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Sunrisers Hyderabad overcame a limp finish to their innings, a Duckworth-Lewis readjustment, wet outfield, dropped catches, and fumbles in the field to successfully defend 117 in 12 overs

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
4:25

Agarkar: Rain made target a lot stiffer for KKR

Sunrisers Hyderabad overcame a limp finish to their innings, a Duckworth-Lewis readjustment, wet outfield, dropped catches, and fumbles in the field to successfully defend 117 in 12 overs. For the first 8.4 overs of the chase, 80 runs came during which the game was headed towards Kolkata Knight Riders, but a back-of-the-hand slower ball from Ravi Bopara and then three exceptional and yorker-filled overs from the Kumars of the badlands of Meerut made sure Knight Riders couldn’t score 37 off the last three overs.It was all going wrong for Sunrisers: David Warner found little support to his 55-ball 91 with the rest failing to even double the score in 10 balls more, Duckworth-Lewis wasn’t exceptionally kind to them, the conditions were wet ruling the spinners out, three catches were missed in the first four overs, and Andre Russell and Manish Pandey were threatening to turn this into a stroll. Russell was 19 off 9, Pandey 20 off 14, to go with Robin Uthappa’s 34 off 21, but then Russell went for a big hit off Bopara.It was a slower ball bowled out of the back of the hand, hit the bottom of the bat, and went straight to Dale Steyn at long-on. Steyn had seen two catches go down in his first two overs, but made no mistake here. Still with seven wickets in hand, wet conditions, and 38 required off 19 you would have backed the chasing side.Not, however, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar are bowling to Indian batsmen. These two skilled but military medium quicks, who play first-class cricket for Uttar Pradesh, have got better of every batsman on the Indian circuit. For the next 15 balls they put on a workshop on how to defend when conditions are against you. They did nothing fancy, but went about executing the most difficult bowling skill in limited-overs cricket: the yorker. They erred on a few conditions, but never on the short side.Pandey and Yusuf Pathan, with due respect to their IPL records, are not the best when the bowling is of a certain quality. That certain quality was reached here. Both the batsmen were stifled and frustrated, but couldn’t do much. Bhuvneshwar bowled the 10th over. The batsmen did managed to convert a couple of yorkers into low full tosses, but they had no room to swing their arms at. One of the six balls was a yorker outside off, and it beat the outside edge of Yusuf, who was camping back. Five runs later, Bhuvneshwar handed over the baton to the wilier and more experienced Praveen.Praveen had earlier bowled an over in which he came from a six and a four off the first two balls with four yorkers that went for one run and a wicket. He continued doing that with the wet ball. There were two fumbles in the over that converted ones into twos, Praveen let that frustration show on his face but not on the ball. The first four were near perfect, they went for five, and with 27 required off eight he slipped in a slower legcutter to make it 27 off seven. A low full toss and a misfield followed, but Knight Riders still needed 25 to win off the last over.Bhuvneshwar refused to budge off the plan. Pandey hit the first ball, a low full toss, straight to deep midwicket, and Yusuf found extra cover on the full next ball. Incredibly, in the space of 14 balls, the Kumars had turned what looked like a stroll for Knight Riders into sixes required off each ball. New batsman Suryakumar Yadav could get only a single off the third ball thus ending the game, and in the end Knight Riders barely went past Warner’s 91.While the support cast chipped in with the ball, the batting was largely dominated by Warner. On a slow pitch, with the ball turning, Warner batted a level above the others. He used a switch hit, some bullying, and some crisp hitting to get the better of spinners. Shikhar Dhawan at the other end struggled to time the ball, but he provided Warner support going at a run a ball. When Warner fell, though, for 91 out of the 130 scored when he was in the middle, Sunrisers needed Dhawan to step it up from his run-a-ball innings until then.Dhawan couldn’t, nor could the other batsmen that followed, which meant only 46 came off the last 34 balls. That pales in comparison of 20 off the last three overs, which is what the Kumars reduced Knight Riders to.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group B matches played on February 9, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2015
