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A round-up of the action from the seventh day of matches in the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2011

East Zone

Karan Goel top scored for Punjab against Services•CricInfo

Jharkhand picked up their third straight win, easing past Assam by 117 runs at the Polytechnic Institute Ground in Agartala. Saurabh Tiwary made an unbeaten 75 off 80 balls and was assisted by useful contributions from the top and middle orders as Jharkhand made 263 for 9 in 43 overs despite a four-wicket haul from Sujay Tarafdar. Assam appeared to take up the challenge when opener Parvez Aziz and Amit Sinha were adding 88 for the second wicket. But when Sinha was out for 42, a collapse ensued, wiht nine wickets falling for just 63. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem bagged 4 for 37 to seal a comfortable win in the end.Bengal beat Tripura by six wickets at the Maharaj Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala. The hosts’ top eight all made starts but only one among them, opener Subhrajit Roy, managed a half-century. They had to eventually settle for 233 for 7, a score easily overhauled by the Bengal batsmen. Opener Anustup Majumdar made a quick 92, which included 13 fours, amid support from Arindam Das, Wriddhiman Saha and captain Manoj Tiwary. The target was reached in the 39th over, sealing Bengal’s second win in the competition.

West Zone

Shrikant Mundhe steered Maharashtra to a thrilling one-wicket win over Baroda at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara. With 24 needed and just one wicket in hand, Mundhe took charge of Maharashtra’s chase with No.11 Samad Fallah at the other end. In a game that was decided in the last over, Mundhe, who came in at No.9, finished with an unbeaten 36, an innings that included three fours and two sixes. The chase was set up by captain Rohit Motwani’s 65 – he was involved in two productive stands at the top – and a recovery from the lower order after Maharashtra had lost wickets in a cluster, and were struggling at 198 for 7 at one stage. Half-centuries from Kedar Devdhar and Rakesh Solanki had helped Baroda post a competitive total, but Mundhe’s effort meant they were in vain.Gujarat trounced Saurashtra by 107 runs at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. The three Patels, Parthiv, Niraj and Sunny, struck half-centuries to help their team reach 250 for 8. Saurashtra struggled in their reply and only three players put up any resistance – opener Chirag Pathak, captain Shitanshu Kotak and Kamlesh Makvana. The rest capitulated and with Ishwar Chaudhary and Jay Desai sharing six wickets, Saurashtra were bowled out for 143. It was Gujarat’s second win in the competition.

South Zone

Karnataka thrashed Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Fort Maidan in Palakkad. Seamers Abhimanyu Mithun and R Vinay Kumar shared six wickets to skittle Hyderabad for 120. Wicketkeeper Habib Ahmed top-scored with 31, and there was resistance down the order that enabled Hyderabad to go past the 100 mark after they were 37 for 6 at one stage. Karnataka had no trouble chasing, and opener Ganesh Satish made 61 to help seal victory with more than 16 overs to spare.Tamil Nadu eased to a fourth straight win with an eight-wicket humbling of Kerala at the Perintalmanna Cricket Stadium in Mallapuram. Kerala had fought well via half-centuries from opener Abhishek Hegde and captain Raiphi Gomez to set a competitive target of 254. But the Tamil Nadu batsmen were ruthless in their reply. M Vijay smashed an unbeaten 115, striking eight fours and five sixes, while S Anirudha, opening with Vijay, stroked 85. The pair added 185 for the first wicket, shutting out Kerala, and helping their team win with 3.1 overs to spare.

North Zone

Punjab beat Services by 63 runs in a rain-curtailed game at the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh. In a match reduced to 26 overs, opener Karan Goel set the tone for the Punjab’s innings with a quickfire 53. Mayank Sidhana made an attacking 40 and propelled Punjab to 192. Services faltered in their reply, managing just 126. Their top and middle order batsmen got starts but struggled to force the pace, leaving too much for the rest to get. Goel starred in an all-round effort, taking three wickets while the chief wrecker with the ball was Rahul Sharma, with a four-for. It was Punjab’s third win in their fourth game.Two North Zone and both Central Zone matches scheduled for the day were washed out.

