All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard

A triple strike by Ashish Winston Zaidi left Mumbai reeling at 48 for 4 before a 119-run partnership between Amol Muzumdar and Ramesh Powar and a plucky breezy effort from Vinayak Samant pulled them out of the crisis to leave the game intriguingly poised by the end of the third day at Wankhade Stadium. It was a super Sunday at cricket today; a veteran bowler rocked the hosts early, two proud mumbaikars then fought back before a young allrounder pulled things back for the visitors. Praveen Kumar, the 20-year old allrounder, prised out Powar enroute to a three-wicket haul to restrict the target, leaving UP with a slight advantage.But the first stab at Mumbai came from a 34-year old journey man cricketer, Zaidi. Dubbed as the Amar Akbar Anthony of Indian cricket due to the uncommon name, Zaidi threatened to repeat his famous demolishing act of 1997-98 against the same opponents at the same venue. That was a semi-final encounter as well and Zaidi ripped apart Mumbai to shot them out for 98 on the first day. At the end of opening day in the current encounter he was quoted in as saying, “I just got one wicket today… Vinita [his wife] will seek an explanation tonight”. Vinita will be a happier woman tonight as Zaidi threatened to win it for UP with his opening burst. Mumbai, overnight on 21 for 0, lost Khanvilkar, edging behind off Shalabh Srivastava. Just one run later, Zaidi removed Sahil Kukreja, the other opener, in the same fashion before trapping Vineet Indulkar off the next ball to put UP on top. It was then UP ran into Amol Muzumdar, the wall of Mumbai cricket.Muzumdar continued with his good run this season – a run-tally of 569 at 71.12 with two hundreds and three fifties- and went to lunch at a personal score of 37 and team’s at 87 for 4. Powar joined Muzumdar and the duo brought up the Mumbai 100 in the 47th over. The hard-hitting Powar, who had sparkled with both bat and ball this season, proved an able ally to the finesse of Muzumdar. Kaif rotated his bowlers, throwing spin and seam at the pair but the two applied themselves and brought up the 150 in the 58th over and soon the 100-run partnership was up – in 120 minutes and of 174 balls. Just when Mumbai threatened to bat on to a big target, the UP youngsters struck.Kumar, who hit Mumbai hard in the first essay with a four-wicket haul, induced Powar to edge behind to Amir Khan before Chawla engineered the exit of Muzumdar for a well-made 86 to push Mumbai to 177 for 6. But the 36-times champions fought back through Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper batsman, who propelled them past the 200-run mark. Samant, who opened the batting in the first innings and batting at No 7 in the second, came up with a plucky unbeaten effort, guiding the tail, to steer Mumbai to a fighting total. Of the 94 runs that came after he arrived at the crease, his contribution was a breezy 64 of 79 balls.In the nine overs they were left to face UP showed a positive intent and with Kaif even making a signal of bravado. Kumar, the opener, attacked from the word go- three fours in a 13 ball knock -before falling to Aavishkar Salvi in the third over. Enter Kaif, a meek option of a deploying a night-watchman was available but the captain decided to set an example to his team and send a message to the opposite camp and at close UP still needed 175 to win and enter the finals. It happened in 1997-98, would history repeat itself? Day four will provide us with the answer.

ScorecardRishabh Pant hit 10 fours and 2 sixes•PTI

Opener Rishabh Pant struck 87 off 88 balls to set up India Under-19s’ 33-run win against Afghanistan Under-19s, their second in the Tri-nation tournament in Kolkata.Pant added fifty-plus partnerships with Amandeep Khare and captain Ricky Bhui to drive his team forward after they lost the early wicket of Washington Sundar. Although Pant and Bhui fell in quick succession, Mahipal Lomror pushed India Under-19s to 236 despite a lower-order collapse – the last five wickets tumbling for only 35 runs. Rashid Khan, the legspinner, was pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan, taking four wickets, including that of Pant.Rashid would also hit seven fours during his 39-ball 43, with contributions from the lower order, but damage inflicted upfront in the chase was irreparable. Pacer Khaleel Ahmed and left-arm spinner Pradipta Pramanik had combined well to reduce Afghanistan to 65 for 5 in 16.5 overs. Both the openers – Hazrathullah and Ihsanullah – passed 20s but could not convert it into a big score. Eventually, Afghanistan were bowled out for 203 in 47.3 overs, Ahmed finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 41, as the hosts took their points tally to nine.