ScorecardOdisha survived several nervy moments and pulled off a slender two-wicket win to ensure that Saurashtra were relegated for the next Ranji season. Odisha needed to avoid a loss to stay away from relegation and finished fourth in Group B with six points from the win. Saurashtra needed an outright win and will now play in Group C next season.Odisha started the day on 128 for 2, needing another 155, and were nearly taken to 200 by Anurag Sarangi (83) and Govinda Podder (64). They stretched their partnership to 155 runs, the highest of the match, before Odisha’s stutter started. The stand was broken when Chirag Jani came round the wicket and trapped Sarangi with a sharp reverse-swinging delivery which the batsman left and was given lbw. Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat dented Odisha from the other end when he also switched to round the wicket and bowled Podder three overs later, using sharp reverse swing.Unadkat persisted with the angle and was rewarded again when the ball crashed onto the stumps after keeping low to surprise Natraj Behara, who fell for a duck. Captain Abhilash Mallick eased some nerves for Odisha by pulling and driving Unadkat, halting the fall of wickets for at least ten overs. However, Siddharth Trivedi’s extra bounce drew an outside edge off Mallick’s bat for first slip, and Odisha slipped from 193 for 2 to 229 for 6.The No. 6 Biplab Samnatray fought hard at the other end, surviving 60 balls for nearly two hours, but he saw another wicket fall when Subhrajit Sahoo was also caught behind off Trivedi. Odisha were losing wickets but also trudging towards their target. After Sahoo’s wicket, they were only 40 adrift and Samnatray brought it down to 21 with Deepak Behera. However, Odisha got another scare when Samnatray pulled Trivedi from outside off for a skier to midwicket and Saurashtra were now only two wickets away from relegation.Deepak and Basant Mohanty finally steered Odisha home after the former crashed three fours. There was a chaotic mix-up between the two with only two runs required when Mohanty sliced a delivery to point and Deepak took off for a single to cross more than half the pitch. Luckily for him, the fielder missed a direct hit at the non-striker’s end as he dived to make his ground only to realise there was an overthrow opportunity which he ran for after losing his bat near the stumps.
ScorecardMaharashtra and Vidarbha both qualified for the quarter-finals despite the hosts’ six-wicket win in Pune. With six points from the win, Maharashtra finished second in the table and Vidarbha stayed on 24 points, level with Gujarat, but progressed to the knockouts on better run rate. Had Gujarat beaten Haryana by ten wickets instead of nine, they would have qualified instead of Vidarbha.Vidarbha were 274 for 6 at the start of the day and frustrated Maharashtra with lower-order contributions from overnight batsmen Urvesh Patel and Shrikant Wagh, and No. 9 Rakesh Dhurv. Wagh could add only 10 runs to his overnight 23 before Urvesh and Dhurv put on 88 for the eighth wicket. Dhurv’s patient 59, his first fifty of the season, featured eight fours before he was caught behind off Samad Fallah, who also took the last two wickets to wrap up Vidarbha for 391. Urvesh’s 87, which took nearly six hours, included 10 fours and Maharashtra were set a target of 164. Fallah finished with 4 for 65.The hosts were hardly bothered in the chase apart from the early wicket of Swapnil Gugale for 7 in the sixth over. Harshad Khadiwale (42) steered them towards 100 along with Kedar Jadhav (28) and Rohit Motwani (27), and even though three more wickets fell before they reached 150, Rahul Tripathi’s unbeaten 39 off 29 saw them home in the company of Ankit Bawne.

