All posts by n8rngtd.top

An injury to Marcus North added to Western Australia’s woes as they were out-muscled by Victoria

Cricinfo staff14-Nov-2009Victoria 5 for 304 (Hodge 113, Hussey 59) beat Western Australia 213 (Ronchi 58, Hastings 4-38) by 91 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrad Hodge’s 113 was responsible for setting up Victoria’s huge score at the MCG•Getty Images

An injury to Marcus North added to Western Australia’s woes as they were out-muscled by a classy Brad Hodge century and a ferocious burst from Matthew Wade in a 91-run defeat. North, the Test No. 6, hurt his right wrist when struck by a ball in the field and was sent for x-rays that showed bruising but no break.”It hit me in an awkward spot and cracked a vein open and caused a lot of swelling,” he said after the match. “It’s not ideal, but all’s good and hopefully it pulls up okay for Tuesday.”North, who has scored three centuries in his first seven Tests, is due to play for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield this week to fine-tune before the opening game against West Indies on November 26. There has been a push for the opener Phillip Hughes to return to the side, possibly leaving Shane Watson to fight for a spot in the middle order with North and Michael Hussey.With his side in trouble, North went in at No. 8 and was the last man out for 19 as the Warriors were dismissed for 213 in 44 overs. Western Australia started solidly in their reply to Victoria’s 5 for 304 as they aimed for a record-breaking chase. The opener Wes Robinson picked up 44 and Luke Ronchi swept to a half-century, but the required rate was more than eight an over when the Warriors took the batting Powerplay in the 32nd over.Both the big hitters, Ronchi and Theo Doropoulos (18), departed in three balls as they tried to force the pace and suffered. Ronchi left with 58 off 73 and the momentum went from the chase, with Bryce McGain earning three wickets and John Hastings finishing off the game with his fourth by picking up North, who was caught behind trying to pull.Victoria maintained their unbeaten start to the competition after Hodge’s 113 and Wade’s brutal 49 from 19 deliveries pushed them to a huge total. Hodge raised his 14th one-day century for his state, having combined in a 126-run stand with David Hussey (59), before Wade made sure the Warriors would have to move at more than a run a ball in their reply.Wade bolted to 43 off 13, with four fours and three sixes, but was slowed by Ashley Noffke in the final over as he narrowly missed the fastest fifty in the history of the competition. The hosts struck 49 in three overs towards the end of the innings when Wade was at his most powerful. Brett Dorey, who grabbed the first two wickets, was the one who suffered most and went for 80 off his nine overs.

Les Burdett has signalled the end of 136 years of cricketing tradition by suggesting drop-in pitches could be used at the ground

Alex Brown in Adelaide03-Dec-2009Les Burdett, the long-serving Adelaide Oval groundsman, has signalled the end of 136 years of cricketing tradition by suggesting drop-in pitches could be used at the ground as part of its $450m redevelopment. Spectators at the second Test against West Indies this week will notice the iconic ochre-roofed Edwin Smith, George Giffen and Mostyn Evans stands to the west of the ground have already been bulldozed, and more changes are planned over the next four years.The South Australian premier, Mike Rann, this week unveiled plans to expand the Adelaide Oval into a 50,000-seat multi-purpose stadium that will host primarily Australian rules football and cricket. To do so, Burdett said Adelaide may follow the lead of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and introduce drop-in pitches to reduce the risk of football injuries in the centre of the ground.Burdett conceded a conventional wicket, which has been a feature of the ground since its opening in 1873, was a preferable option, and noted that both the Gabba and Sydney Cricket Ground manage to host both AFL and international cricket without changing the surface. Queensland and New South Wales, however, are not regarded as traditional AFL states, and it remains to be seen whether South Australia’s influential football clubs, the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide, would agree to maintaining a traditional pitch square at the revamped stadium.”I have worked with drop-in pitches at Docklands and I know what they’re all about,” Burdett said. “It may come to that and you may be in an area where we’ve got to find a nursery where we can produce pitches and maybe the time will come. I certainly haven’t cut off that possibility, that’s for sure.”There’s been some fantastic cricket here, even since back in 1991 when we dug one [of the pitches] up there’s only been two draws in that time, and the foundation of the pitches at the moment are producing good cricket. Cricket Australia vote on Sheffield Shield wickets around Australia, they vote on one-day wickets, and Adelaide Oval’s always held its head up the top.”Ricky Ponting has been a long-time advocate for conventional pitches, and expressed a hint of sadness at the modernisation of one of the world’s most iconic cricketing venues. “I’m actually sad to see all those coloured seats go in the Members Stand because when I was at the Academy I changed every nut and bolt in those seats,” he quipped. “That was my job for the year. I’m sad to see those go. I saw some images in the paper today … the whole redevelopment of this place looks amazing. It’s sad to see the Adelaide Oval go as we know it, but it looks like it’s going to turn into a fantastic stadium.”That’s the way sport is going everywhere in the world. We know how big AFL footy is in this country and a lot of the grounds now are dual-purpose grounds, the Gabba and the MCG and the SCG. This ground has had a lot of its own character as far as being a different shape and an actual cricket ground rather than a football ground. But it looks like that’s gone now. That’s just the way of the world at the moment.”Ponting added that the removal of the grandstands on the western side of the ground would have an effect on tactics during the Test match. “Today it was significantly different out on the ground, a lot windier,” he said. “We’ll have to take that into account.”

