All posts by h716a5.icu

Clive Lloyd, the chairman of the West Indies selection panel, has questioned the Champions League T20’s decision to ban offspinner Sunil Narine

Amol Karhadkar04-Oct-2014Clive Lloyd, the chairman of the West Indies selection panel, has questioned the Champions League T20’s decision to ban Sunil Narine, highlighting that the offspinner had bowled around the world for years without being reported. Narine was suspended from bowling in the CLT20 on Thursday, and he was later withdrawn by the West Indies board from the India series starting this week.Lamenting the timing of the suspension, “just before an important series against India and the World Cup that follows”, Lloyd said he was surprised by questions over the legality of Narine’s action.”He has been bowling over the years with the same sort of action. Now all of a sudden it has changed. What has changed, I don’t know,” Lloyd said on Friday, at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, where West Indies played a warm-up game. Lloyd made his comments before the decision to withdraw Narine had been taken. “You can’t just ban him from bowling just before an important tour like this and with the World Cup coming up. It destroys the individual’s ability as such and I think you may end up destroying someone’s career. “

It can destroy a team. You want to know if this is being orchestrated because if you lose your main bowler then it puts some pressure on the selectors and the teamClive Lloyd

Narine has been the stand-out performer for Kolkata Knight Riders in recent seasons, guiding them to two IPL titles in three years. “This guy has been doing well playing for KKR for the last three years,” Lloyd said. “If you look at his action, he has been doing pretty much the same and I want to know what is it that has been found that they ban him and not say something like, ‘Listen, you have a bit of a problem and you have to rectify it.'”Lloyd compared the situation with that of Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal, who has been suspended from bowling in international cricket. “All of a sudden, this guy [Narine] who is supposed to be one of the best bowlers around – like Ajmal for that matter, how many Test wickets does Ajmal have? – and all of a sudden his bowling action is suspect. My point is something should be done before all this comes to this point.”It can destroy a team. You want to know if this is being orchestrated because if you lose your main bowler then it puts some pressure on the selectors and the team and so on.”Lloyd also questioned the Champions League T20 regulations and procedure, which has proven to be rather ambiguous.”Nobody has told us anything. Nobody has written a letter. That is the thing about it. Something should be said to us. We are left high and dry. All of a sudden, the guy is not playing in a tournament he has played for the last three years. What are you then saying about the tournament then? Are you saying that the tournament has probably previously allowed people who have got bad actions to play?”Lloyd also revealed that the WICB and the West Indies team management had been told that Narine would be under the scanner in India by a source whose identity he would not disclose. “Before we came here we were told that they were going to call Narine, so it’s quite obvious that something must have been said somewhere,” he said. “I really can’t tell you that [who it was] but I can tell you it’s a highly reliable source, because we have to make contingency plans for things like that just in case it happens.”Asked if the ICC, which has been tight-lipped over the issue since it doesn’t govern the Champions League, should step in and get in touch with the WICB, Lloyd said he hoped it happened soon. “I think it’s wrong the way they have gone about it and I have been involved in the ICC for years [as a match referee and technical committee chief] and I think you cannot just ban a guy just like that. This is a guy who has played for us all over the world, not only in the West Indies. All of a sudden, this guy has got a suspect action. I am not happy, I would like to strongly say that.”Kumar Dharmasena, a leading umpire on the ICC Elite Panel, has been involved in three of the four cases of suspect actions being reported in Champions League. So, Lloyd said, he was not sure if that indirectly meant Narine would be reported in international cricket.With the ICC taking a hard stance on illegal actions in the last six months, the WICB was likely to be wary. Ian Gould, another Elite Panel umpire, will be one of the match officials for the ODI series in India. Gould was among the umpires who reported offspinners Sachithra Senanayake and Ajmal, both of whom were later banned from bowling in international cricket, earlier this year.

Having already secured the series, India will be targeting a 5-0 sweep to move two points clear of South Africa at the top of the ODI rankings

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Nov-2014Match factsThursday, November 13, 2014
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)Big Picture0:52

Sri Lanka aiming to restore pride

Robin Uthappa will take the gloves for the final two ODIs•AFPWhere does the series go from here? The three matches so far have almost been carbon copies. India’s top order gets runs, with Shikhar Dhawan leading the charge; Sri Lanka’s bowlers threaten briefly before wilting; Sri Lanka lose wickets early in their innings, then after a short recovery, treat the batting Powerplay like a cliff to hurl themselves off.It is not easy to work out what either team has to gain from the two remaining matches, so the potential rewards stray into the realm of records and statistics. For India, a 4-1 series win will allow them to retain their rank atop the ODI table, while a whitewash would send them two points clear of second-ranked South Africa.Virat Kohli has more time to bed himself in as captain ahead of the Australia tour where he will lead in the first Test, while the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu and Akshar Patel can further strengthen their World Cup case.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have even more nebulous incentives. They can salvage some pride by not going down 5-0, but they will also seek to build momentum ahead of a home series against England, where their World Cup preparation begins in earnest.Following the third loss, a frustrated Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka could not afford to have their young players so routinely spurn opportunities to win places in the side. With new personnel now having been injected, he will hope the door stops revolving. Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have come into the team with some form and match practice from an A-team tour, and Sri Lanka are desperate for them to indicate they are ready for World Cup responsibility.The match will also be part of Eden Garden’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Stamps featuring Cricket Association of Bengal, Jagmohan Dalmiya, and another of the ground itself, have been issued to mark the occasion.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

