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N Srinivasan returned to the BCCI’s administrative fold but didn’t chair the working committee meeting in Kolkata on Sunday

Amol Karhadkar01-Sep-2013NCA-pace academy tie-up, tightened security at CLT20

The BCCI’s working committee approved, in principle, recommendations of the National Cricket Academy board, which include a tie-up with the MRF Pace Foundation, the use of facilities at the KSCA ground in Alur, near Bangalore, and the setting up of zonal academies in each of the five zones, including a dedicated academy for the northeastern states in Guwahati, Assam.

The working committee approved several steps to cut out the possibility of corruption in the Champions League T20. An anti-corruption official and security official will be attached to each team and access to the team dug-out will be restricted with a strict code of conduct being implemented. Players, support staff and match officials have been ordered to refrain from accepting gifts during the tournament. They are also directed to disclose the value of any gifts they receive 15 days prior to the tournament. Players and support staff are required to declare and disclose their mobile phone numbers to security officials and any calls received on the hotel exchange will have to be approved by the team manager.

The BCCI also decided that the disciplinary committee would meet on September 13 in Delhi to discuss the probe report submitted by Ravi Sawani on the alleged spot-fixing and corruption during IPL 2013.

N Srinivasan returned to the BCCI’s administrative fold but didn’t chair the working committee meeting in Kolkata on Sunday. Instead, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the interim board head, presided over the last meeting of the BCCI’s annual cycle.After arriving in Kolkata on Sunday morning, Srinivasan is understood to have had brief one-on-one meetings with almost all the working-committee members. The exercise was primarily aimed at staking a claim for a one-year extension as BCCI president in the annual general meeting, which will now be held on September 29 in Chennai.The BCCI president had voluntarily stepped aside after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, also a senior Chennai Super Kings official, was arrested during the IPL spot-fixing scandal. Despite Srinivasan’s keenness on chairing the meeting, it is understood the decision not to do so was based on suggestions from the legal team.Since the BCCI has already submitted an affidavit in court in connection with a public interest litigation filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar saying Jagmohan Dalmiya is running the day-to-day affairs of the board, had Srinivasan chaired the meeting, it might have been viewed as a contempt of court. As a result, Dalmiya chaired the meeting, with Srinivasan attending as the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association president, thus making it a rarest-of-rare incident of a BCCI president attending a working committee meeting but not chairing it.While he didn’t have a direct discussion with former IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, who is believed to be opposing Srinivasan’s return to power, two other senior board members – vice-president Arun Jaitley and joint secretary Anurag Thakur – preferred to join the meeting via video conferencing from New Delhi.Even though Srinivasan didn’t chair the meeting, as confirmed by the BCCI press release, he executed “statutory and constitutional” duties of the BCCI president. Srinivasan also confirmed after the meeting that he will “chair the AGM”, as required by the BCCI constitution.While many would have seen Srinivasan’s inability to preside over the meeting as a setback for him, the BCCI president’s supporters were happy with the manner in which the day unfolded. “It was important to first execute all his powers and duties as the BCCI president,” a Srinivasan aide said. “More importantly, the one-on-ones he had in the morning would help him avoid opposition while seeking an extension for another year.”With four weeks remaining for the AGM, the anti-Srinivasan camp would now be hoping that former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar decides to enter into the fray. If Pawar, who is also a senior minister in the federal government, has to contest against Srinivasan, he would need a proposer and a seconder from the South Zone. All the members from the zone are staunch supporters of Srinivasan. However, with Pawar having proven his vote-management skills in the past, Srinivasan’s detractors would be banking on him to return to the BCCI fold. While Pawar has not revealed any plans so far, a BCCI insider close to the former president said his possible candidature for the top post “cannot be ruled out”.

Steven Davies provided a welcome reminder of his class with a first Championship century in almost a year.

