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Ozias Bvute has resigned as managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), but has declared his intention to stay involved in the game

Firdose Moonda19-Jun-2012Ozias Bvute has resigned as managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) but has declared his intention to stay involved in the game in the future. Bvute, who was appointed after Vincent Hogg resigned in 2004, has been replaced by his deputy Wilfred Mukondiwa.”I have relished the job for the last few years and look forward to remaining involved in the years to come, albeit in a different capacity,” Bvute said in a ZC release. “The next phase is to ensure that our team becomes consistently competitive and I have every confidence in Mr Mukondiwa’s ability to take up this challenge.”Bvute has been involved in ZC for close to 12 years. He first joined in 2001 as part of the Integrated Task Force that was set up to develop a strategy that would make cricket a more representative sport in Zimbabwe. Prior to the 2000s, cricket in the country was the domain of the minority white population and ZC appointed a team to look into how they could create opportunities for black African players to reach the highest level.The aggressive transformation programme which followed was not received well in all quarters and a walkout of white players in 2004 crippled Zimbabwean cricket. Hogg resigned in the aftermath and Bvute took over with the task of rebuilding the sport. Zimbabwe had to field a squad of inexperienced players and their results worsened leading to Bvute and Peter Chingoka, the chairman of ZC, campaigning for Zimbabwe to withdraw from Test cricket.The country went into self-imposed exile for close to five years. The beginning of that period also coincided with economic collapse in Zimbabwe as a whole. As the political situation improved and investors returned to the country, albeit in small numbers with small amounts of money, ZC was able to secure funding.They revamped their domestic set-up in 2009 and introduced a franchise system. They were also able to reintegrate many of the players who had previously abandoned the sport. Alistair Campbell became chairman of the cricket committee, Heath Streak was named national bowling coach and Grant Flower came out of retirement to play for a while before taking up the role of batting coach. Foreign players and coaches also showed an interest in the country with the likes of Jason Gillespie, Lance Klusener and Nick Compton coaching and playing in the franchise system.It was through the new structures that Zimbabwe began to prepare for a Test return. They played numerous series against the A sides of countries such as New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and made their Test return last August, beating Bangladesh in Harare. Zimbabwe have subsequently struggled, losing to Pakistan and New Zealand (both home and away) and they have not achieved the desired results in the limited-overs versions either but are producing players that promise better days are in sight.Two issues remain: their schedule and their financial status. As matters currently stand, Zimbabwe will not play another Test this year. They were due to host Bangladesh in August but asked that the tour be postponed because scarifying work needs to take place at the grounds in Harare and Bulawayo. The October date they suggested to the BCB was rejected because Bangladesh will be engaged in their own domestic competition, so the series looks set for April 2013.The ongoing Twenty20 tri-series also featuring South Africa and Bangladesh will be their primary preparation for the World Twenty20 in September. They also have a fifty-over tri-series in July against South Africa A and Sri Lanka A scheduled but their next engagement on the FTP is to host Pakistan in January next year for two Tests, three ODIs and two T20s.While in a financially stronger position than they were before, ZC is by no means awash with cash. They made losses on all three incoming tours last year, something that was expected because the costs of hosting do not offset the gains made on television rights sales. As a further indication of how cash-careful they have to be, the current tri-series was initially not destined for television screens because of cost but Bangladesh’s inclusion changed that.The player contract situation appears to have stabilised though, after Tatenda Taibu claimed they had not been paid last year. Central contracts have now been issued and rumblings about outstanding match fees have disappeared. ZC have also managed to secure various sponsors, something that Bvute may continue to assist them with. He is moving on to corporate job but will provide consultancy services to ZC, particularly pertaining to the commercial aspects of the game.

James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been called up for the second Test against South Africa after Ravi Bopara was ruled out for what the ECB said were ‘personal issues’.

