenomenal season with the bat in the Ranji Trophy for Jadhav to convince the selectors.During the 2013-14 Ranji season, Jadhav tallied 1223 runs, the fourth-highest in a season in the tournament’s history, to help Maharashtra make their first Ranji final since 1992-93. Following his six centuries in the Ranji season, Jadhav was one of the few bright spots in Delhi Daredevils’ poor IPL campaign.Though he scored only 149 runs in ten innings, his ability to consistently deliver under pressure and finish an innings stood out. With four Daredevils’ matches remaining, a confident Jadhav told the IPL’s official broadcasters in a pre-match interaction that he was hoping to be picked for the Bangladesh tour.”With the IPL having prolonged the domestic season, it is imperative to do well in the IPL. Considering the reach of the tournament, it is imperative to perform in IPL, irrespective of the kind of Ranji or Vijay Hazare (domestic 50-over) season you have. I am glad that I could continue scoring runs even during the IPL, especially when the team needed them the most,” Jadhav said.Notwithstanding Munaf Patel’s call-up to the national side in 2005-06 when the fast bowler was playing for Maharashtra as a professional, Jadhav is the first home-grown Maharashtra player to be selected for India in a decade. Dheeraj Jadhav, the opening batsman, was the last player from the state to be picked for an India squad, before the final Test of the 2004-05 home series against Australia and the tour to Zimbabwe the following year.While Dheeraj didn’t get an India cap, Kedar is hopeful that he will be more fortunate than his namesake.

A substandard batting performance from defending champions Mumbai Indians led to their elimination from the Champions League as Northern Knights won their third qualification game in a row

The Report by Vishal Dikshit16-Sep-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:07

Agarkar: Knights the strongest outfit from the qualifiers

A substandard batting performance from defending champions Mumbai Indians led to their elimination from the Champions League as Northern Knights won their third qualification game in a row. An all-round display from Knights handed Mumbai their second loss in three matches, a six-wicket defeat that ensured Knights and Lahore Lions qualified for the main tournament.All three teams were in the fray to advance to the next stage and Mumbai had to win the match, by any margin, to qualify. But once they were put in to bat, their task became an uphill one when they were reduced to 46 for 5 by the Knights seamers in the 11th over. The lower order helped them recover, but the chase of 133 was made easy by the Knights openers who steered them to another convincing win.Desperate to get a strong start, Mumbai never got in the groove as Trent Boult and Tim Southee stifled them with their nagging line outside off, conceding only 11 in the first four overs, and accounting for Michael Hussey. First-change Scott Kuggeleijn conceded 15 in the fifth over, but Scott Styris ensured Knights retained suffocating control over proceedings, running through Mumbai’s batting with three wickets. He got rid of Jalaj Saxena, Lendl Simmons and Aditya Tare, with all three batsmen dismissed while making room to target the off side. Saxena handed a low catch to short cover, Simmons missed completely and lost his off stump and Tare looked to cut late but the ball bounced a tad extra and took an edge to land in BJ Watling’s gloves.Boult then came back for his second spell to account for Ambati Rayudu and Mumbai were crumbling at 46 for 5. Outstanding fielding complemented the bowling, cutting off singles and not allowing Mumbai to rotate the strike under pressure.Mumbai nearly tripled the score from there, in two stages. Kieron Pollard and Harbhajan Singh stalled the fall of wickets for nearly five overs, and after Harbhajan fell for 10, Pollard started the fightback by striking three boundaries to push the score to 89. Lasith Malinga then struck three fours and a six off successive deliveries, two of them off the edge, and Shreyas Gopal topped it by making room and collecting 16 from the last over to lift the total to 132.Knights were hardly bothered in the chase, despite losing four wickets, as their openers put on a domineering stand of 83. Anton Devcich took charge initially and a calm Kane Williamson rotated the strike from the other end. They added 49 runs in the Powerplay, mostly striking the ball around the ground, finding gaps regularly, and converting the loose deliveries on offer.Bowling changes after the Powerplay didn’t help Mumbai, as Williamson chipped the ball into the gaps and used his feet against the spinners to accelerate. Devcich cashed in on the full tosses and short balls before he became the first of four batsmen to fall to soft dismissals, three of them popping catches to catching fielders in front of the wicket. But by the time Mumbai removed the openers, Knights needed only 30 from 43 balls and even though Watling gave his wicket away to fall for a duck, Styris came in and hit the winning runs with 16 balls to spare, after Daryl Mitchell had scored 15 off Malinga in the previous over.

