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Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outIt was one of the rare occasions when Vinay Kumar got the credit he rightfully deserved•Indian Premier League

R Vinay Kumar removed Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo and Ambati Rayudu in one over to turn what had been a cat-and-mouse game until then, unmistakably Royal Challengers’ way, also taking them to the top of the table. He benefited in part from the pressure created by his team-mates’ smart swing bowling, changes of pace, bouncers to Indian batsmen, and aggressive spin bowling by Anil Kumble. It was a fitting reversal of roles for a man used to being among the top wicket-takers in Indian domestic cricket, and then watching others steal the spotlight – not the least when his state-mate Abhimanyu Mithun made his international debut ahead of him after just one season of impressive numbers.There was no role reversal for Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey, though, who added 50-plus for the first wicket for the third time in a row to scythe through the target without breaking a sweat. Kallis tightened the orange cap around his head, taking his tournament tally to 264 undefeated runs, but Pandey missed a fifty after a good start for the third time in a row.The Bangalore openers will be the first ones to concede that the night belonged to their bowlers. Praveen Kumar and Dale Steyn laid the foundation by controlling the rampaging batting line-up that had scored 200-plus in both their previous matches. Praveen, with his swing either side in his first over, sent the message that scoring wouldn’t be that easy against this attack, and Steyn in his first removed Sanath Jayasuriya with a quick outswinger.Then Bangalore resorted to the nasty plan that has worked effectively for them so far: bounce the Indian batsmen out. Aditya Tare square-cut a short delivery from Jacques Kallis immediately before lobbing a sharp bouncer. Saurabh Tiwary – two fifties in two innings before this – managed to muscle a few bouncers away, but never looked in control. Anil Kumble then got him with a loopy googly in the man-versus-boy contest. Vinay followed the bouncer theme, and got Rayudu at the start of that definitive over.While Bangalore had toyed around with other batsmen until then, at the other end Tendulkar was batting in a sphere of his own. He played the flick shot at will, and manipulated the on-side field, but in nine overs he had faced only 21 deliveries. The 22nd that he faced, he tried to flick again, moved too far across and exposed the leg stump. If this was a slightly lucky wicket for Vinay, there was no luck involved in the pin-point offcutter that removed Bravo two balls later. In 10 balls Mumbai had gone from 71 for 2 to 76 for 6, in 11 overs.R Sathish and Kieron Pollard had to be circumspect for the next few overs, to make sure they lasted the 20 overs. After a five-over wait, Pollard opened up, hitting Praveen for a six and a four in the 17th over, taking Mumbai to 123. In the 18th, though, Steyn hurt them further. If Pollard was a touch unfortunate in hitting a full toss straight to deep point, the sharp bouncer was too good for Sathish. The running, tumbling catch that Rahul Dravid took at midwicket capped a night of near-perfect fielding.Praveen, though, provided a blemish on a night of near-perfect bowling, giving Zaheer Khan length balls, which he hit for a six and two fours to take 16 off the last over, but 151 was still going to be hard to defend at a ground that hosted 212 v 208 last weekend.Not with predictable bowling at any rate. Both Bangalore openers started off cautiously in the first overs from Zaheer and Lasith Malinga. Certain that there was nothing on offer that they couldn’t handle, both of them attacked their second overs. It all went to an expected rhythm when Bravo and Pollard inside the Powerplay, as opposed to Harbhajan Singh. Their slower balls failed to surprise the batsmen, and their regulation pace was cannon fodder. By the end of Powerplay, Bangalore had reached 55. Pandey was 24, and Kallis, on 29, had already set his sights on another asterisk against his score.Thereafter it was just a stroll in the park for Bangalore, made breezier by some lusty hitting from Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli.

ScorecardRachel Priest takes the matchwinning catch•Getty Images

A stunning one-handed catch from the wicketkeeper Rachel Priest delivered New Zealand’s first win of the tour in a tense finish to the first Twenty20. Australia needed three for victory and Alyssa Healy’s thick edge off Nicola Browne could easily have run away for four but was snapped up by the diving Priest to confirm the two-run win.The Australians made hard work of their chase of 118 and Shelley Nitschke was the key, anchoring the innings with 46 from 47 balls. However, when she skied a catch to mid-on off Aimee Watkins with 29 still required, the match turned in New Zealand’s favour.Sophie Devine added to Australia’s troubles when she had Lisa Sthalekar caught at deep midwicket and it was one of two breakthroughs for Devine, who also effected a sharp run-out from backward point to remove Lauren Ebsary. In the end Australia required 11 from Browne’s final over but it was just out of reach.The last ball continued a frustrating debut for Healy, who dropped the New Zealand captain Watkins from the first ball of the game. It allowed Watkins to guide the visitors with a 39-ball 44 and only a brilliant piece of fielding removed her, when Ellyse Perry ran backwards towards the boundary and snared a catch while avoiding giving away six when her ponytail nearly touched the rope.After Watkins departed, Devine took charge and struck three fours and a six in her 35 from 34 deliveries. It was a valuable innings that helped New Zealand get to 7 for 117, a total that looked like being a little short but proved enough thanks to tight bowling and committed fielding from New Zealand.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Ross Taylor’s stroke-filled innings downed Bangladesh•Getty Images

