Misbah backs mandatory DRS

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Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has come out in support of the ICC’s decision to make the Decision Review System mandatory in Tests and ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2011Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has come out in support of the ICC’s decision to make the Decision Review System (DRS) mandatory in Tests and ODIs, saying the technology eases the pressure on umpires. Misbah said that he found the system to be helpful whenever Pakistan have used it, including during the World Cup.”From my personal experience, I have found the system very useful and basically it gives the batting and fielding side a second chance, if the umpires have a bad day or decision,” Misbah told . “If you look at it positively it reduces pressures on umpires in tight decisions.”The ICC chief executives’ committee unanimously agreed to make a modified version of the DRS mandatory in all Tests and one-day internationals at the ICC’s annual conference in Hong Kong last month. The mandatory terms and conditions for the DRS that have been recommended to the executive board for approval consist of infra-red cameras and audio-tracking devices. The ball-tracking technology has been removed from the ICC’s original compulsory list of DRS technologies.”I am all for any technology that makes the sport more error-free and gives more options to the competing teams and players,” Misbah said. “Obviously with every new technology there will be hiccups but once the technology gets better, it will be become more effective for teams.”The ICC made a number of other recommendations at their meeting and Misbah was in favour of the proposed changes to the one-day game, such as using two new balls, allowing two bouncers per over and limiting Powerplays between the 16th and 40th overs. “Cricket is a sport and also about entertainment for the people and viewers and anything that can make the game more exciting, I will always welcome it,” he said. “ODIs are a staple diet of cricket and there was a need to bring some innovative changes. As it is the ball had to be changed after 34 overs and it was time bowlers were given more space in limited-overs cricket.”He also said he didn’t think it would be long before Test matches are played under lights with coloured balls. “Day-and-night matches are crowd pullers and the future platform for Tests. To a professional cricketer, five-day Tests mean the real challenge in cricket so it is important that modifications are made for its betterment.”

Gloucestershire seamers wrap up innings win

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Gloucestershire defeated Kent by an innings and 142 runs to claim a first County Championship victory at Cheltenham in 20 attempts and 10 years

22-Jul-2011Gloucestershire 515 beat Kent 205 and 168 by an innings and 142 runs
ScorecardGloucestershire defeated Kent by an innings and 142 runs to claim a first County Championship victory at Cheltenham in 20 attempts and 10 years. After being dismissed for 515 early in the day, Gloucestershire bowled struggling Kent out for 168 by mid-afternoon to register a fourth win of the campaign and move up to second in the Division Two table.Young left-arm seamer David Payne was the chief destroyer with 4 for 60 in 11.5 overs, while veteran Jon Lewis ripped through the middle order with a burst of three wickets in five overs and finished with 3 for 31. Kent will be bitterly disappointed to have been bowled out inside 43 overs on a good pitch and only tail-ender Simon Cook, who hit a belligerent 46 not out, and Darren Stevens, with 35, offered much resistance.Gloucestershire had started the third day’s play on 486 for 7 and Chris Taylor cover-drove the first ball from David Balcombe to move onto 196 and equal the career-best he made against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2001. Unfortunately for the 34-year-old batsman he was unable to beat that milestone when he edged the next ball from Balcombe into the gloves of wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.Kent required just a further five overs to take the last two wickets as Richard Coughtrie skied a pull to Jones off Stevens and Lewis edged Balcombe to Martin van Jaarsveld at second slip. Balcombe, on loan from Hampshire, finished with a career-best haul of 5 for 103. Joe Denly got the Kent second innings under way with a flurry of boundaries but the visitors were then reduced to 32 for 3 with the loss of three wickets in nine balls.Payne bowled Chris Piesley and had Sam Northeast caught behind in a double wicket maiden, then Denly fell leg before to Ian Saxelby for 26. Stevens survived a difficult low chance to wicketkeeper Coughtrie off Saxelby when on one, but the momentum was still firmly with Gloucestershire and a fine spell from Lewis after lunch effectively sealed the win.He had Van Jaarsveld and Jones lbw for 12 and 20 respectively, while Stevens went for 35 via a thin edge to Coughtrie. It became 113 for 7 when Kane Williamson took a low return catch to dismiss James Tredwell in his first over, and 151 for 8 when Alex Blake was beaten by Will Gidman’s throw from the midwicket boundary and run out at the bowler’s end.Cook struck some defiant blows, including two straight sixes off Williamson, but there was no stopping Gloucestershire’s surge towards victory. Payne returned at the College Lawn End to wrap up the game by having Balcombe caught by Saxelby at mid-on and Robbie Joseph lbw in the same over.

