A stunning one-handed catch from the wicketkeeper Rachel Priest delivered New Zealand’s first win of the tour in a tense finish to the first Twenty20

Cricinfo staff21-Feb-2010

ScorecardRachel Priest takes the matchwinning catch•Getty Images

A stunning one-handed catch from the wicketkeeper Rachel Priest delivered New Zealand’s first win of the tour in a tense finish to the first Twenty20. Australia needed three for victory and Alyssa Healy’s thick edge off Nicola Browne could easily have run away for four but was snapped up by the diving Priest to confirm the two-run win.The Australians made hard work of their chase of 118 and Shelley Nitschke was the key, anchoring the innings with 46 from 47 balls. However, when she skied a catch to mid-on off Aimee Watkins with 29 still required, the match turned in New Zealand’s favour.Sophie Devine added to Australia’s troubles when she had Lisa Sthalekar caught at deep midwicket and it was one of two breakthroughs for Devine, who also effected a sharp run-out from backward point to remove Lauren Ebsary. In the end Australia required 11 from Browne’s final over but it was just out of reach.The last ball continued a frustrating debut for Healy, who dropped the New Zealand captain Watkins from the first ball of the game. It allowed Watkins to guide the visitors with a 39-ball 44 and only a brilliant piece of fielding removed her, when Ellyse Perry ran backwards towards the boundary and snared a catch while avoiding giving away six when her ponytail nearly touched the rope.After Watkins departed, Devine took charge and struck three fours and a six in her 35 from 34 deliveries. It was a valuable innings that helped New Zealand get to 7 for 117, a total that looked like being a little short but proved enough thanks to tight bowling and committed fielding from New Zealand.

The PCB chairman has promised to take “more than significant” action against leading Pakistan players in the aftermath of an inquiry committee report

Osman Samiuddin09-Mar-2010Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has promised to take “more than significant” action against leading Pakistan players in the aftermath of an inquiry committee report looking into Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia, during which they lost every single international match they played, as well as tours to New Zealand and Abu Dhabi before that.Recommendations of the report, compiled by a six-man committee headed by Wasim Bari, include heavy fines and bans on top Pakistan players, including Shahid Afridi, the Akmal brothers, Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik.Butt refused to identify any of the players or the nature of the punishments, though he confirmed that bans and fines were part of the action the board is expected to announce either on Tuesday or Wednesday. “We are looking at fines and bans as punishment and the action that we will take will definitely be more than significant,” Butt told Cricinfo.The report was discussed on Monday among senior officials in the board and the selection committee, where the selectors were essentially told to keep the 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 as flexible as possible, the implication being that some big names might not be travelling.Officials who attended the meeting confirmed to Cricinfo that Malik and Naved were possibly facing bans for breaches of discipline on tour, while Afridi and the Akmal brothers would be fined between Rs2-3 million and be placed under probation for a set period.Kamran and Umar Akmal are likely to be fined for their part in the run-up to the final Test in Hobart, when Kamran repeatedly and publicly insisted he would be picked despite a PCB release stating the opposite, and Umar allegedly feigned an injury and threatened to not play. Afridi is expected to be pulled up for his ball-biting incident while captaining the side in the last ODI in Perth, for which he has already been punished by the ICC.Though the recommendations have been leaked out, the report itself is not expected to be made public. “We met with the selectors yesterday and discussed the report,” Butt said. “Some of the information was leaked from that and I will not comment on the identity of the players for now. We will make public the actions that we take, not the report itself.”But I can tell you that the report is very concrete. It has taken inputs from the reports of the captain, the coach, the manager. The committee called these people in as well and asked pertinent questions based on what they read. It is a solid document.”The inquiry committee also included the board’s legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi and it is believed that the recommendations have been vetted for their legal solidity.

