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Rangana Herath struck three times in the morning and West Indies’ tail seemed set to capitulate quickly once again before the weather intervened to force an early lunch

The Bulletin by Andrew Fernando04-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Only 22.3 overs were possible on the fourth day before rain intervened once again•Associated Press

A sizeable crowd arrived at the Pallekele Stadium to finally see some action after rain washed out yesterday’s play, but only 20 overs were possible before the clouds opened up once again to frustrate fans and players alike. Rangana Herath struck three times in the morning and West Indies’ tail seemed set to capitulate quickly once again before the weather intervened to force an early lunch.Herath might not have expected a wicket when he fired one down the leg side in the second over of the day, but Brendan Nash’s attempted sweep took a bottom edge on its way to Prasanna Jayawardene, who had moved smartly to collect the wayward delivery. Nash exited for a valuable 67, kicking himself for the indiscretion. Herath didn’t have to wait long for his second wicket of the day, when Carlton Baugh was struck in front in his following over, again attempting to sweep. Baugh had successfully overturned two decisions in his previous innings in Colombo and tried his luck with the review once more, but this time the decision stood.Herath continued to trouble the West Indies batsmen with a succession of beautifully flighted deliveries, varying his length subtly to keep them guessing. Benn landed a couple lusty blows over midwicket, but Darren Sammy played back to one that straightened to be caught dead in front for 8, continuing his horror tour with the bat – he had made only two runs in two previous innings.West Indies’ tail was ill-equipped to handle Herath and Ajantha Mendis as they groped and prodded at some high-class spin bowling on a turning pitch. Benn’s unbeaten 26 was especially wrought with unorthodox technique and strokeplay. His ungainly wallops into the stands were followed by a sweep which found the back of the bat and flew over slip and a comically unsuccessful forward defensive to a full delivery, which hit him on the thigh as he went down on a knee. Both he and Roach were content to pick up the ones and twos after Kumar Sangakkara sent men back to defend the leg-side boundary.Play resumed when the weather abated after lunch, but it returned in torrents following another 2.3 overs of play. Out of 360 overs that should have been bowled thus far in the match, only 103 have been possible as the series heads towards a wet stalemate.

يصر جاريث ساوثجيت على أن وضع إنجلترا كمرشح بارز في مباراة دور الستة عشر لبطولة كأس العالم مع السنغال لا يعني شيئًا لأن بطل إفريقيا سيشكل تهديدًا خطيرًا لفريقه.

يعتبر فريق ساوثجيت منافسًا على اللقب في قطر بعد وصوله إلى نصف نهائي كأس العالم 2018 وحصوله على المركز الثاني في بطولة أوروبا 2020.

يُعد منتخب إنجلترا مرشحًا للفوز في مباراة الغد المرتقبة ضد السنغال، على ملعب “البيت” في دور الـ16 من البطولة، ولكن ساوثجيت لا يقلل من شأن كتيبة بطل إفريقيا.

وقال ساوثجيت في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم: “نحن معجبون كثيرًا بـ السنغال، نعلم أنهم أبطال إفريقيا، وفخورون جدًا بهم، لديهم روح كبيرة وإيمان بفريقهم، لديهم بعض اللاعبين الفرديين الممتازين الذين يمكن أن يتسببوا في مشاكل، لكن لديهم بنية جيدة أيضًا”.

وأضاف: “يتم اعتبارنا على أساس المرشحين في المباراة والسنغال الطرف الأضعف، ولكن هذا لا يعني أي شيء حقًا في المباراة”.

ويفتقد منتخب السنغال خدمات ساديو ماني في البطولة للإصابة، وعن ذلك قال ساوثجيت: “ساديو لاعب رائع وكل فريق يرغب في ضمه لكن السنغال أصبحت قوية للغاية في غيابه”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. هاري كين يوجه رسالة إلى بيليه بعد تدهور حالته الصحية

واستمر: “لقد أظهروا روحًا كبيرة في ظل خسارته، يجب أن نكون في أفضل حالاتنا للفوز بالمباراة، قام سيسيه بعمل رائع، نحن نعرف حجم المهمة التي تنتظرنا”.