Goal looks at the best and worst from men's soccer in the region this year including Mexico's Gold Cup stars and Honduras' roller-coaster season

FREDERIC J. BROWNBest Player – Raul Jimenez, Mexico

What a year for Raul Jimenez. He scored eight goals for Mexico, including five during the Gold Cup when he helped lead El Tri to the regional title.

With his club, he's been unstoppable as well, helping Wolves push into the knockout stages of the Europa League and also playing a big role in upsets over teams like Manchester City.

With eight goals in Premier League play, Jimenez sits just outside the top 10 in the Premier League. Combine his nine Europa League goals, though, and you'll begin to understand why he was the most important Concacaf player in Europe this season and is Mexico's No. 9 for the foreseeable future.

AdvertisementFrederic J. BrownCoach of the Year – Marc Collat, Haiti

Marc Collat's Haiti ended the year on a bitter note, getting relegated from its Concacaf Nations League group. Yet, you have to understand the challenges with which Collat is working.

Haiti wasn't able to play its second set of CNL matches at home because of political turmoil in the country, and already the manager is pulling players from all over the globe.

Now, the path back to the Gold Cup involves extra qualification. So why is Collat the Coach of the Year? Because in this year's Gold Cup, Haiti was the story of the tournament, getting into the semifinals and pushing eventual champion Mexico to extra time.

They did it thanks to strong game plans from Collat and a collective mentality the coach instituted despite cultural and language barriers few other teams have to overcome.

Getty ImagesBreakout Star – Charly Rodriguez, Mexico

Carlos Rodriguez already is such a fixture with the Mexico national team that it's difficult to remember that his debut came in this calendar year. With Hector Herrera out of a March friendly, Rodriguez stepped into the void and didn't look at all out of place in a 3-1 win against Chile.

His showings with Monterrey also have been quality, with the 22-year-old midfielder impressing during the Club World Cup and eventually lifting the Liga MX title with Rayados.

Now, he's being asked questions about heading to Europe, something that would only help him become a bigger star in the region.

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GettyFuture star flying under the radar – Jonathan David, Canada

Jonathan David was the Golden Boot winner at this summer's Gold Cup with six goals in four matches.

He scored a dozen goals with Gent last year, a mark he's set to surpass with nine already this season. Oh, and he's 19. Why are we not talking more about this guy?

Sure, the Gold Cup goal tally was run up thanks to a hat-trick against a hapless Cuba, but as Canada pushes to make the World Cup in 2022 before hosting four years later, we're going to be seeing David have plenty of success against more formidable teams in the very near future.

‘Will Smith is dead’ is one of the great hoaxes of the Internet. He has been misreported to have died in surgery in the United States and in a fall in New Zealand

