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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.

Michael Hussey is happy to entertain the prospect of abandoning that role to open the batting should the dual duties of batting up top and keeping wicket be deemed too taxing for Matthew Wade

Daniel Brettig27-Aug-2012Michael Hussey is so established as Australia’s middle-order fulcrum that his absence from England earlier this year was considered by the team management to have been critical in suffering a 0-4 defeat. Nonetheless, Hussey is happy to entertain the prospect of abandoning that role to open the batting should the dual duties of batting up top and keeping wicket be deemed too taxing for Matthew Wade.Parental leave caused Hussey to miss the ODI tour of England, and he believes the break has refreshed him for assignments to come. On the eve of Australia’s first match against Pakistan in Sharjah, Hussey acknowledged the extreme heat of the UAE in August-September required a degree of flexibility in how the team’s resources were managed, and said he would happily accept a promotion if required to ease Wade’s burden.”I’m open to it, it doesn’t bother me,” Hussey said in Sharjah. “Whatever the team really needs I’d be more than happy to try to help out, as long as I’m somewhere in that batting order, I’m happy to bat anywhere from Nos. 1 to 11.”If Wadey did make a hundred in these pretty oppressive conditions batting first and then had to go straight out and keep, that would be a difficult thing. Or if we were chasing in extremely hot conditions and he fielded the whole 50 overs and didn’t feel like he could 100% concentrate on opening the innings for us then it might be something we could look at.”But he’s a pretty fit guy Wadey and I think he plays that role pretty well, what’s he’s been doing at the moment, so he’d have to be in a pretty bad way I think for them to try and change that tactic, but certainly we have to be flexible as batsmen, we’ve learned to become more flexible with Twenty20 cricket coming in and things like that, so I’d certainly have no dramas with it.”Though he started life as an opening batsman, Hussey began his evolution into the complete player of today when shifted down the order in English county cricket, and enjoys the posting in ODIs. His blend of power, timing, placement and hustled singles has been vital to Australia’s progress in many matches, particularly in the later overs when batting has become difficult for new batsmen coming to the wicket to deal with reverse swing, spin and the white ball’s loss of colour.”I’m just trying to play my role in the team and trying to play the situation of the game,” Hussey said. “It might’ve come off in the last game but there’s been hundreds of times that it hasn’t come off and it’s been up to other guys. But it’s certainly a role I enjoy, I like being in those tight, pressure situations, trying to work the team out of it, but I wouldn’t say I’m an expert at it or anything like that, I just try to do my role in the team.”The heat of the region at this time of year forced the bizarre scheduling of the ODI matches to span two days, concluding around 2am local time. Hussey said the Australians would not be using it as an excuse should they slip up against Pakistan over the next three matches.”I don’t think we’ll be letting the heat be an excuse for any poor performance,” Hussey said. “I’ve played in Chennai, even in just Twenty20 games, and that’s a lot hotter than playing out here. In Chennai the temperature might be only mid-30s but the humidity is unbelievable. That’s probably the most oppressive conditions I’ve ever had to play in.”Having said that, it’s still extremely tough here. I only batted for 15 overs the other day [to make 49 from 37 balls] and I was pretty knackered by the end of it.”

The World Twenty20 continued to conform to expectation – disappointingly so, some will say – as England began the defence of their title with a 116-run hammering of Afghanistan

