All posts by h716a5.icu

Shahadat Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan completed five-fors, while Sachin Tendulkar completed his 44th Test hundred as India were bowled out for 243 early on day two

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga17-Jan-2010
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Bangladesh, all pumped up and incisive, roared back “extraordinarily”, taking eight Indian wickets for 130 runs and forcing Sachin Tendulkar to dig deep to try and take India towards a respectable total. Shakib Al Hasan, who bowled 25 overs unchanged for 48 runs, and Shahadat Hossain, who bowled in hostile spurts, were at the centre of the comeback, taking four wickets apiece for 103 runs between them, and proving the Indians “still are human beings”. Every wicket pumped Bangladesh up more, every wicket was met with wild celebrations, special one among those being Shahadat’s after Dinesh Karthik’s wicket – a finger on his lips, telling his opponents in no unsubtle terms to watch their mouth.Virender Sehwag, who had called Bangladesh an “ordinary” side in the lead-up to the Test, got off to an aggressive start in a curtailed first session after fog and murky light delayed the start of the match. When he went into lunch, despite the balls stopping and coming and the turn available for the spinners, Shakib would have wondered if he had made the right decision by putting India in. India had raced to 63 for 0 in 13 overs, and immediately after the break Sehwag hit Shahadat for three boundaries in one over, reaching his fifty at more than a run a ball.Yet, Sehwag wasn’t totally in control. He had hit Shakib for a first-ball four, but the turn had had Sehwag in an edgy frame of mind. Off 12 balls of spin, Sehwag was forced to abort attacking shots because he was beaten in flight, rapped on the pads by arm balls, and had one bat-pad fly wide of forward short leg. He eventually lost patience and hit a shortish delivery straight to short cover. Shakib 1, Sehwag 0.Sehwag’s dismissal kick-started a period of aggressive and smart bowling and captaincy, which eventually resulted in soft dismissals. Gautam Gambhir, who had been circumspect in playing outside off, went to cut a wide delivery from Shahadat and the extra bounce caught the edge. Rahul Dravid came to bat in a situation tailor-made for him, but played all around a swinging yorker, and 79 for 0 became 85 for 3 in a matter of 17 deliveries.Shakib then kept his fast bowlers fresh by rotating them from one end, and keeping the pressure up bowling unchanged until stumps. With Rubel Hossain getting reverse-swing from the other end, there were no free hits, boundaries were plugged away, and Laxman, especially, struggled to get off strike. For 13.4 overs not a single boundary came.Shakib mixed the offbreaks and the arm balls well, also varied the degree of the flight. After a series of near dismissals – leaving alone an arm ball that almost shaved the off stump, hitting uppishly one bounce to short cover, and scoring 7 off 29 balls, Laxman finally over-balanced when looking to drive Shakib. The ball went straight on, took the inside edge onto the pad, and then rolled along to an alert Mushfiqur Rahim, who found Laxman short of his crease.There was no counterattack forthcoming from Yuvraj, who prodded and nudged Shakib dangerously for 30 deliveries, before the lack of clarity of thought consumed him. Caught completely in the defensive frame of mind, Yuvraj could have done many things with a gentle leg-side fulltoss, but lobbing it down mid-on’s throat wouldn’t have been high on the agenda. Immediately Shakib got Shahadat back, and as if on cue, Karthik drove at a wide delivery and edged low to gully.All the batsmen who got out had a lesson to learn from the man they passed when they walked back. Tendulkar, dropped on 16 by Imrul Kayes at wide slip, respected that the pitch was not flat, Shakib and Shahadat were bowling really well, and cut out undue risks. He didn’t play away from the body, worked the singles, found the gaps for twos, and even the edge that flew to the left of slip came against the run of play. Tendulkar capitalised on that, and without taking risks, maintained a strike-rate of 50-plus in reaching his 98th score of 50 and above.The other end, though, remained vulnerable. The tea break came just at the right time, and Shakib and Shahadat came back fresh. Tendulkar and Amit Mishra added 32 for the seventh wicket, but Shahadat came back to produce a reversing low full-toss to Mishra. Unlike Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan couldn’t make the most of a dropped catch, and the 27-run eight wicket ended when an arm ball got him.Before bad light kept India’s first innings fighting for another day, two statements were made that suggested that Bangladesh were not as ordinary as India had thought. Tendulkar was forced to try and farm strike, and more often than not Shakib bowled smartly enough to keep him at the other end and expose the tailender for a complete over to Shahadat. And just before stumps, Shakib, not lacking in a sense of drama, bowled with three slips, a silly point, a forward short leg, and a leg gully to Ishant Sharma.

