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Mustard ton overpowers Surrey

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Durham’s Phil Mustard blasted 143 from just 91 balls as Durham crushed Surrey by 142 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Chester-le-Street

12-Aug-2012
ScorecardDurham’s Phil Mustard blasted 143 from just 91 balls as Durham crushed Surrey by 142 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Chester-le-Street.After being overtaken by Hampshire at the top of Group B the previous evening, Surrey’s hopes of a quick return to the summit were snuffed out. Durham were on course to beat their record 40-over total of 325, set against the same opponents at the Oval last year, until Mustard was out with the total on 271.The remaining six overs brought only 27 runs for the loss of five more wickets and Durham finished on 298 for 9. If Surrey thought they had clawed their way back into the game they quickly shot themselves in the foot as both openers departed carelessly with the score on 10.Jason Roy revived them with 43 off 24 balls, but the visitors were all out for 156 in 29.1 overs, completing an unhappy week in the north-east following their innings defeat in the LV= County Championship.Mustard led a charmed life early in his innings. On 1 he went down the pitch to Matthew Spriegel and edged the ball just out of Steve Davies’ reach and on two he survived a very confident lbw appeal from Jade Dernbach.The same bowler put down a simple return catch with Mustard on 16 and the left-hander went on to hit seven sixes. When Durham chose to bat Mark Stoneman initially dominated the strike, cutting, driving and pulling Dernbach for three fours in the fourth over on his way to 50 off 50 balls with seven fours.The stand was worth 87 when he skied a return catch to Zander de Bruyn, who cleaned up at the end of the innings to finish with five for 46. Mustard’s first six, over long-on off Gareth Batty, took him to 49 and he reached 50 off 45 balls before accelerating to 100 off 74.He put on 118 in 14 overs for the second wicket with Ben Stokes, who made 45 before he was stumped off a leg-side wide by Murali Kartik. Mustard, whose previous one-day best was 139 not out at Northampton last year, hit three sixes on his way from 121 to 142 before he was out in the 34th over, skying a catch to point.At the start of Surrey’s reply Rory Hamilton-Brown slashed at a short ball from Mitch Claydon and edged to slip then Davies shaped to pull Chris Rushworth and lobbed a catch to mid-on.Roy and Gary Wilson put on 68 but after Roy hit three successive fours in Mark Wood’s first over the young seamer picked up three wickets. When Roy went for a big hit and skied a catch to Mustard it effectively signalled the end of Surrey’s challenge.

Sunil Joshi announces retirement

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Sunil Joshi, the Karnataka left-arm spinner, has announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket

Siddarth Ravindran21-Jun-2012

Sunil Joshi, the third highest wicket-taker in Ranji history, has officially ended a career that began in 1992•KSCA

Sunil Joshi, the Karnataka left-arm spinner, has formally announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket. Joshi, 42, hasn’t played competitive cricket in more than a year, and was the coach of Hyderabad last season.His international career lasted between 1996 and 2001, spanning 15 Tests and 69 ODIs. His most famous international performance was his 10-6-6-5 spell against South Africa in 1999. In Tests, he was Man of the Match in Bangladesh’s inaugural match, after an all-round effort, taking eight wickets and also scoring a battling 92 in the first innings.On the domestic circuit, he was a stalwart for Karnataka, finishing as the third highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, behind Rajinder Goel and S Venkataraghavan. He won the Ranji Trophy three times – 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99. He was also a handy batsman, finishing with 5126 first-class runs at an average of 26.71. With the Karnataka State Cricket Association recently launching its plan to revive Karnataka’s fortunes, it will be players like Joshi that it would be looking to unearth.At a function organised by the KSCA to mark the occasion, Joshi was warmly praised by some of the state’s greatest players, several of whom were his team-mates at both the domestic and international level. Anil Kumble hailed his impact both on the field and off it. “Congratulations on a terrific career, for being a fantastic servant of Karnataka cricket. His determination and dedication was always evident,” Kumble said. “He is an exceptional allrounder whose services will always be missed. Not just stats, he also contributed by supporting and encouraging younger players.”Joshi’s favourite domestic game

He rated the come-from-behind victory over Madhya Pradesh in the 1998-99 Ranji final as the most cherished moment in his domestic career. “We had conceded the first-innings lead and we had to push for an outright win. We couldn’t sleep all night after the fourth day, as it was raining (and reducing our chances of victory),” he said. “The next morning it had stopped raining, but MP were batting out time.” At tea MP were 130 for 4, and seemingly safe. “After tea, I managed to get Abbas Ali out (who batted four hours for 47) and Vijay Bharadwaj took over, cleaning up the MP tail to win the match with two overs to spare.” The last six wickets went down for 18 runs.

