All posts by h716a5.icu

England were given a good workout in the field on the opening day of their first warm-up match of the tour as the tail wagged for the ICC Combined XI

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2012
Scorecard
Stuart Broad took three wickets in his first three overs but ICC XI fought back on day one in Dubai•Getty ImagesEngland were given a good workout in the field on the opening day of their first warm-up match of the tour as the tail wagged for a ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI. First-class best innings from Christi Viljoen and Boyd Rankin revived the innings after England made a rampant start.Stuart Broad claimed three wickets in his first three overs as England took command at lunch but Namibian allrounder Viljoen and Warwickshire bowler Rankin rallied in the lower order with a partnership of 96 to give England a testing final session.Viljoen’s 98 from 189 balls prevented the ICC XI from being blown away. Broad’s wickets were followed by two for Graeme Swann and a wicket for Steven Finn – playing because of Chris Tremlett’s eye infection and an elbow injury to Tim Bresnan.At 91 for 6 at lunch, it was a gentle introduction to the tour for England. But Viljoen added 32 with Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, whose half century was the first resistance for the ICC XI. His counter-attacking innings came from 55 balls and included seven fours.The second act of resistance came through Viljoen after James Anderson had Shahzad caught behind after lunch. Viljoen struck 13 fours and a six to take his side to tea on 182 for 8. But Warwickshire’s Rankin also made a useful score after tea to provide another partnership for ICC XI.Broad returned to wrap up the innings by having Viljoen caught by James Anderson two short of a maiden first-class hundred. He finished with 4 for 46 before Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook safely negotiated four overs to close on 16 for 0.The day had begun with Strauss winning the toss after which England used the new ball to good effect. Broad enjoyed his return to an England shirt for the first time since September by removing the ICC XI top three. William Porterfield tried to flick a full ball to leg and edged behind for one before Paul Stirling played on trying to pull. Kyle Coetzer also fell for single figures as he tried to force off the back foot and edged to Steve Davies – keeping wicket in place of Matt Prior who injured a finger in training yesterday.Finn produced an edge from Majid Haq’s loose drive outside off stump, pouched by Swann low at second slip. Swann was introduced into the attack and was struck down the ground for six by Craig Williams before he pushed forward and edged behind to Davies. Swann then lured Mohammad Nabi out of his crease and he missed with a wild hack to be bowled for a second-ball duck.The fightback arrived before Anderson claimed his second wicket having Rankin caught by Finn at point to break the main stand of the innings. Broad then took his fourth as ICC XI were bowled out for a far higher score than might have been expected.

David Willey took a match haul of 10 wickets as Northamptonshire thrashed Gloucestershire by nine wickets

14-Sep-2011
Scorecard
David Willey took a match haul of 10 wickets as Northamptonshire thrashed Gloucestershire by nine wickets on the third day of their County Championship Division Two match at Wantage Road.Promotion-chasers Northamptonshire bowled Gloucestershire out for 185 in the morning with Willey claiming two more victims to take figures of 5 for 46 and a magnificent 10 for 75 for the match.The hosts were set a paltry target of 26 and, despite losing Rob Newton, they reached it within four overs to record their first home win since May. But even the emphatic result will probably not be enough to secure them promotion Surrey beating Derbyshire and Middlesex on well placed against Leicestershire.Gloucestershire started the day on 84 for 5 in their second innings, following on after being bowled out for 183 yesterday, with captain Alex Gidman resuming on 6 and Hamish Marshall beginning his innings.Alex Gidman was to move on to 27 before Willey broke through in the ninth over of the day when he forced him to edge to his Northamptonshire counterpart Andrew Hall at first slip. A four through backward point off James Middlebrook by Ian Cockbain ensured that the hosts would have to bat again but former New Zealand international Marshall was to perish on 42.Striding down the pitch after a Middlebrook delivery, he was sharply stumped by Niall O’Brien. Chaminda Vaas then accounted for Cockbain, who made a brisk 23, in the next over when he was edged to Hall at first slip.Willey then secured his maiden 10-wicket match haul and his fifth dismissal of the innings when he trapped Will Gidman lbw for five as soon as he was brought back on in the 51st over. With the next ball, Gloucestershire’s innings was brought to an end and with it the final one for Jon Lewis after 16 years with the club before his move to Surrey next season.Lewis had clubbed eight off two balls but he was on the receiving end of a brilliant piece of fielding by Newton at point, who threw a direct hit at the stumps.Chasing 26, Northamptonshire were to lose Newton cheaply for four in the second over when he smashed Ian Saxelby straight to Marshall at backward point. But victory was secured two overs later when Kyle Coetzer, eight not out, struck four behind square leg off Saxelby with O’Brien unbeaten on 14.