Umpires will be allowed to make use of TV replays for all contentious decisions during the Stanford Super Series

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
The use of TV replays is intended to avoid any contentious decisions with such high money at stake © Stanford 20/20
Umpires will be allowed to make use of TV replays for all contentious decisions during the Stanford Super Series, which concludes with the US$20 million Stanford 20/20 for 20 between England and Stanford Superstars on November 1 – the biggest prize on offer currently in the game.The Stanford 20/20 also announced the panel of umpires for the tournament; it includes Simon Taufel, who’s won the ICC umpiring award five years in a row, Rudi Koertzen, Asad Rauf and Steve Davis. Jeff Crowe, the match referee, will decide the on-field appointments prior to each of the six games in the series.The ICC has been conducting trials involving the use of TV replays, but it remains at an experimental stage and has divided opinion among officials and players alike. Such is the huge amount of money at stake in the forthcoming Stanford 20/20 for 20, however, that the organisers are keen to avoid any on-field disputes for controversial decisions and, presumably, to lessen the pressure for the two umpires in the middle.”Stanford 20/20 believes it is essential that this simplified and modernised innovation is in place to ensure that incorrect decisions are eliminated and the integrity of the game is maintained,” Mike Haysman, Stanford 20/20’s director of cricket, said. “Simply put, the umpires will control and officiate the game and the players will get on with the business of playing.”Stanford 20/20 feels that this umpire referral process is the most practical means to eliminate obvious mistakes and we see it as the way forward.”The tournament, from October 25 to November 1, starts with the clash between the Stanford Superstars and Trinidad and Tobago.

Manchester City are edging closer to signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Grealish links

Grealish has been linked with a move to the Etihad since March. Jim White went as far as saying last month that a £100m deal was close to completion, however, as we know, the 25-year-old is still a Villa player.

The attacking midfielder told friends last month that he is interested in a move to the Premier League champions.

Villa were confident of agreeing on a contract extension with Grealish, but it seems as if that has now changed.

The Latest: Source shares update

A Villa source informed Football Insider that the club accepts they are fighting a losing battle when it comes to keeping Grealish at Villa Park.

The report states a mega-money transfer to City is expected to go through ‘next week’ when he returns from holiday.

Grealish still has his heart set on joining Pep Guardiola’s side, with City believing they have made progress when it comes to agreeing on a fee for the midfielder.

The Verdict: Villa must act

Villa’s recruitment plan this summer has been with the idea that Grealish would be a part of Dean Smith’s side next season.

So, should a mega-money move to City go through, Villa will look to sign two creative players to replace Grealish, according to Gregg Evans.

It’s good to see that Villa would act and not rely on club-record signing Emiliano Buendia to be the creative force, so fans could be in for a busy few weeks, should Grealish depart.

In other news: ‘It’s almost time’, ‘Lange officially the best’ – Many AVFC fans react to Bailey news.

Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, will host the city’s Champions League matches including the final, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, confirmed to Cricinfo

Cricinfo staff19-Oct-2008Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium will host the city’s Champions League matches and the final, Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, confirmed to Cricinfo. Wankhede Stadium, the other international venue in Mumbai, hosted some IPL games in May but has since been closed for renovation for the 2011 World Cup.Brabourne will also host its first Test in 35 years when England play India in December, nine days after the Champions League final. But Milind Rege, the secretary of the Cricket Club of India which owns the Brabourne Stadium, said the Test wouldn’t be played on the same pitch as the Twenty20 matches.”We have four to six pitches and can conduct the League on them,” Rege told the . “Daljit Singh [chairman, of BCCI’s pitches committee] will visit us soon and give directions on the pitch preparation. We will also finalise the pitches which can be used for the Champions League.”Brabourne did not host any IPL games after the league and Reliance Industries, owners of the Mumbai franchise, didn’t accept the conditions imposed by the Cricket Club of India, which owns the stadium.

