Only 39 overs were possible at Lord’s where Leicestershire did their utmost to
edge toward a first-innings lead over Middlesex despite persistent showers

10-Aug-2010

ScorecardOnly 39 overs were possible at Lord’s where Leicestershire did their utmost to
edge toward a first-innings lead over Middlesex despite persistent showers.Resuming on their overnight score of 105 for 2, the visitors reached 186 for
5 and trailed by only 33 runs when heavier rain forced the sides from the
field at 2.35pm.Former England Under-19 batsman James Taylor scored a dogged, unbeaten 65 from
160 balls in a shade under four hours. The 20-year-old battled through seamer-friendly conditions with Pedro Collins, Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones all impressing for the home attack.After overnight rain delayed the start by 30 minutes, Taylor lost his
third-wicket partner Greg Smith in the third over of the day when he tamely
chipped a short one from Murtagh into the hands of Scott Newman at mid-wicket
having added only a single to his overnight score of 64.Five overs later former England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon (10) followed a Collins
out-swinger and edged to first slip, where Dawid Malan allowed the ball to slip
from his grasp, only for it to lodge between his thighs. The fielder finally got the ball under control to claim the catch and, after brief consultation between umpires Peter Willey and Nigel Cowley, Nixon was sent packing.On the stroke of lunch Tom New attempted to cut a wide delivery from
Roland-Jones through backward point only to drag the ball onto off stump and
make it 147 for five at the interval. Taylor reached a 123-ball half-century soon after the break, but only 13 overs into the afternoon session the heavens opened, forcing play to be abandoned for the day at 4.30pm.

The BCCI has asked the IPL’s Kochi franchise owners to register themselves as a company or risk being scrapped

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Sep-2010The BCCI has asked the IPL’s Kochi franchise owners to register themselves as a company or risk being scrapped. The ultimatum was delivered following the board’s AGM on Wednesday by its president Shashank Manohar, who said the franchise had broken down into two factions that made it difficult for the board to communicate with any one legal entity.”We will issue them a show-cause notice and give them a timeframe that you have to incorporate your company within this timeframe,” Manohar said. “Otherwise we are going to cancel this franchise because we can’t work with groups within a franchise.”He also had strong words for the Punjab and Rajasthan franchises, which, he said, had also been issued notices “for various irregularities committed by them during the period of their contract”.Officials at Punjab and Rajasthan said they would comment only after receiving the notices, while nobody at Kochi was available.Rendezvous Sports World, a consortium of five companies, became the tenth IPL franchise in March after a successful bid of US$333.33m but almost immediately ran into trouble over the composition of its ownership, after the IPL found out that there were a few “secret partners” in the consortium. A reviewed agreement was then signed by both the parties but fresh controversy broke out for Kochi, when Lalit Modi, the then IPL chairman, made the ownership details public on his Twitter feed.Those tweets, ironically, set in motion a chain of events that led to Modi’s own ouster from the IPL. The break-up of the Kochi consortium, according to Modi, included 25% free equity to Rendezvous. “Why is 25% of Kochi team given free to Rendezvous sports for life,” Modi asked. “The same equity is non-dilutable in perpetuity. What does that mean?”Though Modi is no more part of the Indian board or the IPL – his ouster was confirmed today – the BCCI has now assumed the role of interrogator. “The bid was given by individuals who came together and formed a consortium. Now there is no legal entity as such that is incorporated,” Manohar said today. “So we asked them to incorporate a company, a joint venture company and then come to the BCCI. They haven’t incorporated a company and they have a recent dispute between the five persons who are there in the consortium with regards to the shares, sweat equity and other things. Therefore they are not able to resolve those issues. Both the groups have sent letters to the Board saying. ‘Don’t recognise the other group, recognise only me.’ The Board cannot work with such a franchise.”Manohar did not mince words when asked if the BCCI would scrap the franchise if Kochi did not get its act together. “We might play with nine teams or eight teams, we don’t know,” he said.The same fate could await Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, who have been under a cloud since April when the BCCI questioned their ownership pattern in their chargesheet against Modi. At the time the board said it was perturbed by the different ownerships at the two franchises, a stand it apparently has not changed.Asked if there was a definitive deadline by which the three franchises needed to respond, Manohar said it would be soon, because the BCCI wanted to be well prepared for the IPL player auction scheduled for November, which he said would be held in Mumbai. “We will do it immediately because the auctions will come up and before the auctions we have to finalise the action against them. We will take all decisions before that.”

