All posts by h716a5.icu

Half-centuries from New Zealand A captain Tom Latham and Carl Cachopa ensured the second unofficial Test against India A ended in a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2013
ScorecardCarl Cachopa helped himself to 76•BCCIHalf-centuries from New Zealand A captain Tom Latham and Carl Cachopa consigned the second unofficial Test against India A to an expected draw. The visitors were on 176 for 3 when rain brought a premature end to the match.Resuming the day at 408 for 7, India lost their remaining wickets to Mark Gillespie. He first had Dhawal Kulkarni caught and bowled for a hard-fought 10 off 79, ending the eighth-wicket partnership of 54. He followed it with the wicket of Manprit Juneja, who fell seven short of his double hundred, and then bowled Imtiaz Ahmed for a duck, giving New Zealand a slender lead of seven runs.When they came to bat again, Neil Broom did not last long, falling lbw to Kulkarni in the second over to bag a pair in the match. The dismissal brought Cachopa to the crease, and he and Latham struck 20 fours together, taking the visitors past 100.However, left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv dismissed both batsmen in quick succession, getting Latham caught by Unmukt Chand for 61 and trapping Cachopa lbw for 76. Derek de Boorder and Corey Anderson continued to resist before rain interrupted and only 1.2 overs were bowled after tea.The series was drawn and the two teams will now play three one-dayers starting on September 8, before New Zealand head to Sri Lanka.

Shane Watson’s place as Australia’s vice-captain and even as a member of the Test team is far from guaranteed, after national selector John Inverarity indicated that the sometime-allrounder’s future would be a major topic for discussion between now and th

Daniel Brettig26-Mar-2013Shane Watson’s place as Australia’s vice-captain and even as a member of the Test team is far from guaranteed, after national selector John Inverarity indicated that the sometime-allrounder’s future would be a major topic for discussion between now and the Ashes tour.Having gone to India as a non-bowling batsman and as a player with an enormous amount of experience on the subcontinent in a squad largely ignorant of its challenges, Watson produced nothing of substance with the bat and blotted his off-field leadership copybook by being among the four players suspended from the Mohali Test for failing to follow instructions.Nonetheless, Watson was then appointed captain in Michael Clarke’s stead for the dead final Test, in which he was twice out cheaply while leading the team to a fourth consecutive heavy defeat. Inverarity revealed there had been discussions around whether or not Watson should be interim captain in the circumstances, and that the national selection panel will deliberate further about his place in coming days.”I won’t go into details there but it was all carefully considered,” Inverarity told reporters of the captaincy choice for Delhi. “There were a couple of other options and that was the preferred option. He was tour vice-captain and he was the one who had captaincy experience at international level, and from all quarters that was the preferred option.”The national selection panel will have discussions later this week and through April and every player will be discussed. Things will always be discussed. Every aspect of the team will be discussed. Players in leadership roles. That is absolutely normal.”Watson’s habit of flattering to deceive as a Test batsman was summed up by Inverarity in the gap between his often commanding appearance at the batting crease and his mediocre record, which has now been devoid of a Test century for two and a half years.”We’re concerned about his performances,” Inverarity said. “In those ODI matches back in Australia [against the West Indies] his form looked to be outstanding, and in the first couple of Test matches when I was there he was playing well until the ball of his dismissal.”But we need him, he is one of those senior players, and talented players and experienced players, and we need him performing. All I know is that when I see him play well I think, ‘Wow, this guy can play’. He is a wonderful talent. It is just crazy he has not been able to perform at Test level in recent years.”Watson’s place as Clarke’s deputy has also been placed at the forefront of the selectors’ minds by the captain’s injury struggles. Clarke is now set to spend the next two months recovering from the back and hamstring problems he accumulated over the home summer and then in India. The need for a reliable back-up leadership option has increased.”All those things are under consideration,” Inverarity said. “The facts are, at the moment, there is a team in transition. In terms of experience and strong consistent performances over a period of time, we’re a little bit short on those things, the options we have at the moment are a little less than in previous years.”We’ve got to do the best we can with what’s available and we’ll be doing all we can in terms of trying to get leadership qualities coming through and a good back-up plan. Michael, who has trouble with his back and hamstring, I haven’t known anyone [to] prepare better and treat that adversity better than he does, and we just hope he can stay on the park.”

