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A round-up of Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on November 19, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2014An all-round bowling effort led by Shardul Thakur’s 3 for 25 and a swift Wasim Jaffer half-century – his fourth in five innings – helped Mumbai wallop Delhi by six wickets and go through to the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Mumbai’s decision to field bore early fruit as Thakur got rid of Unmukt Chand and Virender Sehwag for 6 and 9 in successive overs. Though Milind Kumar did his best to halt the one-way traffic with 64 off 94 balls, support was lacking at the other end. Only four other people managed to get into double-figures as Delhi were bowled out for 157, with 45 balls remaining. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah claimed 2 for 24 off his 8.3 overs and all of the five bowlers used conceded less than 5 an over.Delhi may have entertained a brief hope of a resurgence when opener Siddesh Lad was dismissed for an 11-ball duck, but Jaffer walked in and kept the score ticking over. His unbeaten 83 required 87 balls, with 11 fours and a six as he took Mumbai home with nearly 20 overs to spare and set a date with Karnataka on Friday’s quarter-final.Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh shone with bat and ball, first slamming a rapid half-century and then picking up two wickets, to help his team reach the quarter-finals after downing Gujarat by 28 runs in Rajkot.Having been inserted, Punjab were precariously placed at 70 for 3 before Amitoze Singh and Gurkeerat Singh Mann led a recovery with a 104-run stand. Gurkeerat was the more aggressive foil, blasting 72 off 69 balls, while Amitoze hit 75, with eight fours. Both batsmen fell in successive overs, but Harbhajan, coming in at No.6, smashed two fours and six sixes during a 25-ball 51 to lift the score to 255 for 8.Most of Gujarat’s batsmen made starts during the chase, but failed to convert it into a substantial score. The No.9 batsman Rohit Dahiya was the team’s top scorer with 53, but his knock was too little too late, as Gujarat were bundled out for 227 in 47.3 overs. Sandeep Sharma was the pick of Punjab’s bowlers, taking 3 for 39 to rattle Gujarat’s top order. Harbhajan chipped in with 2 for 51, while Yuvraj Singh, who had failed to fire with the bat, claimed 2 for 21.

New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson lauded the pair of BJ Watling and Mark Craig for their battling partnership that denied West Indies an innings victory and took the Trinidad Test into the fifth day

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-20141:50

‘Fifth day play will frustrate WI’ – Williamson

BJ Watling’s unbeaten 38 led New Zealand’s lower-order resistance on the fourth day•WICBNew Zealand batsman Kane Williamson lauded the pair of BJ Watling and Mark Craig for their battling partnership that denied West Indies an innings victory and took the Trinidad Test into the fifth day, and hoped the pair could set up an awkward chase for West Indies.New Zealand were 193 for 7 and in danger of slipping to an innings defeat against West Indies but Watling and Craig played out 27.3 overs at the end of the fourth day to frustrate the opposition.”Obviously, there are some performances that, when we look back on, we are not entirely happy with but to bat a day like we did today, with BJ and Mark at the end, was fantastic,” Williamson said. “For BJ to bat four-and-a-bit hours, was a huge effort in these conditions.”We would have liked some big scores and sort of made the second innings our first innings but that wasn’t to be. Hopefully, the two boys out there can kick on a bit tomorrow and they can either set up an awkward chase or bat on a bit longer and put us in a good position.”Williamson said the resistance shown by the two batsmen was the sort of spirit the New Zealand team aspired to in all match situations. He also said the pitch could be expected to support the batsmen on the final day, despite the snorter from Sulieman Benn that accounted for Tom Latham’s wicket.”The wicket was still good,” he said. “Tom’s delivery was just one of those ones you can’t do much about. There is a bit of rough there for the spin. It is still a good pitch and hopefully the boys can keep going.”

