All posts by h716a5.icu

Tim Southee has praised his captain Brendon McCullum’s attacking mindset on the field

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2013Tim Southee has praised the leadership of Brendon McCullum, who took over the New Zealand captaincy late last year after the fallout between Ross Taylor and coach Mike Hesson.After a nightmare start to 2013 in South Africa, the team’s fortunes have steadily improved, most recently in March when they came within one wicket of a series win over England. One of the visible features of McCullum’s short captaincy has been his attacking mindset in the field.In a wide-ranging interview with Alison Mitchell for ESPNcricinfo’s Tea Break, Southee said McCullum’s attitude gave New Zealand the best chance to win.”He’s a born leader,” Southee said of McCullum. “He’s a thinker of the game. He’s a proactive captain. He’s willing to chance his arm to try and get his side ahead, and that’s not always going to work, but he’s willing to try something to get ahead in the game. He’s got a great cricket brain and [is] just a natural leader, so he’s got that respect in the changing room amongst most guys.”McCullum’s latest challenge is to lead the side in the return series in England, where New Zealand will play two Tests and three ODIs. After New Zealand’s performances at home there is a belief that they can push No. 2-ranked England close again. Southee said it is important that impressive performances, like the ones they produced earlier this year, are not exceptions if the team is to move up the rankings.”If we do well over here in their conditions it will show that what we did in New Zealand wasn’t just a one-off, and hopefully we can start to gain a bit more respect in Test cricket. Over the last couple of years we haven’t been where we want to be and if we do well over here I guess it will be a step in the right direction for us as a Test nation.”

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will hold its first secret-ballot election on April 16

Sa'adi Thawfeeq15-Apr-2013Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will hold its first secret-ballot election on April 16, with officials from the Elections Department attending as observers at the board’s request. SLC’s two most powerful posts will, however, remain uncontested – Jayantha Dharmadasa, a former interim committee chairman, is set to become the president while incumbent secretary Nishantha Ranatunga will retain his position.”This is the first time we are going to have a secret ballot, so we are seeking the assistance of the Elections Department,” Ashley de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket’s acting chief executive officer, said. “They have given us guidance and advice but they will not be directly involved with the elections.”De Silva added that the method was in accordance with the new amendments to the Sports Law. “The SLC constitution calls for a show of hands, as has been the practice over the years, but the new amendments to the Sports Law that has been gazetted states that elections should be held under a secret ballot,” he said. “The Sports Law supersedes the constitution of all sports bodies in the country.”According to the amended Sports Law, those elected at Tuesday’s election will serve a two-year term instead of one, which was the case previously.The nominations of both Dharmadasa and Ranatunga were challenged in court. The allegation brought against Dharmadasa was that his appointment to the position of president by the Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket was unconstitutional. The Colombo District Cricket Association, which brought the litigation against him, wanted the date of the election postponed. However, the court has given the defendants time till April 20 to file their reply. The case against Ranatunga was dismissed by the court on the grounds of false evidence.The two posts for vice-president will be contested by three candidates – K Mathivanan, Asanga Seneviratne and Mohan de Silva. The post of the treasurer will be contested between Nuski Mohamed and Eastman Narangoda, while the contest for the assistant secretary’s post will be between Priyantha Soysa, Bandula Dissanayake and Hirantha Perera. Ajitha Pasqual and Irwin Jayawardene will contest for the post of assistant treasurer.There will also be contests for the following committees: tournament, umpires, sponsorship and tour-organising.

