Zimbabwe have been given a timely confidence boost after their shock one-run win over Australia in their World Twenty20 warm-up match

Cricinfo staff28-Apr-2010Zimbabwe have been given a timely confidence boost after their shock one-run win over Australia in their World Twenty20 warm-up match. Elton Chigumbura’s boundary-laden 76 helped to set up the victory and raise morale in the Zimbabwe camp after they lost both of their games against West Indies A.”It means a lot to us in terms of confidence,” Chigumbura said. “Maybe it was only a practise match for Australia but we know they were trying their hardest and we could see that they did not enjoy losing.”We need to believe that we are good enough to beat any team and this was a good reminder because results haven’t been too good on tour so far.”Alan Butcher, in his first major outing as Zimbabwe’s head coach, paid tribute to Chigumbura’s game-changing innings, highlighting just how much the win meant to them ahead of two tough engagements against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, but insisting that it was a team effort that secured the match.”It may not mean too much in the context of the tournament when it gets under way for real, but it means everything to us and to Zimbabwe cricket,” he said. “Everyone played their part, and I really mean that, although Elton played the biggest part and deserves all the headlines and praise that he gets.”Mitchell Johnson, who picked up four wickets on either side of Chigumbura’s explosive innings, expressed his side’s disappointment at the loss to the lowly Zimbabweans, but insisted that it would not affect the team’s performance in the tournament.”Obviously we would have liked to have won,” Johnson said. “When you come into these practice games you want to be pretty close to your best.”It won’t be a setback. It’s disappointing to lose in a practice match but we’ve just got to keep going forward, keep working hard in our training sessions and make sure we’re ready for the World Cup.”Australia will be hoping for a win in their final warm-up, against Windward Islands at Gros Islet on Thursday, while Zimbabwe’s last practice match before the tournament begins is against Pakistan at the same venue.

A round-up from the latest Friends Provident t20 matches as a host of England players make a rare county appearance

13-Jun-2010

North Group

Jim Troughton impressed for Warwickshire before the rain came•Getty Images

Samit Patel’s second half-century in three days secured a third straight win for Nottinghamshire as they swept aside Worcestershire by six wickets with 23 balls to spare. After limiting the visitors to 150 for 7, with Dirk Nannes and Graeme White both picking up two wickets, Patel hit 63 from 34 balls with five fours and three sixes while David Hussey was unbeaten on 34, finishing off the match with a straight six.Yorkshire suffered a 14-run defeat to Northamptonshire under the Duckworth-Lewis method in their Friends Provident t20 clash at Headingley – but the home side were struggling even before the weather closed in. Replying to the Steelbacks’ modest 151 for 7 the hosts were 51 for 4 after 7.5 overs and falling well behind the required rate. Yorkshire’s innings started badly when Jacques Rudolph fell to a great diving catch at long on in the first over from Chaminda Vaas and it became 16 for 2 as skipper Andrew Gale drove to wide mid-off and become the first of three victims for paceman Jack Brooks.A rapid half-century by Warwickshire left hander Jim Troughton went to waste when rain ended Lancashire‘s reply in the meeting at Edgbaston. Openers Tom Smith and Paul Horton made three runs in a solitary over from Neil Carter before the match was abandoned with each side taking one point to stay in contention in a congested North group.Paul Collingwood shone with the ball on his first Durham appearance of the season before rain wrecked their match with Derbyshire. England’s World Twenty20-winning captain conceded only 21 runs from his four overs, but the Dynamos were still facing a daunting run chase after the Falcons plundered 172 for 3 from 19 overs. Loots Bosman scored his second half century in the competition and former Somerset batsman Wes Durston hit two sixes and seven fours in an unbeaten 71 from 53 balls.