Kamran Akmal has received solid backing from his captain, despite spilling
three chances as Pakistan pushed for a rare Test win against Australia in
the second Test at Sydney

Osman Samiuddin at the SCG06-Jan-2010Kamran Akmal has received solid backing from his captain, despite spilling
three chances as Pakistan pushed for a rare Test win against Australia in
the second Test at Sydney. Akmal had a horror day three at the SCG, dropping Michael Hussey three times off Danish Kaneria.Hussey led the Australian resistance, completing a hundred on day four. Akmal also missed a run-out chance earlier in the day. But Yousuf said dropping Akmal was unthinkable, for the batting strength that he provided the order.”Things like this happen in cricket,” Yousuf said. “Kamran is always trying his best. You tell me, how can we afford to give him a rest? He is such a good batsman. He scored well in New Zealand and we need him here.”Until Tuesday Akmal had had a relatively tidy time behind the stumps
since 2009, and considerably improved from the dip in form he suffered
between 2006 and 2008. He was dropped for the Asia Cup in 2008, replaced
by Sarfraz Ahmed, but his batting has always kept the door open for him.”The best thing to do is to back your players when the going gets
tough,” Yousuf said. “Look at Ricky Ponting. He is getting support from every quarter even when he is not scoring many runs or on the toss decision.”Despite Akmal’s fluffs, Pakistan ended the third day in a strong position
with the possibility of chasing a low total for a first Test win in and
against Australia since 1995-96. “It only ends when it ends,” Yousuf said. “When a team
like Australia is involved you can’t predict anything. It would be great to finally win a Test against Australia.”

A scintillating counterattack from Tamim Iqbal led Bangladesh’s resistance after they conceded a 311-run first-innings lead in Mirpur

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran26-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outTamim Iqbal is thrilled after reaching his century•Associated Press