Morne Morkel, the South Africa fast bowler, has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to a quad strain, and will be replaced by Chris Morris

Firdose Moonda07-Jun-2013South Africa’s Champions Trophy hopes have suffered another setback, with Morne Morkel ruled out of the tournament with a quad strain. Allrounder Chris Morris has been announced as Morkel’s replacement and approved by the ICC’s event technical committee*. ESPNcricinfo understands that Morris will join the squad in Birmingham on Saturday.Morris is uncapped in ODIs for South Africa but played two Twenty20 internationals last season. He opens the bowling and can reach speeds into the mid 140s. He has just completed his first IPL, in which he was one of the standout players for Chennai Super Kings with 15 wickets at 26.73. He is also a handy lower-order batsman.Morkel is the fourth big-name player to become unavailable for South Africa after Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn, although there is hope Steyn will return. Morkel bowled 6.5 overs during South Africa’s opening match against India before he left the field in obvious discomfort. He was taken for an MRI scan following the team’s defeat which revealed a Grade 1 injury that is more serious than it initially looked.”There is a tear in the layer covering the muscle which means the recovery time will be longer than we thought. He will take at least three weeks to recover,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager who is also a medical doctor, explained.That leaves South Africa’s pace stocks severely depleted, especially as Steyn is still nursing a side strain. Steyn picked up the niggle during South Africa’s warm-up match against Pakistan at The Oval on Monday. At the time Moosajee said he would need five to seven days to recover, a period that ends in time for South Africa’s next match against Pakistan at Edgbaston.That does not mean Steyn is a guaranteed starter, though. “Dale is a work in a progress as far as recovery is concerned. We can only get him to start bowling once he is symptom free,” Moosajee said. “It’s a challenge, because if we allow him to bowl and the injury is aggravated, we will be back to square one. The physiotherapist is working hard on him and taking it day by day. It’s a wait and see thing.” More information on Steyn’s condition will be known when the squad trains on Saturday.Both Morkel and Steyn played in the IPL but Moosajee did not want to lay all the blame on that competition for the problems South Africa are experiencing. “There is a huge volume of cricket for guys who play across all formats. While I can’t blame the IPL, at the same time, there is no guarantee that the volume of cricket is not leading to this.”From a South African perspective, for both your marquee fast bowlers to be ruled out of a major tournament… I guess it could have happened at any time. Dale and Morne are our premier bowlers and we want them to play but I’d like to believe we have become a very resilient team. We’re hoping other guys have a chance to shine.”Morris was preferred over Wayne Parnell, who played four games in the IPL for Pune Warriors and has been on the fringes of the South Africa squad in recent months, and Marchant de Lange, who made a return to cricket late in the 2012-13 season after recovering from stress fractures.He also beat competition from a man former players such as Michael Vaughan and Pat Symcox are pleading for: Vernon Philander. After Tsotsobe and Kleinveldt conceded heavily against India and looked tactically out of sorts, Philander’s lengths were spoken of as being missed.However, the Test ace is not considered part of South Africa’s one-day plans. He has represented them in the fifty-overs format eight times, with his last appearance in January 2012. Philander is usually reserved for Test cricket only and injuries have also hampered his progress in the one-day format.*11.30GMT, June 7: This article has been updated after Morne Morkel’s replacement was approved by the ICC

Kyle Mills’ outstanding form for New Zealand in the Champions League has won him a contract with Middlesex in this summer’s Friends Life t20 competition.

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2013Kyle Mills’ outstanding form for New Zealand in the Champions Trophy has won him a contract with Middlesex in this summer’s Friends Life t20 competition.Mills, now in his mid-30s, will join up with Middlesex on Friday morning, the day after New Zealand’s second t20 International against England at The Oval.He will play for Middlesex against Kent at Canterbury that evening and is available for the entire tournament, should they progress to finals day.New Zealand players are in big demand for England’s FLt20 competition. Mills is the third signed in not much more than a week, with Nathan McCullum signing for Glamorgan and Mitchell McClenaghan winning a deal with Lancashire.Mills took six wickets at 10.50 runs each and conceded less than four runs an over as New Zealand narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.Middlesex CCC’s Managing Director of Cricket, Angus Fraser, was delighted at the capture of Mills. “There are several reasons why Kyle is a good and exciting signing for Middlese,” he said. “During the recent Champions Trophy he highlighted what a high-quality white-ball bowler he is by topping the tournament averages and having one of the best economy rates.”Kyle will bring experience and quality to our attack, with his presence also allowing the club to manage the workload of a bowling attack that is competing in all three domestic tournaments.Middlesex play two LV= Championship matches in the middle of their T20 campaign, matches which could easily go amiss during the concentration on th4e shorter format and undermine a strong Championship challenge which surprisingly faltered with a home defeat against a weakened Yorkshire side.”Ideally, we want to keep our fast bowers as fresh as we can.,” Fraser said. “At the moment we have two or three bowlers who are either injured or recovering from injury. Corey Collymore is not contracted to play t20 cricket and we will also lose Tim Murtagh to Ireland for a week in early July. The squad is looking forward to welcoming Kyle on board.”