Luke Butterworth’s career-best 114 made him a hero, but he had lost the status by the end of the match when his final five balls went for 18

Cricinfo staff14-Feb-2009
Scorecard
Luke Butterworth collected a career-best one-day score before his day turned sour © Getty Images
Luke Butterworth’s career-best 114 made him a hero, but he had lost the status by the end of the match when his final five balls went for 18 and allowed Western Australia to lift from the bottom of the table. North, who will join the Test squad on Monday, steered the chase with an unbeaten 104, making sure they overcame the wobble when Luke Pomersbach was stumped for 45.The Warriors lost 5 for 41 and needed 54 from the final five overs with North and Drew Porter (36) at the crease. North brought up his century in the last over with consecutive boundaries from Butterworth, and then Porter hit another full toss for six.Two were required from the last two balls and Porter took them to 7 for 255 with a legside force. Western Australia’s win left New South Wales with the wooden spoon while the Warriors moved to fifth.Tasmania, who currently sit third, slumped to 5 for 57 after winning the toss, but fought back through Butterworth and George Bailey. Brad Knowles grabbed the first three wickets on the way to 5 for 62 – and a bleeding nose – but the Warriors relaxed after their strong start.Bailey and Butterworth put on 100 for the sixth wicket before Bailey was almost mid-pitch when run out on 56. Butterworth continued to gather useful runs during his 103-ball stay and the lower order collected 57 from the final 30 balls to post 8 for 254.Butterworth peaked in the final over of the innings as he thrashed 23 from Ben Edmondson to bring up his century. Knowles gained an lbw from Geeves for his fifth breakthrough, but the batsman had taken off for a run and his shoulder hit the bowler in the face.

Round-up of the fifth day’s matches from the Asian Cricket Council Elite Trophy

Cricinfo staff29-Jul-2008Group AUAE won their third successive match of the tournament, despite Malaysia legspinner Dinesh Sockalingam taking 6 for 39, including a hat-trick, at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur. UAE’s top order produced a strong batting display, led by opener Arshad Ali’s 67, and took their side to 211 with the last six batsmen contributing only 22 to the total. Sockalingam took four wickets in an over – including three in three balls – but by then UAE had posted a total that Malaysia would struggle to reach. They lost four wickets inside the first ten overs with only 40 on the board. M Krishnamurthi provided some late-order fightback with an unbeaten 40 but in the end Malaysia fell 57 runs short.Half-centuries by Nowroz Mangal and Noor Ali took Afghanistan to an easy six-wicket win over Saudi Arabia at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur. Offspinner Mohammad Nabi’s 5 for 30 restricted Saudi Arabia to 172, which Afghanistan chased in only 25.3 overs. Saudi Arabia kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but could have reached 200 as middle-order batsman Abid Naseem hung around to make useful partnerships with the tail. However Nabi bowled him for 67 in the 45th over and Saudi Arabia couldn’t push for quick runs in the final overs after Naseem’s fall. Afghanistan scored twice as quickly as Saudi Arabia and Mangal added 47 with Shaifqullah at more than seven an over and 50 with Ali at more than five an over. Ali was the top scorer with an unbeaten 49-ball 70 that included 10 fours.Group BQatar came back strongly after their 176-run defeat against Hong Kong on Monday to beat Kuwait by 24 runs at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur. In stark contrast to their poor batting yesterday, when they were bowled out for 100 in 19 overs, Qatar today posted 322. Openers Omer Taj and Muhammad Asram provided a 141-run start which then the middle order built on. Sibtain Raza was Kuwait’s most successful bowler with 5 for 55. Kuwait went after the target with much enthusiasm as their openers Nadeem Malik and Jagath Roshantha added 69 in 42 balls. Roshantha continued in the same vein after Nadeem’s fall and added 83 more with Mustansar Hasan. But after Roshantha’s dismissal, Kuwait slowed down as Sardar Badshah and Rusharat Ali took five wickets between them.

New Zealand Under-19s saved their best until last as they squared the one-day series against England Under-19s with a convincing six-wicket victory at Northampton

Cricinfo staff15-Aug-2008
ScorecardNew Zealand Under-19s saved their best until last as they squared the one-day series against England Under-19s with a convincing six-wicket victory at Northampton. Michael Bracewell and captain Kane Williamson led the run chase with composed half-centuries as they hunted down the total with 13 balls to spare.It was an impressive performance from New Zealand’s batsmen, especially considering the floundering display yesterday when they were 109 for 7 before rained washed out the match. This time, though, they were much more positive against England’s spinners while none of the bowlers were quite on top of their game.England did well to set 239 after slipping to 33 for 4 against Greg Morgan having been put in. Tom Westley made an attractive 85 and Liam Dawson hit 50, but New Zealand stole back the momentum through an opening stand of 80 between Bracewell and George Worker. They were ahead of the required rate and maintained the pace as Bracewell and Williamson added 62 for the second wicket.Dawson broke through when Bracewell offered a return catch, but Fraser Colson’s 32 off 35 balls meant England couldn’t build any pressure. Any late wobbles were avoided as Morgan hit 29 off 27 balls, enough to earn him the Man-of-the Match award following his bowling efforts.Morgan swung the new ball and took out England’s top three before a recovery came from Westley and Dawson who added 118 for the fifth wicket. Both batsmen found fielders as they tried to accelerate, but Ben Brown played neatly for his 31. England’s attack, including first-class experience, would have fancied defending the runs but New Zealand had other ideas.