Waqar Younis didn’t have the best time in World Cups as a player, but hopes to correct that during his time as coach

Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota21-Feb-2011At some level it probably suits Pakistan that the focus on them at these big dos is usually on the circus of controversy and scandal that travels with them. “Look here come Pakistan after the death of their coach, here come Pakistan after the spot-fixing brouhaha, here come Pakistan after the terror attacks, here come Pakistan with their 17th captain this month.” Generally, it tends to be overlooked – though probably not by their opponents – that they come with a hefty bounty of talent, capable of equally hefty things. It is why no right-minded, field-based discussion can ever ignore them.This World Cup, for the first time since 1999, they bring genuinely fresh personnel, players waiting to make a name, not players living off their names. Waqar Younis, coach and veteran of a number of World Cup heartbreaks, sifted patiently through a raft of spot-fixing questions before a practice session in Hambantota, ahead of his side’s opener against Kenya on Wednesday, before coming to the crux of his job: his team.There is, as Waqar noted, a blend in this squad, of youth and experience, of flair and pragmatism, of stars and shopfloor assistants. “In every big tournament there are some youngsters, and they will be in other teams as well, who are the livewires of the tournament,” he said.”We too have such players like Ahmed Shehzad, who has played two very good knocks, and I hope that Umar Akmal, another youngster, can come good here. Younis [Khan] is in good form. We have Wahab Riaz, who we hope will do well. We have got a good blend, good spinners, fairly good fast bowlers. All that matters is that we click at the right time.”Over six months, significant ODI wins in three different countries has shown as much. What has worried Waqar has been an inability to finish off close games, or longer contests such as bilateral series. Eight of their 19 ODIs since Waqar took over last year have been close ones: of their 10 losses, three have been by 24 runs or less and two, by three wickets and four wickets that went to the last over. Of their eight wins, two have been by a wicket, one by two wickets and another by 23 runs; two bilateral series have needed a fifth, deciding game – which they’ve lost – and six-game series they won 3-2. Almost always, they are nearly there.”It carried on for a while, when we played the Asia Cup, World Twenty20 and then even in England we came very, very close to the games but couldn’t finish it,” Waqar said. “Eventually we started finishing in New Zealand and yes, it is something which you can improve. Even I go out and learn something new from a youngster in cricket every day, so we are on a learning curve. We have learnt how to finish and make sure we don’t get to the situation in the first place where the game gets tight.”Under normal circumstances Kenya should not provide too stern a challenge, but given Ireland and all that, understandably Waqar is wary. “Everyone knows this is an important tournament so every match is important, whether the opponents are Kenya or Australia. We will play as if we are playing against any big team. We will not take anything lightly and go out to win every match.”Calling it a personal mission to undo miserable past World Cups would be overdoing it, but a good run here will mean something to Waqar. At his absolute peak in 1992, he had to pull out of the squad at the last minute in Australia with stress fractures of the back; he later greeted his team-mates, with a tear in his eye, at the airport in Lahore as they returned with the trophy. In 1996 he was hit for 40 runs in his last two overs of the quarter-final, swinging the match decisively in favour of India.He was a peripheral member of the 1999 World Cup squad, playing in just one game – the loss to Bangladesh. In 2003, he was captain as Pakistan crashed out in the first round. “I don’t have any regrets, because 1992 was a glory for Pakistan cricket. I wasn’t part of that team but that does not matter. I have been part of several World Cups, this is different role I’ve got, different challenges and hopefully, if as a cricketer I didn’t succeed in the World Cup, this is my opportunity as a coach.”