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has issued an apology for the comments he made during the one-day series between England and Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has issued an apology for the comments he made during the one-day series between England and Pakistan when he claimed the hosts’ players had taken “enormous amounts of money” to lose the third ODI at The Oval. The England players have accepted Butt’s apology and withdrawn the threat of legal action which had loomed since the outburst.In a joint statement issued by the PCB and ECB, Butt admitted he had no evidence to back up his claims – which he repeated to multiple media outlets – and that he regretted the “misunderstanding” that followed even though he initially refused to back down from his comments.”I wish personally and on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board to withdraw the comments I made concerning the England and Wales Cricket Board and each of the England players who played in the one-day International at The Oval on Friday 17 September. It is regrettable that there was a misunderstanding arising from my comments.”I would like to make it quite clear that in the statements which I made that I never intended to question the behaviour and integrity of the England players nor the ECB nor to suggest that any of them were involved in any corrupt practices or in a conspiracy against Pakistan cricket.”In particular, I wish to make it clear that I have never seen any evidence of any wrongdoing by any England player or the ECB at any time,” he added. “I deeply and sincerely regret that my statements have been interpreted to cast doubt upon the good names of the England players and the ECB and hope that this public withdrawal will draw a line under the matter.”Butt also acknowledged the role the ECB are playing in trying to keep Pakistan on the international scene despite the team being unable to play at home due to security concerns. Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, heads the Pakistan task force and the team played a neutral series against Australia during the English season and plans had been in place for them to return next year until the spot-fixing scandal erupted.”The ECB and its chairman have been and continue to be a friend of and hugely supportive of Pakistan cricket,” Butt said. “I am very grateful for their efforts in that regard and for their hospitality this summer. We at the PCB, like all other cricket governing bodies, are committed to a zero tolerance policy to corruption in the game and will continue to work hard with the relevant authorities to eradicate it.”Following Butt’s outburst Andrew Strauss, with the full backing of the board, said the players would pursue all their legal avenues if Butt didn’t respond to a letter demanding a full and public apology. “The ECB and the England players who played at The Oval warmly welcome this withdrawal and now regard the matter closed,” the statement concluded. “Giles Clarke confirmed that following this statement he is continuing in his role as the ICC Pakistan task team chairman.”Earlier in the day Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, had rebuked Butt for not going through the official channels if he had concerns about match-fixing. “I would have been much more satisfied had it been a direct approach to us or ACSU inspectors,” he said.ESPNcricinfo also understands that the ICC considered suspending Butt over the remarks but gave the chairman time to issue an apology.

