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A round-up of the World Cricket League Division Three matches played on October 27, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2014A solid team performance from Malaysia’s bowlers helped restrict Uganda to 106, a total small enough for their batsmen to chase down despite a few late hiccups. The loss, by four wickets, was Uganda’s first of the tournament.Uganda chose to bat, but the innings never got going at all. Wickets kept falling at regular, short intervals, and only four batsmen got into double digits. The top score – 24 – came from Phillimon Selowa, as the Malaysia bowlers shared the wickets around. The most effective of them was medium pacer Derek Duraisingam, with 3 for 23. Uganda were bowled out in 39 overs.Malaysia’s chase began relatively stably, with the openers adding 41 and the team getting to 61 for 1 by the tenth over. But then a slide began, with the team falling to 89 for 6. A big chunk of the damage was done by offspinner Davis Arinaitwe, who picked up 5 for 32. Still, they got home with plenty of time to spare – the chase was complete in 21 overs.The other two games played today, Bermuda v Singapore and Nepal v USA, were washed out after the first innings’. Both games will be replayed tomorrow, the reserve day.

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.”

Junaid Khan is a major doubt for Pakistan ahead of the second Test against South Africa

Firdose Moonda at Newlands13-Feb-2013Junaid Khan, the left-arm quick, is a major doubt for Pakistan ahead of the second Test against South Africa. He took a tumble a few days ago and the wounds on his thigh are still healing so he may not be considered for selection.At the pre-match press conference, Pakistan’s coach Dav Whatmore initially said Junaid was unavailable for the Cape Town Test. When pushed for confirmation he then revealed that Junaid will be fit for the third Test in Centurion. However, team manager Naved Cheema added to the confusion by saying Junaid has made progress and could be picked for the Newlands match.If Junaid is ruled out, a second spinner, the left-armer Abdur Rehman could make an appearance on what is expected to be a dry surface. What seems unlikely to depend on Junaid’s fitness is the fate of 7ft quick Mohammed Irfan, who is in line for a Test debut at Newlands after his seven wickets in the tour match against the Emerging Cape Cobras.South Africa have been preparing for the Irfan who Graeme Smith said will present them with a “unique challenge.” Jokes about Allan Donald standing on a cooler box to give the batsmen throw-downs are just wisecracks but Alviro Petersen confirmed that the team has done extensive technical analysis on Irfran.What they have also been studying is Pakistan’s batting technique. Sixteen of the 20 wickets in the first Test fell to catches behind the stumps, suggesting that Pakistan did not leave as well as they could have. Whatmore attributed that to insufficient time spent getting used to conditions, a common problem with modern fixture lists.”The longer you play here, the better you will get. The same applies when teams from here tour the sub-continent. They have got better because they tour there so often,” he said. Pakistan played one four-day match ahead of the first Test on an East London pitch that was completely dissimilar to the one they put on at the Wanderers.They have since had another game, of only two days despite the break between matches extending to 10, against the Emerging Cape Cobras. “We could have had more practice matches beforehand maybe but the schedule did not allow for it,” Whatmore said.While Pakistan attribute their first innings performance in Johannesburg on adjustment, Smith chose to credit the South African attack for who testing the opposition technique and showing it up. “I’d like to put it down to our guys getting good swing. They also allowed us to bowl at them and we managed to control the run rate,” he said.Conditions at Newlands may not allow for the same approach. On a surface that will offer less the quicks than the Wanderers, Pakistan may find it a little easier to judge their off stump. But Smith hopes that will work in South Africa’s favour too. “If you come into the game with the mindset to leave, you are going to be tentative,” he said.For that reason, Whamore has spent the last ten days concentrating on helping the batsmen understand the choices they will have to make in this match. “Shot selection is the main thing with any batsman,” he said. “If you make 90 or 100 correct decisions in an innings, you are going to score a lot of runs.”Nasir Jamshed was the player Whatmore was most disappointed in after the Wanderers. After playing himself into a position to get his maiden Test half-century, Jamshed pulled a short ball straight at mid-on when he could so easily have played a different shot.Whatmore singled out the young opener because he showed he had the potential to get the better of the opposition bowlers for a period of time and then caused his own downfall. Jamshed did not get the opportunity to practice rectifying that in a match situation because he turned his ankle before game against the Emerging Cape Cobras but it has healed in the lead up to his Test.That will come as some good news for Pakistan, who have been hit by a spate of injuries and illnesses on this tour. Taufeeq Umar and Haris Sohail were sent home before the first and second Tests respectively, Asad Shafiq almost missed the first Test with a hand injury, wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed was hit on the nose and Mohammed Hafeez had a viral infection.Sarfraz and Hafeez have both been cleared to play in the second Test which means Pakistan avoid the need for wholesale changes. It will be down to the same top order to make amends.

