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David Hussey works on his hitting at the launch of the Big Bash © Getty Images

David Hussey, the Victoria batsman, has warned the new domestic Twenty20 competition could harm the games of players as they swing from four-day matches to the abbreviated contests. Hussey is a veteran of 14 matches after playing mostly for the English county Nottinghamshire and his message came as Cricket Australia launched its Twenty20 Big Bash, which starts in January.”All players should be wary of it,” Hussey told . “It’s not easy to transfer your game from Twenty20 into a four-day competition. They’re both very different competitions and both are very difficult.”Hussey came second behind Dominic Thornely in a big-hitting contest at the Junction Oval yesterday, with Thornely striking a ball 130 metres. Thornely, the New South Wales batsman, told the paper he expected Twenty20 specialists to become a feature of the competition.”The separation of the one-day and Test teams was a big deal, but since then selectors have picked specialist teams for not only different versions of the game but also for different grounds,” he said. “The style of player in Twenty20 may not be the style of player you would pick in a Test or even a one-day team, so you would have specialist teams for that game as well.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said the competition was aimed at attracting new audiences and was one of the most revolutionary steps in Australian domestic cricket since the introduction of a limited-overs competition in 1969-70. “New rules, fast paced, action packed – the Twenty20 Big Bash will be a fun and easy way to connect with the sport for both the uninitiated and ardent cricket fans,” he said. The Big Bash, which has each state playing two preliminary matches, starts on January 6 and the final will be held on January 21.

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Auckland’s domination of the State Championship continued with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Central Districts at Eden Park’s Outer Oval. Auckland now sit at the head of the points table having taken maximum points from their three games.Resuming at 274 for 8, CD lost their last two wickets within the first four overs of the day as Bevan Griggs was left stranded on 77. Tama Canning turned out to be the most effective bowler with 4 for 65. Chasing 222 for a win, Auckland were never in any sort of trouble as Richard Jones and Matt Horne combined in a 172-run opening stand, a record opening partnership for Auckland against Central Districts, and steered them towards the target. Jones stroked 16 fours in his composed 110, his sixth first-class century, and Horne supported him with a steady 72. Both batsmen fell to Jamie How but by then the game was all but sealed.
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Greg Todd helped extend Otago’s lead to 352 before Jeff Wilson’s four-wicket haul helped them pull off a 114-run win over Canterbury in Dunedin. Todd, who smashed eight fours in his 59, received good support from the tailenders as Otago stretched their lead in the morning session. The bowlers then responded to the call and wrapped up the Canterbury innings just before the overs ran out.Craig McMillan played the lone hand for Canterbury with a fighting 82 but the Otago trio of Jeff Wilson, he will play for New Zealand against the FICA World XI, James McMillan and Brad Scott completed a fine win.

The Cricket Reform Group, the collection of former players and enthusiasts who announced at the end of the summer their belief that English cricket needed revolution rather than reform, is set to meet with the England & Wales Cricket Board next week to discuss its proposals for the future of the game.The CRG are headed by Michael Atherton, and include another former England captain, Bob Willis, as well as the journalist Michael Parkinson, businessman Nigel Wray, and Willis’s brother David.The CRG’s proposals are nothing if not radical, calling for a dramatic reduction in the number of counties (and with it professionals) as the most visible measure of a plan which aims to revamp the game at every level. The original manifesto had the feel of being the result of a long lunch during the Oval Test – it was presented on a single sheet of A4 paper. By the time of next week’s meeting the CRG will have prepared a far more detailed document.”Our manifesto for change is now in its final stages,” David Willis told the Independent on Sunday. “Michael Atherton has undertaken discussions with a whole range of people in the game, and a number of very important people as well as players.”Not too much is known about the detail of the CRG’s plan, but it will include a reduction in the amount of first-class cricket, an end to Minor Counties cricket, and more emphasis on the top tiers of club cricket.John Carr, the ECB’s deputy chief executive and one of those who will attend the meeting, was keen to underline that while new proposals were always welcome, there was much to be commended with the game as it is. “Of course we will be taking them [the CRG] seriously. We have to achieve a balance between being prepared to be honest and review our procedures, and reinforcing the fact that there is a lot that is good about the game at the moment. If there has been some concern about what the CRG have said, it is that.”The CRG’s founders don’t see the meeting with the ECB as the end of their attempts at radical reform, rather the beginning. Whatever the outcome, they will continue their fight for change, and if the ECB are not wholly enthusiastic then the CRG hope that they can win support by going directly to the public. This one will run and run.

