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Officials at Cricket South Africa (CSA) do not believe their recent problems with corporate governance had any effect on them being left out of the ICC’s major tournament plans for the next decade

Firdose Moonda09-Jul-2013Officials at Cricket South Africa (CSA) do not believe the board’s recent problems with corporate governance had any bearing on them being left out of the ICC’s major tournament plans for the next decade. The problems began because of unauthorised bonuses paid to CSA staff after the 2009 IPL and Champions Trophy, which were held in South Africa, and resulted in the dismissal of chief executive Gerald Majola, for whom a permanent replacement has yet to be found.CSA’s corporate governance was exposed as severely lacking in the aftermath of the affair and the board had to be restructured after ministerial intervention. While that process is now complete, CSA is yet to appoint a new boss and ESPNcricinfo has learned the revolving door of interim suits had led to a loss of stature for CSA at higher levels.The current administration, however, denied that CSA’s state of flux had any effect on the ICC’s scheduling. “CSA enjoys a high standing with the ICC as our administration and organisation of major events has always been out of the top drawer,” Naasei Appiah, the acting chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo.South Africa is not scheduled to host a major tournament for the next decade after profiting handsomely in the past ten years. The country staged the 2003 World Cup, the inaugural World T20 in 2007 and the 2009 Champions Trophy, but have not been penciled in for any such events until at least 2023.The next two 50-over World Cups, after 2015, will be in England and India, with the two countries also due to host the Test championship in 2017 and 2021. The World T20s after Bangladesh next year will be held in India in 2016 and Australia in 2020, with South Africa hosting an Under-19 World Cup in 2020.Instead of considering itself snubbed, CSA is taking it in its stride. “We would obviously like to host more events but we have to bear in mind that we hosted three events in the previous decade, not to mention the IPL and the Champions League twice,” Appiah said. “Australia have only hosted the Women’s World Cup and the U-19 World Cup since they last hosted the World Cup in 1992, so they went through two decades without the main events. We are confident we will get our turn again in the following decade.”While CSA accepted the luck of the draw as the main reason for its exclusion, it also identified a few other reasons. Appiah mentioned the commercial interests in relation to the Test Championship, which some believed South Africa should have hosted given their sporting surfaces, turned the ICC to more established markets.”It is disappointing not to host the Test Championship but it is understandable that the ICC opted for countries that are likely to draw big crowds,” he said. “It will also make it easier to get a major sponsor.”Despite being left out of the elite club of hosts, South Africa will not lose out financially. Appiah confirmed the profit-sharing agreement with the ICC would leave CSA well-heeled as long as the ICC continued to make money. “Our share of ICC’s net profit from events is 7.5%. Thus if the ICC secures its events in countries where there are significant commercial values, CSA stands to benefit as the distributions increases.”

Matt Prior’s role extends far beyond batting and keeping. He is also the key man when England utilise the DRS in the field and as such played a huge role in their victory

