All posts by h716a5.icu

While it was understandable that Virat Kohli limited himself to two debutants in Harare, it will be self-defeating now to keep Mohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Parvez Rasool away from ODI debuts in Bulawayo

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit31-Jul-2013Match factsThursday, August 1, 2013
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)Cheteshwar Pujara could make his debut in the blue uniform•BCCIBig PictureThe young India side that won the Champions Trophy and the tri-series in the Caribbean was already without so many senior players, it was said the defending world champions already had one eye on building for the 2015 World Cup. For the short trip to Zimbabwe, the selectors picked an even more inexperienced squad, with as many as five of the 15 players having never played an ODI, including three who were still to play an international game. Further, five more players had little international experience. It is all very well saying that this trip was about testing the fringes of India’s bench, but there was also the unspoken expectation – almost an assumption – that Virat Kohli would lead the side to an easy victory in his first full series as captain.Raw side, raw captain. And three games later, Kohli has a 3-0 margin, a century and a half-century. He has also given debuts to Ambati Rayudu and Jaydev Unadkat, and stuck to them for all the three matches. Before the series moved to Bulawayo, Kohli gave himself room to experiment more with the line-up with the series already won. While it was understandable that Kohli limited himself to two debuts in Harare, despite fans’ desire to see more new faces on the field, it will be self-defeating now to keep Mohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Parvez Rasool away from ODI debuts in Bulawayo.With India’s focus ideally shifting to giving the bench a run, what’s in it for Brendan Taylor and his men? Plenty, as the Zimbabwe captain pointed out after the series was lost tamely in Harare. Just getting the chance to play as many as five games against the world champions and top-ranked ODI side is huge in terms of exposure for Zimbabwe. The series gone and, with the toss usually not as important in Bulawayo as it was in Harare, they might just be able to play more freely – especially someone like Taylor, who, as Zimbabwe’s best batsman, has appeared to bat under a lot of self-imposed pressure so far.Form guide India WWWWW (most recent first, last five completed games)
Zimbabwe LLLWWIn the spotlightJaydev Unadkat has come a long way from the teenager who was rushed into a Test debut against the might of South Africa in Centurion in December 2010. He has worked on his strength, increased the length of his run-up and ran in with energy on the unresponsive pitches of Rajkot in the Ranji Trophy. He has been the sharpest of the three India quick bowlers who have played so far, troubling batsmen with zip in his shortish deliveries. Bulawayo will offer lesser help for the bowlers, and it will be interesting to see how the 21-year-old responds.This series has been another typical chapter added to Hamilton Masakadza’s career – three starts in three innings this series and no conversions. He has fallen to the legspinner Amit Mishra each time, all three dismissals coming to loose strokes. Returns of 11, 34 and 38 are not what you expect from a senior top-order batsman in a series Zimbabwe have prepared so hard for. Can he get at least one big score before the series is done? He can begin by avoiding getting out to Mishra.Team newsIndia hardly ever give any hint about their combination at press conferences, but if one were to go by net sessions, Pujara has a bright chance of making his ODI debut. He batted for a long time on the eve of the match. Vinay Kumar did not train due to a niggle, and that could mean an opening for Mohit Sharma to make his international debut.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma/Cheteshwar Pujara, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Mohammed ShamiMalcolm Waller’s horror run of scores this series reads 2, 2 and 0. Timycen Maruma looks likely to play his first ODI since March 2010. He had taken a blow to the shoulder during training in Harare, but Taylor said he’s fine.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Sikandar Raza, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Timycen Maruma, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Brian Vitori, 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Michael ChinouyaPitch and conditionsUsually, Bulawayo is hotter and drier than Harare, making for a flatter pitch and a quicker outfield, but the wind direction changed a few days ago, bringing in cloud, cold and some wet weather from South Africa. It’s unlikely that the games will be shortened by rain, but the cloud cover could make the toss more important than usual. It was cold and overcast on Tuesday, but the sun broke through around Wednesday noon. The cold breeze persisted, though.The Queens Sports Club pitch appeared dry and had a few cracks, and could play slow.Stats and trivia Brendan Taylor’s highest score in nine ODI innings this year is 39 Fourteen ODI totals in excess of 300 have been scored in Bulawayo as opposed to seven in HarareQuotes”We encourage our boys to play freely, and if we do that we generally play our best cricket. Hopefully there’s a little less pressure, and we just go out there and enjoy ourselves.”

