BCCI probe give clean chit to Kundra, Srinivasan, What next?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) probe proved no evidence into the alleged match-fixing charges by the IPL team Rajasthan Royals and its owners Raj Kundra and others and the other team Chennai Kings’ owners India Cements.
The reports, according to BCCI Vice President Niranjan Shah, found no proof of involvement of the owners in any wrongdoings, on the sideslines of a BCCI Working Committee meeting in Kolkata.
A two-member probe panel of former judges T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian on Gurunath Meiyappan, has submitted its report, which will be forwarded to the IPL governing council that is set to meet in Kolkata on August 2.
N. Srinivasan, who owns India Cements, had stepped aside as the BCCI chief after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested on charges of betting, who is now on bail.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, also husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, was questioned on betting by Delhi Police.
The match-fixing scandal has shaken viewers’ faith in IPL matches and led to the arrest of S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila.
But Mumbai Police, which has initiated the probe remained silent on the clean chit given to N.Srinivasan but some reports said the probe against his son-in-law Meiyappan and Vindoo Dara Singh will continue. Both Meiyappan and Singh were arrested by the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police and are out on bail.
Now the ball is in BCCI court to let Srinivasan who had to step aside as BCCI president after Meiyappan was arrested by the Mumbai Police return or not. "It will be discussed in the proper forum which is the IPL GC. The GC will examine the report and take a decision. The copy of the report will be made public in due course," said Jagmohan Dalmiya addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Sunday.
Dalmiya also said since Rajasthan Royals’ player Ajit Chandila is still in police custody, the probe is not fully completed. "We will wait for some time and then proceed accordingly. Sawani is on leave. Let him come back," he said.

N Srinivasan to return as BCCI chief

The decks were on Sunday cleared for President-in-exile N Srinivasan's possible return to the BCCI top post after a two-judge probe panel found no evidence against his team Chennai Super Kings in the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal which rocked the sixth edition of the event.

Srinivasan could stage a comeback as BCCI chief as early as August 2 when the Board's Working Committee and the IPL Governing Council meet in New Delhi to take a final call on the issue.

The two-member panel, comprising former High Court Judges T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian, submitted its report to the BCCI Working Committee which met here today amid intense speculation that the Tamil Nadu strongman could get back the job.

The panel was mandated to enquire into the roles of Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who was the Team Prinicipal of Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and its co-owner Raj Kundra.

"
The report will now be forwarded to the IPL Governing Council which will take a final decision when it meets on August 2 in New Delhi," BCCI vice-President Niranjan Shah told reporters.

Since the panel's order is binding on the BCCI which makes it clear that Srinivasan will return as Board chief.

Addressing a brief press conference, BCCI interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said that the inquiry report will be forwarded to the IPL Governing Council as per the operational rules of the Board.

"IPL

Asked whether India Cements have been given a clean chit in the report, he said, "The final call will be taken in the IPL Governing Council meeting.

"It will be discussed in the proper forum which is the IPL Governing Council. The Governing Council will examine the report and accordingly will take a decision. The copy of the report will be made public in due course," Dalmiya said.

There was, however, no clarity on Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's role in the scandal and it is learnt that the inquiry commission has not given him a "clean chit".

Shah, when asked whether Meiyappan has been given a clean chit, did not give any answer.

According to a source, Meiyappan has been cleared of spot-fixing in the inquiry report but could be involved in betting though there was no clear evidence.

Dalmiya said that the order of the probe commission was received only this morning and speculation that it had come to the BCCI earlier was not correct.

"The order was received by secretary Sanjay Patel here and it was placed in the afternoon before the Working Committee," he said.

Asked who will chair the August 2 meeting, Dalmiya said, "Let Mr Srinivasan decide. Let Srinivasan take his decision." Dalmiya also said that BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit chief Ravi Sawani's report was discussed but since one player -- Ajit Chandila -- is in police custody, the probe could not be completed.