The Report by Andrew McGlashan21-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLuke Wright was the second England batsman to score 99 in a Twenty20 international•Getty ImagesThe World Twenty20 continued to conform to expectation – disappointingly so, some will say – as England began the defence of their title with a 116-run hammering of Afghanistan. Luke Wright could not quite follow Brendon McCullum’s hundred earlier in the day, but produced a blistering 99 off 55 balls after the holders overcame a slightly tricky start in highly convincing fashion.Wright became the second England batsman to be stranded one short of a Twenty20 hundred following Alex Hales’ innings against West Indies earlier this year. Wright only returned to the line-up at the tail-end of the English season and had not really been earmarked for the No. 3 role until Ravi Bopara’s rapid loss of form but, having made a brace of useful 30s in the warm-ups, provided further evidence of his development over the last year. He powered past his previous best of 71 against Netherlands, at Lord’s, during the 2009 World Twenty20. England, famously, lost that match but there was never a risk of a repeat.Unsurprisingly, Afghanistan came out swinging with predictable results. Mohammad Shahzad picked out mid-off, Shafiqullah skied to cover and the captain Nawroz Mangal was brilliantly held by Stuart Broad off his own bowling. Much has rightly been written and said about the fairytale of Afghanistan’s rise, but this was a harsh of reality check as they slid to 26 for 8. However, they avoided the heaviest defeat in T20 which is Kenya’s 172-run defeat against Sri Lanka in 2007 and Gulbodin Naib, with a gutsy display, ensured they passed Kenya’s lowest T20 total of 67.England, though, did exactly what they needed to. Wright was chiefly responsible for some fierce acceleration as they scored 124 off the second 10 overs of their innings after a slow start against some lively new-ball bowling. He started the final over on 95 and needed three off the last ball to make England’s first T20 hundred but could only club a brace through midwicket.He received solid support from Hales and Eoin Morgan while Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow contributed rapid cameos. There were some costly overs during the innings, most notably 32 off the penultimate from Izatullah Dawlatzai which included two no-balls – the same figure that Wayne Parnell went for at Edgbaston earlier in the month putting it joint second in T20 records. It was also another poor fielding display from Afghanistan – Wright was dropped on 75 – as basic skills let them down as they did against India.Smart stats

The 116-run win is the third-highest margin of victory in the Twenty20 internationals and the highest ever for England. The top three victory margins (in terms of runs) have come in World Twenty20 matches.

Afghanistan’s total of 80 is their joint-lowest in Twenty20 internationals. The previous time they scored 80 was against South Africa in the World Twenty20 2010. It is the also third-lowest total in World Twenty20 matches.

England’s total of 196 is their third-highest score in Twenty20 internationals and their second-highest total in World Twenty20 games.

Luke Wright became the 12th batsman to register a score in the nineties in Twenty20 internationals. He is also the second batsman after Alex Hales to make a score of 99.

The number of sixes hit by Wright (6) is the highest by an England batsman in a Twenty20 international. Eoin Morgan is second with five sixes against South Africa in 2009.

It had not been easy start for England as Shapoor Zadran, who troubled India’s top order, produced a superb opening over. Craig Kieswetter appeared confused by the two-paced nature of the pitch and played out five dot balls before dragging into his stumps to complete a rare wicket maiden. Hales slashed his first delivery just over slip in a far from assured beginning and after four overs the score was 15 for 1.Then the game started to change. Having gauged the nature of the pitch, Hales and Wright located the boundary as Shapoor’s third over cost 23 although four of those were byes when the wicketkeeper was beaten by the bounce. The final ball of the over was launched into the stands by Wright as England began to take control with the last two overs of the Powerplay bringing 37.Hales was unfortunate to be dismissed when Wright’s straight drive was deflected into the non-striker’s stumps by Karim Sadiq. At 84 for 2 after 12 overs the innings hadn’t escaped Afghanistan, but Wright dented Samiullah Shenwari’s figures with a six over long-on and followed that by fetching another delivery through midwicket.Mohammad Nabi, the offspinner, bowled his first two overs for 10 but finished with 0 for 46. Morgan flicked him over deep midwicket – his one convincing shot – and Wright went four, six, four off three consecutive deliveries. There was more of that to come with Buttler continuing where he left off against South Africa and Bairstow drilling his first ball into the stands.Despite having a vast total on the board it was important England did not slack in the field. The quick bowlers made an early impression, zipping the ball through from back of a length with Kieswetter taking a number of deliveries above his head. There was very little for the batsmen to drive although Steven Finn pushed a few deliveries down the leg side.Broad decided to use his bowlers by the gameplan so Jade Dernbach was given one up front before the captain brought himself on. After a difficult home season of catching and fielding they began well in that department, with Buttler producing a sharp dive and throw from midwicket to run out Sadiq then, next ball, Bairstow held a stunning catch running in from fine leg against a top edged hook from Asghar Stanikzai.Graeme Swann started with two maidens then was taken for 16 by Naib who often declined singles and showed why by picking off two sweet sixes against Dernbach to mean there would be no record low for Afghanistan and to help himself to the highest score by a No. 8 in T20 internationals. Nobody should read too much into the result, but it was a good statement by the defending champions.

