All posts by csb10.top

A slew of late injuries may have thinned Bangladesh’s ranks by the time they landed in Sri Lanka for their month-long tour, but captain Mushfiqur Rahim remained optimistic about his side’s chances, and backed his young players to fire.Bangladesh arrived in Sri Lanka without allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, whose calf surgery following a stress injury will keep him out for at least six weeks, while batsmen Shahriar Nafees and Naeem Islam, and left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jr will also miss the tour through injury. Their replacements include 21-year-old batsman Mominul Haque and 24-year-old uncapped allrounder Marshall Ayub, but it is likely to be the more established youngsters in the squad who will be called upon to bear more responsibility in the absence of several key seniors.Bangladesh won their last ODI series against West Indies 3-2 in November, with instrumental contributions for 20-year-old batsman Anamul Haque and 21-year-old offspinner Sohag Gazi, and Mushfiqur hoped his players would ride the momentum from that series into the Sri Lanka tour.”We had a couple of injuries in the last series against West Indies, and Shakib was not part of the ODI series – but we still won that series. The couple of young guys who came into the side in his place performed really well. We’ll miss him, but it’s a chance for the younger guys to prove they can do well abroad as well as at home.”Bangladesh last met Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup match in Dhaka, when the hosts defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets to earn a place in the tournament final. They had also beaten India earlier in the tournament, and their ODI record in 2012, when they won more matches than they lost against top-eight opposition, suggests they are an improving side.”There is no secret to our success,” Mushfiqur said. “The boys have really been working hard for the last one or two years. Someone needed to put their hands up and do the basics in the middle, and that’s what we did in the recent series against West Indies and also in the Asia Cup. The youngsters have come good and are performing really well, so hopefully they will continue in the same way.”The Sri Lanka tour begins with Tests however, where Bangladesh have been less impressive. Bangladesh achieved a slim first-innings lead in the first Test against West Indies in November, but could not sustain those standards throughout the Test, as they faltered in the final innings in pursuit of 245. There were encouraging periods in the second Test as well, most notably a maiden ton to debutant Abul Hasan from No. 10, but they were ultimately walloped by 10 wickets.”In the Test match we have to play each session very well and keep doing that over and over. In the last series against West Indies we did really well, but we couldn’t finish well in both the Tests. The young players are coming good, so if they put their hands up and perform, we will have a competitive Test series. “Bangladesh travel to Matara on Friday, to prepare for a three-day warm-up match against a Sri Lanka emerging side, which begins on Sunday. The first Test starts in Galle on March 8. In addition to two Tests, Bangladesh play three ODIs and a Twenty20.

ScorecardFile photo: Devon Smith scored two hundreds against Combined Campuses and Colleges•West Indies Cricket Board