Having been kept to 183 by New Zealand’s tidy bowling attack, Bangladesh were drubbed by the broad bat of Ross Taylor as they surrendered the series to the hosts at the University Oval in Dunedin. Another cheap Brendon McCullum dismissal and Martin Guptill’s wicket inside the first ten overs would have given Bangladesh some hope, but Taylor’s belligerent innings confirmed what most had expected from this Dunedin match. Swatting five sixes in his 52-ball 78, Taylor pushed Bangladesh into a corner and helped seal the game in the 28th over.This win, however, had been sealed in the first half of the day by New Zealand’s bowling attack. A familiar Bangladesh collapse at the top saw the home team take a firm grip on proceedings following an excellent new ball spell from Andy McKay, who was supported well by Daryl Tuffey and Ian Butler in the first 15 overs. The New Zealand seamers ripped apart a spineless Bangladesh top order that capitulated to 25 for 5 and then 46 for 6, before Mushfiqur and Naeem Islam combined to bring up a record seventh-wicket stand that gave the scoreline some respectability.McKay, in just his second appearance for New Zealand, bowled an immaculate line, occasionally extracting swing and bounce from the Dunedin track, nicking out Tamim Iqbal with a short riser and knocking out Shakib Al Hasan’s middle stump to end with the impressive figures of 17 for 2 from his ten overs. Tuffey did well to hold onto a sharp chance off his own bowling to dismiss the out of form Mohammad Ashraful in the ninth over, who toiled for 18 balls for just one run. Butler too picked up a wicket in the Powerplay overs, with Aftab Ahmed caught behind playing a loose cut shot on just 10.Extremely poor running between the wickets compounded the problem for Bangladesh, with Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah being found short of their ground after being sent back by their partners. Bangladesh were left in tatters in the 23rd over as Mahmudullah departed, with the total on 46 for 6.Thankfully for Bangladesh, Mushfiqur and Naeem played intelligently, cautiously keeping the good deliveries out and picking up the singles on offer to get Bangladesh to a position from which they could attack in final ten overs. Even the threat of Daniel Vettori was negotiated without incident by the pair, who brought up 101 runs in 147 deliveries, a Bangladesh record for the seventh wicket. Mushfiqur was especially superb in the batting Powerplay which ended in the penultimate over, clobbering some lacklustre death bowling by Tuffey and Butler over midwicket and straight down the ground for a valuable spate of late boundaries.Despite Mushfiqur’s late surge however, the damage had been done by New Zealand in the first half of the innings, and 183 was always going to be challenging to defend on a track that seemed to be getting better for batting as the day wore on.Bangladesh started reasonably well with the ball, dismissing Brendon McCullum early on for 9, but a quick Martin Guptill 32 effectively ended any hopes of a Bangladesh victory. Rubel Hossain bowled with pace to induce a top edge from Peter Ingram to leave new Zealand at 100 for 3, before James Franklin joined Ross Taylor to see New Zealand to within striking distance of the Bangladesh total.Taylor continued his rich vein of form, hammering 78 in a 56-ball innings which included five massive legside sixes and six fours, but was caught in the deep attempting to end the chase with a maximum over square leg. Neil Broom received a beauty first up and was given out lbw, but Vettori and Franklin saw New Zealand home in the 28th over with no further drama. In the end an all too easy five wicket win for the hosts.