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said that his team will target Australia’s new captain, Michael Clarke, during the three-ODI series, which begins on April 9 in Dhaka

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2011Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has said that his team will target Australia’s new captain, Michael Clarke, during the three-ODI series, which begins on April 9 in Dhaka. The Australian team left for Bangladesh today and they will play a warm-up game on April 7 before the series begins.”Every team targets the captain and we will be wanting to get rid of him [Clarke],” Siddons told the . ”If we get to him, it means we will have got through the openers and [Ricky] Ponting, and we’ll be happy to have a crack at him. Obviously if you cut off the head the rest will fall. That’s the theme – to take the captain out.”Bangladesh will focus on stalling Australia with their spinners, and Siddons was hopeful that the left-arm options at his disposal, and the captain Shakib Al Hasan in particular, would play a crucial role in the series.”He [Shakib] doubts himself very little against the best players in the world and he is probably the best left-arm spinner I’ve seen. He and [Daniel] Vettori are very close. [Shakib] spins the ball a lot more and as far as street-smarts go, he is the same as Vettori, I reckon.”I’ve got a long memory so I remember all these things from when I was on tour with the [Australian] boys. We just think we can hold them up a bit with our left-arm spinners and make some inroads into their batting order.”Bangladesh had a disappointing World Cup: they were eliminated from Group B after winning only three league matches, though one of those victories was against England. Siddons’ contract as Bangladesh coach is up for renewal in June but in the event it is not renewed he said he would accept a position at Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

Pakistan’s tour of West Indies is an opportunity for youngsters in the squad to establish their career, team manager Intikhab Alam has said

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Pakistan’s tour of West Indies is an opportunity for youngsters in the squad to establish their careers, team manager Intikhab Alam has said. While Pakistan have it in them to be successful on the tour, discipline, he said, will be key.”We’ve brought some youngsters with us and I think it’s a golden opportunity for them to make a name for themselves, to make a career in the sport,” Alam said. “Umar Akmal has special talent. The people of the Caribbean will like the way he plays because he’s so entertaining and hits the ball exceptionally.”Now [after the semi-final finish at the World Cup] the expectations are even higher for this tour, because we have never won a series out here before. Overall all the boys need to put in the hard work, commitment and discipline for us to leave the Caribbean happy.”It was a long journey from Pakistan but we travelled well and the boys are well,” said Alam, who played the last of his 47 Tests at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad in 1977. “We enjoy touring the Caribbean. I personally have spent a lot of time here and cherish the friendship of greats like Sir Garfield Sobers, Clive Lloyd and others.”Pakistan, who arrived in the West Indies on Friday, had their first training session in St Lucia on Saturday and will play their first tour game there on Monday, against Vice Chancellor’s XI led by Combined Campuses & Colleges captain, Omar Philips. The first ODI is on April 23 in St Lucia.Vice Chancellor’s XI squad: Omar Phillips (capt.), Miles Bascombe, Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Kyle Corbin, Keron Cottoy, Fidel Edwards, Kevin McClean, Gilford Moore, Kjorn Ottley, Shervon Penco, Raymon Reifer, Chadwick WaltonPakistan squad: Shahid Afridi (capt.), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice-captain), Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Sadaf Hussain, Saeed Ajmal, Tanveer Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Usman Salahuddin, Wahab Riaz

Rahul Sharma, the Punjab and Pune Warriors legspinner, has focused on extracting bounce after receiving the advice from Harbhajan Singh

