West Indies are set to become the first touring team since the 1998 Sri Lankans to miss out on a Test at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2011West Indies are set to become the first touring team since the 1998 Sri Lankans to miss out on a Test at Lord’s, after it emerged that the England & Wales Cricket Board had offered next summer’s fixture to Cardiff, in spite of the fact that the host county, Glamorgan, bid little more than half the £1million offered by MCC for the privilege.The full itinerary for 2012 has yet to be announced, but it is understood that the ECB’s major match group, an independent body chaired by the former Trade Unionist, Lord Morris of Handsworth, has recommended the West Indies Tests should be played at Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and Cardiff, with South Africa’s tour later in the summer going to Lord’s, The Oval and Headingley.With London already set to host the 2012 Olympics next year, there is some merit in the ECB’s decision to dilute the sporting focus on the capital, which will still be staging two of the summer’s six Tests. Nevertheless, the route they have taken appears to fly in the face of their own policy of competitive tendering, with quotes from Paul Russell, the Glamorgan chairman, indicating that their bid for the West Indies’ game cannot have been more than £600,000.”We bid just over £2m for this game,” said Russell last week, following a disappointing first Test against Sri Lanka, during which just 922 spectators turned up to watch England’s thrilling final-day victory. “We have a West Indies Test match next year and the fee for that is less than 25% of what we paid for this game.”Russell also admitted to a “conceptual difficulty” in establishing Test cricket as a blue-riband sport in Wales, and Glamorgan needed a financial bail-out from the ECB last summer after the Pakistan match-fixing row, coupled with poor weather, wrecked the attendances at back-to-back Twenty20 games in September.Lord’s, however, is also feeling the financial strain, having made a loss of £2.4million for 2010. The ECB did offer the sop of a one-day international against West Indies, but MCC turned it down. “The MCC committee did not want to be party to an agreement that would deny the chance to watch Test cricket at Lord’s,” said a spokesman.Relations between the ECB and MCC hit a new low on Monday evening, when the launch of the new Sri Lanka Premier League, scheduled to be held in the Long Room on Thursday, had to be cancelled because the event clashed with a Friends Life t20 fixture between Middlesex and Essex.A statement read: “The agreement between ECB and FL precludes a launch of another competition, especially a Twenty20 competition, on the same day or indeed during a period set aside for FL media activity.”

Tillakaratne Dilshan marked his return to action after a broken thumb by winning the toss for Sri Lanka, and choosing to bowl first in the opening ODI against England at The Oval

The Bulletin by Andrew Miller28-Jun-2011 England 229 for 8 (Kieswetter 61, Morgan 45) beat Sri Lanka 121 (Anderson 4-18, Swann 3-18) by 110 runs – D/L

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCraig Kieswetter lifted England with a 56-ball 61, before James Anderson cut loose with the white ball•Getty Images

Alastair Cook’s personal contribution may have been modest in the extreme, but he will not care a jot about that, after England’s new era of ODI cricket was launched with a crushing 110-run victory over Sri Lanka at The Oval. James Anderson was the hero with a spell of three wickets in his first 17 balls, and 4 for 18 all told, as the same opponents who brought England’s World Cup campaign to a humiliating conclusion in Colombo three months ago were themselves rolled aside for 121 in a rain-affected encounter.As grudge matches go, this was not exactly a high-octane encounter. Long before a three-hour delay for a thunderstorm had reduced the contest to 32 overs a side, the peculiar comings and goings of Sanath Jayasuriya had reduced the contest to something of a circus. Nevertheless, for Anderson, there was personal atonement at stake. He had not even been selected for that ten-wicket trouncing at the World Cup, after succumbing to exhaustion towards the end of England’s winter odyssey. But under the Oval floodlights he demonstrated his qualities in an irresistible performance, which also included a brilliant leap at midwicket to give Jade Dernbach his maiden ODI wicket.All throughout the winter, one-day wickets proved hard for Anderson to come by – he managed 11 in 83 overs all told. So it was richly ironic that his first breakthrough of the evening came with one of the worst balls he’s bowled all year. Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose century in Colombo had helped condemn England to defeat, marked his return from a broken thumb with a flicked pull off a leg-side long-hop, and Tim Bresnan at fine leg hardly had to move to complete a simple dismissal.

Smart stats

• England’s run-rate of 7.15 in their score of 229 is their highest in the first innings in ODIs when they have made a 200-plus score.

• Craig Kieswetter’s 61 is his third-highest score in ODIs and his first half-century against Sri Lanka.

• Sri Lanka’s total of 121 is their second-lowest in ODIs against England surpassing the 99 made in Perth in 1999 (only innings when team has been bowled out).