India:WWWWW
Sri Lanka:LLLWW
In the spotlightRohit Sharma will likely return to the top of the order after 10 weeks out with a fractured finger. With Ajinkya Rahane now having showcased his opening chops with centuries against England and Sri Lanka, Rohit will want to impose himself on return, to stave away the competition. He does have form on his side, having walloped 142 from 111 balls in the practice match against Sri Lanka, in Mumbai.The mark of experience is often the ability to contribute to the team, even during a lull in form, and though Tillakaratne Dilshan has visibly been some way from his best in the series, he has struggled his way to some runs, hitting a 35 in the second ODI and 53 in Hyderabad. With Sri Lanka having so much trouble finding a reliable opening partner for him, Dilshan knows he is under pressure to provide stability to the top order.Teams newsIndia’s rejigged squad means Shikhar Dhawan, the series’ top-scorer, will be unavailable for selection alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha, and Ishant Sharma. Rohit and Robin Uthappa are sure starters, and Stuart Binny could also find a spot as an allrounder. With Karn Sharma and Vinay Kumar being drafted in for the final two ODIs, India have quite a few options to tinker with their bowling attack. Uthappa will take the gloves, even though he has only kept wicket in eight List-A matches. He has regularly kept in the IPL, however.India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Robin Uthappa (wk), 7 Stuart Binny , 8 Akshar Patel, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Umesh YadavThirimanne and Chandimal have a good chance to step into the middle order, while Ashan Priyanjan may have run out of rope. Ajantha Mendis and Shaminda Eranga may also play, in order to shake up what has been an ineffective attack.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Lahiru Gamage/ Shaminda ErangaPitch and conditionsAlmost everyone, including the Eden Gardens groundstaff, have learned by now that a flat pitch means “bad news for the visitors”. Another belter, with “no margin of error for the bowlers” is being prepared in Kolkata. A sunny day is forecast, and dew may be the only meteorological impediment.
Stats and trivia If Sri Lanka win the last two ODIs, it will have been the first time they win more than one match in a bilateral series in India If India win both matches, it will have been the first time they have whitewashed Sri Lanka since 1982. Ajanthha Mendis has played more matches (17), and taken more wickets (32) against India, than against any other opposition. He averages 23.68 against them, and took 4 for 60 in their last meeting during the Asia Cup this year.Quotes”There have been times in the past when I’ve just been a part of the side – not leading – and you feel like: “Why is that not happening?” or “That could have been done”. Captaincy gives me and opportunity to actually open up my vision and the ideas I have, and actually implement them on the field. I strongly believe in whatever I do on the field, and that’s why more often than not, we’re able to execute those plans.””We have had a 80% win percentage this year, before this series, and we’ve been a very consistent team. Three matches here have been disappointing, but it doesn’t take away all the good work we’ve done through the year.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier Division matches on December 6

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2014Prime Bank Cricket Club extended their lead on top of the table with a crushing 134-run win over Partex Sporting Club.Soumya Sarkar and Taskin Ahmed were at the forefront with a hundred and a four-wicket haul respectively, adding to their chances of making the World Cup squad, and helping their side to an eighth win in nine games.Prime Bank made 251 for 8 on the back of Soumya’s 127 off 147 balls. He struck 14 fours and a couple of sixes, but none of the other batsmen cashed in, as Nuruzzaman’s four-wicket haul kept them to a par score.Partex, though, were bowled out for 117 runs in 42 overs with Taskin taking 4 for 16 in eight overs and Shuvagata Hom picking up three wickets.Legends of Rupganj lost their fourth match in a row, albeit valiantly, to Mohammedan Sporting Club by 12 runs in BKSP-3 ground in Savar.Mohammedan got off to a flier after choosing to bat thanks to Ezaz Ahmed’s second List A century. The Sylhet-born batsman smashed 10 sixes and seven fours in his 136 off 139 balls and helped his side to a formidable 313 for 7. He shared a 167-run second-wicket partnership with Mohammad Mithun, who made a run-a-ball 70 that included six fours and two sixes.Junaid Siddique gave Rupganj a similarly rollicking start but his opening partner Jahurul Islam was dismissed in the fifth over with the score on 42. Junaid then added 69 runs for the second wicket with With Shakib Al Hasan, who was dismissed for 49 off 35 balls.Junaid soldiered on, and was the sixth man out in the 31st over. No. 8 Sharifullah took over the chase from that point, and almost pulled it off. He made 72 off 69 balls with five fours and three sixes, but with 20 to get off the final over, he was caught off Solomon Mire. Amit Kumar and Mashrafe Mortaza took three and two wickets respectively in the high-scoring encounter.Rupganj have not won a game since winning their first five matches but Mohammedan celebrated their fifth win in nine matches.Elias Sunny and Sanjamul Islam, Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club’s left-arm spin duo, shared nine wickets between them to sink Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by 100 runs in Fatullah.Prime Doleshwar made 230 for 8 after opting to bat with Asif Ahmed top-scoring with 55 off 72 balls. Seamer Rubayat Haq took four wickets for Dhanmondi Club, however their batsmen lasted only 37.1 overs in the chase and were bowled out for 130 runs.Sanjamul took 5 for 30 runs in 8.1 overs while Elias claimed 4 for 32 runs in nine. Asif picked up the other wicket as Prime Doleshwar completed their sixth win in nine games.