Australia’s series victory was not as emphatic as they had hoped but Ricky Ponting was pleased with the long list of contributors to the 2-0 result over West Indies

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2008
There were several fresh faces for Australia in the Caribbean and Ricky Ponting was pleased with their positive efforts © AFP
Australia’s series victory was not as emphatic as they had hoped but Ricky Ponting was happy with the long list of contributors to the 2-0 result over West Indies. Matthew Hayden was unable to play any of the Tests due to a lingering achilles tendon problem and Stuart MacGill departed mid-tour, leaving Australia with an unfamiliar-looking line-up.They were already in transition mode following a host of key retirements in the past 18 months, but Ponting said the efforts of the replacement players gave him confidence the team’s future was in good hands. Beau Casson debuted in Barbados and picked up three wickets in the second innings to help seal a 87-run victory and Simon Katich made two centuries in the series, which was his first international outing since 2005.”It’s given an opportunity for some of our younger players in Australia to show what they’ve got and I think all the guys who have been given an opportunity in the last 12 months have stood up and done a really great job,” Ponting said after the game. “You look at this series, Simon Katich has been terrific for us at the top of the order, and Phil Jaques bounced back to form in this game.”Beau Casson makes his debut and takes wickets for us on the last day, which is what you need from a spinner. So all the guys who have come into the side can hold their head up high and say that they’ve done a really good job for the team over the last few weeks.”Ponting is enjoying having so many different people in the squad. “I actually said when some of the more senior players moved on that I felt it was going to be one of the more exciting periods in my career to have some new, fresh faces around the team,” Ponting told AFP. “I thought it was going to be exciting, and it has been, it has been great.”I have enjoyed having guys making their debuts and guys who have played a handful of Tests in the side because I feel I have a lot to offer to those guys by way of experience and know-how in certain situations in games. If I can go and say one thing to them that is going to help them out in situations in games, I feel that’s my job.”West Indies scared Australia on the fifth day when, despite chasing what would have been a world-record 475, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo anchored a remarkably strong effort from a side not renowned for its tenacity against the odds. It was typical of the fight the hosts displayed throughout the series and Ponting was impressed.”This game here has gone pretty much to plan for us but the West Indies have got a lot of positives out of this as well,” he said. “The way they attacked the run chase in the second innings, I thought showed a lot of heart and a lot of character. Luckily for us we batted well enough in the second innings to set up a really big lead.”That advantage was based around 157 from Katich, who was named Man of the Match, and his strong tour resulted in him finishing second to Ponting on Australia’s series run tally with 319 at 63.80. Katich enjoyed being back in the Test set-up after a lengthy absence and he is philosophical about his likely demotion for Australia’s next Test, against India in October.”If Matty Hayden hadn’t have got injured I probably would have been pouring some drinks,” Katich said. “Obviously if Matty gets fit he’ll be back in, because he’s a champion. It’s just nice to be back in the squad and I’ve really enjoyed playing here.”Ponting said some of the conditions the team had experienced in the Caribbean would be useful preparation for India, and the side also learned it needed to be more patient. “There are lots of positives there for us, but we’re probably not demolishing sides like we might have done two years ago,” he said. “We are grinding teams down and winning Test matches, and we’re doing it well.”It’s the style of play more than anything else. You have to accept that the game may go into the fifth day and you have to be patient. You have to grind an innings out, or in the middle of a bowling spell, not try to attack too much.”

Derbyshire became the third team in three matches to declare their first innings against Bangladesh A, Chris Rogers deciding enough was enough soon after he had brought up his century

Cricinfo staff21-Jul-2008
ScorecardDerbyshire became the third team in three matches to declare their first innings against Bangladesh A, having used up their 100 overs just after Chris Rogers brought up his century. A half-century from John Sadler and Dan Birch’s 40 also helped to propel Derbyshire to 298 for 6 after choosing to bat.The pick of Bangladesh’s bowlers was Mosharraf Hussain, who took 3 for 69 from 22 overs, while there was a wicket each for Dolar Mahmud, Rubel Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan.The visitors then lost two quick wickets, both of them to a Kevin Dean-Thomas Poynton combination. But from 12 for 2, Shakib and Junaid Siddique were mounting some resistance, to end the day 46 for 2.

