Alastair Cook praised the role of England’s recalled bowlers, Jade Dernbach and James Tredwell, in helping level the one-day series against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2012Alastair Cook praised the role of England’s recalled bowlers, Jade Dernbach and James Tredwell, in helping level the one-day series against South Africa. The pair shared five wickets, with Dernbach talking three and Tredwell two, as the visitors were bowled out for 211 to set up a four-wicket victory.At the toss Cook said the aim was to “freshen up” the attack with the inclusion of Dernbach ahead of Tim Bresnan who has struggled to make an impact this season with the growing suspicion he is not quite the same bowler as before his elbow surgery at the end of the last year. England were already without Stuart Broad who was rested for this series and Dernbach was preferred ahead of allrounder Chris Woakes.He responded with 3 for 44 including the vital wicket of Hashim Amla, bowled off an inside edge, but his most impressive moment came against Dean Elgar when he confounded the left hander with a superbly disguised slower ball that took off stump. Throughout the innings Dernbach used his variations cleverly rather than overdoing the slower deliveries as he has occasionally in the past.”He was really good. He’s a wicket-taker, and he came in and got them at crucial times,” Cook said. “All our bowlers did well, but especially him. He took two important wickets before the batting Powerplay.”The difference here was we kept taking wickets at just about the right times. We never allowed them to get away from us, and that way we were able to keep them to 211.”Tredwell, meanwhile, again proved an able deputy to Graeme Swann who has been rested for the remainder of the series ahead of the Twenty20 matches later this month. Earlier in the season Tredwell slotted in for Swann against Australia at Old Trafford with 2 for 23 and this time claimed 2 for 49 including the innings-changing scalp of AB de Villiers.”Tredwell is just a really, really good performer,” Cook said. “He knows his game really well; he’s a great man to have around, and it’s nice to have that strength in depth. He hasn’t played that much for England. But every time he has, he’s never let us down. He does it week in, week out for Kent – and every time he’s played for England, he’s done it too.”Cook also said that it was always the management’s intention to give Swann the final three matches off and that it was not an immediate response to any increasing concern about his troublesome elbow where he is contending with floating bone fragments.”We were always going to rest Swanny for the last three games. We planned to rest him, quite simply. He was fit to play, but it was a decision Andy and I made before the series started. With the amount of cricket we have coming up, we have to look at the bigger picture – and it’s really nice as a captain to have someone as solid and as good at James Tredwell to come in.”

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided to nominate Afghanistan, which currently holds Affiliate status, for Associate membership with the ICC

Umar Farooq26-Sep-2012The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided to nominate Afghanistan, which currently holds Affiliate status, for Associate membership with the ICC. The ACC also confirmed that it had received and will work on applications from Tajikistan, Chinese Taipei and Cambodia regarding affiliation with the Asian and global governing bodies.The ACC development committee, headed by PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, had met in Islamabad on Monday to confer on various agendas for the calendar year 2013. The committee also approved a budget of US$6.1m for the development of the 18 non-Test playing Asian nations, and decided that the four Asian Test nations will continue to aid the development of the others by inviting them to their national academies.”Perhaps our most significant decision [taken at the meeting] has been to substantiate the claim of Afghanistan to be an Associate member of the ICC,” ACC chief executive, Ashraf-ul-Haq said in Lahore on Tuesday. “Afghanistan has been the strongest side among the Affiliate members, so we are backing them for the promotion.”The ACC has already informed the ICC of their support for Afghanistan, but the request will be looked into only in June 2013, at the ICC’s annual conference. “The applications are in order and we are hoping that at the next ICC annual meeting Afghanistan will be given the status they deserve,” Haq said.The Afghanistan Cricket Board had sanctioned an organisational review earlier this year, in a bid to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration in the war-torn country in the long run, and help develop their domestic cricket infrastructure, thus working towards the outstanding playing-standards criteria required for promotion. On the field, the team has continued to impress, finishing second only to Ireland to qualify – for the second eition running – for the ongoing World Twenty20, where they stretched India in a group-stage match. Vanuatu was the last country elevated to Associate membership of the ICC in 2009.Haq said that while several Asian countries were keen on ACC membership, they would only be processing the applications of Tajikistan, Chinese Taipei and Cambodia. The development of Oman, he said, is high on the agenda.”We want cricket to be played everywhere,” he said. “We [the ACC] are here for the minnows, and are working to promote them. While Afghanistan have reached such heights, Oman will be next in line, as they have got all the facilities there.”I am also impressed with the development work in China and I’m hoping in the next ten years they will start playing a high level of cricket. I am not sure if they will be a Test nation by then, but surely they are somewhere near playing top-level cricket. Apart from the cricketing aspect, Chiana is a power-house of commercial values – if they come up, the value [of the game] would have climbed by 30 to 40%.”China had showed interest in staging the 2012 Asia Cup in Guangzhou, the venue that hosted the first-ever Asian Games cricket tournament in November, though it was Bangladesh who eventually hosted the event earlier this year. According to Haq, China is a potential venue for cricket, but holding the men’s Asia Cup there is not possible due to the lack of floodlights in the stadium.