Zimbabwe’s batsmen undid some of the hard work done by their bowlers in Andy Waller’s first match in charge since taking over the coaching job in May

The Report by Firdose Moonda18-Jul-2013
Scorecard David Warner batted at No. 4, but made only six runs•BCCIZimbabwe’s batsmen undid some of the hard work done by their bowlers in Andy Waller’s first match in charge since taking over the coaching job in May. Despite being called a “Select XI”, Zimbabwe fielded a full-strength squad for the three-day first-class match as they prepare for a winter program which includes an incoming ODI tour by India and Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and they made a fairly good impression with the ball.The tourists chose to bat first and were in early trouble as they lost their first three wickets inside 11 overs. Nic Maddinson, Aaron Finch and David Warner were all victims of Kyle Jarvis’, with Warner’s 6 from No. 4 of interest to Australian management at the Ashes, to which he will return after the tour of Southern Africa.Alex Doolan and Moises Henriques put on 55 for the fourth wicket, but the recovery was more well-established with the next pair. Henriques and Glenn Maxwell posted 88 before Henriques was dismissed by Michael Chinouya, the uncapped seamer who is being tipped to debut against India.Maxwell was caught off Elton Chigumbura’s bowling and that opened Australia A up. The last five batsmen folded for 21 runs with Chigumbura profiting at the tail end of the innings. On what would have been a typically dry and slow pitch in the Zimbabwean winter, Australia A’s 226 was relatively respectable, but the hosts would have been the happier camp, until they went in to bat.Their top-order was unable to cope with pace from youngsters Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood and within 18 overs, Zimbabwe’s Select XI had lost most of its experience. Vusi Sibanda and Brendan Taylor were caught behind while Sikanda Raza and Hamilton Masakadza were both out lbw.Malcolm Waller and Timycen Maruma managed a 35-run stand and just as they looked to be taking Zimbabwe to safety overnight, their vigil was broken. In the last over of the day, Maruma was caught and bowled by Pakistani-born and now Australian citizen Fawad Ahmed, who is also making a claim for an Ashes call-up.While some of Australia A players will have one eye on Lord’s, Zimbabwe’s cricketers will look to the second day with recovery foremost in their minds. Batting continues to be their problem and they will need to do serious technical work before their next international assignments.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors moved to second place after earning two points with a convincing 27-run win against Barbados Tridents in Port-of-Spain