Younis Khan, the former Pakistan captain who took a break from international cricket in November while claiming he had “lost command” of the side, has been picked in a squad of 17 for the five-match ODI leg of the tour of Australia. However, Mohammad Yousuf will continue to lead the side with allrounder Shahid Afridi as his deputy.Younis’ resignation, following an ODI series defeat against New Zealand, came after months of reported unhappiness within the team over his leadership. He went underground immediately after, only to resurface suddenly while attending a PCB coaching course in Lahore and then turning out unimpressively on the domestic circuit. Subsequently there emerged a possibility that he may arrive in time for the ODI series.Younis had been in contention for a place in the squad following Pakistan’s disappointing batting display in the ongoing Test series, and Yousuf had requested him at the start of the tour to join the squad “as soon as possible”.Younis’ form since his absence from the national team, though, has been poor. He managed just 11 runs in two innings for Habib Bank Limited in the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy final, and just 18 in his team’s opening game of the Pentagular Cup in Karachi.Kamran Akmal, after a torrid time behind the stumps in Sydney, has been retained and so has his replacement for the Hobart Test, Sarfraz Ahmed. Fast bowlers Rao Iftikhar and Naved-ul-Hasan, who didn’t play the Tests, join the ODI squad. Batsman Khalid Latif, who has represented Pakistan in four ODIs, has also been called up.Pakistan have also announced their squad for the sole Twenty20 international; Afridi will lead the side and the batting will be boosted by the inclusion of the attacking opener Imran Nazir.ODI squad: Mohammad Yousuf (capt), Shahid Afridi (vice-capt), Umar Akmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Malik, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Aamer, Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Asif.Twenty20 squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Umar Akmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Shoaib Malik, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Aamer, Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Butt, Rao Iftikhar, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Asif.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
BJ Watling gave New Zealand hope before rain had the final say in Napier•Getty Images

Close but no cigar for New Zealand. They needed 118 from a minimum of 23 overs to win the series, BJ Watling was leading the chase with a spirited half-century and no Pakistan bowler looked threatening when the rain came down in Napier to kill the contest. The target looked within reach but the steady shower ensured that an absorbing series ended 1-1.New Zealand were set a target of 208 in a minimum of 43 overs and, when Watling opened with Tim McIntosh, the most likely result appeared to be a draw, given how slowly these openers batted in the first innings. Watling, however, played an innings of character to send a shiver down Pakistan’s spine. It was high-drama in overcast Napier: The fielders continually looked at the clouds, Mohammad Yousuf kept nudging the umpires to stop play, the batsmen were trying not to look concerned and moods in the dressing rooms were of stark contrast.Watling, after a sedate first innings on debut, was serenely destructive in the second. There wasn’t a single shot that was out of the book and he took few risks, yet runs came at a brisk pace. He played a pull and a cover drive but it was the cut that really caught the eye. The shot that really got him going came when he was on 11: The ball from Gul was short of a length and there wasn’t much width on offer but Watling played a delicate late cut to the third-man boundary.Gul tried to intimidate with two bouncers but Watling delicately side-stepped to unfurl upper cuts and collect fours. Pakistan attacked with spin from Danish Kaneria but Watling refused to be contained. He counterattacked with a stunning slog-swept flat six and a delicate paddle-swept four. With McIntosh rotating the strike adeptly, Pakistan were beginning to run out of ideas when rain came to their rescue.New Zealand’s brisk batting was in contrast to Pakistan’s slow approach in the morning. Their batsmen were playing a game that doesn’t come naturally to them and it made for absorbing viewing.The moment that captured their dilemma came when Kamran Akmal hit a four and shook his head, seemingly unhappy with his shot selection. It was a stunning hit over extra cover; he had knifed through the line of a length delivery from Chris Martin but when the camera panned on him, he was shaking his head and admonishing himself. It was a risky shot in the context of the game, with the team trying to secure a safe lead before thinking of anything beyond, and he knew it. However, the shot was a natural, almost reflexive, reaction from an attacking batsman and it was that kind of a battle that Umar and Misbah too fought without success.Misbah’s failing was greater than that of Umar for he was not only more experienced but also someone who can, in theory, play the patient game. And he had started well, nudging, pushing and leaving anything that he didn’t have to play. However New Zealand suffocated him with their relentless discipline and a feeling of claustrophobia set in. And the brain freeze eventually came when Misbah faced up to Daniel Vettori for the first time in the day. He went for an almighty heave – his critics would call it a dirty slog – missed it completely, and was quickly stumped by Brendon McCullum with his back foot still on the line.Umar, unlike on the fourth day, was more sedate this morning. Iain O’Brien and the close-in fielders teased him to have a go but he continued batting defensively. Occasionally, though, the impishness in him threatened to crack open the lid of self-control. There was a hoick against O’Brien and a couple of plays and misses but no damage was done till he came up against the new ball, when he feathered an edge off an attempted cut shot to McCullum. A brain freeze by Mohammad Aamer, who had played out 52 balls with caution, threw open all possibilities yet again as Pakistan were bundled out soon after the break. The rains, however, came down to douse a cracker of a contest.

