Rahul Dravid, India’s batting hero in their victory in the first Test against West Indies, has come out in support of the young talent breaking into the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2011Rahul Dravid, India’s batting hero in their victory in the first Test against West Indies, has come out in support of the young talent breaking into the national team. India entered the series with a depleted side in the absence of first-choice players Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan, and it took a typically determined second-innings century from Dravid to set up the 63-run win in Jamaica. The young batsmen who came into the XI – with the exception of Suresh Raina in the first innings – wasted the opportunity to impress, but Dravid was confident that they would come good if backed consistently.”These youngsters are even better than we were, in terms of talent,” Dravid said after the match. “We put too much pressure on youngsters; we need to relax and give them time, we need to be patient with them, and we can’t be questioning them after every one or two matches.”The Kingston Test marks 15 years since Dravid debuted along with Sourav Ganguly at Lord’s in 1996, a series in which both did exceptionally well. VVS Laxman also debuted the same year, completing the core of what was to eventually become a world-class middle order, along with Tendulkar.Dravid said the next generation of players had the potential to surpass even the class of 96.
“We all needed time – we have been around for 15 years since we were given a bit of time and you can’t expect performances straight away,” Dravid said. “To be fair to these guys, they have been performing brilliantly in ODIs and I believe Indian cricket is in good hands and these youngsters are going to perform much better than we did even.”Dravid, along with VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni, played in Kingston without much time to acclimatise to the Caribbean or playing practice games. Dravid said it was one of the issues the team grappled with in Jamaica and hoped for improvements before the second Test in Barbados from the 28th.”We know we need to do better than we did in this Test,” Dravid said. “If we are honest we know there are areas we need to improve on, and hopefully we will get that right in Barbados. It has not been easy: a lot of guys have come off a flight two-three days before the Test and there’s been no practice game. Hopefully this win is a good lead-up, and the guys will do better in the next game.”

Pragyan Ojha, the India left-arm spinner, is set to play for Surrey in the County Championship and in the CB40 one-day competition in England

Abhishek Purohit02-Aug-2011Pragyan Ojha, the India left-arm spinner, is set to play for Surrey in the County Championship and in the CB40 one-day competition in England. Ojha, who hasn’t played much in England, wanted to improve his skills in conditions unfavourable to spin bowling and has been granted permission by the BCCI to play in the first-class and one-day formats.Ojha is hoping to leave for England in a week’s time after completing his visa formalities and could make his debut for Surrey in a CB40 one-dayer against Northamptonshire on August 15.Ojha has been a regular presence in India squads since making his ODI and Test debuts in 2008 and 2009. He was also part of the squad for the recent tour of West Indies but with Harbhajan Singh being the sole spinner in overseas games, opportunities have been limited. The Nagpur Test against New Zealand in November 2010 was Ojha’s last match for India.”With not much cricket around for me at the moment, I thought it would be best if I could utilise the time by playing some county cricket in England,” Ojha told ESPNcricinfo. His previous experience of playing in England is limited to three appearances for India in the World Twenty20 in 2009 and a month with the Slathwaite Cricket Club in the Huddersfield League in Yorkshire in 2007.Spinners are not having a good time in the ongoing Test series between England and India with Harbhajan, particularly, and Graeme Swann struggling for impact on surfaces and in conditions that have suited the fast bowlers. “It will be a huge challenge for me to play on pitches in England that are not spinner-friendly,” Ojha said. “I am really looking forward to gaining experience in those conditions.”Ojha, 24, has shown an ability to get sharp turn and bounce from even slightly-responsive surfaces but has still to progress beyond being a steady performer on truer pitches. Bowling long spells on England tracks that don’t deteriorate as much as subcontinent ones do, could help him develop more variations and build his patience.Ojha joins the list of India left-arm spinners – Bishan Bedi, Dilip Doshi, and Murali Kartik – who have played county cricket. He said the hadn’t spoken to them about their experiences but has been taking tips from former India and Hyderabad left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju. “I have been in regular touch with Raju and have also been practising with the Hyderabad side [Ojha’s team in India domestic cricket].”Much to his annoyance, Ojha has acquired the reputation of being a restrictive rather than a wicket-taking bowler. A bowling average of 40.40 and a strike-rate of 84.2 – albeit in only 11 Tests – attest to the fact that he has been often called on to perform the holding role with his captain MS Dhoni relying on his impressive control at an age when spinners are supposed to be raw.”I am much more confident now than I was when I made my Test debut. Now I understand when to attack and when to make the batsmen struggle for runs. You have to continue hitting the right areas; it’s not just about bowling stump to stump but about playing with the batsman’s mind. A lot of people misunderstand me by saying, ‘he bowls only tight lines’.”It is important how you set your fields, for example, if you have two catching covers, or how you place your mid-off and mid-on. It all depends on you.”With three seasons of international cricket behind him, Ojha said Test cricket had changed vastly from the days when left-arm spinners like Bedi used to “purchase” wickets using generous flight and daring batsmen to go after them. “Batsmen and bowlers used to test each other’s patience earlier. Now a lot of batsmen look to win Test matches. I feel if you don’t give them easy runs, they will go after you and that is when you have a chance to get them.”