The BCCI will implement several measures targeted at players, support staff and team owners to curb corruption in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2013The BCCI has announced its first set of proposals to “clean up” the IPL, measures ranging from financial disclosures by players and team owners to curbing the tournament’s controversial “entertainment” quotient, including putting a stop to cheerleaders and after-match parties.The measures are part of “operation clean-up,” announced by acting BCCI head Jagmohan Dalmiya at the end of a working committee meeting in Delhi on Monday. It aims to curb corruption and remove “sleaze” in the IPL by enforcing a “strict code of conduct” for players, support staff and owners, after the 2013 season was hit by charges of spot-fixing against players and by allegations that team owners were involved in illegal betting.Players will be required to reveal sources of their earnings, and owners will have to furnish details of payments and their contractual obligations with players and support staff.Access to the players’ dug-out and dressing room has been tightened once again, with Dalmiya saying that team owners will be restricted from these areas during matches. Owners were allowed in the dug-out and dressing room during the first season in 2008, but following complaints had been prevented from entering those areas thereafter. They now have seating arrangements close to the dug-out. Top officials of two teams, Gurunath Meiyappan of the Chennai Super Kings and Raj Kundra of Rajasthan Royals, have confessed to taking part in illegal betting, according to the Mumbai and Delhi police.Dalmiya also said that “no selector will be allowed to get associated with any franchise in any capacity.” No member of India’s current selection panel is attached to any franchise, but former selection chairman Kris Srikkanth was brand ambassador for the Super Kings for a period at the start of the IPL.Players and support staff will need to provide their telephone numbers to the BCCI before the IPL, and there will be a larger number of officials from the BCCI’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit at grounds and hotels during the tournament. It was also said that cell phone towers at the ground could be jammed during matches.No decision was taken on the strategic time-out, which accounts for five minutes of every IPL match and came into being in 2010. The two intervals of two and a half minutes each in every innings allow teams to strategise with support staff, and commercially it creates 300 seconds of advertising space. However, according to police investigations that led to more than 25 betting-related arrests in Delhi and Mumbai, the time-out was also an ideal period for the syndicates to adjust their session and spot odds. When Dalmiya was asked about this, he said: “We have not thought about it, it was just a financial exercise.”On Tuesday, BCCI’s secretary Sanjay Patel was quoted in the saying that cleaning up the IPL was an “ongoing process” and doing away with the strategic time-outs had “financial implications.” He did not rule out any future change, however, saying that the strategic time-out could form a part of “additional measures in our programme. We will discuss all other issues, including strategic time-out in our future meetings.”Operation clean-up is a work in progress, Dalmiya said, and IPL captains will be called for a meeting and franchises will also be consulted before a blueprint could be finalised at another working committee meeting.By Sharda UgraThe BCCI’s 12-point “Operation Clean-Up” should, in a twisted way, look like a giant leap for Indian cricket. It is the first formal, even if disguised, admission of errors, misdemeanours and lapses in governance that Indian cricket has made since it became the game’s financial behemoth.It was official acknowledgement that the dirt whirling around the IPL could not possibly be brushed under a carpet of delusion. It involved three players, two IPL team owners, the police of two cities, an umpire who was yanked out of the Champions Trophy by the ICC, two dozen illegal bookies and time in prison.Operation Clean-Up addresses IPL’s corruption issues at two levels. Putting an end to cheer leaders and after-match parties and planning to jam cellphones during matches is at worst a cosmetic change, at best tangential. Cheerleaders are not responsible for cricketers being lured by bookies or owners falling prey to gambling. After-match parties have been off limits in the post-Modi IPL world anyway. Jamming cellphones during matches serve no purpose if deals have already been done.The more serious aspect of the BCCI’s plans involve asking cricketers to spell out their financial investments and partnerships, and for IPL owners to come clean with the details of their payment structures with players and support staff. While it may not uncover ‘black’ or ‘grey’ money dealings but it is the most you can do. It must be hoped that these will be early steps towards financial transparency in the BCCI, signaling a departure from the IPL’s very smelly ‘secret tie-break’ culture.Whatever may have been included in the 12-point list, what stayed off it were the unmentionables. Whether BCCI officials would be willing to have their own financial backgrounds so thoroughly examined. To reveal the channels through which they make profits through cricket. Whether the BCCI would consider re-amending their constitution, rolling back the clause that gave N Srinivasan the latitude to buy an IPL franchise. Whether officials fighting misappropriation of funds cases against them could possibly continue in office.Operation Clean Up is a very small first step. It is the follow through that will tell us whether the BCCI has responded to perhaps the worst crisis in its history with a thorough overhaul of its governance structures, or mere window dressing.