R Ashwin has said that India will continue to target Brad Haddin with shorter deliveries with the aim of exploiting his weakness

Sidharth Monga at the MCG27-Dec-20141:38

‘Probably my best overall performance’ – Ashwin

Brad Haddin scored 26 runs off 35 short balls bowled at him, playing an important role in a 110-run partnership for the sixth wicket that helped take Australia to a huge score from 5 for 216. The Indian team, though, believes their plan of continuing to bounce was spot on, and that Haddin can expect more of the same. The plan stems from Brisbane where he was caught fending in the first innings and hooking in the second. Most experts, however, reckon Haddin is more suspect to nicking outside off, that he generally plays the short ball well, and that his early dismissals in Brisbane were more an indication of his general form and not his weakness against the bouncer.Here in Melbourne, Haddin found a way to overcome the Indian plan of bowling into his armpit from round the wicket with a long leg, a leg gully and a forward short leg in place. He kept moving, staying leg side of the ball, and kept pulling the tired Indian bowlers in front of square. India’s plan meant Haddin had to mainly watch out for only his mode of dismissal, and not worry about nicking the ball. R Ashwin, though, doesn’t think Haddin was comfortable out in the middle.”Did he seem comfortable?” Ashwin shot back at the question. “Okay. If you say so. We really thought he had a genuine weakness over there. We continue to think he has a weakness over there. We will continue to target him in the next Test match as well. We will continue to target him next innings as well. He doesn’t quite look that comfortable. That’s the idea behind them.”That makes it twice in a row that India have lost the momentum in Tests by overdoing the short stuff. Mitchell Johnson laced them all over the Gabba and Australia didn’t seem to mind it at all at the MCG.Brad Haddin deals with a short ball during his knock of 55•Getty Images”He played really well,” their captain Steven Smith said. “Brad bats best when he comes out and tries to take on the opposition. He did that today. He came out and was very positive from ball one. I thought he played the short ball really well. He got underneath a few and played a few pull shots and I thought he played really well.”Ashwin was equally bullish about India’s chances in the game. “We wanted to get them out pretty early,” he said. “That was the plan. Unfortunately Smith batted very well. They got a bit too many runs for our liking. But if you look at the overall game, the score is pretty par for the game. The wicket seems slow and it is pretty flat. We’ll take 110 for 1 and we’ll like to pile on the runs tomorrow.”I am not the one to basically look and comment at this game. But if you ask me, I will say only one thing: we’ll make 650 and try and put them back in.”Ashwin has made a good comeback into the team, tying one end down to keep the quicks fresh. He reckons this might be some of his best bowling away from home: “The last two days have been hard work for me. I have put a real honest effort, put in whatever I have worked on to practice. I have been really disciplined in my skills. There have been better spells in patches, but this is probably the best overall performance.”However, Ashwin didn’t get a bowl for more than 90 minutes on the second morning. Ninety minutes during which India failed to keep a lid on the scoring. “I am not one to stand next to him [MS Dhoni] in the slips and ask him for a bowl,” he said. “The idea was to exploit the new ball as much as possible. This is what I think. I hope it stays that way.”Not really [surprised]. I thought if we had a breakthrough I would come in handy against Johnson. I was prepared with my plans in place. I was pretty clear with what I was going to do.”Ashwin, though, didn’t bowl for the first six overs of the Smith-Johnson partnership.