Opposition MPs in the Indian Parliament have demanded a Parliamentary probe, into the allegations that have been swirling around since the story broke a fortnight ago

Cricinfo staff23-Apr-2010A potentially significant day in the IPL controversy saga has begun on a stormy note as opposition MPs in the Indian Parliament demanding a Parliamentary probe, in addition to the investigations currently being carried out by government agencies, into the allegations that have been swirling around since the story broke a fortnight ago.The afternoon saw IPL CEO Sundar Raman at the income-tax offices in Mumbai, where he was due to submit to income-tax officials documents relating to the ownership details of the eight original franchises. In the evening the league will host its 2010 tournament awards, where the BCCI’s top officials are expected to be present.There are also reports that at some point on Friday, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, will move court seeking a stay on the governing council meeting scheduled for Monday. Modi, though, told Cricinfo such reports were “rubbish”.In the lower house of Parliament, Opposition members sought a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), comprising MPs, to investigate the alleged irregularities in the league. In response the finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said a decision on it would be taken after “due diligence”.”In these matters everything has to be done with due deliberations. It cannot be instant coffee. I have noted the suggestions of the honourable members and it will be communicated to the Prime Minister,” Mukherjee said.The matter was raised by the leader of the opposition, Sushma Swaraj, who alleged that the Government was protecting leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and demanded that an investigation be ordered into the entire controversy. The NCP is headed by Sharad Pawar, the ICC’s president-elect and federal agriculture minister; another leader is the aviation minister Praful Patel, whose daughter is an IPL employee and whose office forwarded a mail to former minister Shashi Tharoor containing information on franchise valuations.”The Government may not conduct an impartial inquiry as they want to save their coalition. We need a JPC to investigate this,” Swaraj said.She also raised an issue reported in Friday’s papers, where Patel’s daughter allegedly used her father’s clout to force Air India, the government-owned airline, to cancel a scheduled Delhi-Coimbatore flight and instead used the plane for a chartered flight to ferry IPL guests from Chandigarh to Chennai.Swaraj was supported by other MPs including Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, who said that ministers must be accountable for their actions, and Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta.The House was adjourned when MPs continued to demand an investigation, after which Mukherjee discussed with other ministers the issue of setting up of a JPC.

Cricinfo previews the first semi-final between Mumbai and Bangalore at DY Patil Stadium

The Preview by Sidharth Monga20-Apr-2010

Match facts

Wednesday, April 21
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Both their league games were one-sided affairs. Will the semi-final promise an even contest?•Indian Premier League

Big Picture

Around last weekend, Royal Challengers Bangalore were a pleased side. Assured of a semi-final slot, they were looking forward to playing the knockout match on a pitch that suits their style of play, in front of a crowd that gets behind them vociferously. On Saturday, though, things changed. First they got a hammering from table leaders Mumbai Indians, which meant their net run rate fell, taking them to No. 4, setting up the semi-final against the same opponents. Before that thrashing started, there were two bomb explosions outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which meant the semis were moved to the DY Patil Stadium in the outskirts of Mumbai.Now Bangalore find themselves up against an imposing side at an intimidating venue: ask Adam Gilchrist, whose Deccan Chargers played a “home” match at DY Patil against Mumbai Indians. Yet Bangalore are one of the few sides this season that know that Mumbai can be beaten: they did so, convincingly, and in front of the Brabourne crowd. Mumbai would like to use their home advantage to make their first-ever appearance in an IPL final.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore LWLWL
Mumbai Indians LWWWL

Team talk

After having experimented in their last few matches, Mumbai should go back to full strength, barring injuries. Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga are the two clear choices for overseas players. Dwayne Bravo hasn’t been in great form, so they may give JP Duminy a look-in. Dilhara Fernando might have impressed them enough with his split-finger slower ball, but Ryan McLaren might get the nod because he is a decent batsman too.Mumbai Indians (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt.), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Saurabh Tiwary, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 JP Duminy, 7 R Sathish/Ali Murtaza/Abhishek Nayar/Aditya Tare, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ryan McLaren/Dilhara Fernando, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lasith MalingaBangalore are not likely to tinker too much with the XI that lost its last league match to Mumbai. Pankaj Singh v Praveen Kumar seems to be an interesting choice.Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable) 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Manish Pandey, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Ross Taylor/Cameron White, 5 Robin Uthappa (wk), 6 Rahul Dravid, 7 Virat Kolhi, 8 Dale Steyn, Anil Kumble (capt.), 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Praveen Kumar/Pankaj Singh

Previously…

Bangalore 3 Mumbai 3
Their first match this year encounter was one-way traffic, with R Vinay Kumar and Dale Steyn slicing open Mumbai’s batting, and Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey leading the chase. But Mumbai returned the favour through an even more one-sided match, a 57-run win.