Chance for Zimbabwe to build on positives

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ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth ODI between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Bulawayo

The Preview by Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2011Match facts
August 19, Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
Start time 09.30 am (07.30 GMT)With the pitch at the Queens Sports Club likely to help spinners, Ray Price could return to Zimbabwe’s XI•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Bangladesh finally arrived in Zimbabwe, a couple of weeks later than they should have. After being outplayed in the only Test and the first two ODIs, they showed a bit of tenacity with a competitive – but not match-winning – performance in the third one-dayer. It came too late, as a devastated Shakib Al Hasan said, but it was something worth taking heart from and bodes well for the remaining two matches, which take place at a different venue.For the first time on the tour, the cricket moves to Bulawayo. And while the series as a whole is dead – Zimbabwe are 3-0 up – the smaller contests have come to life. A tight chase, a well-paced century and a wonderful spell of death bowling brought the third match alive, and cricket lovers will hope it continues to be a close contest in Bulawayo.Even though Bangladesh didn’t win, the fact that they put on an impressive performance in the first half of Zimbabwe’s innings, formed partnerships and eventually came within one shot of completing a tricky chase, was promising. Bangladesh will not want go home winless. For Zimbabwe, a whitewash will carry them to within two points of Bangladesh in the ODI rankings, and they could use the next two matches as a learning curve.In fact, they began doing so in the previous match, when they were given a different test – being asked to bat first. The Zimbabwe bowlers were presented with a new challenge, that of defending a total, and though it seemed that the match was slipping from their hands, an accurate performance topped by Kyle Jarvis’ yorkers at the end, showed they could cope. They will be keen to prove they can do so consistently.

Form guide (most recent first)

Zimbabwe: WWWWL
Bangladesh: LLLLL

In the spotlight

After being relieved of the captaincy, Elton Chigumbura has batted with a little more purpose when he has had the opportunity. He has batted in situations where the top order has created the environment for him to lash out, and he has capitalised with his ability to hit the ball a long way. His bowling hasn’t been as impressive, and he was expensive in the previous match, though he was better in the first two. His role as the fourth seamer needs some polishing. With his allrounder’s spot not guaranteed, he could use the next two matches as an opportunity to make a convincing case.Shakib Al Hasan has the difficult job of lifting a defeated team. He looked a broken man after the series was lost, but as the leader, he will have to persuade his men to give a respectable account of themselves in what has been a forgettable tour. Shakib also has his own performance as an allrounder to think about. In the third match, he was finally able to bat in a normal situation as opposed to a crisis and got out just as he had his eye in. The match situation also allowed him to bowl after the first 20 overs. If the same can continue, he can start to concentrate on steering the middle order in the latter half of the innings and employing more innovative tactics as captain.