Rahul Dravid called him ‘an ornament to the game’ and highlighted the importance of experienced players like Joshi in the domestic game. “Even 10 years after his last game for India, he was still playing for Karnataka,” Dravid said. “It is people like Joshi who make domestic cricket the breeding ground for talent. His experience and class helps younger players and also rivals.”Dravid also highlighted Joshi’s commitment. “He led by example. I remember a Ranji semi-final against Hyderabad, he bowled the first over of the day and I didn’t take him off till the end of the day. He bowled 45 overs for me.”The tributes all referred to Joshi’s rise from the small town of Gadag in northern Karnataka, and his struggles to make the Ranji team. An emotional Joshi himself recalled the early days. “As a 12-year-old I used to take the Gol Gumbaz express everyday at 3.30am from Gadag to Hubli (a larger town where he practised),” he said about a journey he undertook for several years.When he finally broke into the Ranji team, after several seasons of junior state cricket, his first match didn’t go to plan. “My first cap was in 1992, there was a lot of pressure on me. I made 83 not out on the first day, and bowled a single over before stumps,” he said. “The next day the match was called off due to the Ayodhya riots.” He went on to become the most capped Karnataka player.Roger Binny, the former India allrounder, said Joshi paved the way for other small-town cricketers in the state. “I was the coach when Joshi came into the state team,” Binny said. “He has been an inspiration to cricketers from mofussil areas. In the recent past, Vinay Kumar has also done the same thing.”Javagal Srinath was the last of the state’s legends to pay tribute, and had the audience in splits with his anecdotes about Joshi’s cooking, their Under-22 days and Joshi’s retort after Srinath, not usually a close-in fielder, dropped a sitter at slip during Bangladesh’s first Test (telling him angrily that fast bowlers should always field in the deep).Joshi was presented a memento by the KSCA, and was surprised by a coffee table book showcasing his career that was put together by his family. The evening of bonhomie and respect was the perfect way to acknowledge the end of one of the great careers in domestic cricket.

Ajmal to pull out of Worcestershire deal

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Saeed Ajmal, the driving force behind Pakistan’s Test series victory against England, is to pull out of his deal to be one of Worcestershire’s overseas players in this year’s Friends Life t20 competition.

Umar Farooq06-Apr-2012Saeed Ajmal, the driving force behind Pakistan’s Test series victory against England, is to pull out of his deal to be one of Worcestershire’s overseas players in this year’s Friends Life t20 competition.Ajmal will cite a need to manage his workload ahead of additional international commitments for Pakistan, who are confident of announcing a series against Sri Lanka shortly.Ajmal’s wife has also recently given birth to the couple’s third child, a son, who predictably has already been nicknamed Teesra – the ‘third one’ – after his latest mystery delivery.It will be a major disappointment for Worcestershire, who had signed one of the most appealing cricketers in the game. Ajmal was also their best bowler in last year’s T20 competition. He claimed 16 wickets in eight games, conceding fewer than six runs an over and averaging 11.37 per wicket.Worcestershire have yet to hear official confirmation of Ajaml’s withdrawal, though they were aware of plans for the Sri Lanka series which have been mooted for a few weeks. They have yet to make contingency plans.The PCB has also yet to decide whether to allow Junaid Khan to play for Lancashire. The left-arm fast bowler has recently recovered from knee injury and, while he has applied for a No Objection Certificate, the PCB have yet to grant it.

