All posts by csb10.top

The Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath is understood to be on the verge of retiring from Test cricket. He wants to play solely in one-day cricket, with next year’s World Cup in South Africa as his target.”He spoke to me today and said he wants to retire from Tests,” said India’s chief selector Chandu Borde.Srinath, 32, has taken 232 wickets in 64 Tests, 13 of them in the recent five-match series in the West Indies.Srinath has been a mainstay of India’s attack for the past eight years, and was on India’s previous tour of England in 1996. If confirmed, his retirement would deplete India’s squad for the forthcoming four-Test series in England.

Piran Holloway and Richard Johnson rescued a modicum of pride for Somersetbefore they succumbed to an innings defeat by Lancashire at Taunton.Resuming their second innings on 106-6 after the third-day wash-out, the home side still required 68 runs to make Lancashire bat again. This time there was no assistance from the weather. And when Keith Dutch fell lbw to Peter Martin’s loosener without adding to his score of 12, a one-sided opening Championship fixture looked to be heading for a quick finish.But Holloway can be a gritty competitor in such circumstances. The littleleft-hander was soon in obdurate mood and found a willing eighth-wicket partner in Johnson as the pair added 55 in 21 overs. Johnson hit 4 fours in his 37 and can reflect on an encouraging Somerset debut, which saw him take five wickets in the Lancashire innings, despite the disappointing result.Just when it seemed the partnership might spare Somerset the indignity of defeat by an innings, Johnson attempted a forcing shot off Andy Flintoff’s first ball of the day and edged to wicketkeeper Warren Hegg. Steffan Jones was soon struck on the helmet by a Martin delivery and then played over the top of a fuller length ball to have his stumps shattered for four.The game ended with the opening delivery of Flintoff’s next over as Holloway lost his leg stump, having made 74 off 197 balls, with 6 fours and a five.Somerset had been bowled out for 170 to lose by an innings and four runs.Flintoff’s remodelled action brought him 2-7 from 5.1 overs, while Martin’stwo final day victims left him with 3-55 from 21 overs. Lancashire took 19 points and Somerset four.

If the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) finally decides to proceedwith the introduction of the country’s third lottery, local clubswould benefit from the estimated $3.5 million the BCA stands to gainannually from the lottery.That’s the word from Robert B. Washington, chairman and chiefexecutive officer of the Leeward Islands Lottery Holding Company(LILHC), the company which the BCA board of management two years agovoted to enter into a contract to operate a lottery on behalf ofcricket.Our single objective is to work with the cricket community on asustainable revenue source for cricket, Washington told reportersyesterday at the Desmond Haynes Sports Complex in Holder’s Hill, St.James.We will be announcing on Sunday a special programme to ensure that theclubs also have an independent sustainable revenue source as well.We have a proposal that we would like to give to them to ensure thatthere are two independent, distinguishable revenue sources one for theBCA and the other for the local clubs.It was the intention to get the lottery off the ground two years ago,but it was delayed after the BCA membership opted not to proceed withthe lottery at an extraordinary general meeting on June 3, 1999.On Monday, the BCA will hold an extraordinary general meeting at theLester Vaughan School, St Thomas, at which members will receive areport from the board of management pertaining to the operation of thelottery.The meeting will seek to confirm, annul, vary or discharge theresolution surrounding the operation of a lottery passed at theextraordinary general meeting of June 3, 1999.Over two years have passed since that initial vote and agreement tooperate a lottery, and more importantly since then, the BCA has beenfrustrated by a lack of financial resources and the declining glory ofcricket, Washington said yesterday at a venue that was chosen becauseof the history of an area which has produced so many outstandingcricketers.We feel that loyal, passionate BCA members want to restore theprogrammes that will lead cricket back to its glory days, he said.Washington, a Harvard Law School trained Washington-based seniorcounsel who up until recently was a senior partner in a leading firmin Washington, believes that the BCA leaders who approached the LILHCtwo years ago had a proactive and viable idea to increase theassociation’s financial resources.Continuing to delay this plan for generating revenue for theorganisation only further hastens the decline of cricket, added theLILHC chief executive.That is why we are calling on all members of the BCA to support andapprove the immediate implementation of the Barbados Cricket Lotteryand confirm the agreement that enables the BCA/LILHC partnership tocontribute to the glory of cricket in Barbados.