George Dobell16-Jul-2013On the face of things, it might seem Matt Prior endured a modest first Test of the Investec Ashes series. England’s wicketkeeper performed ably with the gloves, but he scored only 32 runs in the match.But Prior’s role extends far beyond batting and keeping. He is also the key man when England utilise the DRS in the field and as such played a huge role in their victory.It is no exaggeration to state that use of the DRS split the sides at Trent Bridge. While Australia squandered their reviews in moments of over-excitement and emotion, England demonstrated a little more calm and utilised the reviews far more effectively.It was not just luck that resulted in England, having retained both their reviews, using one of them to clinch the final wicket of the match. It was not just luck that resulted in Australia squandering theirs so that Stuart Broad, on 37, survived a thick edge that umpire Aleem Dar failed to spot. Broad went on to make 65 and, in partnership with Ian Bell, took the game beyond Australia.The earlier decision to call for a review against Jonny Bairstow when the ball was clearly heading down the leg side suddenly appeared rather reckless. “If I had used my reviews better then I would have had an opportunity to use it when there was a howler like that,” Michael Clarke admitted afterwards.For Prior, the key to making good reviews is to take the emotion out of the moment. While he admits that there were times, when the system was first introduced, England employed it in a speculative fashion, they now have a formula which is proving far more effective. And, so much does England captain, Alastair Cook, trust Prior’s judgement on the issue that he has never overruled him.”The mentality of it is very important,” Prior said. “The biggest thing is keeping the emotion out of it and just trying to make as measured a decision as possible with what you have seen.”We have a process now where the bowler, myself and Cooky will have a chat about what we have all seen. Every now and then someone square of the wicket may have an opinion about how high did the ball hit on the pad when there’s an lbw and we go from there basically. Cook hasn’t overruled me yet, but never say never. It is a responsibility, yes, but you want to make sure you get them right.”When it first came in, players thought this was great because they thought they could burgle a wicket here and there. ‘Let’s just review it because it might be out.’ That’s not actually the point. DRS is to make sure that if a mistake has been made you have an opportunity to right it. Once you look at it you realise that with a lot of the lbws the right decision has been given. It has to be a blatantly obvious one before you actually review it.”England dismiss fresh ball-tampering claim

The ECB has dismissed claims in a section of the Australian media that any of their players were guilty of ball-tampering in the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.
While the ECB admitted that Graeme Swann used a spray to dry his hands on the final day, a spokesman said that such sprays had been in use in international cricket for the best part of a decade, there was no Law or playing regulation against them and that their use had been checked with the MCC before hand.
Fraser Stewart, the MCC Laws manager, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the ECB had contacted him on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
“The Laws state that you cannot apply anything to the ball,” Stewart said. “Clearly, however, there are any manner of products that can be put on your body – sun cream for example, or ice spray on a bruise – quite legitimately and the umpires have the authority to ensure that they are being utilised in the correct way and to act if they do not think they have been.
“It’s necessary to exercise some common sense here: if you checked in scientific conditions you might sometimes find minuscule traces of sun cream, for example, on the ball quite unintentionally and you cannot really legislate for that.”

It is interesting to contrast Prior’s attitude to that of his Australia counterpart Brad Haddin. While Haddin agreed that it was important to take the emotion out of the decision, he had a less sophisticated attitude to the process as a whole.”There’s no hidden tactic to DRS,” Haddin said. “You go on feel. If you think you can use it, use it. If not, don’t. It’s not actually a big thing, the DRS.”Haddin may need to review that attitude, because it was one of the factors that cost Australia the first Test.Despite a couple of setbacks, Prior remained adamant about the positive impact of DRS on the game. While he suggested one potential improvement – sides not losing a review if they had only been denied by an ‘umpire’s call’ verdict on DRS – he also felt the general impact on the game was overwhelmingly positive.It is worth reflecting for a moment on the possible outcomes had DRS not been in operation in this match. Would the Broad decision have been different? No. He was given not out by the on-field umpire. Would Brad Haddin have been given out to the last ball of the game? No. He was given not out by the on-field umpire. The DRS could not be blamed for either error. Even the dismissal of Jonathan Trott, perhaps the most contentious DRS moment of the Test, was more the result of human errors – both the TV umpire Marais Erasmus’ error and that of the Hot Spot operator – than a failure in the system.That Haddin decision might be the most pertinent. Had the DRS not been in operation, the match might have been decided by an error. Hot Spot and audio evidence showed an edge and Haddin later admitted he had hit it.Still, Prior did concede that the margins between success and failure could be tiny. After suggesting England utilise a review for a leg-before decision against Phil Hughes in Australia’s second innings, Prior admitted he had more than a few second thoughts before the TV umpire and Hawk-Eye eventually vindicated his judgement.”When I first saw the replay without Hawk-Eye I turned to Cooky and said ‘sorry mate’,” he said. “It just shows how these margins are so small.”Prior also confirmed, despite rumours to the contrary, that he was fully fit. “I’m absolutely fine,” he said. “My Achilles feels better than it has done for a long time.”He also added that he has faith in Steven Finn despite a disappointing display at Trent Bridge. “Everyone can have a bad day or a bad game,” Prior said. “That happens. But we expect Finny to come back stronger than ever and come steaming in bowling with good speed like we see in training. We know how good Steve is and we know he’ll be coming back fine.”While Finn was trusted to bowl only 10 of the 110.5 overs in Australia’s second innings, his Test record at Lord’s – his home ground with Middlesex – where he has taken 29 wickets in five Tests at an average of 20.65, will surely count in his favour when it comes to selection.The groundsman, Mike Hunt, said he had been given no instructions from the England camp as to what type of wicket to prepare. Certainly the pitch at Lord’s does not look as dry as that used at Trent Bridge but it will remain a bat-first wicket for whichever side wins the toss.In an attempt to retain some moisture, the groundstaff have kept a layer of grass on the pitch, which may help bowlers in the first hour of the game but, with the sun baking the outfield and several used wickets on the square, the ball will run quickly to the boundary and reverse swing is likely to play a part.

