Holland were denied the opportunity to push for a second win in as many days in the Clydesdale Bank 40 when their clash with Worcestershire in Rotterdam was washed out

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2011
ScorecardHolland were denied the opportunity to push for a second win in as many days in the Clydesdale Bank 40 when their clash with Worcestershire in Rotterdam was washed out.Heavy rain in Hazelaarweg meant the Group A game was called off shortly after midday, meaning both teams pick up a point apiece. The Dutch will be disappointed to have not been able to take the field after their 40-run victory over Kent on home soil on Sunday.Peter Borren’s side have won three of their eight fixtures, while Worcestershire prop up the rest in the standings having won just once in six outings in the competition this season.

Scott Borthwick’s maiden five-wicket haul revived Durham ‘s County Championship title challenge at Hove and deepened Sussex ‘s relegation fears

01-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Scott Borthwick’s maiden five-wicket haul revived Durham ‘s County Championship title challenge at Hove and deepened Sussex ‘s relegation fears.A week after his England one-day debut in Ireland, leg-spinner Borthwick took
five for 80 in 19 overs as Sussex were dismissed for 218 on a good pitch under
cloudless skies. They trailed by 154 but Durham declined to enforce the follow-on and reached 93 without loss after Michael Di Venuto retired hurt on two following a blow on the
elbow from a ball by Wayne Parnell.Will Smith, dropped by Luke Wells at backward point off Amjad Khan on 42, was
on 54 at the close with Mark Stoneman on 30 following his first-day century. Stoneman also held a brilliant catch to get rid of Matt Prior, who made 22 off 14 balls. He had already taken six runs off a Borthwick over when he drove the youngster over extra cover and Stoneman dived to hold the catch just inside the short boundary on the pavilion side.Borthwick initially came on for the final over before lunch and was rewarded
with a third-ball wicket as a googly had left-hander Luke Wells lbw for 27. It was the fourth time that a wicket had fallen in the first over of a spell and, after snaring Prior in the second over after the break, Borthwick stayed on for the rest of the innings.He took five successive wickets while Graham Onions topped and tailed the
innings to finish with 4 for 67. When Onions was recalled with eight wickets down home skipper Michael Yardy, continuing his fine form, twice cut the paceman for four and also drove him to
the cover boundary in the same over to complete his half-century.After protecting Amjad Khan from the strike, Yardy was on 61 when he took a
single off Onions two balls before tea. Khan tried to pull the next ball and gloved a catch to Phil Mustard to delay the interval with last man Monty Panesar coming in. Yardy took five runs off the
next over, but in making room to hit Onions to the short off-side boundary he
was bowled for 66.Onions’ earlier victims were Chris Nash, who checked his intended pull and
offered a return catch off the sixth ball of the innings, and Murray Goodwin,
who fell to the first ball of the paceman’s second spell. Coming down the hill this time, Onions found some extra bounce and Goodwin fended to gully.

Aleem Dar, the three-time ICC Umpire of the Year, has said the inconsistent use of the Decision Review System (DRS) affects an umpire’s performance and has called for the system to be used uniformly across all international series

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2011Aleem Dar, the three-time ICC Umpire of the Year, has said the inconsistent use of the Decision Review System (DRS) affects an umpire’s performance and has called for the system to be used uniformly across all international series.”There’s no issue in using technology,” Dar told . It’s a good addition to the game but the umpires should stop thinking about it when making a decision. And, instead of being used randomly, the system should be enforced on a permanent basis in all series … It’s not being used in all series and that affects the umpires’ performance. I believe inconsistent usage is not good for the game either.”Dar’s is the latest voice to join the debate over the use of technology. On Australia’s recent tour of Sri Lanka, Brad Haddin, Australia’s wicketkeeper, said the system should be used consistently by all the international teams or not at all. On the other hand, the BCCI recently announced it was once again opposed to all forms of the DRS after India’s tour of England, despite having agreed to a minimum standard at the ICC’s annual conference in June.The ICC also allows teams to opt out of implementing the system altogether for commercial reasons, as is the case with the upcoming Bangladesh-West Indies series, further complicating the issue.Dar also said the ICC’s new rules, which went into effect on October 1, have added to the responsibility of the umpires. The amendments to the playing conditions include having two new balls to start an innings, a redefined period of Powerplays and a ban on the use of runners. Confusion over the new rule on runners led to a 28-minute delay during the Faysal Bank T20 Cup final, and Dar said the umpires need to be more vigilant.”I feel my responsibility has increased and we need to be more focussed,” Dar told the . “The team [in the Faysal Bank T20] was allowed a runner because the tournament was played with the previous playing rules. Umpires may face such situations after the rule changes and that’s an increased burden.”