Arthur McIntyre, the former England wicketkeeper, who played three Tests between 1950-55, has died aged 91. He made his first-class debut for Surrey in 1938 and featured in 376 matches for the county, scoring 10,893 runs at 23.22, along with 615 catches and 147 stumpings.His international career would have been considerably longer and more productive had he not played at the same time as Godfrey Evans. Making his debut against West Indies at The Oval in August 1950, he managed just 19 runs and eight catches in his short Test span.He was also honoured as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1958, with his contributions behind the stumps being one of the main reasons for Surrey’s record run of six County Championships.After his retirement from the first-class cricket in 1958, he made occasional appearances for the Surrey first-team, and won the Championship as coach in 1971. He retained his association for a further 20 years as coach, finally retiring in 1978, leaving an indelible impression on generations of young Surrey players.At the time of his death, Arthur was the oldest living England cricketer – an honour that now passes to Alec Bedser.Paul Sheldon, chief executive of Surrey County Cricket Club said, “Arthur McIntyre was a truly great man of Surrey and the Club would like to offer its condolences at this time to all his friends and family.”

Group B

ScorecardKerala took the upper hand against Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) after a superb bowling display from right-arm seamer Sony Cheruvathur at the Gandhi Memorial Science College in Jammu. Cheruvathur and fellow fast bowler Raiphi Gomez rattled the J&K batsmen, sharing nine wickets between them. Cheruvathur finished the day with a haul of six, as none of the home team batsmen could better Ian Dev Singh’s 35 at the top. Kerala faltered as well, during the reply, after Abid Nabi had them floundering at 27 for 3 in the ninth over. But Sreekumar Nair and Sachin Baby fought back with an unbeaten partnership of 32.
Scorecard
Rain in Vijaywada curtailed the first day’s play between Madhya Pradesh and Andhra to only 30 overs, at the end of which the visitors had reached 63 for 2. Play started on time and MP’s openers, Naman Ojha and Jalaj Saxena, added 45 before Ojha was dismissed for 21 by Syed Sahabuddin. Saxena fell soon after, edging Sahabuddin to the wicketkeeper, with the score on 56. Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Devendra Bundela scored four each before play was washed out.

Group A

Scorecard
Jharkhand crawled in their first innings, after choosing to bat against Assam, reaching only 160 for 4 in 82 overs on the first day in Guwahati. Opener Siddhartha Sinha top scored with 89, but he played 252 deliveries and spent five hours at the crease to get there. His stodgy resistance came after Jharkhand had lost two early wickets and were 21 for 2 within the first ten overs. Sinha and his captain Saurabh Tiwary, who scored 35 off 98 balls, added 80 for the third wicket and Sinha added another 56 with Rajiv Kumar. Kumar was the slowest of them all, taking 126 balls to plod to 21 but he remained unbeaten at stumps. Sairaj Bahutule picked up 2 for 34 off 15 overs, an expensive economy-rate compared to Arlen Konwar’s 1.07 (30 runs in 28 overs).
Scorecard
Swapnil Asnodkar shone for Goa with a well-compiled half-century against Rajasthan in Margao. The hosts started on the wrong foot though, after being put in, losing Sagun Kamat off the second ball of the day. Even as wickets fell regularly, Asnodkar braved all odds to grind out his fifty, hitting nine fours and a six en route. The unbeaten stand of 43 with Rahul Keni (26 not out) bode well for the hosts, even as 51 overs could be managed in the day.
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There was no play on the first day between Vidarbha and Tripura in Nagpur because of rain. The weather was so bad that even the toss could not take place. Umpires S Ramakrishna and R Subramanian, after the third and final inspection at around 3.30 pm, called off play for the day.

