All posts by csb10.top

India Emerging Players reached an excellent position to force an innings win over Australian Institute of Sport at Endeavour Park No.2 in Townsville.Overnight batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Ashok Menaria notched up centuries to take India into the lead and the rest of the top and middle order also cashed in. A series of useful partnerships and an attacking century from Saurabh Tiwary helped bat AIS out of the game. Manoj Tiwary made 59 off 62 balls, smashing five sixes. Once Rahane and he were dismissed, Saurabh stepped up with Manish Pandey in a dominating stand. Saurabh struck 14 fours and seven sixes in his 151 off 148 balls while Pandey’s 66 came off 50 balls, a knock laced with six sixes. The AIS bowlers struggled to contain the runs and were only able to bowl out India after conceding a lead of 229.Captain Ryan Carters put up a fight in the second innings as his team tried to save the game, remaining unbeaten on 56, but lost two partners before the close. AIS ended the day on 93 for 2, still 136 adrift.In a match dominated by the bat so far, South Africa Emerging Players held the advantage at the end of the second day against New Zealand A at Endeavour Park in Townsville. After New Zealand had racked up 382 for 7, opener Reeza Hendricks and No.4 batsman Farhaan Behardien went about leading South Africa’s reply. The pair came together at 101 for 2 and added 225 for the third wicket, scoring centuries along the way. Hendricks remained unbeaten on 184, striking 14 fours and seven sixes while Behardien also dealt in boundaries with six sixes in his 116. Behardien was bowled by seamer Brent Arnel, the most economical of New Zealand’s bowlers, but South Africa reached 374 for 3 at stumps, just eight runs behind what New Zealand managed.

East Africa Premier League

Rwenzori Warriors extended their lead in the table and retained their 100% record with a crushing 106-run victory over winless Coast Pekee. The Warriors amassed 184 for 2, Roger Mukasa scoring 126 not out from 64 deliveries despite being hampered by a groin injury, and the Pekee, who have failed to score well in any of their outings, only managed 78 for 6 in reply.Rift Valley Rhinos failed to maintain the pressure on the Warriors, losing to Nile Knights by four wickets. The Rhinos started well but then subsided from 26 for 1 to 32 for 6, and in the end only mustered 79. The Knights paced their chase perfectly, Davis Arinaitwe anchoring the innings with 40 not out as wickets fell around him, and they eased home off the first ball of the final over.Kongonis moved second despite losing their first two matches, beating local rivals Nairobi Buffaloes by 10 runs at Nairobi Club. Kongonis’ 86 for 7 did not seem enough, but the Buffaloes lost their way after reaching 40 for 3 and lost their last six wickets for 18 runs.

East African Cup

Kongonis remained top of the pile after they completed the weekend double over Nairobi Buffaloes, winning the 50-over tie by four wickets. The Buffaloes won the toss and opted to bat and their openers took a patient approach which never gave the middle order a platform to post a huge total and they ended up on 190 for 9. The pick of the bowlers was youngster Paramveer Singh who finished with impressive figures of 4 for 38. Kongonis held they nerve after the early dismissal of Baden Odinga to put together a 92-run second-wicket partnership between new recruit Abdul Rehman (38) and the impressive Gordon Brown who conjured up 82. The Buffaloes bowlers had little to defend and only Pritesh Rabadia’s effort of 3 for 26 off 7 overs had checked the runs. They were again guilty of several dropped chances that let off the hosts; they have to improve in this department if they are to compete for the title.In Nakuru, hosts Rift Valley Rhinos registered a morale boosting win against the visiting Nile Knights by 22 runs (D/L) . The rain-interrupted match was decided at the end of the 44th over. The Knights won the toss and kept matters in check by bowling out the Rhinos for 162, but the Rhinos ‘never die attitude’ turned the match on its head to leave the visitors on 132 for 9 by the time the heavens opened. Though, the match could have gone either way, the Knights were left frustrated after their match a week earlier was rained out with them in an almost insurmountable position.Rwenzori Warriors moved second after an indifferent start to the competition, albeit over whipping boys Coast Pekee. At least Pekee managed to muster a decent total, making 205 thanks largely to Nadeem Ahmed’s brilliant 82 off 81 balls, while Ivan Kakande was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 32. As has been the case in all the EAC games played in Uganda, the rains came down in the interval. The Duckworth/ Lewis method therefore came into play with the Warriors left needing 154 to win in 30 overs, and that proved an easy chase as they won by five wickets with 16 balls in hand.

