Category Uncategorized

Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president I S Bindra today lamented that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) was not “aggresively marketing” the sport at the domestic level, and added that a state association has shown if there is the will, an event like the forthcoming Challenger Trophy too can become as popular as one-day internationals.Slamming the BCCI, Bindra said it was only interested in making money and not promoting cricket at domestic level, which he claimed holds as much market potential as that of the ODIs. He explained that unlike the PCA, which he claimed was being run in a “thoroughly professional manner”, the Indian board “is not being run in a professional way”.Referring to the Challenger Trophy limited-overs series, to be played in Mohali from October 10-13 between India, India A and India B, Bindra, a former BCCI chief, told reporters: “We promise it will be as big an event as an ODI played between India and Pakistan”.He continued that it was the first time TV rights of a cricketing event had been sold in Canada. “Zee and ten channels including Zee Sports, Zee UK, Ten Sports, ATN Canada, Direct TV-USA will beam live pictures of the Trophy. For the first time, a cricket event is being covered ball to ball worldwide on internet and mobile handsets.”We are very close to making as much money as PCA makes during a ODI which is played here. “

Scorecard

Two Championship wins in two games and Surrey are suddenly displaying some of the strut that we’re used to. Irresistible bowling, insistent fielding, and all that on-field chatter – it’s like they’ve never been away.Still, there was one person who refused to let the brown hats have all the glory. Dominic Cork doesn’t like sharing the limelight, let alone losing it, so it was characteristic of him that while all around him were falling under Surrey’s sway, he should choose the moment to launch a blistering attempt on the record for the season’s fastest first-class century.He came to the crease at 104 for 6, Lancashire down and only a spider’s thread from out. Immediately, Azhar unleashed two short balls, one that Cork hooked uncontrollably into open space, the second a snorter that was past his nose before he could so much as sneeze at it. But soon the rain was falling and the players hurrying in for an early lunch. You can only assume that Cork guzzled Weetabix and Lucozade.Because from the moment he reappeared he seemed to have only one thing on his mind, and that was heaving the ball over the boundary as many times as he could. He hit three sixes and six fours on his way to 50, two of the sixes (and one of the fours) coming off a single Martin Bicknell over. And then, incredibly, he upped the pace. Nayan Doshi’s entry to the attack proved a particularly juicy dish – two consecutive full tosses were smashed to mid-off, earning 10 runs. Cork brought his hundred up – in 81 balls – with two more sixes off Doshi, and although Doshi eventually had him caught nonchalantly on the boundary by Murtagh, it proved something of a Pyrrhic victory. Doshi had already been hit for 50 runs off 40 balls.However, Cork’s frenzied hitting only delayed what had been inevitable since Carl Hooper edged behind for 51. He had been the only Lancashire batsman to apply the virtues of caution and confidence to his batting, which made it all the more surprising that, after scarcely acknowledging his half-century and getting his head back down, he should edge the next ball behind with a half-hearted prod. Glen Chapple then sauntered a single only to see Tim Murtagh’s throw from fine leg reach the stumps before him. The moment the last wicket eventually fell, a thunderstorm broke and rain poured down for the next two hours. That just about seemed to sum up Lancashire’s day.

Day 1 Close Nottinghamshire 265 for 3 (Afzaal 114, Bicknell 52) v India AShowers and Usman Afzaal combined to frustrate India A who endured a relatively unproductive day in the field at Trent Bridge. Nottinghamshire closed on 265 for 3, thanks largely to a commanding hundred from Afzaal.In front of a smattering of spectators, medium pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji struck early for India A, bowling Guy Welton for 25 (53 for 1) but that was their only success until shortly before tea. Afzaal and Darren Bicknell (52) added 89 for the second wicket before Bicknell became Balaji’s second wicket (140 for 2). When Murali Kartik dismissed Bilal Shafayat for 6 shortly after, Nottinghamshire’s progress was briefly checked (159 for 3).But Afzaal continued untroubled, reaching his hundred off 162 balls in three and three-quarter hours, and putting on an unbeaten 113 with Gareth Clough (39*) for the fourth wicket.With more showers forecast for Thursday it will take some imaginative captaincy – or penetrative bowling – to get a result.