Richard Pyrah claimed Yorkshire’s best-ever t20 figures at Scarborough as his side beat Durham by three wickets to keep alive their slender hopes of going through to the Friends Life quarter-finals

10-Jul-2011
ScorecardRichard Pyrah claimed Yorkshire’s best-ever t20 figures at Scarborough as his side beat Durham by three wickets to keep alive their slender hopes of going through to the Friends Life quarter-finals. Man of the match Pyrah topped off a great day’s work by thrashing a six to win the match with three balls remaining.In front of a 6,500 crowd, the medium-pacer took five for 16 off his four overs to help restrict Durham to 144 for eight after they had been put in to bat on a slow pitch which made it difficult for batsmen to time their shots.It was the first time that any bowler had taken five wickets for either side in a Yorkshire t20 match and the first time that it had been achieved against Durham who are still fighting to make it into the quarter-finals themselves.Inspired by Pyrah’s fine effort, Yorkshire responded by charging to 150 for seven to record their fifth win of the season. Coming on as first change, Pyrah soon got rid of both openers after Phil Mustard and Gordon Muchall had got Durham off to a bright start with 28 inside four overs, Mustard giving an easy catch to David Wainwright at mid-wicket and Muchall falling to the same fielder.In between these dismissals, Ian Blackwell hit high to Andrew Gale at extra cover off Ben Sanderson, who was making his seasonal debut, and Durham slumped to 39 for four when Paul Collingwood drove Pyrah hard to Adil Rashid at mid-off.Pyrah later returned to fire out Dale Benkenstein and Gareth Breese with consecutive deliveries and he would almost certainly have claimed a hat-trick if Liam Plunkett had not got a nick on to his pad. By far the best of Durham’s batting came from David Miller who flew into Leeds-Bradford airport earlier in the day on rejoining his county after playing for South Africa A in Zimbabwe.He struck the ball sweetly to make 54 off 41 deliveries with four fours and two sixes and he figured in the biggest stand of the innings with Benkenstein (33), the fifth wicket pair adding 75 in nine overs. Miller hammered a six and two fours off three consecutive balls from Wainwright but after driving a big straight six off Rashid he cut the leg-spinner to Gary Ballance at backward point.Yorkshire also began at a furious pace as Gale and Joe Sayers charged to 42 in five overs, Sayers smacking two sixes and a four in his 20 off 12 deliveries before giving Breese the first of his four catches.Gale had hurried on to 34 from 19 balls with five fours and a six by the time he was dismissed by Plunkett. Ballance batted sensibly while wickets fell around him and he finally departed to Chris Rushworth in the penultimate over for 48 with six boundaries, leaving Pyrah to win the match by blasting Mitch Claydon through the legside for four and then six.

