All posts by n8rngtd.top

A combination of factors helped Bangladesh inflict a huge defeat on West Indies, Mushfiqur Rahim has said

Mohammad Isam18-Oct-2011West Indies endured a day of shock, as they were bowled out for 61 – their second-lowest score in ODIs. The performance, that lasted just 22 overs, was a result of pathetic application on a track that had its fair share of demons for those teams wary of spin. The straw-coloured pitch at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – under covers more than 15 hours due to the threat of overnight rain – offered bounce to the seamers and turn and bite for the slow bowlers.”The wicket here has always helped pace bowlers as well as providing turn for the spinners,” Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, said after his team’s eight-wicket consolation win. “It wasn’t any different today. It was under covers for 17-18 hours and the spinners bowled very well.”In the last three matches, we couldn’t get an early breakthrough; it is important in our home conditions against a good team. It was a big plus point for us today as they struggled playing spin.”Mushfiqur said a combination of factors contributed to his team’s win. “Rain, winning the toss, the wicket, everything [had a role to play]. It is not a given that we’d win here. Our bowlers did what was expected of them. Overall, conditions were in our favour.”The ground is no stranger to low scores, however. The average score here is around 180, the average economy rate just above four an over and a lowest score of 44 by Zimbabwe; Bangladesh lost four wickets in the chase.The outfield was poor as the large covers missed some big spots around the boundary. The super-sopper was hard at work for a couple of hours before the game when the covers were taken off following a light drizzle. Sawdust had to be brought on to help with the drying; the 30-minute delay was shorter than what was expected.Not long after the start, there was a procession of West Indies batsmen towards the pavilion. Danza Hyatt and Marlon Samuels were dismissed by the seamers in quick succession and the batsmen who followed found it difficult to negotiate the turn or, at times, the lack of it, as some deliveries held their line. Nasir Hossain dislodged Kieran Powell with one that turned from off to leg, and Kieron Pollard fell next ball. Shakib Al Hasan took over and with his wily left-arm spin, finished with career-best figures in ODIs.When asked if the result today will erase the memories of being bowled out for 58 against West Indies in the World Cup, Shakib said: “People forget everything right? It is a matter of time.”

Seventeen wickets fell on the opening day at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia, with Bangladesh A emerging from the carnage with the upper hand over West Indies A

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2011
ScorecardSeventeen wickets fell on the opening day at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia, with Bangladesh A emerging from the carnage with the upper hand over West Indies A. The hosts chose to bowl first and despite two early wickets, Bangladesh A had progressed to 51 for 2 before trouble started. Andre Russell and Nelon Pascal ripped out the heart of the Bangladesh order, as the hosts lost 6 wickets for 28 runs. At 79 for 8, it looked like the visitors would not reach three figures, but Farhad Reza and Sohag Gazi staged a rearguard action, adding 61 for the ninth wicket, before Gazi fell to Sunil Narine for 30. Reza ended up unbeaten on 39, while Russell and Pascal took four wickets apiece.West Indies A struggled even more in their reply, with only opener Rajindra Chandrika reaching double figures, as seven other batsmen returned to the pavilion over the course of 35 overs. Farhad Reza and Suhrawadi Shuvo took three wickets each as the hosts were reduced to 60 for 7 before ending the day on 72 for 7. Chandrika was still there on 30, with Narine on 7 for company.

Virender Sehwag and Ricky Ponting feel the Test is finely balanced going into the fourth day, which could also prove to be the final one