Winning the toss, Railways ensured that they took full advantage ofit, reaching 381/4 by the close of play on Day One of their RanjiTrophy league match against Madhya Pradesh at Indore.Although the Railways openers fell soon, followed by the in-form YereGoud, S Raza Ali and Tejinder Pal Singh put on 326 runs for the fourthwicket, both scoring centuries in the process.Raza Ali, the first to fall, made 148 off 210 balls, with 19 fours andthree sixes. His partner, however, continued in the presence ofskipper Abhay Sharma. Both batsmen were unbeaten at stumps, withSharma making 10 and Tejinder Pal Singh on 186 off 280 balls, with 23fours and three sixes.

Mohammad Hafeez, who has been banned from bowling in international cricket for one year by the ICC, is bowling in the Haier Mobile T20 Cup without having undergone any remedial measures to his action. Bowlers banned from international cricket for suspect actions can bowl in domestic cricket if their home boards let them, but it is unusual for them to do so without any attempt at correction.Hafeez has so far bowled only in one match – three overs for 35 runs on Tuesday for Lahore Whites against Islamabad – and has not been used since because of a slight side strain.ESPNcricinfo understands Hafeez has not remodelled his action since it was found to be illegal for a second time in two years in July. He was first pulled up for a suspect action in November 2014, then made the necessary changes and was cleared by the ICC in April 2015. However, he was back under scrutiny two months later and when tests revealed his elbow extended beyond the permissible 15 degrees, the ICC banned him for 12 months.Hafeez cannot approach the ICC for a retest of his bowling action until the completion of his suspension, so at present there is no conclusive way to determine if he is bowling with his old action or a changed one.

Excerpt from ICC rules on suspect bowling actions

A player who has been suspended from bowling in International Cricket shall be permitted under the supervision and with the consent of his home board to continue to play domestic cricket.
In circumstances where a suspended player is seeking to play in domestic cricket events under the jurisdiction of another member board, the consent of that member board should also be obtained prior to the player participating in such matches.

According to ICC policy on illegal bowling actions, the concerned board shall formulate and implement a strategy to deal with players with illegal bowling actions in domestic cricket.”We are monitoring him as there is a provision that he can bowl,” Intikhab Alam, the PCB’s director of domestic cricket, told ESPNcricinfo, “It’s not like we are being lenient with him. The umpires can still report him if they suspect anything wrong in his action.”Since this ongoing tournament is being televised, it’s the best opportunity for us to monitor him closely. In a while, if he is reported at this level as well then he will be suspended for another three months.”As per ICC rules, a bowler can have maximum elbow extension or flex – the amount he bends and straightens his elbow while delivering the ball – of 15 degrees; anything more, and the action is deemed to be illegal. When he was first banned, Hafeez had been found to bend his elbow as much as 31 degrees. At an unofficial retest in January, he had brought it down to 17 and 19 degrees following which the PCB applied for an official retest, which he cleared. The tests after his second report in July though indicated the elbow extension had exceeded the permissible limit again.Last year, the PCB had decided to clamp down on questionable actions right from the domestic level and had directed match officials to report any bowler with a suspected action. The results were encouraging. Dozens of bowlers were reported and all of them were cleared after a short-term session at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

Stumps The Bay of Plenty lived up to its name but only for New Zealand. Devon Conway and Tom Latham harvested a century each and by that time they were having so much fun they would barely let anybody else play.West Indies could argue that was a bit rude. They were in Mount Maunganui looking for rich bounty as well. A first Test win on these shores for 30 years, which if secured would hand them a share of this series’ spoils. All of that cast them in the role of a protagonist at the start of the day. But as time wore on and records – both trivial and tumultuous – came to pass, Roston Chase and his men faded into the background.Each of the five previous Test matches at this ground have yielded a wicket in its first session. This one didn’t. Kane Williamson, so used to an early start at the office, had to wait the longest he ever has to clock in. So restless had he grown that at the start of the final session, he was seen wearing all his gear barring the helmet practicing a rapid-fire series of leaves and blocks. There will be reels. Split-screens with Latham and Conway facing real cricket balls out in the middle and this guy just pretending to do so with a caption of who did it better. The answer is actually Terry Jarvis and Glenn Turner.Tom Latham brought up his 15th Test century without taking any risks•Getty Images