Mushfiqur’s effort laid to waste a compelling all-round effort from Marlon Samuels that did its best to overcome his team-mates’ inability to master the conditions

The Report by Nitin Sundar11-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe former captain bowled well, and the new captain batted nervelessly to set up Bangladesh’s win•Associated PressMushfiqur Rahim began his captaincy tenure with a nerveless, unbeaten 41 off 26 balls, as Bangladesh completed their first win against West Indies at home. With four required to win off the last two balls, Mushfiqur lashed Ravi Rampaul for a huge six over deep midwicket to provide the closing twist in a game that swung dramatically in front of packed stands.Mushfiqur’s effort laid to waste a compelling all-round show from Marlon Samuels that did its best to overcome his team-mates’ inability to master the conditions. Samuels battled through a typically stifling spell from Bangladesh’s spinners to score a half-century and give his bowlers something to defend. His seaming team-mates then let him down to allow Bangladesh’s top order easy runs, but Samuels hit back with the wickets of the two most experienced home batsmen – Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful – in an economical spell. Samuels, however, bowled out in the 13th over and West Indies somehow contrived to let Bangladesh’s bottom half get 62 off the last seven overs.There were striking similarities in the way the two innings panned out. Like their Bangladeshi counterparts earlier in the day, the West Indies fast bowlers were too short with the new ball. Like the West Indies openers, Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal capitalised with a flurry of early boundaries that set them up for the middle overs. Both line-ups lost steam rapidly in the middle overs before staging recoveries.Kayes looked in fine touch, punching and cutting when provided with width, but Anthony Martin got him to hole out in the eighth over to give West Indies an opening. Samuels struck with the next ball, sneaking an armer through Shakib’s defences to dismiss him for a first-ball duck. Alok Kapali then gifted debutant Carlos Brathwaite his first wicket with a mindless slog to leave Bangladesh at 53 for 4 at the halfway mark. With the resolute Mahmudullah out with fever, the Bangladesh middle order faced a dodgy chase.For a brief while, Ashraful showed signs of steering Bangladesh home, but perished off the last ball of Samuels’ spell. Mushfiqur kept Bangladesh afloat by hitting Martin for a six in the 15th over, but Naeem Islam succumbed to Darren Sammy’s slower ball to give West Indies the edge once again. It boiled down to 20 off the last two overs, and Brathwaite was handed the 19th over – bowling sides’ banana peel in the recently concluded Champions League.Brathwaite’s lack of pace and insistence on sticking to length deliveries meant he had to maintain exemplary lines. He missed his mark twice, and Bangladesh found boundaries on both occasions. Nasir Hossain swung a straight ball to midwicket, and Mushfiqur dabbed a wide one through third man as Bangladesh looted 14 off the over. Rampaul managed to dismiss Hossain and keep things tight for four balls of the final over, before Mushfiqur signed off in style.Earlier, Shakib and Abdur Razzak asphyxiated West Indies with a typically restrictive spell of left-arm spin, but Samuels seemed to be batting on a different pitch. Samuels walked out at No. 3 and began the international leg of the tour with two sixes off his first three balls against the habitually short Rubel Hossain. The first was a sumptuous swivel-pull over backward square leg, and the second an astounding pick-up shot that carried over backward point. Lendl Simmons found some fluency of his own, sweeping Shakib for four before planting Razzak beyond the midwicket boundary, but his exit exposed the deficiencies of the flat-footed middle order.Andre Russell edged Shakib into the covers and Dwayne Bravo missed an armer from Razzak that skidded on, before Darren Sammy tried to loft a ball that was too full and holed out to long-off. Danza Hyatt, meanwhile, missed a lap shot to be trapped in front, as West Indies went into tailspin, but Samuels kept counter-punching.He settled in after the turbo-charged start, gauging the conditions with a series of nudges and pushes off the spinners, even as his team-mates floundered. Having moved easily to 23 off 18 balls, Samuels opened up again with a cover drive off Naeem Islam in the 12th over, before guiding Shakib through point, both for fours. Samuels continued to upset Naeem’s lines, walking outside off and lashing him with the spin for his third six, before repeating the dose when Shakib dropped short. By the time he was out in the final over, Samuels had lifted West Indies to a respectable score, but it wasn’t enough against the rampant Mushfiqur.