An Auckland win in the earlier game would turn the Delhi-Titans game into a knockout game

The Preview by Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2012

Match facts

October 23, 2012
Start time 1730 local (1530 GMT)Virender Sehwag finally hit form in the Champions League T20•Getty Images

Big Picture

The semi-finalists from Group A will only be decided after the match between Delhi Daredevils and Titans in case Auckland Aces beat Perth Scorchers in the preceding match. If Perth beat Auckland in the first match, both Titans and Daredevils will be through and the result of second match will only decide who they will play in the semi-finals.A win for Auckland, however, will put them level with Daredevils on 10 points, and ahead of the Titans who are on eight. If Daredevils win, they will be through to the knockouts along with Auckland. If Titans win, they will finish at the top of the table and the second team will be decided based on the net run rate.Daredevils will be confident after their hard-fought three-wicket win over Perth in their previous game. They were efficient in their other victory – against Kolkata Knight Riders – but had to sit out eight days between the two wins as the game against Auckland was abandoned.The Titans had a horrible evening against Knight Riders in their last game when they were bowled out for 89 runs. It was a wake-up call, according to opener Henry Davids, but the timing of the thrashing is worrying. In the previous two games they had much better outings, with comfortable wins against Perth and Auckland.

Watch out for…

For a player whose participation for the Delhi has generated so much interest and divided opinions, Kevin Pietersen has had a quiet campaign so far. He got off to a slow start against Kolkata and fell trying to force the pace. Left-arm spin took care of him in the last game, Michael Beer taking full advantage of his unnecessary aggression. With a place in the semifinal on the line, Pietersen is the best person to expect a big performance from.Titans however will hope to bring in Roelof van der Merwe the moment Pietersen walks in, not merely because he’s a left-arm spinner but because he has bowled three good spells. Van der Merwe is one of the eight bowlers in the tournament who have an economy rate below the five-run mark and the only one among the Titans. He would want to improve on the four wickets, though, and a certain wicket would definitely encourage van der Merwe.

Quotes

“(The win over the Perth Scorchers) was too close for comfort. We’d have liked to win more easily than this but a win is still a win. We’ve got to make sure we keep going well and one IPL team goes the distance in the tournament.””This team was due for a bad game and luckily we’ve got it now. We’ve got one more game in which we must raise our game some notches higher and play to our potential.”

Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the IPL, has claimed that he survived three assassination attempts for refusing to fix matches in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2012Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the IPL, has claimed that he survived three assassination attempts for refusing to fix matches in the tournament.Modi, who was sacked from the IPL in 2010 over allegations of corruption and money-laundering and now lives in London, has made the allegations in written by the British journalist Ed Hawkins.In Mumbai, in March 2009, Modi says: “There was a shoot-out outside my house and one guy got killed and one got picked up.”The other attempts, according to Modi, came in South Africa and Thailand and on each occasion he was warned that he was in danger by police or intelligence agencies.Modi alleges that spot-fixing, in which cricketers fix a particular element of the game but not the overall result, is widespread: “Spot-fixing is rife in the game. And I’m talking globally. It’s a Pandora’s box. It’s staring you straight in the face, but difficult to prove. Almost impossible to prove.”While he remained confident the IPL was clean he could not give 100% assurances and said there were times when he was concerned by certain incidents.”I think it was clean, but I could never, sitting here today, categorically tell you that we picked up everything for spot-fixing, and that goes for all games, not just IPL. We had to warn players from time to time. We found undesirable elements in the stadium and removed them. We found them touring with players or managers of players who were in touch with bookmakers and we removed them.”