Preview of the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab in Hyderabad

The Preview by Sidharth Monga18-Apr-2013Match factsApril 19, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Amit Mishra has emerged as an important player for Sunrisers Hyderabad•BCCIBig PictureThis is not Indian Premier League. This is Indian Pirates League. At least with these two teams. On back-to-back days leading into this match, these two teams have pulled off matches they had hardly any right winning.Kings XI Punjab came back from 99 for 7, and then from a point where the opposition needed 47 from seven overs with eight wickets in hand. Kings XI might want to lay claims to being respectable escape artists, but they are up against the Emperors of Escape. Apart from winning a Super Over against the might of Chris Gayle, Sunrisers Hyderabad have defended two sub-130 totals already, and are placed joint-second on the points table. The second of those defences came after Pune Warriors had reached 101 for 4 chasing 120.These are also two teams led by legendary wicketkeeper-batsmen. One of them, Kumar Sangakkara, had had enough of his struggles with the bat, and sat himself out of the Sunrisers’ last match. Quinton de Kock, Sangakkara’s replacement, managed only two runs, but he will consider it harsh if he is dropped after just one showing.Quite similarly to Sangakkara, Adam Gilchrist has managed just 31 runs in four innings, but he has been exceptional behind the stumps. Struggling overseas captains have been a matter of debate in this first quarter of the competition, especially with the crucial spot they block should they not perform, and Gilchrist will surely be under pressure to consider and keep his place.Players to watchThis match will feature two of the best legspinners in India, Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla. Mishra has right to feel aggrieved with Chawla often being preferred to him by the selectors. With superb performances in the season so far, including the match-winning hat-trick in the last match, Mishra is proving yet another point to the selectors. This will be a juicy little contest between the two leggies.Stats and Trivia Amit Mishra is the only person to have taken three Twenty20 hat-tricks. With 131 wickets at an average of 18.76 and an economy rate of 6.82, Mishra is the second-most successful legspinner in Twenty20 cricket, behind Shahid Afridi. Piyush Chawla is the only other legspinner to have taken 100 wickets – 103 at an average of 26.97 going at 7.44 to an over.Quotes”You take the confidence because they’re the champions and to beat the best side of last year is important. But it’s a long tournament, so you don’t dwell in the past too much; you take the confidence from the wins, knowing that you’ve still got a lot of work to do. It’s always about the next match.”

Ireland have secured more valuable game-time against Full Member opposition, confirming a two-match one-day series against Pakistan in May

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2013Ireland have secured more valuable game-time against Full Member opposition, confirming a two-match one-day series against Pakistan in May as part of the visitors’ preparations for the Champions Trophy.The matches will rekindle memories of one of Ireland’s most famous days on the international stage when they beat Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup in Jamaica. The sides have met twice since then at the ODI level with Pakistan winning both matches during a short trip in 2011. These latest games will be played on May 23 and 26, with the venues still to be confirmed, during a week-long stay for Pakistan in Ireland.The matches add to an increasing fixture list for Ireland, which includes a one-day international against England and a tour by Australia A. There are also plans in place to play a series against Bangladesh. Ireland have benefited from extra funding from the ICC that is enabling them to attract more high-level opposition, which is a key part of their long-term plan.Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said: “It’s fantastic news for Irish cricket, and we’re grateful to both ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board for making the series possible. The extra funding we’ve secured through TAPP ensures we’re able to organise additional matches against Full Members.”Pakistan are a formidable one-day side and it’s a great way of measuring where we are as a team. We’ve had some wonderful tussles with them in the past, and for many, Irish cricket was born the day we beat them in the 2007 World Cup. That win grabbed the attention of the world and we haven’t looked back since.”Last week, Pakistan were also confirmed as playing Scotland in two one-day internationals in the build-up to the Champions Trophy.

