All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard

Riding on a quickfire fifty from Brad Haddin and the bowling trio of Brett Dorey, Shane Watson and Dan Cullen – three senior side hopefuls – Australia A handed New Zealand A its second defeat of the day at Darwin. Shortly after going down to Pakistan A, the tourists slumped to a 16-run loss despite turning in a worthy display with the ball.Having won the toss, Australia chose to bat and ran into early trouble. Chris Martin, the fast bowler with considerable international experience, dismissed Mark Cosgrove and Watson, while Joseph Yovich accounted for Phil Jaques. Staring at a potential disaster, Haddin and Brad Hodge combined for a 70-run stand for the fourth wicket, one that made the difference in the end. Haddin smashed 52 from 34 deliveries and Hodge 40 from 29, and the duo looked good for more before Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, and Yovich returned to rein the hosts in. Patel had Hodge and Chris Rogers beaten in flight and Yovich’s medium pace put the skids on a late-order attack as Australia were restricted to 160.By Twenty20 standards, this was a total that should have been overhauled with ease, but New Zealand failed to seal the deal. It was killer execution from Australia: Dorey dealt three early blows with the new ball, Watson struck when it mattered most, and Cullen stymied the long-handle attempts of the tail. Though they began very slowly, New Zealand’s hopes were raised with a superb 85-run stand for the fifth wicket between Rob Nicol (39) and Mark Orchard (53 from 28). As the run rate veered towards the gettable, Watson and Cullen effected a dramatic landslide that left New Zealand gasping. Ultimately, it was Australia’s nerve with the ball that proved too hot to handle.

Paul Nixon, the 37-year-old former England wicketkeeper, has signed for the Indian Cricket League.”This is an exciting opportunity to end what has been a remarkably eventful year for me,” Nixon said. “I would never have imagined 12 months ago that I would get the opportunity to go on two England tours, and I always saw that as a bonus and a tremendous honour to play for my country.”Nixon was selected by England for the one-day series in Australia following the Ashes, and also for the World Cup. But, at 37, he realizes his chances of further international recognition are probably over.”I now have two big goals to look forward to in my career, playing in this Twenty20 league and the captaincy of Leicestershire,” he said. “This is perfect timing because India is the Mecca of cricket and interest in the Twenty20 game is extremely high due to the success of the national team in becoming world champions.”The league, which begins on November 30, features the likes of Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Left-arm spinners Manan Sharma (4 for 21) and Saqlain Sajib (3 for 24) combined to dismantle Mohammedan Sporting Club for 100 and set up Abahani Limited’s five-wicket win at the BKSP-3 Ground in Savar. The performance vaulted Abahani to the top of the Dhaka Premier League points table; they are ahead of Gazi Group Cricketers and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club, also on 20 points each, by virtue of a superior net run rate.Coming into the game on the back of successive 300-plus scores, Mohammedan crumbled in 33.4 overs with only one of their batsmen notching up a score in excess of 