Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before Pakistan start winning matches

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Dambulla21-Jun-2010Pakistan may have gone through turmoil in recent months, and suffered a league-stage exit in the Asia Cup, but coach Waqar Younis has said it will only be a matter of time before they start winning matches. Pakistan ended their campaign in Sri Lanka with a 139-run win against Bangladesh in Dambulla, after losing to the hosts and India.”We are very close to being winners,” Waqar said. “We didn’t do badly in the T20 World Cup and even in this tournament. It’s just that one extra step you need to take and start winning the games. I think it will come very soon. We got heaps of cricket after this. I think by the time we finish the England tour, or start the South African tour, we will start winning and we will look good. We still look a good side at the moment and these youngsters need a bit more time.”In the subcontinent and Asia, I know it gets very frustrating very quickly when you are not winning. But now I feel like they look like one team. They look to win but it’s not coming as we have seen in the recent past. But soon it will come.”Waqar said that he was happy with Pakistan’s performance against Bangladesh and with their performance in the Asia Cup. “We are in a rebuilding process, with a couple of youngsters in our side. It’s a great learning curve for them. We didn’t qualify [for the final] but I know the boys performed extremely well. They batted well, bowled well and what they are missing on the field will come with experience.”He also praised the captaincy of Shahid Afridi and his contribution to the team. Afridi scored two centuries in three matches – against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and signed off with a scorching 124 off 60 balls. “You always need your captain to be performing and the captain to be in form. Afridi played a superb knock. It’s superb that he has scored runs and taken wickets that will really help the future of Pakistan cricket.””Once we start winning it will be a different story. The wins are not coming but Afridi has got it in him. If the captain can go and play this sort of knock that shows that he’s got the leadership qualities. It’s just that a little bit more experience will do him a world of good.”Waqar was also pleased with the way Shoaib Akhtar was shaping up after returning to the national side following a lengthy absence. “Shoaib is still a little rusty and he needs more bowling. We are ready to give it to him in the mode of one-dayers and T20s,” he said. “We’ll go about him gradually and slowly. He bowled well in this tournament, quite fast and he’s become a very intelligent bowler. I think he will come good in the near future.”

Glamorgan’s County Championship promotion charge gathered momentum as they
beat neighbours and arch-rivals Gloucestershire by 176 runs inside three days at
Cheltenham

01-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Glamorgan’s County Championship promotion charge gathered momentum as they
beat neighbours and arch-rivals Gloucestershire by 176 runs inside three days at
Cheltenham.Set a notional 345 to win, the home side were shot out for 168 in their second
innings, undone by an inspired spell of swing bowling from England A star James
Harris and a first-ever hat-trick from veteran spinner Robert Croft.The youngest player to be capped by the Welsh county, 20-year-old Harris ripped
through Gloucestershire’s top order in a burst of 3 for 5 in 25 balls as
Glamorgan accrued 20 points to move above Northamptonshire and into second place
in Division Two behind Sussex.Gloucestershire must be sick of the sight of the Moriston-born bowler, who
claimed 12 wickets in only his second first-class match to send the English
neighbours tumbling to defeat in a match at Bristol in 2007. Croft erased the tail in one fell swoop, in the process becoming the first Glamorgan spinner to claim a hat-trick since Don Sheppard achieved the feat against Hampshire at Swansea in 1964. He finished with impressive figures of 4 for 20 in 6.3 overs.This defeat leaves Gloucestershire trailing behind in fourth place in the table
and still searching for their first Championship win at the Cheltenham Festival
since Sussex were defeated at the College Ground in 2001. Upwardly-mobile Glamorgan were always in the ascendancy once wicketkeeper Mark Wallace had registered his ninth first-class century to propel the visitors to 371 in their second innings.Gloucestershire’s top-order batting has been their Achilles heel throughout the
season and so it proved on this occasion, a solid start evaporating in the space
of 50 balls after lunch, during which time the home side lurched from 51 without
loss to 60 for 5.Just as he did in the first innings, Will Porterfield played himself in,
scoring a breezy 41, only to fall to a loose shot, the Irishman wafting outside
off-stump and being caught at first slip via a thick edge to gift Harris a
breakthrough.Having offered stubborn resistance in scratching 10 runs from 51 balls, Jon
Batty was put out of his misery by a Harris inswinger that clattered into his
stumps via an inside edge. Hamish Marshall departed in the next over, caught at
the wicket as Huw Waters got in on the act.Harris then trapped Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman in his crease, while
Waters, breathing fire from the College Lawn end, swung one into James Franklin,
who became the game’s 16th lbw victim. Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple then turned to his spinners to press home his team’s advantage and England Under-19 left-hander Chris Dent succumbed to temptation, giving Croft the charge and being comprehensively stumped as
Gloucestershire slipped to 94 for 6.Waters returned after tea to have Jon Lewis held at second slip for 24 and
Croft engineered a premature end to proceedings, removing Vikram Banerjee,
Gemaal Hussain and Steve Kirby with consecutive deliveries from the College Lawn
end.Earlier in the day Glamorgan had added a further 88 in 21 overs during the
morning session to establish a lead of match-winning proportions. Having contributed an innings-reviving 72 on the first day, Wallace again proved a thorn in Gloucestershire sides, realising three figures from 116 balls, with 13 fours and a six. He eventually fell to the second new ball for 113 -to give the impressive Hussain figures of 3 for 60.