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.

Centuries from Thirush Kamini and Poonam Raut was underpinned by Harmanpreet Kaur’s nine wickets as India Women beat South Africa Women by an innings and 34-run win in the only Test in Mysore

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2014
ScorecardFile photo: Poonam Raut and Thirush Kamini added a record 275 runs for the second wicket in the first innings•AFPCenturies from Thirush Kamini and Poonam Raut imposed enough scoreboard pressure for Harmanpreet Kaur to run through South Africa Women as India Women recorded an innings and 34-run win in the only Test in Mysore.India had won the toss and their top-order ensured the advantage would be converted despite an early setback. Smrithi Mandhana, who was dismissed for 8, was the only wicket to fall on the first day as Kamini and Raut strung a 275-run second-wicket stand – a world record – that smothered South Africa. Kamini’s 192 took 430 balls, with 24 four and a six and is the second-best score by an India batsman in Women’s Tests after her captain Mithali Raj’s 214 against England in August 2002. Raut struck 130 off 255 balls, with 18 fours. India declared on 400 for 6, with offspinner Sunette Loubser responsible for three of those wicketsEight of the visitors’ XI were making their debuts, including captain Mignon du Preez who rallied with 102 off 253 balls which formed the spine of the South African reply until it was broken. She struck 15 fours and had added 102 runs for the fifth wicket with Trisha Chetty, who reached a maiden fifty before India hit back. Seamer Kaur took 5 for 44, while Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s offspin accounted for four batsmen as South Africa unravelled from 209 for 4 to be 234 all out – four of those wickets fell on 234.Asked to follow-on, South Africa could only muster 132 with Chetty’s 35 off 131 balls being the top score. The openers were dismissed for single-figures, and were joined by five of their team-mates as Kaur picked up 4 for 41 to finish with 9 for 85 for the match, the second-best figures by an Indian bowler.

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.

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.

In his first Ranji match of the season, RP Singh 4 for 50 to send Baroda collapsing to 228 on the second day in Moti Bagh

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo – RP Singh took 4 for 50 with the old ball•Associated PressAfter missing the entire 2012-13 Ranji season, RP Singh had marked his comeback to first-class cricket with a three-wicket haul against the touring West Indians recently. He went one step further in his first Ranji match in nearly two years, taking 4 for 50 to send Baroda collapsing to 228 on the second day in Moti Bagh. On a pitch dominated by the spinners, RP found sharp swing late in the afternoon to lead UP’s fightback after Baroda were sitting comfortably at 184 for 3.The day began with the Baroda offspinner Utkarsh Patel taking his fifth wicket to bowl out UP for 302. Patel and the left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt both finished with five-wicket hauls. Seeing the amount of turn and bounce available on a surface that was only a day old, the captain Suresh Raina brought himself on and struck with two wickets very early in his spell. The left-handed opener, Saurabh Wakaskar, steadied the innings with 70 before he fell to the left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta.Rakesh Solanki and Ambati Rayudu then added 84 for the fourth wicket, the highest of the innings. Baroda dominated the second session, but like UP did on the opening day, let the advantage slip in the third.The slide began when Solanki was caught at short leg off Gupta before the captain Yusuf Pathan holed out to long-off off the legspinner Piyush Chawla. Yusuf began the season with an explosive 70 in a one-day game for India A against West Indies A, but since then his performance has slipped. Looking to attack early, he charged Chawla and fell for a disappointing 7.RP claimed the first wicket by a seamer in the match when he trapped Pinal Shah lbw from round the wicket. Bowling from wide of the crease, RP got the ball to swerve in to the right-handers, hitting the stumps on two occasions. RP, who last played for India during the England tour of 2011, has struggled with injuries over the last few years. His aim would be to play as many four-day games as possible to convince the selectors he can make a comeback for India’s future tours.