George Dobell at The Oval19-Apr-2013
ScorecardSteven Davies passed 50 for the first time since the death of Tom Maynard•PA PhotosIt had been, as Elton John might have said, a long, long time. But, after a grim year and a spell spent reflecting on his career options, Steven Davies provided a welcome reminder of his class with a first Championship century in almost a year.There would have been something rather pleasing in a 147 from a Steve Davies at any time – the snooker parallels are obvious – but in the context of this game, this was a return to form that will be celebrated far beyond Surrey.Like many of his team-mates, Davies was hit hard by the death of Tom Maynard. So horribly did he lose form after the incident that he was omitted from the side by the end of the season. After June 18, the day of the incident, he averaged just 15.40 in the Championship and he had not passed 50 since making a century, also against Somerset and also at The Oval, in May of last year. A player who had once appeared joyous and natural, often appeared careworn and crushed.He responded by taking some time away from the game during the off-season. Unlikely though it sounds, he accompanied Elton John on tour in Asia – they became friends when the singer sent champagne to The Oval following news that Davies had ‘come out’ as gay in early 2011 – and, slowly, recovered his love of the game.Here Davies provided a persuasive reminder of his extravagant gifts with a chanceless century. On a pitch that remains slow and against an attack that, on the whole, maintained its discipline, he timed the ball sweetly, but also showed abilities for which he is less well known: patience, shot selection and resilience. Playing noticeably straighter than he has previously, he helped wear down an honest Somerset attack before producing some of those familiar, dreamy caresses through the off side.”Elton is a good friend,” Davies told ESPNcricinfo “and going on tour with him was the break I needed. It took me away from the game, cleared my head and allowed me to return refreshed.”It felt good today. I’ve worked hard to be where I want to be with my game and we just concentrated on spending time at the crease on a flat wicket.”Yes,” he continued with a smile, “I suppose you could say that I’m still standing.”Less than a year ago, Davies was the man the England selectors called when Matt Prior was an injury doubt ahead of the third Test against West Indies at Edgbaston. Whether he remains England’s reserve Test wicketkeeper is debatable – Jonny Bairstow and Craig Kieswetter are among those who may have usurped him – but this was an innings that will have provided some assurance that he is back in the frame of mind to be considered.But while Davies will gain the headlines, the chanceless century by Rory Burns was just as important. Indeed, it was Burns who saw off the attack at its freshest and the new ball at its hardest and Burns who laid the platform for much of what followed.Burns is not a particularly eye-catching cricketer. He does not have Davies’ innate timing – not many do – or his range of stroke. But his judgement at which balls to play at and which to leave outside off stump is exceptional, while his ability to concentrate for long periods is most unusual in a 22-year-old in the modern game.His first 50 occupied 151 deliveries – 128 of them scoreless – but his second took only 77 more as Somerset’s attack began to flag just a little. Scoring primarily between mid on and square leg, he also cut well when appropriate and looked to have a sound defence. He will face tougher attacks on tougher pitches, but he looks to have the temperament and technique to go a long way in the game.Together the pair steered Surrey from the perilous position of 87 for 4 late on day two with a stand of 159 before Burns’ innings was ended by a catch down the leg side.It is testament to Somerset’s bowling, however, that Surrey had to be content with only two batting bonus points. They had scored just 290 when the 110th over of the innings was bowled with Steve Kirby, who delivered 33 overs and remains as enthusiastic as ever at the age of 35, and Alfonso Thomas, who gained more movement off the pitch than any of his Somerset colleagues and conceded under two an over, the pick of the bowlers. Only George Dockrell, who struggled with his length, was a disappointment though in mitigation, this pitch offered him little and aged just 20, such days are bound to occur.In general though, Somerset remained patient and tight on a desperately slow wicket. They won belated reward when Gary Wilson was drawn into nibbling at one he could have left, Gareth Batty’s enterprising innings ended when he missed an attempted flick across the line and Stuart Meaker prodded outside off stump. When Davies, slogging in search of quick runs, finally fell Surrey declared to leave Somerset a potentially awkward couple of overs.There are few demons in this pitch, though, and it will take some remarkable cricket to conjure victory for either side on the final day.