Pakistan have picked 30-year old fast bowler Sohail Khan in their 15-man squad for the 2015 World Cup

Umar Farooq07-Jan-2015Pakistan have picked 30-year old fast bowler Sohail Khan in their 15-man squad for the 2015 World Cup. Sohail had played the last of his five ODIs in Zimbabwe in 2011, but took ten wickets in two of his most recent List A games, and was the highest wicket-taker in this season’s Quaid-e-Azam Gold League – 64 at an average of 22.Apart from Sohail, the other World Cup inclusions not part of the squad for the series against New Zealand in December 2014 – Pakistan’s previous ODI assignment – are batsman Sohaib Maqsood, and fast bowlers Junaid Khan and Ehsan Adil. All three missed that series because of injuries but have now recovered.The players who were part of the New Zealand series but excluded from the World Cup squad are: Anwar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Nasir Jamshed, Sohail Tanvir and Zulfiqar Babar. Umar Gul and Bilawal Bhatti had been withdrawn from the New Zealand series because of injury and were also not included in the World Cup squad.There had been plenty of speculation over the last week regarding the selection of Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal, but the selectors decided to stick with younger prospects, with Haris Sohail being included for a spot in the middle order.”Shoaib Malik was being considered for the middle-order slot as we lost the bowling utility of Saeed Ajmal and Hafeez,” chief selector Moin Khan said. “But eventually, we preferred Haris Sohail as his recent performances and the added advantage of him being a left-hander put him ahead.”The 15-man squad includes two specialist openers, five fast bowlers, and three allrounders in Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz and Haris.”Obviously Sohail’s inclusion is a surprise for all of you but this is a proof that we selectors do prefer the domestic performances. He had a good one-day tournament and this is the reward for all his hard work and performances.”Nasir Jamshed was discussed for the opening slot but we felt recent performances were important and hence couldn’t justify his selection. Fawad Alam also, unfortunately, could not make it into our team combination, but he is indeed is a fighter.”When asked why Pakistan had gone with just two specialist openers, Moin said: “We have gambled having two openers but we have Sarfraz Ahmed as a back-up force. The nature of his game, his positivity, and the sort of shots he plays make him a solid prospect to bat higher if needed. We are very much clear in in our mind that we have the best two openers, with Sarfraz as a third option.”As many as six players named in the party had been suffering from various injuries going into the tournament, but Moin confirmed that there were no serious injury concerns at the moment.”The 15 men are fully fit following the medical evidence we have after detailed fitness tests,” he said. “Obviously, the standard is not very high, but with the recently developed culture, every player is improving.”I must say that the fitness levels of our players is ready to match those of players in any other part of the cricket world. No one can give assurance of a result, but we are confident that this team can do better in the World Cup.”Moin also gave his vote of confidence to the captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who had suffered a hamstring injury during the home series against New Zealand last month, but recovered after extensive rehabilitation.”He is fit and has informed the selectors that he has recovered,” Moin said. “His call is taken with respect as he is the captain and we have to respect his observation. He has started running, batting and sprinting between the wicket, but if there is any deficiency, he still has plenty of time to cover up and I am sure in due course he will be fine.”Pakistan are without a specialist offspinner, though the selectors have named a legspinner in Yasir Shah, along with Afridi. Moin defended the selection as a pure cricketing decision.”We had also carried two legspinners [Mushtaq Ahmed and Iqbal Sikander] in the 1992 World Cup, so that isn’t something exceptional,” Moin said.”With legspinners, the probability of taking field wickets increases. We have as many as 12 matches including the World Cup games, and given the age factor of Afridi, naturally we have to keep a back-up as well. Yasir, we believe, is a wicket-taking bowler and a good prospect.”Squad Misbah-ul-Haq(captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz

England have beaten India once in this triangular series on a pitch that had some extra bounce. They saw the BBL semi-final played at the WACA and the bounce they saw here has excited them

