All posts by h716a5.icu

Against Zimbabwe, he had played a tremendous innings before falling at the final hurdle; but in Mirpur, he finished things off with a thumping six

Mohammad Isam11-Oct-2011Very few men get a shot at redemption within just two months of a disappointment. Virender Sehwag needed four years and 175 runs to restore his pride against Bangladesh while Jason Gillespie had to wait a year and look to his batting to provide salvation. Sehwag had been dismissed for 2 in India’s loss to Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, which ended up eliminating them from the tournament, so his swashbuckling hundred in Mirpur in the 2011 edition was revenge of sorts. Gillespie had been hit for a six in the last over of Australia’s embarrassing loss to Bangladesh in Cardiff, in 2005, so he would have felt glad that his first double-century, which came in his last Test, in Chittagong, was against the same opponents.It is hard to find cases where a Bangladesh player has achieved similar redemption. There are very few shots at glory and the propensity of the board to drop those who flounder under pressure means comeback-stories are a rarity.Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s new captain, was lucky to be presented with a similar situation to the one he bungled up in Harare in August. This time, he finished the job in style, hammering the penultimate delivery of the Twenty20 international against West Indies high into the stands at midwicket.In Harare, Mushfiqur had fallen at the final hurdle after playing a tremendous knock. Not many Bangladesh batsman can guide the side through a stuttering innings with the ease with which Mushfiqur did in that game. He knocked around the ones and twos and pulled out the big hits when necessary during his 101, and could have kept Bangladesh alive in the series against Zimbabwe. However, with six runs needed off five balls, he skied one to long-on and was the last man dismissed, giving Zimbabwe the win.At the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday evening, it was a similar situation though the conditions were warmer and the crowd larger. Mushfiqur walked in after Bangladesh had lost three wickets for three runs after a brisk start to their chase of 133. The added burden of being captain must have weighed heavily on the 23-year-old, who is known to take personal failure very seriously.He hammered the ones and twos this time, given that it was a Twenty20, and only launched into a big hit after he found confidence in Nasir Hossain as an able partner. With 13 to win off nine balls, Mushfiqur guided one between short third-man and the wicketkeeper for four. The calmness with which he played that shot bore no shadow of the ghastly form he endured during this year’s World Cup. There were calls for his head, especially when one of his competitors for the wicketkeeper’s slot, Dhiman Ghosh, struck a few hundreds in first-class cricket, but Mushfiqur was persisted with.His latest resurrection began against Australia, when he hit 81 not out in the second ODI but his effort was overshadowed by Shane Watson’s 185 off 96 balls later that afternoon. This time though, no giant could eclipse the Mighty Atom who started celebrating the victory even before the ball had crossed the rope.Mushfiqur’s 26-ball 41 was the key to Bangladesh’s second Twenty20 win over West Indies but what was also significant was that the recently sacked captain Shakib Al Hasan and vice-captain Tamim Iqbal both remained heavily involved in Bangladesh’s performance. Shakib and Tamim combined to give Bangladesh their first dismissal of the match, that of Adrian Barath. Shakib continued to impress as a Twenty20 bowler while Tamim was energetic in the outfield.With Shakib’s every move being cheered by the capacity crowd, Mushfiqur used his key bowler cleverly, spacing out his four overs. Mushfiqur remained busy in the field and only looked slightly flustered when Marlon Samuels started attacking the bowlers, pounding sixes at will. The short spells Mushfiqur used his best bowlers in suggested he had a plan despite Bangladesh’s lack of Twenty20 experience. And after his bowlers had done half the job, he completed it himself.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the West Indies batsman, has rated his unbeaten 116 against India in Dominica as one of his finest Test innings