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2012James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been called up for the second Test against South Africa at Headingley after Ravi Bopara was ruled out because of what the ECB said were ‘personal issues’.The first match at The Oval marked Bopara’s return to the Test line-up after nearly a year out of the team but he struggled, making 0 and 22. He was due to play in Essex’s CB40 match against Worcestershire on Sunday but also withdrew from that that and this latest development brings a halt to another attempt to establish himself in the Test line up.Taylor, who played one ODI against Ireland last year, will enter the match in good form after making a century against Sussex in the current round of Championship matches, although before that innings he had a lean season in four-day cricket with one half-century in nine matches. However, he had scored a century for England Lions against the West Indians earlier this season.Taylor was preferred ahead of Jonny Bairstow, who played the three Tests against West Indies in place of an injured Bopara, and Somerset’s Nick Compton, the lead run-scorer in the Championship.Speaking after the second day against Sussex, before news of his call up, he said: “My ultimate ambition has always been to play Test cricket and my plan at the start of the season was to try to establish myself here and win games for Nottinghamshire, to keep knocking at the door and hope that when an opportunity did arise with England I would have enough runs behind me that they couldn’t not pick me.”I always expected to score runs because I know I can but it has been good to play against first division bowling attacks and on difficult wickets. I feel good about the way things are going at the moment.”Taylor is the only change to the 13-man squad after the innings-and-12-run defeat in the opening Test at The Oval, although question marks remain over the make up of the bowling attack after England took just two wickets in 189 overs. Steven Finn and Graham Onions, who both played Championship cricket this week, are the other options should the selectors decide on a change.The most vulnerable of the pace bowlers appears to be Tim Bresnan, although he would bring local knowledge on his home ground and can bowl long spells. Stuart Broad was below his best at The Oval but it is unlikely that England will considering leaving him out, after showing faith in him during previous slips in form.Finn took six wickets against Durham at Chester-le-Street while, by the start of the third day, Onions had four. Both played against West Indies at Edgbaston when England rotated their pace attack and Finn showed excellent form against Australia in the one-day series.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “We were outplayed during the first Test last week but it is important that this squad regroups and focuses on preparing for the second Test. This is a talented squad with plenty of international experience and they will be determined to improve on the performance during the first Test.”We have made one change to the squad with James Taylor replacing Ravi Bopara, who is unavailable for selection due to personal reasons. James has been part of the England Performance Programme for a number of years and has performed consistently for England Lions and now has an opportunity to step up and experience the Test environment.”Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, James Taylor, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Graham Onions

Ajantha Mendis has returned to the Sri Lanka squad for the World Twenty20. Mendis last played for Sri Lanka in South Africa in January this year before suffering a back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2012Akila Dananjaya has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the World Twenty20, following four impressive performances for Wayamba United in the ongoing Sri Lanka Premier League. Another uncapped player, opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera, has been picked and Ajantha Mendis has earned a recall. Mendis has not played for Sri Lanka since January after suffering a back injury.Dananjaya, 18, had never played professional cricket prior to the SLPL, nor was he picked for the U-19 side currently competing in the World Cup in Australia. He had been selected in the preliminary 30-man squad solely on the recommendation of captain Mahela Jayawardene, who had faced him at Sri Lanka’s net session. Dananjaya has taken seven wickets at the SLPL, at an average of 11 and an economy rate of 4.81.Munaweera was picked despite not being named in the preliminary list. Renowned as a clean hitter on the domestic circuit, he showed glimpses of that power in the SLPL, but has a highest score of 36 in his four innings in the tournament so farMendis, though, has been impressive in the SLPL. He has nine wickets at an average of 14.11 in four matches.A fractured finger during the ODI series against India last month had ruled out Kumar Sangakkara for four to six weeks and his selection in the 15 remains subject to his recovery in time for the competition. Likewise with seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, who suffered a groin injury in July.There is no room in the side for batsman Upul Tharanga, who played in the Twenty20 against India earlier this month, despite scores of 65 not out and 48 for his franchise. Chamara Kapugedara, who hit a match-winning 69 from 39 balls for Uthura Rudras on Tuesday also missed out.Sri Lanka play their first warm-up ahead of the World T20 against West Indies on September 13. Their first game of the tournament is against Zimbabwe on September 18.Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Dilshan Munaweera, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Shaminda Eranga, Akila Dhanajaya.

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has said that his left knee requires surgery but he hasn’t decided when to perform the operation

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2012Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has said that his left knee requires surgery but he hasn’t decided when to perform the operation. Earlier this month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had declined him permission to play in the Sri Lanka Premier League as a precautionary measure.”The problem (in my left knee) won’t be fixed without an operation. But I haven’t decided when it will be,” Shakib told Bangla daily . “It may be after the World Cup (T20) but if it means that I will miss the West Indies series, I will do it afterwards.”Shakib is part of the Twenty20 squad for three matches in Trinidad & Tobago next month, before heading to Sri Lanka to play the ICC World Twenty20. He is also set to appear for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Champions League T20 from October 13 before the home series against West Indies in mid-November. Further in the 2012-13 season, Shakib will be playing in domestic leagues, including the Bangladesh Premier League as well as tours with Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the IPL to round things off.Dr Debashish Chowdhury, the BCB doctor, said that Shakib has been diagnosed with degenerated meniscus, but it won’t put him out of action very soon. “The latest MRI suggests that he is suffering degenerated meniscus. Usually it is caused due to impact, but in Shakib’s case it is due to overuse. He’s a spinner so the knee has to twist that way,” Dr Chowdhury said.