Australia are likely to be without captain Michael Clarke for their first ODI against Zimbabwe after he suffered a hamstring injury at training in Harare on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2014Australia are likely to be without captain Michael Clarke for their first ODI against Zimbabwe after he suffered a hamstring injury at training in Harare on Friday.Clarke experienced pain in his left hamstring while warming up for the team’s first practice session ahead of the tri-series and after having treatment in the dressing room, he took no further part in training.Australia’s first match is against Zimbabwe on Monday, leaving Clarke little time to recover if he was to take his place in the side. Vice-captain George Bailey will lead the side if Clarke is ruled out.”We will monitor his condition closely over the next 24 hours to see how he responds to further treatment before making a decision on his management,” David Beakley, the team physiotherapist, said.Australia’s heavy schedule over the next few months means they would appear unlikely to take any risks with Clarke. It could also guarantee a place in the side for Phillip Hughes, who was a late inclusion in the squad as a replacement for the injured Shane Watson.Hughes enters the series in remarkable form after scoring a pair of double-centuries against South Africa A, but coach Darren Lehmann said before the team departed that he was no certainty to be part of the XI for the first match.However, if Clarke misses out, Australia’s selectors would have to bring in Hughes due to the dearth of batsmen in the squad. Without Clarke, Australia’s batting line-up in Zimbabwe comprises Hughes, Aaron Finch, Bailey, Steven Smith, wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin and allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh.

Former Surrey coach and England middle-order batsman Chris Adams has been appointed as a consultant for Sri Lanka for their upcoming tour of England

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2014Former Surrey coach Chris Adams has been appointed as a consultant for Sri Lanka for their upcoming tour of England. SLC had conducted a search for a coach with English experience since losing Paul Farbrace’s services last week, and have settled on Adams, who played 331 first-class matches, scoring 48 hundreds, in addition to his five Tests and five ODIs.The appointment was made on the recommendation of a three-man panel comprising chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, head of coaching Jerome Jayaratne and chairman of the cricket committee Ranjit Fernando – the same trio that had also recommended Marvan Atapattu be appointed interim coach.Both the consultant and interim coach appointments were rubber-stamped by the SLC executive committee on Monday, an official release said. Ruwan Kalpage’s interim role as assistant coach was also confirmed until the end of South Africa’s July tour of Sri Lanka.”Chris can give us lot of tactical input as to how the wickets will play and more importantly on the opposition players,” Jayasuriya told . “He has been in the English system for quite a long time and he can offer us lot of things throughout the tour.”Guys like Marvan, Ruwan and Chaminda Vaas, who are in our coaching staff will benefit by his presence. Vaasy is a guy who has lot of experience of English conditions having played numerous seasons of county cricket, and we can’t forget that too.”Adams had become Surrey coach in 2008, but a poor start to the 2013 county season following a string of mediocre results in previous years, contributed to his mid-season removal. Sri Lanka’s former coach Graham Ford eventually replaced him, after Alec Stewart had borne the coach role temporarily in 2013.One of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year in 2004, Adams had been a highly successful captain at Sussex, whom he led to their first County Championship title in 2003, then again in 2006 and 2007, as well as to limited-overs titles. Known for his bruising strokeplay, Adams had hit 19,535 first-class runs at 38.68.He will be hoping to help Sri Lanka outwit an England side coached by Peter Moores who Adams formed a strong partnership with at Sussex as captain and coach. Moores, subsequently also a Championship winner with Lancashire, was reappointed as England coach last week – having previously held that position between 2007 and 2009.Sri Lanka will hope Adams’ local knowledge, gleaned over 20 years as a player and five as a coach, will aid them in their travels, particularly in the Tests at Lords and Headingley. They play one T20I, five ODIs and two Tests against England, starting on May 22.