وأوضح: “لقد تعلمنا الكثير من لعب سبع مباريات في البطولتين الأخيرتين والحاجة إلى إبقاء اللاعبين في حالة تركيز ورغبة، الشيء الأكبر هو مستويات التوقعات، في روسيا عندما تأهلنا من دور المجموعات، ربما كنا أكثر حماسًا من هذه المرة، كان هناك الكثير من الضجيج بعد التعادل ضد الولايات المتحدة، لكننا ظللنا على المسار الصحيح، وتأهلنا مثل أي شخص آخر”.

واستطرد: “بالطبع تريد اتخاذ أفضل قرار ممكن فيما يتعلق بالتشكيل، ولكن في بعض النواحي لست متأكدًا من صحة قرارك من عدمه، أيا كان اللاعبون الذين سنبدأ معهم سنحتاج إلى مقاعد البدلاء أيضًا”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Avaí já embolsou até agora R$ 4,3 milhões na Copa do Brasil. O bônus financeiro vem junto com as boas atuações de jogadores da base. O Leão da Ilha apostou em atletas mais novos para essa temporada e tem colhido bons frutos.

Vale lembrar que todos osoito gols marcados na competição nacional saíram de atletas formados nas categorias de base do Avaí.Romulo com 22 anos, Lourenço de 20, e Luanzinho com 17, tem feito a diferença no time azurra.

O técnico Claudinei Oliveira falou sobre a responsabilidade dos garotos e as boas atuações na Copa do Brasil.O treinador do Leão da Ilha vê o clube no rumo certo para virar referência na base.

– Aqui é uma coisa só, não tem Avaí sub-15, sub-20 e profissional, é tudo Avaí. Com 17 anos, ele sabe que pode jogar no profissional, como foi o Luanzinho. Com 19, tem o Guga jogando. Queremos que o menino tenha essa esperança, visualize esse horizonte de jogar no profissional, pode ter certeza que em breve todos que tiverem um bom atleta na região Sul do país, vai trazer para o Avaí, que é o acontece no Santos. O menino é bom, leva no Santos que lá ele joga, e daqui a pouco será o Avaí. Vai começar a ter muitos atletas de grandes qualidade querendo jogar aqui – afirmou Claudinei Oliveira.

Atualmente, o Avaí tem em seu elenco 18 jogadores formados na Base. Guga Romulo e Luanzinho, se firmaram no time titular, outros como Lourenço e Getúlio foram prejudicados por lesões.

– Temos o Getúlio que pode resolver, Lourenço que resolveu contra o Fluminense, o Vitor pode entrar e fazer gols, temos uma gama de atletas jovens que estão nos dando um retorno bem positivo, questão da experiência é importante também e temos o Betão, Moritz, Marquinhos, Alemão, Aranha – disse o comandante.

Até agora, Luanzinho marcou duas vezes, Romulo fez três gols, enquanto Lourenço, Marquinhos e Moritz balançaram as redes uma vez na Copa do Brasil. Vale lembrar que Marquinhos e Moritz também foram formados na base do Avaí.

Sunderland appear set for a big injury lift over 20-year-old gem Dennis Cirkin…

What’s the latest?

Black Cats manager Alex Neil has refused to rule the full-back out of the League One play-off clash against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.

They secured their place in the top six with a win over Morecambe at the weekend and will now face the Owls in the semi-finals as they attempt to book a place at Wembley for the final.

When asked whether or not the defender will be fit for the clash, Neil said: “I would hope so, but I can’t really commit to anything right now – I don’t know what the answer is. Let’s say he has a chance, it’s not one of those where we can just say he’s out.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Sunderland supporters will surely be buzzing with these quotes from the manager, as they suggest that the full-back could be back in contention to play on Friday night.

Having Cirkin back would be a huge boost to the side, as he has proven himself to be a reliable option in the Black Cats; defence. He came into the campaign as an inexperienced youth player after joining from Premier League side Tottenham and has enjoyed an excellent first season in senior football.

In League One this term, he has started 31 matches for Sunderland and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.77. He has consistently delivered good displays in the third tier whilst being asked to play at full-back and centre-back by both Lee Johnson and Neil throughout 2021/22.

Sunderland are unbeaten in his last 10 appearances for the club, and he has played at left-back in a back four and as a left centre-back in a back three in that time. This shows his versatility as he has been able to play in multiple positions in the defence, which gives Neil the option to switch up his formation for specific games, depending on how the opposition are going to line up.