Team news

Zimbabwe could now be open to experimentation. If they were to approach it radically, Brendan Taylor, who has failed with the bat so far, will be moved down the order and Regis Chakabva brought in to open the batting with Vusi Sibanda. That may result in one of Forster Mutizwa or Craig Ervine sitting out. Chris Mpofu may be due a rest and with conditions likely to suit spinners, Ray Price could be recalled.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Regis Chakabva, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Tatenda Taibu, 5 Brendan Taylor, 6 Craig Ervine/Forster Mutizwa, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Ray Price, 10 Brian Vitori, 11 Kyle JarvisBangladesh’s combination finally clicked and although it was harsh, their decision to drop Mohammad Ashraful and Shahriar Nafees almost paid off. It may be tempting to bring one, or even both, back but in the interests of allowing an XI that showed promise a chance to prove its worth, they could field the same line-up. Shuvagoto Hom was excellent on debut, but Nasir Hossain bowled a hodge-podge of medium pacers and offspinners and was targeted. Despite his showing, it would hardly seem fair to drop the 19-year-old just yet. Mushfiqur Rahim was reported to have a niggle after his century, but it may have been his aching heart and not his hamstring, and he should be cleared to play. Abdur Razzak may come back in on the spinner-friendly track, but it would be a tough choice dropping one among Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain and Nazmul Hossain.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Shuvagoto Hom, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 & 11 Nazmul Hossain/Shafiul Islam/Rubel Hossain Pitch and conditions
Batsmen usually enjoy their outings in Zimbabwe and if they thought Harare was a smooth surface, Bulawayo is even better. The pitch is traditionally flat. Accurate, consistent bowling should be rewarded, but the fast bowlers will have to bend their backs to get anything out of the track. Spinners should have an easier time and it is likely that we will see a little more turn than we have so far.

Stats and trivia

  • Brendan Taylor has been out for 10 or less 43 times in his 121-match career. Three of those dismissals have been in this series.
  • Of the 43 completed matches at the Queens Sports Club, 25 have been won by the team that chases.

Quotes

“We knew from the first two games that Bangladesh were capable of playing better than they did. And they showed it. We’d really love to have a 5-0 win.”
“I don’t think we need to lift the team anymore. We fielded well in the first 20 overs – lots of hustle, noise, encouragement, some great stops. Even though the series is gone, there’s pride at stake.”

Maharashtra take title with close win

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Despite a flurry of late wickets, Maharashtra Cricket Association snuck home by two wickets against Kerala Cricket Association in Chennai, taking the 2011 Buchi Babu title

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Despite a flurry of late wickets, Maharashtra Cricket Association snuck home by two wickets against Kerala Cricket Association in Chennai, taking the 2011 Buchi Babu title.Choosing to bat in the two-day match, Kerala scored 319, driven by steady half-centuries from their openers, Abhishek Hedge and VA Jagadeesh. The pair put on 165, before Domnic Joseph claimed Maharashtra’s first breakthrough, Hedge caught on 74. Jagadeesh carried his side past the 200-run mark, before falling to the left-arm spin of Ajinkya Joshi two short of his century. The rest of the line-up failed to build on the solid start, none of them going past 46 as Kerala were bowled out in the 89th over. Left-armer Samad Fallah and legspinner Chirag Khurana were the pick of the Maharashtra bowlers, taking six wickets between them.Maharashtra’s top order were solid in reply, each of the top six getting into double figures. Their openers, Harshad Khadiwale and Khurana, put on a century stand, which was followed by four other steady stands. However, left-arm spinner Sreejith struck every time a partnership threatened to take the game away from Kerala, finishing with a five-for. With six wickets in hand and only 20 to get, Maharashtra looked set to ease to a win. But then, four wickets fell for seven runs, setting up a nail-biting finish.

Hughes hundred hurts Sri Lanka's hopes

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Phillip Hughes scored his first Test century in two-and-a -half years to give Australia every chance of playing out a series-winning draw at the SSC

The Report by Brydon Coverdale19-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPhillip Hughes scored his first Test century since March 2009•AFP

Smart stats

  • Phillip Hughes’ century is his first since his twin centuries in the second Test against South Africa in Durban in 2009. In between, he made only one half-century in ten Tests.

  • Hughes also achieved the feat of scoring a century and a duck in the same match. Michael Hussey was the previous Australia player to do so against England at The Oval in 2009.

  • Angelo Mathews’ 105 is his first century in Tests and his third fifty-plus knock of the series. He has so far scored 274 runs in this series at an average of 91.33.

  • Mathews’ century is the eighth by a Sri Lanka batsman in home Tests against Australia. Five of them have been scored at the SSC.

  • In Tests since 1990, there have been 76 centuries scored at the SSC in 33 Tests. Only Lord’s has witnessed more centuries (84 in 39 matches).

