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Zander de Bruyn produced a magnificent 95 not out to guide Somerset to a
six-wicket win over arch-rivals Gloucestershire in the Friends Provident t20
match at Taunton

18-Jun-2010

ScorecardZander de Bruyn produced a magnificent 95 not out to guide Somerset to a
six-wicket win over arch-rivals Gloucestershire in the Friends Provident t20
match at Taunton.The Gladiators won the toss and set an imposing total of 199 for 8, with
Steve Snell scoring 50 and Hamish Marshall 45. There were three wickets each for
Ben Phillips and Alfonso Thomas.Somerset looked in trouble until Kieron Pollard (54) joined de Bruyn in a
century stand for the fourth wicket in only seven overs. The West Indian hit
five towering sixes to help turn the match. But no one hit harder than de Bruyn, who faced just 49 balls and smashed five sixes and eight fours to lead his team to victory with seven balls to spare.It was a superb innings by a player more noted for textbook shots than
murderous hitting and the partnership with Pollard will be long remembered for
clean striking of the ball.Vikram Banerjee suffered more than most. The left-arm spinner went for 54 off
his four overs, while Anthony Ireland conceded the same figure off one ball
fewer.Earlier, Gloucestershire had batted positively and well from the start of their
innings and reached 61 for 2 by the end of their six overs of Powerplay.There was a moment of controversy when Thomas dived to claim a caught and
bowled offered by Will Porterfield on 18. The opener refused to walk and was
given not out, adding six more to his score before being caught behind off Mark
Turner.Chris Taylor played well for his 29 and Marshall hit five fours and a six in
facing 26 balls. However, the best innings came from Snell, who smacked four sixes and three
fours in reaching his half-century off just 25 deliveries. Kadeer Ali added 17 off just seven balls at the end of the innings and Somerset’s bowlers could reflect on an off-night.Their one moment of brilliance in the field came in the last over when Peter
Trego dived full length to his left to hold a stunning catch at short third man
to dismiss Snell. By then the Gladiators had posted a very challenging total.

Ahead of their first meeting with interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin, a number of franchises have told Cricinfo they are against player retention and playing fewer matches next year

Tariq Engineer23-Jun-2010Ahead of their first meeting with interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin tomorrow, a number of franchises have told Cricinfo they are against player retention and playing fewer matches next year, and would like to see more transparency and accountability in the way the league is run.Following the suspension of Lalit Modi as IPL commissioner and the addition of two new franchises, a number of issues concerning this year’s player auction and next season’s tournament are still to be resolved. Chief among them is the issue of player retention. There have been debates over whether the original eight franchises should be allowed to keep any of their current players. Sachin Tendulkar has suggested teams be allowed to retain eight players – four Indian and four international – but the four franchises that spoke to Cricinfo felt all players should go back into the auction pool.”The practical thing to do is let them go and bid for the players you want in a transparent manner,” one franchise official told Cricinfo on the condition of anonymity.As a potential compromise, an official from another franchise suggested giving each team two “cards” for the auction. The cards would give the teams the first right of refusal for one Indian player and one foreign player from their team. So if the maximum bid for a player, say MS Dhoni, was set at $2 million, then Chennai could use the card to bid $2 million and automatically retain him even if another franchise bids the maximum amount.In case Chennai choose to bid less than $2 million for Dhoni, and that bid is matched by one or more of the other franchises, then Chennai would have the first right to break the tie and take the player, using the card. “[That way] everything is decided on the auction table,” the official said.In the wake of India’s disastrous World Twenty20 campaign, many observers blamed IPL fatigue for the team’s poor performance, leading to speculation that fewer matches will be played next year. The IPL governing council is reportedly studying a proposal that recommends the teams be split in two groups, with a total of 68 matches. Under the current format, 94 matches are set to be played next year.However, none of the franchises Cricinfo spoke to were in favour of shortening the tournament. They argue that their decisions are based on a particular business model and certain projections. “The number one reason for adding teams and having more matches was having more revenue. If the number of matches is reduced, it doesn’t work for me,” a franchise official said. “We can address the problems [player fatigue] arising out of that; there is a solution. But reducing matches and the reduction of revenue is not on.”One proposed solution was to limit the Indian players to 14 matches each, but there were reservations about how acceptable that would be, considering the large sums of money being paid for them.Other issues of concern are the maximum permissible size of teams and a salary cap that includes players bought outside the auction. As things stand, teams will be allowed to spend $7 million each on players at the auction. But there is no limit to how much money can be spent on players outside the auction, or how many players a team can buy. This gives franchises with deeper pockets an advantage; hence a cap to level the playing field.”We will ask for a cap on the spend,” a franchise official said. “We will ask for a cap on the number of people a team can hire. Nobody should have a squad of more than 25 or 30.”The teams would also like a larger voice in the running of the IPL. Among the suggestions is that the governing council should include a franchise representative, who would pass on information to the franchises in a timely way, allowing them to plan their operations more efficiently. Ultimately, clarity and communication are what the franchises want most to get on with the business of running their teams.