India’s spinners, R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, dismissed England for 191 on the third but the visitors fought back in their second innings

The Report by David Hopps17-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball by ball detailsFile photo: R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha bowled splendidly on an increasingly responsive surface (ESPNcricinfo is not carrying live pictures due to curbs on media)•Associated PressAhmedabad has suffered a steep drop recently in the number of vultures circling the city, but those not affected by urbanisation and poisoning will find plenty to encourage them as long as England’s malady against spin bowling persists.India took England’s last seven first-innings wickets by tea, with their spinners R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha hunting down eight wickets in the innings, and as the follow-on was confirmed, a lone vulture loomed overhead as if in expectation of a quick kill.England sorely needed a remedy second time around that might not save the Test but would pronounce themselves still redoubtable opponents in the three Tests to follow. Alastair Cook and Nick Compton provided it with a contemplative, unbroken stand of 111 as the spinners failed to find the same purchase second time around.India still lead by 219 runs with two days remaining, but here at last was an England batting pair, neither of them natural players of spin, working earnestly to come up with their own individual solutions. Cook was a captain leading by example, the more expansive as he picked off the bad balls; Compton, although more cautious, showed impressive resolve on debut.Ojha came close to dismissing both, having Compton dropped in the gully on 23 by Virat Kohli, a tough chance by his boots, and seeing Aleem Dar refuse a convincing lbw appeal when Cook was 37. The BCCI will not accept DRS until it is 100 per cent efficient. Instead they got Dar, a fine umpire having a bad day, operating at a percentage he will wish to remain unrecorded.England have no problems with spin. Psychologically, they have to say that. The evidence, though, remained contrary in their first innings as Ashwin and Ojha, taking four wickets on an exacting morning, became the latest combination to harry them to destruction in Asia.Ojha, looping up his left-arm slows at a gentle pace, bowled Kevin Pietersen and had Ian Bell caught in the deep first ball – one of the most misconceived dismissals by an England batsman since Mike Gatting had a dabble at the reverse sweep in the 1987 World Cup final.Ashwin accounted for Cook, whose accession to the England Test captaincy has come at a most unpromising juncture. Cook’s methodical resistance took him to 41 before Ashwin caused him to reach for one that turned and edge to Virender Sehwag at first slip.It was a gruelling morning for two highly-experienced umpires and with no review system in place the fear of giving a faulty dismissal in favour of the spinners seemingly soon crept into the consciousness.Smart stats

India’s first-innings lead of 330 is their second-highest in Tests against England. Their highest is 355, at Headingley in 2002.

Previously, India’s three highest leads against England were all in overseas Tests, including 319 at The Oval and 283 at Trent Bridge, both in 2007.

Pragyan Ojha’s 5 for 45 is his fourth five-for in Tests, all of which have come at home. In 13 home Tests, Ojha has 68 wickets at an average of 26.83.

Since the beginning of 2008, Kevin Pietersen has been dismissed 24 times by left-arm spinners in Tests. He averages 35.58 against them during this period; against all other types of bowling, his Test average is 56.40 since 2008.

In 32 Test innings in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UAE, Ian Bell has scored 888 runs at 28.64. Since the beginning of 2006, Bell has played 26 Test innings in these countries and averages 23, with a highest of 83.