Most of the matches at the end of the group stages are knockouts and this one between Somerset and Warriors is no different

The Preview by Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2011

Match facts

Somerset v Warriors, October 5, Bangalore
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can Somerset pick themselves up after the thrashing against Royal Challengers Bangalore?•AFP

Big Picture

Most of the matches at the end of the group stages are almost knockouts and this one is no different. Its crunch time for Warriors and Somerset and given the rivalry that exists between South Africa and England, they will want to do each other no favours.Warriors will want to avoid a backdoor entry into the semi-finals and victory against Somerset will take them through. If they lose by a small margin, though, and Royal Challengers Bangalore also beat South Australia by a small margin in the second game of the day, Warriors will still qualify. It’s a simpler equation for Somerset, who must win to claim a semi-final spot, otherwise they will be on their way home.Warriors were Champions League runners-up in 2010 and are the only South African team left in this tournament, after Cobras crashed out against Trinidad & Tobago. They have asserted their authority on the competition and, with their dynamic bowling attack as their trump card, have the right ingredients to go further. However, Mark Boucher’s injury ahead of the match could hamper them. Boucher strained his hamstring, and though he tweeted that it was “not too serious”, will miss the rest of the CLT20. Somerset came through the qualifying stage and were convincing throughout, until they were beaten by Chris Gayle.

Watch out for …

After another snub from South Africa’s selectors for the home series against Australia, Roelof van der Merwe will have more to play for than just another match for his county. van der Merwe made a statement with his performances in a qualifying match and a group game against Kolkata Knight Riders, but was poor against Bangalore. He will also be competing against countrymen and team-mates, which should add some extra spice to the contest against Warriors.

Team news

Warriors have stuck to the three-pronged pace attack of Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rusty Theron and have no reason to change that. Lyall Meyer and Craig Thyssen are still competing for the allrounders spot but Warriors are not likely to tinker too much with their XI.Somerset may consider benching left-arm spinner George Dockerell, who went for 28 in two overs against the Royal Challengers in Bangalore.

Pitch and conditions

The pitches in Bangalore have been the best to bat on in the Champions League and teams have preferred to chase at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The surfaces have been true, with ball coming on to the bat, and boundaries are short. There’s been rain in the city in the lead-up to the game, but the forecast for Wednesday is clear.

Stats and trivia

Bangladesh coach Stuart Law has said that the team’s first-innings’ batting performance was “mediocre” and left him frustrated

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2011Bangladesh batted only 17 overs on the third day in Mirpur, but their “mediocre batting performance” on the second which gave West Indies the advantage, has left their coach Stuart Law frustrated.Bangladesh were bowled out for 231 in 68 overs in the first innings, after West Indies had made 355. “It [the Test] is probably not going where we planned, due to a mediocre batting performance by us,” Law said. “We wanted to bat 130 overs but we failed to do so. The opposition now are well and truly in control. It’ll take a lot of hard work to get back in the game.”It is frustrating as a coach, when you need to ask players to try and bat a long time. Let’s see who can bat a day [in the second innings], let’s get someone getting a 100.”In the second innings West Indies took their lead past 300 as the Bangladesh spinners found it difficult to turn the ball. With two days left, Bangladesh were faced with a big challenge. “We need to find a way to score runs, stay at the wicket, to score an ugly 80 or 120 and not a pretty 40,” Law said. “That’ll be more beneficial to the side’s cause. Shot selection and being positive doesn’t mean hitting a six [every ball]. It is about making the right choices every delivery, and batting for more deliveries than we are [currently].”Law said Bangladesh had to adapt to the playing surface and needed to revisit their choice of playing XI. “The surface is different here [from the one in Chittagong], two totally different pitches. They are good wickets but we have to find a way to win games. In the future, we will have to see if we are playing the right combination of bowlers. Maybe we need to think a little bit harder about who we play.”

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the first Test between Australia and New Zealand at the Gabba

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale30-Nov-2011

Match facts

If James Pattinson makes his debut as expected, he and his brother Darren will become the first siblings in 112 years to play Test cricket for different nations•Getty Images

December 1-5, Brisbane
Start time 1000 (0000 GMT, 1100 EDT)