Sidharth Monga at the MCG28-Dec-2011Virender Sehwag and Ricky Ponting feel the Test is finely balanced going into the fourth day, which could also prove to be the final one. Ponting said the lead of 230 was already a reasonable one, but he would love for Michael Hussey and the last two to add more. Sehwag said India would be comfortable chasing anything under 300. The highest successful chase at the MCG is 332.It’s the state of the pitch, which has had life for good bowling throughout the three days, across sessions, that makes it interesting. “When you saw their top-order batters come in this morning, they found it difficult to start,” Ponting said. “I think our batters found it difficult to start this afternoon as well. There’s just enough assistance for the bowlers if you bowl in the right areas for long enough. That’s what our target will be tomorrow.”The first target for Australia, though, will be to extend their own innings. “Tomorrow morning is going to be really crucial for us now,” Ponting said. “We know that James Pattinson has got some really solid promise with the bat. He’s going to have to show that for us tomorrow. And we need Mike Hussey to go on and get a big score and continue to keep pushing the game forward. We’re 230 ahead now, which I think is a reasonable total for India to have to chase, but ideally we’d like to make a few more than that.”Ponting said the thickish grass on the pitch made it difficult to bat on. “It’s a little bit difficult to start on,” he said. “There’s a little bit of thickish grass sitting on top of the wicket, so the seam is grabbing into that grass a little bit and makes it a little bit inconsistent. If you get through the first half-hour of your innings, every wicket around the world seems like it’s a pretty good wicket. Most of our batters found it tough to get through that today. Hopefully tomorrow we can make it difficult for the Indians as well.”There hasn’t been a lot of spin yet. Ashwin has got a few to be a bit inconsistent, bounce-wise. I guess for a finger-spinner, that’s probably as much assistance as turning the ball a lot anyway. I thought Ashwin did a good job for them today, he changes his pace up all the time, he has got a fair bit of variation. I think Nathan Lyon can learn a little bit from that in how he can apply his skills in the second innings.”Sehwag got through that first half hour in the first innings, but ended his innings playing on. He then went on to see three Australians playing on today. “Ball is not coming on to the bat,” he said. “It’s stopping and coming. Spongy bounce. So batsmen are playing little early, that’s why they are getting inside edges.”Sehwag knows his and Gautam Gambhir’s contribution will be vital whatever total India are chasing. “It’s not just my contribution. It’s a team game. [But] Yes it’s important for us to give a good start to the team. If we are able to give a good start then we have a very good chance to win the Test match.”Sehwag said he was satisfied with India’s day in the field, especially how they came back after the collapse. “It’s a good day for India, and the match is evenly balanced,” he said. “Any team can win that. We have to work hard tomorrow. If we win the game, we really have to bat well on the fourth and fifth days.”The bowlers delivered [today]. Especially in first spell, Umesh Yadav and Ishant [Sharma] and Zak [Zaheer Khan], they bowled beautifully. And through the day [R] Ashwin bowled really well. He kept one end up at less than three an over. Overall it was a good day for India.” He went on to label India’s bowling line-up the best Indian attack he has played with.

The Guyana Cricket Board has said it will take disciplinary action against Ramnaresh Sarwan, after Sarwan publicly criticised the board for not picking him in Guyana’s squad for the Caribbean T20