Scorecard

Former Queensland allrounder Brendan Nash turned in a fine performance with both bat and ball to help Jamaica coast to a six-wicket victory over Barbados in their final Zone A league match of the KFC Cup. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals but Jamaica topped the table as a result of this victory.Nash bowled a miserly spell of 10-2-11-1 and Jerome Taylor took three wickets as Barbados were restricted to 170. Even that modest total was reached because of a 34-run stand for the tenth wicket. After a brisk start, the scoring-rate fell as the batsmen struggled on a pitch which was not conducive to strokeplay with Kirk Edwards facing 70 balls to make 17.In reply, Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment early but the rest of the batsmen played handy knocks to help overhaul the target with seven overs to spare. Chris Gayle, the captain, top scored with 49. Shawn Findlay chipped in with 39 while Nash remained not out on 36 as Jamaica maintained it’s unbeaten streak in this year’s tournament.Barbados coach Henry Springer blamed the batting for the loss. “It was a lack of situation awareness. Our batsmen need to understand what situation they find themselves in and to be able to deal with it,” he told the
ScorecardIn a match between two teams who had no chance of progressing further in the tournament, Leewards Islands rode on a solid all-round performance from Omari Banks to beat West Indies Under-19s by five wickets.Despite some wayward bowling from Leewards Islands, who gave away 28 extras including 19 wides, the Under-19s could only manage 159. Banks bowled a tight spell of 2 for 18 in his ten overs while offspinner Chaka Hodge took three lower-order wickets to keep the Under-19s in check. Opener Chesney Hughes top scored with 31 while no other batsman passed the 25-run mark.In reply, Leewards Islands started shakily as fast bowler Jason Dawes took three wickets to reduce them to 40 for 3. Spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Steven Jacobs bowled economically giving away just 35 runs in their 20 overs to make the Leewards Islands’ batsmen work hard for their victory. Banks, who batted with a runner because of a hamstring injury, remained unbeaten on 55 while Steve Liburd and Tonito Willett played useful knocks to ensure the target was reached with two overs to spare.The result was a consolatory win for the Leewards Islands and means that the Under-19s are the only team to have not picked up a point during the tournament.

Test cricket returns to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the venue famous for holding the world record Test total of 952 for 6 by Sri Lanka, when it hosts the first Test of the three-match series against Bangladesh next month. The series, which also includes three ODIs, gets underway on June 25.The stadium is currently the property of Sri Lanka Cricket who have signed a 33-year lease and acquired the premises. It has hosted only two Tests in ten years, the last one coincidentally against Bangladesh, in 2005.The Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy was originally scheduled to host the first Test but poor ground conditions prompted a change in schedule, and it will now host the third Test starting July 11. The Saravanamuttu Stadium will host the second Test from July 3.Bangladesh are due to arrive in Colombo on June 17 and wind off their tour on July 26.Itinerary
June 17 – Arrival
June 20-22 – Warm-up match at Colts
June 25-29 – 1st Test, Colombo (R. Premadasa Stadium)
July 3-7 – 2nd Test, Colombo (Saravanamuttu Stadium)
July 11-15 – 3rd Test, Kandy
July 18 – One-day warm-up match, Colombo (NCC)
July 20 – 1st ODI, Colombo (Saravanamuttu Stadium)
July 22 – 2nd ODI, Colombo (R Premadasa Stadium)
July 24 – 3rd ODI, Colombo (R Premadasa Stadium)