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2011Rahul Sharma, the Punjab and Pune Warriors legspinner, has been one of the most-improved performers in this IPL. Last season, he took just five wickets and went at 8.08 an over in the six matches he played for Deccan Chargers. This year, after switching to Pune Warriors, he has already taken 11 wickets and his economy rate of 5.27 is the best among all bowlers who have bowled more than 10 overs. He attributed some of his success to advice he received from fellow Punjab spinner Harbhajan Singh.”I had a chat with Bhajji when he came to Jalandhar and he told me that my strong point is the bounce I can extract,” Rahul, who is more than six-feet tall, told the . “He told me to keep working on that.”Rahul received similar advice from his Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh. “I have advised him to hit the pitch so that he gets bounce,” Singh said. “He is very similar to Anil Kumble and can be groomed to be a good limited edition bowler.”Apart from extracting bounce, Rahul said what he was also working on was bowling a wicket-to-wicket line, and using as many variations as possible. That strategy worked well for him during Pune’s home game against Mumbai Indians in which he had figures of 4-0-7-2, the most economical by any bowler in this IPL. “I had a strategy to bowl wicket to wicket with variations,” Rahul said of that performance. “You can’t be predictable in Twenty20.”Things did not look good for Rahul after he was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy – a dysfunction of the facial nerve that results in one’s inability to control facial muscles and results in temporary paralysis – during the last IPL. Rahul said it affected his vision.”I was advised complete rest by the doctors,” Rahul told the . “My vision was hazy and I couldn’t move my lips. I knew if I quit, I would miss the opportunity. It was a difficult period of my life. I had to do lots of facial exercises but eventually it was my will power that helped me keep going amid the discomfort.”One of the things that has helped Rahul during this edition of the IPL is the fact that his captain at Pune, Yuvraj Singh, is also from Punjab and had played with Rahul in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy. “Yuvraj played three Ranji matches this season and it was there he got to know me. He has been very supporting and encouraging. So have the coach Geoff Marsh and assistant coach Praveen Amre.”On the eve of every match, Marsh and Yuvi brief me on every player and I bowl accordingly. Sometimes, that doesn’t work and then I have to think on my feet. I vary the pace a lot and rely heavily on my legspinners. My aim is to be accurate as much as I can and the bounce I purchase from the wicket helps me contain runs,”Rahul played only one Ranji match in the 2010-11 season, and has featured in nine games since his debut in 2006.After a few steady performances, Rahul entered the limelight during Pune’s first match against Mumbai, at the Wankhede Stadium, in which he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and went for just 14 runs in his three overs. Rahul said Tendulkar congratulated him after the match. “He told me that I am bowling at my best. It is the best compliment that one can receive.”Pune’s next game is against Kings XI Punjab, in Mohali, on Sunday.

AB de Villiers, South Africa’s newly-appointed limited-overs captain, has said Gary Kirsten spoke to him about taking on the leadership role while he was in Bangalore, playing in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011AB de Villiers, South Africa’s newly-appointed limited-overs captain, has said Gary Kirsten discussed with him the issue of taking on a leadership role in the national team while he was in Bangalore, playing in the IPL.”He [Kirsten] put the plans on the table and asked whether I would be prepared to do it. Of course one could not say no to something like that,” de Villiers said after Cricket South Africa’s awards function on Tuesday. “I was a little dumbstruck because he is one of my heroes and it was great to see him.”The offer came as a surprise, de Villiers said. “He phoned me and said he would like to share his thoughts with me. I initially thought he would only be discussing batting with me, he’s helped me before with that. I definitely did not expect it. [But] I can’t wait for the challenge.”On his style of captaincy, De Villiers said he planned to fine-tune his batting and lead by example. “Gary and I will make plans and ensure that I don’t carry too much on my shoulders. I would like to lead by example – I want to be that kind of captain. It’s important for me to get runs and lead from the front.”I will work myself to a standstill in the off-season to ensure my batting is up to scratch. I also have an idea the captaincy will motivate me to play better.”

