'We could have won chasing 200' – Smith

Play 00:44 Shamsi looking to learn from Hogg Gujarat Lions batsman Dwayne Smith said his team had backed itself to chase even a 200-plus total given that the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling line-up was “not that strong.” “[If] we would have been set 200, we could have made 200 as well,” Smith said after Lions registered a six-wicket victory with three balls to spare for their fourth win in five…

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'We are not playing winning cricket' – Fleming

Play 03:05 ‘Today’s performance was poor’ – Fleming Rising Pune Supergiants coach Stephen Fleming did not mince words when he said he was “angry” and disappointed by a two-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders which he called “very poor.” The defeat, Supergiants’ second successive home loss and fourth in a row, has put the Supergiants second to last on the IPL table after five matches – equal with Kings XI…

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County Championship day 1 headlines

[embedded content] The opening day of the third round of Specsavers County Championship matches threw up plenty more headlines. Below are a selection of the biggest.  Division One  Durham v Middlesex 358-7   (close)Surrey 394-5 v Somerset   (close)Warwickshire v Yorkshire 177-4   (close) Division Two Derbyshire v Glamorgan 308-6  (close) Essex 335-3 v Northants   (close)Gloucs 336-5 v Worcs   (close)Leics v Kent 227-7  (close) Curious case of handball It’s been an…

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Marshall, Noema-Barnett provide solid platform

Gloucestershire 336 for 5 (Marshall 123, Noema-Barnett 84, Dent 59) v WorcestershireScorecard Hamish Marshall’s hundred put Gloucestershire in control © Getty Images Hamish Marshall’s 27th first-class hundred underpinned a Gloucestershire revival as they posted 336 for 5 on the opening day of their County Championship match with Worcestershire. Marshall went in with his side struggling on 57 for 3 and batted for the rest of the day for an unbeaten…

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Stokes impresses on return to action

Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes opened with a maiden over and took two wickets in his first action since England’s ICC World Twenty20 final defeat, but Middlesex’s top seven all made starts as they reached 358 for seven at Emirates Riverside. Led by a composed 74 from Dawid Malan, Middlesex’s top order all passed 25 on the first day of their Specsavers County Championship Division One match against Durham. In his…

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Misfiring teams seek turnaround

Match facts Monday, April 25, 2016Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT) David Miller and Glenn Maxwell will have to hit form quickly, or Kings XI could be forced to leave one (or both) of them out © BCCI Big picture Mumbai Indians have managed only two wins in six games this season. A loss against Kings XI Punjab will leave them in danger of falling behind in the race for…

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Lions win despite Kohli's maiden T20 ton

Gujarat Lions v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2016, Rajkot April 24, 2016 The Report by Sirish Raghavan Gujarat Lions 182 for 4 (Karthik 50*, McCullum 42) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 180 for 2 (Kohli 100*, Rahul 51*) by six wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Play 04:06 Nannes: RCB scratchy without some top players Virat Kohli is a calculating batsman. It shows in the way he plays pure cricketing shots and maximises…

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Battling Ballance steadies Yorkshire

Gary Ballance pressed his England claims with an unbeaten half-century as Warwickshire and Yorkshire swapped blows on an intriguing rain-affected opening day of their Specsavers County Championship Division One tussle at Edgbaston. Having declined the option of bowling first, Yorkshire won the toss and, after choosing to bat on a firm pitch, ended the day on 177 for four. They were made to work hard for runs against a Warwickshire…

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Gritty Ballance provides Yorkshire foundation

Yorkshire 177 for 4 (Ballance 50*, Leaning 50*) v WarwickshireScorecard Gary Ballance helped Yorkshire rebuild © Getty Images There is an expression they use around these parts to describe notable buildings. Knowing they cannot get away with the word “beautiful” – Birmingham has many qualities, but few would claim beauty was one of them – they ascribe the word “iconic” instead. The Bullring is “iconic”. The Mailbox is “iconic”. The…

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Somerset toil in face of Sangakkara masterclass

Surrey 394 for 5 (Sangakkara 171, Roy 85 Burns 80) v SomersetScorecard Kumar Sangakkara passed 1000 runs for Surrey during his innings of 171 (file photo) © Getty Images The first day of the season at The Oval was given a grandstand beginning as one of game’s leading stars gave Surrey the perfect home start. Kumar Sangakkara, still glistening as bright as ever, produced a mesmeric sixth Championship hundred –…

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