Lancashire’s inability to post a competitive first-innings total has allowed Essex to take command at Old Trafford

Myles Hodgson at Old Trafford08-May-2013Essex 226 and 120 for 2 (Cook 57*) lead Lancashire 177 (Cross 45, Phillips 3-20) by 169 runs
ScorecardKarl Brown’s two-ball duck was typical of another poor Lancashire batting display•Getty ImagesIt may only be their third home match of the summer but already there are worrying signs that Lancashire’s fragile batting may undermine their hopes of an immediate return to Division One. Having strengthened their top-order during the winter, their inability to post a competitive first-innings total has allowed Essex to take command at Old Trafford.Their relegation summer last year was plagued with disappointing batting performances, with Lancashire dismissed for under 300 on 15 occasions. They were bowled out for fewer than 200 in eight matches. That record prompted Lancashire to secure the return of Ashwell Prince and persuade Simon Katich, the former Australia Test batsman, to help improve their batting options.They also signed Wayne White, Leicestershire’s promising allrounder, and provided with slow wickets on their opening two home matches, against Worcestershire and Kent, the recruitment policy appeared to work after they recorded first-innings totals of 448 and 395. Given a wicket with more pace and bounce, however, and the familiar failings returned.Resuming 219 runs adrift, Lancashire were always facing a tough start to the day against Reece Topley and David Masters with the new ball and failed the test by slipping to 22 for 4. Once conditions eased, however, they were little better and were dismissed for 177 in 58.3 overs.The consequences of another first-innings failure were laid bare by Alastair Cook battling through the new-ball spell to reach an unbeaten 57, with sights set on securing an emphatic Essex win on his final appearance before resuming England captaincy duties in next week’s opening Test against New Zealand.”It is a very disappointing day for us,” Lancashire coach Peter Moores said. “We’re not out of it yet but we certainly haven’t helped our cause. Essex used the new ball well and put balls in the right areas and there were a couple of shots where the lads would think they could have done better.”It’s frustrating for us because the goal was to see off the new ball and build a decent platform to get up with them and then go on and get a decent first innings lead. We didn’t do that and we’re going to have to play very well second innings, but there is work to be done first in bowling them out.”None of Lancashire’s batsmen showed the application demonstrated by Cook, or Graham Napier during his opening day century, and paid a heavy price as a consequence. Katich contributed an aggressive 23 off 26 balls but from the moment he fell lbw shuffling across his stumps to earn Sajid Mahmood his first Championship wicket for Essex, their hopes of reaching parity seemed remote.Mahmood enjoyed the extra bounce generated from the Pavilion End on his Old Trafford return, but it was Tim Phillips, Essex’s left-arm spinner, that secured their useful 49-run first innings lead. Gareth Cross showed signs of playing with a resolve required and added a promising 44 for their eighth wicket with White.In sight of his first half-century of the season, however, Cross fell lbw five runs short attempting to sweep. That gave Phillips the first of three wickets and, with Cook’s experience, Essex finished the day firmly in control.