Australia are taking no chances on further injuries ahead of the World Cup and have ordered their squad members not to play for their states in the Ford Ranger Cup final on Sunday. Queensland had named Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson, while Victoria were expected to play Brad Hodge in the MCG clash.Matthew Hayden was originally included in the Bulls’ line-up but was ruled out when he broke a toe during his record-breaking 181 against New Zealand on Tuesday. Andrew Symonds (arm) and Brett Lee (ankle) are already in doubt for the West Indies trip and Michael Clarke is carrying a hip problem, leading the selectors to be extra-cautious with their remaining players.Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said he had discussed the situation with Hodge, Watson and Johnson. “All three are being rested on the recommendation of the Australian coach and support staff on the basis that this is in the best interests of the Australian team as they continue their preparation for the World Cup,” Hilditch said.The decision angered Terry Oliver, the Queensland coach, who said his players should be available unless they are injured. “If there is a plan to rest players just for the sake of being rested, I’d be very disappointed,” Oliver told . “There is a duty under their contracts to play state cricket. I have had a look at the schedule for the World Cup and it’s not that heavy. Watto [Watson] is one bloke who would certainly benefit from this game of cricket on the weekend.”Australia’s move came as Johnson told the paper he would require “clean-up” injections for a minor injury to his right ankle. John Buchanan, the Australia coach, said it would be disappointing for the state competition that the stars would not be there but it was a necessary precaution.”Having been a state coach I understand the position of the states and recognise that this is a premier fixture in the domestic calendar,” Buchanan said. “But in this case I believe there’s a bigger picture and that’s the World Cup and the preparation of players in the Australian squad for that tournament.”

Darrell Hair told the Central London Employment Tribunal that he was barred from standing in top-level matches because of decisions “motivated along racial lines”.Giving evidence on the second day of his claim of racial discrimination against the ICC, Hair, who argues that his colleague at The Oval in 2006, Billy Doctrove, was treated differently by the ICC because of the colour of his skin, said: “If I had been from West Indies or Pakistan or India, I might have been treated differently, like Doctrove.”At the time we told Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, that we believed the marks we found on the ball were deliberately put there. After the match I was continually pilloried in the media by Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and Inzamam, which was clearly in breach of ICC conduct … and yet it did nothing to prevent this.”In the week after the Oval Test, Hair said that he was not given time to consult lawyers before his email exchange, in which he offered to stand down for payment of US$500,000, was made public. He added that Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive who was in the hearing, listening to the evidence, told him in the aftermath of the Test: “We have something in common … the ICC wants to sack both of us.”Under cross-examination, Hair revealed that he would lose about £1.7 million (US$3.4 million) in fees for Tests and one day internationals on the assumption his career as an ICC umpire did not continue after his contract with the ICC ends next March. Hair said that while he has been retained on the ICC’s panel of elite umpires since August 2006, he has not received any match fees in that time.

Had he officiated in the number of games he would usually have been expected to stand in, he estimated that in 2007 his income would have been around £50,000 (US$100,000). “My projected earnings from fees in ICC Associate matches in this year would now appear to be a maximum of US$30,000 (£15,000),” he said. “Since returning to Australia I have been trying to find permanent employment without success. I have applied for positions at the Australian Rugby League and with a charity as a fund-raising manager, but I have been unsuccessful on each occasion. I do not have any confidence in being able to find a suitable place in the workforce for some considerable time, if at all.”I feel devastated and let down by the ICC. Since … the final Test at The Oval, no-one from ICC has shown any concern for my welfare or for the welfare of my family. My family has suffered the pain of reading headlines such as ‘disgraced former umpire’ and ‘sacked former umpire’ and I have found it difficult to cope with daily life in the knowledge that I have not been given a reasonable opportunity to defend myself or make a representation to the board in person.”Hair explained that at no time has his ability as an umpire been questioned by the authorities. “There has never been any criticism about my match management capabilities by either Doug Cowie, the ICC umpire manager, the match referees or the captains. I find it incredulous that an ICC sub-committee adopted a position leading to my removal from umpiring top level cricket without me being given a chance to defend the charges against me or even to know what I am alleged to have done wrong.