Duncan Fletcher, India’s head coach, will join India A on their tour of South Africa, where they will compete in two unofficial four-day Test matches

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2013Duncan Fletcher, India’s head coach, will tour with India A for both of their unofficial four-day Tests in South Africa. The two matches are scheduled to be played in Rustenburg between August 17 and 20, and Pretoria between August 24 and 27. India A recently won a one-day tri-series also featuring A teams from Australia and South Africa.Cheteshwar Pujara, the India A captain, was optimistic about his side’s chances ahead of the two Tests. “Winning the ODI series has given us a confidence boost going into the four-day series,” Pujara said. “We played really well throughout that series, except for a couple of close games against Australia that we lost.”South Africa A had an indifferent ODI series, finishing bottom of the table with just one win in four matches. Their captain, Justin Ontong, said it was vital that his team regrouped and moved on.”We had a disappointing ODI series but in saying that I still think we played good cricket,” Ontong said. “It was particularly hard for the bowlers on those sort of decks, but I think we took a lot of lessons from that experience.”We are in a very good space as a unit,” he said. “Our four-day disciplines are where we want them to be. We are encountering new opposition, so it is a new challenge for us, and also a new opportunity for players to put in some noteworthy performances.”Both captains expect dry, bowler-friendly conditions, a change from the placid pitches at the LC de Villiers Oval in Pretoria that produced tall totals in the one-dayers. “If it turns, it will be helpful for us because we are used to playing in turning conditions,” Pujara said. “But let’s see how it will turn out. We know conditions in South Africa normally suit the fast bowlers. We will have a better idea of our playing XI once they have trained in the conditions.”Ontong, who is better acquainted with the local wickets, said, “We know this type of wicket is different from the HPC (Pretoria) wicket. As a batsman, you are never in. The seamers and spinners are always in the game. It’s going to be a huge challenge for the batsmen to construct their innings and put on big scores. Patience is going to be the key.”

Yorkshire’s dominance of the second day at Trent Bridge will have been watched with unease at Lord’s, Hove and Chester-le-Street