Latham had a big part in the history he helped make. Over 25 home Tests, dating all the way back to March 2012, New Zealand have only ever chosen to bowl after winning the toss. Here, he had a hunch about putting runs on the board. Outside of that one bold move, everything else he did was basic. Playing close to the body. Knowing exactly where his off stump was. Frustrating the bowlers to target his pads. Manufacturing easy put-aways. Latham’s 15th Test century – where he went past 6000 runs as an opener – was proof that fairy tales aren’t the only things that can come to life. Textbooks do too. It took all the way to 6.30pm for Latham to fall on 137. Test cricket was so close to having a fifth opening pair lasting the entire first day.Conway played himself into form. Twenty-six of his last 39 innings were cut short at or below the 30-run mark, which isn’t ideal considering his role at the top of the order is to set the whole team up. Given he was walking out onto a pitch with an unusual amount of grass – 13mm, normally it’s around 7-10mm – there was cause for concern. He put them all to bed, weathering an initial period where West Indies were willing to give up only 11 runs in eight overs. He instigated the first period of New Zealand dominance, the six overs to morning drinks where they scored a-run-a-ball. He went on to bat for longer than he has ever done since his double-century on debut at Lord’s four years ago.The only way any of this could have been worse for West Indies was if they had brought it all on themselves, and only the finest line separated that from what actually happened. Because they got what they wanted at the toss. First use of a surface that looked like it had been left in the care of a kindergartener with a green crayon. The bowlers, though, didn’t make the best use of it.Tom Latham nicked one behind to Tevin Imlach when on 104 and was dropped•Getty Images

Their third seamer, Anderson Phillip, started with a spell of 3-0-25-0, and as hard as he tried to improve – creating a rare wicket-taking opportunity when Latham nicked one behind to the keeper on 104 and was dropped – he still went to stumps with 14-2-71-0. It was symptomatic of a bowling attack that still produced jaffas – and might feel aggrieved none of them yielded any joy – but didn’t have it in them to back it up; to hit the good length spot consistently, test the batter’s discipline and search for vulnerability.Indeed, at the start of the second session, New Zealand had a harder time not scoring boundaries, five of them coming their way in the space of 12 balls. A small spell of rain offered West Indies the chance to regroup and they appeared willing to take it, Jayden Seales adopting the method of local hero Neil Wagner and going short for a concerted period of time. Conway wore one on the left hand, needed medical attention, and at the start of the 52nd over, he was overheard on the stump mic asking the umpire about the time for tea. He was in need of reprieve. Seconds later, Chase lobbed up a long hop that he pulled away for four. West Indies kept undoing their own good work. Often immediately.This was no batting paradise. Nor was it ever a fast bowler’s dream. Spinners took two-thirds of the wickets in the most recent first-class game in Mount Maunganui. It is with that in mind that New Zealand brought Ajaz Patel into the XI and backed themselves to put up a big total.Conway has led them there – batting through cramp, batting one-handed and eventually hitting that rarefied place where he was just batting on instinct, reacting perfectly even to things like extra and low bounce – but things could have been so different if West Indies had shown a little more discipline. Now their batters have to pick up the slack.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Bangladesh squandered a brilliant start by Junaid Siddique, the19-year-old debutant who smashed 71 from just 49 balls, and Pakistan wereindebted to a blazing innings from Shahid Afridi and a late cameo fromImran Nazir as they went into the semi-finals with a perfect record in theSuper Eights. Set 141 for victory, Pakistan eased home with four wicketsand six balls to spare, after Bangladesh’s slow bowlers induced amid-innings wobble.Nazir’s unbeaten 27 at the end made all the difference after a sloppyPakistani display, and would have been especially satisfying after he hadhad to retire hurt three balls into the innings, struck flush on theunmentionables by a delivery from Mashrafe Mortaza. Having swungMahmudullah for a six over square leg earlier, Nazir struck two fours offMortaza to hasten the end.Afridi, restored to the top of the order, had blazed away from the outset,with a straight lash off Mortaza forcing the bowler to hit the deck whiletaking evasive action. There was a mighty heave for six over midwicket aswell, and even the hitherto economical Syed Rasel was not spared, withheaves through midwicket and a big six over long-on.Mohammad Hafeez played his part with a brisk 23, but it was his exit,caught at long-off, that triggered a slide. Afridi went soon after, edgingAbdur Razzak behind, after careening to 39 from just 15 balls. With SalmanButt once again becalmed, the innings lost momentum as the spinnerswheeled away accurately and so quickly that the batsmen barely had time toformulate a plan.It was left to the ever-reliable Shoaib Malik to snap everyone out ofslumber, with a gorgeous flick though midwicket and a sweep that went tothe fine-leg rope. But when he was caught at deep square leg offMahmudullah, Bangladesh scented an opportunity, and Mortaza reinforcedthat feeling by trapping Misbah-ul-Haq, hero of the victory againstAustralia, in front of the stumps. Butt, who looked half asleep, was runout dawdling late on, but Nazir ensured that there would be no repeat ofBangladesh’s famous World Cup victory of 1999.The Bangladesh innings was a one-man show, but Siddique should have gonewhen he had made just 2, only for a miscued pull off Mohammad Asif to befumbled over his head by Misbah. In general though, it was a listlessopening from Pakistan, with plenty of wides and no-balls and Asif bowlingat close to Arjuna Ranatunga’s pace.Tamim Iqbal was superbly run out by Hafeez running in from point, butSiddique was quickly into his stride, playing beautiful strokes down theground off both new-ball bowlers. There was one more lucky escape, as ahoick off Tanvir evaded Nazir’s hands at deep midwicket, and Siddiquecelebrated the reprieve with an imperious hit over the rope in the samedirection.