  • Sri Lanka’s lead of 157 at the end of their first innings is the third-highest for them in Tests against Australia.

  • This is the third occasion when there have been three fifty-plus partnerships for the first three wickets for Australia in Tests against Sri Lanka. The previous two occasions were in Hobart in 2007 and Galle in 2004.

Phillip Hughes scored his first Test century in two-and- a-half years to give Australia every chance of playing out a series-winning draw at the SSC. But at the end of a day that began with a Sri Lankan crawl as Angelo Mathews ate up valuable time in reaching his maiden Test hundred, Rangana Herath had troubled Australia’s top order enough to give Sri Lanka some hope of victory.Sri Lanka must win the match to level the series, and their fate hinges on whether they can run through Australia’s middle order early on the final day. At stumps on the fourth afternoon, Australia were 52 runs in front, with seven wickets in hand, and they had a well-set Hughes still at the crease on 122 alongside the captain Michael Clarke on 8.If time does beat Sri Lanka, they will regret their slow march on the fourth morning, when they added 45 runs to their overnight total but took more than an hour and a half to do so. By tea, Australia had all but knocked off the 157-run first-innings deficit and they were in no hurry during the final session, happy to bat as much time out of the match as possible.Not that Hughes had been slow. He brought up his century from his 141st delivery with a push through the off side for two, and his celebration was noticeably muted: there was a small fist pump and raise of the bat but none of the helmet-kissing that has marked Australian milestones in recent years. He knew that the selectors had shown great faith in him by dropping Simon Katich.Hughes hadn’t passed fifty in any of his past ten Test innings, and not since his twin hundreds in Durban in March 2009 had he reached triple figures for his country. He took 22 balls to get through the nineties, which included a nervous moment on 99 when he survived an lbw review after getting in a tangle trying to dab behind gully; the ball had hit the flap of his pad before bat, but outside the line.Earlier, Hughes had been in fine form, and his driving through cover whenever the seamers overpitched was especially strong. He also cleared the midwicket boundary with a slog off Herath and brought up his fifty with another slog-sweep, this time off Tillakaratne Dilshan, from his 67th delivery. Importantly, he had support all the way.His partnerships with Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh and Ricky Ponting were all worth sixty-something. Herath worked hard to remove all three batsmen, the dismissal of Ponting for 28 late in the day a key blow when the ball turned sharply and kissed the batsman’s gloves on the way through to Mahela Jayawardene at slip.Herath had earned the wicket of Watson (21) with a delivery that went straight on, and despite a huge stride forward, Watson was lbw on review after being given not out by the on-field umpire. That review worked for Sri Lanka; another one would have worked against them, if only Marsh had thought to request one when he was out for 18.It was a strange dismissal, as Marsh was given out caught at bat-pad, but replays showed Herath’s delivery had turned so much that it missed the bat and gloves by a significant margin. However, perhaps forgetting the DRS was available or maybe just convinced he had made contact, Marsh failed to ask for the review that would have saved him.But that was hardly the most baffling part of the day’s play. The real mystery was why Sri Lanka batted so slowly during the morning, when what they really needed was quick runs to give themselves adequate time to bowl Australia out and then complete a chase if necessary. Instead, the focus seemed to be solely on Mathews making his hundred, no matter how long it took.He did get there, and remained unbeaten on 105 after he lost three of his final four partners while en-route to triple figures. Australia were happy to consume valuable minutes by setting the field back, knowing Mathews would not take singles early in an over to expose the No.11 Suranga Lakmal, and the path to his century was long and drawn out.Eventually, he got there from his 256th delivery with a drive through cover for four off Peter Siddle, and it was a relief for a man who had twice been out in the nineties. The final wicket fell when Lakmal was bowled by Mitchell Johnson for 13, after Siddle picked up the early breakthroughs.Siddle started the day by bowling Shaminda Eranga for 12 with a fullish ball that caught the inside edge and cannoned on to the leg stump, and he followed up by trapping Herath lbw for 3. Herath had the decision reviewed but to no avail, and a few overs later Chanaka Welegedara was run out in a major mix-up with Mathews.Welegedara pushed to mid-on and took off for a single but ended up at the bowler’s end alongside his partner Mathews, and the ball was relayed to Brad Haddin who whipped the bails off at the other end. It typified a morning when Sri Lanka were simply not on the ball.But by the end of the day, Herath’s strikes had at least given them some chance of victory. If they start the fifth morning as they did the fourth, that hope will quickly disappear.

