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ESPNcricinfo’s Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the fourth Test between England and India at The Oval

Andrew Miller and Nagraj Gollapudi at The Oval21-Aug-2011Shot of the day

Amit Mishra walked in with a bat signed by Virender Sehwag during India’s first innings. Now, Sehwag himself had made only eight runs, faced eight deliveries and bagged a king pair in his first three innings of the series. Either way it wouldn’t have mattered to the England bowlers considering the way they have dominated the Indian batting through the series. But Mishra not only batted with gay abandon, usually a Sehwag trait, but also combined confidence with fluency to surprise the opposition. In his primary role as a legspinner he’d had a shocking time – 38-3-170-0 – but he left the Englishmen gaping when he charged Graeme Swann on the last ball before lunch, to hit the only six of the Indian innings high over long on.Catch of the day

At the MCG in December 1998, Mark Ramprakash at square leg flung himself full-stretch to his right to intercept a pull from Justin Langer, and set England on their way to a highly improbable victory. The circumstances were somewhat different this time around, but Ian Bell’s reactions were every bit as honed, as a valiant 43 from Mishra was brought to a spectacular ending. A short ball from Tim Bresnan got big on the pull, but Bell at short square leg had to watch the shot all the way off the bat, judge the miscued pace, and time his dive to perfection as the ball slapped his left palm, and nestled into his fingers as he fell to earth. A determined 87-run stand had been broken, and England’s victory bid had taken a major leap forward.Ball of the day

The shadows were lengthening and a small sense of satisfaction was spreading through the Indian camp. Despite another tough examination, they were inching towards the close with eight wickets still in hand and two of their big three in harness at the crease. But then, as so often this series, up popped James Anderson. At Trent Bridge he had produced a screamer to uproot VVS Laxman’s off stump, and though this replica delivery wasn’t quite in the same category, it proved far too good once again as it zipped off the deck and crashed into the top of off as a dazed Laxman stared forlornly down the track.Onslaught of the day

Rahul Dravid is not by nature the most demonstrative of batsmen, but whenever Swann has been in his sights in this series, he has come out with a touch of the KPs. Dravid’s handling of England’s spinner has been nothing short of masterful, and today, with 14 runs needed for his hundred, he knew what he wanted to do. From the second ball of Swann’s 20th over, he cleared his front leg and took on a brace of midwickets with a contemptuous slog-sweep. Two balls later, he rocked back on his heels and dabbed a delicious late cut through third man. Swann’s fifth ball was flicked through the gap at midwicket for another four, and he completed his surge with a dab-and-dive single to move to 99. Tim Bresnan made him wait a further four balls for the moment, but when it came, he was celebrating almost before his followthrough was complete.Milestone of the day

At half past three on Sunday, sections of the crowd rose for a standing ovation. Rahul Dravid had not reached the 150 mark. No England bowler had taken a wicket. Not even Sachin Tendulkar had made an appearance. Instead, when Dravid powerfully cut Tim Bresnan for a single, it was the first time India had managed to reach 300 runs in seven attempts this series. However, that was as good as their performance would get. The final two Indian wickets – RP Singh and Sreesanth – fell in the same over in quick succession in a span of three balls.Tempo-setter of the day

First ball of the innings, following on. Sehwag facing James Anderson. You know something is going to happen – something untoward, something exciting. And lo and behold, Sehwag goes for a powerful backfoot punch, only for a thin bottom edge to slither past the off stump and away to the rope for four. A boundary first-up is usually a sign of good times to come for Sehwag, but rarely do such strokes draws monstrous gasps from the crowd.Placard of the day

“England v Dravid, The Wall”. Self-explanatory, isn’t it?