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMartin Guptill’s 73 off 55 took Guyana to a respectable total of 149•Getty ImagesThe Guyana Amazon Warriors moved to second place after earning two points with a convincing 27-run win against Barbados Tridents in Port-of-Spain. They are now level with the Jamaica Tallawahs, who have a game in hand, with six points and and two behind Barbados.Guyana chose to bat and lost Lendl Simmons on the first ball of the match to Jason Holder. After the slow start, Martin Guptill and Mohammad Hafeez built a solid platform with a 98-run partnership, Guptill being particularly harsh on the bowlers with four fours and as many sixes. They were 69 for 1 after 10 overs and Hafeez struck a six in each of the next two overs to lift the run-rate to nearly seven and a half. He fell for 35 when he handed a catch to Kieron Pollard at long-on off Dwayne Smith in the 14th over just after Guptill brought up his fifty. Smith returned in the 16th over and was smashed for 20 runs this time as Guptill hit six, four and six off the last three balls of the over to take Guyana to 125.With four overs to go, Guyana looked set to go past 150, but Barbados took six wickets in the last 24 balls to keep Guyana to 149. Rayad Emrit first got rid of Guptill and James Franklin in his third over which brought on two new batsmen – Ramnaresh Sarwan and Christopher Barnwell. Both of them were dismissed by left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan in the very next over, when Pollard jumped at long-on to end Barnwell’s innings for a duck and Sarwan also gave a catch to long-on to be caught by Ashley Nurse for 1. Emrit’s last over got three more wickets, including two run-outs. He first had Denesh Ramdin caught at midwicket for a duck, got hit for a four by Sunil Narine on the next ball but the batsman failed to make his ground during the second run two balls later. And then on the last ball, Veerasammy Permaul also fell short of his ground while trying to complete the second run. Guyana’s last six batsmen could manage only 10 runs together.Barbados also lost a wicket early when Kirk Edwards was stumped off Permaul in the third over, which was a wicket maiden. Smith and Shoaib Mailk kept them steady from there scoring at less than run-a-ball. However, pressure and Hafeez got the better of them when the offspinner took two wickets in two balls, first trapping Smith lbw and then getting Umar Akmal stumped with a short ball. Hafeez didn’t stop there as he dismissed Kyle Mayers for 2 in his next over. No. 6 batsman, Pollard tried to hit out but was bowled for 1 and his wicket was followed by Shakib’s when Stevan Jacobs had him caught at long-off. Barbados lost five wickets for 15 runs which virtually ended their chase in the 14th over as they needed another 86 form the last six overs.Malik top-scored with 48 and fell in the penultimate over but only four double-digit scores from Barbados weren’t enough to take them close to their target of 150.

Imran Farhat, the Pakistan batsman, has opted out of the tour to Zimbabwe citing personal reasons. He has been replaced by left-hand batsman Shan Masood in the squad for the two Test matches

Umar Farooq13-Aug-2013Imran Farhat, the Pakistan batsman, has opted out of the tour to Zimbabwe citing personal reasons. Farhat informed the national selection committee about his unavailability due to domestic matters that needed his immediate attention, which, ESPNcricinfo understands, relate to his wife’s health issues. He has been replaced by left-hand batsman Shan Masood in the squad for the two Test matches.Farhat, who was one of the five changes in the Test squad for this tour, was not part Pakistan’s original squad during their previous Test series, in South Africa. He was called in for the third Test of that series as a replacement for the injured Taufeeq Umar, and scored 30 and 43. That was his only Test appearance since featuring in the 2010 Test series in England.Masood, 23, made his first-class debut against Hyderabad in 2007 and has played 56 matches for his 3065 runs. The Kuwait-born Masood has been living in Karachi, and plays as an opening batsman for Habib Bank along with Farhat. He narrowly missed a double-century in his last first-class match, scoring 199, which is his best score in the long format. In the previous two seasons, he scored 846 runs at 33.84 and 1123 at 41.59.A five-day training camp has started at the NCA with only bowlers appearing for the conditioning training sessions. The Pakistan limited-overs squad will depart for Zimbabwe on August 19.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group A match between Perth Scorchers and Lions in Ahmedabad