South Group

Kevin Pietersen made his first appearance for Hampshire for two years in their match with Surrey but was upstaged by opening batsman Jimmy Adams. The left hander went on to make 101 not out, his first century in the competition, and share in a stand of 144 in 12 overs with Sean Ervine for the third wicket. Hampshire finished with 201 for 2 and Surrey made a reasonable fist of their chase before going down by 10 runs. They made 191 for 9 but were never seriously threatening the Hampshire total.Middlesex beat Essex by five runs in a thrilling gameat Lord’s to record their second win of the season in the competition. The hosts had posted a substantial total of 200 for 6 from their allotted overs, with captain-elect Neil Dexter top-scoring with 43, but their opponents produced a brave attempt in the pursuit thanks to a stunning effort from Ryan ten Doeschate. The Dutch all-rounder scored 102 from 54 deliveries, clearing the ropes on seven occasions and also adding five fours to keep his side in the hunt. When he eventually holed out to Eoin Morgan at cover off the bowling of Pedro Collins, Essex required a further 23 runs. But the initiative had been regained by the home side with the wicket and when the final over commenced, 15 runs were needed.Kent cruised to a 36-run victory over Gloucestershire at Gloucester after posting an imposing 217 all out – their highest Twenty20 score. The Spitfires made the most of the short boundaries at Archdeacon Meadow to hammer the highest score in the South Division this season, with Rob Key (44), Joe Denly (48) and Alex Blake (33) the main contributors. Will Porterfield’s bright 43 gave Gloucestershire hope, but they collapsed from 62 for 1 to 94 for 6 as Simon Cook took three wickets for 22 runs. The hosts were eventually bowled out for 181, despite Chris Taylor’s defiant 67 off 36 balls.Defending Twenty20 champions Sussex preserved their 100 per cent record to win the South Group top of the table clash against previously unbeaten Glamorgan at Cardiff. In an enthralling contest of twists and turns Glamorgan won the toss and made a competitive 143 for 6 in their 20 overs on a Cardiff pitch that had been used for two previous Friends Provident t20 matches. But on the slow surface Sussex reached their target by three wickets with seven balls to spare.

A sterling allround performance by Andre Russell helped West Indies A recover from a treacherous start batting first to deliver a comfortable win against Ireland in Belfast

Cricinfo staff23-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA sterling allround performance by Andre Russell helped West Indies A recover from a treacherous start batting first to deliver a comfortable win against Ireland in Belfast.When Devon Smith opted to make first use of the Civil Service Cricket Club pitch, he would not have expected to be reduced to 28 for 4 by the 12th over. But a hard-working middle-order stand between Assad Fudadin and Kevin Stoute changed West Indies A’s fortunes before Russell’s scintillating half-century set up a match-winning total. Russell struck four sixes and six fours to finish on 64 from just 31 balls and take the tourists to 251. It was then left to the bowlers to complete the good work against a shell-shocked Ireland team.In a flash Russell and Gavin Tounge combined to remove openers Gary Wilson and Paul Stirling before adding Rory McCann soon after. David Bernard then saw the back of Kevin O’Brien thanks to a flying catch from Smith, diving to his right. It left Ireland wobbling at 46 for 4 and it was only Andrew White who kept fighting. He was joined by Alex Cusack and the pair added 72 in almost 15 overs to revive Ireland’s hopes. Cusack’s share of the stand was only 15 as White kept going on an ultimately futile mission.He passed his fifty in style, pulling Frudadin for four through square leg but Cusack’s dismissal eventually ushered in the final rites. It was, of course, Russell who made the breakthrough, trapping Cussack in front. John Mooney then fell in similar fashion to Anthony Martin before Russell castled White to end an excellent knock. Russell cleaned up the lower order to finish with 6 for 42 as the tourists finished Ireland off for 201.It could have all been so different for Ireland if not for the 94-run stand for the fifth wicket between Fudadin and Stoute. Beginning slowly they were content to build the partnership by working the ball around and picking off the occasional boundary when available. Stoute was the more positive of the two, and collected the first six of the day when he deposited Albert van der Merwe over the long on boundary. He followed it up two overs later with another handsome drive down the ground and a four three balls later to bring up a crucial fifty off 56-deliveries.Eagleton returned to the attack and struck immediately when Stoute spooned a catch to mid on off to end a match-reviving stand. There was then another minor wobble when Chadwick Walton and David Bernard fell in quick succession but Frudadin stayed strong, anchoring one end while Russell went ballistic at the other.After a careful first 12 balls Russell launched Jones for a six and a four down the ground before repeating the dose to van der Merwe. Somewhere in the carnage Frudadin reached a patient half-century before being run out. In total his innings lasted 101 deliveries – hardly the ‘power hitting’ of contemporary limited-overs cricket but a crucial innings for his side.In the last five overs West Indies A made 63 runs, with Russell banging four fours and two sixes and Gavin Tonge belting four boundaries of his own as the pair added 42 in 27 balls. It was an assault from which Ireland never could recover.

