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England Masters cruised into Saturday’s final of the inaugural Cricket Legends of Barbados International Cup with a commanding five- wicket win over Sri Lanka

Cricinfo staff04-Dec-2009
ScorecardEngland Masters cruised into Saturday’s final of the inaugural Cricket Legends of Barbados International Cup with a commanding five- wicket win over Sri Lanka Masters in the fifth match of the competition.Graeme Hick continued his good form, scoring an unbeaten 66, his second successive half-century as England, chasing 168 for victory, won with four balls to spare.Hick and allrounder Dominic Cork shared a match-winning unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 82 in 8.3 overs. They came together in the 11th over when Paul Nixon and Mark Alleyne fell within three balls to Ruwan Kalpage.Hick’s 38-ball innings included six fours and three sixes and one memorable shot was one that raced to the extra- cover boundary. Cork, who made 27 at better than a run a ball was the perfect foil, turning over the strike where ever possible. A feature of Hick’s batting was his hitting down the ground including a straight six off Hermantha Wickramarante.Graham Thorpe, with 32, and Neil Fairbrother (20) put on 57 in 6.3 overs for the first-wicket but both fell in consecutive balls to Eric Upashanta who claimed 3 for 26 from four overs.Sri Lanka Masters had scored 167 for 9 from their 20 overs after being put into bat. Kalpage and Marvan Atapattu were joint top-scorers with 42 each. Towards the end Kalpage, with three sixes and one four from 24 deliveries, and Indika de Saram, with a quick-fire 32 including two massive sixes and one four from 25 balls, gave Sri Lanka Masters what looked like a winning total then.England were forced to do without their captain Darren Gough after he picked up a wicket in the second over of the match. He took no further part after suffering from a strained calf muscle.

United Arab Emirates completed a satisfactory day against Namibia in their ICC Intercontinental Shield match

Cricinfo staff06-Dec-2009
ScorecardUnited Arab Emirates completed a satisfactory day against Namibia in their ICC Intercontinental Shield match, dismissing the hosts for 369 in the first innings before making a steady reply at Windhoek.Namibia began the second day on 255 for 5 and Louis van der Westhuizen, who was on 22 overnight, went on to top score with 70 before he was bowled by Fayyaz Ahmed. van der Westhuizen had earlier added 102 for the sixth wicket with Nicholaas Scholtz. The tail made useful contributions and Namibia were eventually all out for 369. Fayyaz was the pick of the nine bowlers used by the UAE, finishing with figures of 4 for 74.UAE made an excellent start to their first innings. Their openers, Arfan Haider and Arshad Ali, added 88 before Sarel Burger had Ali caught by Tobias Verwey for 47. The same Namibian combination accounted for Khurram Khan and Burger then took his third wicket by catching Saqib Ali off his own bowling. UAE had slipped from 88 for 0 to 143 for 3.However, the other opener Haider remained unbeaten on 44 while wicketkeeper Abdur Rehman scored 29 to steer UAE to 185 for 3 at stumps.

Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read has signed a three year extension to his existing contract, committing him to the club until the end of the 2013 season

Cricinfo staff08-Jan-2010Chris Read, the Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper and captain, has signed a three-year extension to his existing contract that will see him staying at Trent Bridge until the end of the 2013 season.Read, who is recognised as one of the finest glovemen in the county circuit, enjoyed a productive 2009 season, scoring 1203 runs as he guided his side to second place in the First Division of the County Championship. He was the only Nottinghamshire player to pass 1000 runs and also bagged 61 catches in all competitions.”We’ve had two good years in the Championship and we want to maintain our form whilst making significant improvements in the one day competitions,” said Read.”We’ve recruited some young players who may lack experience but have good ability and they will play an important role, as will the core of experienced players who are already committed to Notts.””Chris approached us with a view to securing his future with an extended contract and we were very keen to oblige,” said Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket.”His wicket keeping has always been exceptional and to have a number seven batsman who can bat at his standard is a huge asset to the team. He has matured as a captain and he has a big part to play for us over the next four seasons.”