Alan Butcher said the crucial phase in his side’s loss to Pakistan was the one between the 10th and 20th overs of the chase during which Zimbabwe scored only 30 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2011Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, has said the crucial phase in his side’s loss to Pakistan in the first ODI in Bulawayo was the one between the 10th and 20th overs of the chase, during which Zimbabwe scored only 30 runs. Zimbabwe were chasing 248 and got off to a solid start; but though they had lost only two wickets by the end of 20 overs, the asking-rate had already risen to 5.90 an over and kept climbing.”The turning point was the period between 10 and 20 overs of our chase, when we only scored 30 runs,” Butcher said. “We probably gave Mohammad Hafeez too much respect. One more run an over in that period and we’d have won before the last over.” Hafeez conceded just 38 runs in his 10 overs, bowled in one spell.With the asking-rate climbing, Tatenda Taibu and Brendan Taylor tried to score at a quicker pace, but Zimbabwe waited till the 43rd over, by which time Taibu had been dismissed, to take the batting Powerplay. They took 38 runs off it and Butcher said he was happy with their timing of it. “When Taylor and Taibu were batting together there were still a lot of overs to go. While they were there we felt we were well in touch. We were happy with when we took the Powerplay.”Though Zimbabwe fell five runs short in the chase, Butcher said there had been an improvement in their batting. “If you look back six months at the World Cup, we were struggling to get past 180 against Full Member nations [their highest score against a Full Member was 188 versus Sri Lanka]. To get 240 is progress and we’re learning how to do it against the big teams”We need to tweak a couple of things but we had two good innings today – a 70 [from Vusi Sibanda] and an 80 [from Taylor]. Vusi was a bit unlucky with the way he got out. If he had carried on it would have made a difference. He played a responsible knock.”Butcher said there were plenty of positives to take out of the game. “We did well to restrict them to less than 250 because at one stage, when Misbah-ul-haq and Younis [Khan] were in, it looked like 270 was going to be the target. When you get that close, you’re always disappointed to lose, but we can definitely take positives as there were some high-quality performances from our players.”Zimbabwe went in to the game with a different combination from the one that had beaten Bangladesh 3-2 in the ODI series in August, playing just one specialist seamer to accommodate three spinners and a longer batting line-up. Butcher said the decision was made based on the reputation the Bulawayo pitch has as a spinning surface. “I think the decision was justified when you look at the score we restricted them to. The wicket played better than we thought it would; it did not spin as much as we expected and had a little more pace. Having a longer batting line-up is something we’ve been talking about for a while.”Brian Vitori, who started his ODI career by taking two five-wicket hauls in his first two games, against Bangladesh, was left out of the XI and Butcher said it was a tactical decision. He did, however, suggest Vitori could play a role when the action shifts to Harare for the second and third ODIs, and the two Twenty20s.”Different conditions in Harare may make us think of a different attack. Vitori’s omission today was tactical but I’m sure he will play a role in Harare. We hope he plays a similar role to the one he played against Bangladesh, taking wickets up front. Pakistan have a more solid batting line-up, so it is hard to expect him to have the same impact. Against better opposition he may have to work harder.”

Mtutuzeli Nyoka has been removed as president of Crickst South Africa (CSA) for the second time this year at a special board general board meeting held in Johannesburg today

Firdose Moonda15-Oct-2011Mtutuzeli Nyoka has been voted out as president of Cricket South Africa (CSA) for the second time this year at a special board general board meeting in Johannesburg. Nyoka was removed by an “overwhelming majority” after being accused of various misdemeanours, the most serious of which was bringing the organisation into disrepute. Vice-president AK Khan will serve as acting president until August 2012, when the next elections are scheduled.