The Regional Four Day Competition match between Leeward Islands and Guyana, which also marked the debut of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s son Tagenarine, petered out into a tame draw at the end of the fourth day’s play on Tuesday. Needing 226 runs for a win, Guyana finished at 173 for 6. They will take six points from the match based on a first-innings lead.The Guyana batsmen, led by Leon Johnson, seemingly played for a draw after being sent in to bat on the final day. Openers Rajindra Chandrika and Chanderpaul added 58 runs for the first wicket before the latter was run out.Guyana, who chose to field, gained an early advantage by dismissing Leeward Islands for 182 on the first day. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul was the most effective bowler for Guyana, taking four wickets for 42 runs.The Guyanese response was largely bolstered by a 109-run, fourth-wicket partnership between Steven Jacobs and Assad Fudadin. Jacobs, who scored the second half-century of his career, top-scored with 75 and the partnership was vital in helping Guyana take a 97-run lead.Leewards Islands came back strongly, as a century from Jahmar Hamilton and a fifty from Montcin Hodge helped Leeward Islands reach 322. Permaul’s miserly 5 for 73 in 38 overs was the standout bowling performance for Guyana.
ScorecardA fine batting performance from opener Devon Smith, who scored hundreds in both innings, helped Windward Islands rout Combined Campuses and Colleges by seven wickets on Tuesday.Set a target of 185 to win, Windward Islands reached their target in just 44.5 overs with Smith scoring an unbeaten 106 off 133 balls. His hundred in the first innings, a knock of 139 off 166 balls, helped Windward Islands gain a 100-run lead over CCC after the latter made 309 in their first innings. Windward Islands’ reply was shaped by Smith’s ton and half-centuries from Dalton Polius and Tyrone Theophile.Windward’s bowlers looked set to bundle out CCC for a small score in their second essay, before a 90-run, seventh-wicket stand between Akeem Dewar and Nekoli Parris helped them reach a respectable 284. Fast bowler Nelon Pascal took five wickets for Windwards in the innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJahurul Islam’s counter-attacking 57 set up Duronto Rajshahi’s chase before Mukhtar Ali and Ziaur Rahman completed the four-wicket win over Barisal Burners. The win has put Duronto fourth on the table.Jahurul’s 38-ball 57 contained three boundaries and as many sixes butmore importantly, it helped resurrect the chase after the openers had fallenearly. Jahurul added 44 for the third wicket with Dilshan Munaweera, followed it up with a 53-run stand with Sean Ervine, who made 28 off 20 balls, and then added 28 for the sixth wicket with Ziaur Rahman.Burners appeared to be in control when 44 were require off the last five overs, but with Jahurul still in the crease, Duronto were not too far behind. He reduced the equation to 11 runs off 7 balls with some big hits, but fell to Azhar Mahmood’s slower ball. Mukhtar, an experienced finisher in Dhaka club cricket, used his experience and squeezed out two boundaries off Shafiul Islam to win with two balls to spare.Burners looked lost the moment Brad Hodge was dismissed in the thirdover but Joe Denly and Mahmood added 46 for the second wicket. Mahmoodheld his end, while wickets fell regularly at the other. He finished up with 57 off 34 balls, with the help of four sixes but with the next highest being just 29 by Sabbir Rahman, the total remained a middling one for Burners.Munaweera’s offspin fetched two wickets for Burners while Ben Edmondsonand Taijul Islam took one each.

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said Pakistan players would play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) but indicated that their presence could depend on the BCB agreeing to a tour of Pakistan.The BPL is scheduled to begin on January 18 and several Pakistan players were sold at its auction last month. Their participation, however, could hinge on the BCB’s response to Ashraf’s comments. There has been a lot of talk of Bangladesh touring Pakistan but with security continuing to be a concern, there have been no concrete steps forward.”Bangladesh almost toured Pakistan but at the last moment they pulled out over the security concern and I don’t want to repeat this again,” Ashraf said at the unveiling of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore. “We can’t send our players like this, as Bangladesh have an agreement to fulfill. If they decide to come Pakistan and play then we will consider supporting and favoring them [in this matter].”The BPL also clashes with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class event, and the PCB said it wouldn’t be fair to disrupt the players’ commitments to their teams.The PCB and BCB have been discussing a short Bangladesh tour to Pakistan since 2011, but have faced hurdles. A proposed tour in April 2012 was postponed because of an order from a Dhaka court, and another proposal for a tour in January this year was rejected by the BCB on security grounds. Pakistan have not hosted international cricket since the 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team bus and have played all their home matches at off-shore venues such as England and the UAE.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Gautam Gambhir struck his second successive half-century•BCCI