Delhi Daredevils batsman Unmukt Chand has said the absence of two key overseas players in Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder will increase the responsibility on the rest of the team during the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2013Delhi Daredevils batsman Unmukt Chand has said the absence of two key overseas players in Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder will increase the responsibility on the rest of the team during the IPL. Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, was in a coma after he was assaulted outside a bar and has since begun the path to recovery. Pietersen had to withdraw from the tour of New Zealand early due to a knee injury and was ruled out of cricket for up to eight weeks. Daredevils are yet to name their replacements.”Jesse’s incident was unfortunate. We really feel sad about it. His absence would mean additional responsibility. He will be a big miss this time.” Chand said. “We have to rise to the occasion. It probably gives some of us Indian batsmen an opportunity to put our hands up and perform well.”Ryder was hospitalised on Wednesday for a fractured skull and a collapsed lung. Over the next few days he came out of coma and on Sunday was released from the intensive care unit.Chand made his IPL debut for Daredevils in 2011 but didn’t feature regularly over two seasons, having played only four games for them in total. He led India Under-19s to victory in the World Cup last year and featured in four Champions League games in South Africa later in the year. He was in good form in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, smashing back to back centuries for his state team, Delhi. In the Ranji Trophy, he hit 445 runs in eight matches with a century and three fifties.”I have played well in Ranji matches this season. I hope I will be able to retain the form I displayed in Ranji matches,” he said. “I would like to take the confidence and momentum from the couple of hundreds that I scored in [the T20s] in Indore last week. I hope I am able to replicate that in IPL.”While the IPL may not match up to playing for India, it still required players to perform at their best, Chand said: “Even though you are not playing for your country, you have to raise your game to international standards. Being able to play with some of the big names and with everyone watching you, it sure is a big platform.”Chand opened the batting for Delhi in the domestic T20 games, but isn’t sure where he will fit in for Daredevils. “The team management had not told me anything so far. I will bat in whatever position the team management asks me to.”Daredevils play their first game on April 3 against Kolkata Knight Riders – the tournament’s curtain-raiser.

South Africa piled on a score in excess of 200 and kept Bangladesh 39 runs away but were unimpressive and lazy with the ball