Reigning MLS Cup champions Atlanta United and Supporters' Shield holders New York Red Bulls lead the field as Major League Soccer kicks off this week

The race for the 2019 MLS Cup will go through the Eastern Conference, and if defending champion Atlanta United has anything to say about it, through Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Tata Martino and Miguel Almiron may have moved on, but the Five Stripes remains the favorites, led by MLS goal king Josef Martinez and newly-acquired Argentine midfielder Gonzalo 'Pity' Martinez.

The New York Red Bulls fell short in their quest to finally win an MLS Cup title last year, but they bring back most of the same squad that set a new league record for points in a season, so another title challenge is a safe bet. Tyler Adams leaving will make things difficult, but the Red Bulls boast the best defense in the league and the ever-reliable Bradley Wright-Phillips.

There are some clear-cut title contenders in the West, led by Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders, two teams with balanced veteran lineups, and also with the salary cap space to make big acquisitions this summer, if not sooner. Sporting KC has what may be its deepest team ever, but the search for a big-money striker continues. The Sounders struck gold with last summer's signing of Raul Ruidiaz, but Garth Lagerwey has the resources to add another attacking weapon.

The city of Los Angeles could have a say in the MLS Cup conversation as well, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading a revamped LA Galaxy and Carlos Vela ready to build on last year's impressive debut season for Los Angeles FC.

Several teams underwent significant roster shakeups, particularly in the Western Conference, where Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids made multiple big-time acquisitions to push themselves into the playoff conversation.

Those are just two of teams who could be this year's surprise turnaround. The San Jose Earthquakes are another candidate, with new head coach Matias Almeyda leading the way. Orlando City is another team that could see a dramatic turnaround after a disappointing 2018. Toronto FC is just a year removed from being considered the best team in MLS history, so a return to the playoffs could take place, assuming TFC succeeds in finding a suitable replacement to fill the void left by Sebastian Giovinco's departure.

Here is how the 24 MLS teams stack up heading into the 2019 season:

FC Cincinnati1FC CincinnatiThe expansion team made plenty of moves this winter in an effort to put together a respectable roster, but while there is a good nucleus of veterans, it is still going to be a rough debut season for the league's newest team. Fanendo Adi is a solid striker, and Costa Rican midfielder Allen Cruz is a special talent, but head coach Alan Koch will be hard-pressed to turn FC Cincinnati into a playoff team in year one.AdvertisementJonathan Daniel2Chicago FireThe good news for Fire fans is Bastian Schweinsteiger is back and Djordje Mihailovic is poised for a breakout season. The bad news is the Fire's defense looks very suspect and a lack of depth could prove costly for a team that didn't do enough this winter to close the gap on the playoff teams in the MLS Eastern Conference.Montreal Impact3Montreal ImpactAfter falling four points short of the playoffs in 2018, the Impact picked up veteran forward Maxi Urruti to try and help Montreal close the gap. The more pressing concern is how the Impact's revamped defense will perform. Urruti should help Montreal generate more goals, but the defense must be stingy if the Impact are going to reach the posteason.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Kim Klement4Orlando CityGone is Kaka, but in steps Nani to help fill the big-name void. Now Orlando City just needs to sort out the defensive woes that plagued the Lions in 2018. The pressure is on Dom Dwyer to perform, but it will be the back-line head coach James O'Connor puts together that will make or break Orlando City's season.

Alejandro Garnacho followed up his wondergoal against Everton with a brilliant opener for Manchester United in the Champions League.

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Garnacho bags opener at GalatasarayPulls out another Ronaldo celebrationScores first Champions League goalWHAT HAPPENED?

Garnacho needed just 11 minutes to break the deadlock in United's must-win clash. The Argentine finished off a slick team move involving Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes by smashing the ball high past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera at his near post to make it 1-0. Garnacho then pulled out Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'calma, calma' celebration.

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Garnacho's goal comes after his eye-catching overhead kick against Everton last time out. However, he was criticised for his Ronaldo-style 'Siuuu' celebration afterwards by Arturo Vidal. The former Barcelona and Bayern midfielder says Garnacho must "make his own name." The United youngster certainly seems to be doing that with his goalscoring exploits. His latest effort gave the Red Devils the perfect start in a must-win game for Ten Hag's side.

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Garnacho is making himself undroppable on current form and will expect to be in the starting XI again on Saturday when Manchester United take on Newcastle in the Premier League at St James' Park.

Jurgen Klopp surprisingly believes Sunday's Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea is comfortably the 'most special trophy' of his Liverpool tenure.

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Klopp says cup is 'most special'Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0Reds aiming to win fourWHAT HAPPENED?

Given he has won both the Premier League and Champions League with the Reds, the Liverpool boss may have raised a few eyebrows with his claim. However, considering Klopp has announced he is leaving the club at the end of the season, he truly savoured the special moment with the adoring Liverpool faithful.

AdvertisementGetty/ GOALWHAT KLOPP SAID

Speaking after the game, Klopp said: "In my more than 20 years, it was easily the most special trophy I have ever won. It is absolutely exceptional. I wish I could feel proud more often. Tonight that is the overwhelming feeling. I was proud of our people for the way they pushed us. It was nothing to do with it maybe being my last game at Wembley. It was about how everybody contributed with the kids."

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Klopp was quick to point out the role of his youth players as several academy players came off the bench to freshen up the side. The Liverpool boss was full of praise for the youngsters who saw off pressure from Chelsea to win the Carabao Cup. It may be Klopp's final time at Wembley and he made sure he treasured each moment.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KLOPP?