Big Picture

First things first: Australia are still favourites in this Test and should win the series. But New Zealand have a sniff. They haven’t won a Test in Australia in 26 years, back when Richard Hadlee was at his peak and Allan Border’s Australians were struggling at the start of their rebuilding phase. New Zealand are far from their peak right now – they nearly lost to Zimbabwe a month ago and sit eighth on the Test rankings – but Australia are not far from their mid 1980s position. They are coming off a fine victory in Johannesburg less than a fortnight ago, but at least three of the men who played in that win are out of this Test, including the Man of the Match Pat Cummins.Australia will play at least three debutants at the Gabba. David Warner will open in the absence of Shane Watson; James Pattinson is expected to share the new ball with Peter Siddle; and either Mitchell Starc or Ben Cutting will come on at first change. The captain Michael Clarke even hinted that there was a chance all four fast men might play if the pitch looked as “green and juicy” on the morning of the match as it did two days before. That could mean a rest for the offspinner Nathan Lyon, who before this week had never even visited the Gabba, let alone played there. There is also a new coach, Mickey Arthur, who has spent barely a week in the job and is still finding his feet.Not that New Zealand are much more settled. This will be the second Test for the fast bowler Doug Bracewell and the batsman Dean Brownlie, while the wicketkeeper Reece Young is also in his first year of Test cricket. Like Australia, New Zealand have a new selection panel, installed by their director of cricket, John Buchanan, a man who coached four of the opposition players during his time in charge of Australia. Their bowling coach Damien Wright is also Australian, and the players will look for advice from him on working at the Gabba, which is expected to have extra bounce compared to Allan Border Field, where three of their batsmen scored centuries during the tour match.Yes, New Zealand have a chance, perhaps the best chance they’ve had in Australia for a decade, since Stephen Fleming led them to a 0-0 draw in 2001. But Ross Taylor’s side is still learning how to win – they have won only four of their past 28 Tests – and they need everything to go right to upset the hosts.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Australia: WLDDW
New Zealand: WDLLD

In the spotlight

Two years ago, the thought of David Warner in a baggy green cap seemed as far-fetched as Australia appointing a foreign coach. How times change. Warner will make his Test debut with less than 1000 first-class runs to his name, but importantly he is in form. All three of his first-class hundreds have come this calendar year and if he stays at the crease for a session, New Zealand’s bowlers will see the total tick over at a rapid rate. Significantly, if Warner succeeds in this series, he could contribute to squeezing Ricky Ponting out of the Test line-up when Shane Watson returns from injury.On the subject of powerful left-hand batsman, the inclusion of Jesse Ryder is a major boost to New Zealand. Ryder missed the Test against Zimbabwe due to a calf strain but showed his class in the warm-up match against Australia A in Brisbane, where he was one of three centurions. New Zealand look a much more dangerous side when Ryder is fit, and having scored three hundreds, all against India, in his past ten Tests, he will be keen to prove he can have the same impact against Australia.

Pitch and conditions

Even in last year’s disastrous Ashes campaign, the Gabba remained impenetrable for Australia’s opponents. The hosts have not lost a Test in Brisbane since 1988, when Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson bowled West Indies to victory. There is always plenty of seam and bounce at the Gabba, and captains can be tempted to send the opposition in. The forecast is for thunder and rain on the opening day, while showers could also fall on the final two days.

Team news

Australia’s only decision surrounds the make-up of their attack. Siddle will lead the pace group and is expected to be joined by the outswing bowler Pattinson and one of Cutting and Starc. However, on the day before the Test, Clarke wrote in his newspaper column that leaving out the offspinner Nathan Lyon in favour of a four-man pace attack was also a possibility. “I prefer playing a spinner and I like to bat first,” Clarke wrote, “but if conditions remain as they are, we will think very seriously about playing all four fast bowlers.”Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Mitchell Starc / Ben Cutting.New Zealand are likely to make just one change from the side that played in the tour match, with Daniel Vettori set to come in for Trent Boult.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor (capt), 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Dean Brownlie, 7 Daniel Vettori, 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Chris Martin.

Stats & trivia

• Australia will have at least three Test debutants, bringing to at least nine the number of baggy greens handed out in 2011. The last time so many debutants played in a calendar year was during the World Series Cricket days, in 1978.
• If Pattinson debuts, he and his brother Darren, who represented England, will become the first siblings to play Test cricket for different nations in 112 years
• New Zealand’s tense recent win against Zimbabwe was their fourth victory in 28 Tests. The other wins in that time have come against Bangladesh (twice) and Pakistan.
• In their past four series against Ausralia, New Zealand have lost eight Tests and drawn one. Their last win against Australia came in 1993.

Quotes

“The extra pace, bounce and movement the Gabba can generate will give our fast bowlers every chance of making a significant impression”

“We’re just building quietly. I feel we’ve gathered a little bit of confidence from that first trip to Zimbabwe, when we were together nearly a month, then coming here after some good performances in first-class cricket at home.”