Australia’s acting head coach, Troy Cooley, hopes the conditions in South Africa will help Mitchell Johnson regain his best form after a disappointing year. Cooley will be in charge for Australia’s upcoming trip to South Africa after being named as the temporary replacement for Tim Nielsen, who stepped down after the Test series win in Sri Lanka.During that trip, Johnson continued to struggle, collecting just two wickets in each of the three Test matches, on his first Test tour working with the new bowling coach Craig McDermott. It capped off a below-par 12 months for Johnson, who since the start of the short tour of India in October last year has taken 29 Test wickets at 38.89.Cooley watched the Sri Lankan series from Australia and said that Johnson looked consistent but he needed to keep working on his wrist position. The upcoming series will be crucial for Johnson, who faces competition from Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland and Peter Siddle for a place in the side, not only in South Africa but for the home Tests against New Zealand and India.In Johnson’s favour is his strong record in South Africa, where in 2009 he picked up 16 wickets at 25, and he was especially venomous in the Johannesburg Test. Australia’s two Tests in November will be played at Newlands in Cape Town and the Wanderers in Johannesburg, where Johnson was Man of the Match last time he played there.”I think the conditions definitely suit the quick bowlers over there and the places we’re going to play will definitely give them an advantage,” Cooley said. “It will be up to all of us now to pull together and make sure that not only Mitch but the rest of the team are up and firing and building on what we’ve started in Sri Lanka.”Mitch has been working closely with Craig McDermott now for a little while. We have a relationship with Mitch over the years and we’ve seen some ups and downs along the way but fully aware Mitchell is still responsible to go out there and perform.”From what I saw on TV he looked like he was bowling consistently. He probably needs to make sure things are working out of his wrist as best as they can. I’m sure Craig McDermott has been working on that and I’ll pick up with Craig on that as soon as I hit the deck on Monday.”Cooley has spent most of the past five years working closely with Australia’s attack as the team’s bowling coach, but he stepped away earlier this year to become head coach at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. His appointment as Australia’s interim coach came after he told Cricket Australia he wouldn’t be applying for the full-time role.Instead, he is happy working with the developing players at the Centre of Excellence and taking on roles such as coaching Australia A, which he did on the tour of Zimbabwe in July. On that trip, the offspinner Nathan Lyon did enough to impress the selectors and earn himself a Test debut in Sri Lanka, and Cooley said Lyon was good enough to succeed in South Africa as well.”Nathan is relatively new in the team but he acquitted himself very well in Zimbabwe and obviously started his career with the Australian team quite nicely,” Cooley said. “It’s a tough area to bowl finger spin over there [in South Africa], it’s a little bit like the Australian conditions, but he’s got some great control and has grown with every game so I see him acquitting himself quite nicely if selected.”Cooley will rejoin the Australians at a time of great change, but also of great promise, after their 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka. Tackling South Africa in their own conditions will be a different challenge, but despite being ranked second on the ICC Test table, South Africa have not won a Test series at home since beating Bangladesh in 2008.”South Africa are always a formidable line-up,” Cooley said. “They’ve got a great bowling line-up and their batsmen, even though they’re a little bit older, they’re still producing the runs. They sit well above us on the Test table and we’ll be working very hard to chase them down.”

Fixing matches or elements within them will be illegal in Australia in 2012, perhaps as soon as March, as the federal and state governments push ahead with specialised legislation.The legislation, which is set to include penalties of up to 10 years’ jail for those found to be involved in match-fixing, was encouraged and informed by cricket administrators, via the Coalition of Major Participation and Professional Sports (COMPPS), following the game’s long and pained history of shady dealings between players and illegal bookmakers.State attorneys-general are scheduled to meet in Hobart later this month to discuss the legislation, which was agreed to by the federal and state sports ministers at a Council of Australian Governments meeting in Brisbane June. Support for the legislation on both sides of politics should hasten its speedy progress into law.There is a desire to have the legislation, which will need to pass through each state parliament, in place by the time football seasons commence for AFL and rugby league, well in advance of Cricket Austrlaia’s preference for it to be in place in time for the 2015 World Cup.In addition to the criminal legislation, proposed measures to outlaw the manipulation of matches include the introduction of formal integrity agreements between sporting bodies and betting firms, while the federal government will oversee the formation of a national sports integrity office.The office will be responsible for formulating integrity agreements and codes of conduct for a wide range of sports. Any electing not to co-operate will face the loss of government funding.Pakistan’s government is also considering the introduction of similar legislation, and the ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said sporting bodies needed the help of legislative oversight.”A regulatory framework with appropriate laws to deal specifically with sports corruption is better than no legislation and is something that we would support,” he said in June. “As a sporting body, our code – and our mandate – covers only players, officials and other support personnel. We are not a law-enforcement agency, so if there are ways in which nations’ legislative framework can help us to maintain cricket’s integrity then naturally we would encourage and support that.”