Baroda Cricket Association joint secretary Sanjay Patel is set to be appointed as the BCCI secretary, replacing Sanjay Jagdale, who resigned last Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2013Baroda Cricket Association joint secretary Sanjay Patel has been appointed as the BCCI secretary, replacing Sanjay Jagdale, who resigned last Friday. The other high-profile BCCI post which fell vacant last week, that of the treasurer, is yet to be filled.Patel, a practising chartered accountant, has been involved in cricket administration for over a decade. He is currently a member of the IPL governing council and the BCCI’s finance committee. Besides being a member of various sub-committees of the Baroda Cricket Association, he has also served as vice-president of the association.Jagmohan Dalmiya, the interim in-charge of the BCCI, announced Patel’s appointment at a press conference in Kolkata. At the conference, he also said that the board’s next working committee meeting will be held on June 10 to discuss the alleged involvement of Rajasthan Royals co-owner, Raj Kundra, in betting on IPL matches. Delhi Police said Kundra had confessed to betting in IPL matches after questioning him at their Special Cell Office for nearly 12 hours on Wednesday.”Raj Kundra issue will be discussed in the Working Committee, which is going to be held on June 10 and after we hear the details,” Dalmiya said. “If it demands any strict action, we will look into it.”Dalmiya also said the three-member inquiry commission from which Jagdale stepped down will now have only the two former high court judges – Justice T Jayaram Chouta and Justice R Balasubramanian. There will be no BCCI official in the commission which will look into the complaints against India Cements, the owners of Chennai Super Kings, Gurunath Meiyappan, the Super Kings official arrested on charges of alleged betting, and Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd, the owners of Rajasthan Royals.”I have decided that let there be a two-man commission,” Dalmiya said. “We repose full faith in the two retired judges and leave the matter to them.”Meanwhile, a one-man commission of Ravi Sawani, the head of the BCCI ACSU, who was handed the responsibility of conducting an inquiry into the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players on charges of spot-fixing, submitted his preliminary report to the BCCI. The Supreme Court had directed the BCCI to complete the initial inquiry by June 6 and then follow their internal procedures.Sawani’s findings will now be passed on to the BCCI’s disciplinary committee. However, considering that Srinivasan is a member of the disciplinary committee along with Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah, either Srinivasan will be replaced from the committee or a new disciplinarycommittee will be formed exclusively for conducting the inquiry into IPL corruption scandal.

Richard Hadlee has questioned Ross Taylor’s response to his sacking as New Zealand captain and believes he should have played on after the fall-out