20. If Sajib scythed through the top-order, Manan wiped out the lower order in equally quick time.Liton Das then razed Mohammedan with a 22-ball half-century that came with the help of four fours and five sixes, as Abahani raced away in an opening stand of 61 that took just 5.1 overs. With 10 runs needed, Abahani slipped up against the duo of Jubair Hossain and Shamsur Rahman, losing three wickets for the addition of one run. But opener Shadman Islam held firm with an unbeaten 24, and in the company of Shuvagata Hom, took Abahani across the line in 15.3 overs. Shamsur and Jubair ended with two wickets each.Gazi Group Cricketers put behind three successive defeats to crush Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by 177 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Batting first, Gazi Group ran up 350 for 5, built around Nasir Hossain’s belligerent century. Left-arm pacer Abu Hider then kept the good work going with his career-best List A returns of 6 for 35 as Dhanmondi Club sank to 173 all out in 38.1 overs.Gazi Group suffered an early setback when Anamul Haque was dismissed in the second over for 1. Mominul Haque then blasted a 61-ball 66 and added 74 for the second wicket in the company of Munim Shahriar (35 off 33). The association ended with the latter’s dismissal in the 14th over, which brought out Nasir, who was returning from Ireland where he was involved with the Bangladesh national team in a triangular series.Nasir zoomed to 134 off 113 balls, his fifth List A century, with the help of seven fours and six sixes. He shared a fifth-wicket stand of 147 with Gurkeerat Singh Mann (74 off 60), off just 129 balls, to flatten Dhanmondi Club. Gurkeerat was sent back at the start of the 45th over, but Gazi biffed 66 runs off 35 balls after his dismissal. Nasir continued with his big-hitting ways until he had to retire hurt in the penultimate over with a bout of cramps.In their reply, Dhanmondi Club lost wickets upfront and were reeling at 96 for 6 before the halfway stage. Ziaur Rahman tried to mount a fightback with 46 off 29 balls, but it was snuffed out by Hider who then went on to pick two more wickets in the same over; Dhanmondi were bowled out shortly thereafter.At the BKSP-4 Ground in Savar, Marshall Ayub and Shahriar Nafees strung together a match-winning partnership for the second time in two chases as Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club chased down 242 against Prime Bank Cricket Club with six wickets in hand. That, after Prime Bank put up 241 for 8 on the back of half-centuries from Abhimanyu Easwaran (71) and their captain Asif Ahmed (62 not out).Ayub and Nafees got together with Prime Doleshwar at 58 for 2 in the 12th over of the chase. They took the score to an even 200, adding 142 for the third wicket – their second 100-plus stand in the competition. Marshall was the first of the two to fall, having top-scored with 84 off 89 balls, including ten fours and a six. Nafees was a lot more sedate, his 78 taking 129 balls. He fell with Prime Doleshwar requiring another 24, where after Rajat Bhatia and Farhad Reza sealed the chase.Bhatia also played a key role with the ball, limiting Prime Back with his 3 for 50 in 10 overs. Prime Bank, 120 for 5 at one point, were lifted by a 73-run sixth-wicket stand between Abhimanyu and Asif. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny supported Bhatia well, taking 2 for 40 in 10 overs.

