All posts by csb10.top

Pakistan’s one and only practice match was eventually abandoned after discussion between the two captains. Despite a break in the monsoon rains, which would have allowed some play in the afternoon, the Pakistan opted for a game of football followed by a practice session on the square.The players didn’t appear to be too disappointed by the washout of the game and are probably glad to have an opportunity to rest after such a congested and tiring schedule in the past few months.With the BCCSL elections dominating the Sri Lankan cricket at the moment the Pakistan cricketers have been able to relax away from the limelight. They will be waiting with interest to see the Sri Lankan team, which is to be announced tomorrow morning.The team has been selected by an entirely different selection committee and is expected to include Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva. The selectors will be announcing a squad of sixteen players, all of whom will leave their homes and booking into the team hotel tomorrow.Whether they will actually be playing much cricket over the next few weeks is in the hands of the gods.

Scorecard1:16

Sciver rises above poor batting

It was a game too late to change the outcome of the Women’s Ashes, but England finally produced the run-chase they required to defeat their Australian counterparts.Just three days after failing to chase down 108 at Hove – they were bowled out for 87 – in a match they had to win to keep the Ashes alive, England secured victory by five-wickets and with 11 balls to spare in Cardiff. It means they win the T20 section of the multi-points series 2-1 – no mean feat against the world No. 1 side who, until a week ago, were undefeated in 16 successive T20I games – but with the Ashes already gone (the final margin is 10-6), that will be of little consolation.England were indebted to Natalie Sciver for marshalling their run chase. The 23-year-old, who clearly has a huge future in the middle-order of a brittle batting unit, came to the crease with her side precariously placed once again – they were 22 for 3 at one stage – but produced a clam, polished innings to take her side to the brink of victory. She hit the first boundary of the innings in the fifth over, a nicely timed flick off her pads, and the only six when she skipped down the wicket to loft Jess Jonassen back over her head.Earlier, Sciver had also claimed her career-best T20I figures. Gentle of pace, but showing admirable control, Sciver benefited from a series of ill-advised strokes on a sluggish pitch where it was always likely to prove difficult to hit over the top.But it was Anya Shrubsole who set the tone in the field for England. Her opening spell – 4 for 11 in four overs – reduced Australia to 25 for 4 and they never fully recovered. She struck twice in her first over – a fine inswinger beating the tentative push of Meg Lanning – while three balls later Elyse Villani played across the line and saw her leading edge loop to point. In all Shrubsole bowled 18 dots balls and only conceded seven runs off the bat.That Australia were able to set anything like a competitive total was largely due to a stand of 36 from 23 balls from Alyssa Healy and Grace Harris. Harris, an impressively powerful batsman, struck three sixes – the only three of the innings – with a Danny Hazell full toss despatched over midwicket, a length delivery from Katherine Brunt clipped in the same direction and a pretty respectable ball from Rebecca Grundy being slog-swept.Perhaps Australia, with the Ashes already sealed, lacked some of the intensity they had shown earlier in the summer. Not only will they be disappointed with their batting for the second game in succession, but they donated 16 wides to England’s total which, against a batting line-up clearly suffering from a lack of confidence, could have been crucial.But this has been a fine tour for them and confirmation that, after the first series between fully professional international women’s teams, that they are the team to beat.The stuttering start to England’s run-chase will ensure that this victory does not mask the obvious cracks in their batting. They were exemplified by the decision to promote Danni Wyatt, selected as a batsman despite more than 90 international matches without making a half-century, to opener and the use of Brunt, whose improvement with the bat comes in stark contrast to the performance of his top-order colleagues, at No.5 throughout the T20 series.But if England are to enjoy better results, they will require more consistent performances from the likes of Charlotte Edwards, Sarah Taylor – who was the victim of an outstanding catch here by Healy, who clung on to an under-edge standing up to the stumps – and Heather Knight.

The Indian national selectors are waiting for the green signal from the BCCI before they fly out to venues of the Indian Premier League to monitor the fitness and form of players who are in the mix for the tri-nation one-day series in Bangladesh, starting on June 8.Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of the selection panel, confirmed that he has submitted a proposed itinerary to the board for the five selectors to be present at various IPL matches.”It’s not that only those playing for IPL will be selected. But we felt that by watching the second half of the tournament, we would get a fair idea of the form and fitness of players,” Vengsarkar said.The seven-day tri-series, also involving Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh, starts a week after the IPL final in Mumbai on June 1 and is expected to serve as a warm-up for the Asia Cup in Pakistan, starting on June 24.On Tuesday night, Sourav Ganguly, the skipper of IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders who was recently dropped from the one-day squad, had hoped he was one of the contenders for a slot. Asked about his “youthful” display in the win over the Delhi Daredevils, the 35-year-old Ganguly replied: “Yes, I hope the national selectors are watching.”