The Report by Firdose Moonda19-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashim Amla made his highest Twenty20 score•AFPResults sometimes don’t tell the whole story, and this one should not be read into too deeply, if only for the reason that South Africa and Bangladesh were not playing against each other. Instead, they were playing against themselves. South Africa’s goals – to accumulate runs quickly and ensure their opposition was never in a position to do the same – were in stark contrast to Bangladesh’s, whose main task was to see out their 20 overs after being obliterated when they were bowling.If looked at from that perspective, both teams won and lost. South Africa made a score in excess of 200 and kept Bangladesh 39 runs away but were unimpressive and lazy with the ball. Bangladesh scored 170 and their captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, weighed in with a half-century. The one thing the teams had in common was butterfingers. South Africa dropped three catches and Bangladesh two as both teams showed signs of rustiness.South Africa played the opening combination that was used in New Zealand – Richard Levi and Hashim Amla – and the duo immediately sank their teeth in. They posted 70 runs in a little over six overs, making Mushfiqur’s hope of keeping South Africa below 160 seem nothing more than wishful thinking.While Levi scored his runs through force, Amla, who hit his highest Twenty20 score, did it through finesse. Bangladesh had no answers. Ziaur Rahman gave them some respite when he removed Levi with a slower ball for 37 off 21 deliveries. Amla would have gone shortly after, but Mortaza put down a tough chance at short cover. Amla brought up his half-century with his first six of the innings, arguably the shot of the day, using his wrists to hit high over extra cover.Albie Morkel was moved up to No. 4 but did not produce the expected fireworks. That Morkel did not deliver did not matter, because Amla continued to pepper the boundary. JP Duminy joined the plunder, pulling at will in the last over. Young Abul Hasan had little composure and sent down short ball after short ball to end a tough 20 overs for Bangladesh.Bangladesh never looked up to chasing at a rate of 10.50 runs per over but did not disgrace themselves either. Mohammad Ashraful showed early intent against the short balls from Tsotsobe, cutting and pulling powerfully. Anamul Haque, who replaced the injured Tamim Iqbal, could not provide suitable company, getting caught at fine leg off a Marchant de Lange short ball.Ashraful almost lost a second partner when Jahurul Islam edged a full ball from Morkel but the wicketkeeper Dane Vilas could not hold on as he dived to his right. After a 29-run stand in five overs, Ashraful eventually looked to force the pace but spliced a Tsotsobe short ball to a diving Amla at mid-on.Bangladesh suffered a mini-collapse in the next over, when Jahurul tried to take on Robin Peterson but holed out to long-on, and Nasir Hossain top-edged to Morkel at third man. Peterson’s double-wicket maiden contributed to his figures of 2 for 16.At 49 for 4, it could have unravelled for Bangladesh but Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah did not allow that to happen. They had the luxury of facing the weakest bowler in South Africa’s arsenal, Wayne Parnell, who bowled too short. The pair put on 61 runs before a Morkel slower ball accounted for Mahmudullah.Mushfiqur hung around until the end as South Africa’s bowlers seemed to interest and gave away runs, failing to control their lengths. He further irritated South Africa when he offered Tsotsobe a catch that the fielder let through for four. Mushfiqur reached 50 off the last ball of the innings, a full one from Parnell, which was driven for four. Bangladesh had seen out 20 overs, but it was a mismatch.

A century from Dawid Malan acted as the catalyst for a Middlesex victory by 54 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method against Essex

27-Aug-2012
ScorecardDawid Malan smashed the Essex attack around Lord’s in his 108-ball innings of 134•Getty ImagesA century from Dawid Malan acted as the catalyst for a Middlesex victory by 54 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method in their Clydesdale Bank 40 encounter against Essex. But there was no joy with the bat for Ravi Bopara as he became one of three victims for 20 year-old Gurjit Sandhu, who was making his debut in the competition.England allrounder Bopara was given the opportunity by the ECB to play in this match in the hope of rediscovering his form after a recent period of absence from the game for personal reasons, but he had scored only two when he edged a lifting delivery from the young pace bowler behind.In contrast, the 24 year-old Malan played splendidly, deploying controlled and clean hitting aggression in his innings of 134 from 108 deliveries out of a total of 288 all out after he had lost fellow opener Joe Denly without a run on the board.Malan, though, was soon issuing notice of intent, striking four successive deliveries from paceman Maurice Chambers to the boundary and he found an admirable ally in Gareth Berg who came to the crease with the home side 90 for 3. The pair added 132 in 20 overs before Berg edged a ball from Bopara, having struck 61 from 58 balls, to give wicketkeeper James Foster his third catch of the innings.But Malan continued to dictate. His century arrived from 89 balls and by the time he was caught by Chambers at deep long-on, he had hit three sixes and 12 fours.Some shoddy work in the field by the visitors and the concession of six penalty runs for slow-over-rate left them with a challenging target for victory. Their hopes were boosted by a fourth-wicket partnership of 102 in 16 overs involving Tom Westley and Owais Shah who both completed half-centuries. Westley hit 68, his third fifty in his last five CB40 innings, while Shah returned to his former stomping ground with 53 but both were dismissed in successive Paul Stirling overs.With 10 overs remaining, 120 further runs were required with five wickets intact but the task proved well beyond the visitors as the run-rate steadily increased while they also had to contend with fading light.And it was the gloom that brought about a premature end with 29 balls remaining when umpires Rob Bailey and Steve Garratt called off proceedings with Essex 198 for 9 and leaving the impressive Sandhu as the most successful Middlesex bowler with figures of 3 for 28 from six overs.