Warwickshire beat Scotland by seven wickets in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Titwood in Glasgow

01-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Warwickshire beat Scotland by seven wickets in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Titwood in Glasgow. After winning the toss Scotland decided to bat but a disastrous innings saw them all out for just 95.Chris Woakes started impressively for the visitors, taking the first three wickets of Fraser Watts, Preston Mommsen and George Bailey to initiate a rapid decline for the home side.Matthew Parker was top scorer for Scotland with 22 but quickly ran out of partners as the wickets tumbled.It did not take the visitors long to get the 96 runs required, even though Neil Carter was out for only four, bowled by Parker and caught by Mommsen.His partner Darren Maddy racked up 43 not out and despite Keith Barker out for 12, followed by Jim Troughton on 28, Ian Westwood came in to take Warwickshire over the line.It was the second home defeat of the weekend for Scotland who lost by 47 runs to Durham on Saturday.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has included Mohammad Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal in a 26-strong provisional squad for the upcoming home series against New Zealand.

Cricinfo staff19-Aug-2010Tamim Iqbal, who is set to go to Australia for treating a persistent wrist problem, and Mohammad Ashraful, whose place in the side has been uncertain following a prolonged bout of poor form, have been included in a 26-strong provisional squad released by the BCB for the upcoming series against New Zealand.There were no surprises in the squad, and all the players who were on the tour to England, Ireland and Scotland, were included.The players will begin their preparations for the series on August 21, under the supervision of coach Jamie Siddons and newly appointed fielding coach Julien Fountain.Provisional squad: Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Jahurul Islam, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Faisal Hossain, Nazimuddin, Shahriar Nafees, Mahbubul Alam, Dolar Mahmud, Mohammad Sohrawordi, Robiul Islam, Shamsur Rahman and Sahgir Hossain

A late afternoon collapse that saw Kent lose three wickets for four
runs in the space of five balls allowed Hampshire to wrest the
initiative of this first division survival battle

Mark Pennell at Canterbury08-Sep-2010
ScorecardA late afternoon collapse that saw Kent lose three wickets for four
runs in the space of five balls allowed Hampshire to wrest the
initiative of this first division survival battle and leave the hosts
staring down the barrel at Championship relegation.Having dismissed their fellow strugglers for 182 to secure a slender,
yet precious first innings lead of 22, Hampshire survived a dozen nervy
overs in fading light through to the close and go into day three on 16
without loss and an overall advantage in the match of 38 runs.Rain and bad light ensured there was no hope of Kent resuming on their
overnight total of 15 for one until 1.35pm and after the loss of 30
overs out of the day.Home second-wicket pair Rob Key and Joe Denly emerged seemingly hell
bent on making up for lost time and, with an array of drives and cuts,
took the score on to 41 before the gloom started to descend on the
Kentish faithful.Playing across the line of a canny off-cutter from Dominic Cork, Key
was almost walking by the time the finger went up to confirm the
Hampshire skipper’s leg before appeal.Denly, with a top-score of 42, and Martin van Jaarsveld (41) dug in to
double Kent’s tally before Denly played inside the line of a Sean
Ervine leg-cutter that rearranged middle and off stumps.Just before tea, Geraint Jones aiming to leg and against the spin
when facing left-arm spinner Danny Briggs also went lbw, though the
batsman left the middle somewhat quizzically and only after making a
point of inspecting the inside edge of his bat.Kent’s collapse gathered momentum soon after tea and coincided with a
second stint by seamer James Tomlinson, the pick of the visiting attack
on an overcast day with four for 59.He enticed Darren Stevens (13) into an ill-advised waft outside off
that found the edge through to the keeper and then beat Alex Blake for
pace next ball up to pin the rookie left-hander leg before.With five slips and a gully in place for the hat-trick delivery,
Tomlinson dragged the ball onto leg stump allowing James Tredwell to
survive it by glancing for four to fine leg.However, there was little or no respite for Kent as veteran seamer
Cork maintained his side’s grip on the game by plucking out van
Jaarsveld’s off stump in the next over as the hosts conspired to lose
three in the space of five deliveries.Malinga Bandara aimed a lusty blow against Tomlinson to miss by a mile
and go lbw, then Matt Coles steered to the keeper when trying to
withdraw the bat at the last minute. It was left to Ervine to polish off the innings by having James Tredwell caught at deep midwicket to end a last wicket stand of 22.Hampshire’s bowling hero Tomlinson, said afterwards: “We’re back in
the hunt in this game now and we’re delighted. We knew if we could nip
one or two out we might get more and we somehow managed to get wickets
at key moments.”