Goa ended the rain affected second day at 100 for 6 in the second innings,still requiring 106 runs to avoid an innings defeat against Andhra in theCooch Behar Trophy (Under-19) tournament match at the Rajendra PrasadStadium in Margao on Saturday.Play started only at 12.50 and Goa, resuming at the overnight score of 43for 2, were skittled out for 94 in their first innings in reply to Andhra’s300 for three declared. Gautham Narvekar was the first to be dismissed whenhe was run out. The new batsman Sagun departed soon to become Shankar Rao’sfirst victim of the innings. Thereafter wickets kept falling at regularintervals as the Goan batsmen could not tackle the Andhra attack. Beforelong Mohd Faiq (4 for 24) and G Shankar Rao (5 for 17) ran through the side.Following on, Goa started off with openers Robin D’souza (23) and GauthamNarvekar (18) putting on 28 runs off 6.3 overs. Then with the score at 31,Goa lost Sahil Dhuri caught behind off Venugopal Rao. Following this, a43-run third wicket stand ensued between Gautham and Adithya Angle (29)which took the score to 73. At this stage, Adithya was caught by AS Varmaoff Shankar Rao. Gautham departed five balls later off the bowling of MohdFaiq. Wickets kept falling thereafter and Goa were in a hopeless positionwhen stumps were drawn.

ScorecardFile photo – Nikhil Patil’s unbeaten 54 was the lone bright spot in Mumbai’s innings•PTI

Delhi’s seamers dominated day one in Cuttack, bowling a troubled Mumbai line-up out for 156. It could have been worse for Mumbai had it not been for Nikhil Patil, who made an unbeaten half-century and added 54 runs to their score in the company of numbers 10 and 11. Delhi, who had seven overs to bat out at the end of the day, made 20 before losing Unmukt Chand with two balls left to see out.Having sent Mumbai in, Delhi tasted immediate success, Sumit Narwal dismissing Akhil Herwadkar in the fifth over of the morning. Wickets fell regularly after that, even as the opener Aditya Tare batted out 121 balls. Tare was fourth out for 39, the first wicket in a mini-collapse that saw Mumbai lose five wickets for 31 runs.Patil, who had come in at No. 7, then added 20 with Harmeet Singh for the ninth wicket and 34 with Balwinder Sandhu for the tenth. Between them, Harmeet and Sandhu faced 78 balls and scored 14 runs, as Mumbai’s last two wickets extended their innings by 24.4 overs. Patil remained not out on 54 off 116 balls, with a four and two sixes. Narwal was Delhi’s most successful bowler with three wickets, while Awana and left-arm spinner Manan Sharma picked up two each.

PERTH – Steve Waugh celebrated the last Ashes series victory of his longcareer after leading Australia to another crushing defeat of England inthe third Test at the WACA Ground.Waugh equalled Allan Border’s national record of 32 Test victories ascaptain when Australia finished off England by an innings and 48 runsinside three days to record its eighth consecutive Ashes series win.England is broken, losing the first three matches in a combined 11 days,and its tour was typified by the sight of tailender Alex Tudor leavingthe ground on a stretcher after he was struck by a short-pitcheddelivery from Brett Lee.Tudor required six stitches to a gash above his left eye but the woundinflicted on England by the rampant Australians is yet to be realised.The tourists were dismissed for 223 in their second innings, just 38runs more than they managed in their first dig after Australia compiled456 in its opening innings.Waugh admitted the Australians yearned for another tough series to rivallast year’s epic battle in India but the 37-year-old may not receivethat wish before he retires.He still pushed away retirement talk but it is almost certain he will begone when England hosts the next Ashes series in 2005.”I know it’s sooner rather than later but I haven’t put a date on it,”Waugh said.”I didn’t want to consume myself with the thought of retiring. I want togo out and enjoy my cricket and at the moment I’m doing that.”There will be a time when I’ve got to sit down and have a serious thinkabout it.”The ultimate goal in the back of my mind is winning in India but that’sa long way off – it’s 18 months away.”If there is one thing that would entice me to keep playing is to win inthe subcontinent but that may be out of my grasp.”A farewell Test against England in front of his Sydney home crowd nextmonth looms as the perfect ending to Waugh’s career but the determinedcaptain has rarely shown a sentimental side.He has become cricket’s most ruthless leader, pushing Australia towardsonly the second 5-0 cleansweep in an Ashes series, but he admitted thesuccess had its downside.”Some of the series we’ve had – beating the West Indies 5-0 (in 2000-01)- and some recent series it has felt a bit hollow,” Waugh said.”We would like to come up against a side that would really get stuck inand play tough Test match cricket and make it really tough to win.”I don’t want to sound big-headed about it but some of the victorieshave been a little bit easy.”The three victories over England have been landslides – 384 runs inBrisbane and an innings and 51 runs in Adelaide – before Australia edgedtowards another predictable result today.The victory was delayed by the fight of England captain Nasser Hussain(61) and Alec Stewart (66 not out) after Mark Butcher (0) gave thetourists a disastrous start to the third morning.He was involved in the run out of Michael Vaughan (nine) before beingtrapped lbw by Glenn McGrath from the next delivery, swinging his batinto the stumps in anger as he left the field.Butcher was fined 20 per cent of his match payment, about $2,200, byreferee Wasim Raja while Hussain also vented his frustration after hisdismissal by kicking equipment in the dressing room.”I believe the dressing room is a sacerd place and after the last coupleof months I have had I believe I can kick a cricket case in my owndressing room if I want to,” Hussain said.”We have been very, very poor in three games and we have not put theball in the right areas and we have not batted particularly well and wehave been outplayed.”We have let people down. We have been brought down by a greatAustralian side and our own inadequacies and the injury situation whichhas been unbelievable.”Tudor added to the injury woes but he should be ready when the Testseries resumes in Melbourne on Boxing Day after a break for the firstsection of the triangular one-day series, also featuring Sri Lanka.Tudor fell to the ground in pain amid genuine concern from theAustralian team, including Lee.”This is the fastest pitch in the world and you’ve got quick bowlers onboth sides and there is always going to be a lot of bumpers,” Waughsaid.”The odds are someone is going to get hit at some stage and you justhope it’s not going to be serious.”