"We will wait for some time and then proceed accordingly. Sawani is currently on leave because of his son's marriage. Let him come back," Dalmiya said.

On who will chair the IPL GC meeting since chairman Rajiv Shukla has resigned, Dalmiya said, "I have requested him to continue. I have not accepted Shukla's resignation." Dalmiya said the BCCI was in the process of finalising the itineraries for the tours of South Africa and New Zealand.

"It is under process. There are other tours also. We will come to you in due time," he said.

Regarding the controversy over India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's alleged conflict of interest issue, Dalmiya said nothing will be swept under the carpet.

"I had said nothing will be swept under the carpet, many were asking what happened to that...," he said.

"We have changed our mode of working. We don't believe you to be after any player or anybody. Therefore, the players will have to declare their interest in sports management companies."

Talking about Delhi seamer Pradeep Sangwan, who has failed a random dope test conducted during IPL VI, Dalmiya said, "BCCI will follow the procedures as per anti-doping code."

He also said that the annual contract for coaches and support staff for special academies has been renewed for one year.

The IPL spot-fixing scandal broke out when India pacer S Sreesanth, along with two other Rajasthan Royals players Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and 11 bookies, was arrested for alleged spot-fixing in the IPL.

The contracts of the tainted players were terminated by their franchise, which also lodged a criminal complaint against them.

It snowballed into a crisis for the BCCI when Board President N Srinivasan's son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Meiyappan was arrested on charges of betting on May 26.

A internal probe panel, originally comprising former judges Chouta, Balasubramanian and the then BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale, was constituted on May 28 to investigate the allegations against Meiyappan, who maintained his innocence after getting bail.

Srinivasan, who owns the CSK franchise, remained defiant through the turmoil and refused to resign but had to step aside as BCCI President after a stormy emergent Board meeting on June 2 where Dalmiya took charge of an interim arrangement to run the Board's affairs pending the inquiry.

The upheaval led to the resignations of Board Secretary Sanjay Jagdale and Treasurer Ajay Shirke, who asked for Srinivasan's resignation on moral grounds.

Governing Council will meet on August 2 in New Delhi to take a decision on these issues," Dalmiya said.

There is no evidence of any wrongdoing found by the judges against Raj Kundra, India Cements and Rajasthan Royals.

India beat Zimbabwe by 7 wickets to take unassailable 3-0 lead

HARARE: A disciplined India notched up a convincing seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the third one-day international to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series on Sunday.

Amit Mishra scalped four wickets and skipper Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 88-ball 68 to emerge as star performers for India as they guided the visitors to their third straight victory in the series.

Mishra led a disciplined show by the bowlers as they dismissed Zimbabwe for a paltry 183 in just 46 overs after Kohli won the toss and decided to bowl.

The visitors overhauled the target in 35.3 overs, riding on Kohli's fifty and useful contributions from Shikhar Dhawan (35), Ambati Rayudu (33) and Suresh Raina (28 not out).

Kohli, who had scored a match-winning 115 in the first ODI, once again led from the front as he starred in three useful partnerships.

He added 40 with Dhawan for the second wicket, before forging a 64-run stand with Rayudu for the third wicket, while it was the unbeaten 56-run partnership off 32 balls with Raina which finally took India home.

Chasing 184 to win, openers Rohit Sharma (14) and Shikhar Dhawan (35) made a watchful start as pacers Brian Vitori and Michael Chinouya bowled in tandem.

Sharma's poor run with the bat in this series continued as he was the first batsman to be sent back to the pavilion when he fell to debutante Chinouya.

Sharma chased a widish length delivery from the pacer only to edge it wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor. The Mumbaikar had scored two fours in his 21 balls.

Dhawan, however, didn't allow Sharma's wicket to affect the run flow as he blasted Vitori over square leg for a four and then pulled him for another boundary in the same area in the seventh over.