A round-up of the second day’s action in the fourth round of the RBS Pentangular Cup

Cricinfo staff20-Jan-2010Abdur Rehman and Sarmad Anwar shared nine wickets among them to put Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in the driver’s seat against Sialkot at the National Stadium. Resuming on 368 for 8, HBL’s last two wickets yielded 53 runs, before the two bowlers went on the rampage. If Sarmad’s pace was too hot to handle for the top order, the rest fared no better against the left-arm spin of Rehman. Wickets fell at regular intervals with Sarmad accounting four of the top six batsmen. No. 8 Nayyer Abbas fought bravely for Sialkot with a stroke-filled 53, but was among Rehman’s five victims. Sialkot were bowled out for 243 in the 66th over, as the HBL openers negotiated the two remaining overs in the day to finish on 5 for no loss.Twin centuries from Umair Khan and Aamer Sajjad were the highlights of The Rest‘s dominance with the bat against Karachi Blues at the Niaz Stadium. Both openers continued strongly from the overnight score of 91, with Umair Khan looking in good touch. Abid Ali departed for 59, but Umair’s century took them past Karachi’s first-innings total of 198. He had Saeed Anwar jnr (72) for company, but even after he fell for 115, the baton was picked up by Sajjad. Together with Saeed Anwar, Sajjad put on 104 for the third wicket. With The Rest sitting pretty at 445 for 4, and Sajjad unbeaten on 113, things look pretty dismal for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy winners.

AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis hit contrasting centuries to build on the platform laid by the openers to charge South Africa to an imposing 365 which proved beyond the reach of the inexperienced Indian batting line-up in the third ODI in Ahmedabad

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera27-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
HawkeyeAB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis added a massive 173 for the third wicket in quick time to intimidate India•Getty Images

AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis hit contrasting centuries to build on the platform laid by the openers Hashim Amla and Loots Bosman
to charge South Africa to an imposing 365 which proved beyond the reach of the inexperienced Indian batting line-up in the third ODI in Ahmedabad. Bosman was feisty, Amla was elegant, de Villiers was destructive and Kallis and well … Kallis – solid as ever. Together, the top order blasted South Africa to their highest score against India and helped avoid a clean sweep.It was de Villiers who played the most aggressive knock of the innings and it showcased his skill in picking gaps. The pitch was flat and India populated the on side, be it for spin or seam, and tried to force him to make mistakes while going for inside-out drives but he never erred.
The bat swing was clean, the head was still and for the main part, he was looking to off drive and when the bowlers tried to cramp him with the alteration in line, he pinged the on side with five fours and two sixes.It was simple in its thought and complex in its execution but he pulled it off without seemingly breaking into a sweat. The best shot was probably a nonchalant inside-out lofted cover drive against Ravindra Jadeja, though there were two really sweetly timed peachy off drives off Sreesanth that stood out for its classy elegance. He reached his hundred with a six and a four off Rohit Sharma in the final over of the innings.While de Villiers indulged himself right from the start, it was Kallis who provided the necessary glue to hold the innings together in the middle overs. It was a typical Kallis innings; you didn’t remember a stand-out shot in the first half of his knock and yet, he had reached his fifty from 68 balls with just one boundary. He dealt in nudges, pushes and gentle drives as he ensured South Africa held wickets intact for the fun in the end. As expected, he opened-up post fifty to muscle quite a few boundaries and overran de Villiers in the end with some clean hits. In the penultimate over, he crashed Sreesanth to the straight boundary before lifting him imperiously over long-off to bring up a very well-paced hundred.Before the de Villiers and Kallis show, it was a tango between Amla and Bosman that set up South Africa for the big total. If Amla applied the calm touch, Bosman provided the initial momentum at the top of the innings with a fiery cameo. If you had to pick a word to catch the spirit of Bosman’s innings, it would have to be . It was filled with several crunchy blows but what really caught the eye was that he never went across the line. There were 11 boundaries in all but his first boundary, perhaps, was the sweetest of them all. He was just on 1 and the confidence to go for the big aerial hits hadn’t yet sunk in and he just leaned forward to play a gorgeously timed on-the-up drive past Sreesanth.If Bosman thumped, Amla was all wristy elegance. He seemingly wristed even those on-the-up punchy shots through the off side where other batsmen would have used their arm a lot more but his best shot was a flicked boundary off Sreesanth – it was a short-of-length delivery on the off stump but Amla used the length to wrist it to the square-leg boundary. Unlike in the last ODI where the stiff target didn’t allow him to pace his innings properly, he showed better judgement today: he sensed Bosman’s confidence was on the rise and started to rotate the strike around and when Bosman fell, he realised he had to stay on for a big innings and started to work the angles for the singles.For their part India realised that pace, especially considering their inexperienced seamers, was not the way to go on this track and relied on the slow bowlers. But the inexperience of the attack proved too costly in the end. And when they chased, they could never get the momentum required to hunt down such a big target.The ball stopped occasionally on the dry pitch in the second half and the bowling was disciplined, without looking overtly threatening, but the pressure of the big target induced the mistakes from the inexperienced batting line-up. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma lifted India from 40 for 2 with a 95-run partnership but the run rate was slow. Roelf van der Merwe combined with Morne Morkel and Johan Botha to slip in a slew of tight overs and both batsmen couldn’t break free. The run rate climbed and Dale Steyn used the resultant pressure to take out a couple of wickets. Though Suresh Raina later threw his bat around to collect a few boundaries, India were never really in the chase.