• James Anderson’s 4 for 18 is his tenth haul of four wickets or more and his second-best bowling performance in ODIs.

• Sanath Jayasuriya fell for a score below ten for the 141st time in ODIs, the most for any player. He also holds the record for the most ducks in ODIs (34).

• Sri Lanka’s total of 69 is fourth on the list of lowest scores at the fall of the eighth wicket overall and their worst such score since the 74 for 8 against Pakistan in Colombo in 2009.

• The 52-run stand between Suraj Randiv and Lasith Malinga is the highest for the ninth wicket for Sri Lanka in ODIs against England surpassing the previous best of 46 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dilhara Fernando in 2007. Malinga has also been involved in Sri Lanka’s highest ninth-wicket partnership in ODIs (132).

Bresnan, who was himself back in the team after recovering from a calf strain, had earlier helped England post a competitive target of 232 with four fours in consecutive legitimate deliveries. He then reduced Sri Lanka to 6 for 2 after ten balls, as Jayasuriya’s 445th and final ODI appearance ended with a rifled cut to Eoin Morgan in the gully. Anderson then trapped Mahela Jayawardene plumb lbw with a nipbacker, and three balls later, Sri Lanka had passed the point of no return at 15 for 4, as Kumar Sangakkara chipped a return catch to the same bowler.The remainder of the innings was a tactical saunter for Cook, who made his first bowling change in the ninth over as his fellow England captain Stuart Broad came into the attack (for another less-than-convincing spell, it has to be said). Dernbach then used the familiarity of his Surrey home ground and the placid match situation to help himself to impressive debut figures of 2 for 25, before Suraj Randiv and Lasith Malinga biffed a ninth-wicket stand of 52 to massage the final margin. At no stage, however, could Sri Lanka threaten a comeback, and Graeme Swann sealed the deal with three cheap wickets in five overs.All in all, it was a richly satisfying day for Captain Cook – his fourth victory in as many ODIs at the helm, after a 3-0 series win in Bangladesh last year. His intention of leading from the front had fallen a touch flat after Malinga strangled him down the leg-side for a three-ball 5, but at least he could say he had improved his career ODI strike-rate of 71.After being asked to bat first, England’s momentum was further thwarted when the heavens opened after seven overs, with their innings uninspiringly placed at 35 for 1. However, when they resumed with 18 overs shaved off their allocation, Craig Kieswetter produced his best England performance since the World Twenty20 final in May 2010. He raised his tempo from a cautious 13 from 23 balls at the break to an ambitious 61 from 56, before he took on the slog-sweep against Randiv and top-edged a simple chance to Suranga Lakmal at short third man.Jonathan Trott, England’s unsung hero from an erratic World Cup campaign, continued in his unflappable vein, picking off five fours with scarcely a shot in anger to reach 23 from 24 balls, while Kevin Pietersen looked in prime touch before slapping a first-ball long-hop from Jeevan Mendis to midwicket. But England’s other key contributor was Morgan, whose inventive repertoire was once again on show as he picked off a total of six fours in his 35-ball 45, before one lofted drive too many resulted in a simple catch for Thilina Kandamby at long-off.From 142 for 3 after 20 overs, England stuttered to 194 for 6 after 29, before a late volley of boundaries from Bresnan allowed them to finish with a flourish. In the end, however, it was not even close. That’s generally been the rule for limited-overs encounters between these two teams, but on this occasion, the tables were turned emphatically.

Shakib said he was not consulted before the 15-man squad for the Zimbabwe tour was picked, while selection chief Akram Khan insisted the Bangladesh captain was

Mohammad Isam19-Jul-2011Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and the new selection panel, led by former captain Akram Khan, have had a public disagreement over the squad for the Zimbabwe tour starting later this month. Shakib said he was not consulted before the 15-man squad was picked, while Akram insisted he was.”I learned about the team after it was named,” Shakib said. “I felt that [I should’ve been consulted] but they, who selected, should have felt it too.”Akram, however, expressed his disbelief at Shakib’s comments and insisted that he had spoken to Shakib over the phone in England. “I’m really shocked,” Akram said. “It’s really hard for me to believe that Shakib made such comments.”Akram, who became selection chief in April, said that he discussed the squad with Shakib before finalising it. “I personally talked with him over telephone in front of my colleagues [Minhazul Abedin and Habibul Bashar] to take his view over the selection. I mentioned all the names for his opinions and he said it is okay.” During a two-day practice game at the GP-BCB National Cricket Academy ground last week, Akram had informed reporters present that he held talks with Shakib over the team.When Shakib was further pressed for his opinion on the current 15-member squad, he said, “The people who selected the team can tell better how good the team is. But I will lead out my eleven.” The reason for Shakib’s resentment is unknown as he refrained from expanding.