A number of IPL franchises have questioned whether the BCCI respects the rights of all the league’s stakeholders after the board ejected Punjab and Rajasthan from the IPL

Tariq Engineer10-Oct-2010A number of IPL franchises have questioned whether the BCCI respects the rights of all the league’s stakeholders, with Vijay Mallya asking if the teams are merely slaves, following the board’s decision to suddenly terminate two of the teams – Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab – on Sunday.”I wonder if the franchisees are serious stakeholders whose investments and participation are respected, or are they slaves who only come and play.” Mallya, who owns the Royals Challengers Bangalore, asked on Twitter.Raj Kundra, part-owner of Rajasthan Royals, questioned whether there the IPL will even be played next year if the board continues to treat the teams so callously. “I am still not sure why our contract has been terminated,” he told news channel . “I am mulling legal options but I am not sure whether we can have IPL 4 if teams are treated like this.”If a case is filed, it could force the league to postpone the player auction, currently scheduled to be held in November, something that worries a number of the remaining teams. “This will affect all the franchises,” another team official told ESPNcricinfo. “It adds to the uncertainty, which is bad for business.”An official with the Punjab franchise, however, said they were not considering legal options at the moment and expressed hope of resolving the situation with the BCCI. “We are in shock. It came out of the blue, it was absolutely unexpected.”Sidhartha Mallya endorsed his father’s comments, saying that the teams are the main shareholders in the league. He said that just like the UB group, India’s largest alcoholic beverages company which is owned by his family, has obligations to its shareholders, the league has certain obligations to the franchises that have been ‘terminated.’ Sidhartha Mallya said Sunday’s decision had led him to “question whether we are being looked after at the level we should be.”Shane Warne, who led Rajasthan to victory in the augural IPL, called the decision a big shock on Twitter, and hoped that the BCCI would come to its senses. Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who is fighting his own battle with the board, said that the teams are what makes the league and what has happened “is something that will only harm the image of the IPL and BCCI.”Abhijit Sarkar, spokesperson for the Sahara Warriors, one of the two new teams in the league along with Kochi, said that the franchise had no comment to make on the legal issues. Sarkar said, “We are newcomers in IPL and have been busy with getting our team ready. Our primary concerns are the player auction and the player retention.”Franchises are now anxious about the legal ramifications of scrapping two out of the IPL’s eight original franchises. An IPL team official said, “The legal domain is a very tricky one. What happens if the auction is stayed by the court? This could jeopardise the IPL itself.” The BCCI’s statement about the termination said the decision had been arrived it based on “legal opinions obtained” about Rajasthan and Punjab. The ‘legal opinion’, IPL frachise believed was not necessarily a switft conclusion to the controversy. He said, “Legal opinion also advised the BCCI to file charges against Jagmohan Dalmiya and how did that go?”The IPL governing council ejected Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from the league on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms at its emergency meeting earlier today.

The one-year ban on Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was lifted on Saturday by the PCB, clearing the way for the fast bowler to be considered for national selection once again

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2010The one-year ban on Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was lifted on Saturday by the PCB, clearing the way for the fast bowler to be considered for national selection once again.Rana was one of seven players banned or fined earlier this year by the board following a disastrous tour to Australia; the other six have already had their punishments lifted or reduced on appeal – Mohammad Yousuf did not appeal but is back in the national fold – and this decision means that each one of the seven has now been pardoned. Rana and Younis Khan apart, the others have all played for Pakistan since.”Rana’s one-year ban has been lifted and his Rs 2 million fine has also been halved,” Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor told ESPNcricinfo.The overturn came a day after Pakistan announced their Test squad for the South Africa series but Rana believes he still has a future with the national side. “Obviously this is a great relief for me as it’s been hanging over my career for a few months now,” Rana told ESPNcricinfo. “But I’m confident I can get back into the Pakistan side. I’m fit, I’m bowling well and I believe I can contribute.”Rana is scheduled to take part in the PCB’s Twenty20 domestic tournament for reigning champions Sialkot Stallions from Sunday. If he is not part of Pakistan’s winter plans, which include a tour to New Zealand, he will turn out for Tasmania in the Big Bash as he did last season.