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2011Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the West Indies batsman, has rated his unbeaten 116 against India in Dominica as one of his finest Test innings. In a match in which he became West Indies’ most-capped player, and in a new-look line-up where the other five specialist batsmen had a combined experience of 49 Tests, Chanderpaul battled for more than eight hours to help secure a draw.Coming in with the team struggling at 40 for 3 in the second innings soon after lunch on the fourth day, and still trailing by more than a 100 runs, Chanderpaul defied India almost till tea on the final day.”I would say this was one my best because of the situation of the team when I went in to bat and the way the game was going,” Chanderpaul said. “To be batting on a fifth day pitch and the way the ball was bouncing and turning – some would grip and bounce and you weren’t always sure which way the ball would go. You had to be very patient and very watchful and careful.”You couldn’t play as freely as you would have liked to so I had to use all my skills, and it took a lot of mental effort as well. Also, [MS] Dhoni blocked up all the areas where you had scoring opportunities and it was a lot of hard work. It was really tough out there.”It was Chanderpaul’s first Test century in more than a year, during which he had made starts in most innings without converting them to a big score. His partner in the resistance was debutant Kirk Edwards, who also made a hundred during a 161-run stand for the fourth wicket.”He [Kirk Edwards] was positive and had the right mindset. He was not afraid. He played it his way and did what he knows and what he does best.”It was a great effort for someone to come in under so much pressure and play the way he did. I had a discussion with Kirk and we were talking about the 20s and the 30s. He told me to put that behind and we worked towards the team goals which was building big partnerships and pulling the team out of the trouble we were in.”During his innings, Chanderpaul was also awarded Dominican citizenship recognising his contribution to cricket and for playing his record-breaking 133rd Test. “I’m extremely pleased to reach this milestone. I believe it is a really big occasion,” he said. “High point? I’m still looking for it. There is still more to come. Whatever knowledge and experience I have gained I would like to pass it on and help the other members of the team with their game.”

Roy Dias, the former Sri Lanka batsman, has confirmed he will take over as Oman’s coach

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2011Roy Dias, the former Sri Lanka batsman, has confirmed he will take over as Oman’s coach. Dias, who played 20 Tests and 58 ODIs in the eighties, has plenty of experience supervising upcoming nations, having spent the past decade in charge of the Nepal team.”I am eagerly waiting to take charge of the Oman national team. The exact terms [of the agreement with Oman Cricket] are being worked out. But as of now, my immediate assignment is to get the team ready for the ACC Twenty20 Cup, which will be played in Nepal in December,” Dias told . “Once I take charge, I would like to get the boys to undergo a proper camp in Nepal in the build-up to the ACC tournament.”Oman won the ACC Twenty20 Cup in 2007, and progressed enough to make it to the qualifying tournament for the 2011 World Cup. However, they fared poorly in that event, finishing 11th to be relegated to the third division of the ICC’s World Cricket League.Dias, 58, said he was familiar with Oman cricket since he had watched the team in various competitions during his time as Nepal coach. “Coaching in Nepal is quite different from coaching in Oman, I am well aware of it. But I will focus on the system that I work in – training the national team while working on building a solid supply line.”I focus a lot on junior cricket, that’s where you get good cricketers from, who you can groom. I tried this method in Nepal. I focused on age-group cricket, and over the years the country began shining in tournaments.”Oman Cricket is expected to formally announce Dias’ appointment next month.

New Zealand Cricket has renewed assistant coach Trent Woodhill’s contract until 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2011New Zealand Cricket has renewed assistant coach Trent Woodhill’s contract until 2012. Woodhill first joined the team for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August 2010.John Buchanan, New Zealand’s new director of cricket, said in a statement that was he was delighted to have retained the services of Woodhill, in support of coach John Wright. “Trent has forged a strong and successful relationship with John and indeed the entire Blackcaps unit. He has been recognised as a key influence behind the teams remarkable fielding performance at the World Cup. Having his specialist skills to support the Blackcaps is a fantastic step forward for New Zealand Cricket.”Wright was also pleased with the reappointment of Woodhill, saying, “I look forward to working with Trent – he is an important part of our coaching set up.”Woodhill’s next assignment will be with the New Zealand A squad for winter training and the Emerging Players Tournament in Brisbane next month.