Gerald Majola v Mtutuzeli Nyoka

July 2010 – President Mtutuzeli Nyoka wants an external investigation into the payment of R4.7 million (US$671,428) in bonuses to 40 CSA staff, including chief executive Gerald Majola, after the hosting of the IPL and Champions Trophy in 2009, as they were not passed through the board’s remunerations committee.
August 2010 – CSA sets up an independent review committee to investigate the bonus payments despite Nyoka’s calls for an external inquiry.
November 2010 – The independent committee clears Majola of any wrongdoing but finds that CSA’s corporate governance procedures were to blame and in need of a revamp.
Jan 2011 – Nyoka is asked to resign by CSA for continuing to push for an external investigation and South Africa’s sports minister steps in to try and resolve the conflict.
Feb 2011 – Nyoka is voted out of office for continuing to argue for the possibility of wrongdoing within the organisation.
April 2011 – Nyoka is reinstated as president after the court finds his removal was improper. The court also criticises the reasons for Nyoka’s removal and grants him the right to subject CSA to full financial scrutiny.
May 2011 – Accounting and consultancy firm KPMG is appointed to conduct an external audit in the bonus payments.
July 2011 – The audit report, which has not been released to the public, finds that Majola may have breached the Companies’ Act on four occasions and advises CSA to seek legal advice on how to proceed.
August 2011 – CSA appoint advocate Azhar Bham to provide opinion, which is delivered to the board orally at their AGM and results in a severe reprimand for Majola. CSA also resolves to improve its corporate governance.
September 2011 – Nyoka and his lawyer are informed of the proposal to remove him on September 8, when CSA’s board met at the conclusion of their annual conference.
October 2011 – CSA votes to remove Nyoka again.

Nyoka was not present at the meeting on the grounds of poor health but sent a deposition to be read out in his absence. The CSA board decided that he “was not in a position to offer leadership,” and ousted him with immediate effect. Although they did not disclose the actual count, six of the eleven provinces had, in the past two weeks, made public their decision to support the motion. Gauteng, Free State, Easterns, Eastern Province, Boland and Western Province all issued press releases stating that would vote in favour of the motion. ESPNcricinfo learned that at least one other union would do the same. Only Northerns Cricket Union stated their objection to the motion and indicated that they would vote against it.The decision brings to an end a 16-month saga which has essentially revolved around a battle between CSA chief executive Gerald Majola, and Nyoka. Majola and 39 other staff members received a collective R4.7 million (US$ 671.428) in bonuses after the hosting of the 2009 IPL and Champions Trophy but those payments were not authorised through CSA’s remunerations committee (REMCO) and were picked up as irregularities. Nyoka had repeatedly pushed for an external audit and had already lost one vote of no-confidence and had to win a court battle to be reinstated.KPMG were eventually tasked with looking into CSA’s financial affairs and found that Majola may have breached the Companies’ Act on four counts. They recommended legal advice which resulted in a severe reprimand for Majola. However, the spat between Majola and Nyoka had not cooled, as Nyoka struggled to gain access to various documents.At the conclusion of their annual conference in September, CSA tabled a second motion of no-confidence in Nyoka. They claimed he had breached media protocol, and the Companies’ Act by taking his honorarium in advance, and that they were unhappy with the way he handled press releases. National team manager Mohammad Moosajee also penned a letter saying Nyoka’s conduct would make it difficult for Moosajee to maintain discipline in the team.Nyoka’s tenure has ended 10 months prematurely, and this time there is indication that he will not fight further. Although his lawyer, Bernard Matheson, believes his client will have reason to take CSA back to the courts if he is removed because Matheson has said the grounds are improper, Nyoka appears to have accepted his fate. CSA also do not anticipate another court battle, although Khan said the possibility of it recurring can only be confirmed by Nyoka himself.”You should direct that to Dr Nyoka,” he said at the conclusion of the special general meeting. “All I can say is that I am deeply saddened by all of this. I have never seen anyone take an organisation that they serve voluntarily to court.”CSA have also had to deal with the departure of the REMCO chief, Thandeka Mgodosu, who tended her letter of resignation on Friday. She said she could no longer work with the current board because she believes there is a lack of transparency. Khan said most of the board came to know of her resignation on Saturday morning but are confident they can move on without her.”We have very highly qualified people in positions on REMCO and nothing prevents us from acquiring expertise from outside,” Khan said. With corporate governance and the paying of external and internal bonuses through REMCO a central issue of the ongoing saga, CSA are in the process of appointing a Legal and Compliance Manager and said they are close to announcing who will occupy that post.Also imminent is the announcement of sponsors, who have been reluctant to deal with CSA until the board’s issues have been resolved. Majola confirmed that two deals have been done and will be made public this week. The ongoing T20 series against Australia was forced to be played without a sponsor and CSA gave the naming rights to a charity at no cost. It was seen as a major failing but Khan said the organisation weathered the storm well. “CSA was in a superb financial position to deal with these difficult issues. We also signed a R1.5 billion deal with broadcasters.” Khan said that CSA are willing to “go to every business partner and answer any questions they have in mind.”Transparency is the new buzz-word around CSA, but it will take some time before the public will be convinced that the organisation, and Majola, are free from blame. They hinted at releasing the finalised KPMG report after consulting as a board and obtaining permission from KMPG. Should that happen, it will go some way towards easing concerns. For now, the board has simply acknowledged that they have erred. “We have made mistakes but we love the game and we want to serve the game,” Khan said.

