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An ability to “learn and adapt” has been identified by Andy Flower as the key to England’s series victory in India

George Dobell18-Dec-2012An ability to “learn and adapt” has been identified by Andy Flower as the key to England’s series success victory in India. By drawing the final Test in Nagpur, England secured their first series win in India since 1984-85 and inflicted a first home series defeat upon India since 2004.It was a far cry from the events in the UAE a few months earlier. At that time, as England succumbed to a 3-0 series defeat against Pakistan, England’s batsmen had no answer to the spin threat of Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.But Flower, the England team director, took particular satisfaction from the way his team had accepted their failings in the UAE and worked to improve. He also admitted that an element of complacency may have crept into the squad after they had reached the No.1 Test ranking at the end of 2011.”I don’t know if lost focus is quite the right phrase to use,” Flower said, “but if there are degrees of hunger and desire perhaps we dropped off a couple after getting to No 1.”We had a tough time in the UAE against Pakistan at the start of the year, and one of the most satisfying things at the minute – certainly for me, and I’m sure for the players – is that they’ve shown they can score runs. We’ve come out here and very importantly shown that this bunch of cricketers can learn and adapt.”They have proved they have learned a lot. For some of the older players, guys that have been around and have excellent Test career achievement, that is testament to their humility and their maturity to continue their learning into this phase of their careers. They have still adapted their game and shown their game can improve. It’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of thought and a lot of skill out there in the middle. They should be very proud of themselves.”We certainly refocused on this challenge in India. We knew we would have to display that we have learned certain things about the game of cricket in these conditions if we were to prevail so it’s nice to see that has happened. I certainly wouldn’t describe it as a year of decline.”Flower credited Alastair Cook as a key figure in England’s success. Cook, the England captain, led from the front with a defiant century in defeat in Ahmedabad that showed his team what could be achieved with patience and composure. While Cook also made centuries in Mumbai and Kolkata, an increasing number of his team-mates contributed decisive performances as the series progressed.”That innings at Ahmedabad was vitally important as a lead,” Flower said. “It provided evidence that runs could be scored if you use your brain, if you’ve got a reasonable method, if you show courage and discipline. He did that and for the captain to do that was especially important. He has been very influential in the series. We are very lucky to follow a quality bloke like Andrew Strauss with a quality bloke like Alastair Cook as leaders of the England side.England’s testing year

v Pakistan, Dubai Lost by 10 wickets
v Pakistan, Abu Dhabi Lost by 72 runs
v Pakistan, Dubai Lost by 72 runs

v Sri Lanka, Galle Lost by 75 runs
v Sri Lanka, Colombo Won by eight wickets

v West Indies, Lord’s Won by five wickets
v West Indies, Trent Bridge Won by nine wickets
v West Indies, Edgbaston Drawn

v South Africa, The Oval Lost by an innings and 12 runs
v South Africa, Headingley Drawn
v South Africa, Lord’s Lost by 51 runs

v India, Ahmedabad Lost by nine wickets
v India, Mumbai Won by 10 wickets
v India, Kolkata Won by seven wickets
v India, Nagpur Match Drawn