One down, three to go? Klopp will be certainly hoping so as his side chase down the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup. They face Southampton next week in the latter competition.

New Zealand are on course for an historic series victory against England after dominating the fourth day of the final Test in Auckland

The Report by George Dobell24-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPeter Fulton cut loose as New Zealand’s lead grew•Getty ImagesNew Zealand are on course for an historic series victory against England after dominating the fourth day of the final Test in Auckland. Peter Fulton’s second century of the match took New Zealand out of reach, but it was the bowlers who hammered nails into the coffin of England’s hopes to salvage a draw. England will resume on the final day with just six wickets in hand and all three of their most obdurate batsmen gone.Fulton, who came into the game having not scored a century in a Test career that began in 2006, pulverised the England attack on the fourth day in a devastating partnership with his captain, Brendon McCullum, that did not so much close the door on England’s hopes as slam it in their faces.Fulton’s heroics have earned New Zealand an outstanding opportunity to claim just the second home series win in their history against England. The first was in 1983-84. New Zealand have not won a series against any of the top eight Test nations – nations other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe – since they defeated West Indies in 2006.Here they set England 481 to win the third Test and, with it, the series. New Zealand finally declared on 241 for 6 in their second innings having plundered runs with ease against a dispirited attack.The manner with which Fulton brought up his second century of the match – a straight six thumped back over the head of Stuart Broad – spoke volumes for the balance of power in this encounter: New Zealand, roundly dismissed as no-hopers before the series, established dominance over an England team that arrived in the country full of confidence, having just beaten India in India.New Zealand, resuming 274 ahead at the start of play on the fourth day, extended their advantage by another 206 runs in just 34.2 overs. Fulton, batting with more confidence than at any time in his Test career following his maiden century in the first innings, drove powerfully through mid-on and three times took a step or two down the pitch to thump Monty Panesar for six back over the bowler’s head. As his confidence grew, he gave himself room to drive Anderson over extra cover for six more.He became one of just four New Zealand players to have scored one in each innings of the same Test. Glenn Turner (against Australia in 1973-74), Geoff Howarth (against England in 1977-78) and Andrew Jones (against Sri Lanka in 1991) are the others to have done so.Smart stats

Peter Fulton became the fourth New Zealand batsman to score a century in each innings of a Test, and the first since Andrew Jones against Sri Lanka 22 years ago.

Fulton is only the second New Zealand opener to achieve this feat, after Glenn Turner in 1974.Overall, there are 26 instances of opening batsmen scoring hundreds in each innings of a Test.

Fulton became the first New Zealand batsman to play more than 500 deliveries in a Test match since Mark Richardson in 2004. Richardson played 575 balls to score 194 runs at Lord’s against England.

The most overs ever played by England in the fourth innings of a Test against New Zealand is 146.4, in Christchurch in 1997. England, chasing a target of 305 in that match, won by four wickets.

Brendon McCullum’s 53-ball unbeaten 67 is the tenth-quickest 50-plus score by a New Zealand batsman in Tests. Six of those top ten innings have come against England.

The fifth-wicket partnership of 117 between Fulton and McCullum came off 101 balls. The run-rate of 6.95 per over is the second-fastest ever in Tests for a century stand for New Zealand.