Saurabh Tiwary will make his ODI debut during the three-match series between India and Australia, India captain MS Dhoni has said.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2010Saurabh Tiwary, the middle-order batsman who played for Mumbai Indians, will make his ODI debut during the three-match series against Australia that starts in Kochi on Sunday, India captain MS Dhoni has said. Tiwary has been part of India’s one-day squad since June and Dhoni said the time has come to give him the opportunity to prove himself.”He has got exposure against the best bowlers in the IPL and CL T20. I think it is an ideal opportunity for us to give him a place in the final XI and let him play the kind of cricket he plays.”Dhoni said Tiwary was ideally suited to bat at six or seven, where he could go after the bowlers. “He backs himself and he is hard working and spends his time at net sessions. He is good character to have. With proper guidance and with little more exposure to international cricket, he can be really successful.”Tiwary, 20, served notice in the 2009 Ranji Trophy, where he scored three centuries in five games at an average of 98.83 for Jharkhand in the Plate League. During the third season of the IPL he emerged as the poster-boy of Mumbai’s young and dynamic middle-order, hitting 419 runs with three fifties as his team made the finals of the tournament.When Tiwary does make his debut, he will be only the second cricketer from the central Indian state of Jharkhand to play for India, after Dhoni. “It is slightly tougher for a player to come from a small state and represent your country,” Dhoni said. “It is not a restriction anymore because most of cricket played in India is covered by media in a beautiful manner and selectors will notice.”Dhoni confirmed that M Vijay will open the innings in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, but was non-committal on whether Yuvraj Singh would play, saying “you will have to wait and watch”. It is unlikely that Yuvraj will be left out though, as India is already missing three of their senior-most batsmen.Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has received plenty of support from Dhoni in the past, however, needs to perform better if he is to cement his place in the team for the World Cup. Dhoni said a few places are still up for grabs, including one for a fast bowler and another for either an allrounder or a big-hitting lower-order batsman.”When he [Jadeja] came to the side, he was more of a batsman than a bowler. But in the last few seasons he has really done well with the ball. He has not so far contributed well with the bat. For a player like him, he has to contribute with both.”More often than not, we tend to play with four bowlers and one part-timer who can contribute. We still want to keep it the same – with that someone coming down the order at No. 7.”Australia has won every one-day series in India since 1998, but both sides are without some of their first-choice players and Australia captain Michael Clarke expects an even contest. “I think the opposition we are playing is very tough, especially in Indian conditions, but I am confident that if we play to our best, we will win the series. As I said earlier this series is going to be fought evenly.”

Justin Langer believes Marcus North and Michael Hussey will make it through the Ashes as long as they stay focused and ignore the mountain of distractions

Peter English17-Nov-2010Justin Langer believes Marcus North and Michael Hussey will make it through the Ashes as long as they stay focused and ignore the mountain of distractions. Langer, Australia’s batting coach, was under similar pressure for his spot before the 2006-07 campaign and expects the struggling pair to be on duty at the Gabba next week.The Australian contenders are having a difficult time securing their places ahead of the series, with Hussey (0), North (17), Usman Khawaja (13) and Callum Ferguson (7) failing in their various matches on Wednesday. However, Langer retains faith in the battling incumbents.”Marcus North has got five hundreds in 19 Tests,” Langer told ESPNcricinfo. “Mike Hussey basically averages 50 in Test cricket. They are very, very good players. What they have to do is eliminate the distraction of what has happened in the past and concentrate on getting balance in their stance and being ready for the first ball.”You don’t lose your talent and your ability. Sometimes because of distractions you might lose a little bit of focus. They’re good enough and been around long enough.”Langer said the same approach is necessary for Ricky Ponting if he is to reach his peak against England. “Hussey and Ponting are absolute warriors of Australian cricket,” Langer said. “I’m very confident that if they get their focus right they’ll be fine and they’re a very important part of us winning back the Ashes.”Australia named a huge 17-man squad on Monday for the opening Test, with the influx of new talent adding to the distractions of the under-pressure senior players. The outfit will be trimmed over the weekend and Langer understands what it’s like to be a target before a major series.”In 2006-07 there was a lot of conjecture about my place because Phil Jaques was doing well,” he said. “The day that they announced the 12 players to be selected and I knew that I was in that side, the whole world was off my shoulders and then I could just focus and concentrate on playing the first Test.”In his new book Australia You Little Beauty – the English edition is called Keeping My Head – Langer writes about the moments in the 2005 Ashes when the pressure became too much.The breaking point arrived during the third Test at Old Trafford when Langer, who was not out on the fourth evening, went back to the team hotel and was taunted by a couple of Barmy Army supporters. He almost punched one of them. “The pressure of the Ashes has built to bursting point,” he wrote of the day.Langer said the players in this series could escape those sorts of troughs by ignoring the distractions. “Mental toughness is being able to concentrate on what’s important,” he said. “It sounds simple, but it’s the whole essence of peak performance.”There are going to be so many distractions: media hype, all the stuff in public, worrying about winning or not winning the Ashes, thoughts about personal form, what’s happened in the last week or two, thinking about their position in the side. All those things are pure and simple distractions. All that really matters is the contest between bat and ball and the psyches of each player on Thursday the 25th at the Gabba.”