The feverish speculation over the nature of the Eden Gardens track finally came to an end as 83-year-old curator Prabhir Mukherjee unveiled a seemingly benign surface, the sort India’s batsmen have feasted on at home in recent years. MS Dhoni may not have got the square turner he wanted, but for the third Test in a row he won an important toss, and chose to bat, aware that India had amassed 600-plus scores in the first innings in each of their three previous Kolkata Tests.Though Sachin Tendulkar shrugged off one of the worst slumps of his career with a resolute 76, it was the visitors’ day as a high-quality England attack nipped out seven wickets on a track that gave them little encouragement. Monty Panesar again showed how improved a bowler he is, barely bowling a bad ball all day, James Anderson produced a reverse-swing masterclass, and they were backed up by the large-hearted efforts of a fit-again Steven Finn, who took the place of the ineffectual Stuart Broad.The England bowling was relentless, and were helped by the wastefulness of the India batsmen. At least three wickets were gifted away on a pitch that didn’t provide any alarming turn or bounce. Virender Sehwag was run-out after a schoolboy error, Gautam Gambhir played a loose cut after getting set and Yuvraj Singh gifted a catch to cover.In contrast, Sachin Tendulkar looked determined to break his run of low scores. Walking in 15 minutes before lunch, he was extremely watchful to begin with, happy to play out the unyielding Panesar, who had dismissed him both times in the Mumbai Test. Panesar was in the middle of a marathon 21-over spell in which he varied his flight and pace, and bowled the odd ball with the scrambled seam, all without bowling any hit-me deliveries.The runs dried up, and at the other end Finn and Anderson were getting the ball to swerve just a bit to worry Tendulkar outside off. Even when the ball was little more than 40 overs old, Anderson was getting the ball to reverse, highlighted by a dramatically indipping yorker to Tendulkar. The sustained pressure from both ends got the wicket of Virat Kohli, who nicked to second slip on 6 to extend his poor run in this series. There could have been further reward if Yuvraj had been given lbw when he was caught in front by an inducker from Anderson on nought. India would have been 136 for 5 if that appeal went England’s way.

Smart stats

• Sachin Tendulkar scored his first half-century since the second innings of the Sydney Test in January 2012. In 10 innings in between, he had scored 153 runs at an average of 15.30.

• During the course of his innings, Tendulkar went past Sunil Gavaskar to become the highest run-getter for India in Tests against England. He also shares top spot with Gavaskar on the list of India batsmen with the most fifty-plus scores (20) against England.

• James Anderson dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for the eighth time in Tests. He moves level on top with Muttiah Muralitharan on the list of bowlers who have dismissed Tendulkar most often.

• This 76 is Tendulkar’s sixth half-century at Eden Gardens, bringing him level on top with VVS Laxman on the list of batsmen with the most fifty-plus scores at the venue.

• Tendulkar scored 15 runs off 18 balls from Anderson (three fours). However, all three boundaries were scored behind square on the off side.

• Tendulkar scored only 20 runs off 83 balls from Monty Panesar. The scoring rate (1.44) is the second-lowest for Tendulkar in an innings against a particular bowler in matches since 2002 (min 60 balls faced in innings).

• Tendulkar, who top-scored with 76, scored 40 runs (53%) on the off side. In contrast, Gambhir, who made 60, scored 43 runs on the off side (72%).

• The 79-run stand between Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh is the second-highest fifth-wicket stand for India against England in Kolkata. The highest is 214 between Mohammad Azharuddin and Ravi Shastri in 1984.

Instead, an increasingly fluent Tendulkar and a positive Yuvraj brought some stability to the innings. Though there were a few trademark Tendulkar strokes before tea, including an effortless backfoot punch down the ground for four, he was at his best in the final session. The first ball after the break was glanced to fine leg for four to bring up his first Test half-century since the New Year’s Test in Sydney, a milestone which would have had his legions of fans dancing for joy, just like Harbhajan Singh was in the dressing room. Over the next hour there were paddle-sweeps, a punch over point and a cover drive reminiscent of his pomp. Thoughts of a first Test century in nearly two years were brushed aside by the nagging Anderson, though, who induced an edge to keeper with Tendulkar on 76.Before Tendulkar, it was Gambhir who held the innings together with his second successive half-century. It wasn’t his most fluent performance – he was beaten several times early on and edged a few – but he was far more assured once Panesar came on as early as the eighth over. The footwork was more certain, and the tendency to be fidgety that he has repeatedly shown against the quicks reduced. Panesar was greeted with a slap past cover in the first over, and was launched over mid-on in his next.Early on, Sehwag was looking comfortable, untroubled by the defensive fields England set for him and India rattled along at more than 4.5 an over. Then came a moment of madness. Sehwag played what looked like the shot of the session, a fluid whip towards midwicket; Samit Patel, often the butt of jokes about his weight, sprinted across from deep-square leg to make a tumbling stop and Finn was on hand to rifle the ball back accurately. There was plenty of time for three, but both batsmen had dawdled the first two, and though Gambhir screamed ‘no,no’ while looking at the fielder, Sehwag started to hare back for the third, and it was too late to turn back.That immediately brought down the scoring rate, with only seven coming off the next six overs. With the ball not doing much, Gambhir and Pujara calmly set about building the innings. However, with lunch approaching, Pujara misjudged the length of a Panesar arm ball and stayed back, only to miss the ball which hit the middle of the stumps. Panesar was whistling and dancing in celebration, knowing well the importance of the wicket of India’s form batsman of this series.With the old ball reverse-swinging prodigiously, the new ball was delayed till the 87th over, and it produced dividends almost immediately. MS Dhoni and R Ashwin had been together for about an hour, looking to safely take India through to stumps but Anderson cleaned up Ashwin for 21.India would have been mighty pleased when they ended the first day on the square turner in Mumbai on 266 for 6. On a far less testing surface in Kolkata, the first-day total of 273 for 7 will be far less satisfying.