Tamim Iqbal was confident that his team would emerge comfortable winners because Zimbabwe’s bowlers pose no threat to their line-up

Firdose Moonda in Harare07-Aug-2011Nobody can accuse Tamim Iqbal of being modest. The Bangladesh opening batsman was bullish at the end of the fourth day’s play, confident that his team would emerge comfortable winners because Zimbabwe’s bowlers pose no threat to their line-up.”He’s just ok, he’s nothing special,” Tamim said of Kyle Jarvis, who took two wickets late in the day to swing the advantage Zimbabwe’s way. “I’m just being honest and telling the truth.” He was similarly unimpressed with Brian Vitori, the left-arm seamer whose four wickets in the first innings did substantial damage to Bangladesh’s cause. “He’s ordinary.”So, if neither of Zimbabwe’s two strike bowlers pose any danger to Bangladesh, what stands in their way on their journey to victory in Harare? “Ourselves,” Tamim said. “The wicket is flat so if we don’t make mistakes or do anything silly, we should win.”Tamim believed his own innings was a demonstration of how the rest of the line-up should bat, without fear. “I was going beautifully and if I was still there we would have had more runs,” he said. “I had a plan, which was to play my shots and I was doing that. It’s just bad luck that I got out, that happens in cricket.”Despite his crash and burn innings in a tall task for Bangladesh, Tamim praised Zimbabwe’s captain Brendan Taylor for his sporting declaration, saying it created an opportunity for a good finish. “It was a clever declaration. If they had batted for one hour after tea, we would have been happy to bat for the other hour and might not have gone for the chase, so this was clever.”Tamim displays a rare confidence, that is often absent in Bangladesh players and indicated that soon, the rest of the squad may start talking the talk like he does, although he admitted that they don’t often walk the walk. “Every individual player knows their game now, so that has a come a long way. We still have a lot to learn and that will come if we play a lot more Test cricket. We can’t have a 14-month break,” he said, using the opportunity to also take a snipe at those in charge of the scheduling.The only group who escaped his criticism were his own team-mates and Tamim wasn’t disappointed with their fielding effort, despite their lack of firepower. “Maybe they could have done a little more with the new ball but Robiul [Islam] and Rubel [Hossain] played their hearts out and it was nice to see that.”

After bowling out Essex for 253 to gain a first-innings lead of 62, Surrey
finished on 104 four 4 in their second innings during an absorbing day’s play
in their County Championship match at Chelmsford

08-Sep-2011
ScorecardAfter bowling out Essex for 253 to gain a first-innings lead of 62, Surrey
finished on 104 four 4 in their second innings during an absorbing day’s play
in their County Championship match at Chelmsford.It left the promotion-chasing visitors going into the third day 166 ahead and
in a far healthier position than had seemed likely after the Essex openers Billy
Godleman and Tom Westley had put together a century partnership.Tim Linley and Stuart Meaker led the Surrey fightback, the pace pair claiming
nine wickets between them. It was Linley who inflicted the early damage, starting immediately after the opening stand had moved into three figures. He found the edge to have Godleman
caught behind by Steve Davies for 43 and point the way to a spell of four for 12
in 34 deliveries.Owais Shah got off the mark with a six against Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm
spinner, but added just one more run before being bowled. Jaik Mickleburgh was next to go, trapped lbw without offering a stroke and he was followed back to the pavilion by the impressive Westley. The right-hander had laced his innings of 57 with some beautifully timed drives
among his seven boundaries until finding the hands of cover point.Westley’s departure left Essex 135 for 4 and 16 runs later, Adam Wheater
drove high to mid-off to provide Ojha with his solitary success. That left the home side needing a substantial partnership between James Foster and Ryan ten Doeschate if they were to get close to Surrey’s total of 315.For a while, they threatened to succeed but having added 46 in 11 overs, mainly
as the result of Ten Doeschate’s belligerence, Meaker embarked on a devastating
spell. In it, he claimed the remaining five wickets for 16 in 32 balls, starting with
Foster who was caught behind for 14, a contribution spanning 32 deliveries.Graham Napier was undone leg before for his third successive duck and in
between bowling David Masters and Tymal Mills; he ended the aggressive innings
of Ten Doeschate. The Essex all-rounder had smashed three sixes among his 10 boundaries before being trapped lbw for 56. Those runs arrived in 51 balls whilst Meaker finished
with figures of five for 66 from 16.4 overs.Linley returned figures of 4 for 48 and taking his season’s Championship
tally to 66. Surrey, however, were soon in trouble when they set out to build upon their
lead. David Masters struck to have Davies caught in the covers without scoring and
two more wickets fell before the 50 was raised.Rory Hamilton-Brown chopped on against Napier with the total on 35 and nine
runs later, Masters had Mark Ramprakash popping-up a simple catch to Godleman at
short leg. However, Tom Maynard and Zander de Bruyn put together an entertaining stand of
60 in only seven overs before Maynard was trapped by leg before by Masters in
the final over of the day.