It was with characteristic understatement that Ashley Giles summed up his Warwickshire side’s performance with the phrase: “a bad day at the office”. In truth, this may well prove to be the defining moment of his side’s season

George Dobell at Edgbaston20-Aug-2011
Scorecard
It was with characteristic understatement that Ashley Giles summed up his Warwickshire side’s performance with the phrase: “a bad day at the office”. In truth, this may well prove to be the defining moment of his side’s season.A second innings batting performance that saw five of the top six dismissed for ducks only exasperated a wasteful display that saw Warwickshire squander several opportunities to clinch a game that had been theirs for the taking. Whether it was failing to establish a crushing first-innings lead, allowing Hampshire off the hook of being, in effect, three for three in their second innings, or collapsing in their second innings, Warwickshire may well come to rue this display for years to come.Might this be the day that ended Warwickshire’s Championship challenge? They certainly haven’t played like prospective champions over the last couple of days, though it is worth noting that Nottinghamshire were dismissed for just 59 by Yorkshire towards the end of last season. They still won the title. As it is, Warwickshire are now 25 points behind Lancashire, but with a game in hand. That eight-point pitch penalty is also looking more important as the season progresses.There is, however, a fragility about Warwickshire’s top-order batting that was alarming. It’s only the second time Warwickshire have been dismissed for under a 100 in the Championship this century, but it is worth noting that the previous occasion was also this season.On the first instance – against Lancashire at Edgbaston – the batsmen were almost blameless on a pitch that was turning square. This time they were tentative to the point of being pathetic.Perhaps that’s harsh. Perhaps it does little to reflect Hampshire’s excellent fight-back in this game. Perhaps it fails to credit the James Vince’s eye-catching century and James Tomlinson and Chris Wood’s fine new ball bowling. Certainly Hampshire played some skilful, courageous cricket over the second half of this game.The truth is, however, that Warwickshire made life far too easy for them. Whether it was their loose second-innings bowling, their timid second-innings capitulation or their careless first-innings batting, Warwickshire must reflect that they gave this game away.The turning point of this match did not come on the third day. It came on day two. It came when the likes of Jim Troughton and Tim Ambrose surrendered their wickets with the loosest of drives that were utterly inappropriate to the circumstances. It came when Rikki Clarke guided a ball to slip and Chris Woakes ran himself out. It came, largely, due to complacency. Warwickshire had the opportunity to finish off Hampshire; instead they offered them a series of lifelines.This is also a result that just about sustains Hampshire’s hopes of pulling off their ‘great escape.’ Though they remain bottom of the Division One table – adrift by 21 points – they have now won two in a row and have a game in hand on Yorkshire. Results elsewhere – at Scarborough and Blackpool – also did them a few favours, though their stand-in captain, Jimmy Adams admits that next week’s game against Worcestershire remains a “must win” encounter.In Vince they certainly have a talented young batsman. While the 20-year-old’s record is infuriatingly mediocre – this was his first score over 20 in eight Championship innings – he clearly has tremendous talent. His driving off the front foot is wonderful – as good as anyone in the county game – while he’s also very good off his legs. The comparisons with Michael Vaughan are obvious and fair.Vince added 72 for the fifth-wicket with the night-watchman Tomlinson, before the killer blow was administered in an 119-run stand for the sixth-wicket with Sean Ervine. While Vince, in particular, feasted on some poor bowling – Woakes opened with two leg-stump half-volleys and showed more than a few signs of weariness – both batsmen increasingly took the fight to a tired attack. Wood, bludgeoning 32 (with six fours and a six) rubbed salt into the wound with a late cameo that broke the spirit of the hosts. Warwickshire’s final target of 308 was always likely to be too much for them.Spare a thought for Chris Woakes, however. Has anyone ever taken ten-wickets in a match and top scored in both innings only to finish on the losing side before? With Clarke limping out of the attack with a hamstring strain, Woakes’ burden was increased. He claimed the third 10-wicket match haul (10 for 123) of his career here as well as scoring 87 runs. Warwickshire simply ask for too much of him. On this occasion, it showed.His top-order batting colleagues have no such excuses. Some of them have struggled all season and here surrendered their wickets with remarkable ease. Ian Westwood cut a long-hop to point, William Porterfield was drawn into prodding at the very next ball and edged to the keeper, while Jim Troughton suffered his fourth duck of the Championship season when his weak prod resulted in an edge to the keeper. Troughton’s run of form, with just three half-centuries since August 2009, is simply not sustainable for a specialist batsman.Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s deeply unimpressive debut (he loitered around in the field with his hands in his pockets like a truculent teenager and was a noticeable absentee from Warwickshire’s on-field huddle) ended when he reached for a wide one and, inevitably, edged to slip, before Rikki Clarke pulled a short ball directly to the fielder at deep square leg. For a team on 45 for 6, it was a very odd shot.There were some moments of excellence from Hampshire, too. Ambrose received a peach of a delivery from Tomlinson that took his edge, while Michael Bates, who has endured a miserable game with the bat, showed why he’s so highly rated as a keeper by pulling off a superb leg-side stumping. Standing up to Tomlinson’s medium-pace, Bates pounced when Varun Chopra dragged his back foot out of his ground. Woakes and the tail at least averted record-breaking awfulness, but could no noting to prevent Hampshire completing victory by 209 runs.There are, as ever, mitigating factors for Warwickshire. Most pertinently, Hampshire’s opening bowlers utilised the new ball very well and the pitch had worn enough to offer some assistance. But there was nothing untoward in either the bowling or the conditions. The batsmen simply failed.Nor will life become easier. Warwickshire are without William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes on international duty for next week’s match against Yorkshire. Rikki Clarke is also an injury doubt.Looking further ahead, however, it seems more likely by the moment that Gary Keedy will be a Warwickshire player next season. Giles described Keedy as “top of his wish list” for next year, while it seems that Lancashire may decide the time has come to fully back their very impressive younger spinners.In the shorter-term, their top order simply have to stop making excuses and start making runs. It’s the only currency by which batsmen, ultimately, can be judged.