Ireland captain Will Porterfield carried reigning north group champions Warwickshire to a five-wicket win

02-Jun-2011
ScorecardIreland captain Will Porterfield carried reigning north group champions Warwickshire to a five-wicket win in their opening Friends Life t20 match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.On a glorious evening the left-hander repeated his demolition of the Durham attack in a Clydesdale Bank 40 league match at Edgbaston 12 days ago. He scored 80 in that match as Warwickshire cruised past a total of 286 for 3 and this time he made 83 off 53 balls before being run out with the scores level on 151 and two overs left.Warwickshire’s other star was 22-year-old medium pacer Steffan Piolet, who took 2 for 19 in four overs. He put the brake on Durham after they were put in and Phil Mustard and Gordon Muchall had 55 on the board after six overs. In the end the hosts were indebted to Ian Blackwell’s unbeaten 46 off 32 balls for a total of 151 for 3.Paul Collingwood faced three successive dot balls from Piolet and made only 7 off 10 balls before driving Darren Maddy to long-on on his return following his knee operation. Piolet kept the ball well up and had Muchall caught at long-off for 35 off 27 balls before Mustard skied a catch to mid-off. The wicketkeeper had been unable to accelerate in making 38 off 39 balls.Blackwell hit two sixes but he was also kept in check at the end of the innings, with Neil Carter conceding only three runs off the 19th over.Porterfield had the luxury of going to the crease in the second over after Carter had already hit two sixes in his first appearance of the season. He made 18 off eight balls before lobbing a reverse paddle to short third man. Although he received little support, Porterfield kept Warwickshire ahead of the clock as he raced to 50 off 30 balls, driving sixes off Mitchell Claydon and Collingwood.Collingwood’s first over cost only five and judging by the time it took the third umpire to decide Porterfield had not been stumped on 35 it must have been close. But there was no further tension, even when the third umpire was called upon again to decide that Porterfield had been run out when he set off for the winning single and Rikki Clarke sent him back. Clarke made sure of victory by driving the next ball for four past mid-off.

Pakistan’s World Cup preparations only got better as their youngest batsman scored a maiden ODI century to set up a series win – their first in a bilateral rubber since November 2008