Greg Chappell has called for the swiftest possible introduction of a Test Championship to aid the health of the game’s longest form

Daniel Brettig24-Nov-2011Greg Chappell has called for the swiftest possible introduction of a Test Championship to aid the health of the game’s longest form. Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has said the postponement of the event from 2013 to 2017 was “not the right decision for cricket”, and Chappell argued staunchly for its benefits.”I like the concept, I’m sorry that it has been postponed because I think it is a fabulous concept and one which I would endorse and I think Test cricket would benefit from it,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo after launching his autobiography . “It is a shame it isn’t going ahead, the sooner it can happen the better, as far as I’m concerned.”It is one thing to have a ranking system, but to have a final set-up would be good for Test cricket. It elevates the brand of Test cricket and that can’t be a bad thing. I just think to have a finals series like that every four years would just heighten the interest and also make each series also meaning something extra as well.”Australia can play England in the Ashes, but if you know that the series also could be the difference between qualifying for the finals series and not would add a bit to it.”Meanwhile Ryan Harris, the Australia fast bowler, has decried the proliferation of unsatisfying two-Test match series as “pointless”, and stressed the game’s governors needed to get their priorities right.Australia’s series in South Africa produced some startling cricket, but was over too swiftly as only two matches could be played due to the inclusion of Twenty20 competitions, namely the Champions League, into the schedule. New Zealand have arrived in Australia for another series of only two matches in December. Harris added his name to the likes of Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, each critical of scheduling decisions, including the shelving of the Test Championship until 2017, as hurtful to the game.”Two-Test series, personally in my point of view, are pointless,” Harris told AAP. “If it’s 1-1 at the end of the series you walk away with an empty feeling. Three-Test series have to be a minimum, if not more. It’s crucial. I’m not sure how they do it with the amount of cricket there is – cut-backs from Twenty20 – but Test cricket is the one.”I’m not knocking Twenty20, it’s great for the game, but you have to get your priorities right. Jacques Kallis made the perfect point that if it’s going to cut series between South Africa and the big nations he doesn’t want to be a part of T20 stuff because he wants Test cricket to keep going as it is.”I’m exactly the same way. It’s hard because of timing. Champions League takes up a lot of time and IPL takes up a lot. [But] for two of the best Test cricket nations not being able to play a three-Test series is very disappointing. It was terrible.”