Merely by being fit for its commencement, Shane Watson has already achieved something this season. Entrenched as Australia’s No. 3 Test batsman, he is now intent on going on to compile the sorts of scores that will win matches, instead of racking up the kinds of handy five-day tallies that have characterised his career to this point.Last summer’s injuries and frustrations caused Cricket Australia to concoct the most specialised plan for an Australian cricketer yet devised in order to ensure Watson would be close to the peak of fitness and form for the home Tests. He was rested from an ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE, then ordered home early from the Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa.These rest periods have allowed Watson time to refresh, but also to re-focus, acknowledging that this summer will be an unfulfilled one unless he can maintain his muscular technique for long enough to peel off a century or three. To date he has only two Test centuries, as against 18 50s, in his 35 Tests.”That’s the thing I’ve been really looking deep inside myself to be able to find the reasons why I haven’t been able to convert those decent days into those really big and good days,” Watson said. “And they are the innings that do really influence a game. It’s certainly something I’m very conscious of and I’m doing everything I can to hopefully have that breakthrough innings to know how to replicate that.”I’m very much looking forward to the Test cricket coming up. To miss the summer last year and only play a few Tests in the West Indies, I certainly have the excitement inside me to want to play Test cricket. It’s the ultimate challenge for a cricketer. There are a few things I certainly want to improve in my Test cricket especially. This is a good opportunity with the amount of cricket coming up and also the quality of opposition to test out where I’m at.”Watson’s fitness is a more complicated matter than whether he is nursing any muscle strains or not. Having played a surfeit of T20 lately, he is in training to regain the kind of stamina and thinking required for Tests, and a looming Sheffield Shield fixture against Queensland at Allan Border Field will be critical to how ready Watson will be for the Gabba match.”Over the next couple of weeks the conditioning part of things is going to be very important. Unless you’re out there playing you can’t replicate anything like what it’s going to be physically being out there on your feet in a battle for five days,” Watson said. “That’s certainly going to take a bit of time to get my body adjusted to it.”Mentally that’s one of the reasons why I came home [from CLT20]. To be able to reset my batting especially to get rid of a few of the little things that creep in when you’re playing the shorter form of the game.”One of the curious things about Watson’s failure to be a consistent century maker in Tests is that it is not as though he has never done it. In the 2010 Mohali Test against India, Watson batted more than six hours to anchor Australia’s innings, while in first-class matches his 100s to 50s ratio is far more satisfactory, with 17 centuries and 42 half-centuries. He has a double century to his credit in a Sheffield Shield final also.”[Mohali] was over six hours, and that’s a thing I know in Shield cricket in the times when I’ve scored those big runs in the level below, it has been when I’ve batted for really long periods of time,” Watson said. “So it’s about finding that balance to be able to not have a defensive mindset when you’re out there, just thinking about batting time.”That’s the only thing that really you’re getting balance between, making sure you’re putting the bowlers under pressure the whole time you’re out there, that they can’t just settle into limiting your scoring, but also do it for really long periods of time. A lot of it comes down to being able to replicate your technique, so its the concentration side of things and making sure technique is as good as it can be as well.”To that end, Watson’s shift from opening to No. 3 has helped him by providing a slightly wider window to adjust from the demands of bowling to those of batting at the top of the order. Rather than jogging off at the change of innings only to walk straight back out as an opener, Watson now has time at least for a shower, a pause and reset of his goals, even if the opening stand lasts for only a ball or two. While he did not make a tall score when moving into the position in the West Indies, Watson enjoyed the extra time to change gears.”It’s certainly a big change, and I think in the end from what I found in the West Indies a good change in a way, because it meant it gave me a bit of time to even mentally reset,” he said. “If I’ve had to bowl and I’ve come off straight away and had to get my pads on and get out to face the first ball, you don’t really have a time to reset your mind really.”That’s where in the West Indies I found it a nice time to mentally reset, let alone the physical side of things to recover, even if it is just for one ball or one or two overs. I did enjoy that compared to opening the batting.”