First down batsman Virat Kohli took one over to get a feel of the wicket and then brought up his first boundary in the ninth over when he whipped Tendai Chatara across the deep backward square leg fence.

Dhawan then cut one across the cover in the same over to pick up easy runs. The left-handed batsman welcomed Prosper Utseya with a four through the leg side in the 12th over.

His stay was cut short by Chatara in the 15th over when trying to hit a length delivery off the front foot, Dhawan ended up hitting it straight to Sibanda at shortish cover.

Runs dried up after that as Kohli and new man Ambati Rayudu (33) tried to steady the ship, picking up ones and twos. In the 22nd over, Rayudu picked up a much-needed boundary when his thick edge off Utseya went flying past slip.

In the next over, Elton Chigumbura was introduced into the attack and Rayudu and Kohli hit him for two fours.

After the end of 29 overs, India took their batting powerplay but Rayudu lost his wicket when he chipped a pitched up delivery from Vitori straight to the bowler. His 54-ball innings had two fours.

In the 32nd over, Kohli sent Chinouya sailing over deep square leg for a boundary, while new man Suresh Raina too cleared the midwicket boundary in the next over.

Kohli brought up his fifty in the 34th over with a brilliant drive off the front foot, which bisected the mid off and extra cover before clearing the fence.

Three balls later, the India skipper danced down the wicket and smashed Chinouya over wide long off for the first six of Indian innings.

In the next over, Kohli and Raina picked up a couple of fours as India inched towards the win. It was Raina, who blasted a four off Chatara to bring up the final runs.

Earlier, Mishra took four for 47 to help India dismiss Zimbabwe for 183. Mohammed Shami (2/25), Jaydev Unadkat (1/24), Ravindra Jadeja (39) and R Vinay Kumar (1/32) were the other successful bowlers for India.

Sean Williams top-scored for Zimbabwe with 45 off 53 balls.

Leading 2-0 in the five-match series, Kohli's decision to bowl was vindicated as his pacers struck twice in the first two overs at the Harare Sports Club.

While R Vinay Kumar accounted for Vusi Sibanda even before the hosts could open their account, Shami sent back the other-wise reliable Sikander Raza when he had the opener caught behind by Dinesh Karthik.

Hamilton Masakadza (38) and skipper Brendan Taylor (23) added 65 runs for the third wicket to stabilise the innings before Jaydev Unadkat struck with the scoreboard reading 67 for three in the 16th over.

The Zimbabwean captain, who stood his ground after Shami leapt to his left from mid-off to pull off a catch, walked back after the third umpire upheld the on-field umpires' decision. Taylor hit three fours during his 44-ball knock.

Taylor's dismissal was the beginning of slide as Zimbabwe lost three more wickets quickly, with leg-spinner Mishra taking two of them off successive balls.

Coming in to bowl his first over of the match, Mishra tasted success immediately as Masakadza, trying to cut a short of length delivery, edged it to the keeper as the hosts lost their top four batsmen within the first 20 overs. The batsman struck five fours off 53 balls.

Malcolm Waller was out next ball as Mishra had the batsman trapped in front for a golden duck with a googly, leaving the Zimbabweans reeling at 80 for five in the 20th over.

Ravindra Jadeja made it 89 for six as the slow left-arm spinner hit Elton Chigumbura on the pads with one that might have missed the leg stump because of the angle.

Williams then added 36 runs for the seventh wicket with Prosper Utseya (10), before the latter was snared by Shami.

Jadeja's flat throw from the square leg did Williams in as the batsman fell short of the crease at the striker's end after battling it out for 79 minutes. Williams hit two fours and a six during his fighting knock.

The Zimbabwe tail wagged before the innings came to an end.
FULL HIGHLIGHTS  AT ;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kogJQgiwCA

Pakistan beat West Indies, seal T20 series 2-0

Umar Akmal smashed an unbeaten 46 and Pakistan's spinners restricted the world champion West Indies in an 11-run victory in the second Twenty20 international, clinching the two-match series 2-0 on Sunday.

