All posts by n8rngtd.top

India achieved their biggest victory against Sri Lanka and in the process clinched their 100th Test win on the fourth day of the second Test in Kanpur

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera27-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outHarbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir celebrate Prasanna Jayawardene’s wicket•AFP

India achieved their biggest victory against Sri Lanka and in the process clinched their 100th Test win on the fourth day of the second Test in Kanpur. India’s previous best against their neighbors was a victory by an innings and 119 runs in 1994 and they bettered that with ease today. Thilan Samaraweera resisted the inevitable with an assured fifty but it was always just a matter of time before India wrapped up the game.The only question at the start of the day was how long Sri Lanka would delay defeat. They batted positively, adding 149 runs in the first session, but India kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Samaraweera was involved in two fighting partnerships with Prasanna Jayawardene and Ajantha Mendis, which not only proved that the pitch wasn’t bad for batting but also showed the top order in poor light.India’s only concern was Zaheer Khan’s no-ball problems (12 in this game and 21 in the series) but he started the day by dismissing Angelo Mathews in his first over. Mathews had hit three consecutive fours, which included a pull, and Zaheer placed a man at deep square-leg and tested Mathews with more bouncers. The first was fended off in an ungainly manner and the next was top-edged to backward point where Rahul Dravid took a lunging catch.Samaraweera proceeded to stitch together a 61-run partnership with Prasanna who, much like in the first innings, flattered to deceive. He was looking good with his cuts and sweeps but was cleaned up by an off break from round the stumps from Harbhajan Singh. It drifted away and broke back in but Prasanna left a big bat-pad gap and was bowled. Muttiah Muralitharan indulged himself with a typical hit-and-giggle knock filled with slog sweeps but fell, going for yet another big hit.Samaraweera, who then added 73 runs with a determined Ajantha Mendis to frustrate India, was rarely troubled during his stay, the highlight of which was a whippy on-drive to a delivery on off and middle stump from Sreesanth. He rarely looked hurried, tackled the spinners and seamers and unfurled several pleasing on drives. The series now moves to Mumbai for the third Test that starts on December 2.

Queensland have recalled Greg Moller for his first Sheffield Shield match of the season after losing both their first-choice openers to injury

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2009Queensland have recalled Greg Moller for his first Sheffield Shield match of the season after losing both their first-choice openers to injury. Moller has not played for the Bulls since November last year and he will open the batting with Wade Townsend for the four-day game against New South Wales at the Gabba starting on Friday.The new-look combination came after the Bulls lost their preferred openers Ryan Broad to a thumb injury and Nick Kruger to a hip problem. Kruger was on Thursday having scans to assess the extent of his injury, which forced him to bat with a runner during Wednesday’s FR Cup match.Craig Philipson has also been included in a 12-man squad and could play his first Sheffield Shield game since March 2007, following strong performances in the one-day arena this summer. Queensland have also gained James Hopes, Chris Swan and Ryan Harris, who have returned from injuries and replaced Luke Feldman, Nathan Rimmington and Daniel Doran.New South Wales have included the left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc in their 12-man group. Starc has replaced Burt Cockley, who has been diagnosed with stress fractures of the back and is likely to be out of action for three months.Queensland squad Greg Moller, Wade Townsend, Lee Carseldine, Nathan Reardon, Craig Philipson, Chris Simpson (capt), James Hopes, Chris Hartley (wk), Chris Swan, Ryan Harris, Ben Cutting, Scott Walter.New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Moises Henriques, Daniel Smith (wk), Grant Lambert, Stuart Clark (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.

A round-up of the fifth day’s games of the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition

Cricinfo staff08-Jan-2010Auckland kept their cool to secure their first Twenty20 victory of the season, a two-run win over Wellington at the Basin Reserve. Chasing 170, Wellington slid to 7 for 3 after the second over, but James Franklin’s 48-ball 72, studded with five sixes, revived them. With Chris Nevin smashing a 24-ball 41, Wellington were actually in control going into the final three overs, needing 17 runs with both Nevin and Franklin at the crease. However, Daryl Tuffey removed Nevin and Michael Bates struck twice in two deliveries of the penultimate over to dent Wellington. The home side could have still won, needing six off the final five balls, but the last wicket pair couldn’t pull it off. Earlier, after being sent in, Auckland relied on half-centuries from opener Lou Vincent and Anaru Kitchen to post a tall total.It was a far easier outing for table-topping Central Districts, who coasted to a 19-run victory over Northern Districts at Pukekura Park. Ross Taylor blasted four fours and four sixes in his 53 to power CD to 184, with Daniel Vettori being carted for 53 runs in his four overs. Even though big-hitting allrounders Jacob Oram and Graham Napier barely contributed with the bat, they made amends while bowling; Napier got the big wicket of Vettori early and followed it up by dismissing Daniel Flynn, while Oram prised out Brian Watling to leave ND at 23 for 3. James Marshall’s half-century started a recovery but George Worker got two-in-two in his only over, the 12th, to dash ND’s hopes.It was the team batting first that won in Christchurch as well, where defending champions Otago crushed Canterbury by 43 runs. After choosing to bat, Otago’s top four each made at least 20, with Neil Broom’s 37-ball 58 being the top score. There was drama in the final over of Otago’s batting, when Ryan Burson took three wickets in four balls and gave away only two runs to leave Canterbury needing 160 to win. Canterbury’s chances were nearly extinguished by the end of the seventh over following a middle-order collapse in which three wickets went down in seven deliveries. From 45 for 5, it was mostly a question of reducing the margin of defeat.

A brutal Ross Taylor assault powered Central Districts to a 78-run rout of Auckland in the final of the HRV Cup at a packed Pukekura Park, and with it a spot in the lucrative Champions League

Cricinfo staff31-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Ross Taylor and Graham Napier were the stand-out performers for Central Districts in the HRV Cup•Getty Images

A brutal assault from Ross Taylor powered Central Districts to a 78-run rout of Auckland in the final of the HRV Cup at a packed Pukekura Park, and with it a spot in the lucrative Champions League Twenty20.Taylor, who has been in roaring form all tournament, saved his finest for the big match, slamming eight sixes on his way to a 30-ball 80 that took CD to 206, only two short of their highest total this season. Auckland’s slim hopes evaporated as early as the fourth over of the chase, by when CD’s new-ball bowlers, Michael Mason and Graham Napier, had snared two wickets each to make the score 9 for 4.Auckland bowled after winning the toss and CD opener Peter Ingram, who celebrated his national call-up with a quick half-century, made 54 of the total of 71 before he was dismissed in the 11th over.After that Taylor was involved in a stunning partnership with Kieran Noema-Barnett that raised 133 runs in less than nine overs. The highlights of the stand included a Ravi Bopara over in which 24 runs were blasted and another from debutant Jimmy Neesham, who was taken out of the attack after leaking 20 in one over. But it was Michael Bates who had the worst time among the Auckland bowlers: he was smashed for 59 runs in his first three overs. Despite finishing the innings with an excellent over – three wickets and two runs – he ended with the unwanted record of conceding most runs by a New Zealand bowler in Twenty20s.In the face of a stiff target, Auckland’s top-order folded without resistance. No. 6 Colin de Grandhomme threw his bat around for a 11-ball 25 and Neeshan attempted to redeem himself with a brisk 39 but Auckland never really threatened to pull of a win, and were bowled out in the 17th over.

A 97-run partnership between Carl Wright and Lennox Cush helped the USA to an unexpected six-wicket victory over Scotland in the opening game of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers.