If the second-day honours in the final of the Patron’s Trophy were won by National Bank, the third day certainly belonged to Pakistan Customs. The tables turned dramatically as the events at Gaddafi Stadium took a dramatic twist. Nadeem Iqbal, the right-handed pace man, bowled with fire and venom to claim a five-wicket haul, thus, bringing Customs on the brink of victory at the end of third day in this absorbing encounter.Having started the third day with little hopes of survival, the Customs side sprung amazingly back to not only snatch the upper hand but also giving them a fair chance of picking the coveted trophy.Starting the day with 245 for seven, the Customs players applied themselves perfectly to the task. The last three wickets added 96 runs to the total, including a ninth wicket stand of 65 between Wasim Yousufi and Stephen John, taking the score to 321.Yousufi seems to be in excellent form in this final, as after taking four catches in the National Bank, he contributed with a handy 54 to boost his team’s total.And when it came their bowler’s turn to have a go, they did an excellent work in restricting the opposition to 110 in their second innings. Nadeem Iqbal proved to be the main tormentor taking five wickets for 27 in 16 overs. Stephen John took 2 for 24, whereas the trio of Azhar Shafiq, Naved-ul-Hasan, and Ali Naqvi claimed one wicket each.Requiring 155 to win the match, the Customs opened their second innings with Azhar Shafiq and Azam Khan. However, the National Bank bowlers struck early, with Shabbir Ahmed removing Azhar with the very first bowl. Azam made 16 before being adjudged lbw off the bowling of Zahid Saeed. After that Nasim Khan, the highest scorer for Customs in the first innings, and Aamer Bashir took the score to 51 without further casualities.Requiring 104 more to win the match, the Customs’ batsmen have quite a task ahead before claiming the ultimate honours. They will have to apply themselves to the task, and try to stay at the wicket, as any lose cricket on their parts can very easily their bowler’s hard work.

Surrey have offered Graeme Smith, South Africa’s Test captain, a lucrative long-term deal that could potentially require him to give up international cricket.ESPNcricinfo understands that Smith has been identified by Surrey as the perfect man to lead their rebuilding process after a season that saw the retirement of senior batsman Mark Ramprakash, the death of the talented Tom Maynard and the departure of former captain Rory Hamilton-Brown. Smith would open the batting and lead the side.It is not hard to see the attraction from Surrey’s point of view. Smith, who will be 32 in February, has played more than 100 Tests and, as captain, overseen South Africa’s ascent to No. 1 in the rankings. He averages almost 50 in Test cricket and scored a century in his 100th Test, against England at The Oval earlier this year.After years on the road, a period of relative stability in London might well prove attractive for Smith too. He has recently married – his wife is from Ireland – and had his first child. But, while Smith has achieved almost everything he could have wanted as a Test player and no longer warrants selection in South Africa’s T20I side, the ambition to win a World Cup remains strong.While it is possible that Surrey would consider signing Smith simply as an overseas player and be happy for him to continue his international career, it is understood from a source in South Africa that the club are looking for a long-term option and would be reluctant to accept a situation where a player comes and goes according to the international fixture list. South Africa are scheduled to play in the Champions Trophy in England next June and then tour Sri Lanka in July and August.Surrey declined to comment.

