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Adam Lyth narrowly missed out on a second hundred of the match as Yorkshire and Hampshire played out a turgid final day’s play at the Rose Bowl

27-May-2010

ScorecardAdam Lyth narrowly missed out on a second hundred of the match as Yorkshire and Hampshire played out a turgid final day’s play at the Rose Bowl.Resuming on 152 for 1 after a 16-over delay for rain in the morning session, quick Yorkshire runs were the order of the day if a sparse crowd was to see anything other than a predictable draw.But their progress was pitifully slow, captain Andrew Gale clearly content with mere bonus points and a tepid stalemate as his side added just 28 runs in an hour, for the loss of Anthony McGrath for the addition of just four to his overnight 60.Even the arrival of Jacques Rudolph at the crease could not lift Yorkshire’s scoring rate above a dismal three per over, as the former South African man limped to 28 from 85 balls before being dismissed by Rangana Herath with the first ball of the afternoon session.The only point of interest for the travelling White Rose fans was whether Lyth, imperious all game, could add a second-innings hundred to his marvellous 133 in the first. But even that scant moment of potential jubilation was dashed as Lyth snicked David Balcombe to Neil McKenzie at second slip for a patient 98.The tea interval did not change things as the Tykes continued to bat with dour intentions. Such was the respect shown to Hampshire’s bowlers that even Michael Carberry’s looping part-time off-spin was rendered dangerous enough for the England hopeful to dismiss Andrew Gale for 12.Finally, after reaching 292 for the loss of five second-innings wickets and with James Vince replacing Nic Pothas behind the Hampshire stumps as Pothas threatened to have a bowl himself, the declaration came – to sarcastic applause.Gale’s lack of a killer instinct frustrated a pocket of Yorkshire fans, who felt a demoralised Hampshire were there for the taking. But as the dreary fare continued on the south coast, even the staunchest White Rose fan drifted into indifference.All that was left was for Hampshire’s openers to dully block out the remaining 14 overs – bowled by Adil Rashid and part-time spinners Joe Sayers, Lyth and Rudolph – as both sides finished with nine points on a day which was a dismally poor advert for the competitiveness of county cricket.

India have suffered an injury scare with opener Virender Sehwag pulling his hamstring during his team’s chase against Pakistan in Dambulla

Cricinfo staff20-Jun-2010India have suffered a setback ahead of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, as Virender Sehwag, the opener, has been ruled out of the tournament due to a strained hamstring.Sehwag sustained the injury during India’s chase against Pakistan in Dambulla and has been advised 10 days rest. Dinesh Karthik, the wicketkeeper batsman, has been called in as his replacement. Sehwag also missed the team’s practice session on Monday morning and will fly back to India on Tuesday.In an uncharacteristic innings where he laboured to 10 off 32 balls, Sehwag appeared to be in pain and sought the assistance of the physio. He eventually had to rely on the services of Suresh Raina as runner before being dismissed.Sehwag had also missed the World Twenty20 this year in the Caribbean due to a shoulder injury, and was rested for the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe. Similarly, in 2009, he hurt his shoulder during the IPL in South Africa, missing out on a place in India’s squad for the World Twenty20 in England.India take on Sri Lanka in a dead rubber on June 22, before the final on June 24.

Here’s something that might surprise you. Simon Katich is statistically Australia’s most successful Test opener of all time. Not Matthew Hayden, not Bill Ponsford. Simon Katich