Akmal anchored Pakistan to 135-7, and West Indies could not recover from the loss of four early wickets to be restricted to 124-9.

Pakistan spinners Saeed Ajmal (2-21) and Zulfiqar Babar (2-37) grabbed four wickets between them to supplement left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir's (2-20) two early strikes.

Pakistan won the first match by two wickets. The team has risen to No. 2 in the ICC Twenty20 rankings, behind Sri Lanka. West Indies dropped to No. 4, one spot back from India.
"It was a tough tour, credit goes to the team and the coaches for their hard work," Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said. "We did not play well in the last two tours, so we needed this victory."

Sunday's victory rounded off Pakistan's tour of the Caribbean during which it also won the one-day series 3-1.

Pakistan lost 3-2 in the one-day series against South Africa, and last month the team was beaten in all three group matches in the Champions Trophy in England.

On Sunday, Tanvir had Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels caught behind in his first two overs. Chris Gayle, who had a disappointing ODI series against Pakistan, continued his wretched form to leave West Indies at 3-4 when he got a leading edge off Hafeez.

Lendl Simmons was clean bowled by Shahid Afridi, leaving West Indies lurching on 17-4. Sunil Narine was promoted as a pinch-hitter and struck a quick 28, but was caught in the deep in the 14th over.

With the run-rate creeping above 12 runs an over, Dwayne Bravo (35) added 30 runs with Kieron Pollard (23) before left-arm spinner Babar removed them off successive deliveries after Pollard had hit him for two sixes and two fours off the first four deliveries in the 17th over.

"We lost a lot of wickets in our first six overs, and then it was a difficult task for Pollard and Bravo to come and score at 12-13 runs an over," West Indies captain Darren Sammy said. "We have different types of players and I can't tell them how to go about batting. But when you have a difficult pitch, you have to give yourselves a chance and capitalize in the end."

Earlier, after electing to bat first, Pakistan owed its total to Akmal's brilliance on a slow wicket after Sammy and legspinner Samuel Badree bowled decent four-over spells.

Akmal's knock came off 36 balls and featured three fours and a six. He was well supported by opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad, who scored 44 with four boundaries and two sixes.

Akmal added 39 off 29 balls with Shehzad and then put on 26 off 16 deliveries with Babar.

Narine took 3-26, picking up three wickets in his three overs after being hit for 10 runs in his first over.

England win nail biting finishing match vs Australia

James Anderson took the match-winning wicket at Trent Bridge. Never has England's reliance on him been so painfully exposed. Over recent months, England have lent on him like an elderly person might a zimmer frame, or like an alcoholic in search of a drink.

It was entirely fitting that

Perhaps that is the better simile, for England's over-reliance upon Anderson is not healthy. The burden upon him, not just in Test cricket, but in ODIs as well, has become immense. While his colleagues lose form, fitness and confidence, Anderson has been consistently excellent for several years, leading his captain to coax just one more over, one more spell from him time after time. England go to the well so often that fears are growing it may run dry.

It looked for a while on the last day as if England had reached that moment. After an immense opening spell of 13 overs that took his tally for game above 50 in unusual heat, Anderson was forced off the pitch with what the England camp insist - an insistence perhaps tinged with hope - was an attack of cramp.

At that stage he might have presumed his work was done. Australia were 80 runs from their target when the ninth wicket fell; his colleagues should have been able to take it from there.

Instead, Anderson was obliged to take on plenty of fluids at the lunch break and found himself forced into service once more after it became painfully obvious that England had no replacement capable of sustaining his match-clinching burst. It took him only two overs to finish the game off and clinch not just his second five-wicket haul of the match but the second ten-wicket haul of his career. His statistics, dented by premature exposure to international cricket, may never show it but his bowling over the last three years has touched a level of greatness to which very few England bowlers have ventured.