England women have named a 14-strong squad for their tour of South Africa in October

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2011England Women have named a 14-strong squad for their tour of South Africa in October.The squad will be based in Potchefstroom from October 17 – 31 and will play a three-match ODI series and a three-match Twenty20 series against South Africa at Senwes Park.Sussex’s Georgia Elwiss is included after being called up as bowling cover during the NatWest Women’s Quadrangular Series earlier this year. Elwiss, a 20-year-old medium-fast bowler, will be hoping to make her international debut, while Sussex team-mate Holly Colvin will remain in England to concentrate on university studies. Tammy Beaumont and Susie Rowe return to the England squad after a successful summer with Kent and the academy.The teams last met in the group stages of the 2010 World Twenty20 where England beat Cri-Zelda Brits’ South Africa team by 56 runs. Charlotte Edwards will lead the England squad and look to continue the teams winning performances from this summer.Mark Lane, England’s head coach, said: “I was very pleased with our performances over the summer; we saw contributions throughout the squad.”We will be looking to take the positive performances from this summer with us to South Africa and on to New Zealand in February. Both winter tours will serve as important preparation for us as we look ahead to the World Twenty20 in 2012 and then onto the World Cup in 2013.”The team has real strength in depth at the moment so we will be looking for every player to perform and continue to improve both individually and as a team.”England squad: Charlotte Edwards (capt), Jenny Gunn, Tammy Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Isa Guha, Danni Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Susie Rowe, Sarah Taylor, Danni Wyatt.

Darren Bravo, the West Indies batsmen who reached his maiden Test ton off the last ball of the day in Mirpur, has said he was not anxious to get to the landmark prior to stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2011Darren Bravo, the West Indies batsman who reached his maiden Test century off the last ball of the third day in Mirpur, has said he was not anxious to achieve the landmark before stumps. Bravo cut the final delivery from Suhrawadi Shuvo through point, a shot that fetched him two runs to complete his first hundred in 18 innings.”I actually wanted to wait for the right ball to get my first Test century,” Bravo said. “It was a back of a length delivery and I thought I played it well. I thought it went for four so I started to celebrate before reaching the hundred but nevertheless, I’m happy.”Earlier in the day Bravo had counterattacked after West Indies had lost their openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell, cheaply. “I thought attack was the best form of defence. I went out and backed my ability, [it was] great that it paid off in the end.”I knew there was something special for me around the corner. I was always keeping the faith and [it feels] nice to capitalise on my hard work.”Bravo’s 151-run partnership for the third wicket with Kirk Edwards helped West Indies take firm control of the second Test, securing a lead of 331 with seven wickets in hand and two days remaining. He ended the day on 100 off 165 balls with two sixes. It is said that Bravo’s batting style evokes memories of Brian Lara and he paid tribute to his “role model” after the century.”I look up to Lara a lot,” Bravo said. “As a kid growing up, I would look at him batting and when he got out I would turn off the TV to go outside and play. To be quite honest, though, this is my natural way of batting. I just go outside and express myself. I’ve heard this question over and over. When I’m performing, nobody sees it as a burden but as soon as I’m failing, the burden question pops up.”

The knockout rounds of India’s domestic Under-22 championship, the CK Nayudu Trophy, have been postponed to December due to a lack of qualified umpires and the unavailability of quality grounds

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2011The knockout rounds of India’s domestic Under-22 championship, the CK Nayudu Trophy, have been postponed to December due to a lack of qualified umpires and the unavailability of quality grounds. Right now first-class, Under-19 and women’s cricket, as well as the India-West Indies series, is being played across the country, contributing to the shortage.The BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, confirmed the matter. “The Under-16, Under-19 age groups are overlapping with the Ranji matches,” he told the . “At certain places we didn’t have proper umpires from our authorised panel and in certain places good grounds weren’t available.”After two years we are having Under-19 zonal games because of the World Cup [scheduled for August 2012, in Australia]. So keeping all these things in mind, we have decided to postpone the Under-22 knockout rounds from November 26 to December 15.”At present, apart from the Under-19 zonal games, the women’s one-day championship is on. The next round of Ranji Trophy games will be played between November 29 and December 2. The Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy will also commence from December 1. The third Test against West Indies is scheduled to finish in Mumbai on November 26, and is followed by five one-dayers between November 29 and December 11. Regulations stipulate that all domestic matches require a minimum of three officials, Ranji Trophy matches need four, while televised matches need five.”Frankly we didn’t anticipate this sort of a problem,” Shetty said. “From next year, we will schedule the matches in a better way so that all games are held in an organised manner.”