“I said to him I thought tactically he has been excellent – and you can’t always say that about English sides in the sub-continent. I think he’s been a good observer of the opposition, and what works for them, and he’s used some of that to our advantage.”There was also praise for Kevin Pietersen who returned to the squad for this series having been dropped following revelations about his poor relationship with his England team-mates. Pietersen started nervously, but made a brilliant century at Mumbai which helped alter the direction of the series.”He has been excellent since he has been back with the England side,” Flower said. “The guys have enjoyed having him around and he has fitted in really easily and everyone has made an effort to make it work. It has worked.”He has played superbly. I thought his innings in Mumbai on a difficult, turning track was one of the better innings I have seen played against spinners in those type of conditions. It was a very, very skilful innings; even more skilful after he had struggled in the first Test because that piled a certain amount of pressure on him. So for him to handle that pressure, turn it round and then dominate the opposition as he did was great testament to him holding his nerve.”While the victory provided a happy ending to a difficult year, Flower was keen to stress that there had been other positive achievements among the disappointments.”We’ve had up-and-down results,” he said. “We didn’t play that well against the spin in the UAE, but we’ve also done some superb things.”We became number one in one-day international cricket; we drew an important Test series in Sri Lanka, and won one against the West Indies. And then we lost to a very good South African side in England. I don’t think there is any embarrassment in that. That happens in international sport.”Flower is now taking a break. While England return to T20 action on Thursday, Flower will be back in the UK with his family having relinquished his day-to-day involvement with England’s limited-overs squads. Ashley Giles starts in the role of England’s limited-overs coach in the New Year.But it would be incorrect to conclude that Flower is not still the man in charge in all formats of the game. The idea is that Giles will bring new energy to the limited-overs teams, allowing Flower to remain fresh and to spend more time with his family. Certainly he is still planning for challenges ahead in all formats, with the Champions Trophy, to be played in England in 2013, a particular target.”I do have a young family and they have supported me amazingly well over my playing and coaching career and it is time for me to make sure that I can give a little more time to them,” Flower said. “The purpose of the move is to make us a more efficient organisation and to use our resources as wisely as possible so certainly that will assist me to remain involved with the English side.”Ashley Giles is a smart cricket coach with very good experience of both coaching and playing and I think he can do a very good job with the limited-overs sides. We hope he can take the limited-overs teams forward. We don’t know if the system is going to work ideally, just like we didn’t when we introduced three different captains for the three different facets of cricket that we play. But our job is to make it work.”It is going to be a busy year. We’ve got the Champions Trophy – one of our priorities – happening in England and we’ll have a chance there. Then there’s the two Ashes series in the second half of the year. That’s going to be some tough, sustained cricket. But we’ve shown out here that we can play that type of cricket, and that we learn to survive in different conditions.”

Preview of the first one-day international between India and England in Rajkot

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit10-Jan-2013Match factsJanuary 11, 2013
Start time 1200 (0630 GMT)Big PictureThere seems to be no bottom to the abyss India are hurtling into. It seems like only yesterday when they had to just turn up, and a home series, Test or ODI, was theirs. Now they have lost a series in each format in succession, to England and Pakistan. It also seems like only yesterday when India whitewashed England 5-0 in successive home bilateral ODI series. If you are gullible enough to bet on a similar result in this five-match ODI series, you might as well wager on a flood in water-scarce Saurashtra in January.It is supposedly a side in transition but, apart from Ajinkya Rahane, all the batsmen in India’s ODI squad have been around for years now. The same cannot be said of their bowling attack, but that has more to do with the continuing injury sagas of their fast bowlers than anything else. And it was the batting that let India down in all three ODIs against Pakistan.By no means can you call England’s pace attack for this series experienced, but they don’t lack in either skill or speed. For an India line-up that was exposed by Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan, with a collective 15 ODIs between them going into the series last month, England’s pace battery led by the impressive Steven Finn will pose an equal, if not a bigger, challenge.The visitors are looking forward to building towards the Champions Trophy at home later this year and ultimately the World Cup in 2015 but, before that, they have their woeful record in their previous three ODI series in India to correct. One win in 16 games does no self-respecting modern side justice, especially one of England’s calibre and meticulous planning. Their new limited-overs coach Ashley Giles had no insignificant role to play when England drew an ODI series here in 2002 and, despite defeats in their two warm-up games this time, he’ll sorely want to improve on that finish from a decade ago.Form guide(Most recent first)
India WLLWW
England LWWLW
In the spotlightWith Virender Sehwag dropped, Ajinkya Rahane should get to open the India innings along with Gautam Gambhir. The amount of time Rahane’s spent on the bench can be gauged from his solitary ODI appearance in all of 2012. Even that came as an afterthought in Sri Lanka after the series had been won. Still, England are a side Rahane must be pretty familiar with. They were the opposition in the first 10 of his 13 ODIs and he’s already played a few eye-catching knocks against them, including a 91 in late 2011 in Mohali.Steven Finn began and ended the Test leg of the ongoing tour with injuries but his lone outing in Kolkata was enough to serve another reminder of his talent, and the unique combination of pace and bounce his gangling frame brings. India have long suffered at the hands of those attributes and, if Finn manages to stay clear of another breakdown, will be put to the test again.Team newsHe may have made a double- and a triple-century in his previous two Ranji Trophy games, but it is unlikely that Cheteshwar Pujara will make his ODI debut in front of his hometown fans in Rajkot. Transition or not, the batting line-up looks far too settled at the moment. With the new ODI rules making it tough to manage with just four frontline bowlers, India could stick to the side that won the final one-dayer against Pakistan.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Shami Ahmed.With James Tredwell and Finn likely to be the frontline spin and pace choices, England have a couple of fast-bowling places to fill. Jade Dernbach, with his variations, is an important option in India, while Stuart Meaker’s extra speed could push him in front of Chris Woakes.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Samit Patel, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 James Tredwell, 9 Stuart Meaker, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Steven Finn.Pitch and conditionsThe Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Khandheri, outside Rajkot, is making its international debut. The city has hosted 11 ODIs at the Madhavrao Scindia ground owned by the municipal corporation. The grounds may be different but if it is Rajkot, indications point to bucket-loads of runs. The Challenger Trophy, India’s premier domestic one-day competition, produced five totals of 300-plus in four games at the SCA stadium in late 2012. The most recent fixture here was the Ranji Trophy match between Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh, a match the hosts needed to win to make the knockouts. Accordingly, a dry, slow, and low pitch was prepared, but don’t expect anything of the sort for an ODI.Winter in Rajkot isn’t as unforgiving as it is in north India. Evenings are cool and pleasant, while it gets warm during the day. Nights can turn slightly chilly, but with a noon start, we won’t get that far.Stats and trivia The only time England have beaten India in an ODI series in India was back in 1984-85. The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on the outskirts of Rajkot will become India’s 41st ODI venue.Quotes”We’ll have to wait and watch. It’s not something that’s on my mind right now, before the start of an important series. We can’t be thinking about that now.”
“Clearly we are the underdogs in this series but, if you look through our side, we have a lot of firepower and world-class players.”