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2011The Guyana Cricket Board has said it will take disciplinary action against Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Guyana and West Indies batsman, after Sarwan publicly criticised the board for not picking him in Guyana’s squad for the Caribbean T20. A GCB release said Sarwan had telephoned Guyana’s chairman of selectors Reyon Griffith on December 4, the day the squad was announced, and “engaged in behaviour now attracting the attention of the Guyana Police Force.”The board had said the selectors had not picked Sarwan because they were not sure he would be fit to play, but Sarwan had said “that is total c**p” and that he had informed the president of the board and Griffith that he had recovered from the injury that kept him out of West Indies’ tours of Bangladesh and India. The board, however, have said it had asked Sarwan to submit a medical report proving his fitness and only received a document on December 5, a day after the 14-man squad for the Caribbean T20 had been selected.The board also questioned whether the document Sarwan had submitted could be considered a medical report since it was submitted by a personal trainer and not a doctor.”This ‘document’ originated from Mr. Forrest Nelson, a personal trainer who has a degree as a physical therapy assistant (PTA),” a GCB release said. “The presentation of this document as a medical report by an assistant physical therapist is viewed as unethical and possibly illegal.”Sarwan had said he had informed the board of his fitness personally and when they asked him to provide evidence he had “got the experts who treated me to send an e-mail to me which I forwarded to the GCB on the status of my injury.”The GCB said Sarwan had contacted the board on November 12 and said he would be fit by December 2. The board, however, pointed to the fact that Sarwan had spent time in Canada, where temperatures are sub-zero at this time of year, rather than playing in the local T20 tournament in Guyana that was used to pick the Caribbean T20 squad.”The GCB received communication from Mr Sarwan on November 12 indicating he was confident he would be injury free by December2; this was passed on to the chairman of selectors,” the release said. “The Carib/Pepsi 20/20 Big Smash competition was designed to provide opportunities and preparation for cricketers, and at no time was Mr. Sarwan ineligible to play. Mr Sarwan’s suggestion that he is working on ‘match fitness’ in Canada during the winter is baffling.”Sarwan had said the board were being inconsistent in using his non-participation in the local T20 tournament as a reason for leaving him out of the Caribbean T20, since he had not played in Guyana’s local 50-over tournament either yet had was picked in the Guyana squad for the WICB’s 50-over event.”The behaviour of Mr Sarwan subsequent to his non-selection to the Guyana team and his continued attempts to influence the selection process and abuse to executive members has caused grave concern at the Guyana Cricket Board and we are in the process of instituting disciplinary measures,” the GCB release said.Guyana will go into the Caribbean T20 with Ravindranauth Seeram, the former Guyana captain, as head coach. Seeram had been replaced by former Guyana team-mate Mark Harper for this year’s regional first-class championship and Regional Super50 tournament. The GCB appoints coaches on a tournament-by-tournament basis and given Seeram’s success in the July 2010 Caribbean T20, which Guyana won, they have re-appointed him for the 2011-12 event.

None of the senior players is retiring as of now, the India team has said

Sidharth Monga at Adelaide Oval28-Jan-2012None of the senior players is retiring as of now, the India team has said. There have been reports during the series that VVS Laxman (during Perth) and Rahul Dravid (during Adelaide) might have played their last Test match. After India’s 0-4 whitewash, though, the team spokesperson read out a statement saying the reports were rumour and incorrect.”The team takes note of the stories in the media suggesting the imminent retirement of a member of the Indian team,” the spokesperson said. “We would like to clarify the situation by stating categorically that these are not correct and are baseless.” The statement didn’t name any of the players. “No players from the Indian team will be retiring. It is a rumour. Baseless. Incorrect.”Virender Sehwag, the stand-in captain, said, “I clarify that there is no need for retirement from anybody in this team. And they will take their call when they need it and when they think that their time is up.”The speculation, though, remains rife, especially because India don’t play an away Test for the next two years, and it doesn’t make sense to carry any player further unless he will be fit and ready for those overseas tours. When asked if he felt the seniors should be phased out, Sehwag said it wasn’t his decision. “That’s the team management and selectors who will decide,” he said. “It is not me or anyone else who will decide. If they think we need something to change, they will do that. If they think we should carry on with the same, and just wait for other players to perform, and if you perform, they will take the call.”Sehwag also supported coach Duncan Fletcher, under whom India have lost eight away Tests in a row. Fletcher’s record as a coach in Australia now reads one Test win and 13 losses. “He is a good coach,” Sehwag said. “He is talking to a lot of the batsmen and giving his input and making a lot of strategy. When you can’t execute your strategy, nothing happens.”Why should I blame him [Fletcher]? It’s the players who let the team down, not the support staff. They are very good. They are giving everything the players ask for. They were throwing to a lot of the batsmen. Thanks to the support staff. They are working hard to make sure the players perform. Make sure they give a good atmosphere for the players to perform.”