Malcolm Speed, the former ICC chief executive, has added his voice to the call for world cricket to be run by an independent commission instead of the existing board structure

Brydon Coverdale15-Apr-2011Malcolm Speed, the former chief executive of the ICC, has added his voice to the call for world cricket to be run by an independent commission instead of the existing board structure. However, while he believes a governance model without vested interests would be good for the ICC, Speed does not anticipate such a move being made.”I think an independent commission would be great, but I don’t expect it to happen,” Speed told ESPNcricinfo. “For it to happen, the member countries would have to vote for it, and I don’t think they’re going to give up their seat at the table.”During my time there, there was a proposal that the board be restructured so that there be two boards, one as a smaller executive board and then the bigger board that included all the countries. That was fine until we started talking about who might be on it and who might not be on it, and it just disappeared off the agenda.”One of the problems caused by a structure in which member nations are guaranteed representation at board level is that the system can become too politicised. Speed said one of the major challenges for the ICC in future would be to ensure that India used its power at board level and its financial clout for the good of the game.”I think the two big challenges are balancing the three forms of the game and accommodating India’s position as the financial superpower of the game,” Speed said. “It will be difficult. It will require goodwill on the part of the Indian administrators and the leaders from the other countries. From time to time, I think there will be disagreement which will require the leaders of the other countries to stand up to India from time to time.”But Speed said the idea that the ICC was often split along lines of geography or race was not correct. “That’s sometimes overdone. From time to time countries would come together when they had a common view, but it wasn’t as if there was a constant pairing of Asian countries and African countries all with the same view.”Sometimes, for instance, Pakistan would take quite a different view from India on key issues. The sense of there being an Asian bloc that votes together on all issues certainly wasn’t the case in my time.”Speed, who has recently released his book of memoirs, , said he remains philosophical about his being removed as chief executive after his refusal to back the board’s position on Zimbabwe. Speed was sent on “gardening leave” for the final two months of his tenure after a board meeting in Bangalore, in April 2008, made it clear that he had lost the support of the majority of the ICC directors.In the book, Speed recounts the events that led to his departure from the ICC, which came after the board considered a KPMG audit of Zimbabwe Cricket’s finances. Speed writes that the audit found Zimbabwe Cricket’s financial records had been falsified for the 2005 financial year, but the board ignored a recommendation from its own audit committee to have the matter referred to the ICC’s ethics officer.”I asked for my disagreement to be minuted … I felt ill. The whole issue had been swept under the carpet,” Speed wrote of the meeting, which took place in Dubai in March 2008. He added that some members of the board, including the then vice-president David Morgan and New Zealand’s Sir John Anderson, had also agreed that the issue be referred to the ethics officer.However, the board decided against that course of action, and Speed declined to attend the press conference that followed the meeting, where he and the ICC president Ray Mali had been scheduled to speak to the media. A month later, Morgan and Speed negotiated the terms of Speed’s departure from the ICC.”I’m philosophical. I think I was philosophical at the time. It’s an occupational hazard,” Speed said this week. “It wasn’t surprising. I thought once I’d refused to go to the press conference there was a risk I’d be asked to leave. It didn’t surprise me, although I was surprised that it happened the way it did.”In his book, Speed describes several clashes he had with Mali, especially over Zimbabwe, and he said their relationship had “fractured completely” in November 2007. Speed writes that at the Bangalore meeting six months later – a meeting he did not attend – it became clear that Mali and other board members wanted him out.Three years on from his departure, Speed said he was “very pleased” to observe from the outside the success of the 2011 World Cup, and that the game appeared to be “in an extremely healthy position”.