Sylhet Royals prevailed in a tight contest against Rangpur Riders after Nazmul Hossain Milon’s late charge

The Report by Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2013
ScorecardSylhet Royals prevailed in a tight contest against Rangpur Riders after Nazmul Hossain Milon’s late charge. The five-wicket win, their sixth of the season, gave the Royals a clear lead at the top of the points table.Known for his ability to clear the boundary, Milon has lived up to his reputation so far in the tournament with some short bursts in the middle order. On Thursday, he hit one over deep midwicket off Nasir Hossain and when the asking rate rose in the last five overs, Milon blasted Fidel Edwards over cover and drove Abdur Razzak straight and edged him past the wicketkeeper. The late blows put the Royals firmly in control and they won with three balls to spare. Milon remained unbeaten on 45 off 29 balls.Milon added 37 for the fifth wicket with captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who made 17 off 24 balls, before finishing the chase with Elton Chigumbura, who was unbeaten on 10. Earlier in the innings, opener Dwayne Smith had scored 31 off 21 balls but Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mominul Haque fell cheaply.The Riders had imploded from a position of strength after they were sent in to bat. From 101 for 1 in the 15th over, they collapsed to 122 all out, the same score they had been dismissed for in the last game. The platform had been set by Shamsur Rahman’s third half-century in the competition, 52 off 46 balls with five fours and a six, but it was wasted.Smith and Sohag Gazi picked up three wickets each, while Dirk Nannes took two for the Royals.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam matches