Sarel Burger will lead Namibia in the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March, assisted by Raymond van Schoor, as per the 14-man squad announced by Cricket Namibia

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2012Sarel Burger will lead Namibia in the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March. Raymond van Schoor, was named vice-captain in the 14-man squad announced by Cricket Namibia. The squad will also include four non-travelling reserves.Among the newer faces in the squad are Gerhard Erasmus, Ian Opperman, Hendrik Geldenhuys and Zhivago Groenewald – these four players have seven List A matches among them.Sixteen Associate and Affiliate teams will compete in the 72-match qualifying tournament, for two available spots in the World Twenty20, slated to be held in Sri Lanka later this year. Namibia have been drawn in Group B of the qualifiers, along with Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Uganda, Oman, Italy and USA.Squad: Sarel Burger (capt), Raymond Van Schoor (vice-capt), Ewald Steenkamp, Louis van der Westhuizen, Craig Williams, Gerrie Snyman, Nicholaas Scholtz, Gerhard Erasmus, Ian Opperman, Christi Viljoen, Bernard Scholtz, Louis Klazinga, Hendrik Geldenhuys, Zhivago Groenewald

Reserves: Bredell Wessels, Pikkie Ya France, Gj Dippenaar, Christopher Coombe

The fast bowler Jackson Bird has been named the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year after a remarkable debut season for Tasmania

Brydon Coverdale14-Mar-2012The fast bowler Jackson Bird has been named the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year after a remarkable debut season for Tasmania. Bird, 25, moved from New South Wales to Hobart last winter after being offered his first state contract and he has rewarded the Tigers by topping the Sheffield Shield wicket tally and helping them reach the Shield final against Queensland, which starts on Friday.Bird was handed his prize at the State Cricket Awards in Brisbane, winning the peer-voted award on 21 votes, ahead of Queensland’s Ben Cutting on 16, and a further three players – George Bailey, Ed Cowan and Liam Davis – all on 15. Bird did not make his first-class debut until the fourth game of Tasmania’s campaign, but he quickly made up for lost time.In his seven matches he has collected five five-wicket hauls and twice has taken ten wickets in a match. He also completed a hat-trick in Tasmania’s most recent game, and has surprised all onlookers, including the Tasmania bowling coach Ali de Winter, who recruited Bird after being impressed by his work in Sydney grade cricket and in the New South Wales Second XI.”It’s been an outstanding year for him, with 48 wickets in just the seven games,” de Winter told ESPNcricinfo after the awards. “It’s his consistency across all games and on various surfaces across the country that has been the really pleasing thing. His bowling has been way above expectations for us.”The South Australia batsman Tom Cooper was named the Ryobi Cup Player of the Year for his 366 runs at an average of 73.20. Cowan finished second in the one-day poll and Klinger, who led South Australia to the title and scored 81 in the final having made 112 in the game that secured them the home decider, came third.The ACA teams of the year for the three formats were also named, with Cooper and Victoria’s Rob Quiney the only m3n to feature in both the four-day and one-day 12-man squads. Surprisingly, the T20 side did not feature any players from the Sydney Sixers, who won the tournament.Leah Poulton and Lisa Sthalekar shared the Women’s National Cricket League award and Meg Lanning was named the Women’s T20 Player of the Year. The New South Wales fast bowler Josh Lalor was named the Lord’s Taverners Indigenous Cricketer of the Year. Simon Taufel won the Cricket Australia Umpire Award. Queensland won the Benaud Spirit of Cricket Award and the New South Wales women’s side won the WNCL Spirit of Cricket Award.Four-day Team of the Year Rob Quiney, Liam Davis, George Bailey (capt), Peter Forrest, Adam Voges (vice-capt), Daniel Christian, Peter Nevill (wk), Ben Cutting, Jayde Herrick, Jackson Bird, Michael Hogan, Tom Cooper (12th man).One-day Interstate Team of the Year Michael Klinger (capt), Matthew Wade (wk), Ed Cowan (vice-capt), Tom Cooper, Nathan Reardon, Rob Quiney, James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Starc, Jason Krejza, Alister McDermott, Callum Ferguson (12th man).Big Bash League Team of the Year Chris Gayle (vice-capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Travis Birt, Owais Shah, David Hussey (capt), Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Shahid Afridi, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Brad Hogg, Daniel Christian (12th man).