Andrew McGlashan05-Feb-2013Sir Richard Hadlee has questioned Ross Taylor’s response to his sacking as New Zealand captain and believes he should have played on after the fall-out rather than take time away from the game.Taylor, who was relieved of the captaincy after the Sri Lanka tour despite drawing the Test series 1-1, opted out of the following trip to South Africa saying he needed a break from the international game. He will return to the New Zealand side for the Twenty20 series against England which starts on Saturday and is also in the one-day squad. Barring any dramatic change in events, he will resume his Test career next month.In Taylor’s absence, New Zealand were crushed in the Tests against South Africa, including being bowled out for 45 in Cape Town, and also lost the Twenty20 series, although they fought back impressively to take the one-day contest.Hadlee, while sympathising with the poor handling of the situation, would have preferred to see Taylor move on quickly from losing the leadership and return to the ranks immediately.”I find it very interesting how Taylor reacted. In some ways I’m a little disappointed that Taylor decided to exile himself for a period of time,” Hadlee told ESPNcricinfo. “If you fall off the horse you get back on it, and I can’t imagine an All Black rugby player who was captain then was replaced not make himself available to play again as soon as possible.”Clearly Taylor had been affected in some way and needed to get his mind right. It was his call, but I’m not sure it was good thing because when he gets back into the side it’s going to be quite an uneasy period for him, and other team-mates, knowing that he walked away.”Hadlee, though, added his voice to those unimpressed by the handling of the whole situation, which saw Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, tell Taylor before the Test series in Sri Lanka he wanted a change of captain but, it later emerged, only in the limited-overs formats. Taylor has recently met with Hesson for the first time since losing his position and is ready to move on, though he admitted that the relationship will take time to develop.”There were clearly mixed messages, which have been well documented,” Hadlee said. “Taylor had clearly been hurt and offended, perhaps not so much by the decision but how it came about because it was done before the first Test. That decision should have been made in the review after the tour.”Hadlee would have been comfortable if New Zealand had gone down the split-captaincy route now used by England, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. But, despite the circumstances of the change, he sees Brendon McCullum as someone with the right qualities to lead New Zealand and does not think he should be judged too harshly on the Test performances.”At the moment Brendon McCullum is doing all forms and clearly struggling in the Test team, but I think that is more to do with resources available rather than issues with him personally,” he said. “He has shown his true colours, especially as a leader, in the one-day format so that is pretty encouraging.”Of greater concern for McCullum, according to Hadlee, is that he works out what sort of batsman he wants to be in the longer format. After being elevated to opener, partly due to the lack of other options as much as his suitability for the position, he has largely shelved his natural attacking game to try and set a more cautious tone for his team-mates but that may not be making best use of his ability.”The big problem Brendon is facing at the moment is how he, himself, plays the game as a batsman. Does he open or drop down the order? Does he play aggressively, take high risks, which if he fails can set a bad example or take a more circumspect role that goes against his instincts? He’s caught in between with how he should play but that is what the selectors have left the left him with.”Although McCullum will have Taylor back to boost his batting order against England, another of New Zealand’s most destructive players remains unavailable. Jesse Ryder, who has not played for New Zealand since being dropped for disciplinary reasons during the one-day series against South Africa last year, will not resume his international career in the near future despite a prolific domestic season.Ryder will continue with the plan drawn up in the wake of his latest problems with authority last year and play a full season for Wellington before taking up his IPL deal with Delhi Daredevils. Hadlee, who had a close association with Ryder when he was chairman of selectors, hopes to see him back in the set-up but says that no more controversies can be tolerated.”When Jesse is ready to come back that will be great for our game, but the most important thing he needs to do is obey a set of rules and protocols,” Hadlee said. “If you are going to break them it doesn’t set a very good example, if Jesse can get away with things. We can’t have any more controversy. If he’s willing and able to do that he’ll be a great asset to our game.”Sir Richard Hadlee was promoting Sky Sports’ year of live cricket, which includes England v New Zealand, back to back Ashes, ICC Champions Trophy and live county matches

VVS Laxman, in his 16-year Test career, established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world but, by his own admission, it wasn’t a talent he had acquired when he first picked up the bat

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Hyderabad01-Mar-2013VVS Laxman, in his 16-year Test career, established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world but, by his own admission, it wasn’t a talent he had acquired when he first picked up the bat. Failures early in his career taught him to respect spin bowling more and after hours of practice his batting had evolved to the point where he could master any attack.Laxman was speaking at the launch of , a compilation of the best Q&A long-form interviews published by ESPNcricinfo and Walt Disney. The book features 22 interviews with current and former players speaking on specific topics such as captaincy, swing bowling, commentary, batting etc. Those interviewed include Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Chappell, Mahela Jayawardene, Barry Richards, and Laxman himself.”I never got to play quality spin bowling when I was growing up,” Laxman said in a discussion with Harsha Bhogle and ESPNcricinfo editor Sambit Bal, responding to an extract from an earlier interview. “As a kid I always enjoyed playing fast bowling. I neglected playing spinners. At the end of the practice session I got extra throw-downs, asking the coaches to throw from ten yards so I could play quicker bowling. I used to practice on cement wickets using a plastic ball or a wet tennis ball.”When I started playing the Ranji Trophy, there were some quality spinners in domestic cricket and I remember I would invariably get out to Sairaj Bahutule (former Mumbai legspinner), playing against the spin and getting caught at midwicket. That’s when I came back to the nets and luckily Hyderabad had some quality spinners like Arshad Ayub, Venkatapathy Raju, Kanwaljit Singh. I practiced hard at the nets against them and I always felt that the hard work you put in the nets will reap results. Within a span of six months to one year I became an excellent player of spin. In domestic cricket we used to get tough wickets, like the one in Chennai for the Test (against Australia), and my confidence grew.”Laxman’s admissions could be a lesson for the touring Australian team, whose batsmen struggled against spin in Chennai. “You react to the ball that is coming at you,” he said. “If you focus on the guy holding the ball, your thought process changes. You should remove things like the state of the pitch from your thought process and only react to the ball. If you think too much about the wicket, you’re only expecting a certain kind of delivery and in the bargain you lose out on the shot you could have played.”Laxman also spoke at length about how it’s a bigger challenge for youngsters today to strike the balance between their game and their personality, compared to the scenario at the time he was growing up. He felt it is a challenge for the modern cricketer to manage distractions better, given that players nowadays have plenty on their plate to deal with.