A round-up of IPL-related news on May 5, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2014Kolkata Knight Riders coach Trevor Bayliss has said Robin Uthappa will stay at the top of the order for his team, at least “at this stage” of the tournament. Knight Riders have been constantly shuffling their openers, using Jacques Kallis, Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey, Manvinder Bisla and Robin Uthappa in the role, without too much success. In their previous game, against Chennai Super Kings, Uthappa opened and was top-scorer with 47 off 38.Bayliss said Kallis and Gambhir’s patchy form contributed to the uncertainty at the top: “We started off this IPL season with a plan in place that Jacques Kallis will open the batting with Gautam,” he said. “Robin was given the role of batting in the middle order and getting us home. But the top order, and especially the opening pair, has been our weakness and we decided to promote Robin up the order in the last game as he has a lot of experience of opening the batting. He performed quite well, and at this stage, he will stay there.”Orthodoxy is over-rated – Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen is set to open a cricket academy in Dubai later this year, but don’t expect his coaches to be consumed with tinkering with the kids’ footwork and other nitty gritty. Speaking to the , Petersen said the academy would not “over-emphasise on technique”. “Orthodoxy is over-rated, definitely,” Pietersen said. “Sure, you must have a solid defence, but I think a lot of coaches over-emphasise on technique.”My academy is going to be different. It’s going to be based on the way a kid plays when he comes in. I’m not going to change his game. I want to coach individuals with unique talent to fulfill that talent, and not try to change anybody or teach him how his foot must be in line with the ball. But there are a few key things to batting which are really important, in terms of the head and not really your foot movement, which I think I want to drill into the kids. But it’s not going to be technique-based coaching, but more about discovering your inner style of play.”Hard for Anderson to fire under circumstances – Doull
Mumbai Indians have a penchant for going all out to secure the services of the player who is the flavor of the season at IPL auctions. This year, it was New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson, fresh from breaking the long-standing record for the fastest ODI century. The franchise bought him for Rs 4.5 crore (US$ 750,000 approx), but he is yet to deliver a winning hand for them, having got into the 30s only twice in six games this season (he did win a surprise Man-of-the-Match award in his previous game, though, for scoring 35 off 25 and taking 1 for 17 in two overs).Former New Zealand pacer, Simon Doull, said it’s not surprising he has not delivered, given the enormous pressure on him. “It was always going to be hard for Corey to fire in his first IPL, as Mumbai Indians paid a lot of money for him, which added the pressure on him,” Doull said.Daredevils trip squad
Delhi Daredevils have reportedly trimmed their squad of 23 down to 20, sending domestic uncapped players Jayant Yadav, Milind Kumar and HS Sharath home. “Milind, Sharath and Jayant have gone home for the time being. If they are required they would be called back by the franchise,” an IPL source reportedly told .

Charith Jayampathi spearheaded Sinhalese Sports Club’s defence of a formidable total against Nondescripts Cricket Club to secure the Premier Limited Over Tournament title

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2013
ScorecardCharith Jayampathi finished with 4 for 49•ESPNcricinfo LtdCharith Jayampathi spearheaded Sinhalese Sports Club’s (SSC) defence of a formidable total against Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC), taking four wickets to secure the Premier Limited Over Tournament title at the Premadasa Stadium.Defending 278, Jayampathi knocked over NCC’s openers inside seven overs, and then dismissed Sandun Weerakkudy to reduce them to 44 for 3. Jehan Mubarak steadied the chase with a half-century but he was run-out soon after the debutant Lahiru Udara was dismissed for 42, leaving NCC on 128 for 5. The lower order could not stage a fightback and NCC were dismissed for 224 in 45.1 overs. Jayampathi finished with figures of 4 for 49 in 10 overs.SSC’s match-winning total of 278 for 9 had been set up by a steady first-wicket stand of 69 and Chamara Kapugedera’s 70 from No. 4. Debutant opener Vishva Wijeratne was the second highest contributor with 49. SSC, however, had slipped to 224 for 6 in the 44th over – when Kaushal Lokuarachchi was out obstructing the field – before Dhammika Prasad’s 26 off 22 balls provided a brisk finish.

Doug Bollinger and Josh Hazlewood gave New South Wales the perfect start in their push to earn hosting rights for the Sheffield Shield final, skittling Western Australia for 82 on the first day of their match in Canberra