David East, the Essex chief executive, has strongly defended his club’s handling of the spot-fixing episode that saw Mervyn Westfield become the first English professional to receive a prison sentence for cricketing corruption.

George Dobell03-Apr-2012David East, the Essex chief executive, has strongly defended his club’s handling of the spot-fixing episode that saw Mervyn Westfield become the first English professional to receive a prison sentence for cricketing corruption.In Essex’s first major public statement on the affair that ended English cricket’s pretensions of innocence, East categorically denied any wrongdoing on the part of the club and insisted that he reported the allegations to the ECB “immediately” he became aware of them.He also said that prior to the events of August 2010 – when a newspaper sting operation uncovered a spot-fixing ring operating within the Pakistan team – there was a naivety within the domestic game regarding the issue that may have caused the delay in reporting Westfield and Kaneria’s behaviour to the proper authorities.Westfield, a former Essex fast bowler, was jailed for four months in January after he admitted underperforming in a Pro-40 match against Durham in September 2009.Danish Kaneria, the former Pakistan spinner and Essex overseas player, was named by the judge at the Old Bailey as the orchestrator of the plot while it also emerged in court that Kaneria had approached several other Essex players including James Foster and Varun Chopra in the summer of 2009, but no report was made to the ECB until March 2010.It was only when the Professional Cricketers’ Association, the players’ union, made a presentation on the dangers of corruption in cricket to all counties in the spring of 2010 that Essex’s players – and, in particular, Tony Palladino, a seamer in whom Westfield had confided his secret – realised the significance of previous events and made their concerns known to the ECB.”I think the whole game has learned lessons in terms of what happened,” East told ESPNcricinfo. “This was unprecedented territory for the whole game and in 2009 we were in a very different place in terms of awareness of potential risk to the domestic cricket for match fixing or spot fixing.”We’ve all learned an awful lot from it and I think the game is in a better shape going forward now, having had this very, very difficult experience.”East admitted he could understand the concerns of those who questioned the delay in reporting any inappropriate approaches, but insisted that the game owed a debt of gratitude to Essex’s players for coming forward with the information once they realised its significance.”I do understand those concerns and we are very satisfied that once our players were aware of the situation they acted in a prompt manner and dealt with it through the appropriate channels,” East said.”If it wasn’t for the Essex players actually making those reports this whole matter could have gone unreported completely so we’re comfortable with that and we just really need to move on from this now.”This is something which has been extremely distracting for the club for the last couple of years and it would be nice to go through into 2012 focusing entirely on our cricket.”East said the reporting delay was caused because the players had felt Kaneria was joking when he talked about the potential benefits of spot fixing. “That is what was reported in court and that is very true, he said. “I think with some of these things, with the benefit of hindsight, there are certain comments that may have been made.East told how he first heard of the allegations when he was in India with Essex’s chairman, Nigel Hillard. “We were both made aware of it in 2010 and acted immediately in terms of escalating it to the ECB. We dealt with it immediately as soon as we were aware of it.”He also defended the controversial decision to reengage Kaneria for the 2010 season. By the time the season started several members of the playing and coaching staff had made it clear that they did not want the Pakistan bowler back in the team, but Essex had previously agreed a deal for the season and felt that, without firm evidence, there was no way out of that contract. “We were contractually obliged to have Danish back and so we honoured our contract,” Essex said.The ECB continues to consider the evidence against Kaneria and it has yet decide whether to bring formal disciplinary proceedings against him. He was questioned by Essex police in March 2010, but released on grounds of insufficient evidence.