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2013A strong batting performance in the first innings, led by a knock of 136 from Khurram Shehzad, and a five-wicket haul from seamer Samiullah Khan gave Faisalabad an eight-wicket victory over Abbottabad at the Mirpur Stadium. After conceding a 250-run lead, Abbottabad batted with resolve in their second dig to prevent an innings defeat.After Faisalabad were put in to bat, two healthy partnerships of 77 and 214 helped them score a strong 453. Besides Shehzad, Mohammad Shahid and the captain Mohammad Salman contributed to their strong total of 453, with knocks of 96 and 88 respectively.Abbottabad’s batting, besides Rameez Ahmed, who scored 87, crumbled as Samiullah took 5 for 47. They folded for 203, and Rameez Ahmed’s century helped them put up a better show after they were asked to follow on. Eventually, Faisalabad chased their target of 60 with ease.Quetta batted strongly in their second innings to force a draw against Bahawalpur at the Multan Stadium. Chasing 385, half-centuries from Bismillah Khan, Taimur Ali and Ata-u-Rahman took them to 241 for 6 at the end of the final day.Bahawalpur were ahead in the match due to a lead of 109 in the first innings. Kamran Hussain’s 123 took them to 268, before a five-wicket haul from Bilal Khilji destroyed Quetta’s middle order, and they were bowled out for 159. Bahawalpur backed this up with a strong innings, with Rehan Rafiq and Moinuddin scoring 84 and 58 respectively helping them to 275 for 8 before they declared on the third day. Quetta’s batsmen, however, survived the remaining time in the match.Rain prevented any play on the final day of the high-scoring drawn match between Hyderabad and Lahore Ravi in Islamabad. Hyderabad dominated Ravi’s attack; three centuries, from Azeem Ghumman, Rizwan Ahmed and Lal Kumar Hyderabad to 584, at a run-rate of 4.83.Ravi were in trouble in their chase on the second day, as seamers Mir Ali and Rehan Riaz took four wickets between them to reduce Ravi to 64 for 5. However, opener Sami Aslam and Adnan Akmal put on a 177-run stand to resurrect their innings. Aslam scored 144, and Adnan Akmal remained unbeaten on 149.Sialkot, with centuries from Zeeshan Mushtaq and Shoaib Malik, claimed three points out of a drawn match against Islamabad, in which play on the final day was cancelled due to rain.After being put in to bat, opener Raheel Majeed and No. 3 Ali Sarfraz, with a 221-run stand, laid a strong foundation for Islamabad. But seamer Faisal Rasheed took five wickets to facilitate a collapse, which proved costly. The final nine wickets fell for 78 runs, as Islamabad were bowled out for 303.In reply, Sialkot were in a tricky spot at 118 for 5, and but Mushtaq and Malik, with their knocks of 133 and 114, secured three points for their team. Sialkot finished the third day on 377 for 8.An incisive bowling spell from left-arm quick Zohaib Shera put Karachi Blues well on their way to victory right from the first morning against Lahore Shalimar, in the Super Eights fixture at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. The visitors completed the win on the third day, by seven wickets, and subsequently went to the top of the Group B table with two victories in two games.Shera accounted for the top seven Shalimar batsmen, after Blues had put them in to bat. Three of his seven victims were out for ducks, as Shalimar folded for 137 in 35 overs. Blues opener Fakhar Zaman then consolidated their position with a century. While none of the other Blues batsmen could get to a fifty, a few cameos around Zaman’s innings secured a 118-run first-innings lead for them.Shalimar’s top-order batsmen all got starts in the second innings, but none could kick on. They totaled 299, meaning Blues needed 182. Any hopes Shalimar had of defending that early on, after dismissing the first-innings centurion cheaply, were quashed by Rameez Raja and Wajihuddin. They were both out just short of a half-century and a hundred respectively, but their contributions were enough to ensure their team galloped to their target.Rawalpindi’s bowlers, Sohail Tanvir and Hammad Azam, wrecked Karachi Whites in either innings to complete an innings victory inside two days for the home side. They took nine points from the game, while Karachi took none.The advantage was secured early on the first day, when Karachi were shot out for 69 in 29 overs. Tanvir took 5 for 29, while Sadaf Hussain and Azam took two wickets each. Opener Shazaib Hasan’s 19 was the top score.Rawalpindi were comfortably placed at 153 for 1 in their first innings before Abdul Ameer began to slice through the line-up. He took 8 for 98 but half-centuries from Awais Zia and the captain Babar Naeem had ensured a healthy lead. Rawalpindi made 292.Trailing by 223, Karachi’s openers managed 76 before the collapse began. Hasan stayed firm at one end, making 81 as Azam ran through his team-mates and finished with figures of 7 for 46. Karachi were dismissed for 200 in 43 overs.