The West Indian camp sounded confident of a win ahead of the final day ofthe Test at Old Trafford, needing 154 runs with five wickets remaining tocomplete the highest fourth innings run-chase in the history of Testcricket.”I think we’re in it,” said David Moore, the West Indies coach. “They [England] have only taken two wickets in the last two sessions [on day four]. We batted very well and we’ve got twoquality batsmen in at the moment.” Moore hoped that Denesh Ramdin and Shivnarine Chanderpaul could keep batting for as long as possible to get West Indies as close to the target and then leave it up to Darren Sammy and the tail.Daren Ganga, captain of the West Indies, also sounded pleased with the day’sproceedings. “This has been a very good day,” he said. “The mere fact that we onlylost our wickets today was definitely a positive for us.” Ganga felt hisbatsmen had stuck to the task in the uphill battle to chase a score ofover 400. “Shivnarine Chanderpaul led the way with his knock and all theother guys supported. Runako Morton laid that foundation, Dwayne Bravo andDenesh Ramdin all contributed.”Looking ahead to the final day’s play, an optimistic Ganga said, “The gamewould be over probably in two sessions. If we can bat for two sessions Iam sure we will win the Test match.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul, unbeaten on 81, is the man on whom West Indianhopes will be pinned on to finish the job. Talking about the approach ofthe batsmen on day four, Chanderpaul said, “We were looking forpartnerships and to take it session by session and that was how webasically approached it.” When asked about the approach for the final day,he added, “We will go out and continue doing the same thing and look tobat out the first two sessions. If we do that we will be close to winningthe game.”Moore justified the confidence in Chanderpaul by saying he was a classic Test batsman as he loved batting with his back against the wall. “He is underrated and underestimated and people do that at their own peril, Chanderpaul is a world-class cricketer.”Moore felt the West Indian lower-order could provide able support toChanderpaul. “Sammy is very gutsy as you can see with theball, he’s very passionate and certainly he has the ability to supportShiv. We’re looking forward for 9, 10 and 11 to contribute if they have tobut we’re looking forward to knock it off before that.”Expressing his view about chasing the record, Moore said, “It would befantastic if we can do it. In retrospect if we had scored more runs in thefirst innings and batted a little longer we would have been a lot closerthan we are already so we’ve got those things to contemplate later on butat the moment we certainly looking to chase down the target.”Incidentally, West Indies hold the current record for the highestfourth-innings total to win a Test, having scored 418 for 7 against Australiain 2003 at St John’s, Antigua. Chanderpaul had scored a century in that match as well.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has admitted the Adelaide Oval pitch explicitly prepared for the day-night Test and the pink ball has more grass on it than he expected, leading the selectors to dispense with the services of the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe and settle on a three-man pace attack for Friday.Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson would appear to be duelling for the final spot in the XI, with Peter Siddle set to resume his Test career in search of the two wickets he needs to notch 200 for Australia. Smith was positive in his feedback to the oval’s curator Damian Hough after the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia some weeks ago, but he said the ground’s thick grass coverage this week had surprised him.”It was considered obviously, as he was here to train with us,” Smith said of O’Keefe. “He’s done incredibly well with the pink ball and we thought he might have played a part, but it’s not going to end up that way. We’re going to go in with three quicks and an allrounder.”There’s probably a little bit more grass than I anticipated to be on it. That added bit of grass probably swayed our decision. I think it is going to be a good Test match for us. I think the facilities here are outstanding, I think the wicket is going to be a little bit more difficult perhaps than the Shield match, but I don’t think the conditions will be too dissimilar, so hopefully we can see a good five days of Test cricket.”The pioneering nature of the contest has been underlined by a noticeably bigger build-up than the first two Tests of the series, while the players are to be playing for a one-off cash inducement of $1 million to be split 60/40 between the victors and the vanquished. Smith played down the money, and resorted to his usual approach of terming the concept “exciting” rather than anything to be cynical about.”We are not really worrying about prize money, our main focus is to win the series against New Zealand, they are our cross-town rivals in a way,” Smith said. “I think it is a really exciting concept. I can’t wait to get out and give it a crack, so I think the ball has had a lot of work, it is at a position now where it is going to hold up, particularly in these conditions out here at Adelaide Oval.”So, I think it is a great concept, I think the crowds have rolled in. Obviously the first two Tests were a little bit disappointing with the crowds, and there is some big numbers expected for at least the first three days here, so I think it is really exciting for us moving forward.”We’ve all batted under lights at different times of our careers whether it is white ball, red ball or pink ball, I don’t think there is a huge difference, it is just a matter of going out there and adjusting and adapting to the conditions and playing what we are faced with. They have some quality bowlers who can swing the ball around and we are going to have to be aware of them.”Changes in tactics have been widely forecast for this match, given the vagaries created by the transition from day into night and the prospect of facing a brand new ball and spells of short bowling under lights. However Smith revealed that his much-commented upon decision to declare before stumps against South Australia in the Shield game had been motivated by a rather more traditional circumstance – giving his spearhead Mitchell Starc a few overs when he was angry. It is Starc who shapes as the most destructive force for Australia, particularly after the retirement of Mitchell Johnson in Perth.”That Shield game, I think Starcy was pretty fired up and angry after being bounced for a few overs there,” Smith said. “That was purely my decision, to declare that evening and have a crack. It worked out well in the end. But I don’t think the tactics and so much has to change as much as people believe.”Losing someone of the quality of Mitchell Johnson is always tough for a team, but I think Mitchell Starc is going to step up and fill that role. We saw that last week. It was extremely impressive to bowl 37 overs above 145kph consistently. Hopefully we can see a lot more of that.”