Mahela Jayawaradene has reiterated that his current role as Sri Lanka captain is a short-term job and he wants to find his successor as soon as possible

Andrew McGlashan09-Apr-2012Mahela Jayawardene has reiterated that his current role as Sri Lanka captain is a short-term job and he wants to find his successor as soon as possible.He accepted a request to captain the team again after Tillakaratne Dilshan lost the post following the tour of South Africa and the results have been creditable so far, especially in the CB Series in Australia where they pushed the hosts to a third final, and then the Test series against England which ended 1-1. Jayawardene also claimed the Man-of-the-Series award after scoring 354 runs including two centuries.However at 34, Jayawardene, who has now linked up with the IPL along with a number of his team-mates, knows he is coming towards the end of his career and sees a large part of his role now as ensuring a smooth transition to a new long-term captain.”I’ve been given the challenge to lead the team and took that for 12 months to see what happens,” he said. “I would love to groom another leader and hand it over to him as quickly as possible. That’s the way Sri Lanka cricket should move on.”But Jayawardene has no immediate plans to reconsider his future in the international game. After a short-term slump in Test cricket, where he did not reach fifty in 12 innings, his results during the England series showed a batsman at the top of his game.”After the World Cup I spoke to the selectors and said I’d take it six months at a time,” he said. “It all depends on the hunger I have. So long as I’m performing to the standards I’ve set myself I’ll play for a little longer, but when the hunger goes that will be the day I quit.”Sri Lanka’s next engagement in Test cricket is against Pakistan following the IPL. There are a number of areas that they will need to address, not least the opening batting combination which failed to produce any solid starts. Lahiru Thirimanne was worked over by James Anderson while Tillakaratne Dilshan was stuck in one-day mode until the second innings in Colombo where he fell to a controversial review.Jayawardene, though, does not want to jump to any conclusions about what changes may be needed and insists consistency will bring rewards in the longer term.”I said before the series that Lahiru was given a chance in South Africa and I wanted to be consistent and give him a decent run before we make judgements on players,” he said. “Now we’ve got a break before our next Test series so that gives us an opportunity to sit down with the selectors and discuss where we need to improve or if we need to make changes. It’s a good place to be in because we’ve been consistent with our selections.”Rangana Herath, who took 19 wickets in the two Tests, will also need greater support in the bowling attack if he is not to be overburdened by the role of needing to take wickets and keep scoring rates down. Suraj Randiv partnered him well in Galle but struggled in Colombo where he was taken apart by Kevin Pietersen and by the end of the match Dilshan was the preferred offspinner.”Rangana is the best bowler I have and you obviously bank on him,” Jayawardene said. “The challenge I have is to try and not do the same thing we did with Murali (Muralitharan) and leave it as one bowler we depend on. We need two or three bowlers so we can take the pressure off him. But Rangana will keep delivering, he has the quality to do that on any surface.”

England’s captain Andrew Strauss, whose lack of runs became a source of debate on the winter tours in Asia, will seek to regain form in a full programme of county matches ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on May 17

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2012England’s captain Andrew Strauss, whose lack of runs became a source of debate on the winter tours in Asia, will seek to regain form in a full programme of county matches ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on May 17.While some players, such as Ian Bell, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara, Steve Davies and James Tredwell will be available for this week’s round of championship games, others – such as James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Alastair Cook – will be rested until the start of May.Full availability of England squad
James Anderson (Lancashire): Available for championship match against Nottinghamshire (May 2-5)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire): Available for all cricket from April 16 up to and including CB40 match against Derbyshire (May 13)
Ravi Bopara (Essex): Available for all cricket
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire): Available for championship matches against Kent (April 26-29) and Leicestershire (May 2-5)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire): Currently unavailable, continuing rehabilitation following calf injury. Expected to be available in early May
Alastair Cook (Essex): Available for all cricket from May 2 up to and including CB40 match against Worcestershire (May 13)
Steven Davies (Surrey): Available for all cricket
Steven Finn (Middlesex): Available for championship matches against Durham (April 19-22) and Worcestershire (May 3-6)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex): Currently at the IPL commitments. Available for all cricket from May 15
Monty Panesar (Sussex): Available for all cricket
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire): Available for all cricket
Kevin Pietersen (Surrey): Currently at the IPL commitments. Available for championship match against Worcestershire (May 9-12)
Matt Prior (Sussex): Available for championship matches against Warwickshire (April 26-29) and Lancashire (May 9-12) and tour match against West Indies (May 5-7)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire): Available for championship matches against Lancashire (May 2-5) and Middlesex (May 9-12)
Andrew Strauss (Middlesex): Available for all cricket from April 16 apart from CB40 match against Netherlands (May 14)
James Tredwell (Kent): Available for all cricket
Chris Tremlett (Surrey): Currently unavailable, continuing rehabilitation following back surgery
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire): Available for all cricket from April 23 up to and including CB40 match against Derbyshire (May 14)