A round-up of the fourth day’s play of the sixth round of matches of the Ranji Trophy Elite, 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2011Group BManprit Juneja made an unbeaten 201 on Ranji debut•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Manprit Juneja became only the fourth Indian to score a double-century on first-class debut as Gujarat made an impressive reply to Tamil Nadu‘s huge first-innings score in Ahmedabad. It was not enough to deny Tamil Nadu three first-innings points but the total of 539 was Gujarat’s highest of the season. Juneja, 21, joined Amol Muzumdar, Anshuman Pandey and Gundappa Viswanath as Indian batsmen to score a double-century on debut. Juneja had played eight List A games previously and had a highest score of 64.Overnight unbeaten on 84, Juneja started the day in the company of Pratharesh Panchal, who was five short of half century on the third evening. Though Panchal reached his fifty he would soon depart on 66 and when Gujarat needed 204 more runs to avoid follow-on. It meant that the onus was now on 21-year-old Juneja and 22-year-old Jesal Karia, the last specialist batting pair. Even if Karia himself was playing only his fourth first-class mach, he showed no nerves and played aggressively. That helped Juneja settled down as he reached his maiden century by taking twelve runs of a Yo Mahesh over.He got an immediate reprieve when R Prasanna dropped him on 104 at second slip against the bowling of J Kaushik. On 170 Juneja lost Karia (72 off 74 balls) and had only the tail now for support. He carried batting without any nerves, but three short of the double-century mark a sharp outside edge against Kaushik flew straight to Prasanna, who was standing wide at second slip. But for the second time in the day he deprived Kaushik of Juneja’s wicket. A push to the midwicket brought wide smile on Juneja’s face as he leapt in the air to celebrate his landmark. He had surpassed Nari Contractor’s 152 (against Baroda in 1952-53) to become the highest scorer for Gujarat on debut.In the end Gujarat fell short by 158 runs but Tamil opted to bat the second time. The three points sealed a quarter-final berth for Tamil Nadu but the one point Gujarat got was also important as it keeps them off the bottom of the Group B table.Manoj Tiwary and No. 10 Veer Pratap Singh stuck it out on the fourth morning at Eden Gardens and took Bengal past Delhi‘s first-innings score. The three points improve Bengal’s chances of staying in the Elite division, and even keep alive slim hopes of a quarter-final berth. Delhi have finished all their matches and will not be progressing further in the season.Bengal started the day still 34 runs behind with just two wickets in hand, but Tiwary was batting on 163 not out. For company he had Veer Pratap, a 19-year-old on first-class debut. Veer Pratap managed to survive 51 balls, offering a straight bat to everything that came his way to score 15 crucial runs, while at the other end Tiwary took his score to 187. Their 43-run partnership secured three points for Bengal. Tiwary, whose nine-hour vigil put Bengal in control, was dismissed when the host took a five-run lead. Immediately Sourav Ganguly, the Bengal captain, declared the innings an hour before lunch. After that Delhi could not do much but have some batting practice. Puneet Bisht, Mithun Manhas and Yogesh Nagar signed off for the season with half-centuries.Bengal have eight points with a game in hand and have a good chance to avoid relegation if they can gain at least three points in the final Group match against Baroda. In case they manage to beat Baroda with a bonus point they could even fancy a knockout berth if the other results in the group go in their favour.But Tiwary said Bengal need to roll their sleeves and work hard if they have any ambitions of winning the Ranji Trophy. “Batsmen are getting out at the wrong time and to soft dismissals. There is also a bit of concern over the bowling because after knocking off seven-eight wickets we are struggling to dislodge the remaining few. Catching is a big issue too. So, overall, we have to do better in all three departments to play good cricket and pick up the points,” Bengal’s leading batsman told .Haryana hung on to earn a draw against Madhya Pradesh in Rohtak but three points for a first-innings lead were enough to ensure MP will be in the quarter-finals. Following on, Haryana had reached 147 for 2 by the end of the third day and started the fourth looking to bat time. They lost Sunny Singh early, but Prateek