Two late wickets for Stuart Meaker gave Surrey an outside chance of toppling second division leaders Sussex with a day to go of their County Championship tussle at Guildford

11-Aug-2010

ScorecardYasir Arafat removed Mark Ramprakash on his way to a five-wicket haul•PA Photos

Two late wickets for Stuart Meaker gave Surrey an outside chance of toppling second division leaders Sussex with a day to go of their County Championship tussle at Guildford. Trailing by 75 on first innings, Sussex openers Chris Nash and Ed Joyce had knocked 38 off their arrears without too much trouble when Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown brought on Meaker in the eighth over.In his second over he trapped Nash leg before with a nip-backer and three balls later a delivery that was full and straight proved too good for nightwatchman Monty Panesar, who collected his sixth duck in his last 15 Championship innings. Sussex closed on 39 for 2 but, with a day to go and the pitch showing little sign of wear after a second-day washout, a draw still seems the likely outcome.Earlier, Sussex’s overseas bowler Yasir Arafat had taken 5 for 81 – his best figures for the county for more than four years. The Pakistani picked up the key wickets of Mark Ramprakash (21) and skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown (22) before lunch and then returned after tea with the second new ball to sweep away Surrey’s tail.It was a good morning for the leaders, who picked up four wickets. Corey Collymore ended a first-wicket stand of 67 when Arun Harinath gloved his lifter to gully and Will Adkin claimed his maiden first-class victim when Tom Lancefield drove loosely and was also taken in the gully.
Ramprakash had looked well set until he played on and Hamilton-Brown hooked to midwicket but Surrey rallied after lunch during a stand of 89 in 26 overs between Steven Davies and Stewart Walters.Davies rode his luck and was dropped on 15 and 23 but his aggressive strokeplay forced Sussex onto the defensive until he was leg before to Panesar’s arm ball, which he was trying to work into the leg side. His 62 was his eighth half-century of the season and took him to within 16 of 1,000 first-class runs for the summer.Panesar also picked up Walters for 45 when he drove loosely to mid-on but Chris Tremlett hit straight sixes off both Panesar and offspinner Ollie Rayner before Arafat returned and dragged Sussex back into contention with three wickets in as many overs. Gareth Batty (19) mistimed a hook to deep midwicket while Rayner snapped up Tremlett (28) and Jade Dernbach (nought) with low catches at second slip.

Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, has said that Mark Boucher needs to do more in order to reclaim his place in South Africa’s limited-overs squads

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2010Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, has said that Mark Boucher needs to do more in order to reclaim his place in South Africa’s limited-overs squads. Boucher, who continues to keep wicket in Tests, was omitted from the ODI and Twenty20 squads for the home series against Zimbabwe and the tour of the UAE.”I spoke to him [Boucher] about certain aspects of his game that need to improve,” van Zyl told . “He is thoroughly aware of the reasons [for the omission].” Boucher will be playing for the Warriors in the domestic MTN40 series and van Zyl said it was an opportunity for Boucher to prove himself. In his last 10 ODI innings Boucher, 33, averaged 21.87 with a high score of 31 not out.South Africa had used AB de Villiers as wicketkeeper during the limited-overs leg of their tour of the West Indies in May as they sought to fine tune their team combination ahead of the 2011 World cup. He will keep wicket once again during the ODIs against Zimbabwe and Pakistan, while Heino Kuhn, the Titans wicketkeeper, will be used for the Twenty20s against Zimbabwe.van Zyl also said that Herschelle Gibbs, 36, who last played for South Africa during the ODI series against India in February, could still make his way back into the ODI squad. Gibbs is scheduled to play Twenty20 cricket in Australia and New Zealand and van Zyl said his recall would depend on his form and whether South Africa needed a batsman like him in their ODI squad.The first ODI between South Africa and Zimbabwe is on October 15 in Bloemfontein. The ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan begins on October 29 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Round-up of the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Yousuf led Lahore Lions into the final with a breezy half-century that helped his side overhaul Islamabad Leopards’ 132 with six wickets to spare in Lahore.Yousuf came in when Azhar Mahmood had struck twice in his first over to reduce Lahore to 18 for 2. Nasir Jamshed was the first to depart, driving Mahmood uppishly straight to cover after having hammered him for 12 runs in three deliveries. Mahmood then struck a huge blow off his next ball, bowling Umar Akmal off the inside edge.However, Yousuf and opener Ahmed Shehzad shut Islamabad out of the game with a 103-run stand that came in 13.1 overs. Yousuf played some pleasing drives down the ground and through the covers. He was also quick to cut anything short outside off, and even reverse-swept left-arm spinner Imad Wasim for a couple of fours. Shehzad was not too far behind, rotating the strike efficiently and hitting some huge sixes over long-on.Islamabad did not help themselves, Zeeshan dropping Yousuf at long-off when he was on 44. With 12 needed from 30 deliveries, Mahmood struck twice again, in his last over, getting both Shehzad and Abdul Razzaq caught at short fine leg. But it was too little, too late for Islamabad, as Yousuf finished the game in style, pulling Iftikhar Anjum over deep midwicket for six. He was the Player of the Match for his unbeaten 57 off 48 balls.Islamabad had earlier begun poorly, losing Raheel Majeed in the opening over bowled by Razzaq. Fayyaz Ahmed steadied the innings with a patient half-century, benefitting from two early dropped chances when on 0 and 13.At 98 for 3 with five overs to go, Islamabad were eyeing a score in the region of 150. However, the Lahore bowlers kept things tight, picking up five wickets to keep them down to 132. Wahab Riaz took two wickets off the last two deliveries of the innings to end with 3 for 26.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
In a high-scoring second semi-final, Karachi Dolphins chased down a huge target with ease, thanks to opener Shahzaib Hasan’s unbeaten 71. Rawalpindi Rams seemed all set to reach the finals after 27-year-old Babar Naeem’s maiden Twenty20 half-century powered them past 200, but Karachi’s batting proved too strong for them.There had been a couple of stoppages during the Rawalpindi innings due to mosquitoes disturbing the players. That didn’t faze the Rawalpindi batsmen, though: opener Naved Malik showed why he has a career strike-rate in excess of 180 by blasting Sohail Khan for two sixes in the second over before carting Mohammad Sami for two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries in the fifth over.He was dismissed in the seventh over after which Naeem and Umar Amin piled on 93 for the third wicket in 49 deliveries. Both of them hit two big sixes each over midwicket and midway through the 15th over had taken Rawalpindi to an ominous 157 for 2. Both fell in the space of three deliveries, and though Naved Ashraf and Hammad Azam hit out, only 52 runs came in the final six overs.Still, it was a stiff target and though Shahzaib hit a six in each of the first two overs, Karachi lost two wickets by the fifth. Shahzaib’s innings was crucial and earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, but there were two thirties – from Fawad Alam and Shahid Afridi – that were equally important.It was Alam’s three boundaries off Azam in the sixth over – costing 21 runs – that re-ignited the chase. He made 31 off 15 to keep Karachi in the hunt before Afridi played a typical Afridi innings: his first three shots fetched him 2, 4 and 6, and he hammered Babar for three sixes over midwicket off the first three balls of the 12th over before falling attempting another big hit.There were few troubles after that as Afridi’s effort had brought the required rate to a manageable 8.5 and Karachi sailed to victory, hastened by a couple of fours by Sarfraz Ahmed and a six by Shahzaib in the space of four deliveries in the 18th over from Sohail Tanvir.