Chennai’s disheartening defeat at the hands of Punjab, the fitness problems of MS Dhoni and Justin Kemp, and repeated failures in their experiment with a fifth bowler are a serious cause for concern come tomorrow

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya22-Mar-2010

Match facts

Tuesday, March 23
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Can Chennai stop Jacques Kallis’ prolific run?•AFP

Bangalore and Chennai are capital cities sharing a traditional rivalry but when extended to the third edition of the IPL, there is little debate over which team is better placed going into Tuesday’s match-up. Bangalore are top of the IPL table while Chennai are bruising physically and mentally.Both teams suffered blips in their respective starts to the tournament before winning the next two games. However, Chennai’s Super Over defeat at home to Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, when they failed to chase 137, the fitness problems of two crucial players, MS Dhoni and Justin Kemp, and repeated failures in their experiments with the fifth-bowler slot are serious causes for concern. Manpreet Gony, who struggled against Punjab with both bat and ball, Joginder Sharma and Sudeep Tyagi have all been tried with poor results.Contrast that to Bangalore’s resurgence. There has been stability in their attack with the five frontline bowlers retained in their three successive wins; targets high, low and tricky have been chased ruthlessly with Jacques Kallis unbeaten in this IPL, and with three fifties in four games; and backing up a formidable opening pair of Kallis and Manish Pandey is a line-up with considerable international exposure, which Chennai’s bowlers, barring Muttiah Muralitharan, may struggle to contain.The absence of Dhoni hurt Chennai in their failed chase against Punjab; his recovery from an injury to his arm has been gradual, and coach Stephen Fleming had said he could take the field in the game against Mumbai Indians on March 25. Chennai, who could slip down further from their current fourth position in the event of a loss on Tuesday, need an urgent recovery with their star player missing.

Team talk

Bangalore will be tempted to retain the combination that has won them the last three games. Eoin Morgan, though, thanks to the success of the openers, hasn’t had much time in the middle and Bangalore will be keen to witness him perform.Chennai could leave out Gony after his disappointing turn-out against Punjab. Chennai will have prepared a contingency measure for Kemp, who hurt his back, bowling just one ball and not coming out to bat. In the event of his absence, Sri Lankan allrounder Thissara Perera remains an option, so does Makhaya Ntini, should Chennai aim to strengthen their bowling. C Ganapathy, a fast-bowling allrounder, who is a crucial member of the Tamil Nadu set-up, could fill in if Gony’s left out.