Mumbai Police has seized “what appear to be” the belongings of Sreesanth and Jiju Janardhan – both arrested by Delhi Police on spot-fixing allegations – from hotel rooms booked in their names at a five-star hotel in Mumbai. The police has received legal permission to take mirror images of the laptop and also CCTV footage from the hotel to further investigate into the whole scandal.Items seized include laptops, iPads, mobile phones, diaries written in English and “what appears to be” Malayalam, and cricket kits. Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime) in Mumbai, said they had reason to believe the items belonged to Sreesanth and Janardhan, and that they will be important clues in the ongoing investigations.Sreesanth’s room was not in the hotel where the Rajasthan Royals team stayed for their match against Mumbai Indians. Sreesanth was reportedly told in Jaipur that he was not playing the match, and only a compact group of 13 or 14 players was to travel. “Yesterday we received information that Sreesanth had independently booked himself into a five-star hotel,” Roy said. “I say independent because this is not where his team stayed.”We worked out that information. Yesterday we searched two rooms, which were issued in the names of Sreesanth and Jiju Janardhan. The search of Sreesanth’s room shows that it was lived in, it was inhabited. We have recovered a laptop, which is here before you, an iPad, a mobile phone, cash, a data card, some diaries which appear to be in the handwriting of Sreesanth – some [in] English, some [in] what appears to be Malayalam. We have also recovered some cricket kit, clothing etc.”The search of the other room shows it was lived in. We have recovered an iPad, a mobile phone and some personal belongings.” Roy didn’t rule out asking for the custody of Sreesanth and Janardhan depending on what their investigations further reveal.Roy said the hotel rooms were booked by Tamarind Tours and Travels. “We have tried to recreate events that led to the booking of this room,” Roy said. “We have reason to believe Sreeanth and Jiju checked into the hotel late in the night on the 13th of this month. We are recreating their movements on the 14th and the 15th.”We are also in the process of obtaining CCTV feed to understand who are the visitors, if any, who visited him when he was staying there. What were his movements? We have obtained the permission to take a mirror image of the laptops and phones, so that we can begin the process of analysing these gadgets to further aid our investigation. We believe seizure is important given the direction in which the spot-fixing investigations are headed.”On May 14 – more than a day before the three cricketers were arrested – police also arrested an alleged bookmaker called Ramesh Vyas from Mumbai’s Kalbadevi area. The items seized there, Roy said, led them to names of bookies who are also being investigated by Delhi Police.Roy said 13 of the 92 mobile phones seized from Vyas’ premises “were used by him to facilitate connecting Indian bookies with bookies in Pakistan via conference call”. Roy said the police has arrested two more bookies – named Praveen Bera and Pankaj Shah (alias Lotus, alias Pappu) – subsequent to that first arrest.”The interrogation of Ramesh Vyas revealed that he was in touch with certain bookies whose names had figured in the current IPL fixing issue,” Roy said. “We followed this lead, and we also found that the same bookies not only figure in calls made by Ramesh Vyas, but his account books also have transactions in them that lead to common bookies.”After we arrested Ramesh Vyas, we recovered his accounts book, which showed names of bookies that the Delhi Police is also investigating. Some of those bookies, it is reported, have been in touch with these players.”Cases have been registered under the Gambling Act and Indian Penal Code sections that pertain to cheating and forgery. All charges are non-bailable, Roy said.

Adam Gilchrist has attributed the decision to drop himself as captain and player for the match against Mumbai Indians largely to team balance and the wealth of batting resources on the bench. Gilchrist, who followed the example of Mumbai Indians’ Ricky Ponting by leaving himself out of the playing XI, has had a lean tournament to date, managing only 94 runs in eight matches.”Since the last few games we’ve had to think about it as a selection group,” Gilchrist told . “We had to look at the right balance and find the right players who were playing well and could contribute most to the team.”Gilchrist believed that form is not an accurate representation of what has been afflicting him this tournament. “Form is a rubbish word. I have hit a lot of balls in the nets and have felt very comfortable. But that hasn’t translated to results in [the] games.” He was also aware of the batting talent on hand. “At the end of the day I haven’t contributed, and that’s no problem when you’ve got batting talent like Shaun Marsh, [Luke] Pomersbach, David Hussey and David Miller. It’s not a tough decision.”When asked whether he had considered giving up the wicketkeeping gloves and playing solely as a batsman, Gilchrist said, “No, never, I’ve played years and years of cricket now. So for me it’s not a case of having to focus on batting because keeping is taking up time and energy. It’s part of my nature and part of who I am. It’s like riding a bike, once you know it, you don’t need to focus on the skills required and think of the work load impeding on the batting. If anything, I have contributed more with the gloves than with the bat this year and so I am lucky to have my keeping gloves on.”