Even the entrance of Afridi, one of the most effective bowlers in thecompetition, didn’t faze him, with two fours struck down the ground, thesecond of them palmed on to the rope by Umar Gul at long-on. It took himjust 35 balls to reach 50, and with Aftab Ahmed picking off the singles atthe other end, Bangladesh appeared well set for an imposing total.It all changed with a headless-chicken charge from Aftab, and acomfortable stumping for Kamran Akmal off Hafeez. By the time Shakib AlHasan popped one back off the leading edge in Hafeez’s next over, theinnings was in disarray, with Mohammad Ashraful having already departed,trapped in front by Afridi.Siddique heaved Hafeez for two sixes over midwicket in a bid to redressthe balance, but Malik’s decision to bowl only his second over of thecompetition killed off any hopes of a big score. Siddique went for one bighit too many, and with Nadif Chowdhury nicking one behind, it was left tothe tail.Gul, entrusted with bowling the final overs once again, ran outMahmudullah, and then struck Mortaza flush on the visor with awell-directed short ball. Asif added insult to injury by bowling himbehind his legs, as Bangladesh yet again lost the thread after thebrightest of starts. For Pakistan, it was a sloppy day out. Sterner testsawait.

– Mark Gillespie on bowling at the death.I had never seen him bowl before, and pre-match office talk had revolved around two interesting facets of Gillespie. One, his run-up was supposedly a mix of Bob Willis and Dennis Lillee and the other was his ability to bowl at the death. I saw neither Lillee nor Willis in him but the other claim was spot on.He bounded in with short aggressive steps, a white handkerchief protruding from behind, before hurling himself fluently into a nice cocked-up wrist position and more often that not, hit the right areas. In his first spell he threaded the good-length and moved it off the seam to tease the outside edge. He would go close to the stump to either move the ball away or straighten it and suddenly would move wide of the crease to dart it in. And it’s not that he had to create an angle to get the ball in, but whenever he did that it nipped back in sharply. He got his first wicket in the 19th over with one that straightened from the length to dismiss a well-set Connar Williams, a former India batsman. He even slipped in a slower one, that almost got him a wicket, but the image of the death specialist was still yet to fully form in the mind’s eye.That crystallised when he came back at the slog. Admittedly, Baroda were already waging a lost cause when he reappeared but then none of his colleagues could finish the innings off. Not even Shane Bond. Gillespie hit a different length now. Much fuller and regularly pinging the blockhole, he delivered from slightly wide of the crease, and bent the ball in repeatedly. The yorkers appeared, one of them crashing into the base of the middle stump, so did the surprise bouncer that took out Yusuf Pathan. There was no need for the slower ball now, for Baroda were almost down and out and even the attempt to hit had evaporated.As evident by that quote, it’s a mature head that is sitting on young shoulders. Vaughn Johnson, who has been working with him over the past eight seasons, is the man who will know more. “He’s starting to become quite an intelligent bowler,” he told reporters last week. “In a cricket sense, he’s got quite a good brain. He’s a bit loose at times but he’s a good kid. He’s had a fair few bollockings over the years and hopefully that’s done him some good.” But he hinted at a troubled character. “He can be a bit different. He’s one reason I’ve got no hair.” And now, it’s up to John Bracewell and Stephen Fleming to handle their new option with care.Scott Styris clearly looked chuffed that New Zealand have found a fast bowling prospect. “He is bit quicker than you think, he bowls a lots of bouncers as well and he is very good at the death,” Styris said at the end of the match. “He will be handful on wickets which have more pace than this. He has it in him to play very well in the international cricket. He is very aggressive and likes to go after the batsmen and doesn’t like to take a backward step which is very important in international cricket. He has taken his chances, in the A tour to Australia three months back where he knocked out some very useful batsmen and again here he has grabbed his opportunity. It’s exciting for us that we have another fast bowler coming through in New Zealand cricket who isn’t in the 120-130 kmph category.”Gillespie has grabbed his chance with both hands. Surely, the selectors would have noticed it. Come Monday, we shall know.