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya03-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ahmed Shehzad sizzled in his maiden ODI century•Getty ImagesPakistan’s World Cup preparations only got better as their youngest batsman scored a maiden ODI century to set up a series win – their first in a bilateral rubber since November 2008 – over New Zealand, whose fortunes continued to slide at home after a miserable time in the subcontinent.Ahmed Shehzad batted with utmost confidence during his calculated assault, overcoming a cautious start in overcast conditions by launching a counter-attack that snatched the initiative New Zealand had worked hard to gain at the beginning of the game. He was backed up by a determined performance from Pakistan’s bowlers, who stepped up in areas where New Zealand had erred, and completed the job quite comfortably in the end.A miserly first spell by Kyle Mills appeared to have justified Ross Taylor’s decision to bowl, as it cramped the usually fluent openers through nagging lines outside off stump and crafty variations in pace. He conceded just two runs in his first four overs, and grabbed the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez.Shehzad, though, was intent on pulling things back. He had warmed up with a crisp straight drive off Hamish Bennett but opened his shoulders to release the pressure created by the early wicket. Mills’ tight lines were countered with a mow past mid-off and an agricultural slog over midwicket, catching the bowler off guard and marking a turn in the tide. Shehzad had won the psychological battle when Mills strayed onto the pads the next over, to be glanced to the fine-leg boundary.A feature of Shehzad’s knock was his domination of Bennett, which offset any pressure New Zealand were able to inflict with the fall of a wicket. Bennett overpitched too often, or dropped too short, and was picked off consistently for boundaries. He squandered some hard work by conceding fours off the last balls of his first two overs and was struck for consecutive boundaries by an initially rusty Kamran Akmal before Shehzad singled him out for treatment. He was launched for a straight six and welcomed in his second spell with a violent pull over the midwicket boundary followed by a clean strike over long-on.While Shehzad took timely risks and had the power and ability to back them up, he was ruthless against the opportunities doled out by the bowlers when Pakistan had been forced to shift gears in the middle overs. The run-out of Kamran resulted in four boundary-less overs before Nathan McCullum, otherwise quite tidy, gifted a short and wide delivery that Shehzad slashed through point. Scott Styris met a similar fate while James Franklin was a victim of Shehzad’s subtleties as he was twice scooped over fine leg.The constant throughout Shehzad’s innings, only his seventh in this format, was his assuredness and determination to keep the hosts worried at one end. When he fell, miscuing Styris to deep square leg, with plenty of ammunition left in the batting, New Zealand were staring at an intimidating target. The bowlers, however, hit back to restrict Pakistan in the death overs. Only once had a team lost chasing at Seddon Park since 2002 but with New Zealand’s recent ODI record in a shambles, Pakistan needn’t have worried about past results at the venue.The start to the chase could not have been worse for the hosts as Jesse Ryder backed up too far and was run out without facing a ball. Unlike New Zealand’s bowlers who had provided ample scoring opportunities to ease the pressure on Pakistan after each dismissal, Pakistan’s fast bowlers hardly ever overpitched, bowled consistently in the channel outside off and dried up the runs.Martin Guptill faced the pressure with a combination of bravado and opportunism. He dealt harshly with deliveries bowled wide or pitched up on middle – there weren’t too many of them – and improvised to clear the infield. Guptill ensured a steady flow of singles, ran well between the wickets as the field spread out and continued to be ruthless when freebies came his way. But having survived a close lbw shout early in his innings, Guptill failed to take full toll, as a short delivery from Shoaib came on a touch too quickly and he holed out to deep square leg.The onus was on Ross Taylor, who took his time to settle in and overcome the nervy start that has plagued him this series. He appeared to be getting back to his groove when just a firm push off Afridi raced to the extra-cover boundary and, in the company of Guptill, to whom he had ceded floor, kept his team in the hunt. It was in the attempt to rebuild after Guptill’s fall that New Zealand lost it. Afridi and Hafeez got through their overs quickly, produced a spate of dot balls and deprived the hosts of a boundary for 11 straight overs. The resultant frustration from New Zealand yielded wickets for Pakistan, as Brendon McCullum got a leading edge to long-on while Styris was run out by a direct hit from Younis Khan.Taylor fought on, managing a six off his favoured slog-sweep and began the batting Powerplay in the 41st over with a lofted drive against Wahab Riaz. Despite the field restrictions and with five wickets in hand, an asking rate of almost nine an over was going to be difficult to measure up to. In the next over he stepped across to sweep Afridi, only to miss and be trapped in front. And when James Franklin was cleaned up by a Riaz yorker, the depth in the New Zealand batting proved insufficient to secure the remaining runs or salvage some pride after 13 defeats in their last 14 completed games.

The upstart US Youth Cricket Association is designating March 24, 2011, as America’s first ever National Youth Cricket Day

Peter Della Penna24-Mar-2011The upstart US Youth Cricket Association is designating March 24, 2011, as America’s first ever National Youth Cricket Day. USYCA President Jamie Harrison is hoping that the date will spur more awareness for cricket at the grassroots level.”We’re having a photo contest where we’re giving away a cricket set to the school or teacher who submits the photo that best exemplifies the ideals of US Youth Cricket’s Schools Program,” Harrison said. “We’re just encouraging our affiliates and our volunteers to just make an extra effort to do something for National Youth Cricket Day.”We understand this is the first National Youth Cricket Day ever so people aren’t used to planning an event to coincide with it, but we have to begin somewhere. Sometimes it’s good just to have a place to start and this year is the place to start.”The ICC recently honored the USYCA with an ICC Americas Development Program award for the ‘Best Junior Participation Initiative’ for its Schools Program. It’s an impressive achievement for an organization that has been in existence for less than a year. The USYCA has been responsible for donating hundreds of start-up cricket kits to physical education teachers for use in schools across America.”The USA Cricket Association applauds the role the USYCA is playing in focusing on the grassroots enthusiasm of youth cricket through the designation of ‘National Youth Cricket Day,'” USACA Secretary John Aaron said via email. “As a largely volunteer organization, USA Cricket is appreciative of the enormous potential for the growth of cricket at the youth levels, and through the efforts of such organizations as the USYCA.”

According to Football Insider pundit Paddy Kenny, it would be a “crazy” development if Tottenham Hotspur were to replace Antonio Conte with Mauricio Pochettino this summer.