“There is so much of fame, adulation, scrutiny, and money [these days]. It is very important for any young cricketer to be as balanced as possible. It is very difficult to do so and I feel for them.”VVS Laxman

“It’s not just about distractions. It’s the amount of options available to you. For example, when I chose not to become a doctor and chose cricket as my career path, there was nothing in my life except cricket. When my friends went to movies etc, I used to go home, so I could be fresh in the morning for practice. Now, there are so many options. If you are not successful as a cricketer you could be successful in any other field. That is why now it is very important how you communicate with the youngsters. You cannot be negative with them. You have to be positive so that their interest in the game always remains.”There is so much of fame, adulation, scrutiny, and money [these days]. It is very important for any young cricketer to be as balanced as possible. It is very difficult to do so and I feel for them.”While he agreed that mentorship is important to a player’s growth, he insisted that a youngster should be educated on what his priorities should be at an early age.”What was the one thing that kept me going? It was the pride of playing for your country,” Laxman said. “That can be ingrained at a young age. [Money] is a danger. For young cricketers, their priorities should be emphasised. They should know that money is a by-product of what you’re trying to achieve. Pride and passion should be the first priority. I have noticed in the same coaching camps I used to attend as a kid, the parents now say ‘I don’t care if my son plays for India or not but I want him to get into one of the IPL franchises.’ There has to be a balance. That will happen in the ages of 16-19. The coaches at camps like at the NCA have to address the issue.”Coaching youngsters, he says, also needs to be handled with caution. “After my retirement my son suddenly became interested in the game, I don’t know why,” Laxman said, which was followed by laughter. “I just tell him to hit the ball. My nephew goes to a coaching camp and one day I was playing with the two of them. It was strange. My son was only hitting the ball without bothering about his head position etc, but my nephew would come to me as ask, ‘uncle, how is my elbow position?’ They are just aged 6 and 7. What structured coaching sometimes does is it removes the natural instincts of a player. Till a cricketer is mature, one should not load too much information on him. I notice spinners are at their best till they are 15, but they vanish. The coaches try to correct them and the player gets confused.”

Rob Newton and David Sales both scored centuries as Northamptonshire’s batsmen dominated against Glamorgan

15-Jul-2012
ScorecardRob Newton and David Sales both scored centuries as Northamptonshire’s batsmen dominated the second day of their LV= County Championship match against Glamorgan at Northampton.After being made to bat, Northamptonshire closed on 336 for 5 with Newton smashing a career-best 117 off only 113 balls – his sensational knock including 14 fours and three sixes. Sales’ innings was not quite as spectacular, but brilliant nonetheless as he made an unbeaten 129 off 277 deliveries with 16 fours.After the first day was washed out without a ball being bowled, Glamorgan won the toss and chose to field as the second day began on time. And they took the wicket of Stephen Peters with the final ball of the first over when he edged James Harris to Jim Allenby at second slip after facing six deliveries without scoring.John Glover was brought into the attack in the 12th over and with his second ball he took out Kyle Coetzer’s leg stump after the Scotland international had made 22. Sales and Alex Wakely then batted out the rest of the morning session as Northamptonshire reached lunch on 78 for 2.Wakely had moved on to 30 in the afternoon before he was taken by Stewart Walters at first slip to give Glover his second wicket. Sales, however, hung around to complete a patient half-century off 129 balls with a four through mid-wicket off Harris.Newton had since joined him at the crease and he was to reach 50 at a quicker pace, off 66 deliveries, including two huge sixes over mid-wicket, as the hosts moved on to 190 for three at tea. The fourth-wicket pair took their partnership beyond 100 in the evening session with Newton the first to complete his century, the third of his career, off only 104 balls.Sales then followed suit in the very next over to complete his 26th first-class ton and his second in this season’s County Championship off a more pedestrian 229 deliveries.Newton eventually holed out when he hammered Will Bragg to substitute fielder Aneurin Norman at deep midwicket to end a magnificent stand of 187. That beat the previous best fourth-wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Glamorgan, beating the 183 made between Sales and Rob White at Swansea in 2008.Northamptonshire captain Andrew Hall made just 8 before he nudged Huw Waters to his opposite number – Glamorgan wicketkeeper Mark Wallace. James Middlebrook then survived the last nine overs alongside Sales and will resume tomorrow on 17.