Bailey, Lyon picked for Caribbean ODIs

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George Bailey and Nathan Lyon will both be in contention for one-day international debuts after being named in Australia’s squad for the tour of the West Indies. The selectors announced a 16-man group for the five ODIs that begin the tour in mid-March and a 13-man squad for the two T20s that follow.The wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was named in the one-day squad as the backup for the new limited-overs No.1 Matthew Wade. The inclusions of Haddin, Bailey and Lyon were the major changes from the squad taking part in the final stages of the Commonwealth Bank Series, and there was no room in the attack for Ryan Harris or Mitchell Starc.As the national Twenty20 captain, Bailey was due to tour for two matches, but he will now take on the mantle of reserve ODI batsman. His selection came after a Man-of-the-Match performance in the Ryobi Cup final, when his captain’s hundred narrowly failed to earn Tasmania the title, and the national selector John Inverarity said Bailey would also be in contention for a place in the Test squad.”In the final and the other Ryobi Cup games and in the Sheffield Shield, he’s probably in the form of his life,” Inverarity said. “Post him being in the T20 side, whatever’s happened there seemed to have been a real boost to his confidence. He’s playing exceptionally well at the moment and very much deserves his opportunity in that side.”We realise that some time in the next year or two or whenever, we won’t have Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey in the Test team. So what we’re trying to do is develop players for both forms but not least for Test cricket. We had that very much in mind with Peter Forrest … That door is open for George also, to play in the one-dayers and see how he goes and he’s certainly right up there as one of the players we might be looking to for the future.”While Bailey’s Test chances remain in the hands of the selectors, Lyon will certainly be part of Australia’s squad in all three formats. Although he has played 10 Tests and is yet to make his one-day or T20 debut for Australia, it was in the shortest format that Lyon first made his name for South Australia last summer, and he is well qualified for a position alongside Xavier Doherty in the squad.

Australia squad for West Indies tour

ODI squad Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner

Twenty20 squad George Bailey (capt), Shane Watson, Daniel Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Nathan Lyon, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner

“Nathan Lyon caught the eye of the cricket community and the national selectors because of his performances in T20,” Inverarity said. “That’s where he first caught the eye. He was selected as a fine offspin bowler by the previous panel and that was a very good selection that they made. Towards the end of the [India] Test series he had a sore quad, so essentially he didn’t come to mind as a possible selection [for the T20s or CB Series].”There was no room for Brad Hogg, who came out of international retirement in Australia’s T20s against India earlier this month, but Inverarity said that was a pre-planned selection to allow Lyon some limited-overs exposure. He said it was likely Australia would take Hogg, Doherty and Lyon to Sri Lanka for the ICC World Twenty20 later this year as a diverse three-man spin attack.Michael Hussey has been recalled to the T20 squad after resting from the two matches against India, and having not played for Australia in the format in nearly two years. Forrest was also named in the T20 squad but Inverarity made it clear he was a backup batsman only, and was not considered part of Australia’s best batting line-up in the format.Aaron Finch and Travis Birt have also found themselves out of Australia’s preferred T20 side and face a challenge to force their way into contention for the World Twenty20 in September. And while the left-arm fast bowler Starc was not officially included, Inverarity said he would travel with the squad and work with the bowling coach Craig McDermott as a learning opportunity.”Mitchell Starc has not been selected as a member of this squad,” he said. “However, Mitchell will travel with this group as a further development opportunity and spend valuable time around the Australian squad in the West Indies.”

Ice-cool Dhoni downs Australia

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Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIndia’s chase was anchored by Gautam Gambhir’s fluent 92•AFP

A supremely calm MS Dhoni guided India to victory, with two balls to spare, over a sluggish Australia in the ODI at Adelaide Oval.Dhoni’s composure was best measured by how he paced his innings. It bordered on the statuesque early, before he raised tempo with swift running between the wickets. He saved his one stroke to the boundary – a towering six over long on – for when he most needed it: the third ball of the final over delivered by Clint McKay, which began with 13 still required.The next ball was a high full toss that Dhoni swung to deep midwicket, but the no-ball – called for height – gifted India a third run in addition to the two scampered between the wickets. The next delivery was helped around to backward square leg, and the final three runs were collected to take India alongside Australia on two wins from three matches.India’s chase was anchored by Gautam Gambhir’s fluent 92, before Dhoni and Suresh Raina took the visitors close with a stand of 61. Raina perished in the 47th over and Ravindra Jadeja followed in the 49th, but Dhoni remained to collar the remaining runs. Test match difficulties notwithstanding, he remains the master technician in limited-overs matches.Australia’s fielding display was its least attentive of the Michael Clarke era. Only one catch of note went down but outfield fumbles were legion, and both Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja could have been run-out in the closing stages had in-fielders held their nerve.Of even greater concern was an apparent hamstring twinge for Michael Clarke, who was running gingerly from the innings’ midpoint and hobbling noticeably by the end, having left the field briefly for treatment. Clarke may now be due a spell of rest after an unbroken sequence of Tests and ODIs dating back to his first tour as captain – to Bangladesh in April 2011.Until the final over, McKay provided the most lasting threat for the home attack, maintaining a disciplined line and changing his pace, while Xavier Doherty bowled some particularly nagging deliveries at the death to make India work for the points.Looking very much at home in international company, the debutant Peter Forrest had built Australia’s total alongside David Hussey after the innings was in danger of stalling at 3 for 81. Clarke’s fluent 38 had ended when he sallied forth to attack Umesh Yadav and dragged a slower ball wretchedly onto the stumps.Forrest was strong square of the wicket and down the ground, while Hussey’s innings was another reminder of his usefulness in most limited-overs contests. Following their departure, allrounder Daniel Christian put together a handy closing contribution at the home ground of his adopted state. Few boundaries were collected in the closing overs, reflecting some diligent bowling but also the slowing of an otherwise friendly batting surface.Yadav and Zaheer Khan were the most effective of India’s bowlers, attacking the stumps while also keeping the runs down, as the tourists sought a manageable target after the selectors chose to rest Sachin Tendulkar.