Keaton Jennings has been retained as captain for South Africa Under-19’s tour of England in July 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2011Keaton Jennings has been retained as captain for South Africa Under-19’s tour of England in July 2011. Jennings is part of a 15-man squad that will play seven youth ODIs, starting at Edgbaston on July 16 and travelling on to Northampton, Arundel Castle in West Sussex, Taunton and Canterbury.The touring group also includes Quinton de Kock, who was Man of the Series award during Zimbabwe Under-19’s tour of South Africa in January this year, Malcolm Nofal, who has displayed plenty of all-round potential for the Gauteng Strikers, and several players with first-class experience. Ray Jennings, Keaton’s father and the former coach of the national side, will be head coach on the tour, while Shaheed Alexander and Geoffrey Toyana are his assistants.The tour will form an important part of the team’s preparation for the Under-19 World Cup, which will take place in Australia next year. Eleven players in this squad are eligible to play.”This tour is a very important component of the CSA [Cricket South Africa] Pipeline process,” said CSA Schools Cricket manager Niels Momberg. “This group were all identified some years ago and put through various levels of coaching and playing levels.”SA Under-19 squad Keaton Jennings (capt), Gihahn Cloete, Quinton de Kock (wk), Corne Dry, Rabian Engelbrecht, Malcolm Nofal, Lesiba Ngoepe, Duanne Olivier, Shaylin Pillay, James Price, Diego Rosier, Calvin Savage, Prenelan Subrayen, Regardt Verster, Lizaad Williams.

Australia against India is a clash between teams with obvious imperfections. The loser goes home while the winner heads to Mohali, to play Pakistan on March 30