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2014
ScorecardShaun Marsh finished the Test tour of South Africa with a pair of ducks and has added another in the Sheffield Shield (file photo)•Getty ImagesDoug Bollinger and Josh Hazlewood gave New South Wales the perfect start in their push to earn hosting rights for the Sheffield Shield final, skittling Western Australia for 82 on the first day of their match in Canberra. At stumps, the Blues had already taken first-innings points and were 4 for 127, leading by 45 runs with Kurtis Patterson on 18 and Peter Nevill on 6.New South Wales and Western Australia both entered this final round of matches on 26 points, along with South Australia, meaning that victory in this game would guarantee a place in the decider and possibly the home advantage. Because the SCG will be unavailable for the Shield final due to a Major League Baseball game, New South Wales have nominated Manuka Oval as their alternative venue and they certainly began well there in this match.Western Australia chose to bat but captain Adam Voges might have quickly regretted his decision as Hazlewood and Bollinger reduced the Warriors to 5 for 15 in the eighth over. The return of Shaun Marsh from Test duty in South Africa did not help Western Australia as he was bowled for a second-ball duck by Bollinger, meaning that since the Centurion Test, in which he scored a century, he has now made three successive ducks.Nathan Lyon chipped in with two wickets and only two batsmen reached double figures for Western Australia, Ashton Turner with 25 and Jason Behrendorff, who finished unbeaten on 15 after Bollinger and Hazlewood wrapped up the tail to end up with four wickets each. In reply, New South Wales passed Western Australia’s total two wickets down, with Steven Smith top scoring with 48.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan was picked for the final T20 against South Africa in Dubai despite carrying niggles, ESPNcricinfo has learned

Umar Farooq07-Dec-2013Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan was picked for the final T20 against South Africa in Dubai despite carrying niggles, ESPNcricinfo has learned. He was to be rested for that game, but ended up injuring his hip and is now likely to miss the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE. The PCB responded quickly by sidelining the team doctor and local trainer and recruiting a foreign physiotherapist to deal with fitness issues.Pakistan had been without a professional physiotherapist since June, after Faisal Hayat left to work in a hospital in Dubai. Since then the PCB had a doctor and a trainer with the team. ESPNcricinfo understands the doctor wanted to rest Irfan for the T20s against South Africa in the UAE, but the team management led by former wicketkeeper Moin Khan wanted Irfan to play because Junaid Khan was not fit. The spinner Abdur Rehman was available for selection but he was not chosen.Irfan’s fitness has been a talking point since he made his debut in 2010 and he played his longest international streak in the UAE. He bowled 65.5 overs in two Tests against South Africa and 13 overs in a game against UAE. Irfan played all five ODIs, bowling 48 overs, and it is understood that he needed adequate time off. In the first T20, Irfan was able to bowl only two overs, and in the second he bowled 1.4 before having to go off the field with a hip injury. Irfan had been rested from the Tests in Zimbabwe in August and was picked only for the limited-overs series, before making a comeback to all formats against South Africa in the UAE.Pakistan suffered several injuries in 2013, with Taufeeq Umar and Harris Sohail returning from South Africa at the start of the year. Umar Gul missed the Champions Trophy with a knee injury and is yet to make a comeback. Allrounder Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq suffered injuries during the South Africa series in the UAE. However, they travelled to South Africa for the series in November but had to return to Pakistan after failing to recover.

On a challenging track in Lahli, the match between the Haryana and Punjab seems to be heading for an exciting finish after the hosts finished the second day 96 runs ahead in their second innings

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2013
ScorecardSanjay Budhwar picked up four wickets•ESPNcricinfo LtdOn a green track at Lahli, the match between hosts Haryana and Punjab seems set for a close finish. At the end of the second day, Haryana have a 96-run lead but are also five wickets down and the Punjab pacers, particularly, Sandeep Sharma and VRV Singh will be looking to knock the side over quickly on the third morning.No one team could claim the honours on the second day. Punjab began at 50 for 3 but lost overnight batsmen Sandeep and Uday Kaul off consecutive deliveries to pacer Sanjay Budhwar. Taruwar Kohli followed suit with only 11 runs added to the scoreboard.A doughty 86-run stand between Mayank Sidhana and Gurkeerat Singh rescued the innings and, more importantly, helped them take a small lead over Haryana. Gurkeerat raised his maiden first-class fifty, scoring 51 off 48 balls with eight fours, while Sidhana collected a 91-ball 43 with seven fours. Once Gurkeerat fell, however, the Haryana pacers wrapped up the last four wickets for 10 runs and Punjab were dismissed for 184, a lead of 21 runs. Seamer Harshal Patel picked up three of the last four wickets to finish with 4 for 60 and Budhwar also finished with a four-wicket haul.Haryana’s batsmen once again found themselves struggling against Sandeep as the pacer quickly dismissed Abhimanyu Khod and Rahul Dalal. Avi Barot was on his way to a second fifty in the match and was involved in a promising stand with Nitin Saini before Sandeep struck again, dismissing him for 31. VRV Singh added another blow to Haryana, dismissing Saini for 25. By close of play, Sachin Rana and Amit Mishra had added 31 for the sixth wicket. The pair carry the hopes of a Haryana line-up that will be looking to set a challenging target as they seek their second win.