Sidharth Monga in Perth27-Jan-2015England have beaten India once in this triangular series on a pitch that had some extra bounce. While India earned a lifeline through rain in Sydney, England were in Perth where the final group match, now a virtual semi-final, will be played. They saw the BBL semi-final played at the WACA and the bounce they saw here has excited them.”The Gabba and WACA are the best two grounds we could have played India on, aren’t they?” England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace said. “I think the bowlers will be running in excited about bowling on here. We watched the Twenty20 game here on Sunday and that was exciting to see the ball flying through, so I’d think the bowlers are looking forward to it. But equally it’s a great wicket to bat on. Once you get in with the pace and bounce it’s a very good place to bat as well.”Farbrace is happy his side’s bowlers are coming good too. James Anderson and Steven Finn rocked India, although they have yet to beat Australia. Stuart Broad hasn’t looked at his best either. “They are not far away,” Farbrace said. “I think every game they play helps. They both had quite a long break. Also this is the first time Broady has played ODIs since I’ve been involved. To have him back in is a big boost to the team. He gives us so any more bowling options.”Finny did so well in Brisbane, Woakes is doing well too. Woakesy is really a sign of where we are as a team. At the start of the summer against Sri Lanka he wasn’t in the team and he’s now almost one of your first picks and by playing consistently through the summer and selectors backing him he’s growing in confidence and his performances have improved. That’s what’s happening with the team as well. The more they play together the more they see their practice and work ethic is paying off I think they get a knock-on effect in games.”You also need to have quality in your team. Jimmy and Broady give you that real quality. Belly at the top of the order, Morgs the way he played in Sydney, fantastic quality. It’s great your senior players are making contributions and allowing the others to play with a bit more freedom.”Farbrace joined England in controversial circumstances, leaving his Sri Lanka job just before his former employers toured England. His experience from the times with Sri Lanka tells him Ian Bell as opener is a good choice.”When I was with the Sri Lankans they used to talk about Ian Bell as one of the best players in the world,” Farbrace said. “Sanga is a huge admirer of Ian Bell. He played with him a bit at Warwickshire a few years ago, and he’s always been a big admirer of Belly. That’s something we tend to forget sometimes – we do have high-quality players in our team. Belly is right up there and as good as anybody. The fact he’s responded so well to the huge disappointment of not playing as many games as he’d like in Sri Lanka and has played as well as he has done shows the quality of the player really. His innings in Hobart was right up there.”Without being bullish, Farbrace is hopeful about the World Cup because it is just a matter of winning three games once you have avoided the banana skins in the group stage. But the knockout matches are huge pressure, and Farbrace is glad England can give themselves an experience of two of them this week. India might have got a lifeline rather cheaply with the rain in Perth giving them two points, but Farbrace says England are not too worried.”The weather didn’t help us but it’s probably what we want because it means Friday is effectively a semi-final and we want to put the boys under pressure, and that’s what they’re going to be under on Friday,” Farbrace said. “We’ve talked a lot about developing and improvement but winning is the key and this is a chance for us to win a game and give ourselves another chance against Australia before the World Cup starts. I think we should be excited by the fact that effectively it’s a knockout game and an opportunity for the lads to show what they can do.”It would be nice to win back-to-back games, which we’re aiming to do. If we get through Friday and beat India we give ourselves a good chance of beating the Aussies on Sunday. Winning back-to-back games would give everybody a lot of confidence. I think the team have taken a lot of confidence from the way they have played so far from Sydney being 40 for 4 to then being 100 for 0 in Hobart was a great step forward. It gives confidence to the players, and that’s why winning games of cricket is the best way to get confidence. Yes it would be nice to play Australia again but if we didn’t and we beat them on the 14th of Feb I think we’d all take that. But without looking too far ahead, winning on Friday and giving ourselves to beat Australia on Sunday is where we should be looking to be.”

Scotland have never won a World Cup game. But as they watch the faltering steps of their sickly neighbour, they might conclude they have never had a better opportunity

The Preview by George Dobell22-Feb-2015Match factsMonday, February 23
Start time 11am local (2200 GMT, previous day)1:47