Brendon McCullum was full of praise for his bowling attack’s “phenomenal” attempts to force victory against England

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin10-Mar-2013Brendon McCullum was full of praise for his bowling attack’s “phenomenal” attempts to force victory against England after chipping away during the final day to ensure the visitors were not completely safe until midway through the final session.It took New Zealand more than an hour to break through, removing Nick Compton for 117, but a fiery eight-over spell from Neil Wagner, to claim the scalps of Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen, gave New Zealand a glimmer which flickered a little brighter shortly after tea when Steven Finn, the nightwatchman, was finally dismissed and Joe Root was run out without scoring.”I thought even up until the last couple of overs we were a red hot crack, if we could get into those bowlers with the ball still new,” McCullum said. “I think we gave it everything we possibly could. I thought the bowlers were huge today to stand up and bowl as well as they did and for as long as what they did on a pretty unresponsive pitch, which was obviously still only a day four pitch, it was a phenomenal effort.”They will be stiff and sore tonight but they will know they were standing up trying to bowl us to a win and you know that’s exactly what you want from your bowling line-up.”The quick men had a tremendous workload in the fourth innings. Wagner, who was impressive throughout the match to finish with seven wickets, sent down 43 overs which was the most by a New Zealand fast bowler in an innings since Daryl Tuffey delivered 49 against Pakistan in 2001 while Trent Boult ended with 35 and Tim Southee 36.”Neil was huge today, 40-something overs as a quick,” McCullum said. “He kept running in, bowling nine or 10-over spells at times and I thought he was phenomenal.”The other main star for New Zealand was Hamish Rutherford who made 171 on his debut to suggest that there may be a long-term option to what has been a very problematic position for the team. In the previous series, against South Africa, McCullum took the responsibility to open on his shoulders but feels his role his better suited to the middle-order.”It’s a dream debut and not just for him and everyone else who was at the ground and also in the changing room,” McCullum said. “It was an amazing effort to turn up on debut and in an area where we’ve struggled in the past. And not just make runs but the way he made then runs.”To have someone who scores at such a clip put us in a position in a four-day Test match where we able to try and push for a result. He was outstanding and he never changed his mood from before the Test match till after it, so that’s a good sign for the future.”After a nightmare Test series in South Africa, where they never held any position of strength in either match, this contest gave McCullum the opportunity to pull the strings himself. He is only three matches into his captaincy tenure, after the difficult transition from Ross Taylor, and while he realises this was still only a draw it he believes it has given them a base to build from.”We know the public’s crying out for the Test game to improve, and we’re crying out for our Test game to improve as well,” he said. “This is a big step for us to look at where we were and where we are now and show ourselves and also our fans what we’re capable of achieving against good teams too.”The challenge now is to back it up for Test two and Test three and continue to put yourself in positions where you’re dominating and dictating the test match. That’s what we were able to do in this Test and the game’s a lot easier when you’re dictating rather than being dictated to.”

Pace bowler Nazmul Hossain has been ruled out of the ODI series in Sri Lanka after injuring his left knee during training in Colombo

Mohammad Isam in Hambantota22-Mar-2013Bangladesh fast bowler Nazmul Hossain has been ruled out of the ODI series in Sri Lanka after injuring his left knee during training in Colombo. Nazmul twisted his knee while avoiding a straight drive from Ziaur Rahman during a net session, on what would have been the fifth day of the second Test.”Nazmul’s injury has not responded to treatment and he has therefore been ruled out of the series against Sri Lanka,” Bangladesh physio Vibhav Singh said. “We have already consulted with two orthopedic surgeons and they have said that they will need to assess him further.”Bangladesh are now without three of their best quicks – Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam and Nazmul. Mortaza has an injured ankle and Shafiul a side strain. Given the assistance the conditions in Hambantota – the venue for the first ODI – give the fast bowlers, Bangladesh’s depleted resources are a concern.”We have the confidence but we are without some quality senior players like Mashrafe [Mortaza] and Shakib [Al Hasan],” Mushfiqur said. “Their presence would have given our side more balance. If the pace bowlers can give us a good start in the three matches, the result will be very different. A lot is depending on them.”We are playing day-night matches, the ball will move here. There are also two new balls from the respective ends, so we will depend on our pace bowlers.”Nazmul has not played for Bangladesh since March last year, after suffering a similar injury to his knee. A replacement is being sought for this series but won’t arrive before the first ODI, which leaves Bangladesh with Rubel Hossain and Abul Hasan as pace options.Rubel is the more experienced of the two and has a good economy rate but he has bowled poorly towards the end of limited-overs matches. Abul hasn’t taken a wicket in the two one-dayers he has played so far. Ziaur Rahman is the other seam bowling option, but he is yet to play ODIs.Fortunately for Bangladesh, the batsmen have been relatively in good form. They have Tamim Iqbal back after he missed the Tests because of injury. The only concern is Mahmudullah, who did not have a good Test series with the bat.”He [Mahmudullah] was unlucky in two of the three dismissals during the Test series,” Mushfiqur said. “He has worked extra hard in between the Tests and ODIs so I would hope he will make up for the miss in the Tests here.”He was our best player in the West Indies ODIs, so he has that confidence. The replacements have done well. Mominul [Haque], [Anamul Haque] Bijoy, [Mohammad] Ashraful and Jahurul [Islam] have been among the runs. It is an encouraging sign for the team that there are players who can come in and settle quickly.”