The ICC has paid 46% of the fees due to Sri Lanka’s cricketers for the World Cup, ESPNcricinfo has learned

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2011The ICC has paid 42.36% of the fees due to Sri Lanka’s cricketers from the 2011 World Cup to September 30, 2011, ESPNcricinfo has learned. The payment of US$2 million was made directly into the players’ bank accounts, instead of routing it through Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on December 16.The Sri Lankan players, who had not been paid since the tournament ended in April, were owed a total of about $4.3 million by SLC, who had not been able to pay the players because of financial constraints. The money from the ICC represented the participation fee from the tournament due to Sri Lanka.While the money was paid directly, it was arranged with assistance from SLC, who told the ICC of the amounts owed to each player and provided their respective bank account details, a person with knowledge of the payments said. Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African Players Association, said that arrangement to pay the players was negotiated between the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA) and the Sri Lankan Players Association (SLCA).Earlier this month the Sri Lanka sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, said the ICC had agreed to pay US$2 million to SLC and that the coach and players would be paid out of those funds. The SLCA had also contacted FICA for assistance over the delay in the cricketers’ salaries for series following the World Cup this year.SLC ran into financial problems after running up debts of $32.5 million to finance the building of two international stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, for the World Cup. All three stadiums have since been handed over to the military because the board was struggling to maintain them.

Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the one-day tri-series to be played in Australia following the ongoing Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2012Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the one-day tri-series to be played in Australia following the ongoing Test series. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that he is yet to fully recover from the non-malignant lung tumour that has kept him out of the team since the home ODIs against West Indies. He has been training at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, and while his condition is better since the time the tumour was discovered, he does not want to rush back into cricket until his recovery is complete.Yuvraj hasn’t played ODIs since his Player-of-the-Tournament performance in the World Cup. An injury kept him out of the tour of the West Indies, though, and his contribution to India’s tour of England was cut short by a finger injury sustained during the Nottingham Test. He returned for the home Tests against West Indies, and was left out of the side for the third Test, in November. He asked the BCCI to not consider him for selection for the home ODIs against West Indies because he wanted time to regain fitness. He was not considered for the Test series in Australia, which India currently trails 2-0.Yuvraj said he had been troubled by bouts of coughing and vomiting since the World Cup but had ignored the problem during the tournament, “assuming it was due to stress”. Subsequent tests revealed “a golf-ball sized” growth on his left lung. He went through several rounds of medical procedures in order to ascertain the exact nature of the tumour, which was eventually found to be non-malignant. Yuvraj had been targetting a comeback in the tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka, which kicks off on February 5, but is now unlikely to make a comeback until the Asia Cup in March.

Pragyan Ojha, the India left-arm spinner, has transferred from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed fee, ahead of the fifth season of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2012Pragyan Ojha, the India left-arm spinner, has transferred from Deccan Chargers to Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed fee, ahead of the fifth season of the IPL . Ojha had been with the Chargers since the first season of the IPL, and took 62 wickets in 56 matches at an average of 22.19 and an economy-rate of 7.08. He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2010 edition of the IPL, with 21 wickets.In 2011, Ojha played a less-prolific role for the Chargers. With legspinner Amit Mishra coming into the side, Ojha was restricted to playing just 10 of the 14 league games and took 10 wickets. He has now moved to the Mumbai Indians, who have Harbhajan Singh, the India offspinner, and left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza in their spin department.Nita Ambani, the owner of the Mumbai Indians, said Ojha’s international experience – he has played 14 Tests and 16 ODIs for India – was the reason her team had decided to buy him. “With a spinner of Pragyan Ojha’s competence, we fortify our bowling department that has won us many matches in the past seasons,” Ambani said. “Ojha is a player of great international repute, and we welcome him with much excitement.”Ojha became the sixth player to be traded in the IPL’s January transfer window, which closes on January 20. There will be another short window for trading after the February 4 auction in which the players of now terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be sold.

Jamaica thumped Leeward Islands by an innings and 201 runs to complete their third win in as many games

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2012
ScorecardJamaica thumped Leeward Islands by an innings and 201 runs to complete their third win in as many games.Batting first, Jamaica’s ruthless accumulation was set up by Donovan Pagon’s 155. He was assisted by strong contributions from Brendan Nash (40), Tamar Lambert (51) and David Bernard (70). The sequence of solid partnerships meant Leeward were always playing catch-up, despite offspinner Justin Athanaze’s 3 for 102.Spin continued to hold sway when Leeward batted, with legspinner Odean Brown rolling them over for 104 in the first innings. At 80 for 3, with Montcin Hodge and Devon Thomas holding sway, Leeward looked set for a good reply, but Brown ran up figures of 9.1-6-6-5 to skittle out Leeward.Following on, Leeward fared even worse in their second innings, and that despite Kieran Powell’s half-century. This time, Nikita Miller took on the lead role, scything through the middle and lower order to finish with 5 for 16. Brown indulged himself once again, picking up 4 for 32 as Leeward crumbled for 99. The result put the two sides at opposite ends of the points table, with Jamaica getting the full complement of 36 points from three outings, while Leeward have lost all their games.