Round three matches at the Commonwealth Bank Under 19 Championship Series in Newcastle were played as one-day fixtures on Sunday following the abandonment of play at all four grounds on Saturday as a result of heavy overnight rain.Western Australia were aiming to upset the hosts, and undefeated Pool A leaders, New South Wales in their clash at No.2 Sportsground. But, in what has become a common theme underpinning the Blues’ batting throughout these Championships, the third wicket pairing of Jarrad Burke (37 from 57 balls) and Mark Faraday (43 from 43 balls) set the platform for an all-out assault from the lower order. Bankstown’s Brad Roworth took to the Western Australian attack to smash eight fours and five sixes in making 82 from only 54 balls as New South Wales blasted 109 runs from the last ten overs of their innings to finish with a commanding 7/273.WA paceman Robert Slowey was spared the expense of bowling toward the end of the innings after he picked up the wickets of both opening batsmen to finish with 2/22. The Championship’s leading wicket taker, Beau Casson, continued to deceive opposition batsmen, dismissing both Burke and Faraday before finishing with figures of 3/44 from his ten overs of left arm wrist spin.Western Australia batted themselves into a very strong position in the reply to be 1/126 after 26 overs. Opener Craig Simmons dominated the early scoring before being dismissed for a very well compiled 82 from 93 balls. That left captain Shaun Marsh to take the lead role in accelerating the innings to 2/164 with as many as 17 overs still in hand. However, the inability of his Western Australian colleagues to rotate the strike didn’t allow Marsh to face sufficient balls to maintain the momentum. When he was dismissed for 64 from 82 balls with the score at 6/210 in the 44th over, the game had escaped WA’s clutches. After Brendan Mills played out a maiden, the Western Australians finished at 9/235. It left New South Wales as the only undefeated team in Section A and the Blues are now favoured to regain the Championship title after a two-year absence from the Final.Scrappy, uninspiring cricket was the order of the day in the other Section A match between Queensland and the so far pointless Victoria at No.1 Sportsground. Play was under way on time despite the fact that close to half the ground resembled a lake for much of Saturday following a downpour on Friday night.Victorian captain Mark Simpson won the toss and elected to bat first but his side wasn’t able to capitalise upon the opportunity. The Victorians’ indifferent running between wickets masked a lacklustre fielding display from their Queensland counterparts. Opening bowler Scott Brant applied the early pressure and was ably assisted by Chris McCabe (2/21) and John Loader (2/22). Loader was playing his first game of the Championship having replaced the injured Grant Sullivan who flew home to Mackay last week. Again it was wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite’s (45* from 61 balls) attacking strokeplay and aggressive running between the wickets that allowed the Victorian’s to post any sort of total before their innings came to an end at 148 in the 49th over.The early loss of Luke Davis to the ever consistent pace bowling of Robert Cassell, and a regular stream of wickets thereafter, kept Victoria in with a chance of stealing the match. However, their inability to place sufficient pressure on Aaron Maynard (57 from 59 balls) ensured that the Queenslanders kept their noses in front and were able post a four wicket win with 10.3 overs to spare.The match between South Australia and Northern Territory – the two undefeated teams in Section B – needed to be transferred from Passmore Oval to the picturesque Wallsend. And, when the South Australians were dismissed for only 153 from 46.2 overs against a Northern Territory outfit that had amassed 739 runs in its first two games, they must have been feeling a little nervous that the match had started at all.The much-touted top order of the South Australian’s failed to produce, with only Callum Ferguson (31 from 85) standing out before lower order efforts from Stewart Smith (27 from 38 balls) and Steven Crook (26* from 49 balls) helped to bolster the total. Ryan LeLoux picked up his second four wicket haul of the Championships to finish with 4/28 from his ten overs of leg spin and was again ably supported by Leigh Mauger (2/17 off nine overs) in his efforts to restrict the South Australian total.The Territory started positively against the pace of South Australia’s new ball combination of Trent Kelly and Chris Duval. With the score at 1/39 and captain Shane McNally undefeated on 23, the side appeared well placed. However, a dramatic collapse saw them lose a stunning six wickets for just nine runs to plummet to a total of 7/48 and forego the opportunity to remain undefeated at the completion of the preliminary rounds of matches.The damage was inflicted by Duval (3/21 from ten overs) and change bowler Mark Cosgrove (3/13 off eight), who swiftly compensated for his lean Championship with the bat. The innings was eventually wrapped up for 82 from only 31.3 overs, leaving South Australia as the leading team in Section B and with the daunting task of facing New South Wales in the Semi Finals.The remaining game had both Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory seeking their first points of the Championship. As has been the case in their two previous matches Tasmania could not find a batsman capable of posting a big score despite promising starts from captain George Bailey (34 from 68 balls), Xavier Doherty (26 from 49 balls) and Luke Butterworth (34* from 55 balls). The surprise leading light for the ACT with the ball was middle order batsman and occasional medium pacer Justin Haywood who finished with 3/12 from 3.5 overs. He dismissed Doherty and then polished off the tail to leave Tasmania defending 163.Sven Holcombe’s 86 in Round 1 aside, the ACT had struggled with the bat in their earlier matches and needed to improve significantly to surpass the Tasmanians slim total. It was not to be the case, though. Holcombe fended at Ben Hilfenhaus’ first ball to be caught behind and from there only Holcombe’s opening partner, Warwick Baker, showed any resolve. He posted the only double figure score of the innings – with his 31 from 84 balls – as his team crashed to be all out for 69 in the space of 38.2 overs. The left arm orthodox spjn bowling of Doherty (3/3) and Ben Coombs (2/7) was complemented by the medium pace of Clinton Viney (2/17) in the rout.At the completion of the Preliminary Rounds of matches the standings are as follows;