Patel, on 4, looked stone dead, when he played across a delivery from Ashwin and was struck in front of middle. You did not need a predictive path, which the BCCI disallows television from showing, to know that Dar had erred. When Dar did give out Patel lbw to Umesh Yadav, in a flirting appearance of pace bowling, you did not need a predictive path to know that the ball was slipping down the leg side.There had been enough clues on the second evening, never mind the past year, to suggest that England would face a troubled morning and so it proved to be. Ashwin and Ojha bowled splendidly on an increasingly responsive surface, finding more turn than Graeme Swann had achieved in what was virtually a single-handed assault for England on the first two days.Right from the outset, England were up against it. Pietersen was at his most frenzied, bent upon using his feet to the spinners, but if he was constantly on the move it was not necessarily in the right direction. He nearly yorked himself in Ojha’s first over and had to dive back into the crease as Gautam Gambhir tried to run him out from silly point. In Ojha’s next over, he charged again and MS Dhoni missed a leg-side stumping.When umpire Tony Hill turned down an lbw appeal from Ojha, he faced an interrogation from bowler and captain alike as to whether Pietersen had played a shot, probably on the grounds that a player of his quality could not conceivably miss the ball by such a distance.It all ended when Pietersen, this time remaining in his crease, tried to stay inside the line of the ball and was bowled, missing one that turned only slightly by quite a distance. Left-arm spin gets into his head and likes what it finds.Bell’s first-ball dismissal was mental frailty dressed up as aggressive intent, an attempt to dance down the wicket to strike Ojha down the ground ending in a mis-hit off the bottom of the bat to Sachin Tendulkar at mid-off. To call it rabbit-in-the-headlights stuff was an insult to rabbits. It has yet to be proved that a rabbit sits in its burrow proclaiming: “I am going to be a tough rabbit, I am going to be an adventurous rabbit. I have no idea about the speed of the car or the lie of the road, I am going to take on this car from the start, come what may.” Or maybe they do and they are the ones that get splattered.Cook and Patel, although finding few scoring opportunities, did at least have the wherewithal to try to unravel India’s spin-bowling mysteries. Cook’s tendency to fall over on leg stump was probed, but he survived it, swept with certainty at times, and was the one England player who could be dismissed with pride intact.England could also have lost Matt Prior to an inviting full toss when he pulled straight to deep-square leg where Zaheer Khan was unable to hold a running catch. England were at least spared that embarrassment.Prior marshalled some late-order resistance against the old ball – 94 for the last three wickets – until he became the fifth victim for Ojha, bowled seeking a boundary to raise his fifty. Swann, the best player of spin in England’s lower order, found himself coming in at No. 11 and faced two balls, his chief involvement to check with India if they intended to make England bat again.

Perth Scorchers have catapulted to second on the Big Bash table after a thumping nine-wicket win over the lacklustre Sydney Thunder