David Miller, the South Africa batsman, produced his best ever batting performance for Kings XI Punjab on Sunday night, slamming an unbeaten 80 off 41 balls to help his team chase down 186

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2013David Miller, the South Africa batsman, produced his best ever batting performance for Kings XI Punjab on Sunday night, slamming an unbeaten 80 off 41 balls to help his team chase down 186 with a ball to spare in Mohali. Pune Warriors must have more than fancied their chances after finishing on 185 for 4 in what has till now been a rather low-scoring tournament, but Miller’s 128-run stand with Mandeep Singh was paced well enough to see the hosts home.The idea, Miller said after the game, was to keep Kings XI in the match till the final over, and see where it went from there. “We did a really great job by taking the game to the last over. We were backing ourselves, we had a chance of winning or losing and I am glad we came out winning at the end of it,” Miller told the IPL site. “I said to Mandy, we just need to watch the ball well and really try our best. I wasn’t really thinking much to be honest; I had a few plans field wise, but other than that I just tried to clear the ball that came my way.”In all Miller hit five sixes and five fours, finishing with a strike-rate of 195. Mandeep, who had opened the innings, did not match Miller’s pace of scoring but provided crucial support with 77 not out off 58 balls. Miller termed Mandeep’s knock “phenomenal”. “He is a star for the future,” he said. “He has a good mind, wants to do well and I am really happy for him.”Kings XI were left with 16 to get off the final over and Miller managed to hit two sixes off the medium pace of Luke Wright, the England allrounder, who was playing his first game of the season for Warriors.Wright had earlier played a pivotal role in lifting Warriors to a commanding total, blitzing 34 off 10 balls at the death. While he was “delighted” to finally be a part of the action, Wright said he did not quite look forward to bowling that final over as batting is his “main strength”.”I am not an out and out bowler, I just bowl a bit sometimes, so obviously there was pressure there. It was a situation I am not used to being in so often, but it was a shame I couldn’t defend the total off the last over,” Wright said. “The loss has taken the shine off my knock. But in terms of batting, that has been my main strength and I am very pleased with it.”

BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke and two more cricket associations have added to the voices asking for BCCI president N Srinivasan’s resignation

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2013The calls for BCCI president N Srinivasan’s resignation continue to grow with the BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke and several state associations joining the chorus. Srinivasan is embroiled in controversy after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings official, Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested during the IPL on betting allegations.Srinivasan on Sunday had said in a press conference that he had not been asked to resign by any BCCI official. However, the Punjab Cricket Association president IS Bindra, the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association president Jyotiraditya Scindia and the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association G Vinod have all called for the BCCI chief to step down over the past few days.”Looking at the interest of the board I would definitely consider the option of staying away from the inquiry had I been in that position, I mean stepping down till the process is over,” Shirke told Indian news channel . “The credibility of the board and the perception in which it is operating is taking a beating and increasingly so. Given the continuous media speculation and the resulting damage to the image of the board, it is important that this is put to rest.”Hope cause of the problem is erased – Laxman

Former India batsman VVS Laxman has said the recent spot-fixing issue has been “distressing” and the police should erase the cause of the problem.
“It’s very disappointing,” Laxman said. “The last two weeks have been quite distressing and a feeling of anguish was definitely there. I hope the various investigations done by the police in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai come to a logical conclusion and more importantly, the cause of this problem is erased.
“It is very important because just for some greedy players, the credibility of the rest of the players should not be affected. I think it is a very important issue and I am sure it will be cleaned up very soon.”