Pawar and Sachin Rana scored patient half-centuries to thwart MP’s push for an outright win. Rana scored 64 while Pawar batted for 223 balls to get 84. The pair were dismissed within five overs of each other to give MP an opening but Priyank Tehlan played an important innings of 34 off 95 balls. TP Sudhindra took two wickets in the day to give him a match-haul of 10 for 131.Group AA six-wicket haul from medium-pacer Sumit Mathur made Rajasthan the only winners in the sixth round of games, as they shot out Saurashtra for 143 and won by 229 runs in Jaipur. The victory Rajasthan’s first this season, has them eight points, staving off the fear of relegation. What more they now stand an outside chance of making the knockout stages. As soon as Aakash Chopra was trapped lbw by Jaydev Unadkat two runs short of a century, Rajasthan made up their minds for an early declaration. A target of 373 from 76 overs made it a lively final day.In the first innings, Mathur had played the supporting role while Pankaj Singh had taken five wickets. This time around, the roles reversed. As Pankaj kept things tight at one end, Mathur attacked the off stump with only two fielders on the leg side. Pankaj and Rituraj Singh took a couple of wickets early, and then Mathur ripped through the rest of the line-up to finish with 6 for 33. Saurashtra needed this win desperately. Their top order had got good starts but there was no big partnership. But with Mathur hitting the right strides, they barely got an opportunity to settle down. “I knew this was my chance to show what I’m capable of. There was a bit of help from the pitch and a lot of support from the management, especially bowling coach Meyrick Pringle,” Mathur told .A middle-order collapse, sparked by Ramesh Powar, meant Uttar Pradesh fell 102 runs short of Mumbai‘s first-innings score in Lucknow. UP had started the day on 166 for 2 and would have entertained hopes of going past Mumbai’s 414. But it was not as straightforward. Only four overs were possible in the first session due to fog but Aavishkar Salvi, in the third over of the day, induced an edge of Bhuvneshwar Kumar which wicketkeeper Sushant Marathe easily pouched. Parvinder Singh and Suresh Raina seemed to have put UP on course, with half-centuries. But Powar bowled a beauty as he pitched an off break in the rough that zipped past Parvinder’s defence to clean bowl him. Arish Alam stayed back to a fuller length delivery from Powar and was lbw. Raina, who looked at ease, was then caught short of his crease by a direct hit from Kaustubh Pawar.Suddenly UP were struggling. Piyush Chawla followed Raina two overs later, and then Powar completed the slide by dismissing Praveen Gupta. From 215 for 4, UP had slipped to 253 for 8. RP Singh made 31 gritty runs, surviving for an hour before he made the erroneous decision to sweep against the spin as the top edge went straight to Iqbal Abdula at midwicket. The UP captain’s wicket helped Powar to his 24th five-wicket haul in his first-class career. The three points confirm Mumbai’s place in the quarters while UP will have to get a result against table-toppers Karnataka in their last game.Orissa lost five wickets for 37 runs on the fourth morning against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, and consigned themselves to relegation from the Elite division. Orissa started the day favourites to take the lead, with 86 runs needed, five wickets in hand and two batsmen – Abhilash Mallick and Govind Podder, who had put on 84 runs on the third day at the crease. Unfortunately Podder added five runs to his overnight score of 39 before getting bowled by Krishnakant Upadhyay, Railways’ highest wicket-taker this season (16) and the innings disintegrated thereafter. Upadhyay struck again, Basant Mohanty was bowled by Murali Kartik and Mallick was run out soon after reaching his half-century by a direct hit from Upadhyay. The crumble meant Railways had secured three crucial points, which kept them in the hunt for the knockouts, while Orissa languished at the bottom with just two points.Punjab had the unenviable task of facing the top two teams in the table away in their final two rounds of a tightly contested group. They will be satisfied with how the first of those matches have gone, after taking three points on the basis of a first-innings lead against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The one point Karnataka earned though was enough to keep them on top of the table. They are now through to the quarter-finals. Read full report here.