Parnell's fancy footwork

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ESPNcricinfo’s Plays of the Day from the second Twenty20 between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers16-Oct-2011Welcome of the day
The Johannesburg crowd gave former captain Graeme Smith a particularly unpleasant reception when they booed the announcing of his name on the loudspeaker, but it was Wayne Parnell who received an even nastier hello. Making his return to the international team after a difficult year that was dotted with injury, Parnell was introduced in the sixth over. His extra pace was supposed to the factor that would create a threat on the Wanderers pitch and while he had the gas, he started off without control and as his first ball strayed onto Shaun Marsh’s pads to be sent screaming through midwicket for four. Marsh went one better the next delivery and creamed Parnell over cover for six to give him a rude return to the big stage.Catch of the day
Heino Kuhn had a good game, taking three catches and his athletic effort for the second one would have got him noticed by the selectors. Shaun Marsh got an under edge to a Rusty Theron delivery that went swirling and twirling down towards backward point. Kuhn had scurried over, called for it as the third man came in and was under it in time to pouch it comfortably. Footwork of the day
After three, expensive overs, Parnell redeemed himself, but not with his cricketing skills. Mitchell Marsh attempted to hustle a single after an inside edge of his pads dropped at his feet. Parnell was speedy in his follow through, saw the ball in striking distance, aimed for the stumps and scored. His kick broke the wicket and Cameron White, who was the non-striker, was run out.Anticipation of the day
Smith did not take first guard with Doug Bollinger set to open the bowling so Hashim Amla had to deal with the first six balls from the left-armer. Tension rose as the third over approached, with Smith taking guard. The wait before the first delivery of that over seemed longer than the duration of the match itself and when Bollinger bowled it and Smith got an ugly flick to fine leg for one, a breath could be taken. Later that over, Smith redeemed himself to the Johannesburg crowd with a finely placed shot that went for four. The cheers told him he was being forgiven.Assault of the day
All the big talk around 18-year-old Pat Cummins has turned into big action and the teenager has had some of the best in the world rattled with his skill. In his first over, he beat Smith’s outside edge, got him to pop up a leading edge two balls later and made good use of full, wide deliveries. But it was in his second over that he really got going. First, he removed Colin Ingram off the inside edge, and then persisted with an attacking full line, mixing things up with a slower ball bouncer. The next one was quicker and a confused JP Duminy edged to David Hussey at slip. The result was a double-wicket maiden; good enough at the best of times but exceptional in this format.Firework of the day
Theron and Parnell had pulled South Africa from a required run rate of over 12 to less than a run a ball. They struck five fours and three sixes and took the game away from a stunned Australian attack. Fireworks went up up bigger and higher around the field with every blow, but the most explosive came off Theron’s bat. With six needed to win off the last over, he got down on one knee and mowed Hussey over midwicket to send the Wanderers into a frenzy. The 33,000-strong crowd were on their feet with cries off ‘Ole, Ole’ doing the rounds. Victory had finally come to Johannesburg after the last few internationals here ended in defeat.