Pakistan have dropped seniors Younis Khan and Umar Gul from the one-day squad for the three-match series against Australia in the UAE later this month

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2012Squad for ODIs against Australia

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Abdur Rehman, Junaid Khan, Anwar Ali
In: Anwar Ali, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Junaid Khan
Out: Mohammad Sami, Rahat Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Younis Khan, Umar Gul

Pakistan have dropped seniors Younis Khan and Umar Gul from the one-day squad for the three-match series against Australia in the UAE later this month. Kamran Akmal, who was recalled for the Twenty20s, also made it to the one-day leg of the tour and the other notable inclusion is Junaid Khan, the left-arm fast bowler who had an impressive Test series in Sri Lanka recently. Anwar Ali, the fast bowler who has played one Twenty20 international back in 2008, is the only relatively new face in the team.Gul, Pakistan’s strike seam bowler, was selected for the Twenty20s but ignored for the ODIs. He had a disappointing tour of Sri Lanka, taking only four wickets in five games. Younis was out of sorts throughout the series, scoring just five runs in four games.Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan’s chief selector, said both were dropped for the sake of rest.”For a while Gul and Younis have been struggling and they have been dropped only to give them a break,” Qasim told ESPNcricinfo. “Both have contributed a lot for Pakistan and we need them to be fresh ahead of the busy schedule. They desperately need a break to mange their workload.”The selectors also ignored the unpredictable seamer Mohammad Sami, who played two one-dayers but was expensive in the fifth match in Colombo, leaking 75 runs in a thrilling encounter. Rahat Ali, the rookie left-arm seamer, was also left out after getting just one opportunity.”The selectors have decided to drop Rahat Ali, who needs more grooming and he is a future prospect, while Anwar Ali has been in the pipeline for quite a long time,” Qasim said. “He has been included to get some confidence and much-needed exposure.”The allrounder Shoaib Malik also gets a recall, after being ignored for the one-dayers in Sri Lanka. Malik played an ODI in February this year against England. Kamran Akmal’s inclusion was on expected lines after he was named in the Twenty20 squad for the UAE tour and the World Twenty20 next month in Sri Lanka. He last played an ODI during the 2011 World Cup. Pakistan selected three wicketkeepers – one for each format – in Sri Lanka, picking Shakeel Ansar and Sarfraz Ahmed for the Twenty20s and ODIs respectively. Both were left out in favour of Akmal.”Akmal is our first-choice as wicketkeeper-batsman for limited-overs cricket mainly because of his assured batting skills,” Qasim said. “So drafting him in the ODI squad could help him gain more confidence ahead of the World T20.”Anwar made a name for himself during Pakistan’s successful Under-19 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka in 2006. He went wicketless in his only opportunity for Pakistan, against Zimbabwe in Canada. He is also a handy lower-order batsman, with a first-class century to his name.However, the squad lacks an experienced seamer, with Abdul Razzaq too missing out, despite making the Twenty20 squad. Hammad Azam, rated highly by the likes of Ramiz Raja (the former Pakistan captain) as an allrounder with potential, was ignored yet again.”Pakistan have been relying more on spin bowling, and in view of the pitches and conditions in the UAE, the onus will be on spinners,” Qasim said. Additional reporting by Umar Farooq