Former BCCI president Sharad Pawar has taken over as ICC president from England’s David Morgan following the body’s annual conference in Singapore

Cricinfo staff01-Jul-2010Former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar has taken over as ICC president from England’s David Morgan following the body’s annual conference in Singapore. Pawar will lead the ICC for two years after having served as Morgan’s deputy for a similar period, and his appointment comes after the controversial rejection of former Australian prime minister John Howard’s bid for the vice-president’s jobPawar is the second Indian to hold the ICC’s top job, after Jagmohan Dalmiya’s stint in the late nineties. He praised the leadership of outgoing president Morgan, terming it an ‘impressive innings’. “David Morgan has set the principles by which the ICC operates and now it is our responsibility to build on his legacy,” Pawar said.One of India’s most influential regional politicians, Pawar’s rise to the most powerful post in cricket administration started with a fractious victory over former India captain Ajit Wadekar in the elections to the Mumbai cricket board in 2001. The next big step was the defeat of Dalmiya’s candidate in the tussle for control of the BCCI in 2005 after losing by one vote in the previous year.

Torrential rains around noon ensured the third abandonment in four games played over two days in Trinidad, keeping Windwards and CCC indoors for the final league game of the Caribbean T20

Cricinfo staff30-Jul-2010 – Match abandonedTorrential rains around noon ensured the third abandonment in four games played over two days in Trinidad, keeping Windward Islands and Combined Campuses and Colleges indoors for the final league game of the Caribbean T20. The more anticipated match-up of the day, between Guyana and Barbados met a similar fate earlier in the day leaving the tournament organisers worried about the knock-out games of the tournament to be played at the same venue over the next two days.Though the rains cleared after three hours, the Queen’s Park Oval was completely submerged and the officials were forced to abandon the second game two hours in advance, after having called off the first match immediately. Things were different yesterday when a washout was followed by a delayed and curtailed second match in the night.CCC and Windwards finish the tournament winless, while Barbados tops Zone B by virtue of a net run-rate advantage over Guyana despite being tied on points. Weather permitting, Guyana will play the hosts in the first semi-final tomorrow while Barbados will square off against Jamaica in the second. The losing semi-finalists will clash in a third-place play-off on the 31st ahead of the final.

Heavy monsoon rains in Ahmedabad have submerged the playing surface of Motera, the venue for the first Test between India and New Zealand in November

Cricinfo staff10-Aug-2010Heavy monsoon rains in Ahmedabad have submerged the playing surface of Motera, the venue for the first Test between India and New Zealand in November, raising fears of severe damage to the stadium.Motera had more than 25cm of rainfall over two days, which left the ground water logged.”The entire ground is filled with over six feet of water,” Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), Rajesh Patel, told . “There are seven heavy-duty pumps removing water from the stadium. We don’t know when the water would be cleared. It is estimated that it would take one more day.”Patel said the loss incurred could amount to between Rs 50,00,000 and Rs 60,00,000. “However, the exact figure could be made only after the water is cleared,” he said. The stadium was refurbished in 2010 after Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi became the GCA president.

Zimbabwe’s chairman of selectors, Alistair Campbell, has criticised Cricket Scotland’s decision to not tour Zimbabwe for an ICC Intercontinental Cup fixture

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2010Zimbabwe’s chairman of selectors, Alistair Campbell, has criticised the UK government’s advice against visiting the country and Cricket Scotland’s subsequent decision to not tour Zimbabwe for an ICC Intercontinental Cup fixture in October.”We have ten Englishmen playing cricket and coaching in Zimbabwe, including our national coach Alan Butcher, and apart from anything else the decision is an insult to them,” Campbell told AFP.The match was initially scheduled for a neutral African venue before the Scotland board agreed to a proposal to play in Zimbabwe, but a change in the UK government’s policy led to the reversing of the decision. It was a setback to Zimbabwe’s return to the fold following their withdrawal from Test cricket in 2006. India and Sri Lanka toured the country for a triangular series in May, and Ireland confirmed their September trip for an Intercontinental Cup game and three ODIs. Kenya and Afghanistan also played their Intercontinental Cup matches in the country recently.When asked about Zimbabwe’s proposed visit to Pakistan later in 2010, Campbell was confident that most of the players would be willing to tour the country. The players are yet to be sounded out on the sensitive issue of touring Pakistan, where no international cricket has been played since March 2009 following the terror attacks on the touring Sri Lanka side. Campbell said that if a player refused, he will not be pressured to go.Zimbabwe Cricket had earlier said that it was prepared to send a team to Pakistan to help raise funds for people affected by the floods that have ravaged the country. However, the schedule of Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand may have to be altered in order to accommodate Zimbabwe’s trip.