Cricket Australia and ING today announced the 2005-06 season would be ING’s last as a major sponsor of Australia’s domestic one-day competition. The decision marks the end of one of the longest relationships in Australian sport.The current seven-year sponsorship concludes at the end of the upcoming season, and after careful consideration, ING has decided not to enter a new contract so it can focus on its other marketing programs.ING began the sponsorship under its old name of Mercantile Mutual for the 1992-93 season and continued the sponsorship after the brand change to ING in 2001.James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, said, “We completely understand the reasons why ING will not be renewing its contract after the coming season. It has been a highly successful partnership for both parties, and we are very grateful for their support.””ING has been a terrific partner to work with and they have certainly brought a number of new innovations to the game such as the `Hit the Sign’ competition, which has added a lot of interest for both the players and spectators alike.”The ING Cup is the world’s strongest domestic one-day cricket competition and is an important part of our planning for our 2007 World Cup defence in the West Indies.Sutherland added, “Our plans for the competition, including new ways of presenting it to a wider public, will add to the competition’s value in the sponsorship market place and offer a new commercial partner an exciting time to be joining the game in Australia.”Explaining the decision, chief executive officer ING, Paul Bedbrook said: “ING is delighted with its long association with the game and proud to have contributed to the great success of the one-day domestic competition, now synonymous with the name – ING Cup.”It has been a great partnership in every sense. We have worked together to bring new ideas to the game, taken top level cricket to local communities from Bankstown to Ballarat, and helped put in place strong foundations for developing Australian one-day cricket.”As a company we have benefited greatly from our involvement and it has been a central to our brand promotion. We have made a commercial decision to focus on other marketing programs and therefore have decided that we cannot make another long-term commitment at the conclusion of our existing contract.”We are looking forward to our final season which we believe will be as exciting as ever, and a celebration of our 14-year partnership.”

Recently appointed as the Pakistan coach for his technical expertise, Bob Woolmer is keen that the Pakistan fast bowlers shorten their run-ups in one-dayers. During the week-long training camp in Lahore, Woolmer concentrated on the run-ups of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed and Umar Gul and came up with the suggestion, which, he pointed out, will help conserve energy as well as improve Pakistan’s over rate. quoted Haroon Rashid, the manager, as saying, “Shoaib in particular has become very comfortable with his shortened run-up which he will use in the Asia Cup. Woolmer’s concept is that in a version of the game that is tailormade for the batsmen, this is the best way for the bowlers to conserve their energy, focus, and at same time also ensure a healthy over rate.”The Pakistan bowlers were guilty of sending down a number of no-balls in the recent one-day series against India, which they lost 3-2. They were also responsible for the penalty imposed on the team for slow over rates.Haroon added that the appointment of Woolmer and Murray Stevenson, the fitness trainer, has already had a salutary effect. “From the evidence of what I have seen in the camp and by what Woolmer and Stevenson believe that this Pakistan team will undergo a major change in attitude and performance within six months’ time.”During the camp Woolmer had a one-on-one interaction with each player, which included preparing a questionnaire for all. “After getting back these questionnaires he met with each player individually and discussed a lot of things openly with them. Team meetings were also organised to put things into place.”Haroon also explained Woolmer’s input on the technology front. “He has introduced new technological innovations in the Pakistan team’s training and preparation patterns, and the stress has been on any cricket-related exercise being carried out by the players. He also saw each player batting for about 90 minutes in the nets in different modes.”Woolmer, who had to rush to England for a short trip, will now join the team in Colombo on July 14 before the start of the Asia Cup.