His fifth-wicket partnership with his captain, Brendon McCullum, was worth 117 runs, scored in just 16.5 overs, as New Zealand progressed with an ease that made a mockery of the gap between these two teams in the Test rankings.Fulton enjoyed one moment of fortune. When he had 31, he mistimed his attempted on drive off Stuart Broad but saw James Anderson, at a shortish midwicket, spill a sharp but far from impossible chance. New Zealand would have been 65 for 4 had it been taken.England produced an oddly diffident performance in the field. Their attempt to pitch the ball fuller in search of swing that remained elusive too often resulted in over-pitched deliveries that Fulton drove through mid-on. At other times the England bowlers drifted on to Fulton’s legs, allowing him to pick up runs with an ease that defined the match situation.The introduction of Panesar brought some relief for England. His third delivery induced Dean Brownlie to attempt to clear the field. Ian Bell, running back from mid-on, made a desperately tough chance appear straightforward.But that only brought McCullum to the crease. He square drove his first delivery, a wide, over-pitched ball from Steven Finn, to the point boundary and soon pulled Anderson, looking more jaded by the moment, and Finn for sixes.Panesar bore the brunt of the assault, though, His attempt to stem the flow by bowling over the wicket and into the rough outside the right-handers’ leg stumpwas negated when McCullum took him for successive boundaries, a powerful pull followed by a precise sweep, and drove him for another six. Panesar conceded52 in five overs at one point. It was brutal batting.Whatever Alastair Cook envisaged when he won the toss and inserted New Zealand on the first day, it was surely not a situation where his side had to bat for four-and-a-half sessions to save the game. There were no realistic hopes of victory: England have never chased more than the 332 they made against Australia in Melbourne in 1928-29 to win a Test and no team has ever made more than the 418 West Indies made against Australia in Antigua in 2002-03. The highest successful chase on this ground is 348, made by West Indies in 1968-69, though since the introduction of drop-in pitches just over a decade ago, no side has managed more than the 166 scored, admittedly for the loss of just one wicket, in 2005.Nor is this the England team that enjoyed such success a couple of years ago. Not only is there no Kevin Pietersen, but there are fewer lower-order allrounders such as Graeme Swann or Tim Bresnan. Two of the middle-order, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, came into this game with only eight Test caps between them and the days when Stuart Broad could be considered an allrounder seem long ago.Tim Southee soon made inroads into England’s second innings. Nick Compton, feeling for a fine delivery that pitched on off stump and left him, edged a catch behind the stumps before Jonathan Trott squandered his display of resistance by chasing a wide one from the impressively sharp Neil Wagner, bowling left-arm around the wicket.But the hammer blow was inflicted by part-time off-spinner Kane Williamson. Cook, on one, had survived a chance to BJ Watling when he felt for one angled across him from Southee. But when he edged a drive off Williamson, Brownlie, very close in at gully, clung on to a very sharp chance.With Finn, the nightwatchman, also falling to an outstanding close catch before the close, New Zealand were on the brink of a memorable success. It meant that a series that started with many England supporters presuming an easy victory looks set to finish with their team engaged in a desperate – and surely vain – struggle to salvage a draw.

It took less than an hour for Warwickshire to wrap-up victory on the final day of their Championship match against Somerset.

