England traveled prepared to play a second spinner in the first Investec Ashes Test in Cardiff but Adil Rashid’s chances of a Test debut look to be receding

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2015England traveled prepared to play a second spinner in the first Investec Ashes Test in Cardiff but Adil Rashid’s chances of a Test debut look to be receding. After the squad was selected during a brief heatwave, conditions have become markedly cooler and Glamorgan’s head groundsman has suggested that the chances of a spinning pitch were “very unlikely”.England rarely play two spinners in home Tests – the most recent occasion was the Oval Ashes Test in 2013 – and the new coach, Trevor Bayliss, has already indicated that Moeen Ali is currently first choice.The warm weather that helped Keith Exton and his team in preparing the surface appears to have passed, with showers interrupting an England team autograph session in Cardiff on Sunday. Further rain is forecast, though Exton is still confident that “a classic Test pitch” will be on show when England and Australia come out for the toss on Wednesday morning.”We’re happy because we’re in control of moisture levels and the density and profile of the soil,” Exton said. “Dry conditions take the guess work out so we’re very much in control which is all that a groundsman can wish for.”This track had two T20 games on it last year and the ball went through well. It will start off as a classic Test pitch but if we have a lot of dry heat then the characteristics could change as the game progresses. We would need to have extremely high temperatures for it to become a spinning pitch, which is very unlikely, but once the toss takes place, everything is out of our hands.”England got their first look at the surface when they trained at the ground on Sunday afternoon. This will be Cardiff’s second Ashes Test, after the series opener in 2009 that saw England hang on for a draw. Although Test pitches at the SWALEC Stadium have sometimes been on the slow side, Exton is hopeful that there will be something for batsmen and bowlers this time around.”We hope this one will have a little more pace but we hope that we see an equally good game of cricket,” he said. “It’s natural to be nervous and excited at the same time but watch me after three overs – I’ll either be beaming with delight or hiding. It’s the pinnacle of any groundsman’s career to produce a Test Match pitch and if the game is as finely balanced as the one we hosted here in 2009, I’ll be very happy.”

Irfan Karim’s 54-ball 74 led Kenya to a convincing seven-wicket win against Canada in Edinburgh

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Irfan Karim struck six fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 74•Getty Images

Irfan Karim’s 54-ball 74 led Kenya to a convincing seven-wicket win against Canada in Edinburgh. An unbeaten 94 run fourth-wicket stand between Karim and Morris Ouma helped Kenya romp home in a 144-run chase with nine balls to spare.After being inserted to bat, Ruvindu Gunasekara and Rizwan Cheema got Canada off to a sedate start – 15 were scored off the first four overs. However, the pair attacked the last two overs of the Powerplay, smashing 38 to lift the score to 53 in six overs. Three sixes were hit in the eighth over as well as Canada looked set for a dominating total. James Ngoche broke the stand in the 10th over, dismissing Cheema for 35 and also got the wicket of Gunasekara(51) in his next over, slowing Canada down. From the 15th over, Canada scored a boundary in each over save the last, but could add only 45 runs in the last six overs, eventually ending at 143 for 5. Nelson Odhiambo picked up 2 for 22, his wickets of Navneet Dhaliwal and Hiral Patel coming off successive deliveries in the 19th over.In the chase, Narendra Kalyan and Karim provided a solid start – 35 in 29 balls, which included two fours each in the third and fourth overs – before Kalyan was caught off Jeremy Gordon for 19. Kenya lost two more wickets in the space of three runs as the match evened out at 52 for 3 in the eighth over. However, Karim and Ouma’s partnership consolidated for Kenya and at the mid-way point in the chase, Kenya required 84. Seventeen were scored in the 13th over as the pair took control of the chase. They hit boundaries regularly and kept the required run-rate in check, and a four and a six in the 15th and 16th over effectively sealed the game, before Ouma wrapped it up with successive fours. Jeremy Gordon picked up two wickets.

For Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Tuesday’s judgement was far worse than the franchises expected and the initial reaction was to hunker down, close ranks and reflect on the situation rather than react

Arun Venugopal14-Jul-2015For Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, Tuesday’s judgement was far worse than the franchises expected and the initial reaction was to hunker down, close ranks and reflect on the situation rather than react. Speculation abounded in the absence of any official comment from either franchise, including rumours that suggested the franchises might be up for sale, but it seems whatever decisions are to be taken will be done after consideration and not in a knee-jerk manner.As the initial shock wore off concerns shifted to the huge hit the franchises’ brand identity would have taken. The immediate impact of Super Kings’ suspension, for instance, was felt in the stock market as India Cements’ share price dipped in the afternoon. Later in the day Aircel, one of Super Kings’ key sponsors, said in a statement that it was “reviewing our position in the matter [its association with the team].”One senior Super Kings official, however, said they had not once entertained thoughts of giving up the team. “You know, we have worked very hard to nurture the team over eight years,” he said. “Besides, will anyone even come up to buy the team now? We will never sell the team.”The official swiftly dismissed as rumour news of Super Kings appealing against the order. “All that you have been hearing and reading are rumours,” he said. “We haven’t taken any decision and neither will we arrive at anything without consulting our in-house legal counsel. We will be sitting down to discuss this in a day or two. The pros and cons of an appeal will have to be considered. We are not in a hurry.”The official, however, admitted that the outcome was “shattering.””We were trying to brace ourselves for this as everyone was talking about a possible suspension. But we didn’t expect to be suspended for two years. In that way, it has been very disappointing,” the official stated.The Royals management, meanwhile, were nervous ahead of the announcement in the morning, but slipped into a huddle soon after. It is understood they, too, are in consultation with their legal team to study the different aspects of the order.”I thought we would get away,” one Royals source said. “I don’t know whether it was the heart thinking or my head. So, the suspension was a bit of a shock.”The biggest impact, as the Super Kings official said, would be on the brand identity. George John, manager, marketing and operations, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, said it was too early to speculate on how much the team will be hurt on the sponsorship front. He, however, said sponsors had not abandoned them even in the wake of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal that saw top Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested.”We have never had any problem with our sponsors,” John told ESPNcricinfo. “They have always stood by us. They know what we stand for.”Brand consultant Harish Bijoor felt while the reputation of the two teams had corroded, advertisers and broadcasters were unlikely to pay a huge price. “They are all fair weather friends,” Bijoor said of advertisers and broadcasters. “Their money is totally protected, their contracts are reasonably waterproof to protect themselves against these things. Contracts are clean and sharp. The only people who suffer are the two franchise owners.”Please note that the recommendations are that these two teams don’t play for two years. It’s quite likely that many of the stars of these teams are likely to be figuring in other teams. Two or three teams, theoretically, might come into the IPL. End of the day, the net count of the matches will remain the same if not go up. Nobody loses except the franchises.”Bijoor said it was the end of the road for both Super Kings and Royals as brands, “even if not legally.” “Brands have morality elements. The real custodian of the brand is the viewer. The problem is this brand is not like EPL. It is not as old as a Manchester United is, or as old as a Chelsea is. And loyalties are portable. People will take their loyalties to a new brand. At the end of the day, nobody is wedded to a team as much as to a [MS] Dhoni or a [Suresh] Raina or a [Rahul] Dravid.”He suggested that the teams re-brand themselves if and when they come back into the league, either after the term of suspension or after a change in ownership: “Brands enjoy positive karma and negative karma. This is a bit of negative karma as far as these brands are concerned. Changing the name, the ownership, the entire ethos and putting together a set of corporate governance laws will change that. It has to be an amalgam of many things. It’s a brand restructuring guy’s delight.”