Gordon Greenidge, the West Indies batting legend, has thrown his support behind the Twenty20 version of the game

Renaldo Matadeen07-Aug-2013Gordon Greenidge, the former West Indies opener, has thrown his weight behind the Twenty20 version of the game. Greenidge believes that unfair criticism is sometimes harshly levelled at this format but reaffirmed his belief that more pros exist than cons.”T20 is unpredictable,” Greenidge said. “A lot of players, past and present, have differing views on the matter, and it’s at times a touchy subject, but you have to look at the potential that exists.”One tournament, such as the past Stanford T20 can make a player a star, as it did with so many regional players – [Kieron] Pollard, [Chris] Gayle, [Dwayne] Bravo and Sunil Narine. This format does contribute to the holistic grooming of the modern cricketer, particularly the young ones. Remember, this is just one format of the game. Look at how far the IPL has come and what it’s done as a model for cricket.”Greenidge said that T20s, with balanced schedules by cricketing boards, should not be considered a threat to Tests and one-dayers in the contemporary game. He believes that the dynamic pressures involved in a T20 actually breeds critical thinkers and strategic tacticians, which would only benefit a player’s development. “You’re always rethinking strategies and you have to compete as hard as you can in this version of the game,” he said. “Ball by ball, it constantly evolves as you’ve got only 20 overs to tinker with.”Currently coaching the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League, he continued to profess that T20s were an organic evolution of the game. “It’s a dynamic team situation, when it comes to picking rosters, drafts and franchises. There’s enormous planning on and off the field and when things can swing so quickly on the grass, you’re always on the go. It’s touch and go because one over can literally decide a game, which more so applies in T20s than elsewhere. Small scores can be defended and you can ill-afford to dwell on spilled milk when things go awry. Condensing cricket into 20 overs elicits new ways of thinking.”He referred to the financial stability to be achieved and added that lucrative opportunities could be bigger assets to young players than first envisioned. Greenidge said that high-pressure atmospheres, festive crowds and the fast pace of T20s would strengthen players’ bravery and reduce their tendency to make mistakes. “Players in this format need to adapt quickly and are well adjusted, which translates better in the Test and ODI format. The transition to these longer formats would require shifting techniques but again, T20s would teach you patience and composure in such a small space of time per match. You hone and refine these tools further in the long formats.”A key component of T20s is the opportunity for young, inexperienced or regional players to rub shoulders in the dressing room with the seasoned veterans of the game, he pointed out. “Players can gain knowledge and insight from the likes of Pollard, Ricky Ponting and Muttiah Muralitharan. They may never have got the chance to get such pointers if it weren’t for T20 cricket. It’s a mix and over in the IPL, we see great exposure and coalitions of players from all over the world. The Caribbean’s just building on that unity and cultivating the same cricketing harmony.”Greenidge pointed to factors such as willing sponsors, efficient marketing plans and advertising strategies that were now spreading the sport on a global scale.”T20s can show the world how a cricketing star can be made overnight. This is a game of enormous self-confidence. The turnover’s quicker and it encourages innovative stroke-playing, which isn’t as rash as people hint at. I like that when it comes to losing here, there’s no excuse. One year you may have a strong team and the next, not so much. T20 helps build exceptional crowd excitement and we know that filling stands is a big part of the game. T20’s here to be a mainstay and I love seeing players consistently challenged in the matches, and uninhibited.”