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings are the only team to make it to the semi-final stage – or the equivalent – of every IPL tournament so far. Twice, including in the previous season, they’ve finished runners-up. In 2010 and 2011, they won.Like most IPL teams, they’ve had their share of controversy, not the least of it being claims of conflict of interest – BCCI president N Srinivasan also manages India Cements, the franchise’s owners. However, the on-field success has so far managed to keep the spotlight on the positives. This time, though, Super Kings face what is possibly their biggest off-field issue yet: that of the exclusion of Sri Lankan players from the games in Chennai, following political tensions. The other franchises, whose Sri Lankans play more central roles in the team, have voiced fears that this gives Super Kings an unfair advantage in their home games, while some have criticised the IPL’s softness in not moving the matches away from Chennai altogether. This means Super Kings will need a near-perfect showing to drag the headlines in the right direction, but even another triumph might leave a bad aftertaste.Back to the actual cricket then. Apart from being the IPL’s most successful franchise, Super Kings have also been the tournament’s most settled team. Few changes had been made to the squad over five seasons, with the batting and spin-bowling departments being their customary powerhouses. This year, though, the obvious focus is on bolstering the pace bowling, and the squad sports several new faces as a result. Australia’s Dirk Nannes and Ben Laughlin, West Indies’ Jason Holder and South Africa’s Chris Morris – for whom Super Kings paid US$625,000, a whopping 31 times his base price – were snapped up in February’s auction. Later, they signed Imtiaz Ahmed, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma and Ronit More, domestic pacers who are all coming off solid Ranji Trophy performances. Given the nature of the Chepauk track though – which was on ample display during the recent India-Australia Test – how much of an impact this move will have is as yet unclear.

Key players

With Super Kings turning all that attention to their seam-bowling, it’s clear that they believe R Ashwin has the spin front well covered, with Ravindra Jadeja backing him up. Ashwin has the numbers, in the IPL and otherwise, to back up that notion. Currently India’s primary spinner, he has 49 IPL wickets for Super Kings – second only to Albie Morkel, who has played 21 more games. More importantly, at the end of the 2012 season, Ashwin boasted of an economy rate of just over six, the best among all Super Kings bowlers.If Super Kings look to Ashwin with the ball, they look first and foremost to MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina with the bat. In the absence of the injured Faf du Plessis, the now-retired and ever-dependable Michael Hussey will partner M Vijay (who comes in high on confidence after feasting on Australia’s bowlers) at the top, leaving Raina and Dhoni in charge of finishing duties. That was an area Super Kings struggled in during the round-robin stage in 2012, often lacking the late surge. It is an area Raina and Dhoni are more than capable of improving upon.

Big name in

Dirk Nannes: He currently sits at No. 2 on the overall Twenty20 wickets charts, behind South African Alfonso Thomas. Despite his extensive T20 experience, he warmed the bench all through IPL 2012 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was bought by Super Kings at the auction for US$600,000, and is likely to compete with fellow Australian quick Ben Hilfenhaus for the fourth foreign-player’s spot in their line-up.

Big name out

Doug Bollinger: The Australia seamer was one of four overseas players released by Super Kings in the lead-up to IPL 2013, alongside George Bailey, Scott Styris and Suraj Randiv. Bollinger had galvanised Super Kings’ campaign in 2010, when he arrived halfway through the tournament. Since then, he had been the team’s principal fast-bowling new-ball option, claiming 37 wickets at 18.72. That is, until Hilfenhaus arrived in similar fashion halfway through last year’s event.

Below the radar

Baba Aparajith: The eighteen-year-old allrounder from Tamil Nadu did not have a Ranji Trophy season that stood out. Where he did make his mark, though, was the Under-19 World Cup last year. A top-order batsman who can bowl handy offspin and a lively fielder, Aparajith knocked off Man-of-the-Match awards in the World Cup quarter-final and semi-final with all-round contributions. Considering Super Kings’ affinity for allrounders, he should fit into their scheme of things quite well.