Scotland have named a strong squad to face England at the Grange on Monday and include six players with county experience. Top of the list is Gavin Hamilton, who played one Test for England in 1999, and Scotland are also boosted by the availability of batting pair Kyle Coetzer and Navdeep Poonia.However, there was no place for one of Scotland’s most experienced players, Fraser Watts. “It goes with the territory of coach having to tell players they are not involved and it was really tough breaking the news to Fraser,” Peter Steindl, the Scotland coach, said. “He has put so much into his own game and into Scottish cricket over the last few years and naturally he is disappointed.”A full house of 6000 is expected to watch the match, the first ODI between the two teams. Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, will be among those attending although the exposure of the game is limited with no television coverage available.”With all our players available bar the injured [Gordon] Goudie and [Glenn] Rogers, selection has been a difficult process with a couple of our players unfortunately missing out,” said Steindl. “Our aim is, quite simply, to be competitive. Being sport, we do, of course, harbour fond thoughts of creating an upset. But we must be competitive.”Scotland captain Ryan Watson added there is a real sense of anticipation ahead of the match. “All the players have been looking forward to this game all season. I’m delighted that we have available all six of our current or former county players, and we are all determined to show what we can do.””This is also the biggest match we have ever hosted,” said Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith. “In all honesty, it would be a massive, massive shock if we were to win, but we want to put on a performance that shows our true worth as an emergent cricketing nation.”Over the past 18 months or so, we have faced all the top Test playing nations except England, so this will be the final piece in that jigsaw.”There are fewer than 200 tickets remaining, which will be available for purchase through the Cricket Scotland website until Friday.Squad Ryan Watson (capt), Gavin Hamilton, Kyle Coetzer, Navdeep Poonia, Colin Smith, Neil McCallum, Richie Berrington, Craig Wright, Calum MacLeod, John Blain, Dewald Nel, Gordon Drummond, Ross Lyons

Two two-day matches for Wellington, firstly against Central Districts on Wednesday and Thursday, then in an internal trial between Wellington and Hutt Valley next week, will be vital preparation for last year’s State Championship runners-up.Badly hit by the weather, Wellington’s players have had only two-and-a-half weeks of club play, although poor starts to the summer are not unusual for Capital dwellers.The loss of time in October due to the players’ strike is also another factor.Coach Vaughn Johnson regards November as the most important month of the season, a time when the transition is made between winter and the forthcoming season.”Pitches for club play have been very bowler-friendly but it will be the same for all teams, except Northern Districts who seem to have had half their team playing in Australia,” he said.The start to the season would be a difficult one because Wellington were not yet in control of their own destiny due to the political strife caused by the strike.”We want to start the season competitively and we want to hit the ground running but there are a few obstacles in achieving that.”With Chris Nevin, Paul Hitchcock and Stephen Fleming required to be in Christchurch for the TelstraClear Black Caps camp this week, they were not considered for the Central Districts game.That has given Johnson the chance to look at some of the contenders for positions.His squad is: Matthew Bell, Luke Woodcock, Richard Jones, Leighton Morgan, Grant Donaldson, James Franklin, Matthew Walker, Andrew Penn, Iain O’Brien, Jeetan Patel, Glynn Howell, Jonathan McNamee.