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge22-Aug-2013
>ScorecardSteve Patterson, Yorkshire’s unsung pace bowler, took five wickets in a Nottinghamshire collapse at Trent Bridge•Getty ImagesYorkshire’s dominance of the second day at Trent Bridge will have been watched with unease at Lord’s, Hove and Chester-le-Street. For those who still doubted as much, it amplified the fact that they are the team to beat for anyone with title aspirations.At some point on day three, barring unexpected defiance from a Nottinghamshire side that has thus far offered little, Yorkshire will add 23 points to their total and open up a 33-point gap between themselves and Sussex, who began the week in second place.That, in turn, will put pressure on Middlesex, who may struggle to save a draw at Derby, and Durham, who will need to beat Surrey to stay in touch, given that they travel to meet the leaders at Scarborough next week without their most potent fast-bowling threat, Graham Onions.Yorkshire need six wickets to secure an innings victory in what has been a performance befitting champions-elect. They have batted and bowled better than Nottinghamshire by a considerable margin and might have been heading back to Leeds already but for Andre Adams and one of their former players, Ajmal Shahzad, delaying the follow-on.Their top-order comprehensively demolished by Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Patterson, Nottinghamshire were 65-8 and threatened with the embarrassment of their lowest all-out total since Yorkshire dismissed them for 59 here in 2010 before the two bowlers began to out bat to ball, aided by a sloppy four-over spell from Liam Plunkett.Plunkett, the former Durham and England fast bowler has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes following his winter move to Headingley but not every day can go his way. Either side of a brief downpour, he bowled four overs for 46, teeing the ball up nicely for Adams to swing the bat, at which point Shahzad decided to do likewise.Adams hit three sixes — one of them caught, but out of bounds, by Adil Rashid — in his 39 off 17 balls. Between them, they propelled Nottinghamshire to 150 all out, which was still 257 runs fewer than Yorkshire had achieved but which at least was less embarrassing.Sidebottom, who knows the terrain here as well as anyone, took the key wickets, dismissing both Alex Hales and Michael Lumb without scoring and setting a trap into which Samit Patel obligingly fell when he chipped a catch to one of two short mid-wickets, taken above his head by Phil Jaques.Patterson, as ever the unsung workhorse in the Yorkshire attack, finished with a career-best 5 for 43. With 43 wickets at 19.6, he is the county’s leading wicket-taker in the Championship.Nottinghamshire did a little better following on, although the England trio of Hales, Lumb and Patel have already been and gone. Hales, who still cannot match his one-day-form with anything resembling progress in the red-ball game, was caught behind for the second time in the day, and Lumb somewhat tamely gave Plunkett a return catch. Patel might be counted as slightly unlucky, having fallen victim to a brilliant one-handed catch, falling backwards on the boundary, by substitute fielder Richard Pyrah when he hooked Plunkett.Sidebottom accounted for Steven Mullaney with a ball that the makeshift opener played all round and needs only one more wicket to equal the career first-class aggregate of 596 achieved by his father, Arnie.If they were lame with the bat, Nottinghamshire had also performed fairly dismally with the ball in the morning, when Jonny Bairstow risked following his omission by England with a cheap dismissal here but was rewarded for his boldness.His 62 from 80 deliveries, supported manfully by Patterson with the bat, steered Yorkshire to a fourth batting point. Indeed, they were not far from snatching a fifth, which would have been no mean feat for a side invited to bat first on one of the most taxing squares in the land.

South Africa U-19s and India U-19s were victorious on the opening day of the Quadrangular tournament in Visakhapatnam