Michael Clark has said his century in the second game in Visakhapatnam came as welcome relief following a disappointing performance in the Tests, where he managed just 35 runs in four innings

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2010Michael Clarke, the Australia captain for the three-ODI series in India, has said his century in the second game in Visakhapatnam came as welcome relief following a disappointing performance in the Tests, where he managed just 35 runs in four innings.”My performance in the Test series was not anywhere near what I would have liked,” Clarke said on the eve of the third and final ODI in Margao. “I am disappointed with my own personal performance. It was very satisfying to make a hundred the other night. Obviously I have been working pretty hard in the nets in batting but just could not find a way to make runs in the Tests.”Clarke made an unbeaten 111 in Australia’s five-wicket defeat in the second ODI, and added an unbeaten 129 with Cameron White, who helped smash 84 in the last five overs of his team’s innings. “I am happy to turn things around,” Clarke said. “(It’s) always wonderful to play cricket in India. To make another century here would be a great feeling. Hope I get one more century tomorrow if the game goes ahead.”The final ODI faces a rain threat and Clarke was hoping to get a game to level the series in what has, so far, been a winless tour. “It has been a tough tour. We have not got the results we would have liked, in the one one-day match as well as the Test series. We are looking forward to win the match tomorrow and draw the series. I think we have one more night in bed before our flight (home). Hope the sun comes out and we have a match tomorrow.”

Allrounder James Franklin has been called up to replace the injured Hamish Bennett for the remaining two Tests against India

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2010Allrounder James Franklin has been called up to replace the injured Hamish Bennett for the remaining two Tests against India. Bennett, who injured his groin while bowling on the first day of the Ahmedabad Test, will return to New Zealand for further testing and rehabilitation.Doubts about Jesse Ryder’s ability to bowl in the next game also factored into the selection of Franklin, as the New Zealand selectors wanted someone who could bat and bowl.”It’s an unfortunate injury for Hamish, which will see him miss the remainder of the Test series against India, Mark Greatbatch, the New Zealand coach said. “However, it does create another opportunity for James Franklin to come back into the Blackcaps squad.”Franklin showed good form with bat and ball in Zimbabwe, where he successfully led New Zealand A to a series win.”New Zealand A won two of the three unofficial Tests they played against Zimbabwe, with Franklin making 180 runs at an average of 60, with one century, and taking 10 wickets at an average of 17.2. Franklin hasn’t played Test cricket for over 18 months though. His last Test came, coincidentally, against India in Wellington in April 2009. Over 26 Tests, he has made 644 runs at an average of 21.46, and taken 80 wickets at 32.65, with a best of 6 for 119.Franklin will arrive in Hyderabad on November 10, two days before the start of the second Test.