The fast bowler Ryan Harris has been cleared to play for the Brisbane Heat in Tuesday’s Twenty20 Big Bash League match against the Melbourne Stars as he aims to prove his fitness for the Boxing Day Test

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2011The fast bowler Ryan Harris has been cleared to play for the Brisbane Heat in Tuesday’s Twenty20 Big Bash League match against the Melbourne Stars as he aims to prove his fitness for the Boxing Day Test. Harris, 32, has spent the past five weeks recovering from a hip injury that ruled him out of the second Test of Australia’s tour of South Africa.The uncertainty over how his body would handle five days of cricket is likely to discourage Australia’s selectors from risking Harris in the Melbourne Test against India. However, Harris wants to give himself every chance of playing, having missed Australia’s past three Tests, which gave the young fast men James Pattinson and Pat Cummins an opportunity to shine.Cummins has been ruled out of the summer due to a heel injury, and Pattinson and Peter Siddle are expected to share the new ball against India. The third seamer’s position is less clear after the left-armer Mitchell Starc struggled to grab his chances during the New Zealand series, and while Harris is a proven Test performer, his body is notoriously fragile.He has been named to play for the Heat in Tuesday’s match at the Gabba, after completing a pair of club T20 matches in Brisbane’s grade competition at the weekend. Harris took 1 for 22 and 1 for 17 in the two outings, as well as snapping up a sharp catch and effecting a run-out from the infield, but it would be a major gamble for Australia to choose him for a Test with such little preparation.Cricket Australia’s team performance manager, Pat Howard, said earlier this month that rushing Harris back would not be in the long-term interests of the side. Before he suffered his hip injury during the Cape Town Test, Harris battled a hamstring strain that kept him out of the third Test against Sri Lanka, and he also has to manage a degenerative right knee.Last summer, he was struck down by an ankle injury that required surgery and kept him from completing the Ashes series. Since his debut early last year, Harris has played only eight of a possible 18 Tests, but his record of 35 wickets at an average of 21.37 shows that when fit he is a key part of Australia’s side.With no Sheffield Shield cricket scheduled until after the end of the Test series against India, Harris will need to make his case for a recall via the Big Bash League and club cricket.

A round-up of matches from the Caribbean T20 on January 14

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2012Sussex slipped to their second defeat of the Caribbean T20, losing to Combined Campuses and Colleges by 29 runs at North Sound. Choosing to bat, CCC were guided along by their captain Romel Currency, who made a run-a-ball 48. His innings comprised three fours and a six, and he was part of an important stand of 51 with Kyle Mayers, who chipped in with 33. The pair helped CCC recover from 58 for 3 and helped them post, what was eventually, a match-winning score.Barring opener Joe Gatting and wicketkeeper Ben Brown, who made 37 and 27 respectively, the Sussex batting offered little resistance. The pair had little hope of reviving the innings with the batting crumbling around them. Currency led by example, starring in an all-round effort, grabbing four wickets for eight runs in four overs. Yannick Ottley and Ryan Austin picked up a couple of wickets each and Sussex were made to settle for 101 for 9.Barbados thrashed Jamaica by 62 runs at North Sound to inflict a first defeat on their opponents. In what has been a low-scoring tournament by Twenty20 standards, Barbados managed a match-winning 157 for 7 after choosing to bat. Dwayne Smith guided the innings, blasting seven fours and six sixes in his 86 off 57 balls. He dominated an 85-run stand with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich for the third wicket which lay the foundation for a big score. A surge at the death from Ryan Hinds took Barbados past 150.Jamaica were abject in their chase, being skittled out for 95. Nkruma Bonner top-scored with 27 but only two others managed to reach double-figures. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the five Barbados bowlers helped themselves to at least a wicket each. Tino Best, Sulieman Benn and Ashley Nurse grabbed two each and Jamaica were all out in 16.5 overs.

The full text of the BCCI and Sahara’s joint media statement, issued after the two parties had reached a truce