The Preview by Vishal Dikshit22-Sep-2013Match factsSeptember 23, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Brad Hogg will bring his experience of Indian conditions into play for Perth Scorchers•Getty ImagesBig PictureIn a clash between the runners-up of the Big Bash League, Perth Scorchers, and South Africa’s T20 champions, the Lions, there is some common ground that the teams share, although their situations are different. Both have new coaches but for different reasons. The Scorchers will be coached by Justin Langer after a controversy during last year’s Champions League, resulted in the resignation of the coach and captain. The Lions, on the other hand, have had a change in fortunes after they ended a five-season trophy drought with a win in the T20 competition earlier in the year under new coach Geoff Toyana.Both teams also have decent spin attacks. The Scorchers have Brad Hogg, Ashton Agar, Michael Beer and Ashton Turner, the only right-arm spinner in the attack. The Lions, on the other hand, have Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso in the squad. The difference lies in Hogg’s experience on Indian soil, gained from tours for Australia and IPL matches for Rajasthan Royals. Phangiso was the leading wicket-taker for Lions in the CLT20 held in South Africa last year, but bowling on Indian pitches will pose a steeper challenge.However, the Scorchers have a depleted squad this time, depriving them of depth in batting and pace bowling. Shaun and Mitchell Marsh are out due to injured hamstrings, strike bowler Alfonso Thomas is with Somerset and two other players – Nathan Coulter-Nile and Michael Hussey – are representing their IPL teams, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, respectively. Lions’ will only miss Chris Morris to Super Kings and their pace attack comprises Hardus Viljoen, Sohail Tanvir and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.Both teams have another similarity that may trouble them: lack of experience in India. Barring Hogg, captain Simon Katich is the only player the Scorchers can look to for knowledge of subcontinent conditions. Lions have been elevated by the form of Quinton de Kock but his struggle in subcontinent conditions, 95 runs from six matches in Sri Lanka and six runs in three matches in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, will bother him.Players to watchAdam Voges may rescue the Scorchers’ fortunes with his hard-hitting batting and part-time bowling. For a squad that misses at least three frontline batsmen, Voges could prove to be the pillar they can rely on and a run-machine they can resort look to for quick-hitting. His T20 strike rate of 131.13 from 117 matches at an average 31.56, including 12 fifties, is hard to ignore.Imran Tahir, a bowler who has played ODIs only in the subcontinent, will lead the Lions’ spin attack. On an Indian pitch against the Scorchers’ inexperienced batsmen, Tahir could prove to be a trump card. He has the experience of playing in different conditions around the world and a successful tournament would do justice to his talent.

Akram Khan, the former Bangladesh captain, has said that Afghanistan’s achievement at qualifying for the 2015 World Cup is akin to when his side won the 1997 ICC Trophy to seal a 1999 World Cup berth

Mohammad Isam07-Oct-2013Celebrations in Kabul after Afghanistan’s first-ever qualification to the 2015 World Cup evoked memories of the scenes in Dhaka and the rest of Bangladesh when they won the ICC Trophy in 1997 to qualify for the 1999 World Cup.It’s a doorway to international exposure and more, but there are several pitfalls to be avoided, said Akram Khan, who led Bangladesh in the 1997 ICC Trophy triumph, and played a pivotal role in its transition to the biggest stage.”One achievement can create a lot of goals,” Akram told ESPNcricinfo. “After we qualified for the 1999 World Cup, I said that my dream was to beat Pakistan. And we did it. Having seen some of the Afghanistan players in Dhaka this year, I am sure they will upset a few teams. They deserve qualification to the 2015 World Cup.””The world will see you play. It will open doors for you, particularly these days when a lot of domestic competitions are looking for performers.”Akram said that the Bangladesh players were slowly getting prepared for the stage they reached in 1997 and 1999 through years of near-misses at the ICC Trophy, and a strong club cricket structure at home. Domestic cricket should be a priority for Afghanistan, he added, and the passion of the general public will be an added advantage.”If Afghanistan has a domestic structure going, if they get the facilities and the security, you will see their improvement. Seeing their passion after their qualification was confirmed, I think they have something big waiting for them in cricket. They have a physical advantage to some of the other teams at their level.Akram also warned against complacency, particularly in terms of maintaining a regular flow of players.”UAE had the chance to make it big in international cricket when we were also an Associate side, but they didn’t utilize the opportunity. Bangladesh did it quite well but there is a lot left to do in terms of playing standards.”When Kenya had their best side, most of them came from one or two families. It is important to hold on to a steady side. We had Mashrafe, then came Ashraful, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur. Kenya and UAE didn’t have this flow of players.”Another factor that the Afghan players must be wary about is a drop in form. They are going to carry around the tag of “minnows” for as long as cricket fans and the media want, and when minnows do badly, calls for their head become inevitable. Just ask Bangladesh.Both teams are coincidentally in the same group during the 2015 World Cup. They have played twice against each other, both in Twenty20 matches, with Bangladesh winning on both occasions, but the likes of Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Shapoor Zadran, Hamid Hassan and Gulbadin Naib, who have all played in the Bangladesh Premier League and the 50-over Dhaka Premier League, have given a glimpse of what to expect in the forthcoming tournaments.The Afghanistan Cricket Board has expressed unease about their relationship with the BCB. There is mutual admiration, and help has already begun in the form of recruiting Afghanistan players, and their growing popularity in the country.It could all stoke a fine rivalry, and the context is already being set. Bangladesh’s biggest rival has so far been Zimbabwe, so a new rival closer to home could make things more interesting.