Brydon Coverdale at Lord's13-Jul-2010Here’s something that might surprise you. Simon Katich is statistically Australia’s most successful Test opener of all time. Not Matthew Hayden, not Bill Ponsford. Simon Katich. As Katich shuffled off to the Lord’s pavilion having been caught behind for 80, he sat atop the list of averages for Australians who have opened in at least 20 Test innings.Loping out to the crease to replace Katich was Marcus North. The Australians were hoping Katich’s consistency would rub off on North, who stalls on start-up more often than a learner driver. Three balls later, he was heading back from whence he came, bowled for a duck by a high-class inswinger from Mohammad Asif.How North must envy Katich at the moment. The bookends of Australia’s top six share much in common – they are unfashionable left-handers, they learnt their trade on the bouncy WACA pitch and they’ve each scored four hundreds since the beginning of last year – but consistency isn’t one of those traits.While it’s been a feast-or-famine year for North, Katich has been dining out on opposition attacks and scoffing down every last scrap of a score he can find. Australia’s opener has been so dependable that when he slashed a typical Katich boundary, an uppish cut through gully to reach his half-century, it meant he’d passed fifty in nine consecutive Tests, stretching back to The Oval last year.The innings was pure Katich: barely a memorable shot until he’d reached a half-century, then a few boundaries crunched off loose balls, especially against Shahid Afridi. As he crab-walked across his stumps he was opening himself up to a Pakistan attack hooping balls around corners, but aside from a lucky let-off when he should have been trapped on 2, he was Australia’s rock on a difficult day.”There’s no doubt that it was a tough day all the way through, given the conditions,” Katich said after Australia reached 229 for 9. “At no stage did the clouds break and the sun came through. We knew that it was going to be a hard day out there with the ball swinging around consistently. It would have been nice to get more but at the same time we’ve got nearly 230 runs in the bank.”None of those runs came from the No. 6. Undoubtedly, North deserves his place in the team after rescuing his career with a century and a 90 in New Zealand, but in addition to his four Test centuries, he has been dismissed for 10 or less in more than half of his Test innings.His high backlift makes him especially vulnerable to full, swinging deliveries and that’s precisely what Asif served up. North was lucky to avoid a golden duck, when he could have been lbw had Pakistan noticed the ball hit pad before bat, and two deliveries later his stumps were shattered by a peach of an inswinger. It was that sort of day for the Australians – get your eye in rapidly or get out even quicker.”If you get in, it can certainly be a great place to bat because the outfield is quick,” Katich said. “Once you get used to the pace you can really get set. But vice-versa, there’s always enough happening on days like today where it can be hard for the new guy. I don’t think we saw too many poor shots or anything like that.”It’s true that North was done in by superb bowling, and his position is rightly not in danger on this tour. However, he is the man with the most to lose if Steven Smith performs with the bat in his debut series. Should Smith convince the selectors that he is a viable top-six option – and with a first-class average of more than 50, it’s possible – they will be tempted to push him up and enjoy the luxury of an extra specialist bowler.Fortunately for North, there were no such signs on Smith’s first day of Test cricket. Smith was lbw for 1, one of six Australians who failed to reach double figures. They all needed a little of Katich’s consistency to rub off.

Opening batsmen Michael Lumb and Jimmy Adams led Hampshire to a resounding six-wicket win over Durham at the Rose Bowl with 31 balls to spare. Lumb signalled his return to form after a poor first half to the season by making 75, while Adams top-scored wit