David Hopps at Derby20-Apr-2014
ScorecardWill Smith showed the qualities that made Hampshire snap him up•Getty Images’Will Smith is dead’ is one of the great hoaxes of the Internet. He has been misreported to have died in surgery in the United States and in a fall in New Zealand. There is barely a Twitter hoaxer alive who does not wake up one morning and think “Today, I will tell the world that Will Smith is dead.” There are even hoaxes that there have been hoaxes. Such are the trappings of fame.Will Smith, the Hampshire version, shares a name with the American actor if not a bank balance. As he possesses a quieter intelligence, that is not likely to change. But if he was not reported dead at the end of last season, he was certainly presumed to be ailing. Durham had won the Championship but Smith, a former captain just the wrong side of 30, was judged surplus to requirements after the silverware was lifted.When Hampshire gave him a two-year contract, only a few days elapsed before the media enquired if he wanted to be captain again. He said he did not, although all it will take is a crisis for him to be reconsidered.He wanted to make his mark as a batsman, to improve his status late in his career, and his judicious 70 on a breezy and largely chilly Easter Day at Derby represented a solid start, a step on the way in his own Pursuit of Happyness if unlikely to command quite as many DVD sales.This was a job unlikely to attract an Internet hoaxer, in fact it will not always have held the attention of the Derbyshire faithful as they stared at the slate-grey skies in the hope of a milky sun, and a hat-trick from nowhere, or Wes Durston, but it was the sort of innings to gain dressing room respect.He would have been frustrated, nevertheless, at the manner of his exit as he fell to the gentle left-arm spin of Chesney Hughes, pulling to midwicket the last ball before the second new-ball was due. If not quite a death, certainly a skipped heart beat in disappointment.According to the Second Division table, which is still not as much embryonic as a gleam in the eye, this was top vs bottom: Hampshire lie top on accounts of having played two matches and winning one of them thanks in part to a hundred by Michael Carberry against Gloucestershire; Derbyshire are bottom, outdone by Alastair Cook at Chelmsford after routing Essex for a two-figure score in the first innings.But in reality this is an important early-season joust between two likely promotion contenders, making it the sort of match on which to munch a sausage bap and contemplate the meaning of life, an appropriate Easter pursuit.Derbyshire bowled wastefully in the morning, although that impression is also heightened by Carberry, who is an excellent leaver. He played well for 45 before leaving a little grumpily when Tony Palladino, in his first over against the breeze, had him lbw. “That’ll tarnish your England chances,” came a cry from the outer. It is best not to pause on an lbw at Derby: it deserves to be recognised as the ground where five-second bursts of spleen are more likely than most places.Adams’ inconsequential affair ended when he edged Mark Turner, the loosest of Derbyshire’s attack, to the keeper, before the afternoon gave way to an earnest battle between Smith and the Derbyshire seamers, a colourless landscape lit up by floodlights for much of the day. It was the sort of contest where you dreaded Iain O’Brien, the former New Zealand bowler, who was commentating for the BBC, inviting you to share technical analysis of a mundane game from a press box square of the wicket and someway distant from the action.In the Derbyshire club bookshop, a mid-afternoon refuge during a brief stoppage for rain, there was an air of excitement at the sudden arrival of as many as 42 second-hand copies of – Rhodes’ own story of one of the great throwing storms in cricket history.Rhodes, who has never entirely forgiven the events of half a century ago, was eventually judged to have had a hyper-extending arm but his England career was ruined. He would doubtless be judged innocent these days after extensive technological analysis judged his action to be within the 15-degree limit.Quite why so many copies have suddenly become available was not made clear. Maybe Rhodes has cleared out his garage, always the sort of thing you attempt around Easter, unless you come to Derby, grab an extra layer of clothing out of the boot at lunchtime, and set your face into the wind to watch Will Smith prove that his heart is still beating.

Samit Patel is in the form of his life and the spin-bowling allrounder spot is up for grabs. But will England take note or will Moeen Ali win the day?