Mohammad Asif has been suspended by the Pakistan board for testing positive for a banned substance during random drug tests conducted during the Indian Premier League. To make it worse for Asif, the Pakistan board has refused to assist him in the matter, though he has the right to appeal against the suspension. Asif has said he will ask for a testing of his B sample.”Asif has been suspended until the drug tribunal of the IPL completes its inquiry,” Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said. “For the time being he is suspended from playing all forms of the game until further decision which includes the right of appeal.”The board also said it would go by the decision taken by the IPL’s drug tribunal. “Since Asif competed in a tournament outside Pakistan, we will honour the findings of the IPL drug tribunal and will assist them if required,” Naghmi said.He also explained the PCB’s decision to not provide assistance to Asif. “Our policy on dope offenders is very clear,” he told . “The board will not provide any kind of help to Asif and he will have to fight his case himself. The player seems to be in a lot of trouble. A second drug offence means a life ban.”If he is left to fight for himself this time, it will signal a distinct change in the board’s policy. In 2006, Asif and Shoaib Akhtar had their bans overturned after successfully appealing to an independent committee against the original punishments. Though they escaped on a technicality, it was widely speculated that the decision had the PCB’s complicit support.Asif, who said he was “shocked and surprised” at failing the test, has asked for his B sample to be examined. “We will fight the case because we believe that our client has not taken any drug so we will go for the B sample test and do whatever required to clear Asif’s name,” his lawyer Shahid Karim told .This is Asif’s second drug offence since failing a dope test before the Champions Trophy in 2006, and the board has warned that a life ban is possible if he is found guilty. Last month he was detained in Dubai for 19 days under suspicion of possessing a contraband substance and is already the subject of a board inquiry into those events.While the PCB has chosen to distance itself from the current controversy, it hasn’t stopped former Pakistan cricketers from lashing out at its functioning. Aamer Sohail, a former captain, has blamed the board for not taking appropriate action against doping after Asif and Shoaib tested positive for Nandrolone, a banned substance, in 2006.”My question is, what has the PCB done in this regard,” Sohail told the . “What measures did the board take since Asif and Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for banned drugs in 2006? Did they introduce dope testing in domestic cricket? The board has totally failed to handle things.”The last two years have been the worst for Pakistan cricket and the situation will get worse if no action is taken.”The IPL had announced on Monday that Asif’s sample was positive after comparing the result from the WADA-approved laboratory in Switzerland [that tested the samples] with the data collected by IDTM, the Sweden-based independent agency that organised the tests.Asif played eight of the Delhi Daredevils’ 15 matches in the IPL, taking eight wickets with an economy rate of 9.25.

ScorecardKhurram Manzoor played a captain’s role with a 127-ball 115 to guide Pakistan Cricket Academy to a series-clinching six-wicket victory over the Zimbabwe Board XI in Harare.Zimbabwe went in to the final day leading by 172 in the second innings with seven wickets in hand and a realistic chance of at least avoiding defeat. But poor bowling allowed the tourists to stroll home quite easily at the end.Resuming overnight on 210 for 3, Zimbabwe added 94 as they struggled against the new ball, especially the pace and swing of right-armer Anwar Ali, whom the top-order had handled quite comfortably on day three. Timycen Maruma, who looked good when the Zimbabweans were offered the light yesterday afternoon, added just four before he was bowled by Ali for 60.The only batsman on the day to face up to the Pakistanis was Graeme Cremer (35).The pick of the bowlers, whom Manzoor rotated cleverly, was the offspinner Raheel Maheed, who dismissed Sam Mwakayeni, Regis Chakabva and Prince Masvaure to end with a four-wicket haul.Pakistan Academy cleaned up the Zimbabwe tail 20 minutes after lunch, facing a target of 267. They did that with aggression, their opening batsmen Raheel Majeed and Manzoor putting on 91. Majeed was particularly belligerent with 63 from 43, smashing six fours and two sixes. Fawad Alam, fresh from his first innings century, scored nine before he was caught behind by Regis Chakabva off right-arm seamer Mike Chinouya. But from there it was smooth sailing for the tourists, runs coming too softly against a weak attack.Manzoor stepped up a gear up as the bowling deteriorated; the line and length was atrocious and there was no genuine pace ball from the seamers. He found the boundary eight times in his innings, falling to left-arm seamer Prince Masvaure, drawing a reflex catch from Tafadzwa Ngulube. But he had done enough for his side.Masvaure also removed Ali Asad for 39, but Naeem Anjum (28) and Anwar Ali (2) saw the tourists home.