Cricket Australia is to review the process for reporting suspect bowling actions in domestic cricket, to better enable cases to be resolved during the short time span of competitions such as the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2013Cricket Australia is to review the process for reporting suspect bowling actions in domestic cricket, to better enable cases to be resolved during the short time span of competitions such as the Big Bash League.The current system requires a player to be “mentioned” on three separate occasions by three different umpires in a single season before an analysis of their action is undertaken. Although there is understood to have been only one case of a bowler’s action being mentioned in the 2012-13 season so far, CA operations manager, Sean Cary, said that the reporting system would be looked at.”It’s to tighten the process up so that it can be effective in competitions that run over short periods of time,” Cary told . “It’s not a crackdown because I don’t perceive we have a major problem.”We have to look at the current procedure because it doesn’t allow for the full process to be completed within the period of time that the BBL is actually played … If there is a doubtful action report or mention, then we need a procedure that deals with it there and then, so if there is an effect as a result of that, it doesn’t impact the competition.”According to CA policy, umpires in Australia can “bypass the mentions process” and report a player’s action directly for review but they are often reluctant to do so because of the controversy attached to accusations of “chucking”. During this year’s BBL, Darren Lehmann publically questioned the action of Marlon Samuels. Lehmann was subsequently reprimanded for doing so.The issue of legitimate bowling actions has provoked recent discussion in Australia. With specific reference to teaching offspinners to bowl the doosra, the national selector, John Inverarity, called it “a question of integrity”. The CA review comes in response to reported disquiet among state coaches about actions which exceed the 15-degree limit on elbow extension allowed by the ICC.

Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season

George Dobell08-Apr-2013Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season.Petersen, who has signed as club’s overseas player for the first part of the season, has been detained in South Africa to complete fitness tests for the national board. He will fly on Tuesday night and arrive in London on Wednesday morning, leaving little time to complete the necessary formalities and travel to Chester-le-Street for the match against Durham.”He will arrive in London on Wednesday morning,” Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s new director of cricket told ESPNcricinfo, “so it’s unlikely we can get him through customs and up to Durham in time.”Petersen’s absence is a blow to Somerset. They are already without Nick Compton, who is being rested on the order of England following his impressive efforts for England over the winter, and hoped that Petersen could help plug the gap.They do welcome back the seamer Alfonso Thomas, however, who had an agreement with the club to prioritise the Championship over any potential IPL contract. Somerset were second in the Championship in 2012, equalling their best-ever finish.Warwickshire, last season’s champions, are also set to be missing a key player, with Chris Woakes rested on the orders of the ECB. The allrounder is suffering from fatigue, so will not be available again Derbyshire. Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin are also out, with Dougie Brown, Warwickshire’s new coach, confirming that Oliver Hannon-Dalby and 20-year-old Tom Milns will form the bowling attack alongside Chris Wright.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has said that the country’s cricketers may decide against taking part in the inaugural season of the Sri Lanka Premier League if the Sri Lanka board doesn’t ‘settle’ their central contracts