Cricinfo staff09-Feb-2010
Scorecard
A 97-run partnership between Carl Wright and Lennox Cush helped USA to an unexpected six-wicket victory over Scotland in the opening game of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers at Abu Dhabi.Coming together after the early loss of Sushil Nadkarni, the pair compiled their runs at better than a run-a-ball to guide USA to within striking distance of victory. Wright struck eight fours on the way to a 57-ball 62, and Cush was no less enterprising, with three fours and a six in his 41.Wright’s dismissal, trapped lbw by Jan Stander with victory in sight, sparked a mini collapse as three wickets fell for no runs. Cush picked out Richie Berrington off Ryan Watson’s medium pace, and Timroy Allen – the hero of USA’s thrilling one-wicket win over UAE in the warm-ups – fell without scoring as USA slipped to 114 for 4. But Sudesh Dhaniram and captain Steve Massiah played a calm hand to ensure no further blips, sealing the win off the first ball of the 20th over.Though Wright thoroughly deserved the Man-of-the-Match award for his match-winning half-century, the victory was set up by a solid team effort from USA’s bowlers, who took the pressure off their batsmen by pegging Scotland back.Usman Shuja began in superb fashion, getting rid of the dangerous Kyle Coetzer with his second ball. Orlando Baker then bowled Navdeep Poonia before he could get going, and Rashard Marshall and Wright combined to run out Fraser Watts and reduce Scotland to 42 for 3 in the ninth over.Dhaniram kept the reins on the middle order with an extremely frugal spell, conceding just 12 runs in his four overs and picking up the vital wicket of Gavin Hamilton for 41. Stander’s bright cameo lifted Scotland’s score in the closing overs, but a target of 121 was never going to be a stern test, even for USA’s brittle top order.”It was a collective effort by us today and a great achievement,” said Wright after the match. “The bowlers made it much easier for us to go out and get the runs. I’m excited about my man of the match but we have to look to tomorrow, keep up with our positive attitude and move as a group for our game against Ireland.”Scotland now need to win both of their remaining group matches to progress to the Super Four stage. “I think credit should be given where it is due,” said Hamilton, the Scotland captain. “The USA bowled well with the new ball and our batting wasn’t up to the standard against them. Every game is now a must-win. We’re going to have a look at the team tonight and we may well have to do a bit of a reshuffle in the side for our game against Afghanistan.”

Graham Onions has been withdrawn from England’s two-Test series in Bangladesh, and will fly home on Friday after failing to recover from a back injury

Andrew Miller in Chittagong11-Mar-2010Graham Onions has been withdrawn from England’s two-Test series in Bangladesh, and will fly home on Friday after failing to recover from a back injury.Onions arrived in Bangladesh last week as a specialist seamer for the Test series, but has been unable to train properly since suffering the injury while the squad was still in Dhaka. Yesterday, he was officially ruled out of contention for the first Test in Chittagong, but with no signs of his condition easing the decision was taken to send him home.”Unfortunately I will be going home,” said Onions. “If I’m being totally honest, I’m not exactly 100% sure what the problem is because I had an MRI scan and nothing came up on that. Hopefully it’s just a case of having five to seven days complete rest to get myself ready, but when you are on a tour, you only have two weeks to make an impression. Unfortunately I have run out of time, so the best thing for me is to get myself home and get myself ready for the English summer.”I got off a long-haul flight and just wanted to try and get myself as well-prepared as I possibly could for the first day of the Test, even the warm-up game, but unfortunately two days in, I felt a bit of a niggle [in the nets]. Now I’m travelling home and I’m very disappointed.””Of course it’s frustrating. Whenever you come on tour – and especially because this is just my second tour – you are always looking to make an impression. Obviously with me coming in and looking to make that impression, I want to play and this is very disappointing. But I’ve just got to forward positively to the English summer now.”England captain Alastair Cook said it was a blow but is confident the squad have the depth to cover. “I’m desperately disappointed for him,” he said. “He was a huge part of our plans and he still is, obviously, because of the way he bowled in South Africa, where he was unlucky not to take more wickets than he did.”He bowled really well there, and I was expecting him come to these conditions and bowl well here as well. But these things happen, and luckily we’ve got the strength in depth in our seam-bowling unit to be able to cope.”Cook was nevertheless confident of a quick recovery for Onions, and looked forward to having him fit again in time for the return series against Bangladesh, which gets underway in May.”The MRI scan didn’t show too much structural damage so it does look like a short-term thing,” he said. “But these matches come so quickly, and he hasn’t had any proper bowling on this tour, so we couldn’t see how, physically, he could be ready. If he was fit, he wouldn’t be match-fit to play in the next Test match, so there’s obviously no point in him being here.”England are, however, more confident of the progress of Stuart Broad’s recovery from his own back spasm, which he suffered midway through the second ODI in Dhaka last week. He came through unscathed from a tough nets session on Wednesday, and is ready to undergo a final assessment from the team’s medical staff.”We are very positive from yesterday,” said Cook. “He bowled really well in the nets, for 10 or 12 overs in two spells, which was a very encouraging sign. Today is the second part of that process of a fitness test. We’ll see how he is this morning, how he bowls, and obviously if he comes through that, it’s excellent news for us.”