On a day when Bangladesh went one better than the series victory, completing a memorable whitewash against top opposition, it was Rubel Hossain’s abilities with new ball and old that made the difference

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2010Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round brilliance and the dominance of Bangladesh’s spinners may be the lasting memories from this series, but today both those factors were reduced to secondary roles. On a day when Bangladesh went one better than the series victory, completing a memorable whitewash against a top opposition, it was Rubel Hossain’s abilities with new ball and old that made the difference.Defending a decidedly under-par 174, Rubel had more than played his part in his opening spell, nipping out New Zealand’s top three batsmen in his first three overs. New Zealand’s resilience had, however, brought them back into the game and Rubel was called on for the final over against a rampant Kyle Mills, with seven runs to defend.Rubel would have had a sense of déjà vu as he ran in for that last over. When Mills slammed the first ball for four, Rubel would have remembered the fateful tri-series final against Sri Lanka last year, in the same ground, when Muttiah Muralitharan’s targeted onslaught against him in the batting Powerplay stopped Bangladesh inches short of their most memorable cricketing moment.Things were about to turn out differently today, though. Two inch-perfect yorkers on leg stump followed, the second one cleaning up Mills and sending Mirpur into a frenzy. Rubel later revealed that he never felt the pressure, even after that boundary ball.”I thought it was only a matter of one good delivery and it never really crossed my mind that we could lose,” he said. “The captain also told me that they need four runs and we needed one wicket and that it was my day and he believed I could win the match for Bangladesh.”Shakib would have had a sense of déjà vu of his own; this was not the first time he was taking over the reins from an injured Mashrafe Mortaza to lead his side to a whitewash. The same template had been followed when Bangladesh beat West Indies 3-0 last year. “Maybe you should ask him to get injured in a series again and then we’ll try to find out if this formula works every time”, Shakib said light-heartedly. “When I bat I don’t think of myself as a captain with specific or special responsibilities. I just play my own game. Similarly, when bowling I try to pick the best bowler to bowl in a particular situation and if that bowler happens to be me then I come in.”With four wins this series, Bangladesh have emphatically addressed their previous inability to build on hitherto sporadic victories against top sides. Shakib said it was the winning habit, developed on the back of three authoritative performances, that stood his side in good stead despite a poor total today.”We didn’t have a defendable total and yet the moment the first wicket fell there was a buzz in the field and we believed we could pull this game back our way,” Shakib said. “This was a result of the three victories in a row. Often in the past with a similar score I have seen shoulders dropping and the belief disappearing but today we saw what winning teams are made of.”Shakib was also careful enough not to get too caught up in the euphoria of the victory and ignore the areas for improvement. “I still think our top-order batting was not up to the mark as we lost wickets at the wrong times. We want atleast one of the top four batsmen to get to a good score and try to hold the innings together. Apart from the second game where we chased that did not happen in this series.”The bowling and fielding was satisfactory but you can always improve on that. We also did not execute the Powerplays very well and often we found ourselves with too many wickets down when the last Powerplay arrived. Ideally you should have five or six wickets in hand when the final Powerplay starts.”The 4-0 scoreline brought Bangladesh within a few decimal points of toppling West Indies from the eighth spot in the ODI ratings. The upcoming series against Zimbabwe will give them a chance to push ahead and Shakib knew the importance of that tour.”We should definitely continue working hard and prepare for the next series against Zimbabwe in December,” he said. “They are a much improved side and although we have had a stranglehold over them in the last few years the matches often have been quite competitive. They are also playing pretty well in South Africa although the results haven’t gone their way.”

The ECB has decided to keep the Twenty20 fixture list next summer despite the fears of dwindling interest, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2010The ECB have decided to retain the Twenty20 fixture list for next summer despite the fears of dwindling interest, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.The Friends Provident t20 lasted an eye-watering 151 matches in the 2010 season and was widely criticised for failing to draw the big crowds earlier versions of the Twenty20 Cup had brought.Yet the smaller counties rely on the income generated from the long fixture list and won their battle to resist change at a meeting at Lord’s on Tuesday.The counties have been hoping the ECB could resolve the scheduling issue soon in order to begin their marketing campaign for next summer, and there is a growing dissatisfaction over the lack of leadership shown by the ECB over the matter.The counties suffered poor financial returns last season which has made the fixture problem more acute. Many grounds are in the expensive process of upgrading their facilities in the search for lucrative international hosting rights. Almost all of last season also suffered the interruption of the football World Cup dominating the summer as well as the neutral Test series between Pakistan and Australia. The hope is that without these distractions the 2011 season will be easier to sell to the public.