Anderson was magnificent in this game. It is not just his skill, but his fitness and reliability that render him such a valuable player. MS Dhoni rated him the difference between the sides after England's Test series victory in India and it was no exaggeration. It is the same in this series: if Anderson were injured, this England attack would hold little fear for Australia.

This surface offered him little. There was just a little conventional swing and seam and minimal pace or bounce. Conditions were much more akin to Ahmedabad or Kolkata than to stereotypical English pitches. But Anderson, with his nagging control and ability to reverse-swing the ball into and away from the batsmen from a well-disguised action, rose above such obstacles to remain a potent force. It was a performance of which Zaheer Khan or Mohammad Asif would have been proud.

He deserved better support, though. While Stuart Broad may be worryingly fragile, he had an increasingly impressive Test, but a couple of other England players would have slipped away from Trent Bridge amid the celebrations, feeling low as result of their personal contributions.

Certainly Steven Finn, cutting a diffident figure for a man capable of such brutish spells, endured a horrible final day. Not only did he miss a tough chance at deep-backward square leg to reprieve Brad Haddin on 62, but he failed to sustain the pressure created by Anderson when he relieved him in the attack. The contrast was unflattering: while Anderson delivered three wicket maidens in the session and conceded only 29 runs in a 13-over spell, Finn was plundered for 15 in his first over and five in his second. He was then removed from the attack and is far from certain to play at Lord's.

James Anderson's post-mh press conference

Finn is too young and full of potential to be written off but there is a concern about his lack of progress. He was dropped after the Perth Test in 2010 for conceding four an over but conceded 4.68 an over here. While he bowled one decent spell on the first day and another on the fourth, his lack of control has routinely released the pressure on the opposition in recent months. Again, England insist he is fully fit but the suspicion remains that the shin soreness that troubled him in earlier in the summer has robbed him of some confidence and rhythm.

Had England lost this game, it might have been remembered as one of the lowest moments of Graeme Swann's career, too. He has endured disappointing games before - Cardiff and Edgbaston in 2009 spring to mind, as does Brisbane in 2010 and The Oval 2012 - but rarely when so much has been expected of him in conditions so apparently favourable. England had originally planned not to take the new ball on the final day but so unthreatening was Swann they had to, with Alastair Cook admitting that "it wasn't doing a lot for Swanny, so we changed tactics".

Perhaps expectations were unrealistically high. With England bowling last on such a dry pitch and Swann playing on his home ground, events seemed to have been set-up for Swann to strike the crucial blows. But the pitch turned less than had been anticipated and Swann, who has never taken a five-wicket haul in a first-class game on the ground and had not taken a Test wicket here until 2012, was rarely threatening.

He did, however, produce one good spell, late on the penultimate day, that perhaps suggested there was enough in the pitch to help had he bowled with the bite and turn that we have come to expect.

The miles on the clock may be starting to show. Swann has suffered from back and calf injuries in the last few weeks and underwent a second operation on his right elbow earlier this year. While the sluggish pace of the pitch did little for him, that can be no excuse for the surfeit of full tosses he delivered.

That is more of a worry than Finn's loss of form. Swann's prowess had been considered a key factor in the gap between the sides before this series and a succession of dry pitches are anticipated to aid his spin. If he is struggling for form or fitness, England will become even more reliant on Anderson. Monty Panesar remains the second-best spinner in England but has not been at his best in recent months - he was dropped from the Sussex side a few weeks ago - while James Tredwell, in favour with the selectors but out of form with the ball, has an eye-watering first-class bowling average of 428 this season.

It was somehow typical that Ian Bell's immense contribution to this result was overshadowed by the performances of others. He will be consoled, however, in the knowledge that he played the innings that defined this match and, to this point, the most mature and important innings of his career. After a modest 18 months, his confidence and form is as good as it ever has been and he should have proved to himself as much as anyone that he can produce such performances regularly.