Hyderabad would have fancied their chances after packing off the opposition for a paltry score but the pace duo of Samad Fallah and Kishor Bhikane had other plans as Maharashtra clinched the crown in a low-scoring final in Indore

Cricinfo staff16-Mar-2010
Scorecard
Hyderabad would have fancied their chances after packing off the opposition for a paltry score but the pace duo of Samad Fallah and Kishor Bhikane had other plans as Maharashtra clinched the crown in a low-scoring affair at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground in Indore.The Hyderabad bowlers, in particular the spinners, justified their captain Amol Shinde’s decision to field first as the Maharashtra batsmen floundered from the onset. The highest score of 29 came from their semi-final saviour Digambar Waghmare, who came in at No. 8, while the highest partnerships were 24 for the third and eighth wickets. Offspinner Hanuma Vihari and legspinner Akash Bhandari profited the most with three wickets each while Shinde bagged two.Hyderabad suffered an early setback when opener Danny Prince fell for a four-ball duck, bowled by Fallah. But a similar story would pan out from thereon as Fallah’s early strikes completely derailed the chase. Anoop Pai managed a brave 36-ball 23, but with the fall of regular wickets, the target got steeper. If Fallah stole the show early on, Bhikane helped himself to two late order wickets, to make it three in total, as Hyderabad succumbed off the last ball of the innings.

Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi Daredevils captain, has been reprimanded by the IPL for his negative comments on Rajasthan Royals

Cricinfo staff02-Apr-2010Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi Daredevils captain, has been reprimanded by the IPL for his negative comments on Rajasthan Royals after his team’s comprehensive 67-run win at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday, their third successive win. Gambhir said at the post-match presentation that besides the attacking Yusuf Pathan, the rest of the batsmen were “ordinary”.”I think Rajasthan was never a threat. Except for Yusuf Pathan, the other guys were pretty ordinary,” Gambhir said. “We weren’t really worried about anyone else.” Chasing 189, Rajasthan stumbled to 32 for 4 and never recovered. Yusuf contributed a 14-ball 24 and was the fifth out at 66.Gambhir was reported by IPL chairman Lalit Modi, and pleaded guilty to a level 1 offence (section 2.1.7), which relates to “Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in a Match or any Player, Team Official, Match Official or Team participating in any Match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made.” Gambhir however escaped a fine, which carries a maximum penalty of upto 50% of the match fee.Yusuf is Rajasthan’s leading run-scorer with 274 runs at a massive strike-rate of 179.08. He smashed a century off just 37 balls against Mumbai Indians, and became only the second Indian player – after Manish Pandey – to score an IPL hundred. The defeat to Delhi halted their bid to make it five wins on the trot.

Lalit Modi has termed as “fictitious” the “reliable source” who verbally alleged to the BCCI president, that Modi was involved in tarnishing the board’s image and the game, and also rigging the auction for the two new franchises in March