A round-up of the fifth round of Ranji Trophy’s Group B matches on December 1, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2012
ScorecardIgnored for the ongoing Test series against England, S Badrinath made his 29th first-class century as Tamil Nadu ended on 235 for 3 against Vidarbha in Nagpur. Arun Karthik and Abhinav Mukund got starts but were dismissed by Shrikant Wagh. Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik then put on 133 for the third wicket to build the innings. Dinesh Karthik made 49 off 147 deliveries before he was caught behind but India Under-19 allrounder Baba Aparajith ensured Tamil Nadu finished only three down. Badrinath faced 190 balls for his unbeaten 101 and hit 14 fours and a six.
ScorecardAnkit Rajpoot, 18, playing only his second first-class game, took four wickets to help Uttar Pradesh dismiss Baroda for 254 on a Green Park pitch with lots of grass on it. Suresh Raina asked Baroda to bat and the visitors lost their openers with just nine on the board. When Rajpoot had Rakesh Solanki edging to the slip cordon, Baroda were struggling at 83 for 4. Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Devdhar added 104 to steady the innings but Rajpoot broke the stand by having the Baroda captain caught behind for 85. Devdhar under-edged a googly from Piyush Chawla to the wicketkeeper and the innings soon ended on 254. The UP openers batted out six overs without any damage.
ScorecardOdisha’s fairytale run continued when they had Maharashtra seven down for 264 in Sambalpur. Medium-pacer Basant Mohanty hardly gave anything away, and had figures of 22-13-35-2. Five other Odisha bowlers picked up a wicket each. Wasted starts were the story of the day for Maharashtra, with two batsmen, Harshad Khadiwale and Chirag Khurana, going in their forties, and Ankit Bawne falling for 51. Kedar Jadhav, who had made 327 against UP earlier, motored to 33 off 33 before being dismissed. Maharashtra were 139 for 5 when Jadhav fell but Bawne and Khurana helped stage a recovery.
ScorecardFast bowler Parvinder Awana took three wickets as Delhi reduced neighbours Haryana to 219 for 6 in Lahli, near Rohtak. The Lahli pitch has acquired a reputation for being a batsman’s nightmare but the surface for this game was bare without any grass. Rahul Dewan and Nitin Saini (45) put on 69 for the first wicket before Awana struck. Sunny Singh and Abhimanyu Khod did cause much damage. Awana did, with the second new ball, taking out Sachin Rana and Amit Mishra leg-before. No. 5 batsman Rahul Dalal remained unbeaten on 42.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils in Mumbai

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit15-Apr-2012Match factsMonday, April 16, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Lasith Malinga’s face-off with Daredevils’ batting would set the tone for the high profile clash in Mumbai•AFPBig pictureTwo of the most power-packed IPL sides, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, take on each other on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium after having had relatively long breaks, by IPL standards, of five and four days respectively. Mumbai Indians and Daredevils have had decent starts to the season. The Daredevils crushed defending champions Chennai Super Kings with nearly seven overs to spare in their previous game. Mumbai Indians overcame a stiff challenge from Owais Shah to beat Rajasthan Royals in front of a packed Wankhede.The good news for the home side is that Sachin Tendulkar batted against a few throwdowns yesterday. Tendulkar has not played a game since injuring his finger in Mumbai Indians’ season opener against Super Kings. Will they rush him into the playing XI? Richard Levi, the Mumbai Indians opener, said that they would take a call on Tendulkar tomorrow.Tendulkar’s replacements at the top of the order have struggled to provide starts but the heavyweight middle order and a world-class bowling attack have not let that come in the way of posting three wins from four games.Daredevils look a completely different side with the availability of Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen and now, Ross Taylor, who has declared himself “95% fit”. Daredevils will have to figure out how to play all three overseas batsmen, though. Leaving out Roelof van der Merwe weakens the spin-bowling department, an area in which Daredevils are already short.Players to watchLasith Malinga wrecked Daredevils for just 95 last season in Delhi. Malinga had figures of 3.4-1-13-5, and his maiden over was to Virender Sehwag, of all batsmen. It was Malinga who turned Mumbai Indians’ previous game against Royals, bowling the rampaging Shah with a yorker.Fresh from a match-winning 151 in England’s second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Kevin Pietersen smashed an unbeaten 42 from 26 deliveries against Super Kings. The IPL may not be a big draw in England; Pietersen is here to enjoy himself, though.2011 head-to-headMumbai Indians beat Daredevils in both meetings last year. Malinga was all over them in Delhi, and an all-round performance proved too much for the visitors in Mumbai.Stats and trivia Daredevils’ 98-run loss to Mumbai Indians in 2010 was their second-largest in terms of runs, and the fourth-largest in the history of the IPL Malinga’s economy-rate of 4.54 is the best so far this season (minimum five overs bowled)Quotes”If the communication is good, doesn’t matter, whoever you are batting with is alright.”