An unbeaten half-century by Luke Wells kept Sussex afloat as they reached 112 for 5, a lead of 96, in their second innings against Durham

12-Sep-2012
ScorecardAn unbeaten half-century by Luke Wells kept Sussex afloat as they reached 112 for 5, a lead of 96, in their second innings against Durham at Chester-le-Street. On the ground where he scored his maiden century early last season, Wells dug in doggedly and finally found support from wicketkeeper Ben Brown.After going in at 67 for 5 in the first innings, when he made an unbeaten 76, Brown arrived at 69 for 5 second time around. Although he contributed only 12 to the unbroken stand of 43, he again looked comfortable.Following the fall of 16 wickets on the first day, Durham’s seventh-wicket pair Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick extended their stand to 83 in the morning. They survived until 20 minutes before lunch, but then three wickets went down for one run and after an hour was lost to rain Durham were all out for 227.Mustard took a few risks and survived a few scary moments against Monty Panesar, who was out of luck after starting the day with figures of 2 for 4 in five overs. Mustard sped to 40 but then added only five in 12 overs before falling lbw when propping forward to the fifth ball of Sussex’s acting captain Chris Nash.In the next over, the first of the day for seamer Kirk Wernars, Borthwick departed for 35 when he chipped the second ball to short midwicket, where Mike Yardy stuck out his left hand to hold the catch.Lunch was delayed with nine wickets down but both Graham Onions and Chris Rushworth were dropped and cashed in with a flurry of runs. They had put on 24 when rain arrived. Durham failed to add to their total on the resumption as Onions went down the pitch to Panesar and was bowled.Having fallen to Rushworth’s first ball in the first innings, Nash was lbw to the third this time. Needing 16 for his 1,000 runs, he was out for a duck. Mike Yardy made 29 in a second wicket stand of 40 before he walked into a swinger in Callum Thorp’s first over and was lbw.Thorp later pinned Wernars with a yorker, while Ben Stokes worked up a lively pace to remove Joe Gatting and Matt Machan. But Wells reached 50 off 96 balls by slicing his eighth four through gully, where he scored a lot of his runs, and was unbeaten on 51 at the close.

Scott Henry outshone the Test aspirants Usman Khawaja and Alex Doolan on a barren opening day’s play for the Sri Lankan tourists in Canberra

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Scott Henry’s unbeaten 172 anchored the Chairman’s XI•Getty ImagesScott Henry, the young New South Wales batsman, notably outshone the Test aspirants Usman Khawaja and Alex Doolan on a barren opening day’s play for the Sri Lankan tourists against a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI in Canberra.Batting first on a typically flat Manuka Oval surface, the hosts had little trouble advancing to 4 for 390 by the close, Henry batting out the entire day for an unbeaten 172, adding 123 with Khawaja and 125 with a brazen Glenn Maxwell.Shaminda Eranga was the only visiting bowler to win any sort of tactical advantage on the day, returning an economical 1 for 22 from 13 overs while Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara and the vice-captain Angelo Mathews wee rested.Marcus Harris hung around for an opening stand of 47 with Henry before slicing Eranga to backward point. Khawaja began slowly before gradually gathering momentum, and was playing fluently until he flicked Chanaka Welagedara to short midwicket.Doolan was not at his best upon his arrival to the wicket, surviving a handful of appeals before he was bowled by an off break from Suraj Randiv for a mere six.Maxwell spanked 11 boundaries and two sixes in his 77-ball stay, but was to fall short of a century when he charged at Nuwan Pradeep’s fast medium and was bowled.