Nagraj Gollapudi13-May-2010Lalit Modi has termed as “fictitious” the “reliable source” who verbally alleged to Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, that Modi was involved in tarnishing the board’s image and the game, and also rigging the auction for the two new franchises in March. Modi demanded more details about the source and questioned why the source’s name was not being revealed by the board, which is calling the alleged verbal conversation “private and confidential”.On Monday Modi had requested the BCCI for five additional days to prepare his reply to the show-cause notice slapped on him on April 26 for various allegations. In addition, he had also asked for documentary evidence for each of the ten charges elaborated in the notice. The board sent him the papers the next day but Mehmood Abdi, Modi’s legal counsel, stated that only four of the ten charges against Modi in the show-cause notice carried documentary proof – the rest were verbal in nature.If the BCCI was indeed relying on the unnamed source, Modi wanted confirmation of that along with the source’s identity. “If you do intend to do so (use the oral communication), please let me know (i) who were the persons who made these oral communications; (ii) when were these oral communications sent; and (iii) what was the content of these communications,” he wrote in a ten-point e-mail on Wednesday afternoon, addressed to N Srinivasan, the board secretary.Later, Modi pointed to Page 11 of the notice where he is alleged to have influenced the outcome of the bidding for the new franchises which were finalised on March 21 in Chennai. The charge was that “subtle messages were sent to corporate entities that they were unwelcome to bid”, but Modi contested it and asked for names or copies of messages backing up the claim.Srinivasan’s reply was: “It was brought to the notice of the BCCI by a reliable source that such messages were given to him. Since this communication was privileged and confidential, the name of the person is being held up. This information was provided orally.”But Modi refused to accept such an explanation. “In para 8 of your e mail (dealing with Page 11 of the Show Cause Notice) you have declined to name the alleged “reliable source” who allegedly orally communicated with the BCCI,” Modi wrote. “You have sought to justify this by claiming that this oral communication was “privileged and confidential”. This confirms my apprehension that there is no “reliable source” and this is all fiction and the “privilege and confidential” claim made is only to cover this up.”Modi said since the board is unable to make public the name of the source, it was only apt that he (source) be dropped entirely form the proceedings. “Assuming (whilst denying) that this phantom “reliable source” exists, the withholding of the name of the alleged “reliable source”, for the reasons stated, is illegal and unjustified. This is also manifestly unfair. I cannot respond to the “un-known” nor be condemned on the basis thereof. This alleged oral communication from the alleged “reliable source” is required to be wholly excluded from consideration in these proceedings. Please confirm the same.”For now the only assurance the board has offered Modi is that it would be solely relying on the material that was sent to him. “The notice is issued on basis of the material set out in the notice and the documents which have been supplied to you,” Srinivasan wrote to Modi in a fresh email today. “If your reply is found unsatisfactory, the matter is then referred to the Disciplinary Committee who shall, after giving you a further opportunity, decide the whole issue. All facts and documents, on which the notice has been issued, have been supplied to you. You may send your reply on the basis of the facts and documents which have been referred to. If an inquiry by the Disciplinary Committee is considered necessary and any further documents/materials, if any, are relied upon, or become available to the Inquiry, the same shall also be supplied to you.”

Gloucestershire celebrated their fourth County Championship victory of the season after Derbyshire collapsed on the final day of their Division Two match at the County Ground

27-May-2010

ScorecardGloucestershire celebrated their fourth County Championship victory of the season after Derbyshire collapsed on the final day of their Division Two match at the County Ground. The hosts had begun the day at five for none and hopeful of victory, but were bundled out for 166 to suffer a 134-run defeat. Veteran seamer Jon Lewis did the bulk of the damage with figures of 4 for 25, while Derbyshire’s Anguilla-born teenage batsman Chesney Hughes impressed again amid the carnage with 75 to add to his first-innings century.Derbyshire were chasing 301 but Lewis and Steve Kirby quickly reduced them to 15 for 4 and although Hughes supervised some spirited resistance from the lower order, the home side crashed to a third consecutive loss.Any hopes of a home victory were shattered by a hostile spell from Kirby, who blasted out both openers. Kirby was fired up after having a run-out appeal turned down and sent back Wayne Madsen in the second full over of a cool, breezy morning with a lifting ball that was fended to short leg.Garry Park needed lengthy treatment after he was hit on the left hand by another nasty delivery and he was rapped again on the right glove as Kirby steamed in from the Pavilion End. It was no surprise when Park went in the next over, caught behind off Lewis, and Derbyshire suffered a major setback when skipper Chris Rogers drove at Kirby and was smartly taken by Alex Gidman at first slip.The home side were now 11 for 3 and only four runs had been added when Greg Smith fenced at Lewis and Jonathan Batty pouched his second catch. But Hughes was playing with the calm assurance he had displayed in the first innings and made sure his team did not go under without a fight.Dan Redfern contributed 27 and Robin Peterson, who scored three in 12 overs, frustrated the bowlers and there was more resistance to come from Tom Poynton who left his sick bed to help Hughes hold up Gloucestershire. The seventh-wicket pair dug in for 17 overs until Poynton steered what appeared to be a slower ball from Gemaal Hussain to backward point and Vikram Banerjee pushed Derbyshire closer to the brink when Tom Lungley flicked him to short midwicket.The only question now was whether Hughes could get his second hundred of the match but after three-and-a-quarter hours, he was leg before playing across a full length ball from Lewis who then wrapped up victory when he bowled Atif Sheikh in his next over. The 20-point haul means Gloucestershire are third in the table and Derbyshire, despite losing, move up to sixth above Middlesex who were not playing after taking six points.