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2012Date: 16 February 2012Joint Media StatementBCCI and Sahara have had extensive discussions over the past few days and are happy to confirm the following:BCCI took note of the various requests of Sahara and has agreed to the following:1. To extend the trading window, which was due to close on Friday 17 February, until Wednesday 29 February 2012 to give Pune Warriors India the opportunity to have successful negotiations with other franchises as it looks to strengthen its squad.2. Re-activation of the Auction Purse of Pune Warriors India so that it can take a number of players, subject to the squad composition regulations.3. BCCI and Sahara agree to start the arbitration proceedings initiated by Sahara through appointment of an arbitrator to address Sahara’s claim for a reduction in franchise fee for 74 matches.4. BCCI does not have any issues with Sahara seeking a strategic partner in the Pune Warriors India franchise, subject to terms of the Franchise Agreement.5. In respect of their request to sign overseas players who were not included in the Auction Register, subject to the relevant player regulations, BCCI agrees to the request subject to the views of all other franchise6. Sahara has requested for one of the play off matches scheduled to be played in Bengaluru to be played in Pune. The right to host the Play Off matches is awarded to the finalists from previous edition, in this case Royal Challengers Bangalore. BCCI is in principle agreeable to host one of the Play Off in the new Pune stadium subject to the consent of RCB.7. Sahara has requested to furnish the Bank Guarantee against the Franchisee fee in two installments; BCCI will consider it at the next available opportunity.8. Notwithstanding the recent working committee decision rejecting 5 foreign players in the playing XI, in consideration of the exceptional circumstance and the non-availability of Mr. Yuvraj Singh, Sahara has offered to obtain the consent of all the franchises for the submission to the BCCI.BCCI, in line with its normal practice, will continue to engage with all franchises to find ways to enhance the competitiveness of the league and improve the fan experience.Sahara confirms that it will continue sponsorship of the Indian team. Sahara may want to exercise its right to assign the sponsorship as per the agreement.N. Srinivasan, President, BCCI
Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker & Chairman, Sahara India Pariwar

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has said it is important for the team to quickly change gears as they look to win the two-match Twenty20 series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2012Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has said it is important for the team to quickly change gears as they look to win the two-match Twenty20 series against Australia. West Indies had a chance to beat Australia in a bilateral ODI series for the first time in 17 years but ended up drawing 2-2. Sammy, though, said the effort to go up 2-1 in that series had given the side confidence.”These matches will give us a gauge as to where we are. The belief is there,” Sammy said. “It was clear during the last two weeks. We are getting stronger. We have good batting with guys in the middle and lower order who can clear the boundaries. We also have a good bowling attack, and as a team we have bought into what is required.”The two-match series is also a chance to focus on building the team for the forthcoming ICC World T20 Championship in September in Sri Lanka. West Indies have been drawn in the same group as Australia for that tournament and the current series could prove to be a preview.The selectors have called up batting allrounders Dwayne Smith and Nkrumah Bonner, left-arm medium-fast bowler Krishmar Santokie, fast bowler Fidel Edwards and spinner Garey Mathurin to the Twenty20 squad.”It is vital we get the right mix of players, the guys we are looking at to represent West Indies,” Sammy said.Smith, who last represented West Indies in a Twenty20 international against England at The Oval in September 2011, is “excited” to make a comeback at the top of the order.”I am always up to the task of playing for West Indies,” he said. “I like it at the top. Most of the people who get hundreds in T20 bat at the top, where you get a chance to bat 120 balls. It’s good for me to get out there early and put the scores on the board.”The first Twenty20 international is scheduled to be played today in St Lucia.Edited by Devashish Fuloria

Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder, has received a visa to play across Indian cities in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2012Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder, has received a visa to play across Indian cities in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab. He had initially experienced a delay in receiving his visa, and then got one that was valid only for Delhi and Chandigarh.Mahmood confirmed the news in a tweet on Wednesday afternoon.
On Monday, Mahmood, who is now a British citizen, had said that the issue was not political and was likely to be solved quickly. “The guy who made the visa only entered the name of my entry point into the country [Delhi] and destination [Chandigarh],” quoted him as saying. “It’s just procedural and not a political issue, and should get sorted out in a couple of days.”Mahmood was bought by Kings XI at the auction in February for $200,000. He was expected to be available for selection from the beginning of the IPL but missed the franchise’s first four games due to the visa issues. He will be available for their fifth game on Wednesday evening against Kolkata Knight Riders at home.