Shekhar Salkar, vice-president of Goa Cricket Association, claimed that Srinivasan has “no other option” but to resign to ensure an impartial probe into Gurunath’s involvement. Salkar said Srinivasan could come back to his position as BCCI president if Gurunath was proven innocent.”He has to resign, there is no other option,” Salkar said. “How can you continue when your son-in-law is involved, he is involved with Chennai Super Kings, it is just not possible to have an impartial probe till he resigns. For the sake of BCCI’s credibility, in my personal opinion, he should resign till the probe is on. If it is declared that he did nothing wrong and he is proved innocent then he can come back as BCCI president. But at least till the probe is complete, he should step down.”Former India player and Delhi & District Cricket Association vice-president Chetan Chauhan also asked for Srinivasan’s ouster, at least till the inquiry is on. “For the good of cricket, Mr. Srinivasan should step down,” Chauhan said. “Once the inquiry is completed he can come back. Crores of cricket fans have been hurt by this scandal. Their faith needs to be restored.”The BCCI on Tuesday had announced the appointment of a three-member committee to investigate Gurunath’s involvement with Super Kings as a top official. The committee comprises BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale and two retired high court judges.

The last time Somerset lost a Championship match at Taunton, the ground rang to raucous Lancastrian celebrations. This time it was deserted as Middlesex unexpectedly escaped the showers to pull off a three-day victory

David Hopps at Taunton17-May-2013
ScorecardTim Murtagh took 10 for 77 in the match•Middlesex CCCThe last time Somerset lost a Championship match at Taunton, the ground – not to mention the town centre hostelries – rang to raucous Lancastrian celebrations as the Red Rose celebrated their first outright title for 77 years. This time the ground was deserted as Middlesex unexpectedly escaped the showers to pull off a three-day victory after 7pm. But empty ground or not, 20 months later, the town might just have played host to another Championship winner.Middlesex went top, ahead of Durham, by virtue of this victory and with a third of the season gone the table is beginning to take an intriguing shape. Nobody looks more serious contenders than Middlesex. Durham are unexpected leaders, Warwickshire’s innings defeat against Yorkshire raised many questions about their ability to defend their title, and Somerset, so often nearly-men, will be grateful just to stabilise their season after this nine-wicket defeat.Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s director of cricket, is still awaiting his first win after five matches. After eight weeks, he will be wondering whether the job is bigger than he realised. It was never going to be a matter of ticking things along; it was a matter of rebuilding with very few players clamouring for recognition in the 2nd XI.”Middlesex played very well and outplayed us,” he said. “That is two games in a row where we haven’t pitched and we will have to reassess things. Yorkshire was disappointing and now this, but sometimes the biggest punch comes from the back foot and we’ll see what sort of characters we’ve got. The individuals need to pinpoint themselves.”We haven’t played terrible cricket but after five games we should have won two of them and that lingers in the back of the mind.”Middlesex look to be quite a strong outfit. They look a very balanced and a settled side and playing some quality cricket. At the start of the season I don’t think you could say who was going to win the thing – it was an open race – but they have shown some good early form.”Somerset could at least draw heart from the signing of Dean Elgar, who replaces his fellow South African batsman, Alviro Petersen, while he is on Champions Trophy duty. He is expected to make his debut against Yorkshire in their next home Championship fixture at the end of the month. Nosworthy called him a fighter – and he needs others to show similar resolve.The game was all but up for Somerset from the second afternoon when they collapsed to 35 for 5, still 160 behind. Peter Trego and Jos Buttler brought a veneer of respectability with a pair of 80s, Somerset adding another 143 to their overnight 112 for 5 as the clouds began to build.This was not a game when Tim Murtagh could be kept out of the picture for long. He had Trego caught at short midwicket and later he rounded up the Somerset innings by having Steve Kirby lbw to the first over with the second new ball to finish with match figures of 10 for 77 – the third 10-wicket haul of his Championship career.The resistance meant most for Buttler, whose chequered Championship career has been strewn with careless dismissals, but who not for the first time this season showed a growing inclination to play in a more considered fashion and who bedded down dutifully to make 85 in nearly four-and-a-half hours.Perhaps this innings, even in defeat, will one day be seen as a breakthrough in the longer format. He is such an innovative and exciting one-day player that one wonders if he can ever really enjoy playing in such a restrained fashion, but he is beginning to broaden his range.Beneath the helmet one imagined that he might have the baleful expression of a captured antelope pining for the great outdoors. Somerset will hope that his discipline was proof of his gathering maturity because they need all the talent at their disposal to rescue a disappointing start to the season.The longest delay on an afternoon of heavy showers ripped 35 overs from the day. There was a time when it seemed inevitable that Middlesex would be back tomorrow, but the umpires’ determination to stick around proved shrewd. There were a few wet areas in front of the Ondaatje Pavilion and when Trego slipped with 17 runs needed, it was enough for the captain, Marcus Trescothick, to have a word and the umpires to be forced into a confab.The extra half-hour was claimed at 39 for 0 with Middlesex 32 short and a comfortable rate of four an over ahead of them. But there was enough in the pitch for Somerset to take a prize scalp or two and Jamie Overton bowled Chris Rogers in the first over of overtime. Rogers has always been one of the doughtiest batsman on the circuit, but since his selection for Australia’s Ashes tour, his wicket has become a collector’s item; it was another happy moment in Overton’s eye-catching season.