Previously…

Bangalore 3 Chennai 2
The teams shared honours in the first edition, with Chennai beating Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium by 13 runs, and Bangalore prevailing at Chepauk by 14 runs. The league stages in South Africa followed a similar pattern as Chennai triumphed in Port Elizabeth by 92 runs, followed by Bangalore surviving by two wickets in Durban. However, Bangalore had the last laugh, sealing an easy win in the semi-final by six wickets, with Pandey and Rahul Dravid seeing them through.

In the spotlight

Murali v Bangalore top order: Kallis and Pandey have been dominant while opening. While Kallis, with all his experience, has the wherewithal to combat Murali, Pandey has only faced the offspinner once. He proved adept against Shane Warne in Bangalore’s ten-wicket win, showing solidity in defence and picking the variations to find the boundary. While Murali generally doesn’t prefer bowling within the first six overs, Chennai may adopt a different strategy to halt Bangalore’s success at the top.Matthew Hayden v Dale Steyn: Steyn has clocked close to 150 kmph this tournament and has been economical, working well with his opening partner Praveen Kumar. He is foremost in Anil Kumble’s plan of bouncing out Indian batsmen. While the ploy may be designed more to target someone like Suresh Raina, who was found out in the World Twenty20, Hayden’s naturally audacious approach presents a different challenge.

Prime numbers

Anil Kumble has bowled 45 dot balls in this IPL, Steyn too has 45 and Praveen Kumar has 43. They are part of a list of six players with the most dot balls in the competition; Murali has 46 to his name.Bangalore have conceded 180 runs in the Powerplay in this IPL, at 7.19 an over. They are third in the list of most economical teams in the first six overs, with Deccan Chargers leading with 5.95, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders at 6.92. Chennai, with 7.68, are in fifth place.

The chatter

“We wanted Kallis to bat for the 20 overs and he has been doing that. He has been anchoring one end and when required he has been taking on the bowlers. He is a great player and with his ability to bowl he is a great asset. We hope that this continues.”
Anil Kumble, the Bangalore captain, sums up Kallis’ role, which he has lived up to with much success thus far.

It was another case of what could have been for Bangladesh as they mixed talent and frustrating naivety to stutter to 330 for 8 on the opening day in Dhaka

The Bulletin by Sahil Dutta20-Mar-2010Bangladesh 330 for 8 (Tamim 85, Mahmudullah 59, Swann 3-94) v England

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTamim Iqbal’s glittering innings lit up the morning for Bangladesh•PA Photos