Tamim Iqbal unleashed an array of brilliant counterattacking strokes on his way to a splendid 151 as Bangladesh posed an injury-ridden Indian side some searching questions on the third afternoon in Mirpur. Having come to bat 311 runs in arrears, Tamim was severe on pace and spin alike as Bangladesh stormed past 200 with just one wicket down. Junaid Siddique provided a solid 55 at the other end and their record partnership was worth 200 when Zaheer Khan broke through just before stumps. And reverse swing was once again the key factor as Tamim too feathered one behind in the day’s penultimate over.India had declared at their lunch score of 544 for 8, after MS Dhoni’s search for a century was ended by a smart stumping from Mushfiqur Rahim, but any hopes of a quick finish were blown away by the ferocity of Tamim’s onslaught. He started off by steering Zaheer through the slip cordon for four and the loss of Imrul Kayes – he mistimed one to cover after being struck by a nasty bouncer – did nothing to hamper his progress. Ishant Sharma was slashed over slip and pulled for four, while Zaheer found his slower ball clouted down the ground. Pragyan Ojha was greeted with a saunter down the track and heave for four, and a deft paddle took him to 50 from just 49 balls.Harbhajan Singh was the most economical of the bowlers on view, but even he wasn’t spared, with Tamim swinging a four and a six over midwicket. The six brought up the hundred of the innings, and a lovely on-drive off Ishant followed. With Junaid clipping some neat strokes through midwicket, the partnership was worth 99 by tea. There was no respite for the Indians after the break either, with Tamim hitting Ojha out of the attack with two fours and a six slugged over midwicket.A pull to fine leg off Zaheer took him to a hundred from just 101 balls, and he celebrated with two imperious straight drives. Harbhajan was then smeared through the covers twice, and sent a fair distance over long-on for six. The only blot came after he had made 138, an ugly heave off Virender Sehwag that Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t quite latch on to at midwicket. He injured himself in the attempt and left the field, and India spent the final hour with the spinners bowling mostly wide of off stump in an attempt to entice the reckless stroke. It was Zaheer that finally gave Dhoni something to smile about, with Siddique getting a faint edge as he attempted to drive.Earlier, India added 85 to their overnight total, with Dhoni’s 89 quite similar in character to the innings he played against Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium in December. With Rahul Dravid just discharged from hospital and about to head back to India, and Yuvraj Singh nursing an injured ligament in his left hand, India’s batting resources were
depleted, but with Bangladesh adopting confused tactics against the lower order, Dhoni was able to combine watchfulness with some typically brutal strokeplay.His intentions had been clear when play resumed, with Shafiul Islam clubbed for a one-handed four over midwicket. And though Zaheer fell, miscuing a hook to fine leg, Dhoni was undaunted, walloping Shakib Al Hasan over long-off for six. By then, he had already changed his bat, and a wide offering from Shafiul was soon carved through the offside for four more.Shahadat Hossain, who had troubled some of the top order with pace and bounce, was especially disappointing, with even Ishant putting loose deliveries away for boundaries. Dhoni combined clever deflections with powerful cleaves, and a loft over midwicket off Rubel Hossain took him to his half-century from 84 balls.Ishant eventually edged Mohammad Ashraful behind, but the Bangladeshi ordeal was far from over. With a landmark in sight, Dhoni shielded Ojha and targeted the wayward balls. Mahmudullah was thumped over cover for four and then over wide long-on for six and with Ashraful’s legspin also not making a dent, it was a depressing morning for the hosts. Fortunately for the vociferous crowd, Tamim’s Catherine-wheel shotmaking changed the mood completely after lunch.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the chairman of the IPL cricket committee has expressed satisfaction over the repair work done on the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch

Cricinfo staff01-Mar-2010The pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which was severely criticised following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI on December 27, has passed the scrutiny of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, chairman of the IPL cricket committee.Pataudi inspected the pitch on Sunday in the presence of Arun Jaitley, the Delhi & District Cricket Association president, and Venkat Sundaram, who oversaw the repair work on the surface. “It’s looking good, I am happy with the work Venkat has put in,” Pataudi told PTI. “We will play practice matches here soon and only then we will be able to get a clear picture. Till now, it appears good to me.”Sundaram was pleased with Pataudi’s assessment of the conditions at the ground. “Pataudi had a look at the pitch, the outfield and the practice arrangements here at the stadium and expressed satisfaction,” he said. “He is happy with the work done here and expressed confidence that matches will be played out well during the Indian Premier League.”The Kotla wicket first came under scrutiny during the Champions League Twenty20 in October when the pitch was slow and offered uneven bounce. Following a low-scoring ODI between India and Australia in October, the pitch behaved alarmingly in the India-Sri Lanka game which was called off after 23.3 overs. The ICC then slapped the DDCA with a one-year suspension of international matches at the Kotla. Since then, Sundaram’s team has worked against the clock to ready the pitch in time for the IPL, which begins on March 12.

Northamptonshire have failed in their bid to retain Johan van der Wath and Riki Wessels for the 2010 season following the change in immigration criteria

Cricinfo staff11-Feb-2010Northamptonshire have failed in their bid to retain Johan van der Wath and Riki Wessels for the 2010 season following a change in immigration criteria. The club had lodged an appeal, but always knew they were unlikely to succeed and will now look at ways to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season.The ECB has aimed to clamp down on the number of Kolpak players in county cricket and set out new limits including how recently a player has appeared in international cricket. Wessels, the son the former South Africa captain Kepler Wessels, has never played internationally while van der Wath’s last appearance came in 2007.”We are obviously very disappointed that Johan, who has been with us since 2006, and Riki who has been here even longer, since 2004, will be unable to see out their contracts,” Mark Tagg, the Northamptonshire chief executive said. “However, we have been aware this scenario could happen and head coach David Capel has been looking at alternatives for some time. The credentials of those candidates that remain available for 2010 season will be looked at closely before any decisions are finalised.”Capel is on the hunt of a fast bowler to replace van der Wath but knows it won’t be easy with the packed international calendar. “It is necessary to look at all available options open to us,” he said, “and if we can secure top class fast bowling expertise that we require to spearhead our attack, it is likely we will be entertaining those options.”International and other playing commitments could complicate matters further and result in players spending shorter periods of time with us during the 2010 season.”Northamptonshire’s bowling resources will be stretched this coming season after they also parted company with Monty Panesar as the England spinner moved to Sussex. They have signed James Middlebrook from Essex as a replacement and have also enticed Mal Loye back to his first county after his time at Lancashire.