A half-century from Travis Birt and some crisp hitting from Owais Shah helped Hobart Hurricanes to a comfortable two-wicket win over Brisbane Heat at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA rapid half-century from Travis Birt helped Hobart Hurricanes comfortably chase down their target•Getty Images

A half-century from Travis Birt and some crisp hitting from Owais Shah helped Hobart Hurricanes to a comfortable two-wicket win over Brisbane Heat at the Gabba. Birt and Shah combined for a 95-run partnership in less than nine overs, as the hosts’ total of 6 for 172 was overhauled with an over to spare.Tim Paine upped the tempo early on for the Hurricanes after Shane Watson’s first over cost just one run. Wicketkeeper Paine cracked Watson for six in his next over and had helped put on a 50-run opening stand when he fell to James Hopes for 29 off 19 balls. Nathan Hauritz and Ben Cutting helped slow the run rate, the latter removing Jonathan Wells with the score on 80, but the third-wicket partnership was to prove decisive.Shah hit Cutting for two sixes in the 13th over and Birt scored 21 off the next, which also included a wide from Hopes, to make the Hurricanes task a straightforward one.Having won the toss, Brisbane were hampered in their attempts to set a more imposing total by the loss of regular wickets. Michael Hogan struck twice to remove the openers with 39 on the board before a 49-run partnership between Joe Burns and Dan Christian. Debutant Evan Gulbis removed Burns on the way to fine figures of 3 for 29 and Thisara Perara’s late innings of 22 from eight balls was not enough to give Heat a winning platform.

AB de Villiers has admitted for the first time that he has been overburdened by his demanding roles of batsman, wicketkeeper and captain after conceding the gloves for South Africa’s one-day series against New Zealand

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-2013AB de Villiers has, for the first time, admitted being overburdened by his roles as a batsman, wicket-keeper and part of South Africa’s leadership core. His acknowledgment comes after a policy change to the limited-overs squads which has seen the gloves taken away from de Villiers to allow him to focus on captaincy.”I have always felt a bit rushed trying to captain the side and keep wicket,” de Villiers said ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand in Paarl. “I will probably stand at mid-off and be able to communicate with my bowlers a lot better as well as get a better perspective of the game.”De Villiers latest statement contrasts with his assessment of his own handling of the triple task the last time South Africa played limited-overs cricket, at the World Twenty20 in September. De Villiers required three weeks rest after the tournament after he aggravated his chronic back condition during the tour of England and the ICC event.Despite the recurrence of the injury, de Villiers insisted he was not paying the price for taking on too much. “I don’t believe there is too much on my plate; I really enjoy the captaincy and batting and keeping. It’s what I am going to do,” he said, while even going as far as to say he would continue in all three roles irrespective of the effect it had. “If I miss out on a year of my career, so be it.”Since that tournament, de Villiers has played five Test matches for South Africa and one domestic 50-over match. De Villiers complained of a tired body after turning out for his franchise, the Titans in the one-day cup playoff. He scored a hundred in a losing cause that day but was so worn out from the cumulative effects of that match after a Test series that he to be rested from the three-match T20 series against New Zealand, a request which was granted.In that time, de Villiers also “changed his mind,” according to convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson about ‘keeping at Test level. When de Villiers was required to take over from Mark Boucher in and emergency situation in England, he was reluctant to become the permanent wicket-keeper. During the third Test against Australia in Perth in early December, Hudson spoke to de Villiers again and he asked if he could continue in the role. The selection panel and team management agreed.But de Villiers ‘keeping at Test level has widespread implications beginning with his own batting. Crouching behind the stumps for extended periods seemed to hinder de Villiers ability to bat with freedom, which South Africa needs him to do. As yet, that theory has not been completely disproved. The 169 he blazed at the WACA came after he was in the field for three overs more than an ODI. Even against New Zealand, where he scored two half-centuries, periods on the park were minimal thanks to the visitor’s short batting time.It has been enough to convince the powers that be, though and de Villiers will continue as Test wicket-keeper but in order do that, he has had to give up the gloves in shorter formats. Quinton de Kock did the job in the T20s and will do in the ODIs, to allow de Villiers time to develop his leadership style, 18 months after taking over the job.De Kock’s selection is also a means to ensure de Villiers’ back can be rested, although how much it will be questionable. Gary Kirsten revealed yesterday that de Villiers finds keeping in 50-overs “more intense,” than in a Test. Previously de Villiers went on record saying he found it harder on his body to be in the outfield – where he will now prowl – than to keep wicket.After the three ODIs, it may be clearer which discipline takes greater toll on de Villiers because his back can be compared to the way it felt after the World T20. Should de Villiers first guess be correct and he comes out worse, he may have to consider ‘keeping again which will require another rethink of South Africa’s limited-overs policy. Should he cope well with fielding again, it could open up another option for South Africa at Test level, the specialist wicket-keeper, should they require it.As a result, the debate over South Africa’s wicket-keeping options is far from closed. Life after Boucher was always going to be uncertain because of the poor planning that preceded it. Even as Boucher’s form dipped, no clear attempts were made to identify or groom a successor.At that time, de Villiers himself distanced himself from wicket-keeping permanently as he confirmed his career goal was simply to become the best batsman in the world. Recently, he has spoken of his desire to improve his wicket-keeping, to captain the side as best he can and to contribute with the bat.To change one’s mind or expand one’s goals is only natural, for the administrators to accommodate that if it works with their team plans is also understandable but it all points to an obvious question that must be asked soon: when does too much room for individual flexibility cause too much disruption to the team’s needs?