The Indian selectors have picked an injured player to represent Rest of India in the Irani Cup, and left out another on fitness grounds after having originally selected him.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2011The Indian selectors have picked an injured player to represent Rest of India in the Irani Cup, and left out another on fitness grounds after having originally selected him. The state association of the player who’s been left out claims he is fit. The concerned players are Delhi and Mumbai Indians left-arm seamer Pawan Suyal and Jharkhand and Deccan Chargers batsman Ishank Jaggi.On September 23 the Champions League Twenty20 technical committee allowed Mumbai Indians to field five foreign payers because of an unprecedented count of injuries in the squad. One of the injured players was Suyal. A day after the Champions league made the announcement through a release that went to media houses around the world, the BCCI selected Suyal, and also mis-spelt his name as B Suval, for the Irani Cup. Suyal confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he underwent a knee surgery two-and-a-half months ago and was aiming at a return in December.However, a hurried corrigendum from BCCI only corrected the spelling. It also mentioned that the selectors had just discovered that Jaggi was injured and would be replaced by Karnataka’s C Gautam. Later in the day the Jharkhand Cricket Association (JCA) told that Jaggi was fit and was part of Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy preparatory camp.”As far as Pawan Suyal is concerned, we didn’t know about his injury,” the new BCCI secretary and convenor of selectors Sanjay Jagdale told the . “We have the main players on our database but we are not aware of injuries to every single first-class cricketer in the country.” R Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka seamer, has replaced Suyal in the squad.Jaggi found support from his state association. The JCA claimed that Jaggi, who had suffered a knee injury during the fourth edition of the IPL while playing for Deccan Chargers, was back to full fitness and training with the state team. “As far as the JCA is concerned, I can tell you that he is fit and presently is even taking part in our Ranji camp,” JCA secretary Rajesh Verma told the . “We consulted BCCI’s authorised doctor Anant Joshi a month ago and he had told us that Ishank did not require any surgery.”They should have conducted his fitness test if they wanted to pick him for Irani Cup. Jaggi was never called to Bangalore [to the National Cricket Academy] for a test. There is no point in dropping a player when you have not conducted any test.”When asked about Jaggi, Jagdale said: “In Ishank Jaggi’s case we went by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) physio’s report, which had suggested a surgery but now we will see what can be done.”According to JCA, Jaggi had approached the NCA after his injury, and was advised by the BCCI physio Nitin Patel to undergo surgery in England. Verma further told the paper that Patel failed to acquire an appointment with orthopedic surgeon Andrew Wallace in London whereupon Jaggi was asked by Deccan Chargers and the JCA to meet Joshi.This fiasco comes days after the BCCI announced a new Under-19 captain for the upcoming quadrangular only to later discover that his date of birth in the BCCI records didn’t match the one on his passport.

Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt has taken the witness box for the first time on Monday on the ninth day of the alleged spot-fixing trial in London

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court17-Oct-2011Salman Butt revealed to a court that he has earned approximately £1.2 million since playing for Pakistan for the first time in 2003, as he took the witness stand for the first time on the ninth day of the alleged spot-fixing trial in London.Butt started giving evidence at about 11.30am and will continue after lunch. His lawyer Ali Bajwa QC first addressed the jury and pointed out to them that they may have heard many stories involving his client but he reminded them that they are only giving a verdict on the Lord’s Test in 2010 and deciding whether he was party to the bowling of three alleged pre-determined no-balls.Butt and his former team-mate Mohammad Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following that Lord’s Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, teenage fast bowler Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.Bajwa has so far taken the jury through his career and chronicled how he began playing cricket and how he has developed over the years into an established international cricketer. He also gave much background on Butt’s upbringing and also about Butt’s finances, including his banking information and income.After outlining all the various ways in which Butt earns his income, Bajwa asked the former opening batsman “how much do you think you have earned from cricket from the period 2007 to 2010?”, to which Butt responded: “Somewhere between £700,000 and £850,000” and adding when asked about his entire career earnings, “over the seven years in the Pakistan it has to go beyond £1.2 million.”The court heard a forensic breakdown of the player’s earnings. For the 2007-08 season, for example, he earned £169,345 from the Pakistan Cricket Board. That money comprised £14,000 as a basic retainer, a loyalty bonus of £22,000 for not playing in the Indian Cricket League, a share of match fees and prize monies and £11,000 from a PCB sponsorship deal with Mobilink and £9,000 from a PCB deal with Pepsi.Bajwa then also asked Butt if this was the end of his earnings for that year to which Butt answered “no” and went on to explain that he also earns about £400 a month from his domestic team in Pakistan, plus the $150,000 deal he had with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, plus other endorsements.In 2008-09 he earned £203,852 from the PCB and £125,281 from the PCB in 2009-10 because Pakistan played little cricket in the year prior and it was also the time when Pakistan was counting the costs financially from the Lahore terrorist attack.The courts also heard how Butt took on the role of his family’s breadwinner from the age of 16 when his father, who worked for Lufthansa Airlines and later became a businessman, separated from his mother. He supported his mother and two sisters, and later his wife and child also. Butt told of how he funded the education of his two sisters from his earnings in cricket and will pay for their weddings as both are engaged.In a further way to illustrate Butt’s wealth to the court, the jury was told that he was looking to buy a special edition Breitling watch that he thought would cost “around £7,000 to £8,000”.Butt spoke confidently and did not ever require the services of the Urdu interpreter standing by his side throughout the questioning. The court had learned earlier that he had attended an English speaking school in Lahore.The case continues.

A return to 50-over cricket is likely to be among the recommendations made by David Morgan when he unveils his report to the ECB board at Lord’s on Wednesday