Nine years ago, on this very ground, Dilhara Fernando almost bowled Sri Lanka to victory over South Africa. The visitors set South Africa a small target of 121, yet had them seven down when victory came. Four of the seven sticks belonged to Fernando. This time, with his side being shot out cheaply on the first day at Centurion, a repeat of such a finish is a pipe dream but with Fernando on form the visitors still have belief.”He [Fernando] is at his peak,” Kaushal Silva, Sri Lanka wicket-keeper said. “He has been doing well for the past couple of months. In the Abu Dhabi tour [against Pakistan], he bowled really quickly. If he bowls well and takes vital wickets, he will be the key man for us.”Fernando finished a controlled spell late on the first day, showing promising signs. He surprised Graeme Smith with a bouncer and then pitched one up to have the South African captain rapped on the pads – a crucial wicket that created a small opening for Sri Lanka. With Dale Steyn at the crease as the night watchman, and a circumspect Jacques Rudolph at the other end on the second morning, Sri Lanka may see the chance to prise the crack open a little wider.”It moves a lot in the morning,” Silva said. “If we can take two or three early wickets in the morning, we can come back into the game.” Overhead conditions may not assist Sri Lanka in their task, with skies clearing as the first day wore on and stars visible once darkness descended. Still, they have to hope, after a dismal outing with the bat in which they were rolled out for 180.”We were hoping for around 250 or 300, and with the way Mahela [Jayawardene] and later Thilan [Samaraweera] were going, we were on target to get there,” Silva said. After the pair was dismissed, Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 24 runs and finished well below par on a pitch that should become easier for batting.Sri Lanka’s troubles began at the top, when Tillakaratne Dilshan started the rot by playing a rash shot that had no place in a Test match. Silva said the team was not disappointed by the captain’s failure and appreciated that when he comes off, it serves them well. “That’s his natural game,” Silva said. “Sometimes it is an advantage because if he scores quickly, the pressure on the team comes down.”This time, it did not work and the resulting wretched batting means Sri Lanka put themselves on the back foot. Silva tried to stay positive, though, and hinted that the defensive bowling they started with could turn into something more aggressive on the second morning. “The last few overs, we bowled really well. Tomorrow morning we will need to start again and forget about what happened today.”Forget they might, but undo they cannot, and it will require a supreme effort from Fernando and others to erase the effect of the first-innings collapse and turn this match into a contest.

Mid West Rhinos took a close game against Mashonaland Eagles by seven runs, defending 184. After being put in, Rhinos were given a solid start by their openers Brendan Taylor and Riki Wessels: the pair put on 111 in 13.5 overs before Wessels fell for 51. Taylor fell soon after for 54, but Gary Ballance built on the start with a rapid knock of 53 off 25 that included five sixes. Rhinos finished with 184 for 2, and Eagles launched a solid reply through Stuart Matsikenyeri. The opener hit 73 off 55 before falling to Michael Chinouya. He was backed up by Peter Trego, who slammed 71 not out of 49, but the run out of Ryan ten Doeschate for six in the final over just about secured the match for Rhinos.Mountaineers registered their third win in four games, beating Southern Rocks by 43 runs to move to the top of the Stanbic Bank 20 points table. The win was fashioned by a team performance. After being put into bat, Mountaineers put on 166 for 6, as six of their eight batsmen got into double figures. Opener Phil Mustard was their top scorer, with 40, but the fire power was provided by Kudzai Sauramba – he slammed 36 not out off 15 balls to carry the side past 150. Southern Rocks’ reply was mainly driven by a quick half-century from Shane Burger, but he fell for 62 to Dirk Nannes. There was not much of a challenge raised from the other, as Southern Rocks managed only 123 for 6 in their 20 overs. Shingi Masakadza was the pick of the Mountaineers’ bowlers, taking three wickets in a miserly spell.