Half-centuries by Mathew Sinclair and Will Young and a combined bowling performance helped Central Districts claim their first win, by 43 runs, at Pukekura Park

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2012
ScorecardHalf-centuries by Mathew Sinclair and Will Young and a combined bowling performance helped Central Districts claim their first win, by 43 runs, at Pukekura Park. Northern Districts chose to field and they were made to regret their decision as Sinclair and Young added 111 for the second wicket in just under 11 overs. Sinclair smashed five fours and three consecutive sixes off Steven Croft before falling to the same bowler for 71. Young was out the next ball, off Anton Devich for 57 off 29 balls. Kieren Noema-Barnett and Carl Cachopa then added a quick 33 to take the score past 180.Chasing 187, Northern Districts got off to a poor start, losing their top three for 29. The only resistance came from Scott Styris, who smashed 77 off 47 balls with five sixes as wickets tumbled around him. Kyle Jarvis was the most effective bowler with 3 for 39 while the rest of the wickets were shared by the four remaining bowlers. Northern Districts are in second place with 16 points, behind Wellington who are ahead on net run rate.

Punjab batsman Taruwar Kohli scored a triple-century, the fifth in the Ranji season so far, and lit up an otherwise inconsequential day in Jamshedpur

Amol Karhadkar10-Jan-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Taruwar Kohli scored the fifth triple-century of this Ranji season•ESPNcricinfo LtdTaruwar Kohli converted his century into an unbeaten triple-century to light up an otherwise insignificant day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Punjab and Jharkhand at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur.With Punjab having overhauled Jharkhand’s first-innings total of 401 to secure a semi-final face-off against Saurashtra, the last day’s play was a formality. But Kohli, playing his first game of the season, ensured that the day would be fruitful.He resumed his innings on 151 at the start of the day’s play, and made the tired Jharkhand bowlers toil for two sessions of two and a half hours each before Punjab declared at 699 for 3 on the stroke of tea. With Jharkhand opting to bowl only two of their four specialist bowlers, Kohli and Uday Kaul had the ideal opportunity to increase their averages. And they did it to perfection by taking a toll on part-timers.The only mistake of Kohli’s innings came when he was on 205. He uppishly drove Ishank Jaggi, who was bowling medium pace with the third new ball, but the captain Shahbaz Nadeem dropped a straightforward catch. It was the second over after lunch and Kohli made sure he made utmost use of the reprieve.With a ball remaining before tea, Kohli was batting on 296, and he drove offspinner Manish Vardhan through midwicket for his 34th boundary to burst into celebration amid applause from his team-mates. Kaul remained unbeaten on 113, after having scored his third century of the season.Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh was all praise for Kohli as he said, “At this level, it’s a great thing to see he took the responsibility and made sure that till the time he was there, he did not play any loose shot and took the team through.”Kohli’s 300 not out was the third triple-century scored by a Punjab batsman, after Dinesh Mongia’s unbeaten 308 against Jammu and Kashmir in 2000-01 and Pankaj Dharmani’s 305 not out against the same opposition in 1999-2000. This was the second triple scored at this venue, after VVS Laxman’s unbeaten 301 for Hyderabad against Bihar in 1997-98.Kohli’s triple was the fifth of the season. Kedar Jadhav scored 327 for Maharashtra against Uttar Pradesh; Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja scored 331 against Railways in Rajkot and an unbeaten 303 against Gujarat in Surat; and Jadeja’s team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara registered the fourth triple-ton of the season during their quarter-final against Karnataka, hours before Kohli joined the 300-club.