Was expecting Raina to be picked – Prasad

Venkatesh Prasad, the Uttar Pradesh coach, was disappointed when he found out that Suresh Raina had been left out of the India Test squad. “I was expecting him to be picked,” Prasad said. “He led the team superbly against Delhi.” Prasad said that the news of the team selection had no effect on the UP dressing room. “That’s not the way we work – for us the most important thing was to focus on was what was happening in the middle in our match. We couldn’t have played like we did had we been thinking about something else. See the time Raina had spent in the middle.” Prasad said Raina had batted “brilliantly” in both innings. “He was positive in the second innings when they kept bowling outside off stump to a 7-2 field. He has had an excellent match – it is unfortunate to hear that he didn’t get picked.” Raina left the ground immediately after the match and was not available for comment

Harbhajan Singh, the India offspinner who was recalled to the Test squad on Monday, has hit out at his critics, and also declared that he has “evolved” as a cricketer during his year out of the team.”A good bowler should not be only judged by his wickets count, his skillful bowling methods should also be taken into account,” Harbhajan told in Mohali. “His (a spinner’s) role changes according to the wicket. Some people who have not played cricket themselves have been writing crap stuff about me.”Harbhajan was a permanent member of India’s Test squad for several years before he was left out for the tour of Australia late last year, leaving him with 98 Test caps. “It would be nice to complete 100 Test matches, I just can’t wait to get into whites for India against England.”While Harbhajan hasn’t taken loads of wickets on the first-class circuit after being dropped, he said he had improved as a cricketer. “During the time I was out of the Indian team I got time to work on different aspects of the game. I captained Punjab team and also the Mumbai Indians. I think I have become a good listener and can handle things on the field in a better way.”India’s captain MS Dhoni has repeatedly called for turning tracks for home series, and Harbhajan also hoped the pitches would assist spinners. “The wickets should have everything for everyone. When Dhoni says that he has not seen any spinner getting the ball bounce in the rib cage area of the batsman in the recent past, I agree with him.”I would love to bowl on a wicket which has both turn and bounce, so that I can also bowl in the rib area of the batsman from outside the off stump.”