David Miller, the South Africa middle-order batsman, has been retained by Kings XI Punjab ahead of the fifth season of the IPL, and given a two-year contract. Miller had joined Kings XI as a replacement for Dimitri Mascarenhas last season but did not play a game. He has been on the fringes of the South Africa ODI and Twenty20 side, and scored a half-century against Australia in the October 2011 series.Teams who signed replacement players last season have first rights to their services this season, provided they can come to an agreement with the player on the price. Had Miller not been retained by Kings XI he would have gone into the mix for the February 4 auction. Kings XI sold Dinesh Karthik to the Mumbai Indians earlier in the transfer window, which closed on January 20, and have brought in R Sathish and Miller to bolster the batting.Miller has never played an IPL match, but averages 31.30 in Twenty20s for his South African franchise the Dolphins with a strike-rate of 127.75. English county Durham signed him to play in the 2011 Friends Life t20, and he scored 212 runs at an average of 26.50.After being drafted into the South Africa team as a 20 year old in 2010, Miller was left out of the squad for the 2011 World Cup. He received a recall for the home ODIs and Twenty20 internationals against Australia, but despite his half-century did not even figure in the squad for the series against Sri Lanka.

Match facts

Wednesday, February 15, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)
Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to outscore the opposition in the first ODI•AFP

Big Picture

Immediately after the opening match attention turned largely to England: they found release from a troubled Test series with victory by 130 runs; Alastair Cook underlined himself once more as a captain eminently capable of adapting to 50-over cricket with an unflustered century compiled at almost a run a ball; and Steve Finn’s fast-bowling development was clear to see as his four new-ball wickets confirmed England’s superiority.But what of Pakistan? Their batting vulnerabilities were masked as their spinners dominated the Test series but they were apparent again as they found Finn’s opening burst impossible to contain. Bowl straight and full at Pakistan’s top order, England have concluded, and you will prosper. If Pakistan take note of Cook’s innings they may be tempted to ask Azhar Ali or Asad Shafiq to try to play a similar stabilising role.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan: LWWWW
England: WLLLL

Players to watch

It was easy to see why the Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, was tempted to call for Shoaib Malik to return to the squad. Pakistan need to shore up a long tail and England’s vulnerability against spin has been so apparent that it is tempting to take the view that the more spinners the better. But Shoaib played with little verve in the opening game and on that evidence will be fortunate to survive the series.If you missed Steven Finn’s audition on Monday to be viewed as one of an exciting crop of new fast bowlers then don’t make the mistake again. Finn was the stock answer to the “can you take any positives out of this?” cliché as England were drubbed 5-0 in India in October. Pakistan will not want him to get another opportunity to bowl under the lights as the dew enlivens the pitch.

Team news

Umar Akmal strained his back during the first match which must make him a doubt, especially to keep wicket, a role he fills modestly at best. Umar was once accused of overplaying a back injury to get his brother, Kamran, back behind the stumps. This time another brother, Adnan, could deputise. Shoaib Malik would be vulnerable in a shake-up.England could bring in Tim Bresnan for batting depth and that would put James Anderson’s place under threat. Jade Dernbach might have to wait for his chance until Dubai.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab RiazEngland (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The evidence of the first game points to a simple decision to bat first upon winning the toss, post 250-plus and then rely on new-ball wickets when evening dew freshens an otherwise benign surface.

Stats and trivia

• Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to outscore the opposition in an ODI on Monday. His 137 beat Pakistan by seven runs.
• England win bucked a losing trend of nine defeats in 10 matches across all formats and an equally demoralising run of 11 defeats in 12 overseas ODIs.
• England have drawn level with Pakistan in fifth position in the ODI rankings. Both teams are on 107 points, three adrift of fourth-placed Sri Lanka.
• Pakistan’s 130 was their lowest ODI score since they were bowled out for 124 against New Zealand in Wellington in January 2011 and New Zealand needed only 17.2 overs to win the match. Pakistan went on to win the series 3-2.

Quotes

“Happy Valentines Day everyone. Me and @StuartBroad8 will be having a romantic dinner tonight.”

“I hope there is no panic. We should not panic because we have not batted badly in the last four or five matches so we need to try our best and put Monday’s performance behind us.”