George Dobell22-Nov-2011A return to 50-over cricket is likely to be among the recommendations made by David Morgan when he unveils his report to the ECB board at Lord’s on Wednesday.Morgan, a former chairman of the ECB and ICC, has canvassed widely over the last few months after the ECB appointed him to conduct an extensive review into the business of domestic cricket.With the last World Cup reviving the reputation of 50-over cricket, which was abandoned in England after the 2009 season, it is thought likely that Morgan will recommend that the domestic game mirrors the international game. England have a poor record in the last five World Cups and some feel that playing 40-over cricket at domestic level has not helped them. The prospect of ODI cricket being contested over 40 overs has receded substantially.It is not a decision that will please everyone, however. “I’ve yet to hear a convincing argument for a return to 50-over cricket,” Mark Robinson, director of cricket at Sussex said. “Generally, England do very well in ODI cricket in England and not very well overseas. That suggests that the problem is not so much the format but the different conditions and pitches.”Chris Adams, Surrey’s director of cricket, has expressed similar views and it’s also thought that broadcasters prefer the 40-over version.It is not the only contentious issue facing Morgan. Opinion is also divided over the schedule of Twenty20 cricket and the County Championship. Some favour the retention of a mid-summer break for the T20 tournament, while others favour a Friday night league played across the season. Again, the desire of the broadcasters is likely to have a strong influence.Morgan has made no secret of his belief that too much cricket is currently played so the option of splitting the Championship into three conferences – an option that was rejected barely 18-months ago – has been proposed again by some counties. That would allow the competition to be contested over 12 or 14 games, but is likely to remain deeply unpopular with supporters. The possibility of reducing the number of first-class counties, a scenario suggested by Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves, is contrary to the ECB constitution and is unlikely to find meaningful support.Morgan has been keen to reveal very little while compiling his report – it will not be publicly available – but he has made it clear that creating a more predictable fixture list was a key aim. In 2011 there were 18 different start times in the Friends Life t20 alone. Morgan hopes that attendances will increase if spectators are more easily able to predict the start time of games. Yet again, however, the desire of the broadcasters to televise cricket almost every night of the week, makes such an aspiration painfully hard to deliver.The current broadcast deal does not end until the end of 2013, so Morgan’s recommendations are unlikely to come into force before the 2014 season.Another testMeanwhile, the ECB have insisted that next summer’s England-South Africa Test series will consist of just three games for “good cricketing reasons.”England’s continued struggles in ODI cricket – particularly in World Cups – have convinced the team management that they need to concentrate on the format a little more. They have, therefore, arranged for a five-match ODI series against Australia next summer. More importantly, by hosting that series, they have also reached a reciprocal agreement with Cricket Australia whereby England will play an ODI series in Australia right ahead of the 2015 World Cup.This, the ECB argue, will enable them to acclimatise to the conditions far better than has been the case in recent events. They also point out that England will play 15 Tests in 2012.”We’re hugely committed to Test cricket,” a spokesman said. “But we’re also keen to do better in ODI cricket. Sometimes it feels as we’re ‘damned if we do and damned if we don’t.'”Taylor madeLeicestershire have rejected an offer of £40,000 in compensation from Nottinghamshire for James Taylor, the 21-year-old batsman, but it still seems inevitable that he will be moving to Trent Bridge imminently.Taylor is contracted to Leicestershire until the end of 2012 but the club gave him permission to talk to other counties and it is understood that he has agreed personal terms with Nottinghamshire. He will join former Leicestershire colleagues Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney at Trent Bridge.”We did reject their first offer,” Leicestershire chief executive, Mike Siddall, said. “But James is certain he wants to go to Notts and we’re in on-going negotiations with them.”Leicestershire have also been hit by the retirement of Martin van Jaarsveld, who signed for the club from Kent only weeks ago. They are, therefore, scouring the market for an overseas batsman. Mohammad Yousuf is thought to be one option.The club are expected to declare a profit of around £300,000 for the last year – a huge improvement on the loss of £400,000 the previous year – and have recently agreed the wording of a deed of variation document with the City Council relating to the covenant on their Grace Road ground.The club bought the ground in 1964 but, under the terms of the covenant, could receive only £24,000 should they sell it. The council would receive the rest. That left the club struggling to borrow money and, as Siddall puts it: “our cash flow suggests we need an overdraft facility.”The new agreement – an agreement that was reached in April only to fall apart as officials at the council had a last-minute change of heart – will see the figure raised to £500,000. In the longer-term, the club would like the council to abandon the covenant completely and allow Leicestershire to borrow against the value of their ground. Grace Road is thought to be worth almost £3million.BBC cuts threaten coverageA campaign to persuade the BBC to retain their ball-by-ball coverage of county cricket has urged supporters to make their views known to the cooperation.If the proposed cuts to BBC local radio take place, it appears likely that there will be little or no ball-by-ball coverage of domestic cricket after the end of the 2012 season.The BBC currently offers ball-by-ball on-line coverage for every game played by 11 of the first-class counties and the limited-overs games of the other seven counties. The BBC Trust are currently consulting on the proposed cuts. Campaigners urge supporters to learn more and express their support here: https://savelocalradio.co.uk/