1. New South Wales
2. Queensland
3. Western Australia
4. Victoria
5. South Australia
6. Northern Territory
7. Tasmania
8. Australian Capital Territory

Tuesday will see the commencement of the Semi Final round of matches.Championship pace setters New South Wales will be looking to continue their charge toward the Final when they take on South Australia at University No.1. South Australia will undoubtedly face their toughest match to date after topping Section B.Having pipped Western Australia in their battle for second place in Section A, Queensland will go into the teams’ clash at No.2 Sportsground with an important advantage. If weather intervenes in the match – as it did during their earlier encounter in the Championship – and a first innings result is not achieved, they will have done enough to progress to the Final.Victoria will be looking to retain their place in the top section of the draw for next year’s Championship when they confront the ACT at Belmont’s Miller Field.Tasmania, meanwhile, will be looking to press for a positive early result against Northern Territory at Lorn Park before Xavier Doherty’s departure to join his colleagues in the state’s senior squad for the Tigers’ Pura Cup clash with the Queensland in Brisbane that begins on Thursday.Play in all four matches will commence at 11am.

After being dismissed for 206, Uttar Pradesh hit back to takefour Saurashtra wickets for 89 runs by close of play on theopening day of their Ranji Trophy Super League group C matchin Rajkot on Saturday.UP lost four wickets for 58 runs but Pervendra Singh (59)and S Shukla (26) added 49 runs for the fifth wicket. Pervendrawho faced 112 balls, hit four boundaries. Then Md Saif, at No 7,hit a valuable 31. Niraj Odedra (4 for 56) and Hitesh Parsana(3 for 36) were the main wicket takers.Saurashtra in their reply lost wickets at regular intervalswith Gyanendra Pandey picking up two of the four that fellfor 24 runs.