Group A
United Bank Limited opened their One-Day National Cup campaign with a crushing victory against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in Lahore. United Bank’s bowlers put in an impressive collective performance to dismiss SNGPL for 123 in 46.3 overs. Khurram Shehzad top scored with 42 for SNGPL, while Shabbir Shmed took 2 for 8 in 6.3 overs for United Bank. There was a hiccup during the chase, with United Bank slipping to 63 for 3, but Saad Sukhail scored an unbeaten 48 and Mohammad Sami made 35 to lead their team to a seven-wicket victory in 30 overs.Peshawar Panthers beat Lahore Lions by four wickets after a tight contest at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 162, Peshawar were never going to be pressed by the asking-rate, but they lost wickets and slipped to 89 for 5. Their captain Akbar Badshah, however, scored an unbeaten 40 and wicketkeeper Gauhar Ali made a brisk 47, adding 72 runs for the sixth wicket. The target was eventually achieved with 49 balls to spare. When Lahore had batted, all five of Peshawar’s bowlers took wickets to dismiss them for 161 in 42 overs. Eight Lahore batsmen got into double figures but only Farhan Asghar (36) made it past 20.Group B
A century from Behram Khan and a five-for from Tabish Khan helped Karachi Zebras rout Multan Tigers by 201 runs at the National Stadium. Behram opened the innings for Karachi and scored 129 off 118 balls. He was supported by Saeed Bin Nasir, who made 57, but the rest of the batsmen failed. Karachi slipped from 209 for 2 and were dismissed for 265. Multan’s innings suffered from run-outs in the top order and Tabish in the middle order. Three batsmen were run out before Tabish ripped through the line-up and finished with figures of 5 for 28. Multan were shot out for 64 in 18.3 overs.A solid all-round performance from Lahore Eagles set up a six-wicket victory against Hyderabad Hawks with 33 balls to spare at the Niaz Stadium. Asif Raza and Mohammad Irfan led the bowling effort, taking 2 for 34 and 3 for 36 respectively to limit Hyderabad to 215 for 8. Several Hyderabad batsmen made starts but Ayaz Jamali and Ghulam Yasin’s 41 was the best score. Half-centuries from Muzaffar Mahboob and Abid Ali led Lahore’s chase and the target was achieved in 44.3 overs.

It would have sounded like an April Fool to the cricketers of yesteryear, but it is a fact: Sam Robson, Middlesex’s Australian-born batsman, has made the earliest first-class hundred ever witnessed in the UK – and he did it before March was out.Robson struck a century on the opening day of the match between Middlesex and Durham MCCU at Merchant Taylor’s School in Northwood as counties revelled in balmy early-Spring weather.It was all but certain that a record would be set as five first-class matches began on the last day of March. There were seven hundreds in all as the counties warmed up against University opposition, but Robson’s was the first, secured shortly after three o’clock. A 22-year-old batsman from Sydney, he made 117 in 190 balls before he was run out. Middlesex declared, amid the creeping realisation that history had been made, at 368-9.It might also be that March has provided what will turn out to be the fastest first-class hundred of the season. Graham Napier struck a 48-ball hundred with eight sixes against Cambridge UCCE at Fenner’s and immediately put himself in contention for the Walter Lawrence Trophy. Only one hundred was faster last season – Kevin O’Brien’s’ 44-ball affair for Gloucestershire against Middlesex.Essex made three hundreds in all in their 506-6 against Cambridge UCCE, but they were all late in the day with Robson’s achievement already confirmed.Glamorgan’s new captain, Mark Wallace, had to settle for becoming the earliest player ever to make a first-class hundred for a Welsh county – and in Wales they will tell you that is all that matters.The South African, Zachary Elkin, achieved his own small slice of history. He made the earliest hundred against a first-class county, batting through the day for 127 not out against Somerset in Taunton.England’s crowded first-class fixture list, currently under review, has forced the county season to resort to increasingly early starts. The opening round of championship matches begin on April 5, a fortnight earlier than what historically has been the traditional start in mid-April.Either the ECB has been extraordinary fortunate or the UK’s weather patterns are changing. The weather in early Spring has been dry and sunny for several successive years, forever destroying the theory that the most effective rain dance in the UK involves putting three sticks in the ground 22 yards apart and 22 people dressing in white.When the clocks went an hour forward last weekend for the start of British Summer Time, the UK was basking in temperatures up to 20C, outshining European holiday destinations such as Barcelona, Nice and Majorca.Merchant Taylor’s School will regard itself as a suitable venue for Robson’s spot of sporting history. The boys’ school was established in 1561 and its first headmaster, Richard Mulcaster, introduced the concept of referees in football.