Therefore, having Cirkin back on Friday night would be a big boost for the Black Cats because of his quality, consistency and versatility. He is an excellent option for the head coach to call upon, and the fans will be buzzing to hear that he has not been ruled out of the clash with Darren Moore’s side as of yet.

AND in other news, Cost £10m, left for nothing: Sunderland had a huge nightmare on £70k-p/w dud…

أهدر فريق الكرة الأول بنادي الاتحاد السكندري ركلة جزاء ثانية أمام الأهلي، سددها اللاعب أحمد عادل ميسي، لتمر بجوار القائم الأيسر.

ويحتضن استاد السلام مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد المؤجلة من منافسات الجولة الرابعة بالدوري.

طالع أيضًا.. فيديو | ياسر إبراهيم يسجل هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام الاتحاد السكندري

واحتسب حكم اللقاء محمود البنا ركلة جزاء للاتحاد في الدقيقة 46، بعد عرقلة من الحارس محمد الشناوي لـ أحمد عادل ميسي، لكن أهدرها اللاعب.

وكان محمود علاء قد سدد ركلة جزاء أولى على يسار محمد الشناوي، الذي نجح في التصدي للكرة وحرمان الاتحاد السكندري من تسجيل الهدف الأول وتقليص الفارق.

يذكر أن الأهلي يتقدم على الاتحاد السكندري بهدفين سجلهما كل من بيرسي تاو وياسر إبراهيم. ركلة جزاء الاتحاد السكندري الثانية المهدرة أمام الأهلي 

An insipid performance from India’s bowlers on the fourth day had broken their aspirations of a maiden Test series victory in South Africa but, on the fifth, the batsmen ensured they achieved at least a draw for the first time in the country

The Bulletin by George Binoy06-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Gautam Gambhir’s 64-run vigil led India’s resistance as they batted out the fifth day at Newlands and earned a 1-1 series draw•AFP

An insipid performance from India’s bowlers on the fourth day had broken their aspirations of a maiden Test series victory in South Africa but, on the fifth, the batsmen ensured they achieved at least a draw for the first time in the country. In an anticlimactic end to an enthralling contest, Gautam Gambhir was at the forefront of the Indian resistance, Rahul Dravid blocked lots of balls, and South Africa’s bowlers toiled 82 overs for three wickets, when they needed ten.South Africa fell behind early in their pursuit of victory and eventually took only one wicket in each session. The key to their chances lay in how many they dismissed with the new ball, and India won a decisive battle by surviving the first 11 overs without damage. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel weren’t as hostile as they were in the first innings but still bowled aggressively in the morning. Once that threat passed, India’s passage was easier. They survived one more flutter of anxiety, soon after Dravid fell late in the second session, when AB de Villiers failed to catch an extremely tough chance off Gambhir. The game was called off with umpteen fielders waiting for catches that never came, and South Africa were still winless in a series at home since Bangladesh’s visit in November 2008.India did not try to win this deciding Test on its final morning – the target of 340 was always out of reach – but because they focused on survival and scored at about two runs an over, Graeme Smith was able to place as many close catchers as he pleased. Steyn got the ball to seam and swing away, though he wasn’t as terrific as he was on the third day. Morkel posed the greater threat, targeting the bodies of both openers with balls that jagged into them from short of a length. One screamer from round the wicket rose so steeply that even Gambhir’s best efforts to avoid it failed. The ball thudded painfully into his left arm, just below the elbow. It was the same injured arm that kept him off the field during South Africa’s second innings and has ruled him out of the ODI series. Gambhir got it treated, and took guard again.It made sense for Gambhir to try and face Steyn, while Sehwag countered Morkel. Steyn’s swing into the left-hander’s pads made it easier for Gambhir to face him. Sehwag, however, struggled against Morkel, getting hustled by deliveries that homed in at his body and beaten by others that straightened.South Africa’s first chance came when Lonwabo Tsotsobe replaced Steyn in the 11th over and Sehwag slashed him. The ball flew towards JP Duminy, standing deeper at point, and burst through his hands as he mistimed his jump. The let-off cost South Africa only a few deliveries, though, for in the next over Sehwag hung his bat out and edged Morkel to Boucher. Umpire Ian Gould asked the third umpire to check if Morkel had overstepped. He hadn’t, by the smallest of margins. Sehwag’s dismal tour was over; 144 runs in six innings was all he got.The pressure eased when Tsotsobe and Harris were operating. Gambhir and Dravid blocked, left, and blocked some more. Dravid was careful to play Harris with bat in front of pad, ensuring nothing would pop up to the close catchers. The ball was turning, and it was seaming, but it was doing both slowly. India passed 50 when Gambhir jumped down the pitch and drove Harris to the cover boundary, but runs were of little consequence.On either side of the lunch break, Smith brought himself on to bowl offbreaks and a couple spun sharply. He changed his bowlers frequently but for the majority of the second session Gambhir and Dravid were untroubled and they collected easy runs by exploiting unprotected boundaries. Gambhir slashed and cut Steyn through point twice and reached a valuable half-century. Dravid simply used up deliveries and scored when he could, scoring three soft fours in a Smith over. Before those boundaries he had played 89 balls for 18 runs.In the 44th over, just when the Test seemed to be entering a phase of defensive torpor, Harris began to make things happen off the pitch. He ripped and bounced one sharply across Dravid and later in the over struck him low on the back foot in front of middle stump. The ball hit pad before bat but Gould said not out. Dravid played only 15 more balls, though, before edging Tsotsobe off the front foot to the cordon.The opportunity to dismiss Gambhir, on 62 off 146 balls, came soon after, when a leading edge flew quickly to de Villiers at silly point. He grabbed repeatedly at the sharp chance but spilled the ball and Harris held his head. Gambhir played 37 more balls. Tendulkar was solid for 91 deliveries and he remained unbeaten, walking off Newlands with the series shared. VVS Laxman too couldn’t be budged, after Gambhir had gloved Steyn’s short ball down the leg side for 64. It was Boucher’s 499th catch.Steyn and Morkel’s spells after tea were South Africa’s last chance. They returned for one final attempt, an over each with the second new ball. Both were fruitless. India scored only 166 runs today and saved the series.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nas ruas de Belo Horizonte, a final do Campeonato Mineiro entre Cruzeiro e Atlético é pauta entre os assuntos da semana. Nos clubes não é diferente e a expectativa pelo troféu só aumenta. Ex-River, o argentino Tomás Andrade enfrentou a Raposa durante a primeira fase da competição e comparou a “briga” dos mineiros com o clássico entre Boca Juniors e River Plate.