	“I was looking for a slower ball, a wide ball, I was looking for whatever Vaas had up his sleeve. I didn’t have to do all that” © AFP

Shivnarine Chanderpaul credits a little bit of divine intervention and some brute force for his last-ball six which won West Indies the first ODI at Queen’s Park Oval.”I’m happy, I’m very, very happy. I prayed and prayed and asked God to give me the strength to hit that ball out of the ground,” he said after the nail-biter. “The plan was to fire as hard as I could.”West Indies, chasing 236, needed ten from the last two deliveries of the game. Chaminda Vaas had done extremely well for the first four balls of the 50th over but Chanderpaul drilled the fifth for a straight four and walked down the track to loft the last over midwicket.”I watched the ball until it went over, then I was able to jump up,” said Chanderpaul, who was recently named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. “When it dropped over the rope then I was happy to celebrate. I was looking for anything. I was looking for a slower ball, a wide ball, I was looking for whatever Vaas had up his sleeve. I didn’t have to do all that. He sent down a full toss and I just had to fire and fire hard.”The second last ball I knew I just had to hit. I was looking to get under it but I then had to hit it straight and hard. I timed that one very well.”Chanderpaul’s unbeaten 86 helped West Indies level the two-match Test series with a six-wicket win at the same venue earlier this week. He went into the first ODI with a bit of flu but was thrilled to have sealed another win.”I am still suffering a bit, but I knew with God’s help it could happen for us today. I have not recovered from the flu properly,” he said. “I was shaking out there all day and I was feeling weak. When I went to bat I was trembling and I was still struggling, but it worked out for me.”The second ODI is also at Port of Spain on April 12.

A big Rangers injury update has emerged from Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Ibrox attacker Ryan Kent and his fitness after the club’s win over the weekend.

What’s the latest?

Van Bronckhorst has confirmed that the Gers forward has not suffered any long-lasting damage after he was left worse for wear from a challenge on Sunday.

The attacker went in for a 50/50 tackle and ended up hobbling off the pitch before receiving treatment, in the form of an ice pack, on the bench after being substituted. However, the head coach has allayed any fears that he will be out for a significant length of time.

He told the Glasgow Times: “He is fine. He just had a bruise, I don’t think it was anything special.

“I wanted to take him off just before it happened but he is ok.”

Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Fashion Sakala scored the goals for the Gers as they booked their place in the semi-final by breezing past Dundee FC.

Rocking

The Ibrox faithful will surely be left rocking with this news as they would not want to see Kent out injured for any spell of games. He is a massive player for the club and having him available will be crucial heading into the final months of the campaign.

Kent has racked up two goals and 15 assists in all competitions for the Gers this term. This includes an impressive four assists in seven Europa League outings and this shows that he has the quality to be a constant creative threat down the flank.

One negative you can throw his way is his lack of goals. He has averaged 2.8 shots per game across 21 appearances in the Premiership and has two goals to show for it, but his creativity goes a long way to making up for that as he is setting up his teammates on a regular basis.

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The ex-Liverpool man has created a whopping nine ‘big chances’ in the league, along with three in Europe, and this shows that he is delivering quality end product. A key pass can be as little as him passing the ball four yards for Ryan Jack to take a shot from 30 yards but his ‘big chance’ creation numbers prove that he is supplying high-quality openings.

This is why the supporters will be rocking to learn that he has not suffered a big injury blow, with Ibrox buzzing when his name is read off the teamsheet in anticipation of another great performance. Having him available will be crucial and a major boost because of the threat he provides and van Bronckhorst will surely be hoping that he will be fine to face Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday.

AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: “Surging” Rangers gem whose “quality is evident” stole the show…

Australia 228 and 191 beat England 169 and 139 by 111 runs
Scorecard1st day

Don Bradman’s comeback ends after one ball © The Cricketer

As the Melbourne turf is frequently more suitable to fast howling than other Australian wickets, England’s eleven for the second Test was framed on the policy of ramming home the fast attack with four pace bowlers, so Bowes replaced Verity. This was a bold policy, as it meant that Jardine entered the field with Hammond as the only spin bowler of class. If the move had succeeded it would have been acclaimed, but, although England’s attack did well on a dead wicket, the pitch proved more suitable for Australia’s spin bowlers. Although 46, Ironmonger, the left-hand bowler, forced his way into Australia’s eleven. It seemed a mistake that Nagel should be the bowler omitted, and the dropping of Ponsford was a serious blunder. Bradman was fit enough to resume his place in the team. Lamentable batting displays were given by both sides. Notable work was done by the bowlers, but they profited because most of the batsmen were stodgy and neglected to employ the great influence of the drive. Winning the toss again, Australia scored a laborious 194 for 7 before stumps were drawn. Although none of the early wickets fell to Larwood, his influence was telling. Because of trouble with his boots, he left the field four times, and was off for an hour in all. Opening the innings, Fingleton hung on doggedly for four hours for 83. With Woodfull and O’Brien (who each defended for an hour) Fingleton took some of the sting from the attack, but there were not enough stroke players in the eleven for Australia to benefit. Bradman went first ball, when he tried to hook a short one from Bowes, and touched it on to his wicket. McCabe was not at his best, and made a weak stroke for a slip catch. Clutching twice, Hammond held a brilliant catch when Richardson turned Voce to leg. The day’s play was watched by 63,993 spectators, and the gate receipts amounted to £5,577.2nd day
England’s reply of 161 for 9 was all the batsmen deserved for their display. Again Sutcliffe headed the list, but his 52 was the most scratchy innings he has ever played in Australia. The only one of the first seven to play real cricket was Hammond, even if his stay was short. Attempting a cover stroke, Hammond found a ball from Wall faster than he estimated. In five overs after tea, Wall dismissed Sutcliffe, Jardine and Ames. He bowled a good pace, with his usual determination, but the outstanding bowler was O’Reilly, who mingled leg-breaks,wrong-uns and over-spinners. Varying his pace and making the ball come off at different heights, O’Reilly earned his wickets. In a batsmanlike contribution, Allen provided a contrast to the rest. Apart from him and Hammond, all the batsmen played almost entirely on the back foot. Those who had doubted whether Allen was quite up to Test standard were satisfied by his all-round cricket in this game in which he was the best of England’s fast bowlers.3rd day
The England bowlers fought back splendidly, and at the close of play appeared to have put their side in a favourable position. Australia’s only consolation in a second innings of 191 was an impressive comeback by Bradman, who scored 103 not out, in three hours, while eight wickets fell at the other end. This was a different Bradman not the dasher with audacious strokes, but a batsman fighting grimly to save his side from collapse, and to regain his own confidence and certainty. Viewed from every angle of batsmanship, this innings must be ranked for merit as probably the greatest Bradman has played. The only other things that counted in Australia’s innings were Woodfull’s safe opening and a bright three-quarter-hour by Richardson. Frequently the best bowler does not have the best figures, but Hammond’s ability to spin the ball made him the most difficult of the English attack. Set 251 to win, England made a good start when Leyland helped Sutcliffe to put up 43 before the end of the day. Sutcliffe batted in excellent form, being 33 not out, and Leyland 10 not out. The attendance was 68,188.4th day
England’s sudden collapse came as a shock. Sending the ball into a good breeze, O’Reilly gained in flight and turn by slackening his pace. The legbreak which beat Sutcliffe early broke almost the width of the stumps. The spin of some of Ironmonger’s deliveries was aided whenever the ball pitched on a part of the surface worn by fast bowlers’ feet. Apart from this wear, the bowlers were able to turn the ball a good deal. Whatever Jardine’s motive, changing the batting order did not help. Hammond, who came in at No. 4, went down fighting. Five leading batsmen had tumbled in less than an hour for 34 runs, so the Gloucestershire allrounder then staked all on desperate measures for a desperate situation. Hammond lifted several strokes, and when a mishit and a well-placed fieldsman brought his downfall, the match was lost, although Allen and Wyatt made a plucky stand of 50 for the seventh wicket. Although not much in the picture, because of the success of the other bowlers, Grimmett’s bowling was his best for two years, as he tossed the ball and turned it better. The tenseness of the struggle throughout was a gruelling test of the captaincy of the two leaders, who at one time had runs to play with. Their leadership pleased the critics, Woodfull revealing an unsuspected amount of strategy..The match was an enormous financial success, the attendance being 200,586 and the receipts £16,076.