The Preview by George Binoy23-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 24, Ahmedabad
Start time 1430 hours (0900 GMT)Whether Virender Sehwag will play Australia in Ahmedabad is not yet public knowledge•Associated PressThe Big PictureThis match can be seen through several prisms: champions of the world v pre-tournament favourites, misfiring middle order v misfiring middle order, pace-reliant attack v spin-heavy attack, athletic fielders v incompetent fielders. Australia against India is a clash between teams with obvious imperfections. The loser goes home while the winner heads to Mohali, to play Pakistan on March 30.If any of Ricky Ponting’s men are relatively weak-willed, compared to the Australians of campaigns past, they have had plenty to help them focus in the days leading up to this quarter-final. An Australian paper reported Cricket Australia were going to discuss Ponting’s future as captain. An English paper reported Ponting was going to jump before he was pushed. An Indian paper reported sinister allegations about Australia’s game against Zimbabwe, prompting an angry retraction demand from the ICC. Whether they were planted to drive Australia to distraction is debatable, but none of the stories was substantiated.Off-field dramas aside, Australia’s progress in this World Cup was smooth at first – a comfortable win against Zimbabwe, a smashing one against New Zealand – and then uninspiring, when they laboured against Kenya and Canada. In each of those matches, at least one weakness was evident: a captain struggling for form, a middle order troubled by turn, spinners incapable of striking, and fast bowlers with wonky radars. All of these frailties were exposed by Pakistan, who ended the legendary unbeaten World Cup run on 34 matches. Australia’s successes have been built around the opening partnership of Brad Haddin and Shane Watson, and the energy of Brett Lee. That might not be enough to topple India – but it might, for MS Dhoni’s team is far from the shoo-in semi-finalist it was expected to be.Before the World Cup began India’s batting line-up was thought to possess the armour of God, their bowling was considered less formidable but effective in home conditions, and the fielding was known to be average. As their campaign played out, it became evident that the armour didn’t fit the middle order – there were collapses of 9 for 29 and 7 for 51 – and the bowling, while adequate on helpful surfaces, was mediocre on flat pitches. The fielding has not been average. It has been abysmal. Slow anticipation, slower approaches to the ball, failure to cut off angles, and plain lethargy have allowed opponents to run at will.For a long time during West Indies’ chase, it seemed as though India would make the quarter-finals by beating only the three weakest teams of their group, which would have vindicated this forgiving format designed to prevent the upsets of 2007. But Zaheer Khan saved the day, as India expect him to. Zaheer apart, India have relied on Yuvraj Singh for an extraordinary number of wickets, as well as consistent runs in the middle order. The key, though, is at the top, where Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have provided tremendous starts. But even if they do it again against Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, it may not be enough.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)
India: WLWWT
Australia LWWWWWatch out for…The batting Powerplay was conceived as an asset for the batting team, an aid in the pursuit of fast runs. In the months leading into the World Cup, it began to be a banana skin, with wickets falling as batsmen resorted to rashness during the fielding restrictions. India have slipped spectacularly on it during the tournament, scoring 9 for 154 off 130 balls. During the batting Powerplay, India lost 1 for 32 against England, 4 for 30 against South Africa and 4 for 28 against West Indies, squandering positions of immense strength. Australia haven’t mastered it either, making only 4 for 121 off 100 balls. Those five tricky overs could make or break a campaign tomorrow.If the stakes weren’t large enough to fire up Ponting, the talk about his captaincy and retirement will have strengthened his determination to end his form slump with a cathartic performance. Ponting has been dismissed by the short ball – a strength turned weakness – in this World Cup and by spin, a more traditional subcontinent susceptibility. His composure has also been strained. Eight years ago to the day, Ponting ended India’s World Cup dream in Johannesburg with a century of frightening brutality. He plans to watch videos of it in the hope that it will help him reproduce something similar in Ahmedabad.Sachin Tendulkar watched that World Cup slip out of India’s grasp as the bowlers conceded 359 in the final. He was then dismissed in the first over of the chase. The Player-of-the-Tournament prize was little consolation. He has the opportunity to write a wonderful script tomorrow – a 100th international century in a victory that will dethrone the World Champions. But cricket, like life, is never perfect.Team newsVirender Sehwag missed the last group game because of an inflamed knee and India are keeping news of his fitness under wraps. He batted on Tuesday and on the eve of the game as well, but Dhoni said they might wait as late as match morning to take a decision on his participation. If Sehwag does not play, India are likely to field the same XI that beat West Indies.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag/Gautam Gambhir, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir/Suresh Raina, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 R Ashwin, 11 Munaf Patel.Australia have had an unchanged team since Michael Hussey replaced his brother in the XI, and they are likely to do the same against India. The weakest links have been middle-order batsman Cameron White and offspinner Jason Krejza and potential replacements could be David Hussey and allrounder John Hastings.”We haven’t finalised our 11 yet. We’ll have a bit more of a think about things this afternoon, make sure all our players have got through training well, with no injuries or illnesses,” Ponting said. “There’s a good chance that any of our guys could come in for this game. Coming off a loss last game wasn’t ideal for us, and we have to have a look at what we think is going to be the best make-up and balance for the game tomorrow.”Australia (probable): 1 Brad Haddin (wk), 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White/David Hussey, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Steve Smith, 8 Jason Krejza/John Hastings, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Shaun Tait..Australia played their World Cup opener at Motera, where they started slowly against Zimbabwe before accelerating to a formidable total. Ponting expected tomorrow’s pitch to be similar to that one. “It was pretty much what you’d expect for a subcontinent wicket: a little bit slower, spun a bit more in the second innings of the game maybe than the first,” he said. “We’re going to send our coaches down late tonight to have a look at the ground and see if there’s any dew about. I think it’s supposed to be 41 [degrees] or something [similar], so it will be nice and hot for the boys out there.”Stats and trivia India have lost their last four games in Ahmedabad. They batted first in three of those matches. Brett Lee has 50 ODI wickets against India, the highest by an Australian bowler. Four of his nine five-wicket hauls are against India.India have not won a game against Australia in a global tournament while chasing. Their last win against Australia in a World Cup was in 1987. In 14 ODIs against India in India since 2007, Australia have won eight and lost five.Quotes”People have been talking about the short-pitched ball a lot, and not to forget the best batsmen in the world don’t like facing the short-pitched deliveries. One good thing, it’s not something new to us. It follows us. Wherever we are, the shadows of short-pitched deliveries can be seen. I don’t think it’s a new strategy.”
.”Maybe we’ve just learned to keep our mouths closed a bit more. A lot of that chat hasn’t really happened since [Glenn] McGrath and [Shane] Warne went out of the team. Hopefully, our cricket will do the talking on the field tomorrow.”
.