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2013Bradley Dial’s all-round display was instrumental in South Africa Under-19s securing a 17-run victory over Australia Under-19s in the first match of the Quadrangular one-day series in Visakhapatnam.Dial’s innings was the sole source of impetus for South Africa, who were 43 for 5 in the 13th over after winning the toss. Matthew Fotia, who has taken 17 wickets in his last seven matches, continued his fine form, claiming all his three wickets in the space of two overs.Dial, however, was resolute, and his 48 off 53 balls included five fours and one six. But South Africa had slipped to 119 for 9 before a last-wicket stand of 60 between No. 11 Andile Phehlukwayo, who made 39 off 38 balls, and Justin Dill took them to a fighting total. South Africa folded for 179 in 44 overs, as legspinner Tom Andrews picked up two wickets.Damien Mortimer and Jaron Morgan set up Australia’s chase with a steady opening partnership, but the introduction of spin caused multiple mini-collapses. From 40 for 0, Australia slipped to 67 for 4 as Yaseen Valli’s offbreaks fetched two wickets in successive overs. Jake Doran kept Australia’s hopes alive with a sedate 35, but once Dial removed Cameron Valante to end the 46-run partnership and then claimed Tom Andrews in the 43rd over, Australia were bowled out for 162.Deepak Hooda powered India Under-19s to 291 in their 50 overs before Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets to set up a massive 148-run win over Zimbabwe Under-19s.Hooda cut lose after a 77-run stand with Sarfaraz Khan was broken in the 45th over. India leaped from 219 for 6 to 291 as Hooda dominated a seventh-wicket stand of 72 runs with Aamir Gani, who contributed only 14. Wicketkeeper Ankush Bains and captain Vijay Zol gave India a solid start, but they wobbled primarily because of Kieran Geyle’s three for 32. Hooda’s 83 off 55 balls, however, with five fours and five sixes, transformed the innings.Zimbabwe’s chase was hampered early when Yadav dismissed the openers with only 36 on the board and their recovery efforts were foiled by the Hooda-Gani combination again. Offspinner Gani’s double-strike in the 31st over accounted for the innings top-scorer Ryan Hurl, for 46, and Luke Jongwe. With the score at 116 for 5, Hooda dismissed Charles Kwinje and later captain Malcolm Lake for 13 and Yadav returned to finish off the tail, claiming two more wickets.

Bangladesh face a difficult final two days in the Mirpur Test but Nasir Hossain was confident his team was up to the challenge

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur23-Oct-2013Bangladesh were nearly out of the contest when the sun finally made its appearance on the third evening of the Mirpur Test. By the end of the day’s play, they were behind New Zealand by 137 runs. Survival has become their only option in the two full days remaining in the match, but it is a task they have not been too successful at in the Shere Bangla National Stadium.The mind goes back to some of the recent failures when faced with survival in the second innings. It has happened at least once every year for the past six years except in 2009. But their arrival at the recurring scenario this time was due to their inability to capitalise after getting the big wicket of Ross Taylor early.The wicket of Taylor in the fourth over of the morning was half the job done, if Shakib Al Hasan’s statement from the second evening was anything to go by. They were targeting Taylor and Kane Williamson, but were blindsided by Corey Anderson’s century. New Zealand’s lower order had already showed what they are capable of in Chittagong with Trent Boult and BJ Watling putting on a big stand. This time, Watling was joined by No. 10 Ish Sodhi, and the pair have added 84 for the unbroken ninth wicket stand.On the face of it, that last partnership sapped the remaining energy from the Bangladesh bowlers who lost their rhythm. But in their assessment later on, there was plenty of confidence.”We have to bowl them out first,” Nasir Hossain said. “We have to keep them within a 160-run lead. If we then score around 300 or 350 in the second innings, we have a chance to win the Test match. If we can bat long, we can force a draw. We have two days left but because this is Test cricket, there are changes in the tone of the game every session.”Nasir also hoped that the wicket remained as good as it has played the first three days. “They have only one spinner so if the sun is out, we will be in an advantageous position. They have four seamers, so the wicket is still fresh because it has been under covers.”Pressure is quite natural, nothing comes easy at this level. We have to bat well in the second innings. We have to avoid the mistakes that we made in the first innings.”But the past doesn’t inspire such confidence. Out of the nine previous Tests at this venue, on eight occasions Bangladesh have been defeated. Their chase against West Indies last year went bust when they were bowled out for 167 chasing 245. The most irresponsible of those third or fourth innings failures was the one against West Indies in 2011.Most of the Bangladesh batsmen will have to curb their natural aggressive instincts, something that has caused their downfall in each of those eight past occasions. Nasir was buoyant about this team’s chances but no one took him seriously.When asked whether he would change his batting style in the second innings given the difficult state Bangladesh are in, Nasir countered, “How can you be sure we will even lose five wickets?” drawing laughter from the room.