– Eu acho que dá para comparar (os clássicos), pela paixão que o torcedor tem, principalmente o do Atlético. Acho bastante similar (a torcida) com a do River. Joguei um Boca x River, joguei Atlético e Cruzeiro, e a acho que é um clássico muito grande, muito importante aqui e esperamos poder ganhar. A gente prepara todo jogo para ganhar. Mas, logicamente, que sendo primeiro um clássico e depois uma final, ainda mais. Com certeza que temos que ganhar, com certeza – disse o meia-atacante durante entrevista coletiva concedida na tarde desta quinta-feira.

As palavras do jogador de 21 anos são fruto da experiência adquirida no clássico que participou entre Boca e River, pela 13ª rodada do Campeonato Argentino. Em BH, Tomás Andrade marcou presença no único jogo entre Cruzeiro e Atlético-MG, que terminou com derrota do Galo por 1 a 0.

Atualmente, o argentino briga por vaga no meio de campo com os titulares Luan, Cazares e Otero, além dos reservas Erik, Róger Guedes, Bruno Roberto e Marquinhos. Esperançoso, o jogador se colocou à disposição de Thiago Larghi e mostrou versatilidade.

– Sempre gosto de jogar perto da bola, onde está a bola quero estar mais perto. Mas como já falei, não tem problema de eu jogar na esquerda ou na direita. Sempre, na base, joguei centralizado. Mas no River joguei muito pela direita e para mim é muito cômodo, eu gosto.

Vinculado ao River até junho de 2020, o meia foi emprestado ao Atlético-MG pelo período de um ano. Na Cidade do Galo desde fevereiro, “Tomi”, atuou em nove partidas, sendo duas como titular, deu uma assistência, mas ainda aguarda o primeiro gol.

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كشف أمير مرتضى منصور المشرف علي فريق الكرة بنادي الزمالك عن أسباب غياب زكريا الوردي لاعب الفريق في الفترة الأخيرة.

الزمالك فاز علي طلائع الجيش بأربعة أهداف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الأربعاء بمنافسات الجولة السادسة لبطولة الدوري المصري.