“Even more astonishing to me is the fact that the ICC maintains there are no minutes or transcript of either the sub-committee’s discussion or the subsequent board discussion or the voting on the resolution.”I asked Speed if it could possibly be performance related but he agreed that my performances since joining the elite panel had been generally very good and I had been continually ranked in the top three umpires. I was at a loss to understand how my career could possibly be effectively ended unless it was by a racially motivated and racially-discriminated process.”In his cross examination, Michael Beloff QC, the ICC’s barrister, stated to Hair that the decision to sack him had been unanimous – it had not, and he also asked if he thought it appropriate to call the action of Muttiah Muralitharan, who Hair infamously no-balled during a Test in Australia, “diabolical”. Hair replied that he was applying the Laws of Cricket as they existed at the time.The hearing continues on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court today restrained Doordarshan from downlinking the live feed of the upcoming India-West Indies Test and ODI matches, the exclusive telecast rights of which are with TEN Sports.TEN Sports had filed a petition seeking stay of the government guidelines making it mandatory for sports channels to share feed of sporting events of national importance with Prasar Bharti.A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhan directed that Prasar Bharti should not take any coercive step or action for obtaining the live feed of the matches.TEN Sports had challenged the Bombay High Court order of December 21, 2005. The matter pending before the high court was later transferred to the Supreme Court. The private channel contended that if the matches were telecast on Doordarshan it would suffer huge losses.Earlier, the court had allowed live telecast of India-Pakistan ODIs on Doordarshan after TEN Sports and Prasar Bharti reached an agreement that the latter would deposit a sum of Rs 15 crore in court.However, the bench justified the previous decision saying that “matches of an Indo-Pak series are different from the others … For West Indies, many people may not be interested.”

A fresh hearing will take place to decide Shoaib Akhtar’s fate after the two-member appellate tribunal looking into two charges of indiscipline against the fast bowler set one charge aside while handing the other back to Talat Ali, the team manager.”The charge of not appearing before a disciplinary hearing has been set aside,” Ahsan Malik, PCB’s director of communications, told Cricinfo. “The other charge, of leaving the camp without permission, has been remanded back to the manager Talat Ali. He will now issue a fresh notice and there will be another hearing.”The appellate tribunal, comprising of Mueen Afzal, a member of the board’s ad-hoc committee and Imtiaz Ahmed, the former Test wicketkeeper, was set up by the PCB after Shoaib appealed against his Rs 300,000 (approximately US$5000) fine for leaving the training camp without informing the management as well as failing to turn up for the disciplinary hearing.The date for the next hearing has not yet been specified.

Australia have thrown out the possibility of using two spinners and asked for fast-bowling reinforcements as they search for a 2-0 Ashes lead in Adelaide from Friday. The national selectors met over two days to consider their options following Shane Watson’s second consecutive withdrawal with a hamstring injury and Shaun Tait joined Mitchell Johnson in the 13-man squad.Tait was part of the outfit before leaving Brisbane ahead of the first Test, which Australia won by 277 runs at the Gabba, and Johnson was released for Pura Cup duty when a seam attack of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark was preferred. McGrath and Clark excelled with seven wickets each, but the expanded squad indicates the selectors are concerned with McGrath’s bruised heel.McGrath had a pain-killing injection in his left foot on Sunday and returned 1 for 53 to follow his 6 for 50 that rocked England’s first innings. Lee was the most disappointing of the trio, but he is unlikely to be overlooked after one below-par performance and the option of a five-man frontline attack disappeared with Watson’s slow recovery.Shane Warne is currently irreplaceable, especially on a surface in which he has 25 wickets from his past four Tests, and only an injury or doubts over fitness can realistically provide an opening for Tait or Johnson. Stuart MacGill tipped yesterday that he would miss the squad and his hunch was correct.”The possibility of using two specialist spinners continues to be discussed,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “That decision is made more difficult while Watson is unfit, but it will be reviewed depending on the particular conditions we will face at each venue.” There is a chance Watson and MacGill could be required in Perth for the third game following the WACA’s transformation from a fast-bowling haven to a batsman-dominated arena.Michael Clarke retained his spot at No. 6 following his 56 in the first innings at Brisbane and his left-arm spin will be a handy asset during the second Test. “I’ve been ultra-impressed with the way Clarke’s gone about his cricket over the last 12 to 18 months,” Ricky Ponting said after the victory. “He’s extremely hungry and he’s trained hard and he’s worked on his technique for the longer form of the game. It’s great to see him play well.”Australia squad Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Glenn McGrath, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.