Yuyutsu: Scotland looking to put pressure on England

Big pictureScotland have never won a World Cup game or an ODI against one of the Full-Member nations. But as they watch the faltering steps of their sickly neighbour, they might conclude they have never had a better opportunity.England, thrashed in Melbourne and Wellington, actually scored 19 fewer runs against New Zealand than Scotland and have, at this stage, the worst net run rate in the competition. They have looked devoid of confidence and uncertain what their best XI or their tactics should be. Most of all, they go into this match knowing that if they win, it will be no more than is expected, and if they lose, they will be pilloried. Already there are whispers over the future of coach, Peter Moores, and managing director, Paul Downton.There should be a chasm between the sides. While England have the oldest first-class structure in the world and revenue in excess of £120m a year, Scotland have no first-class system and exist on an income of around £2.1m. While they have recently brought in central contracts for a core group of players, the top value is £30,000.They also struggle for fixtures. England play them only once every two years, but no other Full Member has given them a fixture since the start of 2014. Not only does that render it hard for Scotland to gain the experience required of playing top-level international cricket, it makes it hard for them to gain the ranking points required to qualify for future World Cups.For those reasons, their victory would be celebrated far beyond the borders of Scotland. It would undermine the credibility of the decision to reduce future World Cups to 10-team events and provide another reminder of what could be achieved if Associate nations were given better support by the ICC.There is a wider context, too. This game takes place four years and a day after the earthquake that killed 185 people and devastated the city. Lancaster Park, the ground where this fixture would have been played, was one of the many buildings destroyed and the fact that this game takes place here at all is testament to the remarkable resilience of the people of Canterbury. Whoever wins, that should be celebrated.Form guideScotland: LWLLW (last five matches, most recent first)
England: LLLWL
In the spotlightThe Scotland No. 4, Matt Machan, once opened the batting in the England U-18 side alongside Jos Buttler. Although a product of the Sussex system, he qualifies for Scotland through his mother and played a leading role in the seven consecutive victories in the World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand a year ago. He averaged more than 60 in List A cricket for Sussex in 2013 and will be no stranger to many of the England players. With scores of 86, 103 and 56 (against New Zealand) in his last five innings, the 24-year-old left-hander is in good form.It is hard to remember now, but there was a time that Stuart Broad was viewed as an allrounder. That Test century against Pakistan in 2010 seems like another lifetime, however, and he has not passed 30 in an ODI since August 2007. His dismissal in Wellington – backing away and chipping to mid-off – had the hallmarks of a No. 11. He may be selected primarily as a bowler but, at a time when a young team is struggling, England require more of their senior players.Teams newsScotland are likely to keep faith with the same XI who fought back from a tough start to make New Zealand fight for a three-wicket win in their opening game. While tall seamer Alasdair Evans impressed in the warm-up games and would boost an attack that looks short of a fifth bowler, Scotland are wary of diluting their batting and may remain reliant on the likes of Machan and Richie Berrington to make up the overs.Scotland (possible) 1 Kyle Coetzer, 2 Calum MacLeod, 3 Hamish Gardiner, 4 Matt Machan, 5 Preston Mommsen (capt), 6 Richie Berrington, 7 Matthew Cross (wk), 8 Josh Davey, 9 Rob Taylor, 10 Majid Haq, 11 Iain Wardlaw.England may be tempted to make a couple of changes. Steven Finn, who conceded 49 from his two overs on Friday, looks especially vulnerable, with Chris Jordan pressing hard for selection. Jordan’s inclusion would also improve England’s fielding and lower-order batting. Gary Ballance, called into the side ahead of the first game of the tournament having not played a List A game since September, has looked some way off the pace and could be replaced by Alex Hales in the top three. Ravi Bopara also enjoyed a long session in the nets with bat and ball and might yet be considered.England (possible): 1 Ian Bell, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 James Taylor, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.Pitch and conditionsThis game takes place on the same pitch on which West Indies scored 310 against Pakistan on Saturday. With longer boundaries square than straight, it also offers some pace, a little bit of seam and some spin, too. It is, in short, a fine pitch which rewards good cricket. There have been three first innings scores in excess of 300 in the five ODIs played here. While there has been some rain in Christchurch over the last 24 hours, it is expected to clear and give way to a largely dry, if not particularly warm, day.Stats and trivia Scotland have won both the ODIs they have played at Hagley Oval, during the World Cup Qualifier. Calum MacLeod, the Scotland opening batsman, currently has the highest ODI score on the ground: 175 against Canada in January 2014. England have been bowled out in 13 of their last 19 ODIs. The sides have met three times in the past. England have won twice and one game fell victim to the weather.Quote”To play like we did was embarrassing. The fact we have to apologise to people about our cricket is not acceptable. Hopefully, in the next four games, we can put it right and start playing the type of cricket that everyone knows we can.”
“We’re enjoying the challenge of playing against Full-Member nations. We’re not meant to beat them, so there’s no pressure on us at all.”