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews hopes to set up a winning farewell for Kumar Sangakkara, much like how the hosts had seen off Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo19-Aug-2015Talk has already begun of how difficult it will be for Sri Lanka to fill the Kumar Sangakkara-shaped hole in their side, but for now there is a Test series on the line, and a successful farewell to be delivered.Angelo Mathews said the match would be sentimental. Sri Lanka, though, have usually been adept at channeling their emotions, rather than becoming mired in them. Muttiah Muralitharan had a victory in his final Test. Mahela Jayawardene was no different. Sri Lanka’s XI is light on experience, but following the stirring victory in Galle, belief will have risen that Sangakkara can be seen off the same way.If there is one thing Mathews can be relied on, it is keeping both feet on the ground. In Galle, Sri Lanka careened haphazardly to victory, and Mathews has not forgotten that they could have wound up at the bottom of a cliff. The hosts lost five wickets for less than 100 in both innings, and were guilty of dropping three catches, missing another, and failing to collect what seemed an easy run-out. The bowlers emerged with credit, but Tharindu Kaushal will want to cut out his loose deliveries, and the quicks will want to be more penetrative, particularly in the first innings.”We can improve a lot when it comes to all three departments,” Mathews said. “India had us by our throats for two-and-a-half days and the courage and the character the boys showed was unbelievable – to come back within three sessions to win the game. Now we have already shoved that under the carpet and it’s history. We’ve got two more games to go, we’ve got to play very good cricket to beat India.”Sri Lanka will likely leave their batting order untouched, but their attack has changed almost every match in the last few months, and it will be no different in this game. True to form, Nuwan Pradeep delivered some excellent spells in Galle, then promptly parked himself under an injury cloud. A hamstring niggle will likely keep him out of this match, Mathews said.In the wings is Dushamantha Chameera – Sri Lanka’s stick-thin fast-bowling hope. There were worries he would struggle to find his place in the top attack given his limited first-class experience, but these were unfounded. He has almost immediately begun following in the footsteps of the senior Sri Lanka quicks. Following an encouraging debut against Pakistan, he got himself ruled out through injury, for the following six weeks. The side strain has now adequately healed.”Unfortunately Chameera got injured when he played his first game against Pakistan,” Mathews said. “But he is back, and has got a lot of pace. He bowls 145-plus consistently. He is very exciting, and I’m extremely happy to have him back fit.”There was hope that Sangakkara would push his batting average towards 60 in his last four Tests, but having crossed fifty only once in his six most recent innings, Sangakkara’s numbers have headed south in the staggered last gasp of his career. His fans will want a Bradman-equalling double-ton, though the P Sara is one of the tougher batting pitches in the world.”From what I can see he just wants to score a hundred tomorrow,” Mathews said. “He’s worked extremely hard and is so determined to do that and we truly wish and hope he does that.”The best farewell we can give him is to win his last Test. I don’t think he expects anything else from us. We are trying our best to do that.”

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said Shahadat Hossain is likely to be kept out of cricket until a decision is reached on the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act case against him

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2015BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said fast bowler Shahadat Hossain is likely to be kept out of cricket until a decision is reached on the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act case against him. Hassan said Shahadat had come looking for him but he did not meet the fast bowler.ESPNcricinfo also learned from a BCB source that Shahadat had been temporarily suspended by the board.Hassan did not specify when or where Shahadat tried to meet him. Dhaka police have been looking for the fast bowler for the last five days but have not been able to find him. Shahadat and his wife are wanted on charges of allegedly assaulting their housemaid.”Unless the investigation ends or there is a decision on the matter, BCB doesn’t want to keep any attachment with him,” Hassan said. “We are quiet, and we will remain quiet. He is more than likely to stay outside cricket.”There is no reason to give Shahadat Hossain any leeway, it is quite clear. I don’t know whether you know this, but he came to see me. I didn’t meet him. What would I have told him? I don’t have anything to do. It is totally up to the law of the land.”

R Ashwin took his 13th five-wicket haul, and his 150th Test wicket as well, as South Africa were bowled out for 184 and India built their lead to 142 by the end of the day with Cheteshwar Pujara’s half-century

The Report by Alagappan Muthu06-Nov-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details.Manjrekar: India will be looking at a 300-plus lead•Pakistan Women Cricket Association