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

The incomparable Glenn McGrath homed in at regular intervals, and despite a chancy innings of great character from Devon Smith, West Indies were staring at a considerable first-innings deficit by stumps on the second day at the Gabba. When play ended 45 minutes past the scheduled close, they were 6 for 182, still 253 in arrears, with McGrath having scalped 4 for 54.Having defied the Australians for four hours and 175 balls, Smith was finally undone by McGrath going round the wicket, and he stared in bemusement at his tormentor as he walked back to the pavilion. There had been some handsome drives through cover and point early in his innings, especially against a lightning quick but erratic Brett Lee, but Smith was frequently clueless against Shane Warne getting the ball to spin like a top out of the rough.Having just about survived a stumping chance off a slider, and then seen Ricky Ponting put down a tough chance at silly point, Smith was still alert enough to take full toll of the chances that came his way. After being clunked on the helmet by a ferociously fast (151.3 kmph) bouncer from Lee, he added 60 with Brian Lara – the victim of a very ordinary umpiring decision – and then went on to see Warne and McGrath squeeze the life out of the West Indian innings.Earlier, both Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan had looked in ominously good touch, but McGrath eventually wore both down with his patented line of attack outside off stump. Sarwan’s dismissal was especially important given that he and Smith had been motoring along at close to six an over after giving Lee a real pasting. But once Nathan Bracken helped stemmed the run flow, and Warne came on to display his inimitable wares, it was backs-to-the-wall time.Lara was circumspect rather than dashing until a full-length delivery from Lee trapped him on the crease, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul attempted to hit his way out of stroke-less quicksand. Most unfortunate was Marlon Samuels, who had scored 257 against Queensland in the warm-up game. Having started with a peachy drive through the covers off McGrath, he perished to a ball that could only be described as perfect.In truth, it had always seemed a question of when, rather than if, the West Indies would crumble, especially once Australia’s tail wrested the momentum by refusing to subside in the morning session. After rain had caused a half-hour delay, both Warne and Lee were jittery against the second new ball, but a combination of luck and stout defence kept Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore at bay.When the bowlers strayed, they were usually made to pay, and a Lee straight-drive off a Collymore full-toss set the tone for what was to follow. Warne, who had edged, driven and glanced his way to 47, finally succumbed to Daren Powell’s first ball of the day, but by then the partnership was worth 75. And if West Indies assumed that Warne’s exit meant the end was nigh, they were swiftly set right by Bracken, who started by pulling Powell for four, and then dismissively thumped Collymore over extra-cover.The odd delivery continued to zip past the outside edge or swaying helmet, but as both men grew in confidence, the scoreboard started to tick over. Lee unveiled a sumptuous on-drive off a Powell half-volley and after a vociferous leg-before appeal was turned down, he slashed one over the slips for four more.Bracken wasn’t idle either, getting some beefy blows in, but the definitive shot of the morning was left to Lee, a monster hit over midwicket that resulted in the ball being lost. Powell, who had earlier had Bracken snick a no-ball behind the stumps, had his revenge with the replacement ball, but as Lee walked off to a standing ovation, West Indies were left to ponder a morning session where the best-laid plans had gone awry. And in would get no better, with McGrath – who now has 101 wickets against West Indies alone – intent on proving just why he’s been in a fast-bowling league of his own for so very long.

AustraliaShane Warne c Ramdin b Powell 47 (8 for 369)
Beaten by away movement, edged behindBrett Lee c Collymore b Powell 47 (9 for 417)
Mistimed pull caught over his head at mid-onNathan Bracken c Sarwan b Edwards 37 (435 all out)
Hint of away movement, edged drive well caught at second slipWest IndiesChris Gayle c Gilchrist b McGrath 10 (1 for 21)
Big flail results only in a thin edge behind the stumps Ramnaresh Sarwan c Gilchrist b McGrath 21 (2 for 74)
Drawn into a tentative prod, and a thin edge behindBrian Lara lbw Lee 30 (3 for 134)
Struck on the back pad by Lee bowling round the wicket. The angle would most likely have taken the ball past leg stumpShivnarine Chanderpaul c Bracken b Warne 2 (4 for 149)
Mistimed a pull to a short ball, brilliant caught on the dive inches from the ground at wide mid-on Marlon Samuels c Gilchrist b McGrath 5 (5 for 161)
Edged a perfectly pitched leg-cutterDevon Smith b McGrath 88 (6 for 174)
Shouldered arms to a round-the-wicket delivery that shaped back a touch