The Lowdown: Contact with Levy

The Argentine left the north London club two-and-a-half years ago, with his departure coming just a few months after he took Spurs all the way to the Champions League final, where they lost out to Premier League rivals Liverpool.

It was reported by The Times last week that Conte would be interested in replacing the 50-year-old at the Parc des Princes, with Pochettino’s job at PSG recently coming under increasing threat. It has been claimed by a French source that Daniel Levy has continued to maintain contact with the Argentine and will attempt to bring him back to N17, should the current managerial situation change.

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Former Leeds United goalkeeper Kenny believes that Pochettino would be a perfect appointment for Spurs, should the Italian be dismissed.

The Latest: Kenny backs Spurs return for Pochettino

Speaking about the prospective managerial exchange during an interview with Football Insider, the Irishman told correspondent Ben Wild: “Could they just swap over? If that happens it would be crazy, wouldn’t it? He has been linked with a return to England.

“The fact he’s going to lose his job is incredible. He was heavily linked with the Man United job for a while but obviously, that hasn’t worked out for him.

“Football is a crazy game and I wouldn’t be surprised if Poch does go back at some point. If he is available and Conte goes, it’s a no brainer to get him in. The fans love him.

“It would kind of help the club from their point of view in that the fans will be angry if Conte goes. So if they bring back this manager that is loved, it kind of takes the heat off them.”

The Verdict: Return on the cards?

When Conte arrived in north London last November, he only signed an initial short-term contract with Tottenham which is set to expire in 2023, so whether or not he stays at the helm is likely to depend on Spurs’ final position in the league table at the end of this month.

The Lilywhites currently find themselves sitting fifth in the Premier League, just two points off the top four with five games to go.

Pochettino won a staggering loved by many associated with the club, so should Spurs fail to secure that all-important Champions League spot, there could end up being a surprise return on the cards for the Argentine.

In other news… one ‘quality’ Tottenham player could be facing a move away from the club this summer

Rajasthan’s unbeaten run this tournament owes, in large part, to a collective effort and consistency in implementing their strategies

Siddhartha Talya26-Dec-2010It’s been a dream campaign for Rajasthan, emerging from the Plate League to all but go past the defending champions Mumbai and book their place in a Ranji Trophy semi-final for the first time in 25 years. “It’s a huge thing for Rajasthan, to all those players who’ve been associated with Rajasthan for such a long time,” Aakash Chopra, the former Delhi and now Rajasthan opener, told ESPNcricinfo.A determined batting performance from Rajasthan has given them a big first-innings lead, but did the conditions play any role in the contrasting performances of the two teams? “Not at all,” Chopra said. “It was a good wicket to bat on on day one as well. That’s why Mumbai won the toss and decided to bat. It goes on to show that they also thought the track was dry. There is a grass covering but the grass is basically brown, and it’s there to hold the track more than anything else. So there wasn’t any exaggerated sideways movement or movement in the air. There were no demons in the track. It’s more about the way we have played our cricket and how Mumbai have played their cricket.”The chief architect of Mumbai’s collapse in the first innings was seamer Pankaj Singh, whose six wickets set the game up for Rajasthan. His victims included the Mumbai openers and one of their most successful batsmen this season, Rohit Sharma, each of the three either bowled or lbw.”Pankaj, throughout the season, has been bowling his heart out, running in hard and bowling in the right areas with good pace,” Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain and their highest run-getter this season, said. “And he’s never given up and it’s solely his hard work that is helping him.”The approach adopted by the Mumbai batsmen also worsened their prospects, Chopra added. “The Mumbai batsmen were flamboyant, going after the bowling and perhaps played into Pankaj Singh’s hands because he bowled a probing line, asked the right questions and they didn’t apply themselves as well as they would have liked.”They were bowled out for 252, not a par-score for this track. We had thought, considering their depth in the batting line-up, of chasing a score of something like a minimum of 450.”Rajasthan’s unbeaten run this tournament – although a nominal fourth day in the quarter-final still remains – owes, in large part, to a collective effort and consistency in implementing their strategies. “The teamwork has been the highlight,” Kanitkar said. “We’ve really stressed on that in all our meetings and practice sessions. Throughout this season, in each game, we’ve had sets of players step up, which has helped us succeed consistently.”A committed plan to make the most effective use of their bowling resources and extract as much assistance from the tail with the bat made this success possible, Chopra said. “As far as our bowling is concerned, we’ve tried to swing the ball all the way.” And the ploy’s worked, with seamers Pankaj and Deepak Chahar splitting 63 wickets in six games. “That’s where our strength lies. We’ve tried to pitch the ball up, maintained a good aggressive line of attack. We may not have been the most economical side in the competition but we’ve created enough chances. For our batting, we had decided to have a set batsman batting right till the end and in most of the games we had one pure batsman batting with the tail.””It’s just one of those things where we bowled really well, a disciplined line and length and continued to get wickets,” Kanitkar said. “Mumbai have batted well throughout this season, but our discipline paid off.”