Zimbabwe cruised to an 11-run win over Bangladesh in the opening match of the tri-series at Harare Sports Club

The Report by Liam Brickhill17-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Hamilton Masakadza cracked 62 of 35 deliveries•AFPZimbabwe cruised to an 11-run win over Bangladesh in the opening match of the tri-series at Harare Sports Club. After choosing to bat on a dry pitch, Zimbabwe were propped up by the in-form Hamilton Masakadza’s bellicose half-century as they reached 154 for 6. A professional team effort from Zimbabwe’s bowlers then completed the job, the spinners keeping Bangladesh’s explosive top order quiet and the seamers holding their nerve at the death.Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, promoted to open the batting, had approached Bangladesh’s chase with the clear intention of laying a platform and not losing early wickets. They managed five boundaries in the first six overs but became oddly becalmed when Brendan Taylor turned to his spinners, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer.By the seventh over Taylor was using spin from both ends, and though neither Tamim nor Ashraful are known as calm accumulators, they did just that as the opening stand passed 50 in the eighth over. With the required run-rate approaching nine an over, Ashraful jumped out of his crease at Utseya only for the bowler to spear one past the outside edge. Taylor completed a smart stumping.A fired-up Ziaur Rahman thumped his third ball, from Utseya, high over the deep midwicket boundary to give the chase a little oomph but Zimbabwe’s spinners kept the pressure on both batsmen. Cremer was particularly thrifty, mixing fizzing legbreaks with quicker sliders as just two runs came from his third over. Cremer’s unbroken spell from the city end should have brought a wicket when Rahman top-edged a slog sweep and Mpofu set himself to take the catch at wide long-on. The ball burst straight through his fingers, however, and bobbled over the rope for four.Mpofu made quick amends for his lapse when he came on from the Golf Course end and picked up Tamim’s vital wicket as a slashed drive was caught by a tumbling Jarvis at third man to reduce Bangladesh to 87 for 2 in the 14th over. The uncapped Richard Muzhange has made his name in domestic limited-overs cricket through his skilful use of the yorker and it was a swinging toe-crusher that got rid of Mushfiqur Rahim as Bangladesh quickly slipped to 95 for 3.An athletic, diving catch by Craig Ervine at deep backward square got rid of Rahman and from then on Zimbabwe’s grip tightened steadily. Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah swung gamely at everything to keep Bangladesh in the hunt, but they were simply not given enough to hit and Jarvis had no trouble defending 19 in the final over.Zimbabwe’s batting had not been quite so assured, and they were thankful for Masakadza’s knock. He struck the ball with fluency and power but after he fell Zimbabwe stumbled on a surface that slowed noticeably as the afternoon wore on.Masakadza’s first task had been to negotiate Abdur Razzaq’s parsimonious opening spell, which he did with aplomb while collecting three fours and a six in Mashrafe Mortaza’s first three overs. Emboldened by the imperious form that brought him a century in Zimbabwe’s warm-up match two days ago, Masakadza raced into the 30s by slapping Abul Hasan’s second ball cleanly over long-off.Vusi Sibanda’s scratchy innings came to an end as he walked past one from Elias Sunny that gripped and spun past the outside edge but Taylor did a good job of handing the strike back to Masakadza, who powered the first half of Zimbabwe’s innings almost singlehandedly. Masakadza’s third six, which skimmed through the fingers of the long-on fielder, took him to a 31-ball half-century. He added a fourth, a brutal flat-batted swipe that dented the advertising boards behind the bowler’s arm before being run out.His departure prompted something of a wobble in the middle order as Ervine was needlessly run-out second ball and Stuart Matsikenyeri managed just a single from his first six balls.Matsikenyeri eventually got going with a slice to the wide third-man boundary off Razzaq and added 39 for the fourth wicket with Taylor, whose chipped six over extra cover off Sunny was the shot of the innings. But Zimbabwe never quite regained the momentum that Masakadza had given them. Zimbabwe’s bowlers more than made up for the shortcomings of their batsmen and Bangladesh will need a good dose of inspiration if they are to bounce back against South Africa in two days’ time.