Adam Voges’ maiden international century set up a 5-0 series win for Australia

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG10-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Adam Voges scored his first international century•Getty ImagesJohnson Charles was seven years old last time West Indies beat Australia in an ODI in Australia. For much of the second half of this game, it appeared that Charles was going to ride his luck and steer West Indies to victory but not even his maiden century could end 16 years of Australian dominance at home. Under the captaincy of Shane Watson and without several of their best players, Australia completed a 5-0 clean-sweep thanks largely to Adam Voges and his first international hundred.Voges scored an unbeaten 112 that rescued Australia from a shaky start after they were sent in by Darren Sammy and they were able to post 5 for 274, a very competitive total given the absence of the injured Michael Clarke, David Warner and George Bailey, as well as Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell, who have already flown to India for the Test series. In reply, West Indies had their ups and downs but with Charles and Kieron Pollard at the crease they remained firmly in the contest.Even after Charles’ fortune ran out, Pollard and Devon Thomas managed a couple of thumping sixes and brought the equation to a very gettable 48 off six overs, but somehow they just couldn’t quite find the intensity to bridge the gap. Thomas was run out for 19, Pollard drove a catch down the throat of long-on for 45 and their hopes fizzled out. By the end 24 were needed off the final over bowled by McKay and West Indies lost their final two wickets.It meant that Australia extended their record to 17 consecutive victories over West Indies in Australia. Last time West Indies won an ODI against Australia in Australia was in January 1997, when a team led by Courtney Walsh beat Mark Taylor’s men in Perth. They began their chase hoping to end that drought but the loss of Kieran Powell, caught at slip off Mitchell Johnson in the second over, was not ideal.Charles and Darren Bravo put together a 106-run second-wicket stand before Bravo sent a Xavier Doherty ball in the air to mid-off, and Dwayne Bravo followed for 13 when he was bowled by Johnson. That brought Charles and Pollard together.Charles played some impressive strokes on his way to a century, including a six crunched over long-on against Ben Cutting and a four slashed behind point off the next ball. Those shots came in the same over that Charles survived a caught-behind appeal on 55 when an attempted pull bounced off his arm; Australia’s review of the not-out call resulted in a difficult Hot Spot call and in the end the third umpire Nigel Llong felt unsure if the ball had grazed the edge of the bat before hitting Charles.That over was a microcosm of the way Charles played in this innings: risk and reward. He was dropped twice, at slip by Aaron Finch off McKay on 7, and on 77 at deep cover by the substitute fielder Ryan Carters off James Faulkner. Another perilously close call came next ball on 79 when Charles was given lbw and asked for a review. The ball clearly came off the bat onto the back pad, but it may also have brushed the front pad before the bat. Again, Charles was given the benefit of the doubt.He made the most of his opportunities, finding the boundary eight times including a dab past the wicketkeeper off McKay to bring up his century from his 120th delivery. Remarkably, it was his first hundred in any form of elite cricket, including first-class, List A and Twenty20. Perhaps the moment got to him, for he was out next ball when he lazily tried to swivel McKay around the corner and lobbed a catch to short fine leg.The Australians had done well to ensure such a healthy target after Tino Best rattled them with two wickets in the first three overs of the game. That included Watson, who played on to a bouncer first ball of the game. Later, the Australians were wobbling at 4 for 82 but a century partnership between Voges and Brad Haddin launched the recovery before Faulkner joined Voges for some quick late runs. Voges finished unbeaten on 112 and Faulkner on 31 and during their partnership the wheels really fell off for West Indies, who leaked 100 runs in the final ten overs.Singles and twos were far too easy and Voges was also finding the boundary, including with a crunching six over long-on against Best in the 50th over. Voges had brought up his ton from his 97th delivery with a hastily-run two and he celebrated like a man who thought the moment would never come. That would be understandable, for Voges made his one-day international debut nearly six years ago and since then has been almost permanently on the fringes of the national side, playing 17 ODIs but never more than three in a row.Like Charles would later, he made the opposition pay for giving him a life on 7 when he was put down at slip by Sammy off the spin of Sunil Narine. His half-century came from 64 balls and he had good support from Haddin during a 111-run fifth-wicket stand that prevented West Indies capitalising on their impressive start. Eventually Haddin was caught at deep midwicket top-edging a swivelled pull off Kemar Roach but by then Australia were well set.Australia had been in early trouble due to a couple of fine catches which accounted for Phillip Hughes and Shaun Marsh. If only West Indies’ sharp catching had extended to Sammy holding Voges on 7, a 16-year drought might have been broken.

James Strong, chairman of the local organising committee for the 2015 World Cup, has died aged 68 after complications from surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2013James Strong, chairman of the local organising committee for the 2015 World Cup, has died aged 68 after complications from surgery.He died on Sunday evening in a Sydney hospital, having held the tournament chairman’s position since August 2011. The tournament chief executive John Harnden said Strong had made a major contribution to the event.”James has been a friend and a mentor to me over a long period and I will miss his company and his advice,” Harnden said. “He has made a massive contribution to corporate and sporting life in Australia and New Zealand.”We extend our sincere condolences to his family and many friends. We will continue the work he began on the World Cup and deliver a tournament in 2015 that would make him proud.”Before working on the organisation of the World Cup, Strong had been the chief executive and managing director of Qantas from 1993 until 2001. He had also served as chairman of the Australia Council for the Arts, alongside senior roles with Woolworths, Rip Curl, IAG and Kathmandu.