The Report by Alex Malcolm in Perth04-Jan-2013
ScorecardBrad Hogg’s spell of 4-29 was his most productive this season•Getty ImagesPerth Scorchers have catapulted to second on the Big Bash table after a thumping nine-wicket win over the lacklustre Sydney Thunder.Thunder’s loss was a result of a dismal batting performance. Their captain, Chris Rogers, was out of the game before the toss with a fractured finger, and they lost their way not long after the coin fell in Chris Gayle’s favour.The Thunder slumped to their worst powerplay score of the tournament, just 2 for 23 after six overs. 22-year old left-arm swing bowler Jason Behrendorff, in just his third game, used the pace and bounce of the WACA to his advantage. Gayle guided a catch to slip from a good length outswinger. Matt Prior fell for the third match in succession trying to loft over mid-off. Alfonso Thomas took a spectacular catch running back with the flight.Thunder’s position worsened when Michael Beer induced mistakes from Simon Keen and Ryan Carters to leave them at 4 for 33 after nine overs.Usman Khawaja was called upon to mount another rescue mission. After his classy, unbeaten, 66 against the Sixers, the left-hand batsman backed it up with another half-century. He started slowly, with a couple of streaky leading edges through point. He clicked into gear against Beer in the 13th over, using his feet twice to find the rope at midwicket and then clear it at long-on.Khawaja and Mark Cosgrove combined to score 47 before the latter cut Nathan Coulter-Nile to deep point.Without Khawaja’s efforts the Thunder would have failed to reach a three-figure score. He passed 50 with a magnificent lofted six over cover from the miserly Thomas. Extraordinarily, it was only Khawaja’s third six of his T20 career, equalling his tally of half-centuries. He fell in the last over to Brad Hogg, the first of three wickets in the over. The Thunder posted their lowest total of the tournament thus far.The Scorchers made light work of the chase, despite losing Herschelle Gibbs early. Gurinder Sandhu, in just his second game, bowled well to collect his first wicket at this level. The 19-year-old conceded just 18 from his four overs.After that Shaun Marsh and Marcus North took control. Marsh cruised to his third half-century of the tournament, and superseded Aaron Finch as the BBL’s leading scorer. Marsh’s unbeaten 56 allayed any fears about his thumb injury, having been struck by Doug Bollinger on January 1 in Hobart. Marcus North found some much-need touch, scoring an unbeaten 39 from 30 balls. The partnership was trouble-free, and helped by a 12-ball over from Scott Coyte, who delivered 5 wides and a no-ball before leaving the ground with an elbow problem.The win moved the Scorchers from sixth on the table, thanks to enormous boost in net run-rate, and they now have a chance at hosting another BBL semi-final. The Thunder, meanwhile, have lost 12 consecutive matches as a franchise, with this arguably their most disappointing.

Stuart Binny had targetted limiting the home team to 150. Cheteshwar Pujara alone scored nearly twice that to put the game beyond Karnataka

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran in Rajkot09-Jan-2013
Scorecard