Cricinfo staff18-Mar-2010Security concerns in India prompted Brett Lee to opt for treatment on his elbow in Sydney, the bowler’s agent has said. Lee, who plays for Kings XI Punjab, flew back home to Australia to get his surgically repaired elbow checked”From a security point of view he’d prefer to be spending the time waiting in Sydney rather than Chandigarh,” Neil Maxwell, Lee’s manager, was quoted as saying in the .The report said Lee was keen on returning for the third season of the IPL after receiving medical clearance from Cricket Australia (CA).However, Anil Srivats, CEO of Kings XI Punjab, said Lee’s decision had “nothing to do with security”. He is expected to re-join the team on Sunday or a couple of days later, Srivats said, describing Lee as a “big sheet anchor” for the side. “There is enough precedence to know that this (kind of) stuff can always be cooked up,” he said.Lee was gearing up to play in the IPL, which he regarded as the first step towards making the Australian team for the World Twenty20 and the ODI World Cup in 2011. He had been training in India under the guidance of former New South Wales physiotherapist Pat Farhart and was in contact with CA’s medical team since announcing his retirement from Test cricket last month. CA said the trip home was part of a plan to ease the fast bowler back to fitness before the final squad of 15 was named for the World Twenty20, which starts in the Caribbean next month.Kings XI Punjab currently languish at second-from-bottom on the points table, having lost both their matches, against Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Dermot Reeve, the Central Districts’ coach, has ended his tenure after two years at the helm in order to be close to his family in Sydney

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2010Dermot Reeve, the Central Districts’ coach, has ended his tenure after two years at the helm in order to be close to his family in Sydney.”I would like to be with Central Districts, ideally, but for me to fulfill a full-time role with any association will not be possible due to family commitments,” the former England allrounder said.Reeve led Central Districts to the Plunket Shield four-day final in 2008-09 before winning this season’s Twenty20 competition, but his association with the side has been dogged by controversy in recent times.Reports of disharmony between the players and Reeve plagued the early stages of Central’s Twenty20 campaign in January. He injured his foot in the same month, which curtailed his involvement with the team as he recuperated in Sydney. After watching his side win the Twenty20 competition, he went back to Australia before returning to New Zealand for Central’s final four-day match against Northern Districts in Napier last week.Reeve was also censured and fined by New Zealand Cricket after accusing Auckland’s Ravi Bopara of ball-tampering, after a one-day game in December.

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has said the pain of losing the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20 to Australia still lingers, having bowled the last over which conceded the game

Cricinfo staff18-May-2010Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal has said the pain of losing the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20 to Australia still lingers, having bowled the last over which conceded the game. Pakistan were firm favourites with Australia needing 18 off the final over, but Michael Hussey bludgeoned Ajmal for three sixes and a four to hand his team a miraculous win, with a ball to spare.”When Hussey hit the last six I was absolutely heartbroken, I am still heartbroken,” Ajmal told PakPassion.net. “It was a very emotional and difficult time for me. My team-mates all came up to me and consoled me and told me not to worry, but I was very upset. The pain is there, when you lose a game of this magnitude it hurts really badly”.Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal told the same website yesterday that the team stood behind Ajmal and in no terms held him responsible for the defeat. Ajmal said he received overwhelming support from everyone involved.”All of the squad, from the players to the coaches to the backroom staff have said to me that I wasn’t to blame for the defeat and they have all said that we played as a unit, we won matches as a unit and we all take responsibility as a unit for the defeat,” Ajmal said. “There is no question of anyone pointing the finger at any individuals”.That Ajmal bowled the over was part of a plan, having succeeded in shutting South Africa out of the contest in their previous game. He said he wanted to fire in yorkers to keep Hussey in check, but things didn’t go according to script.”The first delivery was perfect, it was what I had planned, it was a perfect yorker to Mitchell Johnson and it only went for a single,” he said. “However, then the wind seemed to pick up and I was bowling into the wind which made me lose my line and length. I dragged the next delivery down and instead of bowling yorkers into the blockhole for the remaining deliveries as I tried to fire the ball in at the batsman, the deliveries ended up being quick and became length deliveries, which was what Hussey was hoping for. He was then able to get the elevation on the deliveries, instead of having to dig them out”.Ajmal said the best way to shrug off the disappointment was to start bowling again. “The best way for me to get over this match is to start playing cricket again, get the ball in my hand and to start bowling again.”Thankfully the Asia Cup is not far away and I am looking forward to playing in that tournament in Sri Lanka. I have faith in my ability and I am confident that I can bounce back after the match in St Lucia”.