Only Mark Ramprakash displayed the required application to fashion an innings worthy of note as Surrey limped into a 110-run lead at the mid-point of their Second Division match with Gloucestershire

20-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Only former England batsman Mark Ramprakash displayed the required application to fashion an innings worthy of note as Surrey limped into a 110-run lead at the mid-point of their Second Division match with Gloucestershire.Having finally dismissed the visitors for 261 on a sporting Oval pitch, to concede a first-innings lead of 35, Surrey reached 145 for 5 before rain led to a premature close. Ramprakash remained on 61 from 92 balls but his team-mates had failed to match his graft to leave the hosts in trouble.On an overcast afternoon in SE11 that favoured seam bowling, the hosts lost two wickets even before clearing the first innings deficit. But Ramprakash showed the mettle to dig in by adding 49 in tandem with Zander de Bruyn (13) then 42 with Steven Davies (14).The home reply started miserably when Jason Roy, off balance and playing around his front pad, went lbw to Ian Saxelby and 13 runs later Rory Hamilton-Brown aimed an expansive back-foot force against the same bowler only to drag the ball onto his stumps. De Bruyn padded up to Will Gidman’s last ball before tea to go leg-before and Davies was unlucky to see his backfoot defensive push bounce back up from the crease and onto the top of leg stump.In fading light Ramprakash posted the 147th first-class 50 of his career with a leg glance for four against Saxelby, but lost Tom Maynard for a 10-ball duck – bowled when looking to drive on the walk against the same bowler. Four balls later the umpires took the sides off for bad light and rain soon followed.Resuming on their overnight score of 171 for 4 at the start of the second day, Gloucestershire lost their last six wickets for 60 in posting a modest first-innings lead of 35. Their lead might have been even smaller had Surrey taken early chances, but Alex Gidman, on 32, then Payne, with five, were both dropped at second slip by Maynard and De Bruyn respectively.Neither batsman took full advantage, however, and both were soon undone by Tim Linley the pick of the Surrey attack with 3 for 66. Gidman fenced a legcutter to the keeper then Payne was squared up by an away swinger and shovelled a low catch to short extra cover.Just before lunch, left-hander Will Gidman edged a push drive against De Bruyn to see Davies pull off a stunning catch diving in front of first slip to make it 239 for 7 at the interval for a slender advantage of 13. Surrey needed a further 10 overs after the break to polish the job off. Ed Young was run out from mid-on by Yasir Arafat having been sent back to the non-striker’s end, then Saxelby went for a third-ball duck giving Davies his fourth catch of the innings.England one-day prospect Jade Dernbach finished off the innings by bowling last man Jonathan Lewis for 17 to return figures of 2 for 35 and see Surrey batting again by 2.30pm on day two.

The former Glamorgan allrounder, Allan Watkins, died in hospital in Kidderminster on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 89

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2011The former Glamorgan allrounder, Allan Watkins, died in hospital in Kidderminster on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 89, following a short illness. In 15 Tests for England between 1948 and 1952, he became the first Glamorgan player to score a Test hundred and the first to appear in an Ashes Test.His debut, at The Oval in 1948, was torrid, as he made 0 and 7 in two innings, and was unable to bowl more than four overs after being hit on the shoulder by Ray Lindwall. However, it was the match in which Don Bradman was bowled for a duck in his final Test innings, and Watkins was the last player to field a ball from him. He collected Bradman’s first-ball defensive push and returned to the bowler Eric Hollies, who subsequently delivered the googly that stranded Bradman’s career average on 99.94.Watkins’ personal zenith came the following winter in Johannesburg, where he scored 111 in a three-and-a-quarter-hour innings against South Africa in February 1949. He struck 15 fours in his stay, and later marked the feat by naming his home “Ellis Park” in honour of the venue. He added a second hundred against India in Delhi three years later, against whom he also returned his best Test bowling figures of 3 for 20.Born in Usk in Monmouthshire, Watkins’ first-class career began in 1939, five years after his home county had merged with Glamorgan. The onset of the second world war delayed his development, but he scored his maiden century against Surrey at Cardiff Arms Park in 1946, having been released from training that day by Plymouth Argyle, for whom he performed as a winger.His allround sporting ability extended to his bowling repertoire, and he was a key figure of the Glamorgan team that, in 1948, won the County Championship for the very first time. In 407 appearances for Glamorgan, he scored 17,419 runs and took 774 wickets, passing 1000 runs in every season bar one from 1947 to 1960, and claiming 50 or more wickets eight times between 1949 and 1956.The summer of 1954 was his best in Glamorgan colours. At Swansea, he made a career-best 170 not out against Leicestershire, and followed that with his best bowling of 7 for 28 against Derbyshire at Chesterfield, which included a remarkable spell of four wickets in five balls. He finished the season with more than 1,000 first-class runs and 100 wickets, and emulated the feat in 1955.Watkins retired from first-class cricket in 1962, and embarked on a four-decade coaching career at Oundle School.

Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, and Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper, have not been awarded central contracts by the PCB

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2011Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal do not figure in the latest list of PCB central contracts. Younis Khan, who was banned for disciplinary reasons following a winless tour of Australia in 2009-10 and was out of last year’s list, has been awarded a Category A contract this time along with current captain Misbah-ul-Haq, allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman, and fast bowler Umar Gul – the only player retained in the top category from last year’s list.

List of contracted players

Category A
Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman

Category B
Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Wahab Riaz, Taufeeq Umar

Category C
Junaid Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Hammad Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Adnan Akmal, Yasir Shah, Rameez Raja, Sharjeel Khan

Stipend Category
Mohammad Talha, Aizaz Cheema, Zulfiqar Babar, Raza Hassan, Mohammad Ayub Dogar

Afridi had retired “conditionally” from international cricket following his removal as captain after the tour of West Indies, while Kamran, who also was in Category A last year, has been ignored since the World Cup. Afridi was involved in a legal battle with the Pakistan board after he hinted at differences between him and coach Waqar Younis during the West Indies tour; these were confirmed by Waqar and team manager Intikhab Alam in their tour report. Afridi has said he will not go back on his decision as long as the present PCB regime remains in power.Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal and opener Imran Farhat were retained in Category B. Also included in that grade werere Abdul Razzaq, demoted from grade A last year, middle-order batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali, who have been impressive finds for Pakistan in the last couple of years. Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz, who took a five-for against India in the World Cup semi-final, also featured in grade B.As expected, there was no place for Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt , the three cricketers banned for their involvement in the spot-fixing controversy, while Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf and Danish Kaneria, who were not picked for the World Cup, have been ignored. Malik and Kaneria are yet to be cleared by the PCB’s integrity committee. Kaneria has not played for the national team since August 2010, after the PCB tightened its anti-corruption programme following the spot-fixing controversy and Kaneria’s own entanglement in a corruption case in Essex. Kaneria was cleared by a police enquiry in Essex, but is yet to be cleared by the PCB; he has petitioned against his continued non-clearance.”As long as Malik and Kaneria are not cleared by the PCB integrity committee, a meeting of which is scheduled for August 15, they will not be considered for the contracts,” Intikhab, also the PCB’s director, said at a press conference in Lahore.In Category C were seamer Tanvir Ahmed, who picked up six wickets on Test debut against South Africa, wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal, and the trio who have been picked in the squad for the tour of Zimbabwe – Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan and Rameez Raja. Aizaz Cheema, who has also been picked, was placed in the stipend category.The contracts are for a duration of six months – July 1 to December 31 this year.

The second day of the County Championship match between leaders Durham and bottom club Hampshire at Chester-le-Street was washed out

11-Aug-2011
Scorecard
The second day of the County Championship match between leaders Durham and bottom club Hampshire at Chester-le-Street was washed out.Only 30 overs were possible yesterday, with the visitors reaching 77 for 3, and with more rain forecast it spells frustration for both sides.Durham, currently seven points clear, have three matches left after this week and their three title rivals have games in hand. Second-placed Lancashire have to play struggling Worcestershire home and away. Hampshire are 50 points adrift of safety and four of their five remaining games are against the title challengers, including Warwickshire home and away.