Plays of the day from the fifth day of the first Test at Lord’s

Andrew Miller at Lord's19-May-2008
An awful lot rests on which Duke is plucked from the box of balls © Getty Images
Innings of the day
After Daniel Vettori had bailed out New Zealand’s batting on Friday afternoon, a Kiwi journalist asked at the close-of-play press conference whether any thought had been given to pushing him up the batting order. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong person to direct such a question to. “What, above me, you mean?” growled the man in the chair, Jacob Oram. And yet, it was a valid observation. Oram has struggled against this English attack – in five Test innings since March, he had made 76 runs with a best of 30 at Napier, and his nemesis, Ryan Sidebottom, had claimed his wicket on each of the last four occasions. And yet today he put such woes behind him, and in conjunction with the rookie, Daniel Flynn, rescued New Zealand from the depths of 120 for 4 (effectively five), with a gutsy and essential 101.Body blow of the day
On Thursday afternoon, England were a touch bemused by Brendon McCullum’s onslaught. In seam-friendly conditions, they plugged away on a full length but found themselves being lamped for 97 of the finest counterattacking runs you’ll ever see. The penny dropped at the close of play, and they resolved to treat him with more aggression the next time he came to the middle. So it proved today, with Stuart Broad employed as the baby-faced assassin. McCullum persisted in standing two feet outside his crease, but he was peppered with a selection of well-directed bouncers and eventually pinned by an arrow-straight lifter that thudded sickingly into his unguarded forearm. Thankfully X-rays showed no break, and he was later able to resume his innings, but the breach had been made, and England did everything they could to flood through it.Shots of the day
Oram and Daniel Flynn, however, held them back manfully in a 132-run stand. Though Flynn remained resolutely one-paced, the tension in Oram’s innings dissipated as the afternoon session wore on, and by the time New Zealand had passed the 200 mark there was no holding him back. He climbed into consecutive balls from Broad, flatbatting him through midwicket for four before timing him sweetly past backward point for another boundary, then sent the members scattering as he came down the track to lift Kevin Pietersen into the Pavilion for six. As he approached the nervous nineties, Michael Vaughan called for the new ball and threw it straight away to Sidebottom, but Oram displayed not a shred of nerves as he cut the first ball, straight-drove the fifth, then clubbed the last through the covers to race to his fifth Test hundred.Ball of the day
And yet, it was Sidebottom who had the final say with an astounding delivery that pitched on off stump, hit the seam, and then swung late as a devastating final measure. Oram had no chance as the ball burst through the gate to clip his off bail, and he was reduced to looking back in bemusement afterwards to work out what had happened. By then, Sidebottom was at his right-hand side, offering a sporting word of congratulation for an excellent matchsaving performance. It was a touching gesture at the end of a good-natured contest.Tactical substitution of the day
It worked for New Zealand on Sunday, and again for England today. The ball won’t do a thing if it ain’t got that swing, and so both sides lobbied successfully for a change. And what a difference it made. After eight innocuous overs, Sidebottom was suddenly a bowler transformed – having pushed every delivery across the right-hander’s bows, his first attempt with the new ball bent wickedly back into James Marshall’s pads, to send him on his way for a ninth-ball duck. Thereafter, survival for New Zealand was an entirely different proposition. It’s remarkable quite how much rests on the choice of Duke ball.Misplaced frustration of the day
Ross Taylor wasn’t best pleased when Simon Taufel sent him on his way in the morning session, lbw for 20 in Monty Panesar’s first over. The ball dipped late and jabbed Taylor on his toe in front of middle stump, although there was more than just a suggestion of an inside edge – not least from the grumpy manner in which Taylor made his way from the field of play. And yet, inconclusive though the replays proved to be, they did at least demonstrate that the ball, after impact, looped gently into the hands of Paul Collingwood at slip – and therefore he should have been given out anyway.Forgotten hero of the day
Jamie How is not a man who basks in the limelight. He was New Zealand’s captain at the start of this trip, although nobody really noticed because the IPL was in full swing; he made a ballsy 92 in the Hamilton Test victory back in March, but his efforts were forgotten amid the dramas of England’s final-day collapse. And likewise today, it was his gritty half-century at the top of the order that set New Zealand on their way to safety. The dramas of McCullum’s injury and Oram’s hundred condemned his efforts to a footnote, but by surviving the first 15 overs on Sunday evening, as well as the first session before lunch today, he allowed his team to live to fight another day.