A round-up of the fourth day of the second round of matches in the Plate League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2010Group BMaharashtra’s new-ball pair of Samad Fallah and Shrikant Mundhe bowled their side to an unlikely 10-wicket win over Vidarbha in Nasik. Vidarbha, who had taken a narrow first-innings lead on the third day, would have hoped to earn three points when they began the final day on 13 for 2. However, Fallah and Mundhe had other ideas as they ran through Vidarbha in the matter of 23 overs to skittle them for 61. Extras contributed the most runs, 20, to the total, and only three batsmen reached double figures. Harshad Khadiwale hammered nine fours and a six in his unbeaten 55 off 37 deliveries as Maharashtra cantered to the target of 77 with all wickets intact.An unbeaten eighth-wicket stand that lasted for almost 50 overs saved Jammu & Kashmir from what seemed an almost-certain defeat against Kerala in Malappuram. J&K, trailing by 220 runs, needed to bat out the day to avoid an outright loss, which seemed likely when they slumped to 152 for 7. However, medium-pacer Abid Nabi, the J&K captain, and offspinner Sameer Khajuria resisted for three-and-a-half hours to ensure the game ended in a draw. Nabi faced 167 deliveries while Khajuria played out 140 balls. Asif Jeelani had earlier shown the way, taking 196 deliveries for his 46.Another rearguard effort from the lower order helped Services stave off defeat against Andhra in Anantapur. Chasing 296 for victory after Andhra had sportingly declared on 277 for 4, Services were reeling at 111 for 8 at one stage. Medium-pacer P Vijaykumar had led a strong performance from Andhra’s bowlers with his 3 for 36. But wicketkeeper Sarabjit Singh resisted with a resolute unbeaten 42, and the tail stuck around with him long enough to earn their side a draw. Sarabjit and seamer Suraj Yadav played out 46 deliveries before the match ended. A Pradeep had earlier completed his century as Andhra added 102 runs in quick time to enable a declaration. B Sumanth remained unbeaten on 150.Group AIshank Jaggi slammed a career-best double century as Jharkhand drew their game against Hyderabad in Ranchi. Trailing by 292 runs after the first innings, Jharkhand were in some trouble at 134 for 4 on the final day. Captain Saurabh Tiwary had been dismissed on his overnight score of 32 before 21-year old Jaggi and wicketkeeper Shiv Gautam rescued Jharkhand with an unbeaten 253-run partnership. Jaggi hit 30 fours and received good support from Gautam who remained unbeaten on a patient 82. Hyderabad used eight bowlers to try and make the breakthroughs but had to be content with first-innings points.Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, hit a personal-best unbeaten 204 as Goa batted out the final day to draw their game against Rajasthan in Jaipur. Coming in at a precarious 28 for 2, Ratra played aggressively, hitting 30 fours and a six, and adding an unbeaten 310 runs for the fourth wicket with Rahul Keni. Keni, who has played for India Under-19, struck 20 fours in his unbeaten 115, his maiden first-class hundred. The game was called off soon after Ratra reached his double hundred. Deepak Chahar, the seamer who had made a memorable debut against Hyderabad, went wicketless.