Thigh injury ends Martin Crowe's comeback

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Martin Crowe’s comeback to club cricket in Auckland at the age of 48 has ended after he was forced to retire hurt three balls into his first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2011Martin Crowe’s comeback to club cricket in Auckland at the age of 48 has ended after he was forced to retire hurt three balls into his first innings. Crowe pulled a muscle while batting for Cornwall against Parnell on November 19.”While getting off the mark yesterday I pulled a thigh muscle running a normal single into the covers. So three balls into my first premier match back, it’s over,” Crowe wrote in an email to media outlets. “I said from the start it would end in tears with an injury.”I pulled a hip flexor in July, a hamstring in August, a groin in October and now a thigh, all upper left leg, all compensating for a dodgy arthritic right knee. No tears, but frustrated after a lot of hard work getting ready.”Crowe had announced his decision to return to competitive cricket in May, 15 years after his retirement. He had been forced to quit international cricket due to a bad knee. He had said he saw his comeback as a means of self-motivation and a tool to get fit – and also an opportunity to score the 392 runs he needs to tally 20,000 first-class runs.”It was sort of fun along the way,” Crowe said. “I got to hit lots of balls over five months, experiencing the joy of batting again. But as soon as it required the important running bit, the old problems kicked in.”No regrets, although it would’ve been nice to bat at Cornwall Park once more … Instead, Parnell CC will be the last ground I walk out on to thinking `head still, play straight’.”

Nimbus says it complied with contractual obligations

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A day after the BCCI reportedly terminated its contract with Nimbus Communications, the rights holders for cricket in India, there has still been no official statement from the board or Nimbus

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2011A day after the BCCI reportedly terminated its contract with Nimbus Communications, the rights holders for cricket in India, there has still been no official statement from the board or Nimbus on whether their agreement has, in fact, been cancelled.Nimbus, one of India’s leading television marketing companies, did release a statement but said it could not discuss details of its contract with the BCCI. The statement said Nimbus could only “confirm that it has acted in compliance of its contractual obligations and variations agreed between the parties from time to time.” One of the reported reasons for cancelling the contract, which was to run till 2014, was that Nimbus had run into issues regarding payments.The company had reportedly asked the BCCI for an extension on their payment deadline recently. The board turned down the request and decided to scrap their deal at its working committee meeting in New Delhi on Monday.Despite news of the termination of its contract, Nimbus’ cricket channel Neo Cricket telecast the first day of the Ranji Trophy match between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, though not the second day’s play on Wednesday*. A BCCI official revealed that the board would begin discussions with Nimbus soon to ensure that Ranji Trophy games could be telecast until the end of the tournament on January 23. The BCCI owns the production rights of its domestic matches and has a separate deal with Nimbus to produce the live TV footage of domestic matches. Under this deal, Nimbus receives payment by the board.The reports of the termination of the BCCI’s contract with Nimbus has no direct effect on television coverage of India’s international matches at home. The team’s engagements in India have concluded for the next ten-odd months; the lengthy gap between the final ODI against West Indies and India’s next scheduled home series in September, 2012 would give the BCCI plenty of time to solicit fresh bids for the India rights.The first sign of payment problems with regard to television coverage of Indian cricket began this season on October 14. The telecast of the one-day international between India and England in Hyderabad started after three overs had already been bowled. This was due to a dispute over the payment of a bank guarantee from Neo Sports, Nimbus’ channel, to Prasar Bharati, the government agency responsible for uplinking live telecasts out of India.Nimbus also said it was working to resolve its differences with the board and was hopeful of reaching a solution over the next few weeks. At the same time, the company said it has “fully reserved all its rights and options, including of invoking the arbitration process if need be.”In January 2010, Nimbus was awarded Indian cricket broadcast rights for four years, its second consecutive four-year deal with the Indian board. The agreement was valued at approximately Rs 2000 crore (then $436 million) for a minimum of 64 international matches and 312 days of domestic cricket until 2014.Nimbus also held the broadcasting rights for the previous four years, for which it paid $612 million – subsequently negotiated to $549 million – in February 2006.*

Madhya Pradesh banking on seamers

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While Mumbai’s depleted attack might not seem threatening, they have the pedigree of Dhawal Kulkarni and Ramesh Powar to test MP, who are banking on TP Sudhindra and Ishwar Pandey to make inroads