Darren Bravo is trying to emerge from the shadows of the great Brian Lara, his second cousin

Sa'adi Thawfeeq at Pallekele01-Dec-2010Darren Bravo, who held the West Indies batting together on the opening day of the third cricket Test against Sri Lanka, is trying to emerge from the shadows of the great Brian Lara. Bravo’s grandfather and Lara’s mother were brother and sister, making him and Lara second cousins.”Ever since I am a youngster and growing up I’ve always looked at Brian the way he bats,” Bravo said. “No doubt people sort of try to compare me with the same batting style. Actually that’s my way of batting; my natural way. It’s very nice to go there and perform, entertain and just enjoy my international career. I just want to keep focussed and continue to do my best.”Bravo finished the day unbeaten on 63 out of a West Indies total of 134 for 2, having come in after Chris Gayle was caught plumb in front by Suranga Lakmal for a first-ball duck. “I just started my international career and there will be a lot of expectations. We all know what Brian has done in world cricket. It won’t be something easy. I won’t say I will be under pressure but at the same time a lot of people will be expecting. I can really do what I can do. It’s up to the Lord above. Without him nothing is possible. I will play my natural game and obviously hope for the best.”Having marked his Test debut in Galle at the start of the series with 58, Bravo has continued to impress, notching up 80 in the drawn second test at the Premadasa Stadium and once again showing the same determination in this Test.”I am 63 not out and hopefully I can go on from here and get a big one. I got two decent starts in the first two Test matches a bit disappointed in the second one. But it’s all a learning experience and at international level it is important that I learn from my mistakes, and learn it pretty much faster.”Bravo said he enjoys playing on Sri Lankan wickets, and that they remind him of the wickets back in the Caribbean. “I am pretty used to these sorts of wickets; they are very nice wickets to bat on. I am enjoying it at the moment.”Commenting on the state of the game, Bravo said, “At this point we are 134 for 2, it is important that Shiv [Chanderpaul] and I continue and try and build a decent partnership and try our best to achieve our team goal. It doesn’t matter what’s going on over there. A coach might or may change the batting targets a bit but we have to wait until tomorrow to see how things go.”

If missing Irfan Pathan was not enough, Baroda now have to contend with a strong Karnataka side in the absence of Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel. And that too in the semi-final, a pressure game

Abhishek Purohit in Vadodara02-Jan-2011If missing Irfan Pathan was not enough, Baroda now have to contend with a strong Karnataka side in the absence of Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel. And that too in the semi-final, a pressure game. “There is nothing one can do about it. Yes, they are our big guns. But now that they are not here, we cannot mope about that fact,” Mukesh Narula, the Baroda coach, told ESPNcricinfo. Yusuf and Munaf will fly to South Africa as part of India’s limited-overs squad.How is Narula dealing with the largely inexperienced side in such a scenario? “At the outset, it’s a mental adjustment for me. I’ve first got to realise that I need to now motivate the boys to put their best foot forward, as there is simply no other option.”However, Pinal Shah, the captain, said that they were not too worried by the absence of Yusuf and Munaf, and were taking confidence from their run this season, which almost everyone has contributed.Narula said it was a chance for the others to grab the limelight with their performances. “Many of our bowlers have taken four-wicket hauls, but no fivers. I told them, ‘you have been part of the set-up for three-four years now, what have you got to show for your efforts?’ The difference between taking four wickets and five is akin to the difference between batsmen getting a 99 and a 100.”The batting looks a bit thin, and Narula admitted the experienced ones like Connor Williams and Ambati Rayudu have to click for Baroda to have a chance. “The big ones have to fire. We have talent in the form of young Kedar Devdhar, but you cannot expect him to lead the batting in a big game like a semi-final.”The way Rayudu approached the nets session would have given Narula confidence. He showed why he is considered among the better talents in the country. Other batsmen were defending length deliveries or playing them along the ground in the V. No such niceties for Rayudu. He had a sighter or two initially, and then started hammering them in the air over where midwicket or mid-on would have been. He was very quick to pick up the length, and his timing was mostly spot-on.Baroda’s bowling certainly is thin, the track is expected to take turn as the game progresses, and both have prompted them to consider giving 21-year old offspinner Aditya Waghmode a debut. “Well, we are considering it, and if it happens, what a time it would be for him to make his debut. But you know, cricket is like this; if on the day, you can get it to pitch in the right areas, you can be successful, and what better time to do it than in a semi-final.” Narula was banking on his highest wicket-taker this season, 20-year old left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt, to lead the attack.There was speculation about Baroda’s choice of ground for the game, which was shifted from the regular first-class venue Moti Bagh Stadium to the Reliance Stadium on the outskirts of the city. The pitch here does not offer as much assistance to the fast bowlers as the Moti Bagh Stadium does, and it was being said that Baroda had moved in order to blunt the Karnataka seam trio of Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind. “We had decided to play the semi-final at Reliance right after the quarter-final ended. The ground is of international standard, and has much better facilities,” was all Narula would say. “As the home team, I think we certainly have the liberty to decide which venue we should go for.”