File photo: Pujara scored his second double-century in two matches•ESPNcricinfo LtdAfter the third day’s play, both captains had talked about a deteriorating track at the Saurashtra University ground and how it was an open game. Karnataka’s leader Stuart Binny had targetted limiting the home team to 150. Cheteshwar Pujara alone scored nearly twice that, and Saurashtra bludgeoned 195 in a breathtaking morning session that put the game beyond Karnataka.It was Pujara’s second consecutive second-innings double-century, and he once again displayed a wide repertoire of strokes that should quell doubts over his ability to flourish in limited-overs cricket. There were 40 fours in his 275-ball 261. With the national selector Rajinder Hans watching, Pujara helped his chances of getting his ODI debut in his hometown in two days’ time.Binny had been disappointed with the way his spinners bowled in the first innings. The second innings was worse. Much worse. All three spinners – KP Appanna, newcomer K Gowtham and part-timer Amit Verma – average above 50 this season, and on the fourth day in Rajkot, it was evident why. None of them could maintain a steady line and length to build pressure, routinely dropping it short or wide or on the pads. It didn’t take long for the dressing-room advice to change from [wickets will come) to [bowl a little more tightly].Karnataka gave their fast bowlers only a handful of overs before lunch, relying instead on spin. It proved a costly move, as Sagar Jogiyani and Pujara ripped the slow bowlers apart, with 28 fours and two sixes in the session. So deflated were Karnataka that a few overs before lunch, they turned to the gentle offbreaks of KL Rahul and Binny, who bowled offspin instead of his usual medium-pace as the track was beneficial to the spinners.Jogiyani was the aggressor in the first hour, regularly slog-sweeping the spinners towards midwicket or guiding them down to fine leg. Pujara get many of his early runs behind the wicket, using deft late cuts or lap-sweeps, one of which sent the ball behind the keeper to the sightscreen. The bigger strokes only came out to the bad balls, like the half-trackers on leg stump that Gowtham served up, which were duly dismissed for leg-side boundaries.Jogiyani fell after reaching 70, but Pujara once again showed his appetite for large scores. On reaching his century, there was hardly any celebration, just a perfunctory wave of the bat. A Ranji hundred for Pujara is like Lionel Messi scoring one goal in a game. They are just warming up.As the innings progressed the scoring rate only increased, and he looked to get to his double-century with a shot he hadn’t played all innings: a reverse-sweep. He didn’t connect properly, prompting some advice from the dressing room, and he got the milestone with a glance behind square leg off the next ball. Soon after, he played three successive reverse-sweeps against Appanna. There had been no sixes in his innings as well till he decided to bring up his 250 with a huge hit over midwicket. It took him only 34 deliveries to go from 200 to 250.Long before that Karnataka’s spirit had faded. There were some bad misfields and some lazy cricket. On one occasion, bowler HS Sharath didn’t even realise the throw from the deep wasn’t just coming to his end but at him, and noticed it only when his team-mates shouted for him to “watch out”, as though he was a bystander at a nets session. Add to that knee injuries to three of their fielders, Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa and Kunal Kapoor.The only phase in which the bowlers had a bit of a say was just after lunch when Karnataka used both their quicks, with Sharath bowling bouncer after bouncer at Pujara. The batsman was troubled a couple of times early on, nearly gloving a catch to the keeper but was soon back in command. In the next Sharath over, he pulled a short ball for four, then glanced another to fine leg for a boundary before making it a hat-trick with a thrilling upper-cut over the slips. Mithun could be heard advising Sharath to not bowl it short every ball.Otherwise, it was all Saurashtra. “In my lifetime I have never seen any team score 462 runs in a day,” a dejected Karnataka coach J Arunkumar said at stumps, highlighting the utter dominance of the home side.