ScorecardZander de Bruyn’s first hundred of the season and polished half-centuries fromyoungsters Rory Burns and Tom Jewell ensured Surrey made a commanding start tothe final County Championship match of 2012 against relegated Lancashire.Following two days of rain at Liverpool, a fixture with nothing but pride onoffer saw both sides finally get under way at the start of day three. Surrey closed on 324 for 5 from 99 overs of their first innings, with de Bruyn unbeaten on 105 off 229 balls with Jewell 57 not out. Burns had earlier scored 73.Relegated Lancashire handed first-class debuts to scholarship fast bowler TomBailey, 21, and England Under-19 wicketkeeper Alex Davies. Steven Croft was also named captain for the first time in the Championship in place of the rested Glen Chapple. He celebrated by winning the toss.Allrounder Jewell, 21, and fast bowler Matt Dunn were given their first Championship outings of the season for Surrey. On the day when Rory Hamilton-Brown was linked with a move away from Surrey, the county demonstrated they still have plenty of young batting talent coming through their ranks as opener Burns looked calm and collected during his 139-ball stay at the crease, which included six fours.Bowled offering no shot to Chapple for a golden duck in the reverse fixture atGuildford, Burns prospered against some swing and seam movement to post hisfourth Championship fifty of the summer off 79 balls as Surrey reached lunch at109 for two.But the 22-year-old left-hander missed out on his second ton of the summer when he was caught behind by Davies off Tom Smith during the visitors’ most difficult spell of the day in the afternoon.Having reached 160 for 2 as Burns shared in partnerships of 50, 51 and 59, they lost three wickets for the addition of only 18 runs in 40 balls. Luke Procter bowled Jason Roy and had out-of-form Steven Davies caught behind in the space of three balls in the 57th over as the score slipped to 178 for 5.However, de Bruyn, who previous season’s best of 94 came against Lancashire inthe reverse fixture in July, and Jewell steadied the ship with the fourth standof 50 or more in the innings. De Bruyn hit left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan for two straight sixes at the start of the afternoon and evening sessions on the way to a 152-ball fifty and a 221-ball ton.He and Jewell, who reached 50 off 115 balls and faced 126 in all, shared an unbroken 146 inside 43 overs for the sixth wicket. With both sides’ fate already secured, there is the opportunity to set up a final day run chase for Lancashire with a couple of innings forfeits.

ScorecardBangladesh spun their way to an emphatic 71-run victory in the first Twenty20 international against Ireland in Belfast with Elias Sunny recording his country’s best ever figures.The Ireland batsmen had no answer to Sunny, the slow left-arm spinner, who took 5 for 13 as Ireland were restricted to 119 for 8, never threatening the tourists’ imposing 190 for 5 on a blameless Stormont pitch.The start was delayed by 30 minutes because of two heavy showers just before the start but that was the only respite the home team enjoyed. William Porterfield won the toss and asked Bangladesh to bat but from the off the team that are not even on the Twenty20 world ranking table meant business.Tamim Iqbal with a run-a-ball 31 and Shakib Al Hasan, with nine boundaries in his 57 from just 33 deliveries, put Bangladesh in control and although both batsmen were out, along with the captain Mushfiqur Rahim in the space of 21 balls, the mayhem was just beginning.Ziaur Rahman came to the middle at 120 for 4 and after facing just 17 balls he had scored 40, including five sixes. Four successive balls in the 16th and 17th overs from Paul Stirling and Max Sorensen cleared the boundary as the Ireland bowlers wilted.Boyd Rankin, playing only his third game since the World Twenty20 qualifying final in March, was match rusty and, significantly, his best over was his last which gave Ireland some hope for the remaining two games in the series, on Friday and Saturday when they will also have George Dockrell available.Dockrell, the Ireland Under-19 captain, also suffered on Wednesday as the England team they will be playing in the World Cup next month bowled them out for 94 in Leicester before a thunderstorm hit the ground.But it is the Ireland batsmen who will have the most homework to do in the next 24 hours. They have to work out how to play left-arm spin because while Sunny grabbed the headlines with his wickets, Abdur Razzak was even more economical, conceding just nine runs in his four overs and picking up the prize scalps of Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien. And it will be surprising Shakib, the world’s No 1 all-rounder in one-day cricket, does not bowl better in the next two matches.Of Ireland’s 119 runs, more than half (63) came from seven overs of pace, including 25 from the first two overs as Porterfield raced away, hitting two fours and two sixes. But he failed to survive Razzak’s first over and when Paul Stirling ran himself out in the next Ireland were immediately on the back foot.Only Gary Wilson looked anyway comfortable against the spin, although even he was helped to his unbeaten 41 by facing four overs from the returning opening bowlers. But that was about giving Mortaza and Abul Hasan overs under their belt with the game already won.Sunny finished with 5 for 13 and became the first cricketer to win Man-of-the-Match awards on debut in two formats. He had taken seven wickets on Test debut against West Indies.Bangladesh complete the requisite number of qualifying games on Friday to enter the Twenty20 rankings table and another victory will see them included in ninth place, above Ireland and, on the evidence of the first match, it will be well deserved.