Andre Russell, with an entertaining hundred, and Carlos Brathwaite punished Bangladesh A following a middle-order wobble

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2011
ScorecardDanza Hyatt and Nkruma Bonner steadied West Indies A after their openers failed, before Andre Russell, with an entertaining hundred, and Carlos Brathwaite punished Bangladesh A following a middle-order wobble. Kamrul Rabbi then struck twice towards the end of the day to limit the damage.Medium pacer Rabbi removed Kyle Corbin for a duck and Rajindra Chandrika for 9 to reduce West Indies A to 11 for 2. Hyatt and Bonner then set about rebuilding the innings, with the former the more aggressive of the pair. Hyatt reached his 50 just before lunch, from 66 balls, and together with Bonner took their side to 100 for two at the break. They extended their partnership to 115 before Bonner was caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo for 43. Two more quick wickets followed, with Jonathan Carter falling to Shuvo for a duck and Devon Thomas for 2 to Robiul Islam, leaving the visitors tottering at 131 for 5.That brought Russell to the crease and he proceeded to play with his typical freedom, forcing Bangladesh on to the back foot. He added 58 with Hyatt for the sixth wicket before Hyatt was unfortunately run out eight short of a hundred, having struck 11 fours and two sixes in his 157-ball knock. Brathwaite, though, picked up where Hyatt left off as West Indies A continued to punish the Bangladesh A bowlers.Such was Russell’s confidence that on 98 he chose to play a reverse sweep to bring up his hundred. In all he struck 18 fours and four sixes in his 128, adding 155 with Brathwaite, who was not to be left behind,reaching his 50 from 67 balls.Just when it seemed they would take the game away from the hosts, Rabbi struck twice in the last half-hour, first bowling Russell and then trapping Brathwaite lbw for 62 in the final over of the day to leave West Indies A on 352 for 8.”We needed big partnerships and what we did was try to be positive and stay confident,” Russell said. “I back myself because I know I have the strength to get the ball away so when they [the Bangladesh A bowlers] give me the opportunities I made use of them.”

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has got clearance from the Pakistan government to visit India this month, where he will speak to the BCCI about restoring India-Pakistan cricketing ties

Umar Farooq02-Dec-2011Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has got clearance from the Pakistan government to visit India this month, where he will speak to the BCCI about restoring India-Pakistan cricketing ties. Ashraf, who is due to visit in India in the next ten days, said he had informed the foreign office of his trip and also sought advice from the government on what could be done to revive cricket between the neighbouring countries.Since taking over from Ijaz Butt in October, Ashraf has maintained that organising an India-Pakistan bilateral series is one of his priorities. According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, Pakistan are scheduled to tour India for three Tests and five ODIs in March-April 2012, but there is uncertainty over whether that series will take place as the Indian government has not yet cleared it. Ashraf said Pakistan were ready to play in India, at home or at a neutral venue, though he expected the last option to be the most viable one in the near future.Relations between India and Pakistan broke down after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. Since then there have been no bilateral series between the two countries and the only three meetings have come in tri-series or ICC events.”It is unfortunate that we broke our ties and I want to revive them,” Ashraf told reporters in Lahore, where a reception for Pakistan’s women’s and blind team was being held. “I have already taken the initiative, written to the Indian board and got a very positive response from them; they have invited me to come and talk about it. So I have told the government about going there.”Ashraf has also been actively trying to restart international cricket in Pakistan. No Test-playing nation has toured the country since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore in March 2009. Ashraf met the chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board in Dubai during the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series in the UAE to discuss a possible Bangladesh tour of Pakistan in 2012. He said the meeting had been positive and that Bangladesh were ready to tour Pakistan but the two boards had to have more detailed deliberations on security concerns.”I met with the Bangladesh chairman in Dubai and it was a positive meeting. It was agreed that they don’t have any concern about playing in Pakistan and the BCB chairman has invited me to come to Bangladesh [during Pakistan’s ongoing series there] and talk about security issues.”My meeting with the ICC chief-executive [in Dubai] was also useful as it helped me to improve the working relationship between the PCB and the ICC. I have been listening to security concerns and called up the ICC to make up a check-list of what protocols they think we need to have in place to convince teams to travel here. I don’t know what the other member boards want but we are ready to provide them with whatever security is necessary to get them to play here.”