08-Aug-2010

ScorecardOpening batsmen Michael Lumb and Jimmy Adams led Hampshire to a resounding six-wicket win over Durham at the Rose Bowl with 31 balls to spare. Lumb signalled his return to form after a poor first half to the season by making 75, while Adams top-scored with 86.Chasing Durham’s 205 for 8 from their 40 overs, a total which never looked like being enough, Hampshire got home in the 35th over. Lumb and Adams put on 150 for the first wicket in 24.1 overs and the rest of the task was easy for the batsmen who followed.Durham captain Phil Mustard chose to bat first and was the first to go in the sixth over with the score on 39, but none of the Durham batsmen could make the best of bright starts. Eight of them reached double figures but were unable to build a big innings.Michael Di Venuto was top scorer with 37 and there was a stand of 36 for the third wicket between Ben Harmison and Dale Benkenstein. Ben Stokes and Gareth Breese added a defiant 38 for the seventh wicket but Hampshire’s bowlers were always on top.Left-arm pace prospect Chris Wood took two wickets for 25 from his eight overs and there was a first competition appearance for former England fast bowler Simon Jones. Jones had the satisfaction of removing Di Venuto when the score was 55 and finished with figures of 1 for 41 as further evidence of his rehabilitation from long-term knee injuries.When Hampshire batted Lumb and Adams quickly went on the attack before Adams was the first to go, the first of three victims for Benkenstein’s medium pace, after hitting 86 from 84 balls with six fours and two sixes.Benkenstein struck again when he removed James Vince and Lumb went within sight of victory when spinner Ian Blackwell found a gap in his defences. Lumb hit six fours and a six in his 79-ball innings and although Neil McKenzie followed soon afterwards, Hampshire’s task was completed.Michael Carberry and Dan Christian finished off the job with Benkenstein emerging as the most successful of the Durham bowlers with figures of 3 for 27. Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison bowled only three overs without success.

Iain O’Brien, the former New Zealander seamer, faces an uncertain future at Middlesex after Australian opener Chris Rogers’ recent move from Derbyshire to Lord’s

Cricinfo staff10-Sep-2010Iain O’Brien, the former New Zealander seamer, faces an uncertain future at Middlesex after Australian opener Chris Rogers’ recent move from Derbyshire to Lord’s.O’Brien signed a three-year contract with Middlesex before the season started but there is a clause that states if he can’t qualify as a domestic player in years two and three the deal can be withdrawn.Unless O’Brien can persuade the ECB to class him as a domestic player – because he is married to a English woman – Rogers’ move means O’Brien will be unlikely to stay at Lord’s.”In the contract was a clause that gave Middlesex CCC an option to terminate the agreement should the club’s requirements change and if Iain’s attempts to qualify as a local player failed,” Middlesex chief executive Vinny Codrington said on the club’s website.”To date, ours and Iain’s attempts to sign him as a locally registered player for 2011 and 2012 have proven problematic, leaving him in an extremely difficult position contractually. We have spoken at length with Iain, and support him in his quest to challenge this decision and to gain registration in England as a domestic player.”After a largely injury-free career, O’Brien has been hampered by injury at Middlesex this season. He has played only seven of the 16 first-class matches, taking 23 wickets at an average of 27.30 with a best of 8 for 105.

Malachi Jones, Bermuda’s fiery young fast bowler, has run into further disciplinary issues after being sent to his hotel room by national coach David Moore

Cricinfo staff15-Sep-2010Malachi Jones, Bermuda’s fiery young fast bowler, has run into further disciplinary issues after being sent to his hotel room by national coach David Moore following an angry show of petulance during the team’s eight-wicket defeat to a West Indies High Performance Cricket XI in Canada on Saturday.Jones was previously removed from Bermuda’s squad in May after breaching the protocol that prohibited national players from playing for their domestic club on a scheduled rest day. But Moore dismissed Jones’s latest indiscretion as nothing to worry about and said it would be dealt with internally.Jones’s tantrum was sparked in his second over on Saturday when a wayward delivery was flicked towards the fine-leg boundary by Rajindra Chandrika, only for Kevin Tucker’s fumble on the rope to allow the ball to go for four.Jones angrily kicked the pitch, conceded two more fours in the over, and then marched back to his fielding position on the boundary where he stayed for the remainder of the game. It was his attitude during this period, when he did not walk in or back up and generally appeared to be sulking, that angered former West Indies coach Moore.”I’ve got nothing to say about that,” said Moore. “It’s a minor personal issue that Malachi Jones has to deal with and we gave to him time to do so. It’s an internal team matter, and we’ll deal with it amongst ourselves.”