Availability

Super Kings will be without Faf du Plessis for at least the first month of the IPL, as he recovers from a back injury. Allrounders Albie Morkel and Chris Morris are doubtful for the first two games due to South African domestic commitments. The squad includes two Sri Lankans: seamer Nuwan Kulasekara and offspinner Akila Dananjaya. Given the circumstances, whether they will travel to India at all is as yet unclear. None of Super Kings’ players have international commitments during the course of the IPL.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendan Taylor scored his second century of the match•Associated Press

Zimbabwe lifted themselves above Bangladesh’s international stature with the whopping 335-run win in the first Test in Harare. Brendan Taylor’s twin centuries and skillful swing and seam bowling finished off the game inside four days, as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.The game ended when Kyle Jarvis took a magnificent catch at deep fine-leg to give Graeme Cremer his fourth wicket, that of Robiul Islam, to bowl out Bangladesh for just 147. Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe declared their second innings on 227 for 7, setting Bangladesh an improbable 483.Bangladesh, a long-time rival at the bottom of the world rankings, brings out the best in Zimbabwe, who came into this series on the back of five consecutive Test defeats. This time, Zimbabwe were far ahead mentally as they used their familiarity with the conditions in Harare to mighty effect. It was a crushing loss for the visitors who are at the backend of a much better season, and it will set them back a few steps as they head into the second Test in a must-win situation.Taylor made 171 and 102 not out in a Test match that, till date, has been his most prolific. He was almost a one-man show, especially in the second innings when one wrong shot from him could have given Bangladesh a sniff. Zimbabwe were 84 for 6 in the second innings, but Taylor took Graeme Cremer under his wing as they staved off a rampant Robiul Islam.He broke several records on the way too. He became the first Zimbabwe captain to have scored two hundreds in a Test and also has the highest score for a Zimbabwe captain. He also beat his previous best of 117 in the first innings, and added the highest score against Bangladesh under his belt.With the ball, Zimbabwe were led by the impressive Jarvis. It was a complete domination of the Bangladesh batsmen as he, Shingirai Masakadza and Keegan Meth kept the ball up and used excellent lines. Jarvis finished with figures of 7 for 115 in the match, doing justice to the hype around him. Masakadza took five wickets in the game while Meth kept one end quiet as the other two went about knocking the batsmen over.Cremer too played a useful hand with the bat, scoring 42 and 43. These were vital runs, as he added two big seventh-wicket partnerships with Taylor that frustrated Bangladesh greatly. He ended the game with four cheap wickets, capping off a fine all-round display.If Bangladesh’s first-innings collapse of 9 for 32 was bad enough, their second-innings showing was equally poor. Shahriar Nafees’ extra keenness at the start of Test innings cost him yet again. After scoring two consecutive boundaries, he created a big gap between bat and pad, played all over a full delivery from Jarvis and lost his off stump.After the lunch break, Ashraful hardly got out of his self-induced shell as he looked to drag the game for as long as possible. Mahmudullah at the other end went after the bowling, and soon enough, perished. Whether he had seen substitute Sean Williams stationed at deep square-leg cannot be a valid point for a batsman at this level of cricket, but his innocuous pull shot said much about his muddled mindset. His dismissal again triggered a collapse as Shakib Al Hasan and captain Mushfiqur Rahim fell soon after. Similar to the first innings, Shakib was caught at gully but this time he wasn’t fending. He has a unique way of playing a late cut which he guides past gully and point, but this time he couldn’t keep the Jarvis delivery down.Luck too wasn’t on Bangladesh’s side as two of the dismissals showed. Jahurul Islam was given out caught behind when the ball had appeared to flick his shirt on the way to the wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami. A prolonged appeal from the slips created enough pressure on the umpire Tony Hill.Mushfiqur was brilliantly caught at second slip by Taylor, who jumped to his right and grabbed it one-handed. The Bangladesh captain’s dismal Test was in far contrast to his opposite number.Mohammad Ashraful’s dim-witted run-out close to the tea break rounded off a forgettable session for the visitors. Cremer spun one past Ashraful’s bat and wicketkeeper Mutumbami’s gloves, but Taylor saved the ball at slip. Ashraful, thinking it had beaten Taylor, went off for a run and was duly run out amid loud laughter among the Zimbabweans, as he wasted another opportunity and the home side basked in the glory of a great performance.