The cries in the first hour were of frustration. India’s spinners just could not find any rhythm and that spurred impatience. But from the final half hour of the morning session, those cries turned into cackles of joy. South Africa’s most assured player, Hashim Amla, was dismissed for 43 and their most feared AB de Villiers carved 63. But seven single-figure scores from the rest meant R Ashwin, who returned from injury with 5 for 51, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra took the honours. India gained a lead of 17, but it was just slender enough not to be decisive. They had to bat well, and they did, to finish the day ahead by 142 runs.M Vijay looked easy on the eyes and so runs, even on a stingy pitch, kept following him. He had made 47 off 105 balls before the substitute fielder Temba Bavuma snagged a diving, one-handed, horizontal-with-the-ground blinder to prevent what could have been the only wicketless session of the Test. Still, India’s second wicket added 86 runs and the dominant partner Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 63 off 100 balls. The trick was in not allowing the bat to dangle away from the body while defending, and alternatively holding nothing back once the bad ball arrived. As Pujara demonstrated when he pulled an Imran Tahir long hop, the penultimate delivery of the day, for a six.The architect of India’s position in Mohali was Ashwin, though. He had led his team off the field at the innings break. He has 13 five-wicket hauls and 150 wickets now, in only his 29th Test. Only Sydney Barnes, Waqar Younis and Clarrie Grimmett have been quicker to the mark. So it is clear that the side strain he suffered in the ODI series has not led to a stutter in form. Meanwhile, South Africa’s spearhead is under an injury cloud now. Dale Steyn picked up a groin injury and did not bowl today.And considering that, it was poor that Shikhar Dhawan ended up bagging a pair on the same ground he hammered 187 on debut against Australia. The bowler was Vernon Philander, the ball was simply angled across, but Dhawan turned it into a wicket-taking one by flashing at it and India recorded their sixth single-digit opening partnership on the trot.It is true that this is not the most straightforward pitch to bat on. Even a man of De Villiers’ calibre could have been dismissed in five balls. Jadeja got one to turn and bounce to perhaps take the outside edge – it seemed like there was a noise as ball passed bat – but the umpire had enough doubt to rule against the appeal. Then in the 45th over, he definitely nicked one and it was caught on the rebound off the wicketkeeper’s gloves by Virat Kohli at second slip but the bowler, Jadeja again, had overstepped; the fact was confirmed after several minutes of deliberation from the third umpire Vineet Kulkarni. The bowler’s toes had landed, the heel had not, which is fine, but some part of the foot had to be behind the line. Nothing was. It appeared Jadeja had done it again when he had Philander edge to slip, but Kulkarni upheld that appeal.De Villiers, at the other end, hit the spinners off their lengths with a flurry of sweeps and exploited angles that may not have been readily available to other batsmen. De Villiers collected six fours and maintained a strike-rate of 75. He was ninth man out, bowled by a peach of a legspinner from Mishra and India edged the lead.That did not seem likely early on, though. South Africa were cruising towards possibly a wicketless morning session with Dean Elgar and Amla recording 76 runs off 176 balls. India may have taken the old adage about the first hour a little too seriously. They were trying too hard, as was their captain Kohli chopping and changing his bowlers around as frequently as his fields. Ashwin came on to bowl in only the ninth over of the day and Jadeja in the 13th. And that was the turning point. Ashwin tossed the ball up over the eyeline of the right-hander, pulling him to drive outside off, while Jadeja settled for natural variation – whether by turn, lack of turn or bounce. Orthodox cricket applied pressure and it was enough to undo a very stubborn South Africa batsman.Amla is the kind of player who can turn up and turn it on. He did so without bat in hand yesterday, leading his bowlers, trusting his gut and giving India a taste of their own medicine. Today, he amped up the dosage with an assured 43 off 97 balls. Sometimes it seemed like the length the spinners were bowling did not even matter to him. He would keep back in his crease even against flighted deliveries and make the adjustment with his wrists. He would even drive through the covers with a whippy flourish as Jadeja found out in the 37th over. The firmness in his decision making and the softness of his defence were beautiful to watch.Then came something that was bizarre to watch, which seems Amla’s thing when he plays against India. He had once ducked into a bouncer and got bowled, and today, he chipped down the track, was beaten by Ashwin’s flight and then stumped as the ball hit Wriddhiman Saha’s chest and dropped onto the off bail.Elgar played an innings that suggested he can handle rank turners. He likes to spend time at the crease at the cost of his strike-rate. He could even recover after being beaten in flight because of his use of soft hands and dead bat. It takes strong belief in one’s technique to repel noted spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja with three or four men around his bat. And Elgar seems like a confident blocker. But just as he was getting into the groove, an overambitious stroke led to his downfall.Elgar had begun the day with a powerful sweep shot with Mishra’s leg spin and chose to repeat the same against Ashwin’s offspin. The outside edge looped over the point where Jadeja held the simplest catch. One of the India fielders even chirped gleefully, “What a shot, man.” Dane Vilas was another victim of the sweep with lunch minutes away. India had their belief restored, South Africa were pushed on to the back foot, and that was where they stayed.