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2012Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has said the country’s cricketers may decide against taking part in the inaugural season of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) if the Sri Lankan board doesn’t “settle” the players’ central contracts.”We will only sign SLPL contracts once the central contracts of Sri Lanka players are settled,” Jayawardene said at the launch of the SLPL. “We discussed it about a month ago, before the Pakistan tour. I hope we can sort it out within the next few days.”SLC president Upali Dharmadasa, however, said that the issue would be sorted out by July 25. The players and board have been negotiating contracts since March this year.The contract issue follows a year in which SLC ran into financial problems after running up debts of close to $70 million to finance the building of two international stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, for the 2011 World Cup. As a result the players were not initially paid their salaries for eight months. In December 2011, 42.36% of the fees due to the players from the World Cup to September 30, 2011 were paid. The payment of US$2 million was made directly into the players’ bank accounts, instead of routing it through Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on December 16.SLC claimed to have paid the remaining dues in March 2012 after the state-owned Bank of Ceylon agreed to release 600 million rupees (approx US$5.07 million) to the board, following discussions with sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.However, the players have not been paid since the previous contracts expired, as the new contracts have not been been signed and therefore the terms and conditions of payments have not yet been established.Jayawardene, who is part of the Wayamba franchise, also said the focus of the tournament should always remain on developing the game in Sri Lanka. “While we say all good things about the tournament, let me caution everyone … While we are making financial gains, the commitment of the people involved should be to harness the talent, develop the game in the outstations, get every possible youngster involved and let them realise their dream of playing for Sri Lanka one day.”SLC had released a list of 107 local players and 56 overseas players for the first edition of the SLPL, which is set to start on August 10. The tournament, which features seven franchises this year, will have two more the next year, covering all nine provinces. However, the board is yet to finalise the budget for the tournament.”We are yet to estimate the cost. We are working out the budget,” SLC’s treasurer Nuski Mohammed said. “I don’t think there will be a big cost. It’ll be a very marginal net cost.”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2012Zimbabwe squad for World Twenty20

Brendan Taylor (capt), Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Craig Ervine, Graeme Cremer, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Richard Muzhange, Brian Vitori, Prosper Utseya, Forster Mutizwa
Non-travelling reserves: Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Shingirai Masakadza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richmond Mutumbami

Richard Muzhange, the 21-year old Mid West Rhinos medium-pacer, is the only new face in the 15-man Zimbabwe squad for the ICC World Twenty20 to be led by Brendan Taylor.Brian Vitori, the left-arm fast bowler, is the only other member of the squad yet to play a Twenty20 international, although he’s already represented his country in Tests and ODIs.”This is one of the hardest squads we’ve had to pick for a while because we had quite a few players competing for places,” Heath Streak, the Zimbabwe bowling coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “Most of these guys are the ones that played against South Africa and Bangladesh in the tri-series. They did well there and we hope they will do well at the World Twenty20. We are in camp now and we will be playing some warm up matches there.”Ray Price, the left-arm spinner, missed the tri-series against South Africa and Bangladesh with an injury but has now returned to the squad.Zimbabwe are in Group C in the World Twenty20, along with South Africa and hosts Sri Lanka. They will play the opening game of the tournament against the hosts on September 18 in Hambantota.

Munaf Patel, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, has been fined 50% of his match fee for making offensive gestures during the match against Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2012Munaf Patel, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, has been fined 50% of his match fee for making offensive gestures during the match against Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, the IPL stated in a release.The incident happened during the third over of Kings XI’s innings, after Nitin Saini hit Munaf for two fours. Munaf had a word with Saini at the end of the over, forcing the umpires to intervene. His captain Harbhajan Singh then had to step in to calm him down. Munaf pleaded guilty to the Level 1 offence and was fined by the match referee Raju Mukherjee.This is Munaf’s second offence in this tournament, after he was fined 25% of his match fee in the game against Deccan Chargers in Visakhapatnam. Munaf was appealing for the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara, who was bowled off the inside edge, but was initially denied the wicket by the on-field umpires. Munaf and Harbhajan both argued with the umpires, who eventually referred the decision.