George Dobell at Edgbaston23-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Boyd Rankin earned praise from both sides after his efforts against Somerset•Getty ImagesIt took less than an hour for Warwickshire to wrap-up victory on the final day of their Championship match against Somerset.When Nick Compton’s obdurate resistance was finally ended – Compton, with only the hapless Charl Willoughby for company, was caught on the long-on boundary just five short of his second Championship century of the season – it left Warwickshire requiring only 23 runs for victory. They raced to the 10-wicket win in just 20 deliveries.In truth, this game was defined on the first afternoon. An unusually hostile spell of fast bowling from Boyd Rankin ensured Somerset were unable to take advantage of winning the toss on a flat pitch. Generating sharp pace and gaining steep bounce from his towering six feet, seven inch frame, Rankin also found enough swing to claim three wickets for four runs at one stage. It was a point not lost on Somerset captain, Marcus Trescothick afterwards.”Rankin just blew us away,” Trescothick admitted. “It was a really good spell of hostile fast bowling – right up there with anything I’ve faced this year – and it was too good for us. He was easily the fastest bowler on either side.”It’s the best I’ve seen him bowl. He’s up there in terms of pace, but it’s his bounce that really causes the problems. And now he’s swinging the ball, too. He hit me four times – that doesn’t happen very often – and I just couldn’t pick him up. There was nothing wrong with the pitch – it was a bit slow, if anything – and the sight screens are fine. He’s just improved massively.”Trescothick is no stranger to fast bowling, of course. So to hear him talk in such terms of the 26-year-old Irishman is noteworthy. England have quite a pack of tall fast bowlers at present, but if Rankin keeps performing like this, he’ll force himself into contention.Trescothick also credited Rikki Clarke as being “a very clever bowler.” That may surprise a few but the four wickets Clarke claimed in Somerset’s second innings take his Championship tally this season to 30 at just 21 apiece. He’s quietly become a bowling all-rounder. And a very good one.It might be stretching a point to suggest that Warwickshire should now be considered genuine title contenders. The way that Durham and Lancashire blew them away undermines that theory. But Warwickshire have now won five games this season – as many as when they won the title in 2004 – and, at full strength, have a battery of seamers to rival any side. The one worry is the slightly disappointing form of Chris Woakes. By the very high standards he has set himself, Woakes has yet to find his best form this season.Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, rated the performance as his side’s “best of the season” and had particular praise for Ian Westwood, who made the top score in the match in recording his first Championship century since September 2009.”Losing the toss could have ended with us facing a big deficit, but we were hugely disciplined throughout,” Giles said. “Westwood has had a tough time, so I’m overjoyed for him. From the outside, people don’t see the whole package a guy offers a team, but Ian is a pleasure to work with and really deserves his success.”Giles also had praise for Rankin. “He’s a big bastard,” Giles said, both simply and accurately. “And facing him upsets teams. He has a presence about him and you can see them talking, and worrying, about him.”We always knew he had the attributes: the height, the pace and the bounce. But now we’re seeing him become more consistent. That’s largely because he’s fitter now. In the past he was always in and out because of injuries.”Somerset’s season is now at something of a crossroads. Tipped by many as prospective champions at the start of the season, they’ve lost half of their first eight games and, on this form, look a side more likely to finish nearer the bottom than the top of the table. Their mis-firing middle-order, perhaps cosseted by the flat tracks of Taunton, is simply not performing in these post-heavy roller days.”We’re getting off to good starts, but then it’s clear to see where we’re going wrong,” Trescothick said, referring to his side’s middle-order woes. “We’re probably just lacking a bit of experience in the middle-order and losing Zander de Bruyn [to Surrey] is part of that. We can’t afford to keep losing.”Tellingly, Ashley Giles admitted he was “a little surprised” at how intimidated some of Somerset’s batsmen appeared to be by the pace of Rankin and Clarke.Meanwhile, the game marked the end of an era. By the time the next Championship game begins, in the best part of a month, Warwickshire hope to have moved into their new pavilion. The hand-over date – the day the club take possession of the new facility from the builders – is just one week away and there appears to be an enormous amount of work still to be completed. With 380 builders working at the ground today, however, the club are still confident that they are on track.