Sachin Tendulkar has singled out early acclimatisation to the South African weather as key to India’s performance on the tour, ahead of the first Test in Centurion on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2010Sachin Tendulkar has singled out early acclimatisation to the South African weather as key to India’s performance on the tour, ahead of the first Test in Centurion on Thursday.”For me, one thing is very important and that is to get acclimatised to local weather conditions,” Tendulkar told . “Preparations have been spot on and the lengthy practice session has given us that opportunity (to get acclimatised). We have had good net sessions under the guidance of coach Gary (Kirsten).”The high-altitude conditions around Johannesburg – Centurion is about an hour’s drive away – posed a challenge, Tendulkar said. “While playing in Johannesburg you have to be extra-careful. It is a high-altitude area, so supply of oxygen is a bit of a problem.”When the tour starts and we step on the cricket field for the first time, we normally start running. While completing the first lap, one can easily feel that the body is not getting enough oxygen. Once you get used to those conditions there is no problem.”Adaptability to the quicker pitches was as much a test for the hosts as it was for India, Tendulkar said. “In South Africa, players and critics always talk about getting used to the pace and bounce of wickets here. For them, this is going to be the start of the season, so wickets are going to be a lot fresher.”

When strong winds and storm clouds forced the players off SuperSport Park late on the fourth day, South Africa were on the verge of winning a Test they had dominated entirely

The Bulletin by George Binoy19-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sachin Tendulkar celebrated century No. 50 but India ended the day on the verge of defeat•Associated Press

When strong winds and storm clouds forced the players off SuperSport Park late on the fourth day, South Africa were on the verge of winning a Test they had dominated entirely. That they hadn’t won by an innings already, and would spend the night hoping the foul weather vanishes in time to take two wickets, was because Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test century in trying circumstances and, with MS Dhoni, forged a counterattacking 172-run partnership that took India to within 30 runs of wiping out the monstrous 484-run deficit.South Africa had taken such a significant stride towards victory by scalping four wickets during the first session that it seemed as though their 1-0 series lead would be secure before tea. However, they faced resistance: first from Tendulkar, whose concentration did not waver as his middle-order mates departed meekly, and then from Dhoni, whose belligerent approach brought rewards thanks to a sparsely-populated outfield. South Africa did not take a wicket between lunch and tea. India made 117.Tendulkar and Dhoni continued to blunt a tiring attack during the final session and whittled the deficit below 100. It needed Dale Steyn – supremely fit, aggressive, and pumped up for one last burst – to bowl a bouncer that rose steeply and seamed towards Dhoni, dismissing him for 90 – an innings that began the fightback. Steyn screamed in angry celebration as Dhoni failed to sway out of the way and Mark Boucher dived to his right to catch the edge. India were 449 for 7 and the dream of saving the Test was over. Harbhajan Singh nicked to slip soon after and Tendulkar, watching unbeaten from the other end as Jacques Kallis roared uncharacteristically after taking the catch, knew that he would need substantial help from the weather to help India escape.There was little hope of a jailbreak when Dhoni joined Tendulkar right after lunch with India on 277 for 6, trailing by 207. The desperateness of the situation allowed Dhoni to play aggressively and he did so, driving Lonwabo Tsotsobe past mid-off and through cover in the 79th over of the innings. Seeking a quick end, Smith gave the second new ball to Steyn and Morne Morkel, urging them to take the wicket that would expose India’s tail. It did not happen. Tendulkar was calmness and good judgment personified, while Dhoni attacked, sometimes merely pushing the ball with enviable timing through the off side, sometimes lashing drives and cuts with a high back-lift and fierce follow-through. Both approaches yielded boundaries, and he began to catch up with Tendulkar.Mokel leaked 13 in his second over with the new ball. Tendulkar cut him fiercely, and Dhoni pulled and drove through cover. There were a glut of boundaries in the first hour after lunch, three of which Dhoni took off consecutive deliveries from Kallis, leaving the bowler muttering to himself at the end of the over.Paul Harris got the odd ball to jump, turn and trouble Tendulkar, but he was largely ineffective, considering he was operating on a fourth-day surface. As the deficit decreased, Dhoni tempered his aggression while Tendulkar continued batting resolutely, his cutting and driving off the back foot being the standout features of his innings.Tendulkar resumed after tea on 80, his fluency uninterrupted, and flicked and steered Morkel for boundaries to accelerate towards his milestone. South Africa attempted to delay the century by deploying boundary-riders. Out of the blue, Tendulkar charged Harris, lofting cleanly over mid-off to steam into the nineties. He played the paddle sweep, mis-timed another charge against Harris, and was nearly involved in a disastrous mix-up with Dhoni, before punching Steyn through cover point to become the only batsman with 50 Test centuries.At Old Trafford in 1990, Tendulkar’s first Test hundred was made in adversity and it helped India avoid defeat. His 50th, like his first and so many others, was also an attempt at saving the match. His celebrations were not extravagant because India were still struggling.As the light grew dimmer and the clouds darker, South Africa needed inspiration to end India’s resistance and Steyn provided it. During the spell in which he dismissed Dhoni, Steyn hit speeds of 145kph, smacking Tendulkar on the gloves and thudding a bouncer into his shoulder. He raised South Africa’s intensity levels single-handedly.Before India began to fight, however, they had lost four wickets in quick time, the last of which was Suresh Raina, brittle as ever, hanging his bat outside off stump in the final over before lunch to edge Kallis to slip. His dismissal was the perfect end to the session for South Africa, who had performed with patience. Dravid and the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had played carefully and their partnership lasted 48 minutes, holding up South Africa. The frustration didn’t last much longer, however, as Steyn had Ishant caught at short leg.During his composed innings, Dravid went past 12,000 Test runs but India needed much more from him than 43. Morkel accounted for him with one that was angled in and then seamed away, and grazed the outside edge of Dravid’s tentative push. Laxman wasn’t comfortable against pace, either, and eventually edged a full ball to gully, giving Tsotsobe his first wicket of the match. At that point, few would have expected South Africa to face the difficulty they did.