Graeme Smith may miss the first Test against India in mid-December if the fracture to the little finger of his left hand, sustained during the recently completed series against Pakistan, requires surgery

Firdose Moonda24-Nov-2010There is a possibility that Graeme Smith may miss the first Test against India in mid-December if the fracture to the little finger of his left hand, sustained during the recently completed series against Pakistan, requires surgery. While the injury means Smith will not be able to play for at least three weeks, he could be out for even longer if the problem needs to be operated upon.”Only 10% of hand fractures require surgery,” Mike Solomon, the Cape Town based orthopaedic surgeon who will see Smith on Friday, told ESPNcricinfo. Smith will only have to go under the knife if there is a gap between the bones in his finger; what is known as a displaced fracture. Cricket South Africa management diagnosed the fracture as non-displaced, which means that the recovery period should be shorter.”Usually hand fractures heal in three to four weeks but they can take up to six weeks. I have no details about Graeme’s injury so I can’t say which category he falls into,” Solomon said.
Smith’s latest injury was caused when he was struck on the hand by a rising delivery from Shoaib Ahktar in the first one-day international of the series against Pakistan. It kept him out of the second and third match, but he returned to play in the last two ODIs and the two Tests, which caused the injury to flare up. “It was aggravated by the continuous wear and tear involved with fielding and batting”, Mohammed Moosajee, team manager said.Smith has now had five separate hand injuries in the past two-and-a-half years, which have often kept him out of limited-overs engagements but have yet to affect his participation in Tests. The fracture prior to his most recent injury was sustained while taking a catch during the IPL in April. The worrying thing about the latest injury is that, similar to the broken hand Smith suffered twice at the hands of Mitchell Johnson in the 2008/9 season, it was sustained while batting. Once again, questions will be raised about whether it’s Smith’s technique that makes him vulnerable to being hit or if he is just unlucky.”He has a very dominant bottom hand which could leave more of the hand exposed,” said Richard Pybus, the former Pakistan coach who is currently in charge of the Cape Cobras. “Usually batsmen grip the bat with their thumb, forefinger and middle finger but it’s possible he could expose his ring and little finger more than others because of his technique. I haven’t worked that much with him so I am not certain of the theory.”Jimmy Cook, who coached Smith when he was a schoolboy at the King Edward High School in Johannesburg, said that he tried to decrease Smith’s reliance on his bottom hand many times. “We tried to change it and moved it a lot but he couldn’t adjust too much,” Cook said.Smith’s technique has served him well over the years, helping him accumulate over 7,000 Test runs and allowing him to be “prolific on the leg side” according to Cook. “Eventually, I thought that if using the bottom hand like that is going to benefit him, he should leave it like that. He’s taken a few hits on the hand now, so I don’t think he is scared.”Smith is not the only South African with arm trouble. Also among the walking wounded is Hashim Amla. Amla was hit on the forearm by a Misbah-ul-Haq pull shot when he was fielding at short leg during the second session on Wednesday. He left the field for treatment and did not return for the remainder of the game, but was not taken to hospital for any scans. “He is under the physiotherapists’ watch and we are waiting to see how he responds to icing, compression and elevation. We will have a clearer picture a bit later,” said Moosajee.The first Test against India gets underway on the 16th of December at Centurion.

It was a day for burning up the record books at the Gabba as Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott produced a herculean unbroken stand of 329 to secure a comfortable draw for England

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan29-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook continued his commanding display as he moved to a maiden double hundred•Getty Images