Cook's contribution could easily be overlooked on the final day, too. When he first moved into the slip cordon, he was something approaching a liability. Only a year ago, he put down several chances against South Africa that proved hugely costly for England. But, just as he worked on his range of strokes and his issues outside off stump, Cook worked on his weakness until he made it a strength.

Here, as the sole slip fielder and standing closer to the bat than normal to account for the lack of carry from the sluggish pitch, he held on to a couple of sharp chance, the first off Ashton Agar and the second off Peter Siddle. He did provide a reminder that you have never mastered this game by also putting down a relatively easy chance offered by Siddle but Cook, like his star fast bowler, has proved that with hard work and self belief, continual improvement is possible and can lift players to unprecedented heights. Neither Cook or Anderson would claim to be the most talented cricketers their country has produced, but they may well end their careers as the highest run-scorer and wicket-taker in England Test history.

Dhoni's cameo denies Sri Lanka Tri Nation victory

Port of Spain (Trinidad), July 12 - Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed 16 runs in the last over to help India win the Tri Nation series, edging Sri Lanka by a wicket at the Queen's Park Oval here Thursday.
Needing 15 runs of the last over, Dhoni whacked Shaminda Eranga for a six, four and a six to give India its seventh win over Sri Lanka in nine matches.
Dhoni's innings was reminiscent of the one he played at the Wankhede where he struck an unbeaten 91 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup 2011 final.
Sri Lanka put into bat, from a string position, lost eight wickets for 30 runs and were bowled out for 201 in 48.5 overs.
Most Indian batsmen struggled on a deteriorating pitch but Rohit Sharma (58), Sursh Raina (32) and Dhoni (45 not out) played key innings to take India to 203 for nine in 49.4 overs.
India lost Shikhar Dhawan (16) and Virat Kohli (2) early but Rohit Sharma held one end up.
At three for 139, India seemed to cantering home to victory but Rohit Sharma's wicket brought the Lankans back in the game.
Sri Lanka were further buoyed after the fall of the dangerous Raina, who had looked in sparkling form.

Rangana Herath put Sri Lanka in the driver's seat removing Ravindra Jadeja (5) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0) off successive balls to add to his scalps of Sharma and Dinesh Karthik (23).
Mahendra Singh Dhoni fought on as wickets tumbled around him but his hamstring injury that kept him out of the three previous games returned to haunt him.
It all seemed lost for India as Mathews gave away just two runs off the penultimate over.
But Dhoni hit back in style sending Eranga's first ball of the last over onto the roof and then with five runs required, the Indian captain smacked a flat six over extra cover to finish things off.
Earlier, a 122-run partnership between Kumar Sangakkara (71) and Lahiru Thirimanne (46) for the third wicket had put Sri Lanka in a strong position after two early wickets had put them on the backfoot.
However, that all changed quickly as Thirimanne tried one too many shots after Ishant Sharma has already been plundered for 15 runs in the 38th over of the match.
Sangakkara, after playing a patient innings, too gave it away cheaply, thereby setting a chain reaction for the worse.
Captain Angelo Mathews (10), Kusal Perera (2) and Dinesh Chandimal (5) seemed to lose their head, going for ambitious shots on a pitch that had proved to be difficult for shot-making all day.
Ravindra Jadeja, who had figures of four for 23, came in finished the tail in no time as the Lankans collapsed to 201 in 48.5 overs.