Ireland captain William Porterfield is confident his side repeat the 2007 heroics and progress from the group stages of the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2011Ireland captain William Porterfield is confident his side can repeat the 2007 heroics and progress from the group stages of the World Cup.England, South Africa, co-hosts India and the West Indies are favourites to qualify from Group B but captain Porterfield backs his side to spring a surprise.”I think we have a great chance of getting out of our group,” he said.
“We’ll be pretty well prepared come our first match group match (against Bangladesh) on 25 February.”Ireland faced a similarly unlikely task in their maiden World Cup four years ago before recording a memorable win on St Patrick’s Day over Pakistan to reach the Super Eights.Porterfield was part of that side and, on the eve of his team’s first warm-up game, against New Zealand in Nagpur, believes his team can do it again.”The top four out of seven get there [to the quarter-finals] and then there is the knockout stage where anything can happen. Obviously, we’ll be looking to get used to the conditions, but we were out in India before Christmas and we’ve already been together a couple of weeks.”Porterfield, who recently signed for Warwickshire after playing County cricket with Gloucestershire, ranks the current squad as better than the one which delivered the shock success in 2007.Jeremy Bray and Dave Langford-Smith have retired, while star-batsman Eoin Morgan transferred his allegiance to England, but the 2011 squad includes young talents such as Paul Stirling and George Dockrell and is boosted by the return of Ed Joyce, who played for England in the 2007 tournament.13 of the 15-man squad are professional players, significantly more than the largely amateur squad of 2007. Seven have county deals and while six more are contracted by Cricket Ireland, meaning only Nigel Jones and Andrew White hold day jobs.”That has been a big strength of the last couple of years,” added Porterfield.
“We have been able to improve our games by playing day in, day out. The professional set-up is where we’ve really moved on. We have got players who can fit any occasion we come up against and I think we have a well-balanced squad going into this tournament.”