In the spotlight

Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey have fizzled out after having given Bangalore some smashing starts in the first half of the tournament. Both have recently had question marks against their roles in the team, but it might be too late to replace them. They were as big a factor behind the success as they have been behind a lukewarm second half, and they will not want to be failures if they come second-best in the semi-final.Lasith Malinga was one of the most difficult men to score off, bowling yorkers at will and using the slower ones as well. But he was rested for the last three matches, so the question is if he will be able to hit his rhythm right away when comes back for a pressure match.

Prime numbers and trivia

• In the first half of the tournament, the opening stand of Kallis and Pandey averaged 72.6 per dismissal at a run-rate of 8.07 per over. In the second half, they have gone at 11.4 per dismissal and 5.34 an over.
• Sachin Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan have opened for Mumbai seven times, and their opening combination has averaged 46.43 at 8.55 per over. In the seven remaining games, Mumbai’s first wicket has averaged 24.43 at 7.6 an over.
• Of the six IPL matches played at the DY Patil, three have been won by sides batting first and three by the chasing sides. The average first-innings score has been 153, and second innings 140. Quicker bowlers have enjoyed the venue more, taking 56 wickets at an average of 22.05 and economy-rate of 7.48. The corresponding stats for spinners are 19 wickets at 26.74 and 7.82.
  

  Chatter

  “I don’t think any team has an advantage anywhere. You have to go out and do well. Every team has been beaten by every other team at some stage. Every team has the ability to beat any other team.”

Shane Warne has thrown his support behind Michael Clarke as captain of Australia’s Twenty20 team despite Clarke’s own struggles with the bat

Cricinfo staff13-May-2010Shane Warne has thrown his support behind Michael Clarke as captain of Australia’s Twenty20 team despite Clarke’s own struggles with the bat. Warne believes Clarke’s record as the leader of the side – in 13 games he has never led his side to defeat – is ample justification for him being in the starting line-up.As a batsman, Clarke has battled to adjust to the tempo of the shortest format and is averaging 12 at the World Twenty20. However, he has captained an unbeaten Australia into the semi-finals after they bowed out in the first round last year, and Warne was impressed with Clarke’s leadership.”At the moment he is captain of the Twenty20 side and he is doing a bloody good job,” Warne told AAP. “I think they are playing a good brand of cricket. I think what you are seeing is him maturing – he is becoming a good leader and good player.”Clarke has been praised for his attacking captaincy in the Caribbean, where he has backed his aggressive fast men and the legspinner Steven Smith, giving them fields that target wickets and not just containment. The former captain Steve Waugh said Clarke fully deserved his place in the side.”Form’s temporary, class is permanent,” Waugh said in the . “He’s a good enough player to adapt to that form of the game. I don’t see that as a big issue right now. A lot of people are saying he needs to up the ante but if he’s encouraging players around him and getting the best out of them that’s great for the team. He scores quick enough in my mind to be successful at T20.”Of the 40 leading run scorers in Twenty20 internationals, Clarke has the lowest strike-rate of 102.07 and he has also comfortably struck the fewest boundaries among that group. However, none of the leading captains in Twenty20 internationals come close to his winning ratio of 95.83%.