Smart stats

  • India’s victory meant that it is the highest successful chase by them in ODIs in Australia. Their previous highest was the target of 260 they chased down against New Zealand in Brisbane in 1986. It is also the joint fifth-highest chase by any team against Australia in ODIs in Australia.The win is also India’s first against Australia in five matches in Adelaide.

  • Gautam Gambhir’s 92 is the fifth instance of an India batsman being dismissed in the nineties against Australia in ODIs in Australia. It is also Gambhir’s second-highest score against Australia after the 113 he made in Sydney in 2008.

  • Peter Forrest became the 11th Australia player overall and the second in this series after Matthew Wade to make a fifty-plus score on ODI debut. No Australia batsman has scored a century on ODI debut.

  • The 98-run stand between David Hussey and Forrest is the seventh-highest fourth-wicket stand for Australia against India and their highest against India in Adelaide.

  • Hussey’s 72 is his second-highest score in ODIs and his eighth half-century. It is also his highest score against India, surpassing the 61 he made in the first match between the two teams in this series in Melbourne.

  • Australia’s total of 269 is their second-highest against India in Adelaide, after the 329 they made in 2000.

Ryan Harris and Mitchell Starc had found some bounce but no great pace and negligible movement when they shared the new ball, allowing Virender Sehwag and Gambhir the chance to play with freedom as they regularly pierced the offside field.Clarke’s brow was looking furrowed as the 50 was raised inside nine overs, but his introduction of McKay brought immediate results when Sehwag’s leading edge to a nondescript delivery looped to point.Gambhir and Kohli accumulated, albeit at a lesser pace, until the younger batsman tried to lace McKay over the offside field and offered a steepling chance to Forrest. Rohit Sharma’s entry to the crease coincided with the introduction of spin, but after a period of thrust and parry the quicks returned.Rohit’s first response was to lash Starc over square leg for a glorious flat six, and next over he managed a cut that scorched to the fence from Christian. However some tension clearly remained in Rohit’s arms, and he perished in trying to force Harris over the in-field.Gambhir survived a chance on 88, David Warner shelling a sharp drive at short cover, but on 92 he was the victim of an lbw decision when all logic – and subsequent replays – suggested that McKay’s delivery had pitched outside leg stump.The duo of wickets forced Dhoni and Raina into salvage mode, trying to stabilise the innings even as the required-rate slithered up towards eight per over. They were helped by a series of misfields, uncharacteristic by the hosts’ standards this summer.Gradually a few boundaries closed the gap between runs and balls, Raina depositing Xavier Doherty into the crowd wide of long on. Thirty-one were required from the final four overs when Raina played over a delivery by Doherty to be bowled, leaving the stage to Dhoni.Earlier in the day, the selectors rested Michael Hussey to give Forrest a first cap and dropped Matthew Wade down the order, shifting Ricky Ponting to the top, but neither he nor Warner had a significant impact on proceedings.Upon winning the toss, Clarke had no hesitation batting first for the third time in as many matches in this series, but Ponting and Warner made a sluggish start against Zaheer and Vinay Kumar. Reaching out for the ball rather than letting it come to him, Ponting miscued a drive to point.A horrid running mix-up resulted in Warner being stranded as Vinay collected Rohit’s agile field-and-throw to the non-striker’s end. Forrest and Clarke recalibrated somewhat before the debutant signalled his capabilities with a rasping cut from Yadav, followed by a crisp swing off Jadeja down the ground for six.Clarke had lost some of his earlier momentum, and Yadav capitalised when his change of pace met a highly ambitious attempt to reach the boundary, leaving Hussey and Forrest to rebuild again. They did so with wisely-chosen shots – Forrest clattered a second six down the ground off the bowling of Rohit – and eager running between the wickets, lifting the hosts to 179 before Forrest presented a catch to deep midwicket.Hussey went on in the company of Christian, scoring mainly in an efficient series of ones and twos, and looked ready to unfurl his cleanest hitting when Virender Sehwag dived smartly to hold a low chance at square leg. Christian accumulated neatly until he was heedlessly run out, and 57 from the final 10 overs proved inadequate as Dhoni held his nerve.