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Jun-2014
ScorecardSamit Patel is in the form of his life – but will England take heed?•Getty ImagesSussex’s healthiest home crowd of the season turned out in high spirits on the day they officially celebrated their 175th birthday, only to find Samit Patel gatecrashing proceedings as once more he produced the sort of innings to demand that his England career was not yet spent.Friendly faces greeted you at the gates, offering directions to seats and foam cushions to make them more alluring. One onsite tent boasted 27 real ales – they were reduced to 24 by 4pm – while another seemed to have smoke emanating from its peak. “Don’t worry, that’s just the barbecue starting up,” reassured the ground announcer, a very evident presence throughout the day.”Good Old Sussex By The Sea” came through the speakers, as the home side took the field upon winning the toss. At tea interval, a parade of vintage cars circled the outfield – a penny for the groundsman’s thoughts – as a cake was cut to mark Sussex’s birthday, as well wishes from children were played on the big screen. It was very much a day for Sussex, by Sussex, brought to you by Disney.There is nothing romantic about Patel’s tale, yet. He does not fit the young prince look that seems to thrive in English cricket. Nor is there any whimsy to his story as a criminally overlooked player in all three formats of the international game. He has not been shy of stating his claim or deriding his status as the perennial outlier. How many more times must he produce an innings till the words and runs lose all meaning?He has good memories of Hove, having scored 157 in the first innings of this fixture in 2013. Just as it was then, his timing and placement was a joy to behold, dictating play with every wristy drive through the off side and late flick behind square. But even as he scored runs with such ease, his chief rival for a place in the first Test, Moeen Ali, made a hundred. And so did Scott Borthwick, a spin-bowling allrounder who was flavour of the month as recently as the Sydney Test in January.The frustration is that any and all of Patel’s success is glossed over by the noise of those who talk of what they perceive as a loose attitude towards the controllables. But here he is, as peerless a shot maker as exists in the domestic game, manipulating fielders, hitting gaps, timing expertly and sapping bowlers of will. Matthew Hobden, on Championship debut, looks to have a good future ahead of him, but he will do well to come across a batsman in better fettle than Patel here today.His hundred was passed with a fine flick to the midwicket boundary for four. As the crowds dissipated, he began to unload, taking Hobden for 16 in an over and later bisecting the men out at deep square and deep fine leg with a controlled whip as James Anyon targeted his ribs.Mick Newell on…

Samit Patel: “He gets talked about and I’m sure he’s a player who will come under discussion in the near future. That’s all he can do and he’s going about his cricket in an excellent way. He’s played some beautiful innings over the last few years. He’s a very talented, natural batsman so I think he’s got a terrific opportunity at the moment. He’s doing all the right things.”
His dual role as Notts director of cricket and national selector: “I know all the good things and I know all the bad things about these players, so it works both ways. My job in terms of that is to recommend the players that I believe are good enough to play for England. If I believe Samit is of that quality then I’ll say so.”

Patel’s brilliance notwithstanding, Sussex were dreadful in the field. Normally such a tight, functional unit, their groundfielding and catching cost them dearly.Phil Jacques, on four, was dropped by Ben Brown at first slip when Steve Magoffin found his edge with the third ball of the day. A tougher chance to Brown again, this time off Patel (32), was also shelled.He did have a catch to his name when Alex Hales edged through to him but there was a strong suggestion from the batsman that the ball did not carry. After looking to both square leg and Brown, Hales dragged himself off, as a pocket of home support barked their disapporoval and Hales responded accordingly.Clearly more at home directly behind the stumps, Brown had given up the gloves for Matt Prior who was looking to prove his achilles and calves were up to the rigours of long-form keeping.He was a tad ring rusty, conceding a handful of avoidable byes and even five penalty runs when he inadvertently guided a leg-side full toss from Hobden, one-handed, onto his helmet, which was nestling a few feet behind him. A sharp but extremely difficult chance off the bowling from via a slash from Jacques shot past him in a flash but it would be harsh to dot that as a missed chance. He clearly needs games and the 96 overs, while a drag, will have helped his preparation ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on June 12.That being said, he should have opposition for that Test spot in Chris Read. While James Foster has been spoken of as a surefire replacement, with Bruce French watching Foster in action last week against Surrey at Chelmsford, Read has long since been on a par with Foster in terms of glovework. Here, he has supported Patel well – their partnership is currently 160 – and looked in fine touch for his 61.Notts’ director of cricket Mick Newell, who is also an England selector, would not be drawn on the specifics of a potential inclusion. But with a meeting set for this week to thrash out the details of that Test squad, Newell did make it clear that the wicketkeeping situation would feature high on the agenda.