Australia bowling coach Craig McDermott will be stepping down from his post, a Cricket Australia release stated

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2012Craig McDermott has decided to step down from his post as Australia bowling coach. McDermott, who has been in the role for a year, said in a Cricket Australia release that his decision was prompted by the team’s busy schedule in coming months.”It has been a very difficult decision to leave my position as the bowling coach of the Australian cricket team, a job I have thoroughly enjoyed since beginning 12 months ago,” McDermott said. “However the team’s schedule is a particularly busy one and after looking at the upcoming touring demands, I felt this to be the right decision from a personal and professional point of view.”It has been a great honour to work with our most exciting bowlers over this period. The progression of particular players and the improvement of depth in Australian bowling stocks has been the result of much hard work from both sides and is something I am particularly proud of.”McDermott did not rule out working with the national team in the future and said he will continue to work with bowlers at Australia’s Centre of Excellence. “While I have agreed to provide input through Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence, I am looking to continue my coaching career in a context that allows me further flexibility and will be looking to explore a range of options. I am certainly not ruling out being involved with the Australian cricket team in the future should that fit within the team’s requirements.”In the year since McDermott took the job, promising young fast-bowling prospects James Pattinson and Pat Cummins have come into national contention, and McDermott is widely accepted to have a played a vital role in their emergence. Australia coach Mickey Arthur said considering the fine job McDermott had done, he would not be easy to replace. “Without doubt he will be very difficult to replace. As the Australian public and cricket world has seen, Craig has taken our fast bowlers to another level.”However we completely understand and respect Craig’s decision. The international schedule is a particularly busy one and family must always come first.”In the next year, apart from the World Twenty and the Champions Trophy, Australia have away series against England, Pakistan and India, and host South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies, culminating in the 2013 Ashes.

Ricky Ponting has said he is enjoying his new batsman-only role after giving up the captaincy following Australia’s disappointing World Cup earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2011Ricky Ponting has said he is enjoying his new batsman-only role after giving up the captaincy following Australia’s disappointing World Cup earlier this year. Ponting handed the leadership to Michael Clarke but decided against retiring, and it’s a move that has allowed him to concentrate solely on his run-scoring.In the last year of his captaincy, Ponting struggled to have an impact with the bat, and averaged 30.23 in one-day internationals and 29 in Test cricket. But half-centuries in his two innings in Sri Lanka over the past week have been encouraging, especially an unbeaten 90 that helped Australia to an eight-wicket win in Hambantota on Sunday, where Ponting earned his first ODI Man-of-the-Match award in 18 months.”It probably has,” Ponting said when asked if relinquishing the leadership had allowed him to focus more on his batting. “The World Cup didn’t go to plan as I would have wanted. The one-day series in Bangladesh that I played when I wasn’t captain, I felt like a played well there and I’ve started this series well.”There’s no doubt that for me to just be able to turn up to training and focus on my batting and my fielding only has been nice. I’ve been able to be just that little bit fresher and I’ve felt in control in the two games I’ve played here so far. Hopefully that continues for the rest of the tour.”By playing on after giving up as skipper, Ponting bucked the trend of recent Australian captains: he was the first since Kim Hughes nearly 30 years ago to play on. At 36, Ponting remains unsure how long he has left in the game, but he said for the time being he was keen to keep making runs at No. 3 and help Clarke in any way required.”I thought long and hard about the decision I made,” Ponting said. “Once I’d come to the conclusion that I wasn’t the captain of the side anymore it was up to me to just be the best batsman that I could be for the side and another pair of ears for Michael if he ever wanted it. As the No. 3 batsman in the side there’s a big responsibility for me to score runs more often than not. So far things have started well.”Australia have hardly been challenged in the opening two ODIs and they could wrap the series up with victory in the third match in Hambantota on Tuesday. So far their batsmen haven’t had too much trouble against the Sri Lankan attack, so much so that the No. 6, David Hussey, has not yet been required to bat.