Doug Bollinger provided a reminder of his focus and fitness with six wickets and a sharp evening spell to set NSW on the course for first-innings points against Tasmania

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2013
ScorecardDoug Bollinger was the pick of the NSW bowlers•Getty ImagesDoug Bollinger provided a reminder of his renewed focus and fitness with six wickets and a sharp evening spell to set New South Wales on the course for first-innings points over Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield match at Blacktown.On a day when scoring was difficult and 11 wickets fell, Bollinger’s haul ensured the Tigers could not establish a meaningful partnership, despite a succession of starts by Ed Cowan, Alex Doolan, Jon Wells, Tim Paine and Luke Butterworth.At 4 for 161 the visitors harboured thoughts of creeping ahead in the match, but Bollinger persuaded Paine to leave a ball that flicked the stumps, then had Wells fending a short ball to the slips. From there the innings spluttered to its current state of modesty.Bollinger had earlier plucked the wicket of Jordan Silk for a duck with the new ball following the Blues’ morning dismissal for 288. Sam Rainbird claimed Bollinger’s wicket to finish with his own six-wicket haul for the Tigers.

Wasim Jaffer returned to form with a comfortable century, which forced Saurashtra to settle for the draw

Nagraj Gollapudi in Rajkot09-Dec-2011
Scorecard
Wasim Jaffer returned to form with a comfortable century, which became the only element of interest in the match on Friday, which Saurashtra had dominated on the previous three days before having to settle for a draw. They earned three valuable points to keep their chances of making the knockout stage still alive. Despite getting only a solitary point Mumbai are well placed, on 17 points and in second spot behind group leaders Karnataka.The early morning chill on Friday was an encouraging sign for the hosts’ new-ball pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Sandip Maniar, Saurashtra’s first-innings’ hero with a five-for. In the second over, Unadkat duly angled a delivery across a helpless Kaustubh Pawar, who could only edge it back to the wicketkeeper. Pawar had managed only eight runs in the first innings and the second time around he could add only five more.His opening partner Sushant Marathe, who had made an eight-ball duck on Wednesday evening, battled for 100 minutes for just one run. Then he played a cross-batted stroke too far from his body to a delivery that moved away from him. It seemed to take a thin edge on its way to wicketkeeper Sagar Jogiyani, who accepted his second offering of the morning. Marathe remained unimpressed with the umpire’s decision, shaking his head in disapproval throughout his walk back to the dressing room.As the sun came out, Jaffer and Suryakumar Yadav played with more assurance to dominate the bowlers. Yadav, who had hit an aggressive century in the first session on Thursday, was more circumspect and took eighteen deliveries to open his account. Jaffer, who hadn’t made even a fifty so far this season, returned to form, playing elegant strokes and lofting the slow bowlers for his trademark straight sixes.Once the match moved to the second session without the fall of any more wickets, it became of academic interest. So much so that Saurashtra bowled only spin after tea and Jaffer helped himself to his first century in twelve months. His last Ranji hundred came in a winning effort, against Gujarat last December which Mumbai won by an innings and 167 runs.