الاتحاد الإنجليزي يفتح تحقيقًا ضد جماهير آرسنال بسبب دي بروين

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فتح الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم تحقيقًا ضد جماهير آرسنال بسبب صانع ألعاب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، كيفن دي بروين، بعد مباراة الأمس في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وسقط آرسنال على أرضه ووسط جماهيره في ملعب “الإمارات” بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، ليتراجع للمركز الثاني خلف مانشستر سيتي ولكل منهما 51 نقطة ولكن الأهداف لصالح كتيبة المدرب، بيب جوارديولا.

اقرأ أيضًا | هالاند: تعديل بسيط من جوارديولا ساهم في الفوز.. وآرسنال أفضل فريق هذا الموسم

وبحسب صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية أن هناك تحقيقًا قد تم فتحه من قبل الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم بسبب إلقاء جماهير آرسنال بعض الأشياء على دي بروين أثناء استبداله في الدقيقة 88.

وألقت جماهير آرسنال الزجاجات البلاستيكية وبعض الأشياء الأخرى على البلجيكي الدولي، وتم تسجيلها في تقرير الحكم، أنتوني تايلور وسيكون هناك تعاون مع إدارة الجانرز للتعرف على مرتكبي هذه الواقعة.

وكان دي بروين قد سجل هدفًا وصنع آخر في فوز مانشستر سيتي بالأمس، بالإضافة إلى دخوله في مشادة مع مدرب آرسنال، ميكل أرتيتا، قبل مصافحتهما مع نهاية المباراة.

Brittle Sri Lanka blown away by an innings

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South Africa overwhelmed a brittle Sri Lanka by an innings and 81 runs at Centurion with victory sealed before tea on the third day

The Report by Andrew McGlashan17-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sri Lanka’s batsmen followed each swiftly back to the dressing room•AFPSouth Africa overwhelmed a brittle Sri Lanka by an innings and 81 runs at Centurion with victory sealed before tea on the third day when Vernon Philander claimed his tenth wicket of the match. The home side’s bowlers needed just 39.1 overs to dismantle the opposition batting line-up for a second time to reinforce the pre-series predictions that this could be a very one-sided contest.Sri Lanka’s cricket has taken a worrying nosedive since they finished runners up at the World Cup. Even then there were rumblings of discontent and now their on-field performances are suffering. This limp second innings followed previous collapses this year against England at Cardiff (82), Australia at Galle (105) and further problems in UAE against Pakistan. There is no shame in being beaten by South Africa at Centurion – this was their 13th victory in 17 Tests at the venue – but Sri Lanka barely put up a fight. Across two innings the batting lasted 86.5 overs; less than a day’s play.Philander continued to pile up the records with match figures of 10 for 102 to make it four five-wicket hauls in six Test innings. Dale Steyn could easily have had a bagful himself with probing late swing at pace and he regularly beat the outside edge. Morne Morkel continued to be a concern with another erratic display but produced a rising delivery to remove Thilan Samaraweera which will have been a confidence booster. South Africa were also gifted Mahela Jayawardene’s wicket when he contrived to run himself out trying for a run that would have taken him to 10,000 in Test cricket. The confusion summed up Sri Lanka’s state of mind.Facing a deficit of 231 on a surface offering help to the quicks was a daunting prospect and Sri Lanka soon started to crumble. Tillakaratne Dilshan departed first against some skilful seam and swing bowling from Philander who produced a delivery that nipped back then straightened to find the edge low to Mark Boucher. At least this time he wasn’t caught at mid-on.Smart stats

South Africa improved even further on their already outstanding record in Centurion. They have now won 13 out of 17 Tests at the venue while losing just one.