وقال أمير مرتضى في تصريحات للصحفيين بعد المباراة نقلها مراسل بطولات: “سبب استبعاد زكريا الوردي لاعب وسط الزمالك أن اللاعب يعاني من مشكلة نفسية منذ مباراة السوبر المصري أمام الأهلي وشعوره بتحمله مسؤولية الخسارة”.

وأضاف: “نحاول مساعدة زكريا الوردي، وأرسلنا لوالدته للحضور إلى مصر ولكنها تعرضت لوعكة صحية، وسنوضح بعض الأمور قريبًا”.

طالع | عاجل.. الزمالك يعلن فسخ التعاقد مع زكريا الوردي

وعن الفوز علي طلائع الجيش، أوضح: “المباراة كانت مهمة بالنسبة لنا في ظل حالة سوء التوفيق التي كنا نعاني منها مؤخرًا، لذلك الفوز مهم والنتيجة تمنحنا الثقة”.

وأشار أمير مرتضى إلى أن عودة أحمد فتوح ومحمد عبد الغني كانت من إيجابيات المباراة، مؤكدًا أن فتوح شارك وظهر بشكل جيد وسجل هدفا رائعا، بالإضافة ليوسف حسن الذي سيحصل على الفرصة بشكل تدريجي”.

وأكمل: “محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا ونبيل عماد دونجا سيظهران في مباريات الزمالك المقبلة بعد التعافي من الإصابة”، مشيرًا إلى سبب غياب عمر جابر وهو تعرضه لكدمة في الركبة.

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das novidades do Corinthians para a temporada 2018, o volante Renê Júnior ficou fora dos últimos jogos por conta de uma lesão na coxa direita, mas tem o que comemorar. Recuperado, ele já voltou a treinar com o grupo e ficará à disposição do técnico Fábio Carille para o último jogo da final do Paulista contra o Palmeiras. O jogador celebrou o retorno e a chance de conquistar seu primeiro título pelo Timão.

– Todo o grupo está de parabéns pela classificação para a final do estadual. Nosso time perdeu peças importantes do ano passado para cá e sofreu com desfalques nessa reta final de competição. Porém, com muito trabalho, muito empenho de todos e com o apoio incondicional da nossa torcida, conseguimos a classificação para a final do Paulistão – afirmou Renê.

– Infelizmente, não pude estar em campo com meus companheiros por conta da lesão que sofri, mas venho trabalhando em dois períodos para estar pronto e, Graças a Deus, voltei a treinar com bola nesta quinta-feira e estou ansioso para estar jogando e ajudando o clube a conquistar seus objetivos. Tivemos dois dias para nos preparar para o primeiro jogo da decisão e a torcida pode ter certeza que faremos o nosso melhor dentro de campo para conquistar o bicampeonato – completou o volante.

Renê poderia até ficar à disposição para o primeiro jogo, neste sábado na Arena, mas o técnico Fábio Carille achou que era muito arriscado, pelo tempo que ele passou fora. Renê machucou no clássico contra o Santos, em que marcou seu primeiro gol pelo Timão, há um mês, empate por 1 a 1 no Pacaembu.

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Tudo sobre

CorinthiansRenê Júnior

VVS Laxman ranks Durban “up there” with the best wins of his career, especially because on the first day the batsmen had to counter “one of the most challenging wickets I have played on in my career”.