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has withdrawn his appeal against the provisional suspension imposed on him by the ICC for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2010Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has withdrawn his appeal against the provisional suspension imposed on him by the ICC for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing controversy. The appeals of three Pakistan players – Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir being the others – were due to be heard on October 30 and 31 in Doha.The trio hadn’t been picked, as a result of their suspensions, for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of the UAE where they play South Africa in a full series. Asif, however, would not have been able to participate even if the provisional suspension was lifted following the hearing of the appeals later this month; he is barred from entering the UAE following detention in 2008 for a drug-related offence.”I have chosen not to contest the provisional suspension at this time simply because I am content to await the main disciplinary hearing where my full case can be placed before the ICC,” Asif said of the reason for his decision.Pakistan’s assignment following the UAE series is a tour of New Zealand in December by when the ICC would have conducted a full hearing – which needs to be held within three months of imposing the provisional suspension – into the controversy. The suspensions were handed out on September 2 this year and Asif can now only apply for it to be lifted once the full hearing has concluded.”Mohammad Asif confirmed earlier today that he has withdrawn his challenge to the provisional suspension imposed on him on 2 September 2010 pending determination of the charges brought against him under the ICC’s Anti Corruption Code,” an ICC release said. “Arrangements are now being made for the challenges being made by Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir against their provisional suspensions to be heard in Dubai on 30 and 31 October 2010.”

Thilan Samaraweera helped rescue Sri Lanka from 34 for 3, and improved his chances of securing a place in Sri Lanka’s 2011 World Cup squad

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo24-Nov-2010Thilan Samaraweera wouldn’t have done his chances of securing a place in Sri Lanka’s 2011 World Cup squad any harm when he scored a well-paced 80 off 170 balls against West Indies on the second day of the second test at the R Premadasa Stadium. With Sri Lanka struggling at 34-3, Samaraweera joined his captain, Kumar Sangakkara, to pull the side out of trouble, and at the end of another rain-hit day, Sri Lanka were sitting pretty on 294-5.He was eventually out caught pulling a short ball from Dwayne Bravo down long leg’s throat to end a record 170-run fourth wicket stand with Sangakkara, who was unbeaten on 135 when rain stopped play. With a leg gully, short leg, square leg and long leg in place, Bravo peppered Samaraweera with the short stuff, hoping the batsman would fall for it, and Samaraweera was all too happy to oblige.”On this type of wicket you will be playing and missing a lot outside the off stump,” Samaraweera said. When you try to be too defensive also that happens. At the end of the day I missed another hundred. It was lack of concentration. I am really disappointed because I fell into their trap.”Yesterday (first day) when I came at the close everyone appreciated my knock of 25 not out. That gave a lot of confidence for me. We knew if we could survive the first hour today we could dominate the bowling, and that is what happened.”Samaraweera was the more enterprising of the pair, beating his captain to his half-century. When questioned whether he was trying to prove a point that he could score fast and be in contention for a place in the World Cup squad, he replied, “This year my one-day average is 49, I don’t why I didn’t go to Australia. My duty is scoring runs. I am hoping for the best.”Samaraweera was confident that weather permitting, Sri Lanka had the bowling armoury to win the Test. “We have to bat well tomorrow and if we can get 400 plus it is a big score on this wicket. After that the new ball bowlers and two spinners should be able to do the job.”

Having come back strongly in the second Test against West Indies, Sri Lanka are likely to field an unchanged team for the decisive third Test against West Indies in Pallakele