Dilawar Mani, the chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has completed his three-year tenure and has said he will not pursue a new term in office

Umar Farooq25-Jun-2012Dilawar Mani, the chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has completed his three-year tenure and has said he will not pursue a new term in office. Mani, however, will continue in the role until the board of directors finds a successor.”Constitutionally, the term for the CEO is three years and that was up, so I have asked not to be nominated again,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo. “Three years is enough, and there is a need to set a precedent to leave once [you have] served your term and let somebody else work.”The board is well aware about my decision and the ECB chairman [Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan] has respected my decision. I am sure I am leaving the ECB in the best shape and have given the team the best momentum. The process is open to find my successor and once it is done I will move out after handing over the charge.”Mani helped make the UAE an off-shore home venue for Pakistan, who have not hosted international cricket since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009. The UAE could host the upcoming series between Pakistan and Australia and Mani said his leaving office would not affect the process.”I had a meeting with the PCB official and everything will move on as it is with no impact on the on-going negotiation,” Mani said. “I am happy at what I have done so far, being in the set up for the last six years, [but] now I want to move on.”The ICC approved a six-match Twenty20 series between Pakistan and Australia in UAE, which will be the longest bilateral T20 series, if it goes ahead. “ODI games aren’t feasible in [the] heat [so] it’s good that [the] ICC has approved the request of six T20Is by PCB,” Mani said.

Chris Taylor and Will Gidman, plus a big helping hand from the weather, enabledGloucestershire to earn a draw against Essex in their County Championshipclash at Colchester

20-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Chris Taylor and Will Gidman, plus a big helping hand from the weather, enabledGloucestershire to earn a draw against Essex in their County Championshipclash at Colchester.After being set a huge victory target of 388 in 88 overs, the visitors finishedon 231 for 5, with Taylor striking an unbeaten 103 and Gidman making 57 in anunbroken stand of 133 spanning 106 minutes.They had come together with their side on 98 for five and went on to defy asuccession of bowling changes to guide their team to safety, although raindeprived Essex of 28 overs in which to force a victory that would have keptalive their slender promotion aspirations. The visitors’ hopes of launching their victory bid on a sound footing were soon dashed.Richard Coughtrie departed without a run on the board, caught in the slips byRyan ten Doeschate off the bowling of Maurice Chambers, and David Masters snaredtwo more wickets before the 50 was raised.Kane Williamson was caught behind by James Foster for 19 and then Tom Westley’ssafe pair of hands at second slip accounted for opener Chris Dent (16). Gloucestershire avoided further mishap before lunch, taken at 71 for three, but were plunged into further trouble immediately afterwards by Graham Napier.First he had skipper Alex Gidman (18) easily caught by wicketkeeper Foster froma thin edge and then breached the defences of Hamish Marshall (seven) to leavethe stumps in disarray. By this stage, with half of their side back in the pavilion cheaply, the bestthe visitors could hope for was a draw. A total of 62 overs still remained, withtheir last recognised pair together.Taylor, having come in at the fall of the second wicket, was now wellentrenched and completed a fighting half-century that contained half a dozenfours. At the other end, Will Gidman was offering obdurate support as they carried thetotal to 131 before rain forced a suspension in play.When play did resume, Essex were left with 22 overs to try to force victory butTaylor and Gidman denied them with considerable ease whilst putting together anunbroken partnership of 133.Earlier in the day, Essex added a further 45 runs from six overs beforedeclaring on 288 for five immediately after Jaik Mickleburgh was run out for 84- a knock that included eight boundaries. Skipper Foster finished unbeaten on 46from 40 balls, but not before he was involved in the final of several heatedincidents in this match.It featured Jon Lewis, who appeared to obstruct Foster as he completed asingle. Angry words were exchanged before umpire Steve Gale stepped between thetwo players and the game continued.On the second day, Alex Gidman had angrily remonstrated with the same officialafter being given out lbw whilst on the opening day, Gale had reversed hisdecision against Ten Doeschate – much to the annoyance of the Gloucestershireplayers. Essex finished with 10 points and Gloucestershire eight points.