Ashes 2013: Ashton Agar's astonishing innings at No11 rescues Australia

Only two days in and already this series has contained enough drama, twists and turns for HBO to have commissioned it for a box set. If Wednesday brought mayhem under gloomy skies as the bowlers ran riot, the second sunlit day provided a cricket story of a kind unmatched as long as Tests have been played.
Barely 24 hours previously Ashton Agar, a teenager not even included among Australian pen portraits in the match programme, had been one of the longest shots ever to be selected for an Ashes Test as he was presented with his cap by Glenn McGrath. That status has changed somewhat: from anonymity he finds himself one of the most celebrated of Australians. How swiftly can such things happen.
A few minutes before midday Agar found himself as the last man walking to the crease with his side having lost five wickets for nine runs in 31 balls to a rampant Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann. At 117 for nine they were facing not just a considerable first-innings deficit but, with the prospect of a wearing pitch and good weather, defeat in the first Test.
Two hours and 14 minutes later he pulled a Stuart Broad bouncer to deep midwicket to be caught by Swann and thus deny himself, by two paltry runs, the feat, barely credible, of an Ashes hundred, in his debut innings and batting at No11. England know about such things: a little more than a year ago at Edgbaston they were reduced to open-mouthed astonishment as Tino Best, a genuine tailender, made 95 and added 143 for the last wicket with Dinesh Ramdin. It had been the highest score ever by a Test tail-end Charlie.
Agar surpassed that and, in the company of Phil Hughes who played an intelligent, understated sidekick to the younger man's ebullience, they obliterated by a dozen runs the previous record of 151 for the last wicket.
Agar had been uplifting, a lad just having fun, living the dream with not a care in the world. He drove and pulled. He belted Swann for six and then did it again for a second to go with a dozen fours.
There was a late-cut to bring the scores level so delicate he might have been patting a baby's head. He even flamingoed the magnificent Anderson through midwicket in a manner that would have brought a smile to the lips of its master, Kevin Pietersen. And as Swann took his tumbling catch, there was not a person in the ground who would have begrudged him a hundred. Agar instead just grinned endearingly.
The pair had transformed the match. They left England not with the lead they expected and without question assumed but instead 65 runs behind and by such things are sagging spirits lifted. The England bowling, so compelling while Anderson was reverse-swinging his way to five wickets, was reduced to rubble as Agar gallivanted along at a run a ball.
In mid-afternoon, in the afterglow, their Australian counterparts, so errant with the new ball in the first innings, came at England hard. Joe Root was given out caught behind for five, having feathered Mitchell Starc down the leg side, and next ball Jonathan Trott, with one full and swinging in, was caught in front.
Starc and his compatriots roared their appeal with thunderous vehemence but Aleem Dar was unmoved. Trott indicated firmly to Alastair Cook that he had managed the thinnest of edges. But Michael Clarke called for a review and, to general amazement and Dar's evident chagrin, the third umpire, Marais Erasmus, overturned the decision. Given that the square-on Hot Spot, one of the main technological arbiters for such things, was not operational for a technical reason, that Snicko (which later appeared to confirm a thin edge) is not available and that the slow-motion replay seemed to show a deviation from the bat to pad, it is hard to see, given that the protocol says there has to be conclusive evidence to overturn such a decision, why Erasmus acted as he did. By the same token, had Dar given Trott out and the batsman reviewed, that decision would also have stood.
England's wish to get clarification from the ICC is understandable. Nor was it the first error of judgment of the day from Erasmus. When Agar had made six, and the deficit was still 84, Swann's off-break turned past him, and, as he dragged his left foot forwards, Matt Prior whipped off the bails. It was a tight call, which no umpire would have given out with the naked eye, and Erasmus took an age in his assessment. But replays showed that at the moment the bails were dislodged Agar's foot was no further back than the line of the crease. And that means he was out.
It took Cook (37 not out) and Pietersen (35 not out) to bat England through the final session without further mishap, adding 69 for the third wicket so that they will resume on 80 for two, a lead of 15. To win the match England might need another 240: to be comfortable 300 more. It will be no easy task for, while the pitch does promise to become awkward, the game has moved at an alarming rate so that there is two days' wear only. Australia still hold the upper hand.
The day's first hour was extraordinary as Anderson, unable to find the orthodox swing of the previous day, reverted to reverse, removing Steve Smith first of all for 53 excellent runs and then running amok by adding Peter Siddle and Starc, not a rabbit among them, in short order while Swann turned one through Brad Haddin's gate and trapped James Pattinson leg-before.