The Board of Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2011The board of directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will meet on Friday and Saturday in Antigua to review the Draft Strategic Plan for 2011-2016 which was prepared by the WICB management. The plan will be evaluated by WICB president Julian Hunte, vice-president Whycliffe Cameron and the board directors. Other key issues that will be discussed include the draft Schedule of Cricket for 2011-2012 and the Event Memorandum of Understanding between the WICB and Territorial Boards.The Umpires Pathway document along with a programme for improving the existing skills of ground and pitch curators across the region, the WICB Anti-Doping and Anti-Corruption codes and the Communications and Public Relations Policy are all likely to come up for discussion and approval. The Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket and Digicel Grassroots Cricket programmes targeting youth development will be presented.The WICB will also host its Annual General Meeting on Sunday at the same venue.

Aizaz Cheema, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said Pakistan will have the advantage of being more used to conditions similar to those in the UAE when they take on England there later this month

Umar Farooq05-Jan-2012Aizaz Cheema, the Pakistan fast bowler, has said Pakistan will have the advantage of being more used to conditions similar to those in the UAE when they take on England there later this month. The pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are generally slow and batsman-friendly but Cheema said they were not too different from those in Pakistan and therefore he was confident of taking wickets on them.”Through my life I have played on similar pitches and I earned my place in the national side with the wickets I took on them,” Cheema said after the second day of Pakistan’s training camp in Lahore. “The conditions won’t make a difference to me. I have pace but the main thing is being disciplined in my bowling. If I hit the right line and length it will be a problem for any batsman.”I will try not to give runs in any spell I bowl and will try to take wickets. Our experience of the conditions is more than theirs because there is not much difference in the tracks in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.”Cheema only played in one of the Tests during the three-Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE last year, with Pakistan picking two spinners for the matches in Dubai and Sharjah. He will face further competition for his place this series with Wahab Riaz, the left-arm quick, returning to the squad. Cheema has impressed since earning his Test cap days before his 32nd birthday. He picked up eight wickets on debut in Zimbabwe and nine over the two Tests in Bangladesh in December last year, and has hit speeds up to 145kph. He recognised, however, that the England batting line-up was filled with quality players and that the series against the World No. 1 Test side would be a stiff challenge.”I can’t pick one name from the England line-up whom I am targeting because on the whole the England side is a quality side. I will try to dismiss whoever comes in.”Pakistan went through 2011 without losing a Test series, and go into this series after beating Zimbabwe away, Sri Lanka in the UAE and Bangladesh away. Cheema said they had not allowed themselves to become complacent, and he and some of the other players had started training just two days after returning from the tour of Bangladesh. “We are doing extensive hard work. Many of us started training just two days after we came back from Bangladesh. The camp in Lahore is helping us keep our rhythm and avoid becoming complacent.”Pakistan have recalled Umar Akmal for the three-Test series against England after leaving him out of the Tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Umar continued to do well in the limited-overs formats but after repeated failures in Tests, the selectors suggested he go back to domestic cricket and learn how to play long innings. Mohsin Khan, the chief selector and interim coach, said Umar needed to “stop being selfish”, and convert starts into important knocks. Umar, who averaged 71.00 in the six innings he played in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two, said he would not stop playing his shots but would try to do a job for his team at the No. 6 position.”I have played at No. 6 throughout my career, and I enjoy playing under pressure. When you take the team out of a pressure situation, only then can you be called a player for your country.”Nobody is stopping me from playing my shots but I am trying to play according to the situation and I feel there’s a lot of improvement in my batting.”Umar will find it hard to displace Asad Shafiq from the XI after Shafiq scored a century in Chittagong, but if given a chance said he would concentrate on contributing to the team’s cause rather than looking for big scores.”I will try to give 100%. At the number at which I am playing it’s rare to score big totals. You usually get around 50, 60, 70; whatever I can contribute to the total is an achievement for me. When I get promoted up the order, only then can I try to score hundreds.”The first Test between Pakistan and England starts January 17 in Abu Dhabi.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has said that retirement should not be forced upon the senior players

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2011Kapil Dev, the former India captain, has said the selectors need to rotate the seniors – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman – in the Test team so that the younger players can be given opportunities without weakening the side too much.”All three seniors – Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman – should not play together in a single Test,” Kapil told Indian news channel Aaj Tak. “Two of them can play and one can be rested so that a youngster can be tested in his place. In this manner, we can give a chance to a talented youngster without taking too much risk and making too many changes all of a sudden.”Kapil also said the selectors needed to take tough calls and wanted an orderly phasing out of the senior players. “It is the selectors who will have to take a call on their retirement,” he said. “A player never likes to retire. Selectors should see the bigger picture and take a tough decision. But, they [selectors] should do this while giving full respect to these seniors.”Tendulkar and Dravid are both 38, while Laxman is 37. Dravid was Man of the Series during the recent Tests in England, scoring 461 runs at an average of 76.83. Tendulkar and Laxman, though, had poor tours, averaging 34.12 and 22.75.Sourav Ganguly, however, said retirement should not be forced on the senior players because India did not have the talent to replace them at the moment. “Players like Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman should decide on their own when it comes to taking a call on quitting the game,” Ganguly said. “The day their performance drops, they will leave on their own.”Ganguly had retired from international cricket after the Test series against Australia at home in 2008, at a time when there was pressure on the seniors and an influx of youth in the Indian limited-overs sides. No batsman, however, has been able to fill the gap Ganguly left in Test middle-order, with neither Yuvraj Singh nor Suresh Raina cementing their spots.”It is good to see youngsters perform so well in the shorter format but I am more worried about Tests,” Ganguly said. “We haven’t seen anyone who can challenge these seniors. Definitely, the time hasn’t come to phase out seniors in Tests.”Kapil, however, disagreed with Ganguly’s view. “Everyone knows that it is not going to be easy to find replacements for the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman. It is going to be extremely difficult. But youngsters, even though they might have failed in whatever chances they’ve got till now, have to be given another go.”Actually the problem is not with their [youngsters’] talent. It is their poor fitness level that is letting them down,” Kapil said. “Coach and selectors will have to play a big role in coming times. Youngsters should also learn to take pride in their cricket.”Former India allrounder Madan Lal seconded Kapil’s view, saying the youngsters in the team lacked proper work ethic. He also said Suresh Raina, who averaged 13.12 in the four Tests in England, should not be persisted with.”They [the youngsters] have to up their fitness levels. Players like [Virat] Kohli, [Cheteshwar] Pujara and Rohit [Sharma] will have to be given chances. I will not give another chance to Raina, though, as he has already wasted too many. Instead, Yuvraj [Singh], who hasn’t got much opportunity in Tests, should be tested again.”