Ryan Corns, the player of the tournament at the 2009 Under-19 World Cup Global Qualifier, has been selected in USA’s senior squad for the first time, to go to the ICC World Cricket League Division Three

Peter Della Penna30-Dec-2010Ryan Corns, the player of the tournament at the 2009 Under-19 World Cup Global Qualifier, has been selected in USA’s senior squad for the first time, to go to the ICC World Cricket League Division Three (WCL Div. 3). Three other uncapped players – Durale Forrest, Ritesh Kadu and Asif Khan – will also go to the tournament, which will be played in Hong Kong from January 22-29, 2011. Neil McGarrell, the left-arm spinner who has played four Tests for the West Indies, has been ruled ineligible to play for USA in the tournament.”All four guys bring something special to the team,” USA coach Clayton Lambert said on Wednesday. “They’re all solid players. In Corns and Khan we have two left-arm spinners. We have another medium pacer in Forrest. Kadu is going to help in the wicketkeeping department and he’s a very solid batsman.”Khan has perhaps the strongest pedigree of the four newcomers to the USA squad. A 31-year-old former Pakistan first-class cricketer, Khan has bowled a series of stifling spells with his left-arm orthodox spin over the last two years, playing for the Central East Region in USA Cricket Association (USACA) tournaments.The USA team was desperate for a left-arm spinner after McGarrell was ruled ineligible. According to several sources, McGarrell was included in the squad that was sent to the ICC, but didn’t fulfill the requirements to play for USA. ICC rules stipulate that a player must have been a resident of the country for a minimum of 183 days for each year in the four years preceding a tournament in order to qualify. USACA vice president of operations Manaf Mohamed confirmed on Wednesday that McGarrell failed to meet that requirement as he had only been in the country for enough days in the last three years.”We’re going to miss McGarrell, but hopefully we can have him qualify for the next tournament [WCL Div. 2] and we can go out there and do what we need to do to get to Dubai,” Lambert said. If USA finishes in the top two in Hong Kong, they will advance to WCL Div. 2, which will be played in the UAE in April 2011.Forrest has a strong reputation as a bowling allrounder, playing league cricket in New Jersey while representing the Atlantic Region. Kadu is a consistent performer for the South West Region and finished as the second leading run scorer in the Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA) First Division. He has been picked as a reserve wicketkeeper for Carl Wright.USA’s first match in Hong Kong will be against the host team on January 22. Since the start of the current World Cricket League cycle in 2009, the host team has finished first or second in five of the six tournaments played, with the lone exception being the 2010 Division One played in the Netherlands in July 2010. However, Lambert isn’t distracted by the challenge of playing what could be USA’s toughest opponent in the event right off the bat.”If we want to go through to the next tournament, we have got to win at least four games,” Lambert said. “We’re hoping that we’re going to play as well as we can and we think that our skill is good enough for the tournament. We’re hoping to win the tournament actually. It might not happen that way, but that’s our goal.”USA Squad: Steve Massiah (captain), Sushil Nadkarni (vice-captain), Orlando Baker, Ryan Corns, Lennox Cush, Kevin Darlington, Durale Forrest, Muhammad Ghous, Ritesh Kadu, Asif Khan, Rashard Marshall, Aditya Thyagarajan, Usman Shuja, Carl Wright.