A round-up of the first day’s play of Group A’s third round matches from the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Rahul Dalal struck eight fours during his 58•Sivaraman KittaA fine showing from Haryana’s top order- including fifties from Sunny Singh and Rahul Dalal- helped them to 296 for 8 against Jharkhand in Rohtak.With the exception of Nitin Saini who was dismissed for 8 in the fifth over, Haryana’s first six batsmen all scored at least 30.Sunny’s 53 included eight fours, and he added 84 for the second wicket with Abhimanyu Khod, but Haryana were quickly pegged back by two quick wickets in the 28th and 29th overs, that left them at 96 for 3.However, Dalal led the counterattack, putting up crucial stands of 71 and 54 for the fourth and fifth wickets with Avi Barot and Sachin Rana respectively. Dalal eventually departed for 58 – his second first-class half-century – having struck six fours, but Harshal Patel and Mohit Sharma continued the scoring, hitting a total of five fours and two sixes, that left the team on the verge of crossing the 300-run mark heading into day two.Shahbaz Nadeem picked up three wickets for Jharkhand, and Varun Aaron and Shankar Rao picked up two each.
ScorecardA young Gujarat attack played within its limitations to stifle and frustrate a strong Karnataka batting line-up that would be disappointed at its overall performance, given that the top order had done much of the ground work in a challenging first session.To read the full report, click here
ScorecardOn a wicket that aided pacers all throughout the day, Mumbai and Delhi both would be happy with the score at the end of the first day’s play in their Ranji Trophy Group A league tie at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra Kurla Complex facility. Or both the camps will perhaps be a tad disappointed with their efforts.To read the full report, click here
Scorecard Odisha’s slow and steady progress took them to a comfortable 226 for 3 at the end of the first day against Vidarbha as Niranjan Behera and Govind Podder scored half-centuries. Podder scored 74 after coming in at No. 4 and Behera was unbeaten on 90, getting closer to his third first-class hundred.Odisha had won the toss and elected to bat but the decision seemed erroneous initially when they lost both openers – Girjia Rout and Natraj Behera – to Amol Jungade within the space of eight deliveries, leaving them at 26 for 2. However, Niranjan Behera and Podder revived the innings with a stable and patient stand of 150 runs for the third wicket. While Podder scored his second consecutive fifty, which included nine fours and two sixes, Niranjan took much more time to score his 90 runs.The partnership was broken when left-arm pacer Shrikant Wagh had Podder caught behind at the score of 176. Niranjan and Biplab Samantray carried on till stumps by adding 50 runs together, out of which 31 were scored by Samantray.