A Round up of games the from the Sunfoil Series 2014-15

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2015Neil McKenzie’s double ton in his final first-class match was the centerpiece as the Lions celebrated the Sunfoil title with an innings and 51-run win over Warriors in Johannesburg.It was perhaps a fitting end to McKenzie’s 20-year long first-class career in which he scored 19,041 runs, with 53 tons at an average of 45.77. “He’s had a great career – he’s a legend of the game and a good man. I’m lost for words because I’ve got a lump in my throat to be honest.” said Lions coach Geoffrey ToyanaLions put Warriors in and had the visitors all out for 200 in their first innings. Warriors’ innings got off to a shaky start, with Chris Morris and right arm pacer Kagiso Rabada reducing them to 30 for 3. Colin Ingram and Colin Ackermann added 70 for the fourth wicket before Rabada had Ingram caught behind for a 90-ball 39 to leave Warriors at 100 for 4.Ackerman fell after a 116-ball 50, and Warriors lost a further three wickets to end day one on 193 for 8. Viljoen cleaned up the tail as the visitors only added seven runs to their overnight total.Andrew Birch gave Warriors a dream start with the ball, dismissing Stephen Cook off the first ball of Lions’ innings. Alviro Petersen and Rassie van der Dussen combined for a 68-run second-wicket stand, and added a further 66 with McKenzie before he became Sisanda Magala’s second victim, falling for 69. Two more wickets fell soon after, but McKenzie stood firm. He stitched four 50-plus partnerships with the middle and lower order and brought up his 53rd first-class century. He remained unbeaten on 203 off 394 balls as Lions declared on 464 for 9.Trailing by 264, Warriors began with a 64-run opening stand before slumping to 123 for 5 by the 38th over. Viljoen and Morris kept striking regularly, and eventually shared eight wickets between them, including a five-for for Viljoen. Warriors were bowled out for 213, giving Lions a massive win to finish their season.A stunning all-round performance from David Wiese helped Titans achieve an eight-wicket win over Knights at SuperSport Park and finish the season in second place. Batting at No. 7, Wiese scored a century that helped set up a big first-innings total, and picked up a six-for in Knights’ first innings to bowl them out six runs short of the follow-on mark.Starting their second innings trailing by 155, Knights only managed 178, Reeza Hendricks top-scoring with a 98-ball 74 and Marchant de Lange’s four-wicket haul helping end their innings in only 51.1 overs. Chasing 24, Titans reached their target in 5.1 overs, losing two wickets to Dillon du Preez in the process.Batting first, Titans made solid progress thanks to a half-century from the opener Theunis de Bruyn and a 150-run fourth-wicket stand between Henry Davids and Roelof van der Merwe, who smashed 89 off 98 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes. Davids was sixth out for 122 off 221 balls, having struck 16 fours and a six, and put on a further 90 runs with Wiese. Wiese went on to make 107 off 129 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes, and his dismissal prompted Titans to declare at 452 for 9.Nine batsmen got into double figures in Knights’ first innings, but only two of them made half-centuries – Michael Erlank at No. 6 and du Preez at No. 10 – as Wiese kept striking at regular intervals. Wiese had figures of 6 for 58 in the first innings, and took a further two wickets in the second to end with match figures of 8 for 109.Cape Cobras ended their campaign on a high note, as centuries from the captain Justin Ontong and Justin Kemp set up an innings and 117-run victory against Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg. Cobras, having been inserted, rode on three big partnerships – 131 for the first wicket between Andrew Puttick (75) and Matthew Kleinveldt (97), 166 for the third between Kleinveldt and Ontong, and 188 for the fifth between Ontong and Kemp – to compile 597. Ontong hit 18 fours and a six during his 166, while Kemp scored at a much brisker pace, his 150-ball 143 featuring 18 fours and six sixes. Daryn Smit was the pick of Dolphins’ bowlers, collecting 5 for 75, while Keshav Maharaj chipped in with four scalps, albeit at the cost of 168 runs.Dolphins’ reply was blighted by wickets at regular intervals from Beauran Hendricks and Dane Paterson, who shared eight wickets between them. Khaya Zondo scored a defiant 120, but none of his team-mates could manage more than 29, as Dolphins were bundled out for 245 inside 58 overs.Cobras enforced the follow-on, and once again, Dolphins failed to get going, slumping to 8 for 4 inside three overs. Morne van Wyk led a recovery by stroking a quick 122 and adding 155 with Divan van Wyk, but once Divan was dismissed, the team again collapsed. Dolphins lost their last six wickets for 72 runs to be bowled out for 235. Paterson and Hendricks were once again among the wickets, claiming three apiece.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is determined to keep Pakistan winless until the end of their tour

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur05-May-2015Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is determined to keep Pakistan winless until the end of their tour. Misbah-ul-Haq’s side has only the second and final Test in Mirpur to try and win something on this trip after losing the practice match, three ODIs, the T20 and then drawing the Khulna Test.To achieve that goal, taking 20 wickets is top priority for Mushfiqur. With Rubel Hossain out with a side strain – Abul Hasan, with three wickets at 123.66, is the replacement in the squad – Bangladesh have less experience in their bowling group. The pair from Narayanganj, Shahadat Hossain and Mohammad Shahid, could form the two-man pace attack and Mushfiqur said they will pick a specialist spinner if that was the case.”I will hope to begin this Test confidently with all those positives from the previous Test and the rest of the tour,” Mushfiqur said. “There is certainly just one goal. This is the final Test of the series and we will do whatever we need to do to win the match. Everyone is working hard towards it. We will try to keep them winless on this tour. We will want to finish it on a high so that the next series we play, we have the momentum for that.”Obviously they will also try to take our 20 wickets and will form their XI that way. In Khulna the wicket was of course batting friendly, still our bowlers tried. We have two options in our bowling attack. We have Abul Hasan and Shahadat Hossain, but we haven’t decided yet. We are hoping the wicket will help the bowlers. We could use two or a three-man pace attack. If we have two pace bowlers, then we will pick an extra spinner.”A higher-ranked team touring Bangladesh to play all three formats has never left without at least one victory. Kenya, Zimbabwe and Scotland (2006), Ireland (2008) and New Zealand (2010) were winless in ODIs. Last year Zimbabwe lost the Tests 3-0 and ODIs 5-0. In 2013, New Zealand drew both Tests and lost the ODI series 3-0, but finished the tour with a win in the T20. In 2009, Bangladesh beat West Indies 2-0 in Tests, 3-0 in ODIs but lost the T20.Mushfiqur said that far from being an upset, if his team won the second Test it would emphasise that this was Bangladesh’s best bilateral series. “I don’t think it will be an upset, if you see the way the boys have been playing in the last two or three months. There was a lot of talk that we have been playing in ODIs and not in Tests, but we have shown that we are capable of doing well in Tests too. Still I will say that it is a different pitch and ground so we have to be prepared for more fight. I think the boys are ready to fight for five days and after that hopefully we will grab a win and win the series.”So far the way we have performed, I don’t think we have done so in the past. We had three different teams in three different formats, so the challenge was no less. Also in our home ground there was expectation that we will retain our performance of the World Cup. Then there were expectations about the Test series.”Mushfiqur expressed concern over Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling form but backed him to succeed after poor returns in the Khulna Test. “Yes it’s a concern. Because he is the best bowler of the team, we always expect he will take five or six wickets, so when he gets one or two wickets it seems not that good by his own standards,” Mushfiqur said. “He is aware of that and he has a very good record in Mirpur against all the teams. So what he did right in the past I think if he can do that … I am really looking forward to it.”