A round-up of Ram Slam T20 Challenge matches that took place on January 24

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2014Craig Alexander took 4 for 27 to lead Dolphins to a seven-run victory in Paarl and cut Cobras’ lead in the competition to six points. Dolphins also have two games in hand over Cobras, who were missing Graeme Smith and JP Duminy. After choosing to bat, Dolphins progressed to 82 for 1 in ten overs, with Cameron Delport making 49 off 37 balls. The second half of the innings, however, was not as solid and Dolphins managed only 63 runs in the last ten overs to reach 145 for 8. Sunil Narine took three wickets for Cobras. The chase got off to a poor start with Cobras slipping to 18 for 3, and by the end of the eleventh over they were 46 for 5. Their chances suffered a body blow when Alexander dismissed Hashim Amla for a run-a-ball 26. Cobras got to 138 for 8 only because Justin Kemp scored a 33-ball 56.The match between Lions and Knights at Senwes Park was washed out without a ball being bowled. The result left Lions winless and in last place with five points in seven games, all but ending their reign in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge. Knights were fifth, with 14 points after eight games.Warriors and Titans suffered a setback to their campaigns because of a washout at in East London. Warriors, however, were lucky to share points after they had collapsed to 59 for 9 in a game that had been shortened to 12 overs a side. Morne Morkel and Saeed Ajmal took three wickets each for Titans, and only Ashwell Prince and Davy Jacobs made it into double figures. It began to rain in the final over of the first innings, though, and the Titans chase never began. Warriors were third and Titans fourth in the league.

After 22 years, six World Cups, four World T20s and an uncountable number of jokes about the choke, South Africa have stopped searching for an elixir

Firdose Moonda17-Mar-2014After 22 years, six World Cups, four World T20s and an uncountable number of jokes about the choke, South Africa have stopped searching for an elixir. They have decided the way to approach major tournaments is with the best team they can muster and an understanding of the basic principles of winning and losing.”There’s nothing magical that you can do to win a World Cup,” Faf du Plessis said at the team’s arrival in Bangladesh. “It’s a tournament where you need guys in form and if you have that, you give yourselves a great opportunity to compete. If you can play good cricket during the build up and get to the semis, once you are there, it’s just about playing the game. There is nothing different about it. If you don’t play to your full potential you are going to get beaten.”Simple.Or not.For a start South Africa have not played enough T20 cricket to know who is in form and who is not. Only one match in their three-game series against Australia took place in full. Another was washed out and a third condensed to a seven-over shootout. “I would have liked to have played some more T20 cricket,” du Plessis admitted. Chances are, apart from West Indies and England, every other team feels the same way.What South Africa do have is a relatively recent strong record on the subcontinent. Last August they beat Sri Lanka in a T20 series on the island and last November they were victorious over Pakistan in the UAE. Both teams had players with the kind of magic fingers that du Plessis thinks will decide this tournament: spinners. That South Africa were successful is a tick in the form column for du Plessis. “We’ve proven that we can play in these conditions against quality spin,” he said. “This tournament is going to be won and lost with spinners.”What South Africa do not have is a reputation for being blessed with exactly that: spinners. But stereotypes date and South African cupboard has started to fill-up in that department. They have three spinners in their squad this time, each offering something different.The legspinner, Imran Tahir, is the player du Plessis thinks will make the biggest impact and the captain has given him a licence to kill. “He is a guy who takes wickets. It’s not required of him to go at two, three or four runs an over. He gets wickets,” he said. “Also, we’ve got JP Duminy who has been bowling very well as a back-up spinner.”Duminy’s part-time offspin is fast becoming not so part-time and he has proved an important partnership breaker in the last few months. Left-armer Aaron Phangiso did not get a mention from du Plessis but he is also in the squad, giving South Africa the kind of options teams want when they head into a competition.Having a slew of spinners alone is not going to win anyone anything, so du Plessis was quick to point out South Africa also have all the other departments covered. “When it comes to Bangladesh, it’s not always just spin. The conditions allow for fast bowling as well and we’ve got a really good bowling attack when it comes to the fast bowlers.”In our whole batting line-up, we’ve got destructive hitters. AB de Villiers has proven so many times how destructive he can be. So has David Miller. And then other guys, like Hashim Amla he goes under the radar but he is a high quality batsman. We’ve got a long batting line-up.”South Africa have got “ourselves covered,” just as they have had in the past. The only thing missing is the amnesia to forget the dreaded c-word that keeps popping up and will pop up throughout South Africa’s stay at in the tournament and be brought out no matter how far they get.Du Plessis says they do not need it. He may be right given how captains of the past of dealt with it. Graeme Smith turned it into an expletive of sorts, bristling every time the first syllable was mentioned and glaring so hard at the utterer the person was likely to choke before the whole word came out. That did not work. De Villiers tried reverse psychology with it by embracing the word and saying it as many times in one sentence as he could. That also did not work.So du Plessis is treating it like any other word. The same as win, lose, champions and losers. All of them are loaded with connotations but du Plessis wants to see only the logic hidden underneath. “You can look at it any way you want but for me, we need to be playing our best cricket. If we arrive on the day and we don’t we should get beaten and that goes for every team,” he said.”When it comes to choking, for me it’s simple. You need to make sure you give yourself the best opportunity to do well and if you don’t and you get beaten on the day, as long as the other team played better cricket, I can accept that.” If that happens, he’ll hope the rest of South Africa can too.