Round-up of the first day of the third round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2010

Group A

Munaf Patel sliced through the Uttar Pradesh batting line-up•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Delhi’s trio of fast bowlers blew away table-toppers Gujarat for 71 on a rain-hit first day at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The young Delhi pace attack – Sumit Narwal, Pawan Suyal and Pradeep Sangwan – needed only 21 overs to knock over Gujarat, who chose to bat on winning the toss. It was a bad start for Gujarat, losing both their openers in the first three overs. Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel didn’t last long either, giving wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht the second of his five catches, after making 8. No. 3 Niraj Patel top-scored with 21 quick runs, but was bowled by Sangwan with the score on 35. Gujarat staggered to 60 for 5, and worse followed as they lost their remaining wickets in 34 deliveries. Suyal finished with four wickets, while Sangwan and Narwal picked up three each. Delhi reached 39 for 0 in the nine overs before rain forced play to be abandoned.Tamil Nadu, currently in second spot, showcased their batting strength by posting 243 for 2 against bottom-placed Saurashtra in Rajkot. A Saurashtra attack missing fast bowler Jaidev Unadkat, who has been called up to the Indian squad for the third Test against New Zealand. Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund and No. 3 Arun Karthik both made their first centuries of the tournament to put their side in a strong position. After Tamil Nadu chose to bat, Saurashtra fast bowler Sandip Maniar removed S Anirudha in the third over, but there were no more breakthroughs for 56 overs as Mukund and Karthik added 194 runs. They were finally separated by a run-out, after which Mukund and S Badrinath guided Tamil Nadu till bad light called off play with 17 overs still remaining.Another team which are hot on Gujarat’s heels, defending champions Mumbai, also had a good start to their third-round match, bowling Railways out for 201 at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla was the most successful bowler, bagging four tail-end wickets, but fast bowler Rohan Raje made more of an impact, taking the first three wickets by the eighth over. The start of the match had been delayed for half an hour by a wet pitch and Raje exploited the conditions once Mumbai won the toss. His burst left Railways reeling at 16 for 3, but thanks chiefly to Prashant Awasthi’s 61, they recovered to 162 for 5. Awasthi was then bowled by Abdulla, and Railways’ final five wickets fell for 41. Mumbai then lost the wicket of Onkar Gurav while reaching 42 at stumps.It was a much more even contest at the Eden Gardens, where Bengal finished the day on 257 for 5 against Assam. After choosing to field, Assam had the better of the first half of the day, reducing Bengal to 126 for 5 despite Manoj Tiwary’s 50. It was Bengal who dominated the rest of the day, though, as two players with international experience, Wriddhiman Saha and Laxmi Ratan Shukla, made unbeaten half-centuries to deny Assam any more inroads. The pair added 131 for the sixth wicket to level the game by stumps.

Form Guide

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Abhinav Mukund: scored his first century of the season and batted through day one against Saurashtra

Group B

Leaders Baroda began their match in style, knocking over Uttar Pradesh for 190 in Vadodara. Two players who impressed in Baroda’s previous match, Munaf Patel and Yusuf Pathan, shared nine wickets to bundle out UP. Yusuf, fresh from a hurricane 195, polished off the UP lower-order to collect his eighth five-wicket haul, while Munaf ripped through the top-order, reducing them to 46 for 4. UP recovered through a 94-run partnership between Parvinder Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which was snapped when Munaf had Bhuvneshwar bowled for 47. Parvinder went on to make 85, but he received little support from the tail. Baroda reached 59 for 1 in the 18 overs before stumps.In the battle between two teams at the bottom of Group B, Himachal Pradesh made slow and steady progress to finish the first day against Punjab on 256 for 4 in Dharmasala. Their openers, Bhavin Thakkar and Sangram Singh, typified HP’s approach, crawling to 77 at just more than two runs an over. Both were dismissed in the space of three overs and HP slipped to 82 for 2, but half-centuries from Vinit Indulkar and Paras Dogra kept Punjab at bay for 31 overs. Again, HP lost both settled batsmen within a short span before Manvinder Bisla, who came into prominence as an opener for Kings XI Punjab, made an unbeaten 34 to guide the home side to stumps.In a match where less than a session of play was possible on the first day, Karnataka were in a bit of bother against Haryana in Rohtak. Bad light cost 21 minutes of play before lunch, by when Joginder Sharma, who played a pivotal role in India’s World Twenty20 victory in 2007, took three wickets to leave Karnataka at 84 for 3. The visitors will be comforted by the fact that they have their two most important batsmen, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey, still at the crease. No play was possible after lunch due to persistent rain.