Vernon Philander picked up his fourth five-wicket haul in six innings. He becomes only the fourth player, after Charlie Turner, Tom Richardson and Rodney Hogg, to pick up four or more five-fors in the first three Tests.

This is Sri Lanka’s 11th defeat by an innings in matches played since 2000 and their fourth innings defeat against South Africa in the same period. The defeat margin is also the fifth-largest for Sri Lanka in Tests since 2000.

Sri Lanka last won a Test in July 2010 when they beat India by ten wickets in Galle. Since then, they have gone 14 Tests without a single win with four losses and ten draws.

Sri Lanka were bowled out under 200 in both their innings. This is only the fifth such occurrence since 2000 and the third time against South Africa in the same period.

Boucher’s 65 is only his second half-century since his 69 in Trinidad in 2010. Since then, he has scored just 260 runs at an average of 20.00.

Boucher took six catches in an innings for the fourth time in Tests. The record is seven catches which has been achieved by four different players.

The 61-run stand between Mark Boucher and Imran Tahir is the highest last-wicket stand for South Africa against Sri Lanka. Their highest last-wicket stand overall is 107 between AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel in 2010.

Tharanga Paranavitana had a tortured stay. Steyn thought he’d pinned him lbw first ball which would have completed a split-innings hat-trick, but having persuaded Graeme Smith to use a review the replays showed the ball sliding past leg stump. The opening over was a lengthy affair as Paranavitana also needed considerable treatment for a knee injury then against Philander earned the benefit of the DRS having been given lbw to a ball that pitched outside leg.Next over, though, Paranavitana’s painful stay was ended following a working over by Steyn when he offered a limp edge to leave Sri Lanka 11 for 2. Steyn and Philander were constantly threatening with subtle movement and they would have been a handful against more confident line-ups than Sri Lanka’s. The chances of the visitors offering any prolonged resistance receded further when Kumar Sangakkara completed a poor match by giving Boucher his third catch of the innings as he was defeated by skilful seam bowling.It wasn’t as though South Africa needed a helping hand but they were gifted Jayawardene’s wicket. Although credit must go to Jacques Kallis for swift work from his follow through and a pinpoint throw at the non-striker’s end. It was a wonderfully sharp piece of fielding which so highlighted the gulf between the two teams.The procession continued after lunch when Angelo Mathews, whose presence in the series is in doubt after he picked up a groin strain, became Boucher’s fifth catch and Philander’s third wicket. It was a productive day for Boucher who began by reaching a fifty that he’ll hope will quieten speculation over his future. There was no arguing with the quality of his glovework and six catches in the innings equalled the best haul of his career.Morkel then made his first incision of a difficult match at which point Sri Lanka were threatening to fold for double figures. Thisara Perera resisted for a while until slashing Steyn to slip while Herath launched two sixes into the stands but the end arrived swiftly when Philander claimed the final two wickets. This was the sort of ruthless performance Smith called for before the game and it’s difficult to see how South Africa will be pushed in the remaining Tests.

Spin test awaits West Indies

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Match Facts

Bangladesh v West Indies, October 11, Mirpur
Start time 1700 (1100GMT)Marlon Samuels smashed a century in the warm-up Twenty20•Associated Press

Big Picture

It’s been a tough year for Bangladesh. After convincing home one-day series wins against New Zealand and Zimbabwe last year, which helped them go above West Indies in the ICC one-day international rankings, many expected 2011 to be the year Bangladesh would permanently shed the “minnow” tag. Instead, they failed to make it past the group stages of the World Cup, were thrashed at home by Australia and then lost both the one-off Test and ODI series in Zimbabwe. Their captain and vice-captain were sacked after that tour and it is under Mushfiqur Rahim that they attempt a climb back up the rankings.In coming up against West Indies, they revisit the moment when it all started going wrong – when they were bowled out for 58 by the same opponents in a crunch World Cup game in Mirpur, a performance that caused their angry fans to aim stones at the team bus, only to hit the visitors’ bus instead.Bangladesh’s strength at home is based on the effectiveness of their spinners on slow, turning tracks. West Indies, though, might not find the conditions as alien as sides like New Zealand and Zimbabwe. The pitches in the Caribbean of late have often resembled subcontinent ones, and four of West Indies’ batsmen will come to Bangladesh straight from having played for Trinidad & Tobago in the Champions League Twenty20 in India.West Indies do not have Sunil Narine or Samuel Badree, who were so successful for T&T in Indian conditions, in their squad, but the presence of Devendra Bishoo and Andre Russell, who bowls a good slower ball, means they have an attack that can adapt to the conditions. They established their status as favourites by winning both their practice matches against a strong BCB XI outfit, one through a strong bowling performance and the other through a century from Marlon Samuels.For Bangladesh, a Twenty20 international is the last way they would want to start a comeback. They have only played 16 in their history and their last T20 win came way back in 2007. For West Indies, Twenty20 represents everything that is right and wrong with their cricket. A shock win in England, and T&T’s eye-catching performance in the CLT20 suggest this might actually be the format in which West Indies see most success in the near future.