Simon Taufel, the recently retired Australian umpire, will give the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture this year. He will be the first umpire to do so.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2013Simon Taufel, the recently retired Australian umpire, will give the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture this year. He will be the first umpire to do so.Taufel became the most respected umpire in the world after standing in his first Test match aged 29 in 2000. He was named umpire of the year five successive times from 2004 to 2008 and stood in 74 Tests, 174 ODIs and 34 international Twenty20s – the last of which being the World T20 final in October.He will be the third Australian to deliver the lecture, this year on July 24, following Richie Benaud in 2001 and Adam Gilchrist in 2009, and the third non-international cricketer after Christopher Martin-Jenkins in 2007 and Desmond Tutu in 2008.”Simon Taufel has been one of the most respected umpires in world cricket for over a decade,” MCC president, Mike Griffith, said. “I am delighted that he has accepted the club’s invitation to give the thirteenth lecture.”He will offer a unique insight into how the spirit of cricket preamble practically translates within the modern game. As a member of the MCC laws sub-committee, the club already benefits from his vast knowledge and experience to help tackle the key issues surrounding the game’s laws. I am very much looking forward to listening to him address the current areas of contention in the sport.”Taufel said he was initially shocked to be asked: “I am delighted, honoured and humbled to be able to participate in such an important cricket event – I look forward to representing umpiring in this fine tradition and all that Lord Cowdrey stood for.”The spirit of cricket Cowdrey lecture began in 2001 in memory of the late Lord Cowdrey, a past president of MCC, who, together with another former president, Ted Dexter, was the driving force in having the spirit of cricket included as the preamble to the laws of the game.Previous lectures have been delivered by Kumar Sangakkara, who, in 2011, was the youngest person to do so, former England captain Geoffrey Boycott and West Indian great Clive Lloyd.

A look back at the highs and lows from the third week of the Bangladesh Premier League

Mohammad Isam10-Feb-2013Chamara Kapugedera, along with other Rajshahi players, almost boycotted their match against Khulna over pending payments•Shaun Roy/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