England’s cricketers jet off to South Africa next week to begin their winter series against the world’s top-ranked Test side, and for Graeme Swann the trip marks the moment his career comes full circle.In 1999-2000 Swann flew to the country as a member of Duncan Fletcher’s first England squad, but a series of indiscretions, including a late alarm-call, meant he was banished from the reckoning after a solitary ODI, and did not play at the highest level for seven more years.Now, however, he is firmly established as the senior spinner in the squad, and an Ashes winner to boot, after claiming the final wicket of a tensely-fought summer campaign. However, the character that fell out with Fletcher all those years ago remains refreshingly far from being reformed, as he proved on the eve of England’s departure.”When we got to the Champions Trophy we were in the same hotel that I overslept in ten years ago,” said Swann. “That brought a smile to my face, especially on the first day when I woke up thinking I was an hour late. It turns out I was four hours early, jetlag and all that, but since that first tour I started taking two alarm clocks everywhere I go. But one got nicked in the West Indies, so if I’m late it’s not my fault.”South Africa is not traditionally a venue that favours spin bowling, but Swann’s current self-confidence is such that he does not fear anything that lies ahead of him in the current months. “Ever since I’ve been playing, I’ve been told that finger-spinners don’t have a massive impact on cricket matches, full stop,” he said.”But hopefully I’ll go away and do my job. I’ve had a successful 12 months, and I want that success to continue. They are good wickets in South Africa and they’ve got a good team, but it’s certainly not impossible to get wickets against anyone. If you bowl well enough you get rewarded.”His current situation is a far cry from his dark days on the county circuit at Northamptonshire, prior to his move up the M1 to Nottingham, when he was firmly on Fletcher’s blacklist and doubted he would ever again get a look-in in the Test set-up.”When I was playing at Northants at the end I couldn’t have been further away from playing for England,” he said. “I didn’t even want to play cricket for Northants or Northampton Saints, let alone England. I wanted to give up and become a hack. There was a lot of time when I couldn’t imagine playing for England again.”Now, however, he’s got the bug, and he isn’t afraid to spell out his priorities in the game – and with no insult intended to his forthcoming opponents, his eyes are already firmed fixed on the next Ashes series in Australia, starting in 12 months’ time.”We’re not supposed to look forward to Ashes series, we’re supposed to concentrate on the next game,” he said. “But I just want to keep performing to stay in the team, because to be in the team that goes out to Australia with a chance of retaining the Ashes over there really whets my appetite.”An England-Australia Test match is the most important, and I’d love to be playing in that Sydney Test when we hopefully regain the Ashes. For an Englishman, beating Australia home or away is the best challenge there is. You grow up wanting to play in the Ashes, so as far as I’m concerned those seven weeks [this summer] were the most trying and rewarding of my career.”Graeme Swann has a joke at Tim Bresnan’s expense. Bresnan got into hot water for a Twitter row with a fan•Getty Images

It still irks Swann that England were not permitted to celebrate their Ashes success, either by a schedule that required them to board a flight to Belfast on the morning after the match, or by the moral posturing of the media and the ECB, who remembered all too well the riotous partying that followed the 2005 success, and the subsequent nosedive in fortunes that followed.Swann, however, doesn’t believe a few drinks could be blamed for what happened four years ago. “In 2005 the team was at its peak during the Ashes and deservedly got drunk for two days afterwards, and that’s how it should have been,” he said. “The results over the next few years had nothing to do with that, it was all down to injuries and a few diminishing players at the end of their careers. That’s just how it was.”We know we’re not the best team in the world, and we know to win in South Africa is going to be a challenge,” he added. “But my mates can’t stop talking about the Ashes. They are genuinely excited and can’t believe we won it. That’s why it’s such a shame we went straight into that ridiculous flight to Ireland the next day, then played the one-dayers afterwards. None of it was publicised, it wasn’t even used as a marketing tool. [That series] should have been used to get thousands of kids playing cricket.””I don’t agree at all with living life on an even keel,” said Swann. “It’s a disgraceful way to go. In my view, you should appreciate your highs and celebrate them to the max every time, because you have enough lows in cricket, especially as a spin bowler.”Throughout the Ashes, Swann’s morale was reported to his fans through his regular and popular updates on the social networking site, Twitter. That medium recently got his ODI team-mate, Tim Bresnan, into trouble when he responded angrily to a jibe about his weight, but Swann insisted there had been no orders from on high to desist with the “tweeting”.”I’d be the first to find out if there was a code of ethics,” he said. “But getting involved in a bantering match with a fan is the same as standing on the boundary’s edge and turning around and having a go back. It’s something we’re not allowed to do, because unfortunately such things are one-way traffic. But Bressi was new to Twitter. Bless him, he’s a Yorkshire fast bowler, and he’s got an electrical gadget. It’s never going to be a good combination.”Get you and your mates in one place and be in with a chance of winning a £36,000 experience of a lifetime with Vodafone 360. Find out more at www.allyourmatesinoneplace.com