New Zealand have named their 30-man preliminary squad for the ICC World Twenty20, and it features only two men without international experience. The Canterbury batsman George Worker and the Auckland batsman Anaru Kitchen are the only players in the group who have not represented New Zealand in any format.There were no major surprises in the squad, which does not feature Jesse Ryder, who no longer holds a New Zealand Cricket contract and is attempting to manage his off-field issues before being considered for national selection again. Daniel Vettori was included after coming out of his international T20 retirement earlier this year.”This preliminary squad of 30 represents the best Twenty20 players in New Zealand,” Kim Littlejohn, the national selection manager, said. “It’s a well-balanced squad with a number of proven performers, giving us plenty of options ahead of final squad selection.”With the exception of George Worker and Anaru Kitchen, who have both shown promise at domestic level, each member has international experience. From this large group we believe we can select a talented Twenty20 squad that will make a strong claim in Sri Lanka.”Worker, 22, was named after a promising campaign in the HRV Cup last summer, when he scored 251 runs at 35.85 and a strike rate of 136. Kitchen, 28, scored 157 runs at 26.16 in the HRV Cup and he was the fourth leading run scorer in the domestic one-day tournament, with 333 runs at 41.62.The squad will be reduced to a final 15 by August 18.Squad Ross Taylor (capt), Michael Bates, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme, Andrew Ellis, Daniel Flynn, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Anaru Kitchen, Tom Latham, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Andy McKay, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, George Worker.

ScorecardThe sun occasionally made an appearance but it never lasted long enough•Getty Images

England were thwarted in their aim to become the No. 1 side in all forms of the game as rain forced the third ODI at Edgbaston to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.England, who had won the first two games in the series, needed to win the series 5-0 to become the No. 1 ranked ODI side. They are already the top ranked side in Test and T20 cricket. Australia, the current No. 1 ranked side, were also disappointed as the washout means they can, at best, only draw this series.While gaps between the showers flirted with a large crowd and ensured an exhausting day for the ground staff, the rain never stayed away long enough to allow the outfield and bowlers’ run-ups to dry sufficiently from the torrential rain that has fallen across Birmingham in recent weeks. More than 11mm of rain fell on the ground in the 24-hours preceding the scheduled start of the game. Play was finally abandoned just after 6pm, four hours after the scheduled start time. Spectators will receive a full refund, minus a small administration fee.There was some good news for England. James Anderson, who missed the second match with a thigh strain, was able to bowl in between the showers and would have been fit for this game. With Jade Dernbach out of the series with a side strain, England will announce whether either or both Stuart Meaker (who was added to the squad for the second ODI, but was unavailable for the third because he was attending Tom Maynard’s funeral) and Chris Woakes (who was added to the squad for this match) will be in the squad for the fourth ODI, to be played on Saturday at Chester-le-Street. Unfortunately the weather forecast for that game is not at all promising. The final game in the series is to be played on July 10 at Old Trafford, which is hardly a city famed for its arid conditions.The washout sustains a grim run of fortune for Warwickshire and the long-suffering Birmingham public. The Test between England and West Indies was ruined by rain, as was a Friends Life t20 game between local rivals Warwickshire and Worcestershire when a full house crowd of 25,000 had been anticipated. Warwickshire had, at least, mitigated against the losses from this game and the FLt20 match by insuring not just ticket sales, but retail sales, too.While a large crowd – the club had sold over 21,000 tickets – tolerated the delays with patience and good humour, news of the abandonment was met with jeers and boos. The sight of the Australia team slipping and sliding over the outfield as they attempted a training session following the abandonment would have underlined the impression, however, that conditions were simply unfit for cricket.