Kevin Pietersen ended his first Championship match for almost two years with an unbeaten half-century and in touching distance of a Surrey batting record

Press Association22-Apr-2015
ScorecardKevin Pietersen ended his first Championship match for almost two years with an unbeaten half-century and in touching distance of a Surrey batting record.Surrey’s Division Two clash against Glamorgan in Cardiff ended drawn on a low-key final day after the home side were set an improbable 352 to win off a minimum of 57 overs. They finished on 116 without loss.Pietersen, who is eager to revive his England career after making the last of 104 Test match appearances against Australia in January 2014, finished with 53 not out as Surrey declared their second innings on 207 for 4. His innings, a scratchy one at times with a sprinkling of mistimed shots, contained just four boundaries, yet he fell two runs short of becoming the fastest batsman to score 1000 runs in Surrey history.Mark Ramprakash and Zander de Bruyn both got there in 18 innings for the county. Pietersen should reach four figures when Surrey play their next Championship match against Essex, though, as he currently has 998 runs from 16 innings.Pietersen’s knock lasted 70 balls, and it followed the 170 he made against Oxford MCCU in The Parks earlier this month. But while there appears little to suggest that Pietersen is anywhere near featuring on England’s selection radar 77 days before the opening Ashes Test, back in Cardiff, his domestic season is at least up and running.A lone “boo” was heard among a sparse crowd in the sunshine when Pietersen strode out 37 minutes into the final morning to join Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakkara with the score on 41 for 2.Kevin Pietersen was not at his most fluent but he still recorded an unbeaten half-century•Getty ImagesA gentle nudge into the on side got Pietersen off the mark from his first ball, but he was content to provide a support role initially as Sangakkara displayed his full range of attacking guile, including a straight six off Graham Wagg.The pair added 37 before Sangakkara was caught in the gully by Dean Cosker off third-day centurion Craig Meschede. Pietersen and Jason Roy then compiled 43 for the fourth wicket until Roy’s punchy knock of 29 was ended by a stunning Wagg catch at extra-cover, with Cosker the successful bowler.Pietersen continued to push on, although Glamorgan wicketkeeper Mark Wallace did claim a stumping off Meschede when Pietersen left his crease, but the end of the over had already been called. He added 55 for the fifth wicket by lunch with Gary Wilson – Surrey led Glamorgan by 320 – but the visitors surprisingly chose to bat on after the interval, and they eventually set their opponents an unlikely victory target, with Pietersen and Wilson forging an unbroken partnership of 86.Surrey began the final day 144 runs ahead after Glamorgan successfully avoided the follow-on thanks to loan signing Meschede’s undefeated maiden first-class century.With time against them, the emphasis had to be on quick runs if Surrey were force to the issue, and Steven Davies – a first-innings double-centurion – moved up to open the batting alongside Rory Burns. But Glamorgan claimed a fifth-over breakthrough when Wagg lured Burns, who had made just 3, into a leading edge and he took the catch to leave Surrey on 16 for 1.Burns’ exit brought Sangakkara to the crease, and his high-class shot placement kept Surrey ticking along before Wagg struck again, this time sending Davies’ middle stump cartwheeling when he was on 21.After Surrey’s declaration, it was purely a case of batting practice for Glamorgan, with openers James Kettleborough and Jacques Rudolph crawling at barely two runs an over leading up to tea.They reached the interval on 57 for 0, with Rudolph undefeated on 30 and Kettleborough 18 not out, but the game had already reached stalemate and it was merely a case of how long play would continue after tea before both teams shook hands. That moment arrived at 5pm, with both batsmen posting unbeaten half-centuries.