Brad Haddin warmed up for the first Test with a quick unbeaten 50 as New South Wales set up what should become a comfortable Sheffield Shield victory against Queensland in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2013
Scorecard
Brad Haddin warmed up for the first Test with a quick unbeaten 50 as New South Wales set up what should become a comfortable Sheffield Shield victory against Queensland in Brisbane. At stumps on the third day, the Bulls were 5 for 113 in their chase of 435, needing an unlikely 322 more for victory, and they had Chris Lynn at the crease on 34 alongside Chris Hartley on 2.The Blues had a big lead on the first innings and that advantage grew further when Nic Maddinson, Haddin and the rest of the New South Wales top order contributed to a second innings of 8 for 270 before the declaration came. David Warner was bowled by Alister McDermott for 21 but his fellow opener Maddinson continued his prolific match with 72 to add to his first-innings 87.Maddinson struck six fours and two sixes before he was caught off the legspin of Cameron Boyce, while Test batsman Steven Smith made a quick 36 as the Blues chased fast runs. Haddin finished on 50 not out and McDermott ended up with 4 for 44 for Queensland.

Mitchell Johnson has described how India’s cricketers played into his hands by revving him up at the start of his first innings at the Gabba, an innings of 88 that effectively wrested control of the match from India

Brydon Coverdale23-Dec-20143:04

MacGill: Johnson was more engaged thanks to India

Mitchell Johnson has described how India’s cricketers played into his hands by revving him up at the start of his first innings at the Gabba, an innings of 88 that effectively wrested control of the match from India. Johnson was on the receiving end of some chirping when he came to the crease, particularly from Rohit Sharma, but was soon on top after some early boundaries.Johnson had not scored in his previous three Test innings and he walked out with Australia six down and still 161 behind; by the time he departed, his partnership with Steven Smith had almost put Australia in front. Johnson’s batting form also appeared to help him with the ball in India’s second innings, when he collected three wickets during a fiery spell early on the third morning.”The Indian team got me going a bit and I was able to strike a few good ones and get a good partnership with Smithy,” Johnson said. “It got us back in the game and it was able to flow on with my bowling.”I said a few words early and then just let it go after that and just started smiling at Rohit Sharma. He seemed to come in a fair bit, and had a fair bit to say. I don’t think he had the greatest game and I think maybe he was just a bit frustrated.”Johnson arrived at the crease having gone wicketless in India’s first innings and having just had a disappointing net session before the start of the day’s play. But once he got into the rhythm of quick scoring he rattled along to a 37-ball half-century that included eight boundaries, and was not even aware of reaching his fifty until Smith alerted him to it.Mitchell Johnson: “It’s all part of the game but I think it took them off their game.”•Getty Images”It took my mind off the game which was a good thing because I wasn’t focused on the scoreboard,” Johnson said. “I was able to go out there and play my shots. I wanted to play with good intent, I had a bit of a throw down and it wasn’t quite the session I wanted before the start of play.”Then to go out there and cop it from a few of their boys, it just played into our hands,” he said. “I was able to play my game and not worry about anything. I actually didn’t know I had scored 50, I said to Smithy, ‘is that my 50?’ and he said ‘yeah mate’. It was quite embarrassing. It’s all part of the game but I think it took them off their game. They went a bit too far maybe.”At times in past years, Johnson has lacked confidence in his own bowling and might have been susceptible to the occasional word from his opponents. However, he said the same had not applied to his batting; even back in his lowest times on the field, chatter from the fielders has tended to fire him up with the bat.”I’ve always liked a little bit of verbal on the field,” Johnson said. “I think when I’m batting I like to get it because it gets me going. Batting wise I don’t think it would’ve affected me. I’ve always enjoyed that side of it.”It’s probably just been more the bowling side where the confidence has been a bit low at times and I’ve probably let that stuff affect me. But batting wise I’ve always enjoyed that contest. I want them to come hard and take them off their game.”