Spotlight

Mushfiqur Rahim is stepping into the shoes of a man who led from the front. Mushfiqur is as not as outstanding an individual performer as Shakib. He is safe behind the stumps and handy with the bat, but has not won Bangladesh as many games as Shakib has – he has just one hundred in limited-overs internationals. Having been handed the captaincy he will want to contribute more than just cameos down the order and may promote himself.Marlon Samuels’ comeback to international cricket has not really taken off. But in the warm-up Twenty20, he blazed his way to 102 off 56 balls. In the absence of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo, Samuels is the most experienced player in the West Indies limited-overs squad. This series is an opportunity for him to show he still has the capability to become the world-class batsman he was expected to be when he first arrived on the international scene, way back in 2000.

Team news

Bangladesh have picked the uncapped Elias Sunny in their squad and may want to give him a chance before the one-day series starts. That may mean resting one of Mahmudullah or Nasir Hossain. Alok Kapali and Mohammad Ashraful are the experienced hands in the squad but there may only be place for one in the batting line-up.Bangldesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal 2 Imrul Kayes 3 Naeem Islam 4 Shakib Al Hasan 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk) 6 Alok Kapali 7 Mahmudullah 8 Abdur Razzak 9 Shafiul Islam 10 Elias Sunny/ Nazmul Hossain 11 Rubel HossainWith several senior players returning, the West Indies side will have a completely different look to the one that upset England at The Oval. They used just one specialist spinner in their XIs for both the practice matches but considering the conditions may play both Devendra Bishoo and Anthony Martin, meaning Kemar Roach could be left out. Kieron Pollard is not eligible to play in T20Is since he did not play the Caribbean T20, so Danza Hyatt will probably occupy a slot in the middle order.West Indies (probable): 1 Adrian Barath 2 Lendl Simmons 3 Darren Bravo 4 Marlon Samuels 5 Danza Hyatt 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk) 7 Andre Russell 8 Darren Sammy (capt) 9 Ravi Rampaul 10 Devendra Bishoo 11 Anthony Martin/ Kemar Roach

Pitch and conditions

Scores at the Shere Bangla Stadium have seen some strange fluctuations this year. This is the same ground where Bangladesh were bowled out for 58 against West Indies and 78 against South Africa during the World Cup. But there have also been scores of 370, by India in the World Cup opener, and 361, by Australia. The low scores were more due to poor batting, though, so the pitch can be expected to provide plenty of runs if the batsmen do not make careless errors.

Stats & Trivia

  • This will be the first Twenty20 international to be played in Bangladesh since 2006. It is the first T20I at the Shere Bangla Stadium
  • Though they have won a Test and one-day series in the West Indies, Bangladesh have never won an international match against West Indies at home

Quotes

“I believe we can win the series. West Indies are a good outfit. We have to play well to beat them.”
“Their attack is full of spinners and we have a good mix of pace and spin. It will be the spin of Bangladesh versus the pace of West Indies.”