It was another case of what might have been for Bangladesh as they mixed talent with frustrating naivety to stutter to 330 for 8 on the opening day in Dhaka after their innings had been launched by a blistering 85 from 71 balls from Tamim Iqbal. Mahmudullah contributed a silky half-century and captain Shakib Al Hasan returned to form with 49, but England chipped away after opting to play five bowlers.In oppressive heat and on a track remorselessly lifeless for the quick bowlers the visitors toiled hard. They were punished whenever they strayed by a Bangladesh side bristling with positive intent but unable to buckle down and build something more substantial. The tone was set by Tamim’s sizzling assault in the morning session.He celebrated his 21st birthday by launching into England’s new-ball bowlers, dispatching Tim Bresnan for 23 from three overs and pinning Alastair Cook on the defensive almost immediately. He was dropped twice, a tough chance on 7 by Paul Collingwood at second slip and a much simpler offering to Cook at mid on 35 from a leading edge, and they cost England.Having climbed to No. 2 in the world following his Man-of-the-Match outing in Chittagong, Graeme Swann’s introduction was supposed to halt the run glut but Tamim was in no mood to let up. Identifying Swann as the pivotal threat in England’s attack Tamim picked off two boundaries from his first over before unfurling four more in successive deliveries a couple of overs later, the last of which was handsomely deposited over mid on as he bought up a half century from just 34 balls.Having sauntered to 80 with almost an hour remaining before lunch it appeared Tamim was on his way to becoming only the fifth player in Test history to make a century before lunch on the first day. The fireworks had left Cook desperately seeking some stability and it came from his second spinner, James Tredwell, who was making his Test debut at the expense of Michael Carberry.Despite lacking the effervescence that makes Swann such a force, Tredwell has a game honed through a decade in the English shires, and he proved accurate enough to induce a poorly-executed sweep from Tamim which, in a flurry of bat and gloves, looped up to Matt Prior although the ball came off the forearm. Tamim looked disgusted to have been given out he had every right to feel aggrieved.Having prized an opening Swann then burst through with a two wickets, trapping the debutant Jahurul Islam in front for a sixth-ball duck before removing Junaid Siddique, a century-maker in his last innings, in similar fashion after lunch. With England on the brink of taking control Shakib joined Mahmudullah for an enterprising 59-run stand.Mahmudullah was unhurried and untroubled, working the ball around nicely and feathering boundaries during a half-century reminiscent of VVS Laxman. He reached his 50 with a languid cover drive off Swann and looked set to go on, but drove lazily to point against the first ball of a new spell by Steven Finn. It was Finn’s only joy on a tough day. He was on the wrong end of Tamim’s attack during the morning session and failed to find the consistency and bite, albeit on a very placid track, that he produced at Chittagong.Meanwhile, Shakib chose to swipe his way out of poor form. Having been dismissed twice by Swann in the first Test, Shakib took the attack to his nemesis, slog-sweeping and cutting well, without quite giving an air of permanence. He reached 49 before missing an attempted heave across the line to give Tredwell his second wicket of the day. Once again Bangladesh needed a period of rebuilding.Mushfiqur Rahim had picked up where he left off in Chittagong, displaying technique and temperament during a calm knock that threatened to edge the day for Bangladesh before he fell to a snarling delivery from Bresnan to the second new ball. On a day where nothing even offered to move off the seam Bresnan got one to climb and jag away from Rahim. With the shadows lengthening Abdur Razzak attempted an ambitious slog to leg to become Swann’s third lbw victim of the day and epitomised the regular lapses of concentration that continue to haunt Bangladesh’s progress.Throughout the day Cook’s captaincy was more robotic than insightful, chasing the ball and quickly reverting to defensive fields as England flagged in the late-afternoon heat. Yet on a pitch that looks like it could deteriorate come the latter stages, their eight wickets ensured the edge after a fluctuating day.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 64 and Sulieman Benn’s three-wicket haul were the highlights of West Indies’ 18-run victory in the second Twenty20 international at the Sabina Park

Cricinfo staff18-Apr-2010Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s fluent 64 took West Indies to a match-winning score of 171•Getty Images

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 64 and Sulieman Benn’s three-wicket haul were the highlights of West Indies’ 18-run victory in the second Twenty20 at the Sabina Park. The win gives the hosts a 2-0 lead with one match to play.Asked to bat by the visitors, West Indies motored along to 171 for 7, on the back of a 72-run stand off 49 balls between Chanderpaul and Wavell Hinds. Chanderpaul’s 64 came off 47 deliveries with eight fours and two sixes while Hinds struck three fours and two sixes in his 29-ball blitz.West Indies were set for a strong finish by the two left-handers, but the middle order could not drive home the advantage. Alex Cusack grabbed 3 for 19 in three overs as five wickets fell for 26 runs.Ireland’s chase got off to a frenetic start thanks to Paul Stirling who stroked 33 from 19 balls with four fours and a six, and captain William Porterfield who made 17. Niall O’Brien who came in next kept up the scoring rate with a 44-ball 62, inclusive of six fours and two sixes. Ireland looked set for a possible upset, when Chanderpaul ran out Stirling to set the visitors back.Benn then intervened to ensure there would be no surprise, with a stifling spell of 3 for 32. Cusack crawled to 15 off 22 boundary-less balls as the chase lost momentum and eventually floundered. Benn was supported well by his spinning colleagues Nikita Miller and Narsingh Deonarine, who turned in 1 for 37 in seven overs between them.With 24 required of the final over, the game was close to over when Benn almost grabbed a hat-trick, but it was not to be. The third Twenty20 fixture is on Sunday.