Lancashire have moved their Championship match against Durham late next month from Old Trafford to Liverpool

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2012Lancashire have moved their Championship match against Durham late next month from Old Trafford to Liverpool.The club said that the decision to switch the game set for August 28-31 was made to enable the building work at Old Trafford, that needs to be completed before the Twenty20 between England and South Africa, to continue without the hindrance of a match taking place at the same time.There is also some concern about areas of the new square – which was turned 90 degrees in 2010 – after the recent wet weather, although the main pitches remain intact. However, last week Lancashire came close to being docked points for the surface they prepared for the Championship match against Worcestershire which offered considerable help to spin.Mike Watkinson, the director of cricket, said: “We have considered a combination of factors in making this decision. With regard to the construction activity at Old Trafford we are on schedule to complete our new players and media building in time for the NatWest International T20 between England and South Africa which will be played on Monday 10th September.”However, this game falls during a busy period for our contractors, who are also redeveloping our pavilion, and it will allow them to complete key activities without having to schedule around a four-day game. This also removes any potential inconvenience to players and spectators.”In addition, we have recently endured a period of extremely wet weather which has resulted in the playing surface being under cover for extended periods. This has had an adverse effect on the grass cover to the new areas of the square. The established pitches on the square are high quality surfaces and will be used for the upcoming England Lions fixture and of course the Ashes Test in 2013.”Lancashire invested considerably in facilities at the Aigburth ground in Liverpool last year when the county held all their home Championship fixtures at the venue due to the redevelopment of Old Trafford. That factor was cited as one of key reasons they won the Championship title as the pitches were more result orientated than had previously been the case in Manchester, but the three matches so far this season have brought two defeats and a draw.

Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. Michael Bates took 4 for 11 as the Pakistanis were bowled out for 91

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010ScorecardAbdul Razzaq couldn’t script a recovery for Pakistan as they slumped to 91 all out•Getty ImagesPakistan’s tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The hosts won with 40 balls to spare, easily chasing down the target of 92 after Pakistan were bowled out in 17.4 overs.Pakistan were put in to bat and were in immediate trouble, sinking to 7 for 3 inside the third over. Left-arm seamer Michael Bates did the early damage, getting Mohammad Hafeez out caught and bowled off the fourth ball of the match. Two balls later he got Ahmed Shehzad to nick to Lou Vincent and be dismissed for a duck. In Bates’ next over he got rid of the big fish – the captain Shahid Afridi, for 1. Afridi tried to pull Bates, but only got it as far as square leg, where Anaru Kitchen took a sharp catch.Pakistan never recovered from that rocky start. Umar Akmal provided them with a silver lining, showing some signs of form to get to 25 – Pakistan’s top score of the innings. Left-arm spinner Roneel Hira dismissed Younis Khan for 18 and then Umar in his next over, and Fawad Alam was run out for 0 in between, to leave the visitors reeling at 52 for 6. Umar was trying to power Hira through the off side off the back foot, but missed the ball and was bowled. Abdul Razzaq wasn’t able to pull off a recovery and fell to offspinner Bhupinder Singh for 16. Bates came back into the attack and dismissed Wahab Riaz to finish with figures of 4 for 11 in three overs.Auckland opener Colin de Grandhomme was in a hurry to knock off the required runs and raced to 20 off 12 before he was caught at gully by Shehzad off Shoaib Akhtar. Martin Guptill, the only member of the Auckland side who is in New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, played the sheet-anchor role, and batted through the innings, making 28. Shoaib managed another wicket, bowling Lou Vincent, but was expensive, going at 7.75 in his four overs.Saeed Ajmal did a good job of drying up the runs, giving away 20 in his four overs, and picked up the wickets of Anaru Kitchen and Colin Munro. Gareth Hopkins, who was dropped from New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 and Test series against Pakistan, made only 8 before falling to Wahab Riaz. But Auckland were always comfortable, and reached their target with plenty of overs to spare, helped by the 17 extras conceded by Pakistan’s bowlers.Pakistan will have two days to recover before the first Twenty20 match of the three-match series against New Zealand, in Auckland, on December 26.

Persistent rain ensured not a single ball was bowled in the Friends Life t20 clash between Northamptonshire Steelbacks and the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Wantage Road

08-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Persistent rain ensured not a single ball was bowled in the Friends Life t20 clash between Northamptonshire Steelbacks and the Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Wantage Road.It had been raining steadily in Northampton since the afternoon and umpires Nigel Cowley and Steve Garratt officially called off proceedings at 7pm – 10 minutes after play had been due to start.The Steelbacks, who are bottom of the North Group, travel to Derbyshire tomorrow and have one more chance to finally get a home win when they face the Lancashire Lightning on Tuesday.The Outlaws already have a home quarter-final in the bag having only lost once in this year’s competition and they face the Lightning at Old Trafford on Sunday.