India canter to another comprehensive win

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch

The Report by Abhishek Purohit23-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirat Kohli and Suresh Raina all but sealed the match with a 131-run stand for the fourth wicket•AFPEngland’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch in Mumbai. Their fast bowlers struck three early blows but Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina motored to a 131-run stand at close to seven an over, showcasing the difference between the sides and sparking another needless bout of words in the middle as England’s frustration overflowed.It was England’s own batsmen who had let down their ragged bowlers down when they caved in against spin in the afternoon. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 5 for 79 in 20 overs between them after Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen had built on England’s quickest start of the series.Vinay Kumar broke the 73-run stand between Trott and an uncharacteristically subdued Pietersen, then Jadeja and Ashwin worked their way through a clueless England middle order, striking three times in six overs. Tim Bresnan took the score past 200 with a run-a-ball 45, but England were dismissed with 23 deliveries remaining when fast bowler Varun Aaron bowled Bresnan to finish with three wickets on debut.Disciplined pace bowling led by the impressive Steven Finn kept England in with an outside chance at the start of the chase. Kohli and Raina kept the runs coming, though, not allowing the score of 46 for 3 to tie them down in a partnership that steadily at first, and then emphatically, pushed England out of the match, making a 5-0 whitewash ever more likely.Finn and Bresnan had started with testing spells that kept the India openers quiet. The first five overs produced only 17 runs, leading Parthiv Patel to whip across the line and lose his stumps to Finn. Finn struck again in his next over when Gautam Gambhir inside-edged onto his stumps. His opening spell of 5-0-10-2 was followed by a sharp burst from debutant Stuart Meaker that induced Ajinkya Rahane into a poke outside off stump only for wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to take a leaping one-handed blinder.Scott Borthwick, the young legspinner surprisingly chosen ahead of Grame Swann, bowled with heart, but it was unfair to expect him to have the same effect that the experienced Swann could have managed. Kohli and Raina continued almost unbothered, picking off the singles easily and finding the boundaries with crisp shots. The duo’s approach was in sharp contrast to England’s tottering line-up.Despite India being three down at the start of the bowling Powerplay, Raina took the chance and chipped Meaker just over mid-off for a boundary. His innings grew into a blur of scythes through extra cover and swings down the ground before Finn bowled him after a missed slog during a heated over. Raina had surged to 80 by then and with Kohli easing into elegant drives and cuts, India were runaway winners with almost ten overs remaining.England’s fate had virtually been sealed when their middle order tried to sweep and slog-sweep their way out of trouble. Pietersen was one of three batsmen to fall on the shots, though the substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary was responsible for sending him back with a diving catch after running across from deep midwicket.Ravi Bopara missed one from Jadeja to be caught in front and Jonny Bairstow’s disappointing series continued when he was bowled by a ripper that pitched on leg and turned to hit off stump. Samit Patel and Bresnan tried to salvage something from 145 for 6 but Patel slog-swept Ashwin straight to deep midwicket in another disappointing batting Powerplay for England.Aaron, who had consistently hovered above 140kph on debut, came back to run through the lower order, hitting the stumps three times, the last of which straightened past Bresnan’s outside edge to clip the top of off, with England well short of a challenging total on a turning pitch without Swann.Things hadn’t looked as gloomy for England when Pietersen and Trott accumulated solidly in a steady partnership that helped them recover after Alastair Cook and Kieswetter departed off successive deliveries. Though Pietersen went hard at deliveries and mistimed his strokes at times, Trott kept the runs flowing, cutting Jadeja three times to the deep point boundary. Trott welcomed Vinay’s second spell with a cracking drive that beat the cover sweeper easily but was dismissed two deliveries later. Pietersen continued to find the field and the India spinners soon got on top decisively, yet again.

Former wicketkeeper KS Indrajitsinhji dies

by csb10.top Uncategorized

KS Indrajitsinhji, the former India wicketkeeper who also played for Delhi and Saurashtra, has died at the age of 73. He was a nephew of Duleepsinhji’s and a grand-nephew of Ranji’s, and a cousin of the late Hanumant Singh, the former India batsman and ICC match referee. His death, in Mumbai on Saturday, followed a struggle with cancer.A competent wicketkeeper and a sound right-hand batsman, who could open or go in the middle order, Indrajitsinhji’s career coincided with those of Farokh Engineer and Budhi Kunderan, and his appearances for India were limited to when either of those was missing.His break came against Australia in 1964-65, when he played in all three Tests and helped Chandu Borde put on 32 runs for the unbroken ninth-wicket partnership to help India clinch a memorable two-wicket victory in Bombay. An injury to Engineer brought him back for one more Test – against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1969-70.He achieved greater success in the Ranji Trophy while playing for both Delhi and Saurashtra. He was one of the first wicketkeepers to complete 100 dismissals in the tournament and in 1960-61 claimed 23 victims, then the record. In a first-class career that stretched almost 20 years, Indrajitsinhji scored 3694 runs (26.76) with five centuries and had 210 dismissals, 133 of them caught.Paying tribute to him in , Yajurvindra Singh said “Inder” helped in the emergence of several Saurashtra players playing in Mumbai, including Karsan Ghavri. “Inder had an astute cricketing mind and knew the history of the game rather well,” he said.