The local flavor
The local players have made an impact in the second season of the BPL, compared to last year, when they were inconspicious. In the third week of the competition, seven out of the top ten run-scorers are Bangladeshis.In the Rangpur Riders-Duronto Rajshahi game on February 4, it was the local players who attracted all the attention. Shamsur Rahman, Junaid Siddique and Nasir Hossain batted merrily for the Riders while Jahurul Islam kept wickets for Rajshahi. Between them, these players were on the field for nearly 15.3 overs. While the Rangpur batsmen batted well, their inability to clear the boundary was also apparent, with just four sixes in the innings. Rajshahi had an easy chase, thanks to a fifty from Tamim Iqbal and an unbeaten 38 from Jahurul.Angry Asif
The bowlers’ celebrations have made for the most amusing scenes at the BPL. The most talked about celebrations have come from Khulna bowler Asif Ahmed, who scowls after a wicket. Ahmed was in the news for giving rude send-offs to Sabbir Rahman and Tamim Iqbal.Against Chittagong, Ahmed took a catch to dismiss captain Brendan Taylor. He promptly turned around and asked for the crowd to quiet down, only to realise that the only audience he had were a group of policemen seated far away in the grandstand.The close shave
One could sense something was amiss before the Rajshahi-Khulna game. There weren’t too many Rajshahi players warming up ahead of the match and the reserve umpire and match referee were lingering around their dressing room, talking to the team owner.It was soon clear that all was not right with the team as Tamim Iqbal headed out for the toss. He had only done the job in the first two games before Jahurul Islam and Chamara Kapugedera were given the task. Later, Kapugedera confirmed that the players had revolted due to unpaid salaries and had decided to play the game 20 minutes before start of play.The captaincy mystery
The seven franchises in this year’s BPL have been captained by 15 players so far. Mostly, the changes have been due to injury, but in some cases, there have been resignations, lack of enjoyment and even a player revolt.Duronto Rajshahi has been led by three players – Tamim, Jahurul and Kapugedera — though the man originally given the onus, Simon Katich, hasn’t captained in a single game. Tamim was the captain in the first two games before Jahurul took over. The wicket-keeper batsman struggled and asked the team owner to appoint another captain, after which Kapugedera was given the responsibility.Mahmudullah suddenly stopped captaining Chittagong Kings, stating that he wasn’t enjoying the role. Brendan Taylor took over and has enjoyed moderate success.
Towards the end of their campaign, Khulna had a change in leadership, too, when Shahriar Nafees texted his resignation to the team owner, handing over the reigns to Lou Vincent.
Alok Kapali led Barisal Burners in the absence of their regular captain, Brad Hodge who arrived in the later stages of the tournament. Abdur Razzak sat out a game for Rangpur Riders due to injury and was replaced by Nasir Hossain and Suharwadi Shuvo, too, led Sylhet Royals in place of the injured Mushfiqur Rahim.The captaincy switch that had tongues wagging occurred when Mohammad Ashraful led Dhaka Gladiators, in place of Mashrafe Mortaza. The latter claimed he was fully fit, contradicting a statement released by the franchise that he was struggling with back pain.

Gurinder Sandhu and Josh Hazlewood gave New South Wales a chance of reaching the Sheffield Shield final by routing South Australia’s batting to set up an eight-wicket victory

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2013
ScorecardGurinder Sandhu and Josh Hazlewood gave New South Wales a chance of reaching the Sheffield Shield final by routing South Australia’s batting to set up an eight-wicket victory for the Blues inside three days at the Sydney Cricket Ground.The result pushes the Blues momentarily to the top of the Shield table, but they may be passed by Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia or Queensland pending the outcomes of the two remaining matches.SA resumed with six wickets in hand and a lead they hoped to build on, but the Redbacks were unable to organise any real resistance from the moment Jake Brown fell to Gurinder Sandhu without addition to his overnight score.The hosts were left with a mere 91 to get and marched to their target swiftly, aided by a flashy 41 from Nic Maddinson that featured five sixes. SA’s only consolation after losing their final two games outright to slip from contention was Chadd Sayers’ competition-leading tally of 48 wickets.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has been allocated $422,000 by the ICC’s targeted assistance and performance programme, as part of a $1 million request for assistance by the board

Umar Farooq18-Apr-2013The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has been allocated US$422,000 (22,400,000 AFN approx.) from the ICC’s targeted assistance and performance programme. The world governing body of cricket approved the grant at its IDI (ICC Development International) board meeting, which concluded Wednesday in Dubai.ACB chief executive officer, Noor Mohammad Murad, said the board had requested a total of $1 million in assistance. “The ICC approved $422,000 for now. They will send a delegation to visit the ACB in two or three weeks, and will decide [from there] whether or not to approve the rest of the money,” Murad told AFP.The money, to be given over three years, is aimed at developing more competitive teams among ICC Full, Associate and Affiliate members. Previously, countries such as the Netherlands, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland have received assistance through a similar programme. According to an ICC statement, the funding for the ACB is for the development of the National Cricket Academy in Kabul.Afghanistan became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001. In 2009 it attained one-day status till 2015. Over the last two years, the ACB has undergone organisational restructuring in a bid to provide better leadership and find qualified staff to run cricket administration in the war-torn country. They are currently developing their domestic cricket infrastructure, and have signed a two-year deal with the Pakistan board for the development of Afghanistan cricket ahead of the 2015 World Cup.Last year, the Asian Cricket Council decided to nominate Afghanistan for Associate membership with the ICC, with the request being looked into at the ICC’s annual conference in June. At present the ICC provides about $700,000 a year in funding. Based on current distributions, that will rise to $850,000 once Associate status is assured.