In a series speckled with Indian wickets, the spell Peter Siddle remembered most fondly was one that passed without reward

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval28-Jan-2012In a series speckled with Indian wickets, the spell Peter Siddle remembered most fondly was one that passed without reward. On the third evening of the SCG Test, he and Ben Hilfenhaus delivered eight consecutive maidens between them, squeezing Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir with precision pace bowling of the highest standard on the same pitch Michael Clarke had used to construct his 329.While no wickets were forthcoming during the spell, Siddle remembered it as emblematic of Australia’s bowling across the series, which at times reached heights not even the bowlers themselves might have thought possible. The bowling coach Craig McDermott has moulded the attack in his own image, and its combination of speed, swing and stamina has been a rare sight.”Just the way individually everyone has stuck to their guns and played their role perfectly at each end when bowling has been superb,” Siddle said after claiming the match award in Adelaide. “The batters have set us up at times as well and we just knew we had to go out there and be patient.”I think the best bowling spell we had was probably in Sydney when me and Hilfy bowled a partnership, we didn’t get any wickets but we bowled [eight] overs straight of maidens. I think that just summed up the summer and what we wanted to achieve. In every match that we bowled, that is what we wanted to go about it. That was perfect and showed what we were all about.”Siddle proved himself to be the rugged heart of the Australian attack, a position never more evident than on another late afternoon earlier in the series. Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid had pushed India into a position of power when Siddle burst one through Dravid’s defences, then stood crestfallen when replays revealed a no-ball. Redoubling his efforts, he proceeded to puncture Tendulkar’s defence before stumps, a mighty blow for India and source of a surge of confidence among the hosts.”I had to turn it around or else the bowling coach and captain would have really been on my back,” Siddle said, grinning. “Getting a wicket off a no ball and then getting one quickly around the corner is always pleasing, it makes everyone a little bit happier.”But I think any wicket, it doesn’t matter who you get, any Test wicket is obviously a good achievement it doesn’t matter if it’s Sachin or a Yadav at No.11, you want to get all 10 and you need to get 20 for the match, it doesn’t matter which one you get, as long as you get all 20 like we have been.”Siddle said the partnerships established by the bowlers had been a major part of the attack’s improvement on last summer, when England’s batsmen made both he and Hilfenhaus look ordinary by comparison.”There is always a lot of emphasis on batting partnerships and our big emphasis coming into this summer was bowling partnerships,” he said. “We went about that spot on and no matter what attack we had, we stuck to our guns, we did the job, and that was our plan, we didn’t steer away from that.”We knew every morning we rocked up and had to bowl in partnerships and be consistent and be patient and I think it showed in the performances. Everyone that bowled got the job done and lucky enough a few of us got the rewards.”Well as they bowled, however, Australia’s pacemen know there is room to excel further. Aiding this will be the return to fitness of James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, which would allow the national selectors choice of a fearsome arsenal for their next Test assignment in the West Indies.”The way we are going as a unit definitely but we still have room for improvement,” Siddle said. “We are going in the right direction. The good thing about the whole summer was the number of guys who played from [Mitchell] Starc and Jimmy Patto. There was a big turn around from the start of the summer to now but we never changed, we always stuck to the same game plan which was to be patient, bowl in good partnerships and we would get the rewards.”That showed no matter which line-up we put forward on game day we got the job done. At different times each individual got the rewards.”