‘I needed to get a start, and Igot that today’ © Getty Images

Graeme Smith was more than happy after this nine-wicket thumping ofIndia at SuperSport Park. Not only did his side wrap up the series 4-0,but he managed to put his personal travails behind him with a punishing85-ball 79. Most of the credit though went to the bowling attack led byShaun Pollock, who got Man-of-the-Series honours after picking up 10wickets at 8.3 and walloping 86 runs in even time.”Our bowlers were fantastic,” said Smith after the game. “Throughout theseries, they have been magnificent. The fielding backed it up. I thoughtit was a pretty good wicket. We just bowled well, and applied thepressure. We had game-plans for each batter, and we gave them nothing.Maybe they felt the pressure of the last three games on their shoulders.”His opening partnership with Loots Bosman never ignited, but paired withAB de Villiers at Centurion, it was a different story, with 173 runsclattered from 172 balls. “AB has shots all around the wicket, and he’sgained a lot of experience in one-day cricket,” said Smith. “He was superbin the field, and we pushed him higher up the order and he performed. Wegelled well with each other. Our games match each other.”After one run in three previous one-day outings, Smith had been under apretty dark cloud himself, and he admitted as much. “Obviously there was alot of pressure, there was a lot of stress. I needed to get a start, and Igot that today. And I’m still in the top three in the one-day rankings, so thatmeans I can play.”Newspaper reports had been doing the rounds suggesting that Smith’s placein the side was in jeopardy, and after this riposte, he took aim at themedia. “A lot of it [the talk] comes from you guys,” he said, with arueful smile. “The support staff, the convenor [of the selection panel],the [Cricket South Africa] CEO and my team-mates have all been behind me.It was nice to come through, and I want to thank all my team-mates.”Having succumbed to Zaheer Khan four times in succession, including Friday’sPro20 game, he managed to avoid him in the initial stages, with AB deVilliers hogging the strike from Zaheer’s end. By the end, Smith hadredressed the balance a little, clouting Zaheer for a six over long-on asthe game entered its climactic stages.”He’s bowled very well and you’ve got to give credit to him,” said Smith.”He said he’s worked hard on his bowling and it’s paid off for him. Whenhe came back today, we were in a commanding position. We wanted to finishit the way we wanted to.”As for Pollock, who bowled 48 dot-balls in a stupendously accurate spell,he claimed that there was no big secret behind his renaissance as abowler. “I try and keep it as simple as possible,” he said. “Sometimes youget the edges and the wickets, and sometimes Makhaya [Ntini] is going toget the wickets. We work well as partnership. It’s not about the figures,but how it all ends up.”He slammed a few big shots of his own to accelerate South Africa’s surgeto victory, and in the process denied de Villiers the chance of a maidenone-day century. Pollock merely laughed when asked if that was theintention. “AB played superbly and at the end of the day, it was as goodas a hundred,” he said. “From his perspective, he needed a big score whichhe got. It was good to see him go all the way through.”He wouldn’t commit himself when asked whether India had the bowling topick up 20 South African wickets in the Test matches. “We’ll have to waitand see,” he said. “They have a lot of experience. [Anil] Kumble has gotloads and loads of wickets, and Harbhajan [Singh] has done a good job. Itdepends on who they pick. We hope not [bowl us out twice]. Our aim will beto score a lot of runs and bowl them out twice.”Pollock heads into that Test series with 395 Test wickets to his name, andSmith said that the team would take great heart from the emphatic natureof their one-day triumph. “Our confidence is high and we are going to carrythat confidence into the Test matches,” he said. And when asked whetherthe inclusion of VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly would firm up an alarmingbrittle batting line-up, he chose to focus on the tension that is said toprevail in the Indian dressing room. “How the experienced guys fit intothe environment of the team is going to be interesting to see,” he said,poker-faced. For the moment, he’s the man holding all the aces.