Vernon Philander, the South African allrounder, has been named as Morne Morkel’s replacement in the Test squad on the tour to Pakistan. Morkel fractured his left foot while bowling on the third day of the tour match against Patron’s XI.Philander, a right-hand batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler, made his international debut in an ODI against Ireland earlier this year. He has done well in the five ODIs he has played so far – averaging 40 with the bat and 21.50 with the ball – and was also a regular member of the team in the recently concluded World Twenty20 Cup, but is yet to make his Test debut. He is likely to stay on in Pakistan for the five-match one-day series, the squad for which will be announced later.Morkel, meanwhile, has gone back home to recover from the injury, which could keep him away from cricket for about six to eight weeks.

A little over a decade ago, a one-day series between West Indies and Zimbabwe would have been an intriguing prospect. International cricket’s newcomers, boasting players such as the Flowers, Heath Streak and Dave Houghton, against the world champions, with Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Brian Lara.In the intervening period both countries have fallen on hard times, and now the bloated seven-match one-day series has all the appeal of a late-season meeting between Torquay and Stockport. Both are in decline – West Indies a gradual long-term one, Zimbabwe’s politically-motivated – and this is a series few outside the Caribbean, and that includes in Zimbabwe, really care about. Since West Indies’ victory in the Champions Trophy in 2004, they have won three out of 23 ODIs they have played. In the same period, Zimbabwe have won four out of 21 (all against either Bangladesh or Kenya).Only one player survives from what we can now look back on as something of a golden era, and that is Lara. It is no coincidence that he is the only real class act on show this time round, with all due respect to Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Not that the gulf between West Indies and the almost totally anonymous Zimbabwe side needs underlining, but consider this. Lara has played 259 ODIs and scored 9359 runs. The entire 16-man Zimbabwe squad boasts a combined total of 166 one-day caps and 2371 runs – and 831 of those come from the bat of Brendan Taylor, their most experienced player. And between them, they cannot even muster 100 ODI wickets,On paper, this series should be grotesquely one-sided. West Indies might have been disrupted by recent contractual upheavals, but they are now settled and Lara has returned for a third tilt at the captaincy. He is realistic enough to know that India in June and July will be a tough nut, so this is his and his team’s best chance to get some capital in the bank as the build-up to the World Cup begins.

West Indies might be a shadow of what they were but they still have more than enough in stock to rout Zimbabwe. The tourists’ batting is fragile, as they showed in the recent series against Kenya. Then, they faced little more than dobblers. Against genuine pace, as was the case in South Africa 13 months ago, almost none of them have the technique to survive. With only four ODIs (all against the Kenyans) in the last eight months, it is inconceivable that they have improved enough to cope with the West Indies attack. The man in form, opener Piet Rinke, is explosive but has yet to be tested against anything half decent.Zimbabwe’s bowling is barely above club standard. Edward Rainsford has the makings of being a decent opening bowler, but he struggled in the warm-ups and , remarkably, is being released halfway through the tour to go and play club cricket in England. Blessing Mahwire, his new-ball partner, looked ordinary against Kenya. The change bowlers hold few concerns and it should be a chance for West Indies’ batsmen to fill their boots.It is, therefore, slightly puzzling that throughout the West Indies the talk has been of not underestimating Zimbabwe, almost as if they are preparing for a setback or two. Perhaps the ghost of Kenya in 1996 still lingers, but a defeat in at least one match seems to be a real concern. It shouldn’t be. While West Indies have slid to a new low, there remains a massive gulf between them and Zimbabwe, and anything other than a comprehensive whitewash will be unsatisfactory.If only Zimbabwe had not driven so much talent abroad then this series could have been a cracker. Imagine a Zimbabwe side containing the likes of Streak, Andy Flower, Murray Goodwin and Tatenda Taibu. As it is, what amounts to a third-string Zimbabwe team are set for three weeks in which their real goal must be to show the world that they have enough potential to prevent the ICC calling time on their participation at cricket’s top table.

4th dayShane Warne could miss the rest of the English season after fracturing a rib while bowling in Hampshire‘s draw with Lancashire at Old Trafford . He will be out for at least three weeks, a major blow for Hampshire, who are seeking their first Championship title since 1973. The game had draw all over it from the start, but Paul Horton pushed on to a career-best 152 and Luke Sutton hit his second century of the season to guide Lancashire to full batting points.Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld made centuries as Kent and Worcestershire shared the points in an inevitable draw at Canterbury. There was no change for the bottom three, though, as Surrey didn’t manage to fit in a ball against Sussex who watched Yorkshire slide past them to the top. They have a game in hand, though.3rd dayFor John Ward’s report on the third day at Scarborough, where Yorkshire played gloriously to crush Warwickshire inside three days click here.