Sidharth Monga in Durban30-Dec-2010

VVS Laxman ranks Durban “up there” with the best wins of his career, especially because on the first day the batsmen had to counter “one of the most challenging wickets I have played on in my career”.”If you beat South Africa on definitely the quickest and bounciest wicket in the country, it gives you that much additional joy,” Laxman said, a day after India finished the series-levelling 87-run win. “Everyone talks about Durban being the place where South Africa puts the opposition under pressure, even though the results haven’t been going their way recently. It gives us a lot of satisfaction to have beaten them in these conditions.”Laxman said the conditions in Durban were the supreme test of India’s batsmen’s skill and temperament. “You have got a pace-bowling attack that is one of the best in the world at the moment. Then the conditions were ideal for them, where the ball was seaming, and there was bounce that we are not used to because most of the time we play on subcontinent wickets. Even abroad you don’t usually get wickets that have such steep bounce. Test match cricket is all about challenging the skill you have got, and the temperament you have got. And this was one of the most challenging wickets I have played on in my career.”Until Ashwell Prince scored 39 in South Africa’s second innings, the game’s top two scores belonged to Laxman: 96 and 38. It took a stunning catch to stop him at 38 in the first innings. His patience, his skill, his technique stood apart from the 11 other specialist batsmen and two wicketkeeper-batsmen on show. And again, as has increasingly become Laxman’s wont, he added runs with the tail.”It boils down to the experience and the rapport I share with each one of them,” he said of the secret behind his success with the lower order. “It is very important to give them confidence. Luckily, each one of them works on his batting, and they take a lot of pride in their batting and don’t want to throw their wicket away. Because they’re out there with a fighting spirit, and not to give their wicket away easily to the opposition, it helps me.”We set ourselves small targets without looking at getting a 30-run or a 50-run partnership. We’re just looking to have a five-run partnership or survive one over, and then take it five overs at a time or something like that. The most important thing is knowing what they are comfortable with and that’s something I’ve learnt to do over the years. If I know that a batsman is not comfortable with a certain bowler then I don’t give them strike. But if they’re comfortable, then I definitely give them the strike because the scoreboard keeps moving and the pressure suddenly shifts from us to the opposition.”Laxman missed out on a century in Durban, which has often been the case with many a crucial knock of his, coming as they tend to do with the lower order for company. Here, too, he was the last man out, trying to get a boundary when the field came up for the last two deliveries of an over. Before that, though, he had played a paddle-sweep to get to the 90s, a shot he doesn’t often play.”That’s something I got into my repertoire this year, especially after playing against Sri Lanka last year in India. There was a situation at CCI (the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai) where they didn’t have the square leg back because I don’t play the sweep shot. I wasn’t getting easy singles. That’s when I started playing the sweep shot, and even in Sri Lanka this year I played it. I worked a lot on that shot in the nets, and I’m quite comfortable playing it.”Laxman admitted he was disappointed about missing a century. “You’re happy that you’ve been able to absorb the pressure and perform when it’s required and play an important knock for the team, but from a personal milestone point of view you will be very disappointed. As I always feel, my conversion rate hasn’t been great, with 49 fifties and 16 hundreds. From a personal point of view I would have been more happy to get centuries in these games, but from the team perspective I’ve done reasonably well to bail the team out of tough situations.”He might have missed the hundred, but he talked of something that meant more to him. “You always want to be remembered as somebody who contributed to winning matches for the country. The biggest recognition you can get is when your team-mates know that you are somebody who can go in during tough situations and bail the team out, or when the opposition feels that they cannot take it for granted that the match is over till you are out. It also gives you added responsibility that you have to go and do it whenever you play for the country.”Laxman said he doesn’t quite know what it is that gets the best out of him in pressure situations. “If the situation is like the one it was in Durban, in both the innings, it gets the best out of me. I don’t know the reason for it. Probably the zone I go into when we are faced with a tough challenge is much more consistent than the one I go in with for the first innings.”Laxman said the major difference between the Indian sides that took the field in Centurion and Durban was aggression, not the verbal kind but the intent. “Coming into this Test match we were upset firstly about what happened in Centurion and the preparations were good leading into the Test. The aggression was more than what it was in Centurion. As a fielding unit and a bowling unit, we were aggressive on the field. The turning point was the way our bowlers bowled on the second day because getting just 200 runs on the first-day wicket, even though it was a reasonable achievement by the team, it was still a situation where one partnership could take the game away from us. But our bowlers bowled with intent, the fielders backed them up with some extraordinary catches and the body language was extremely aggressive. I think that was the difference between Centurion and Durban”One of the major factors in the revival was Zaheer Khan, and Laxman spoke of his value to the team. “He is one of the toughest bowlers to play. I would never like to face him in a match. In the nets he is always at you. The way he prepares, knowing what he is going to do in the upcoming Test, is unbelievable. He is a great role model for all the young fast bowlers.”As a team-mate, his presence just lifts us because of the way he helps the other fast bowlers. It’s not only that he comes and bowls his quota of overs and keeps quiet, but the way he guides an Ishant Sharma or a Sreesanth while they are bowling is unbelievable. He has been a true match-winner for us over the years. Not only where conditions help fast bowling, but also in the subcontinent.”