Kirsten has warned that it is not yet time to panic and that the team he coached to the top of the world are still a formidable side

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2011Gary Kirsten, the former India coach, has admitted to being “a bit sad,” after MS Dhoni’s side lost their No. 1 Test ranking, following three consecutive Test defeats to England. However, Kirsten has warned that it is not yet time to panic and that the team he coached to the top of the world are still a formidable side.”I am bit surprised with the results, but not in a negative way,” Kirsten, who now coaches South Africa, told ESPNcricinfo in Johannesburg, where he was attending a sponsorship announcement. “It’s always difficult to understand why teams ebb and flow and often it’s the intangibles that make the difference.”While India’s poor performances have been put down to everything from the lack of planning to lack of fight, Kirsten sees the reason for their losses as something less easily identifiable. He dished up a range of possible reasons, with the central theme being that of the culture of the side and how that may have to change with the change of coach. “When a new coach comes in its important that he follows on with the culture of the team,” Kirsten said.Kirsten established himself as a flexible, contemporary coach, who was capable of being involved with the players as well as letting them take care of themselves. More importantly, he was as hard-working as they needed to be, literally, showing them what it would take to be successful. Hailed for the umpteen throwdowns he provided, the players saw him as one of them. It’s too early to tell whether they see new coach Duncan Fletcher in the same way, but even if they do, Kirsten admitted that the taking over the mantle, from any coach, is tough. “It’s not easy to continue a run of success,” he said.One of the difficulties that may come with transition is understanding the make-up of the Indian team, particularly where it is deficient. “They are a great cricket team, with a great captain and one of the best batting line-ups in the world which is why they were No. 1,” Kirsten explained, before saying something that indicated that he had not completely let go of the Indian team just yet. “But always knew that we were bit short on the bowling side and that was something that we learnt to manage.”India’s bowlers have bowed out of the series in sequence, making it tricky to stay consistent and threatening in that department. First senior fast bowler Zaheer Khan was injured, then the spin department was forced to turn another way when Harbhajan Singh had to leave and, before the start of the fourth and final Test, Praveen Kumar suffered an ankle injury.And, while the bowling has lurched from one state of crisis to the next, the batting has failed to live up to expectations. With experiences hands like VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar unable to score a century between them, there is concern that the best days of Indian batting are behind them, and fresh faces should be sought, but Kirsten doesn’t agree.”People said that with such an experienced team we should try to integrate youth but I felt that for as long as those experienced guys were there and they were enjoying it and playing good cricket, they should carry on,” he said. “Even if it means that there is only one spot to bring in a youngster, that’s fine. We were able to, at number six, so we covered both angles.” Suresh Raina has been the man who has been allowed to fill and mature in that role and has also been earmarked as one for the future, by being the stand-in ODI captain.It’s in the shorter format of the game that Kirsten thinks India can redeem themselves on this tour, especially after their World Cup triumph. “I hope they have a good one-day series, because if they leave do, they can look back and say, ‘ok, we had a disappointing Test series, but as World Cup winners we’ve shown our worth in the one-day game.'”It will be a way for India to validate and sustain their status as one of the top teams in the world, something that new ODI captain AB de Villiers thinks is much more complicated than it looks. “It’s difficult to reach the top and stay there,” he said. “They won the World Cup, which was massive for them, but then they’ve had a tour of West Indies and a few injuries and maybe the hunger to win games goes down a little.”