For many England players their standing has never been higher, but Jonathan Trott began this season with ground to make up and made the ideal start with a controlled, unbeaten 175

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan27-May-2010Tea
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Trott started his international season in fine style with a positive hundred•PA Photos

Despite being only nine months ago memories of Jonathan Trott’s stunning Ashes debut had begun to fade and he started this season with ground to make up so made the ideal start with an unbeaten 175, his second Test century, as the hosts reached 362 for 4 on the opening day at Lord’s. He shared a second-wicket stand of 181 with Andrew Strauss, who returned to the international fold with a confident 83, and after Bangladesh struck back either side of tea Trott was accompanied by a compact Eoin Morgan until the close.With the result of the series seemingly a foregone conclusion the interest is how England go about their cricket. Strauss and Andy Flower believe there is plenty of room for development and having preached the need to score big hundreds Strauss will feel culpable for the loose cut that brought his downfall, while Kevin Pietersen couldn’t quite lift himself for the occasion and was undone by left-arm spin again. However, Morgan eased himself into Tests and Trott closed in on a double century – a rare commodity for England.It was a difficult winter for Trott, who struggled to build on his perfect debut, and questions were being asked about his long-term place in the line-up. Both tours exposed the intense nature of Trott’s character; in South Africa he struggled with the high-quality pace bowling, and mental pressure of facing the country of his birth, then in Bangladesh it was trial by spin that, especially in Dhaka, brought him to a virtual standstill.He has started the season in good form for Warwickshire and the intent he showed here suggested a batsman keen to stamp his authority on the opposition in a way he didn’t manage in Bangladesh. He was quickly into his stride with a square cut from his third ball, and then produced a brace of flowing cover drives off Shahadat Hossain. He barely put a foot wrong during his six-hour stay.Inevitably the usual caveats have to apply over the opposition and standard of bowling he faced, but it was a case where Trott would be damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. When he reached his hundred off 133 balls, with his sixth cover drive of the innings, he celebrated with emotion that suggested he hasn’t been immune to recent discussions.He was the crease in the fifth over after Alastair Cook was trapped lbw by Shahadat although replays showed the ball was heading over the stumps. However, the Umpire Decision Review System has been scrapped for this match after no agreement over costs could be reached between ICC and the host broadcasters, and in the umpire’s defence on first impressions it looked close.That gave Bangladesh an early fillip after putting England into bat but their decision to bowl was based as much on the fear of how their batting would cope in the conditions rather than a real belief that they could run through England’s batting order. There was movement but the bowling wasn’t of sustained quality to take advantage.Strauss took his time to settle and scored one from his first 18 balls before pulling 23-year-old debutant Robiul Islam for six and clipping another boundary through the leg side to get his score moving. He also drove through the covers off the front foot, a sign that Strauss’s game is in good order.Shakib Al Hasan at least showed he wasn’t afraid to react to the match situation and brought himself on in the tenth over to target Trott, but May in England is very different to Dhaka in March and there was little on offer for the captain. Bangladesh’s pace bowlers ran in with enthusiasm, but their line varied too often which allowed Strauss and Trott plenty of opportunities to pick off easy runs while the bowlers weren’t supported by their fielders who fumbled regularly.With the batsmen progressing as they pleased it came as a surprise when Strauss chopped into his stumps against Mahmudullah’s tight offspin, although he had escaped a gloved sweep off the previous delivery which looped to slip. The deflection wasn’t massive, but could have been overturned by TV.After Strauss’s departure Pietersen was quickly into his stride with a couple of powerful drives but couldn’t quite find his fluency against the Bangladesh spinners and Shakib deceived him with a beautiful arm ball that beat the inside edge and took off stump. Yet rather than assess Pietersen’s problems with left-arm spin, this was more likely an occasion that didn’t quite stir his competitive juices as Barbados had done.Ian Bell reaffirmed his Test credentials over the winter but was undone by a good ball from Rubel Hossain that nipped down the slope and England threatened to lose their momentum at 258 for 4. However, Trott and Morgan consolidated then began to take advantage of a tiring attack during the final session. After a careful start Morgan had the confidence to unfurl a reverse sweep off Shakib and Bangladesh’s defensive fields allowed him to tick along as though it was a one-day game. For both him and Trott more milestones await.