The BCCI has agreed to grant the five-day extension of the deadline requested by Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, to file his replies to the board’s chargesheet

Cricinfo staff10-May-2010The BCCI has agreed to grant the five-day extension of the deadline requested by Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, to file his replies to the board’s chargesheet. Modi was previously expected to appear at the BCCI headquarters on Monday to respond in person to the charges. The 15-day deadline that was initially agreed upon expires on Tuesday.Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, confirmed Modi’s request: “Lalit Modi has requested the board president Shashank Manohar and secretary N Srinivasan to extend time. He was supposed to reply to the show-cause notice today. The board has taken a decision to extend time up to the May 15.”According to Shetty, Modi sought the extension because he wanted some more documents from the board that would help in preparing his defence. Modi was suspended by BCCI on April 26, soon after the conclusion of the IPL, which sent him a show-cause notice asking him to reply to a slew of charges relating to the conduct of the high-profile Twenty20 league. Modi was alleged to have indulged in financial deals without the knowledge of the IPL Governing Council, bid-rigging and of behavioural pattern which was not acceptable.On Saturday, Mehmood Abdi, one of Modi’s lawyers, submitted the first set of the documents to the board. Abdi was back in the board office today with the remaining papers including minutes of IPL Governing Council meetings, bid documents, franchisee agreements and all contracts starting from 2008 onwards. “This is the final phase of handing over of papers to the board from our side. We had earlier submitted a bigger bulk of papers on May 8,” Abdi said.The first set of documents, both original as well as notarised copies, included all franchisee agreements, global media rights agreements, global media rights packages, all bid documents, media rights licensee agreements, eligibility letters of bidders with details and sponsorship agreements entered into by IPL.Modi has retained a copy of all the documents, which according to Abdi ran into thousand pages. “These have been endorsed by Shetty,” Abdi pointed out.BCCI sources said Modi’s reply, once it comes in, will be taken up by the board’s three-man disciplinary committee, comprising Manohar and two vice-presidents – Arun Jaitley and Chirayu Amin, who was appointed the interim IPL chairman after Modi’s suspension. “The disciplinary committee is likely to meet in mid-June,” a BCCI official said.

The investigation of Pakistan’s tour of Australia by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has come as a surprise to Cricket Australia

Brydon Coverdale21-May-2010The investigation of Pakistan’s tour of Australia by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has come as a surprise to Cricket Australia. The ACSU’s outgoing chief, Paul Condon, said on Thursday that Pakistan’s tour during the past Australian summer was “a series that worried us”.Although Condon stressed there was no evidence of match fixing his comments inevitably caused speculation about the memorable Sydney Test, which Australia won despite beginning the final day only 80 runs in front with two wickets in hand. Pakistan collapsed in the chase and the result was hailed as a triumph for a developing Australia team.”It’s come as a total surprise to Cricket Australia,” CA’s spokesman Peter Young said of Condon’s comments. “We’re not aware of and have not been aware of any issues with the Sydney Test match. Our continuing view is that we came from behind and won the game on the merits of our on-field performance and through no other influence.”[CA chief executive] James Sutherland will be writing to the ICC to seek a briefing. We do understand the ICC-ACSU protocol is that they don’t talk to you, you are not aware an investigation is going on unless it involves one of your own players. They haven’t asked us to help them with any of their questions or investigations and we’d be very surprised if they did.”It is critically important that the public has total confidence in the integrity of the outcome of the sporting events they support. As such we are fully supportive of the ICC-ACSU philosophy. We’re confident that it has done and continues to do a very good job.”Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed, Pakistan’s coach and assistant coach during the tour, have raised questions of their own about incidents during the Sydney Test.