Vusi Sibanda has not been selected for the tour to New Zealand earlier this year because he chose to play grade cricket in Australia and declined a Zimbabwe Cricket contract

Firdose Moonda02-May-2012Vusi Sibanda has made a return to Zimbabwe’s national squad and was included in the 24-man training group to play South Africa in five Twenty20 matches in June. Sibanda was not considered for Zimbabwe’s January tour of New Zealand after he chose to play grade cricket in Australia instead of fulfilling domestic commitments in Zimbabwe.Although Sibanda returned home after a five-week stint for Eastern Suburbs in Sydney before the New Zealand tour, Zimbabwe Cricket’s (ZC) cricket committee decided not to select him on principle. At the time, Sibanda was told that if he renewed his commitment to ZC, he would be considered again.Sibanda finished the 2011-12 season with his local franchise, the Mid West Rhinos, for whom he played four first-class and five limited-overs matches, including a 162 against Mountaineers. Zimbabwe do not have any international assignment through the winter, but Sibanda’s path back to the national team appears to be clear as he was included in the preliminary squad for the practice matches against South Africa.”I am very pleased that the issues are done and dusted,” Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “Now, Vusi can move forward and put it out of his mind.”The training squad is a strong group, including many of the faces who steered Zimbabwe to a successful Test comeback in August last year. Brendan Taylor will lead the team propped up by the experience of Hamilton Masakadza, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Elton Chigumbura and Tatenda Taibu. Experienced seamer Chris Mpofu also makes a comeback after missing the New Zealand series with a lower back injury.Some of the newer faces include under-19 wicketkeeper batsman Kevin Kasuza and medium-pacer Richard Muzhange. Zimbabwe have packed the training squad with bowlers as seamers Tendai Chatara and Njabula Ncube as well as legspinner Natsai Mushangwe been given the opportunity to work with the national team.”I am very happy with the group we’ve got,” Butcher said. “We’ve decided that in T20s, we should try and look more at allrounders for the side.” Chigumbura, Waller, Meth and Shingi Masakadza are the four premier allrounders in the squad.The five matches, which will take place in Harare from June 20-24, have not been given international status because they will take place outside of the FTP. They will also not be broadcast on television, given ZC’s financial crunch. South Africa are hoping to use the matches as preparation for the World T20 in September and Butcher said Zimbabwe will do the same. “It gives us a chance to work on a few things and see the make up of the side,” he said. “I was quite happy with the way we played T20 cricket in New Zealand and hopefully we can build on that.”Zimbabwe lost all the matches they played on the New Zealand trip, but gave the best account of themselves in the Twenty20s. “It will be good for us to play against another top side and that’s exactly what South Africa are,” Butcher said. “We’ve got a great bunch of guys who have been working hard so we’re excited about what’s to come.”Zimbabwe squad: Brendan Taylor (capt), Tatenda Taibu, Elton Chigumbura, Malcolm Waller, Charles Coventry, Forster Mutizwa, Graeme Cremer, Raymond Price, Tendai Chatara, Prosper Utseya, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Brian Vitori, Keegan Meth, Njabulo Ncube, Kevin Kasuza, Chamu Chibhabha, , Hamilton Masakadza, Shingi Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Richard Muzhange, Vusi Sibanda, Craig Ervine