Rahul Dravid has been appointed the new captain of Rajasthan Royals, a team official told ESPNcricinfo, succeeding Shane Warne

Tariq Engineer03-Dec-2011Rahul Dravid has been appointed the new captain of Rajasthan Royals. Dravid succeeds Shane Warne, who captained Royals in the first four IPLs and led them to the championship in the league’s inaugural season. Dravid was bought by Royals in the 2011 IPL auction for $500,000, after playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the first three years. One of the reasons Dravid was signed by Royals was his proven leadership abilities.”I am honoured to lead the Rajasthan Royals and look forward to the valuable inputs from my team-mates who are already leading their national sides and clubs,” Dravid said. “My aim will be to get the best out of a very talented squad and invoke the same team spirit that won the franchise the first IPL, and has been a hallmark of the Rajasthan Royals ever since.”Warne announced his retirement from the IPL following the 2011 tournament and Royals had a number of players with leadership experience from which to choose his successor. Their squad includes current New Zealand captain, Ross Taylor, and former international Twenty20 captains Johan Both and Paul Collingwood. Shane Watson, the Australia allrounder was another candidate but in the end Dravid’s qualifications were too strong too ignore.”No one [in the squad] has Rahul Dravid’s stature,” Raghu Iyer, Rajasthan’s spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “He is probably one of the world’s best ever. Very difficult not to appoint him as captain.”Warne complimented Dravid’s leadership skills. “He is not only one of the world’s best batsmen, but a leader par excellence. The Royals squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Dravid’s inspiring leadership.”In his debut season with Royals earlier this year, Dravid scored 343 runs in 12 matches at an average of 31.18 and a strike-rate of 109.23. The team finished sixth in the table, and were in the hunt for a play-off spot for most of the season before fading at the end.

Mervyn Westfield becomes the first English cricketer to face criminal charges arising from a spot-fixing allegation when he goes on trial at the Old Bailey on Thursday

David Hopps11-Jan-2012Mervyn Westfield becomes the first English cricketer to face criminal charges arising from a spot-fixing allegation when he goes on trial at the Old Bailey on Thursday.Westfield is accused of accepting a corrupt payment and assisting another person to cheat in gambling in events related to Essex’s Pro40 tie against Durham in Chester-le-Street in September 2009.The Old Bailey case takes place to the backdrop of Pakistan’s impending Test series against England and the jailing three months ago of three Pakistan players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif after they were found guilty of spot-fixing during a Test against England at The Oval in 2010.After an investigation by Essex police, it is alleged that Westfield, 23, who was released by Essex the following year “on cricketing grounds,” deliberately allowed a stipulated number of runs to be scored off his first over. He conceded 60 runs from seven overs as Durham scored 276 for 6, a target ultimately overhauled by Essex, who won by seven wickets with 19 balls to spare.The trial, which is expected to last a fortnight, will be heard by Judge Anthony Morris. Westfield, who is accused of accepting corrupt payments in contravention of the 1906 Corruption Act. Westfield has pleaded not guilty to both charges.The indictment says: “Mervyn Westfield, an employee of Essex Cricket Club, between the 1st day of January 2009 and the 16th day of October 2009, corruptly accepted or obtained monies from another for himself, for agreeing to do, or having done an act in relation to Essex Cricket Club’s affairs, namely bowling in a manner calculated and intended to allow the scoring of runs in a NatWest Pro40 cricket match.”A second charge under the Gambling Act 2005 alleges that Westfield “bowled in a manner calculated and intended to allow the scoring of runs for the purpose of assisting another person to cheat at gambling” between September 4-9, 2009. Westfield, of Rainham, Essex, is on bail and has been granted legal aid.The ECB has appointed Chris Watts as information manager to join the anti-corruption, education and security unit chaired by Jane Stichbury, a former chief constable of Dorset. Watts has warned that domestic cricket is potentially open to abuse because it is less heavily scrutinised than international matches.The MCC’s World Cricket Committee this week supported the use of covert operations, “preferably directed at somebody already suspected”, by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU) to tackle corruption in cricket.