A round-up of the first day’s action from the World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Hong Kong

Liam Brickhill22-Jan-2011United States of America got their Division Three campaign off to a winning start, a dominant batting performance sealing a seven-wicket win over hosts Hong Kong at Kowloon Cricket Club.USA captain Steve Massiah was the chief architect of their win, contributing to his team’s efforts at crucial times. His first success was to call correctly at the toss on a cold, grey morning. Seamer Kevin Darlington struck twice in his opening spell, removing Courtney Kruger and Hussain Butt inside the first 10 overs.After a brief rally, 16-year-old Mark Chapman and Irfan Ahmed departed to leave Hong Kong tottering at 59 for 4 before opener Roy Lamsam and Nizakat Khan repaired the damage with a 99-run stand. Enter Massiah, swooping to run Lamsam out for 83. Despite a flurry of wickets, Hong Kong captain Najeeb Amar defied the Americans with a no-holds-barred 63 that included six sixes and carried his side to a competitive 256 for 9.Massiah and wicketkeeper Carl Wright weathered the loss of Orlando Baker early in USA’s chase to put together a decisive 109-run partnership in quick time. Massiah was content to play the anchor role in their stand, with Wright thrashing seven fours and six sixes in his 82 before offering legspinner Khan a caught-and-bowled chance in the 32nd over.Massiah then stepped up the tempo significantly with Sushil Nadkarni his partner at the crease. With Nadkarni adding 38 at better than a-run-a-ball before he was dismissed, Massiah’s well-paced innings couldn’t quite reach three figures as he finished on 97 not out when victory was reached with an over and a half to spare.”It’s fantastic to start the tournament off with a victory and we had some solid batting performances today with Carl Wright and myself contributing to our victory,” said Massiah, who was named Man of the Match. “However good it feels to start with a win we definitely cannot rest on our laurels. Tomorrow we’re playing Denmark and they’ll be looking for a win after losing to Italy today, we can’t afford to lose focus.”Italy’s batting performance against Denmark was similarly impressive, Peter Petricola putting in a match-winning all-round performance to set up a seven-wicket win for the Italians at Hong Kong Cricket Club.Alessandro Bonora’s side limited Denmark to 227, Petricola effecting a run out and picking up two wickets with his medium pace. Rizwan Mahmood’s half-century formed the backbone of Denmark’s innings, and although four of the top seven batsmen got starts none were able to really push on as Dilan Fernando’s seamers also resulted in three wickets.With the sun slowly beginning to break through a heavy bank of cloud as Italy began their chase, openers Andy Northcote and Damien Fernando combined to make 87 runs at a steady pace before Fernando was trapped in front of his stumps for 45. Denmark chipped away to reduce Italy to 130 for 3 but Petricola and Damien Crowley fought back in impressive style, both reaching unbeaten half-centuries to seal the result in the 45th over.”It’s obviously great to win on the opening day of the event and carry on the good form I had in Italy last summer,” said Petricola. “We were a little bit scratchy to begin with but we stepped up to the plate with a few good performances to get us over the line but today was by no means a complete performance by us.”The Danes are a solid side and are very competitive while also playing with good spirit. They definitely challenged us as a side. They were good but at the end of the day we gave a good enough performance to walk away with the important winning points on day one.”In the third game of the day, at Mission Road, Rarva Dikana’s Papua New Guinea opened their tournament with a 39-run win over Oman despite a hard-fought century from Omani captain Hemal Mehta. His innings was not enough to help his side recover after Hitolo Areni knocked the stuffing out of their top order with an early hat-trick.PNG had Chris Kent and Kila Pala to thank after their half-centuries prompted a recovery after a top-order collapse had reduced the side to 27 for 4, Hemin Desai’s seamers doing the bulk of the damage as he ripped out three of the top four and eventually finished with figures of 4 for 50. Kent struck 68 before being caught and bowled by Mehta while Pala struck a run-a-ball 77 as PNG reached 248 for 9.With a competitive total set, PNG set about dismissing the Omanis in style with Areni leading the way with a stellar performance. The 30-year-old fast bowler started by dismissing Deep Trivedi, with wicketkeeper Jack Vare snaffling a catch behind the stumps, while the second two wickets of Adnan Ilyas and Sultan Ahmed came from some nifty fielding at first slip by Dikana.Mehta made a valiant effort in an attempt to save his side from defeat, striking the first century of the tournament, but his hard work was in vain as the side fell short of the target by 39 runs and PNG’s bowlers cleaned up the tail.”I’m really pleased to have taken a hat-trick today and to help my side to our first win of the tournament,” said Areni. I’ve recently broken back into the national side and it feels good to see my hard work paying off today but it was very much a team effort today.”We’ve another game tomorrow and we can’t rest on today’s win, we need make sure we carry this through and hopefully I can continue to contribute to help us win.””We had a great start against PNG and then we dropped two catches in a span of three overs which made the difference in the first innings where they managed to get a long partnership in place,” explained Mehta”I have to say our bowlers did work hard today to try and limit the runs, with Desai and Ranpura our seamers taking four wickets to dismiss most of the top order. But we let things slip to allow them to set up their major partnership and wickets only began to fall again after our spinner Khalid Rashid stepped in.”The partnership myself and Vaibhav Wategaonkar built was decent and if we’d had another two players contribute 30-odd runs each alongside myself things may have turned out differently. Areni put us on the back foot when he took three key wickets and unfortunately I couldn’t steady the ship on my own.”The tournament continues on Sunday, with Oman playing Hong Kong at KCC, Italy facing PNG at HKCC and USA taking on Denmark at Mission Road.