Ross Taylor rated his hundred at Seddon Park, his third in three consecutive Tests, as the best of that series after he combated the threat of Sunil Narine for five-and-a-half hours

Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton21-Dec-2013Ross Taylor rated his hundred at Seddon Park, his third in three consecutive Tests, as the best of that series after he combated the threat of Sunil Narine for five-and-a-half hours to ensure New Zealand remained within touching distance of West Indies’ competitive first-innings total. A couple of hours later it was shaping as a match-winning innings after a dramatic final session.Taylor’s run-fest over the last few weeks has given him 493 runs in the series, second only to Andrew Jones (513 against Sri Lanka in 1990-91) among New Zealand batsmen in a three-match series and he has one potential innings remaining to overtake him. He is also only the second New Zealand batsman to make hundreds in three consecutive Tests after Mark Burgess, whose centuries were spread over a period from 1969 to 1972 against three teams.Among the other significant numbers, he has the second highest number of runs in a calendar year for New Zealand – just seven behind John R Reid’s 871 in 1965 – and is now equal third in their century-makers list with 11 alongside Nathan Astle.Taylor was delighted not to let down a special audience in attendance in Hamilton – his wife and two-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, were watching, having missed his opening-day ton in Wellington.”When I came today I did think about it. A lot of people had mentioned it,” Taylor said. “Jesse [Ryder] told me to get three in a row and Martin Guptill did. That was a nice reminder. My wife wasn’t at Dunedin or Wellington and she was very angry when she got to Wellington that she wasn’t able to see it. It was nice to get a hundred for her, because Mackenzie and Victoria haven’t seen me score a hundred anywhere for a long time.”Today was definitely the hardest one. It’s hard to go past the 200 but today was the most challenging of the three with the Narine factor. And it’d be a lie to say I haven’t been a little bit tired going in. It was nice to still trust the gameplan and still go out and bat.”That gameplan has involved shelving one of the shots that was often seen against the spinners: the slog sweep over midwicket. “As I said after the 200, Test cricket is sometimes not about the shots you play but the shots you put away and that’s definitely been a mindset of mine. Here I am saying that but I’m probably going to try and slog-sweep tomorrow if I get a bat.”Having his daughter in the crowd also helped Taylor during lunch. He’d needed to battle during the morning session as Narine continued to tease from Northern End and he only added 33 in the session. After the break, enjoying the extra hardness of the second new ball which West Indies had delayed taking, he went to his hundred with a sweet cover drive off Tino Best, then opened up against Darren Sammy in an over that cost 20 including two straight sixes – his first of the series. “I don’t know where it came from,” he said. “I was getting a little bit tired before lunch and it was nice to come in and the best thing was probably seeing Mackenzie on the side and having a bit of a laugh.”Peter Fulton had the Almanack out and I was answering the questions and it was nice to just get away from it. Sometimes when you bat for that long you can get a little bit ingrained in it. It was nice to have a little distraction from concentrating out in the middle.”New Zealand will hope that Taylor has to continue to find ways of switching off during long innings.