It was a day for burning up the record books at the Gabba as Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott produced a herculean unbroken stand of 329 to secure a comfortable draw for England. Cook scored his maiden double-century and Trott hit his second hundred against Australia, making it the first time England’s top three had scored Ashes tons, before Andrew Strauss declared at a mind-boggling 1 for 517, which left Australia to face 41 overs.There was never a realistic chance of a result with England 296 in front, but they wanted to try to secure further psychological points ahead of Adelaide. Stuart Broad, wicketless in the first innings, made an early breakthrough when Simon Katich edged to slip, however, Ricky Ponting put two days of fielding frustration behind him to notch a brisk half-century as he and Shane Watson batted out the remainder of the match and lifted Australia’s spirits a little. It had been a sobering time in the field, as they claimed a single wicket in 26 overs.While Cook and Trott extended a stand that was already worth 121 overnight, it was difficult to keep up with each new landmark. On a personal level, Cook’s 200 came from 306 balls while Trott’s elegant, composed hundred took 213 and his was an innings studded with wonderful driving. In 2005, Cook cracked a double-hundred against the touring Australians but that wasn’t a first-class match and this innings left his previous Test-best of 173, made against Bangladesh at Chittagong, well behind.In a mark of what Cook achieved, he also broke a record held by Don Bradman for the highest individual score at the Gabba, while his match aggregate bettered that of Matthew Hayden in the 2002-03 Ashes encounter. Trott, meanwhile, continued the prolific start to his Test career and made it two second-innings hundreds in two Tests against Australia following his debut ton at The Oval.The partnership rattled through the records. It became the highest for England in Australia and banished the Michael Hussey-Brad Haddin alliance to second place for any stand at Brisbane less than two days after it was set. They finished with the highest-scoring innings for the loss of a single wicket. For the England fans, who far outnumbered the locals on the final day, it will have been the performance of Ashes dreams.England began the day knowing they weren’t out of danger despite yesterday’s heroics and there were more than a few mentions of what happened in Adelaide four years ago. However, this time there was no Shane Warne to spin the batsmen into submission. Instead, Cook and Trott continued as they had done the previous evening by scoring at a rapid pace against unthreatening bowling and by lunch it was just a question of how many overs England wanted at demoralised opponents.Ponting set fairly defensive fields and a number of edges flew through gaps in the slips, but Australia couldn’t even take the one chance that came their when Michael Clarke dropped a sitter at slip when Trott, on 75, tried to guide Watson to third man. Ponting just continued to chew his gum and the home side were deflated.Mitchell Johnson, meanwhile, went through a horrid spell to give his confidence another pounding. He tried over and round the wicket to both batsmen, but his match was summed up when he sprayed a terrible bouncer miles down the leg side against Trott which flew for five wides. Johnson ended wicketless in a Test for the first time and faced a nervous wait to see what his immediate future held.England teams have been through years of pain in Australia, and especially at the Gabba, and the two batsmen were in no mood to let up. Both batsmen start to open their shoulders; Cook used his feet against the spinners while Trott continued to show his sweet straight driving. Even when Doherty found turn from the footmarks, two deliveries beat Brad Haddin for four byes.Australia thought they’d finally broken through at 1 for 457 when Cook chipped Doherty to short midwicket, where Ponting dived forward for the catch, but the celebration was so low-key that Cook stood his ground and it went to the TV umpire. As so often, the cameras added doubt although it appeared Ponting had got his fingers under the ball and he was angered when the decision was ruled not out.Just to add to Ponting’s pain, he then spilled a tough late chance at slip and when England passed 500 courtesy of four more byes all he could offer was a gentle clap and strained smile. Ponting, though, has determination in bucket-loads and was desperate not to hand England his wicket during the final session.The quick bowlers tried to pepper him with short balls, and Finn struck his helmet, but the pitch was too docile to cause major concerns. James Anderson, meanwhile, had plenty to say to both batsmen and had to be spoken to by Aleem Dar. Graeme Swann was denied a confidence-boosting scalp when Paul Collingwood spilled Watson at slip in what proved to be the last significant chance they created. Ponting sped to a 40-ball half-century to ease his tension a little.At the start of the final hour Strauss approached his opposite number and the two captains shook on a draw but, once again, the final outcome doesn’t reflect the drama of the five days. Battle will be resumed in Adelaide, on Friday, where it’s unlikely to be any easier for the bowlers.

Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, has said he’s not worried by his side’s miserable performance in their tour opener against Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, has said he’s not worried by his side’s miserable performance in their tour opener against Auckland, folding for 91 in a Twenty20 match which they lost by five wickets. Pakistan’s brittle batting failed to last 20 overs at Colin Maiden Park in what was their only Twenty20 warm-up match of the tour, and Auckland chased down their target with more than six overs remaining.”It wasn’t the ideal start but that happens sometimes when you’ve just arrived in the country and you don’t really know much about the pitch conditions,” Waqar said. “I’m not really worried about it.”Pakistan’s batting fragility has hurt them plenty of times this year, and it was no different against Auckland. “The batting had been undergoing a good deal of work but the batsmen failed to click in the game and no-one had taken responsibility to anchor the effort.”Pakistan’s next match is the first of three Twenty20s against New Zealand, on Boxing Day. “I think they’ve learned the lesson and hopefully in the next game it will be a different ball game,” Waqar said. “We have done badly today, and we have spoken about it. We have to work hard over the next couple of days so we don’t repeat this type of performance.”