3rd dayDerbyshire held their nerve to bowl out Glamorgan at Cardiff just when the home side were looking good for their second win of the season. Heading into the final session, Glamorgan needed 60 with six wickets in hand, but added just 18 of those before being blown away by Ant Botha’s five-for and three wickets for Tom Lungley.Nottinghamshire will hope that their last six pairings can triumph where Glamorgan failed, in easing the last 104 runs they require to beat Northamptonshire at Trent Bridge. A team effort took Northants to 229 in their second innings, leaving Nottinghamshire to chase 232. The visitors were boosted by removing Stephen Fleming for 50 shortly before stumps.Jerome Taylor blew through Essex‘s defences with five wickets, and he was well supported by David Masters (4 for 40) as the home side crumbled to Leicestershire at Colchester. Varun Chopra was caught at slip off the first ball of the day off Masters, who will be an Essex player next season, and resilient fifties for Ryan ten Doeschate and James Middlebrook were the only consolation for them. Leicestershire then reached 52 for 2 and a final-day run-chase may be negotiated between the two captains.A draw is likely at Lord’s where Middlesex reached 305 for 7 before declaring, although a late Gloucestershire collapse to 97 for 5 keeps the game interesting. Andrew Strauss made 75 and Ed Smith 69 before Middlesex lost 4 for 1 in the middle order. Chaminda Vaas and Murali Kartik added 64 to hasten the declaration, then Kartik impressive with the ball with two wickets leaving Gloucestershire 208 behind.

Bob Berry, who played twice for England in 1950 and was the first man to be capped by three counties, has died at the age of 80.Berry honed his craft in the Lancashire Leagues before making his debut for his native county in 1948, and although the county was packed with spinners, he forged his way into the side with his slow left-armers. Although he was not biggest turner of the ball, his variation in flight was exceptional, and in 1950 he earned himself a Test trial in which he took five wickets. As a result, he made his Test debut in the first Test against West Indies in 1950, taking 5 for 63 and 4 for 54 as England won their only match of the summer. Retained for Lord’s, he went wicketless as West Indies claimed their famous victory, but he bowled economically and was unfortunate to be dropped. He was included in the Ashes touring side that winter, but did not break into the Test side.In 1953 he took all ten Worcestershire wickets in an innings (his figures were 10 for 102) but places at Lancashire were increasingly hard to come by and in 1955 he joined Worcestershire and enjoyed three of his most successful seasons. Nevertheless, in 1958 he moved to Derbyshire, where he ended his first-class career.In retirement he became a publican and enjoyed local fame as a pigeon breeder, as well as maintaining strong links with the game. He was president of Farnsfield CC, where he lived, and also the Lancashire Players’ Association.Berry had always been close friends with Lancashire’s Malcolm Hilton, and when his wife and Hilton died, he married Vera Hilton.

RP Singh, India’s latest fast bowling talent, is taking his initial days with the one-day side as a learning curve and maintains that he is enjoying every minute spent with the elite of Indian cricket.Despite having upstaged established pacers like Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra in making it to the final eleven of the national side, RP Singh, 20, does not feel weighed down by any pressure. “No, I don’t feel any pressure. On the contrary, it’s a great feeling. I am enjoying every minute. Everybody is friendly here,” he said.RP Singh, who first hogged the limelight in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh last year grabbing eight wickets, made his debut for the senior side against Zimbabwe in Harare in September. So far he has played seven ODIs, picking 11 wickets, but is now gearing up to prove that he is no flash-in-the-pan.RP Singh said the last three months with the senior team had improved several aspects of his bowling. “Greg [Chappell] and the senior players have taught me how to be patient. Tendulkar and Dravid also gave me valuable tips. My follow-through has improved. I have improved on several other aspects including my work ethics. My accuracy level has also gone up. I have learnt how to bowl at the same spot for long.”When a journalist reminded him of the adage that fast bowlers hunt in pairs and asked him whether he was looking for the right partner, prompt came the reply, “these are the early days of my career. I’m concentrating solely on my showing now”. RP Singh, who idolizes Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath, felt that compared to Sri Lanka, South Africa had a stronger batting line up, but exuded confidence that India could overwhelm the visitors if the team played true to its potential.