Rahul Dravid rated Yuvraj Singh’s 103 as “really special” despite India’s loss to South Africa © Getty Images

Rahul DravidOn the outcomeWell, it was pretty obvious that we needed to bat better initially. We didn’t play the first 15 to 20 overs well. Once you’re 35 for 5, you can’t really make a maximum score. I think Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan, and Ajit [Agarkar] and Harbhajan Singh batted really well. It was a really special knock from Yuvraj, and great that we got 249.On what he thought would have been a par scoreOn this pitch, I think we needed 280. It stayed very good right through and didn’t spin as much as we thought it might in the afternoon. Having said that, we took the game to the 99th over and bowled well in patches. We probably needed one more wicket, with Kemp and Kallis going well.On the positives to take from the gameQuite a few. Yuvraj’s batting, the contributions of our lower order, and just the fact that we were able to bat the 50 overs and then take them to 49. Harbhajan Singh bowled well, and Ajit and RP Singh did as well. From 35 for 5, we made a match of it and that’s something to take heart from.On whether Murali Kartik was missed after being subbedWould have been nice to have him as a fifth bowler, but we had to make that call after losing four early wickets. We did have other spin options in Sachin [Tendulkar], Yuvi and Veeru [Sehwag], but it didn’t work today for us. But that’s up to the batting. If we’d played better, we wouldn’t have had to use the batsman.On whether he had expected the South Africans to come at India so hardWe always knew that they would. We knew that they were a very good side. They played some good cricket, but it was a close game.On why RP Singh wasn’t bowled after his first seven overs cost just 18 runsOh, I just felt that it wasn’t easy to hit the spinners. I felt that Yuvraj was doing a good job for us and creating a bit of pressure. As we saw when we batted, when the seamers came on with the old ball, it tended to disappear to all parts. It wasn’t swinging or reversing much and I just thought that the spinners taking the pace off could control the runs and take a wicket. If Yuvraj or Sachin had got a wicket, things might have been different, but credit to Kallis and Kemp.On whether this was a dampener after the euphoria of the 6-1 rout of Sri LankaI don’t think it takes away anything from the spirit. We look at each game on its own, and don’t worry about what’s happened in the past. We can take several positives from this game.On whether he was surprised at being sent in to batNo, I would have done the same thing. There was something in the pitch initially and the first 10 or 12 overs would be tough. With the 9am starts in India, that tends to happen. Their bowlers did quite well, but to be honest, our batsmen have to put their hands up and say that we didn’t bat really well in that period. As Yuvraj and the later batsmen showed, it was a pretty good pitch.On whether an allrounder like JP Yadav could have been chosen as Supersub instead of GambhirIt’s a tricky one. You look for the specialist sometimes. I think if you have that good an allrounder, then you might as well play him in the world. I look around the world and see all the matches being played and people try different combinations. Unfortunately, we didn’t bat well up front and that forced us to play the card. It didn’t work today. I also thought Gautam deserved a chance up front. The ball was still seaming around and he’s an opener who’s also been in very good form for us. It’s not easy either being a Supersub. He was probably sitting down there, not sure if he’s going to play. He’s suddenly asked to pad up and go out, that’s a tricky one and my sympathies are with him.Yuvraj SinghOn all three centuries this season coming in pressure situations, and whether that was a sign of new-found maturity. Batting under pressure, I concentrate more. I play a bit more attentively and try to stay till the end.On how disappointed he was at the lossWhen we got to 249, I thought it was a competitive total, but 25 runs extra would have really put us in the game. I’m disappointed but we’ve got four more games.