A round-up of the One-Day Cup matches that took place on December 18, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2013Group ISeamer Azam Khan picked up seven wickets to send Peshawar Panthers on their way to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Lahore Eagles at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Lahore Eagles, choosing to bat, never really got going as Azam finished with 7 for 18 – his best figures in List A cricket – to bundle the team out for 68 in 24.2 overs. Eight of Lahore Eagles’ batsmen fell for single-digit scores, and extras were the team’s biggest source of runs, with 20.Peshawar Panthers opener Iftikhar Ahmed was dismissed for 1, but the team were always comfortable chasing a paltry total, as Israrullah and Adil Amin added an unbroken 59 for the second wicket to take the hosts home in 8.1 overs.Fakhar Zaman scored 165 and Waqar Anwar took five wickets as Karachi Zebras beat Rawalpindi Rams by 144 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Sent in to bat, Karachi Zebras lost wickets regularly but posted a massive 314 for 9 thanks to Zaman, who stuck 20 fours and five sixes in his 127-ball innings. Their second-highest scorer was No. 9 Ali Mudassar, who scored 37. Naved Malik took four wickets for the home side.In reply, Rawalpindi Rams never got going, as seamer Waqar recorded his best List A figures of 5 for 34. Muzammil Nizam made 45 and Ghulam Murtaza 51, but no one else made a significant score as they were bowled out for 170 in 38.4 overs.The match between Bahawalpur Stags and Sialkot Stallions was abandoned without a ball bowled.Group IIAn unbeaten 119 from Abdul Rehman Muzammil guided Multan Tigers to a five-wicket win over Karachi Dolphins at the National Stadium.Muzammil struck nine fours and three sixes in his 107-ball knock, and put on 87 with captain Kashif Naved for the third wicket, as Multan Tigers got to their target of 280 with seven balls remaining.After being sent in to bat, Karachi Dolphins were 43 for 3 when Saad Ali walked in. He put on 71 with Amit Ravi, 78 with Mohammad Hasan and an unbroken 87 with Faheem Ahmed, as they recovered to post an impressive 279 for 5. Saad finished unbeaten on 102 from 97 balls, with 11 fours and a six.Seamers Shehzad Azam and Hamza Nadeem shared seven wickets as Islamabad Leopards defeated Quetta Bears by 60 runs at the Diamond Club Ground. Azam finished with 4 for 10, and Nadeem took 3 for 34. They reduced Quetta bears to 13 for 5, before Abdul Rauf and Fareeduddin added 51 for the sixth-wicket to stage a minor recovery. They then slipped to 70 for 9, before Rauf put on 68 for the last wicket with Sher Hasan, who scored a 39-ball 44 before being run-out. Rauf remained unbeaten on 46.Having chosen to bat first, Islamabad Leopards began just as badly, and were 67 for 7 before wicketkeeper Salman Haider made 60 and rallied with the lower-order to push their score to 198.Fifties from Asif Ali and Hamza Zaheer helped Faisalabad Wolves chase down 238 and secure a three-wicket win over Hyderabad Hawks in Hyderabad.The pair added 98 for the fourth wicket to build on the good start provided by the openers Ammar Mahmood and Moazzam Hayat, who put on 68. Asif hit two fours and three sixes during his 56, while Zaheer’s 51 included six fours and a six. Gul Sher picked up four wickets for Hyderabad Hawks, including those of Asif and Zaheer, but Salman Ali and Naseer Akram rallied the team home with 10 balls to spare.Hyderabad Hawks, put in to bat, were buoyed by a fifty from Faisal Athar, and a 67-ball 74 from Shoaib Laghari, which took them to 237 for 9. Ikramullah, Imran Ahmed and Salman Ali picked up two wickets each for Faisalabad Wolves.

Steve Tikolo, the former Kenya allrounder, has been named Kenya’s interim head coach, replacing Robin Brown, who stood down after the side’s failure to qualify for the 2014 World Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2013Steve Tikolo, the former Kenya allrounder, has been named as Kenya’s interim head coach, replacing Robin Brown, who stood down after the side’s failure to qualify for the 2014 World Twenty20. Brown had tendered his resignation on Monday, along with team captain Collins Obuya. Rakep Patel will take over the reins of the squad.David Pamba, a Cricket Kenya administrative officer, explained the new direction the team was headed in. “Obuya has opted to step down as the team captain but will continue to offer his services as a player,” Pamba told . “Young batsman Rakep Patel has been named the new captain, as Kenya seeks to rebuild the team for the future.”Tikolo ,who had retired from international cricket following the 2011 World Cup, had been recalled by the national team in October to help them in their pursuit of a berth for the qualifying stage of the World T20. Kenya, however, did not do as well as they would have liked, finishing in 11th place.Kenya had also failed to secure a spot for the 2015 World Cup when they were beaten by Afghanistan in the World Cricket League, but they do have another chance at qualification during next month’s qualifiers in New Zealand, where the final two spots will be determined among the list of contenders.Tikolo has played 134 ODIs in which he scored 3421 runs and took 94 wickets. In 15 T20Is, he has 345 runs and 12 wickets.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the third ODI between Australia and England in Sydney