This year’s Glucofit Cricket Sixes tournament, starting on October 16, gives schoolboys from the once war-torn North and East the opportunity to rub shoulders with Colombo’s elite. This is further evidence on how much this tournament has gained popularity over the years. Six combined school sides will feature players from lesser known schools and districts like Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Bandarawela, Moneragala, Ampara and Hambantota.Another new concept is the Free Hit off a no-ball and also an arts competition where students of Wesley College will figure in the Glucofit Cricart. This competition will beextended to all schools around the country from next year.The organisers will make use of the occasion to declare open on the finalday of the tournament the newly re-laid turf pitches at Campbell Park whichwas supervised by Sri Lanka Cricket. The winners will receive the MuncheeGlucofit Champions Trophy and the runner-up the Old Wesleyites SC trophy.There are individuals awards for Best Batsman, Best Bowler, BestFielder, Highest Number of Sixes, Man of the Tournament, Man of the Final,and Best Outstation Team. Another new trophy is for theWell Disciplined Team on and off the field.Wesley’s oldest living cricket captain who resides in Sri Lanka, EdmundDissanayake, will be the chief guest. Dissanayake, who captained Wesley in1946 is 86 years old and is one of four cricketers from the Hambantotadistrict to have led the schools at cricket. The others were TI Cassim(1944), Mahendra Dissanayake (1984) and Danesh Dissanayake (1989).

When Andrew Strauss admitted he knew very little about Callum Ferguson he could have done worse than look towards Netherfield Cricket Club in Cumbria. A little part of northern England has helped to nurture Australia’s latest batting star after Ferguson broke league records during his spell as Netherfield’s professional in 2008.On the field he excelled as he set a new Northern League run-scoring mark by racking up 1381 runs at 106 during his stay, including six hundreds and six fifties. It came at a time when he’d been told by his state coaches at South Australia that he needed to convert his starts into major scores. Now, after 15 ODIs, he is averaging 56 and is already shaping as a key component of Australia’s future.”I think before he came to us he’d been told he needed more hundreds,” club secretary Ian Heath told Cricinfo. “It took him a little while to settle and get used to conditions, but once he got going no one knew how they were going to get him out.” Strauss will know that feeling.Ferguson was the latest professional to progress from Netherfield, a club founded in 1893, when all the players were originally from the local shoe factory, to the international arena. It is an honour roll that includes David Boon, Kenny Benjamin, Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs. “We pride ourselves on attracting good players,” Heath said, adding that Ferguson was an asset in all areas. “He helped out with the juniors, did a lot of coaching and was a lovely person. Lots of the lads have spoken to Callum over the weekend, they often stay in touch.”Ferguson has fond memories of his spell at Netherfield and the words of his state coaches are never far from his mind. “I thoroughly enjoyed that and probably the added responsibility of being a pro aided me a little bit in trying to become a better cricketer,” he said. “With the South Australian side, we had Kim Harris as our batting coach and something we really focused on as a batting group along with Mark Sorell [the head coach] and our captain Graham Manou was making big scores.”We really focused on making sure we stayed calm in the really important situations during the game, the key moments. I think that’s where the South Australian side made big strides last year and I was part of that batting line-up and that was something we really focused on.”Having the senior guys batting around me with the Australian side has also helped me to continue to improve in that area, and see the innings through, rather than blow-out in the 40th over. I try to be there at the end if I can.”At The Oval he batted until the close of the innings for an unbeaten 71 and two days later, at Lord’s, he held together an uncertain display until falling for 55 early in the batting Powerplay. He is the type of player who can easily slip under the radar. His style doesn’t jump out and he isn’t a flamboyant batsman in the style of Ricky Ponting, but more an accumulator in the manner of Mike Hussey or Michael Bevan, the middle-order one-day master.”It’s been nice to get some time out in the middle,” he said. “There’s been a bit of a break since the Australia A series against Pakistan, so it’s been nice to get some time out in the middle and some balls under the belt. The first half of my innings the other night [on Friday] I felt like my feet were a bit scratchy, but the longer you are out there, the more comfortable you tend to feel. It’s been good to get some time out there.”And Ferguson’s talent is being noted by plenty of influential figures with Ponting, at the same time as announcing his retirement from Twenty20 internationals, picking him out as a Test player of the near future. “That’s very nice of him to say that,” Ferguson said. “Obviously, coming from such a fantastic legend of Australian cricket, it’s fantastic of him to say that and very kind. I’d love to get there at some stage, but time will tell.”However, Ferguson’s international success – at the start of what appears to be a long career – has meant Netherfield have had to change their plans. “We hoped to get him back this season,” Heath said, “but then he got selected in the one-day team so we had to tear up the contract.”