Stuart Broad came as close as he might get on a busy Ashes tour to a spot of Australian beach culture. He spent most of the day in Sydney feeling as if he was running through sand

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-20130:00

Broad relishing Ashes atmosphere

Stuart Broad came as close as he might get on a busy Ashes tour to a spot of Australian beach culture. He spent most of the day in Sydney feeling as if he was running through sand and then took to the water to ease his aching calves and hamstrings. He might almost have spent the day on Bondi, were it not for the benefits he accrued from 20 excellently-marshalled overs.If there was no lifeguard to keep an eye on Broad’s safety as he committed himself to a much-needed swimdown, there was probably an England bodyguard somewhere in the vicinity in recognition of his reputation as England’s Ashes villain.So far, though, the England player who irritated Australia for not walking for a nick and indulging in some equally obvious gamesmanship by taking off his boot for no good reason remains a model of charm and politeness – and Australia, it seems, is responding in kind.The Gabbatoir might give him a hard time during the first Test, just as the Barmy Army cannot wait to renew acquaintances with Mitchell Johnson, but so far everything has gone, well, swimmingly.”It’s been really good,” he said. “It’s a fantastic tour – if you can’t enjoy touring Australia you’re not going to enjoy anywhere: great restaurants, lovely wine, good people.””The receptions at all the grounds have been great – there’s not been an issue at all,” he added. But I’m sure it will be a bit livelier at the Gabba, especially now Mitch is playing as well. The fans will be having a field day. It will be good fun.Stuart Broad can reflect on a contented start to his Ashes tour•Getty Images”There’s excitement about the whole tour. I think the Aussie public have got a bit of an excitement from feeling their side is a bit more settled and are really coming for us, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in our own ability. If I was a fan I’d be really excited about this series – I think it’s going to be extremely entertaining.”Broad, approaching his peak, at 27, needs a good Ashes series to assert his worth to the Australian public. He has only played played two Ashes Tests in Australia, his involvement being curtailed in Adelaide three years ago by a torn stomach muscle. He has played 102 ODIs and 48 T20Is, but not one of them has been in Australia. Today was his first experience of a first-class match at the SCG.Once the early tinge of green had departed, the SCG was a demanding place for England’s attack. The promise of five wickets down for 93 departed as Ryan Carters and Peter Nevill amassed an unbroken stand of 178. Broad, though, acquitted himself admirably, his 3 for 36 in 20 overs proof enough.”They are some of the hardest conditions I’ve bowled in with the sand-based outfield,” he said. “It was really hard to get a grip, and every stride took quite a bit out of the legs. I feel horrendous right now – my legs are barking at me. But it was good to get 20 overs in and a full day in the field, the first since September for me.”Broad played down England’s difficult choice of third seamer to support him and James Anderson in Brisbane – an even more disconcerting choice in a four-strong attack which leaves no room for under-performance.”It’s hugely exciting we have such a choice,” he said. “I generally feel whoever goes into that seamer’s spot will do a fantastic job. Boyd’s bounce is exceptional, Finny we know has a fantastic strike rate in test match cricket and Trem has won games for England with his huge frame and fantastic consistency Each of the guys have something to offer. It’s a tough call and luckily it’s not my call to make.”