A man has been fined after racially abusing three young spectators during the ODI between England and South Africa at West End in August

George Dobell14-Jan-2013A man has been fined after racially abusing three young spectators during the ODI between England and South Africa at West End on August 28.John Guinelly, a 44-year-old from Portsmouth, was ordered to pay each victim £500 by Southampton Magistrates’ Court, with his actions towards the children described by magistrates as “threatening and abusive”.Hampshire Police launched an investigation after the incident when the three children, aged 11, 13 and 14, returned to their seats having purchased food during the match only to find that Guinelly and two other men had taken their places.Guinelly first pretended he could not understand the children – the court heard he said “are they talking Dutch or something?” – and then used racist phrases when stewards asked him to move. Later, as Guinelly was being spoken to by stewards and police, he spotted one of the children and delivered another racist insult.While Guinelly did not attend court, he send a letter stating that he would plead guilty to racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress. He claimed his comments were “friendly banter”. He was also ordered to pay £65 court costs.

The preview for the third ODI between West Indies and Zimbabwe at George’s

The Preview by Vishal Dikshit25-Feb-2013Match factsFebruary 26, 2013
Start time 0930 local (1330 GMT)Craig Ervine and Hamilton Masakadza would have to play big roles for Zimbabwe if they are to avoid a whitewash• WICB Media/Randy Brooks PhotoBig PictureGoing by the series scoreline so far, 2-0 in favour of West Indies, nothing out of the ordinary and unexpected has happened. A convincing 156-run victory in the first ODI and a seven-wicket win in the second. The second margin sounds comprehensive, but it wasn’t. Zimbabwe showed a marked improvement on Sunday and halfway through the match, would have even thought of leveling the series. What they are left with now, is to play for a solitary win in the final ODI and win their first one-dayer since October 2011, when they chased 329 against New Zealand. West Indies will be brimming with confidence after a forgettable summer in Australia and look set to complete a whitewash.
After being thrashed in the first ODI, Zimbabwe put up a strong batting display in the second, which stretched the hosts to the 49th over. Their bowling and fielding went up a notch, but they failed to pick wickets despite the pressure they created. They have picked only seven wickets in nearly 100 overs and have conceded 611 runs at a dismal average of 87.29. They will rely on Kyle Jarvis and their most experienced bowler, Prosper Utseya, to give them breakthroughs, especially in the opening overs. The 22-year old Natsai M’shangwe has been the most economical in the two ODIs, but it’s the wickets they need to win matches.West Indies, meanwhile, would not want to be in the pressure-cooker situation they found themselves in on Sunday. Even though their batsmen have done their job, curbing Zimbabwe to a lower score would be ideal for them. If they win the third, it will be their first whitewash over a Test-playing nation since beating Bangladesh 3-0 in 2004.Form guideWest Indies WWLLL
Zimbabwe LLLLLIn the spotlightDespite scoring two consecutive fifties, Kieran Powell threw his wicket away in both the ODIs. Against a feeble Zimbabwe attack and in the absence of Chris Gayle, this will be the apt time for Powell to convert a start into a three-digit score and boost his confidence before the Champions Trophy in June.Hamilton Masakadza was Zimbabwe’s top performer on Sunday with a fifty and figures of 2 for 27 from seven overs. If Zimbabwe have to win, he will have to extend his stay on the pitch to chase or set up a big total for the in-form West Indies batsmen.Team newsWest Indies are yet to announce their squad for the third ODI. Gayle and Darren Sammy were rested for the first two matches. With the series to their name, West Indies may want to give a chance to the left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (if available), who has been in fine form for Guyana with 13 wickets in the last two Regional Four-Day matches.West Indies: (probable) 1 Kieran Powell, 2 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Tino Best, 11 Sunil Narine/Veerasammy PermaulZimbabwe: (from) Brendan Taylor (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Tino Mawoyo, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Regis Chakabva, Malcolm Waller, Keegan Meth, Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Tino Mutombodzi, Natsai M’shangweStats and triviaThe last time West Indies and Zimbabwe played a bilateral ODI series, West Indies won the series 4-1 in West Indies in 2010.West Indies have won six and lost six of the 12 ODIs they have played at St. George’s in Grenada.Quotes”I felt a burden lifted when I reached my hundred. I was lacking a little confidence before this performance so I have my confidence back now.”

Mohammad Nabi has been named Afghanistan captain, ahead of the ICC Intercontinental Cup in the UAE

Umar Farooq01-Mar-2013Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan allrounder, will lead the side in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in the UAE, after Nawroz Mangal was stripped of the captaincy following his dismal show in the limited-over series in Pakistan last month. Mangal had led the side for more than four years.Afghanistan, in the recent tour of Pakistan, failed to make an impact under Mangal, losing the limited-over series against the Pakistan ‘A’ team and various regional sides. Mangal, however, was retained in the 18-man squad named ahead of the international fixtures against Scotland in UAE, with wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad named as vice-captain.Nabi, 28, who skipped the Pakistan tour to play in the Bangladesh Premier League, was the top wicket-taker for Sylhet Royals, taking 18 wickets in 14 matches at 19.27. This is not the first time Nabi has been handed the captaincy, as he was earlier named captain for the Asian Games in 2010 where Afghanistan finished runners-up, losing to Bangladesh in the final.They will head to the UAE to play two Twenty20 internationals against Scotland at Sharjah, starting March 3, followed by two ODIs in the ICC World Cricket League Championship. From March 12, the team will play a first-class match against the same opponents in the sixth edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which is to be held in Abu Dhabi.Squad: Mohammad Nabi (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (vice-capt & wk), Karim Sadiq, Nawroz Mangal, Javed Ahmadi, Mohibullah Paak, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbodin Naib, Hamza Hotak, Dawlat Zadran, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Aftab Alam, Mirwais Ashraf, Afsar Zazai, Shabir Noori, Shapoor Zadran, Hamid Hassan and Asghar Stanikzai