Cricket Kenya has announced the squad which will travel to the Netherlands for the World Cricket League Division 1 tournament which begins on July 1

Cricinfo staff31-May-2010Cricket Kenya has announced the squad which will travel to the Netherlands for the World Cricket League Division 1 tournament which begins on July 1. Kenya begin with a game against Ireland, the current title holders, on the opening day of the competition, which runs until July 10.With the 2011 World Cup less than nine months away, the competition will allow the teams to continue their planning for the event, and with this – and Cricket Kenya’s long term objectives for the team’s development – in mind several junior players have been included in the touring party, which will also stop off in the United Kingdom to play in a series of warm-up games arranged by the group Friends of Kenya.David Obuya is missing from the squad due to his injury struggles, while Seren Waters is unavailable due to university commitments.Kenya squad: Morris Ouma, James Kamande, Collins Obuya, Alex Obanda, Elijah Otieno, Hiren Varaiya, Rakep Patel, Alfred Luseno, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, James Otieno, Shem Obado, Nelson Odhiambo, Francis Otieno, Dominic Saleh

Michael Yardy is confident England can regain their focus to take a 4-0 lead over Australia

Brydon Coverdale29-Jun-2010Michael Yardy is confident England can regain their focus to take a 4-0 lead over Australia after they were perhaps the only Englishmen celebrating in Manchester on Sunday night. While the rest of the city was commiserating over a rotten line call and an early World Cup exit, Yardy and his colleagues were basking in a series triumph that they hope will become a clean-sweep over the next week.”When you win a series it’s important that you celebrate,” Yardy said at The Oval ahead of Wednesday’s fourth match. “I don’t think it went out of hand. But the main focus is on trying to get 4-0 and move on from there. We’ve got to win this game at The Oval. We’ve had three very good games, and a tight one in the last game.”Yardy believes there are still areas in which England can improve, especially given the nerve-racking finish at Old Trafford, where they collapsed and nearly lost a match they had dominated. The bowlers have done well to maintain the pressure on an experienced Australian batting line-up, and through the middle overs that has largely been down to the spin duo of Yardy and Graeme Swann.Swann won the rewards on Sunday, with four wickets and a Man-of-the-Match award, but the Australians have also struggled to get on top of Yardy’s left-armers. It is an interesting role for Yardy, who barely bowls at first-class level but has sent down more overs than any other England player so far this series.”It is strange but I think it just shows the different forms of the game and how very different they are,” Yardy said. “Graeme Swann has made himself probably the best spinner in the world at the moment. His stats don’t lie. He’s been the leading wicket taker or right up there in every series he’s played of one-day cricket, Twenty20 or Test match cricket.”That’s why he deserves the plaudits, because he’s taking the wickets. It’s great to bowl with him because at the moment he’s an attacking spinner. I always ask him what he thinks of the pitch and the opposition and what to do in certain situations. He’s very helpful with that. He’s got a very positive outlook, which rubs off on everyone, especially me.”England have appeared bright and confident over the past week, and it has shown through in their style of play. The challenge is to maintain that attitude now that the series has been decided, and Yardy said it was too early yet to be talking about a possible whitewash.”It’s important that we keep the momentum going and confidence going in this game and not look too far ahead,” he said. “It’s been a great series win but I don’t think we’re finished.”

The consortium that owns IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab is in discussions with a number of corporations to sell a stake in the team

Cricinfo staff19-Jun-2010The consortium that owns IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab is in discussions with a number of corporations to sell a stake in the team. “We are in talks with a lot of companies, but have not finalised anything yet,” Mohit Burman, one of the promoters of the franchise, told Cricinfo in an email.However, Burman refused on to confirm or deny a story in the on Friday, which reported the consortium had applied to the BCCI for permission to sell 93% of the team to a private equity firm in London. The paper claimed the remaining 7% would remain with Preity Zinta, who apparently wishes to stay on as brand ambassador.Zinta owns 23% of KPH Dream Private Limited, the company that owns the franchise. The remaining 77% is split between Bombay Dyeing’s Ness Wadia (23%), Colway Investments (23%), MB Finmart, owned by Mohit Burman (11.5%), Windy Investments, owned by Gaurav Burman (11.5%); Apeejay Surrendra’s Karan Paul (4%) and Roots Investment (4%).The consortium paid $76 million for the Punjab franchise in 2008. The report claimed the sale is in the region of $250 million, meaning the promoters would make a profit of over 200%. At the second team auction in March this year, the Kochi and Pune franchises were sold for $333.33 million and $370 million respectively.Punjab reached the semi-finals in the inaugural IPL season but struggled in the last two years, finishing fifth in 2009 and last in 2010, when they won just four games. The team was also dogged by controversy over its choice of captain, having replaced local hero Yuvraj Singh with Kumar Sangakkara.