Abhishek Purohit in Indore01-Jan-2012There was a time when your Ranji Trophy season used to be as good as over
the moment you drew Mumbai in the knockouts. There was a time when teams
were in awe of the 39-time champions. That awe has now been replaced by
respect for their past deeds but teams today know that Mumbai are
fallible, as Rajasthan showed last season. That the depleted Mumbai side
facing Madhya Pradesh is almost unrecognisable from the formidable sides
of the past is not lost on the hosts. Devendra Bundela, the MP captain, even
said that they were “not taking Mumbai lightly.”Such confidence might seem misplaced in a side in its first season in the
Elite League in seven years but TP Sudhindra, MP’s leading wicket-taker
this season, had a more practical take on the issue. “Several of us have
played with a lot of the Mumbai players in tournaments like the Times
Shield. It is not like they are unknown to us.”Familiarity with the Mumbai players has certainly helped but not as much
as the self-belief that comes when you defeat established sides like Delhi
and Gujarat. Both those wins came at the pace-friendly Emerald High School
Ground on the outskirts of Indore. The pitch at the Holkar Stadium, the
venue for the quarter-final, is known to be much better for batting. With
a pace-dominated attack, there is no doubt over where the MP team would
have preferred to play. But this is a knockout game and the Holkar Stadium
had to be chosen as it has much better facilities.The change in venue might just suit MP’s batsmen though. The outstanding
performance of their new-ball pair of Sudhindra and Ishwar Pandey – with
57 wickets between them – and the form of Naman Ojha have allowed them to
carry an underperforming batting unit. Only Bundela, apart from Ojha, has
managed more than 300 runs this season. More than half of Mohnish Mishra’s
263 runs came in his crucial hundred against Bengal.Mukesh Sahni, the coach, admitted that his batsmen have not clicked
together. “It’s not that they have not made runs,” Sahni said. “But when
one of them has scored, the others haven’t and so on. All of them have
been hitting the ball well in the nets. But scoring runs in the middle is
different. I have been telling them, ‘this is the moment. All of you have
to come good in this game.'”While Mumbai’s depleted attack might not seem threatening, they have the
pedigree of Dhawal Kulkarni and Ramesh Powar to test MP, who are banking
on Sudhindra and Pandey to make inroads. “Medium-pace bowling is our
strength,” Bundela said. “Our bowlers have taken wickets both at home and
away.”Sudhindra said that while making the semi-finals by getting past a side
like Mumbai would be very satisfying, it would pale in comparison if MP
actually manage to win the Ranji Trophy for the first time.

Muralitharan back at Gloucestershire for T20s

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Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading wicket-taker in Test and ODI cricket, will be back at Gloucestershire this year to play a part in the county’s Friends Life t20 campaign

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2012Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading wicket-taker in Test and ODI cricket, will be back at Gloucestershire this year to play a part in the county’s Friends Life t20 campaign. The Sri Lanka offspinner, who retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup final, has most recently turned out for Wellington in New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the HRV Cup.Muralitharan was Gloucestershire’s joint most-successful bowler in the Friends Provident t20 last season, with 12 wickets – though his presence was not enough to prevent the Gladiators finishing second-bottom in the South Group with four wins from 16. “I thoroughly enjoyed my first FLt20 season with Gloucestershire and I am looking forward to returning to the club,” he said.The 39-year-old took his 800th wicket with his final ball in Test cricket, in 2010. He has also taken a record 534 ODI wickets and was a part of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning team. In Twenty20 cricket, he has claimed 122 victims at an average of 20.18 and with an economy rate of 6.37. He was part of Chennai Super Kings’ successful run to the biggest prize in domestic Twenty20, the Champions League, in 2010.”As a side we are delighted that Murali is returning,” Gloucestershire’s director of cricket, John Bracewell, said. “His experience was invaluable last year, given the shortness of the T20 game and the amount of rain-affected matches we had. We did not see the best of what he can offer. I know our players gained a great deal from having Murali in and around our dressing room. His enthusiasm and love for the game, combined with his exceptional skills, are something that will draw any crowd.”Muralitharan could be Gloucestershire’s only overseas player in 2012. Finances are tight in Bristol after planning permission to develop Nevil Road was turned down, but the club have signed Dan Housego from Middlesex to fill the number three slot in the County Championship. Kane Williamson, the New Zealand batsman, batted at No. 3 last season, but his potential international assignments in West Indies in June-July, and Gloucestershire’s tight budget, make his return to the county unlikely.