Ireland still do not know if Trent Johnston, their main fast bowler, will play against West Indies as they wait anxiously on his fitness

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mohali10-Mar-2011Ireland still do not know if Trent Johnston, their main fast bowler, will play against West Indies as they wait anxiously on his fitness. Johnston was one of the best bowlers in the tight loss against India last week in Bangalore, but a knee injury forced him off the field after delivering five overs in which he had taken two wickets. “He did a few laps of the ground, a few sprints and bowled a couple of overs, although it wasn’t full pelt. But in the last over he ran in hard. We will see how reacts in the morning and make a call,” William Porterfield, Ireland captain said.Porterfield said that he had not spoken to Johnston after the nets as the bowler was on the physio’s table, but remained optimistic. “Bowling 10 overs won’t be a problem for him it seems. Standing on the park for 50 overs may be a problem. So we will wait and see how he shapes up tomorrow,” Porterfield said.If Johnston were to sit out it would be huge blow for Ireland, who need to win against West Indies to keep their quarter-finals hopes alive. Johnston has taken two wickets in each of Ireland’s three previous matches and is their highest wicket-taker. His accuracy and seaming ability will make him a dangerous bowler on the Mohali pitch, which is on the greener side.Porterfield is aware of the importance of Ireland’s next few games. “We have three games left and we need to win at least two of them so every game is a massive one.”Trent Johnston went down injured during Ireland’s match against India in Bangalore•Getty Images

Bowling aside, if Ireland have to survive their batsmen need to put up a good fight. Barring Porterfield, none of the other specialist batsmen like Ed Joyce, Paul Stirling, Niall O’Brien have got a fifty. This could be a golden opportunity for somebody like Joyce, who has only 52 runs from three matches so far, to stand up and deliver, but Porterfield does not think a dramatic change from their performance in previous games is necessary. “We just have to go out there and play the way we have played in the last three games,”Porterfield knows West Indies are coming into the match on the back of consecutive wins and that they are bound to derive motivation from their rousing win against Bangladesh in Dhaka where the trio of Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn and Darren Sammy destroyed the Bangladesh batting in 18 overs. Roach would fancy taking the new ball early morning to do an encore tomorrow. But Porterfield is not nervous. “They have a lot of variations in their bowling, but we need to focus on what we are doing right.”Porterfield said Ireland had come far from the last time both sides met during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. “[It] wasn’t a great performance on the day a couple of years ago in the Caribbean. But we were still a pretty confident side back then. We have done a lot of preparation but we have also grown in experience and stature since then. It has been a long time cricketing-wise. Our side is more experience and lot more confident in our ability.”