Nottinghamshire dismissed the hosts Surrey for 198 on a track that will deteriorate as the game progresses

Vithushan Ehantharajah at The Oval08-Jul-2013
ScorecardSteven Davies was left stranded on 65 as the tail fell away and Surrey lost their last five wickets for 25•PA PhotosA day that started with Surrey in possession of all the right cards turned out to be a bluff, as Nottinghamshire dismissed the hosts for 198 on a track that will deteriorate as the game progresses. Certainly, that’s the impression garnered from Surrey’s decision to select three spinners in Gareth Batty, Gary Keedy and Zafar Ansari.On the same pitch that was used in last Friday’s Twenty20 derby against Middlesex, their decision to bat first after winning the toss in conditions that looked optimum for batting was no surprise. Even the loss of the first two wickets could be passed off as a blip, such was the assurance with which Rory Burns and Ricky Ponting batted initially.But Nottinghamshire’s attack are continually showing their capacity to maintain focus during long passages of play and that was in evidence again, as wickets came as a result of carefully knitted together periods of pressure.There was a healthy crowd on hand to applaud Ponting out for his penultimate first-class innings and we were greeted to a few staples – the entrance routine (heel kicks, two shadow drives, a flick of each wrist followed by heel kicks) and a trio of swivel-pulls – as he settled into a groove with Burns.It is hard not to think what lies further ahead for Burns, Surrey’s leading scorer in four-day cricket, with a game so tight he could bat in a telephone box. There was enough pace in the pitch to let his technique do the talking, as he drove down the ground with exceptional timing; his cover drive off Ajmal Shahzad eliciting a purr that floated around the ground like a Mexican wave born out of satisfaction rather than tedium.But when the boy wonder was strangled down the leg side on the stroke of lunch, Harry Gurney ending the only fifty partnership of the Surrey innings, Nottinghamshire went into lunch with their tails up.Tighter lines in the afternoon session saw a further three wickets fall for 80 runs, as Chris Read paired spin with pace to good effect. It was only in the 52nd over that he asked anything of Graeme White, the slow left-armer in his first game back after a month-long loan spell at Northants, by which time Samit Patel had bowled 20 overs. It was Patel who removed Ponting, who gave a simple catch to Riki Wessels trying to turn the ball around the corner.Surrey’s capitulation could have been worse were it not for Steven Davies, who worked with Zander de Bruyn and then Ansari to try and get the score past 200. But when both departed in rather cheap fashion – de Bruyn lazily swiping at Shahzad and Ansari nailing the ball at bat-pad to give White his first wicket – the run scoring fell solely on the keeper’s shoulders. He managed 25 more, trying to incorporate some malice into his elegance, as the last four batsmen failed to make a single run between them, leaving Davies unbeaten and frustrated on 65.A Nottinghamshire wicket would have been nice from a Surrey perspective, but nothing was forthcoming – Wessels and Steven Mullaney bringing up a collective 50 with a single off the last ball of the day.