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale18-Jan-20140:00

Ehantharajah: It could be all over for England

Match FactsJanuary 19, 2014, Sydney
Start time 2.20pm (0320GMT)The Big PictureWhat more can England do? Well, perhaps not bowl half-volleys in the dying stages of a run chase, but apart from that they played as well in the Brisbane ODI as they have on this whole tour of Australia. Still, they lost. They were effectively ‘Faulknered’. It will be difficult for England not to slump after getting their hopes up only to have them dashed, but they should take confidence from the Gabba match. They scored 300, Eoin Morgan became their first century-maker since Ben Stokes in the Perth Test, Ian Bell looked in good touch until he was run out, their fielding was good – a lot went right for England. They can enter the third match in Sydney with belief, if they can convince themselves to do so. They must avoid telling themselves that the Gabba heist proves Australia are unbeatable.England were ‘Faulknered’ in Brisbane, now they must win in Sydney to keep the series alive•Getty ImagesFor Australia, this is a chance to secure the five-match series after three games. It would be the first time in five campaigns that a team followed an Ashes win with an accompanying victory in the one-dayers. The road to No.1 in the world would become that little bit shorter. Their challenge is to avoid complacency. Faulkner got them out of jail – Michael Clarke’s disbelieving smile after the match showed that he knew it. The rest of the players must not take the win for granted. England can beat them. Much of Australia’s pace bowling was off the mark in Brisbane; they need to find their line once again. And if they can extend England’s pain one more match, they will celebrate another series win in Sydney.Form guide(Completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWLLW
England LLLWLWatch out forJames Faulkner was the story in Friday’s game, but it was Glenn Maxwell who kept Australia in the hunt during the middle overs. Maxwell’s improvised reverse-sweeping, pulling and glancing made it almost impossible for Alastair Cook to stem the run flow until he tried to do too much and was caught pulling to midwicket. Maxwell’s hitting will not always come off but he is a dangerous man in Australia’s middle order.Jos Buttler has been overshadowed by team-mates in the first two ODIs but his contributions of 34 not out from 21 balls and 49 off 36 have highlighted how valuable his striking can be down the order. England’s top scorer in the win over the Prime Minister’s XI with 61, Buttler could just be building up to an innings of significance in this series, especially if he gets the chance to come in earlier in the innings at some point.Team newsShane Watson remains in resting mode, which may mean no changes are made to the batting group for this match, unless George Bailey’s groin niggle rules him out. Steve Smith has also been called up to the squad as additional cover. The move to Sydney could bring a recall for the spinner Xavier Doherty, perhaps at the expense of Nathan Coulter-Nile, although the selectors may also be interested in seeing James Pattinson return.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey / Steve Smith, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty / James Pattinson.Joe Root is the primary worry in England’s batting order but he bowled well in Brisbane and picked up two wickets in the absence of a specialist spinner. His place may be determined by whether England want to bring James Tredwell in at the expense of one of the fast bowlers. If so, they could also consider a Root-Michael Carberry switch at No.3. Stuart Broad is available again after being rested.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Michael Carberry / Joe Root, 4 Gary Ballance, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Tim Bresnan / James Tredwell.Pitch and conditionsThe two ODIs in Sydney last summer provided first-innings totals around the 220 mark. In both of those games spin took a back seat to pace. The forecast for Sunday is partly cloudy and 27C.Stats and trivia James Faulkner has played only 14 ODI innings but already has three fifties and one century and averages 53 with the bat Since his 87 in the second innings of the Adelaide Test, Joe Root has (in all formats, including tour games) scored 4, 19, 24, 15, 3, 1 and 2 Tim Bresnan needs three wickets to reach 100 in one-day internationalsQuotes”We obviously had a tough time in England. We know the pain they are feeling at the moment. We don’t feel sorry for them at all.”
James Faulkner hopes Australia can keep on top of England