Tom Smith and David Warner led Middlesex to a crushing eight-wicket win over Hampshire in their Friends Provident t20 match at the Rose Bowl

16-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Michael Carberry top scored with 34 as Hampshire were skittled for 99•Getty Images

Tom Smith and David Warner led Middlesex to a crushing eight-wicket win over Hampshire in their Friends Provident t20 match at the Rose Bowl. Smith took three wickets, held a catch and also ran out Hampshire captain Dominic Cork as the hosts were bowled out for 99 in 17.5 overs.Australia opener Warner then blazed a rapid 43 to make the result a formality. Middlesex breezed for 100 for 2 to win with 34 balls to spare and set up an intriguing last day in the race for the final quarter-final place in the South Group.Hampshire, Middlesex and Surrey all have one match to play and each have 14 points. Glamorgan are one point behind and can overtake them all if other results go their way and earn a place in the quarter-final knockout stage.Hampshire made a bright start after winning the toss, despite the early loss of the prolific Jimmy Adams. But from the moment James Vince was bowled by Tyron Henderson at 43 in the seventh over, Hampshire fell away, losing their last nine wickets for 56.Only Michael Carberry stood in Middlesex’s way with an aggressive 34 which included two sixes and three fours. Henderson had Carberry leg before and Hampshire rapidly fell away with Smith making most of the damage caused by Henderson’s spell.Left-arm spinner Smith dismissed Neil McKenzie, Abdul Razzaq and Nic Pothas to end with three for 26 from his four overs. Henderson and Neil Dexter each took two wickets as Hampshire subsided to a total which was never going to trouble Middlesex.Dexter and Warner made sure of the two points with an opening stand of 57 before Dexter, the minor partner in the opening stand, was dismissed. Warner smashed seven fours in his 43 before he drove his countryman Dan Christian to Razzaq in the ninth over with the score on 60.But Middlesex steadied when Owais Shah and Dawid Malan came together in a stand of 40 for the third wicket in 5.5 overs.

Michael Carberry scored his second century of the match before rain washed out any hope of a positive result against Durham at Basingstoke

06-Aug-2010
ScorecardMichael Carberry scored his second century of the match before rain washed out any hope of a positive result against Durham at Basingstoke. Carberry, capped once by England against Bangladesh in March, hit 162 in the first innings and followed that with another 107 in the second innings. But when rain intervened Hampshire were 203 for 5 in their second innings, a lead of 304 with 44 overs of the match allocation still remaining.Hampshire were in a hurry when they resumed their second innings at 41 for 2 with Carberry and Michael Lumb putting on a rapid 150 for the third wicket in 47 overs. Both players made full use of the small boundaries at May’s Bounty with Lumb hitting four sixes and Carberry three.Lumb was the first to go at 191 when he lofted Ian Blackwell into the deep where Steve Harmison took the catch. Lumb, who had made 158 in the first innings, had to settle for 64 this time as Hampshire accelerated towards a declaration.Carberry fell when the score was 200, stumped by Phil Mustard going down the wicket to Blackwell. His innings also included 13 fours and came off 176 balls. James Vince became left-arm spinner Blackwell’s fifth victim when he was bowled without scoring but then it rained.Blackwell finished with creditable figures of 5 for 79 from his 25 overs but former England pace bowler Harmison bowled only six completed overs as Durham captain Mustard turned to his spinners.Hampshire dominated the first day by making 421 for 5 with Carberry and Lumb sharing in a record-breaking stand of 314 for the second wicket. But rain also accounted for most of the second day’s play so that only 11 overs were bowled.