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Pallekele30-Nov-2010Having come back strongly in the second Test against West Indies, Sri Lanka are likely to field an unchanged team for the decisive third Test against West Indies in Pallakele.”Barring injuries not many changes are likely,” the home captain Kumar Sangakkara said. “We will have to see how the guys pull up after today’s practice. We will probably decide whether a change is needed in the spin department, but other than that I think we are fine.”Sri Lanka who have not lost a home Test series since 2006 and Sangakkara said he would be disappointed if his team could not win this series, tied 0-0 going into the decider.”The series will be decided in this Test, provided there’s play on all five days,” Sangakkara said. “We have to be positive and keep thinking that we can beat West Indies by playing some good cricket. We have improved in the last Test and we need to keep getting better and hopefully we need to play some solid cricket.”It looks a good wicket but there’s still a bit of rain. Unfortunately with the weather around you have to see what it does. It looks drier than the R Premadasa Stadium wicket. In Kandy, conditions can change early morning. It helps all the bowlers from the first day onwards. It’s good to bat on. It will be a wicket where it’ll be difficult to bat on in the first hour maybe, but will probably get better.”Hopefully it will be better than R Premadasa, in the sense more bounce and pace, so that batsmen can play shots even on the first day. Other than that, I think, it will help all the bowlers. We are expecting it to break up sooner and help our spinners.”Sangakkara compared the new stadium to the ground in Centurion, South Africa. “I honestly think that this will be the nicest stadium of all when it’s finished. It looks fantastic. The view for the crowd is nice. Once it’s finished it will be nice. When they started it was like Centurion. It’s a long walk and it’s a beautiful ground.”

Round-up of the third day of the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2010

Group A

Madhya Pradesh went top of the Group A table after an innings and 239-run victory over Jharkhand at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. MP needed just 37.3 overs to bowl out the visitors for 140 on the third day. Seamer Amit Sharma and Anand Rajan took four wickets each, giving Rajan eight for the match. MP’s victory had been set up on the first two days after they bowled Jharkhand out for 131 and then piled on 510. It was always going to be an uphill struggle for Jharkhand from then on, and they surrendered meekly. Their highest scorer in the whole match was wicketkeeper Shiv Gautam who got 32 in the second innings. Jharkhand remain at second-last position in the table.It was a strong fightback from Hyderabad on the third day at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as they brought themselves to within 131 runs of Goa’s big first innings score and still have five wickets in hand. Captain Ravi Teja set the platform with his 126 and then Syed Quadri got 68 to take the hosts to 351 for 5 at stumps. Having avoided the follow-on, they have all but assured themselves of a draw but still need to do a lot of work to avoided conceding the first-innings lead and with it three points. Reagan Pinto’s excellent match continued as he followed up his century in the first-innings with two wickets with his part-time legspin for Goa.

Group B

Services set Vidarbha 353 to win in the fourth innings – a stern ask considering the pitch has been offering the bowlers plenty of assistance and Vidarbha haven’t scored more than 300 since their first game of the season. Services had the advantage at the start of the third day at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, having dismissed the hosts for 147 on the second. Openers Pratik Desai, captain Yashpal Singh and Soomik Chatarjee drove home that advantage, getting half-centuries to take Services to 265 for 6. They then declared to give themselves an entire day to bowl Vidarbha out.A 93-run stand by AP Singh and Parvez Rassol for the sixth wicket helped Jammu & Kashmir avoid a possible innings defeat, but Andhra Pradesh are still in the driver’s seat at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. The pair came in when J & K were 60 for 5 in their second innings, still 63 behind Andhra. Rassol was the aggressor hitting nine fours and two sixes in his 68 not out, while Singh was unbeaten on 39 at stumps. Captain Syed Sahabuddin and legspinner Sairaj Bahutule had given Andhra five early breakthroughs after Bodapati Sumanth’s 136 had helped them to a first innings total of 376. The overnight pair of Sumanth and Sahabuddin, who got 71, took AP from a precarious position of 219 for 6 in the morning to a strong total. J & K are now 30 runs ahead but will need to make their last five wickets last well into tomorrow to stave off a defeat.Maharashtra’s match against Kerala is heading towards a draw after another rain-hit day at the the Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The visitors accelerated their scoring-rate on the third day, scoring 130 runs in 29.5 overs. Sangram Atitkar scored 109 and Maharashtra declared at 347 for 8. Kerala played just one over and were 5 for 0. Maharashtra will be hoping for a whole day’s play tomorrow so that they can try to bowl out Kerala and at least pick up three points for a first-innings lead.