All posts by n8rngtd.top

Rain ends prospect of intriguing finish

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

As it had threatened to do the weather had the final say in Port-of-Spain and end the prospect of a fascinating finish

The Report by Andrew McGlashan19-Apr-2012Australia 311 (Hussey 73, Watson 56, Roach 5-105) and 160 for 8 dec (Ponting 41, Roach 5-41) drew with West Indies 257 (Chanderpaul 94, Lyon 5-68) and 53 for 2
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Hilfenhaus made early inroads for Australia before rain closed in for the final time•AFP

As it had threatened to do the weather had the final say in Port-of-Spain and end the prospect of a fascinating finish after both captains took up each other’s challenge to force a positive result. Michael Clarke declared to leave West Indies a target of 215 in 61 overs then Darren Sammy promoted himself to No. 3 as the hosts reached 53 for 2 when they were forced off which meant Australia retained the Frank Worrell Trophy.The initial asking rate for West Indies of 3.52 was considerably more than had been managed for a sustained period at any stage of the game. However, Sammy’s attacking mindset put his team ahead of the rate as he took on Australia’s bowlers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus who he hit for 14 off three deliveries.Hilfenhaus, though, had also given Australia their opening with a strong new-ball spell. He trapped Kieran Powell lbw, after he had been promoted to open, with a delivery that swung back (for the second time in the game Powell made the wrong decision over a review) then removed Adrian Barath with one that climbed from a length and took the edge to first slip.But from 13 for 2 Sammy responded with two early boundaries off Shane Watson to show his mind was not turning towards the draw although some of his earlier fielding settings had suggested otherwise. Darren Bravo, who could have provided an anchor to the innings, was content to play quietly alongside his captain before the clouds rolled in.

Smart stats

  • Kemar Roach became the first West Indian since Curtly Ambrose and the fifth West Indian overall to pick up a ten-wicket match haul against Australia. Ambrose had done so in Adelaide (1993) when West Indies won by one run.

  • Roach also became the fourth West Indian and the 11th bowler overall to pick up a ten-wicket haul in Trinidad. The last West Indian to achieve the feat was Ambrose in 1994 when West Indies bowled England out for 46.

  • It is also the 17th occasion that a West Indies bowler has had twin five-wicket hauls in a Test. Kenny Benjamin was the previous bowler to do in Nottingham in 1995.

  • Roach’s 5for 41 is fifth on the list of best bowling performances by a West Indian bowler against Australia in Trinidad. The best is Vanburn Holder’s 6 for 28 in 1978.

  • Australia declared their third innings on 160 for 8. It is only the third time that Australia have declared at a total below 200 with seven or more wickets lost. However, on the previous two occasions they won the match.

  • There were ten leg-before dismissals in the match. It is the seventh time in a West Indian-Australia Test that there have been ten or more lbw dismissals.

  • Australia’s run-rate in the match (2.39) is the second-lowest for them in a Test against West Indies since 1990 (min 1000 balls bowled). The lowest (2.30) in the same period also came in Trinidad in 1991.

Australia had signalled their intent immediately after lunch when Michael Hussey lofted the first ball of the second session over long-off against Narsingh Deonarine then slog-swept another boundary to signal the intent. Sammy immediately set his field deep as Hussey and Matthew Wade started to play tip-and-run cricket.Hussey dragged Kemar Roach into his stumps, as he tried to glide the ball to third man, and three balls later Hilfenhaus had his off stump pegged back as Roach became the first West Indies bowler since Curtly Ambrose in 1993 to take ten in a match against Australia.The visitors had found progress hard going during the morning session and after losing Clarke and Ricky Ponting in quick succession had to guard against a more damaging collapse. Australia’s first boundary did not come until the 10th over of the day when Ponting flicked Fidel Edwards to fine leg and two balls later Ponting hooked a well-directed bouncer straight to deep square-leg.It was due reward for Edwards, who had toiled without luck during this match while Roach picked up the wickets, and meant Ponting did not covert his hard work. His 41 was more than he had made in his previous eight international innings combined but the mode of dismissal was likely to start more debate.Two overs later West Indies’ morning got even better thanks to spark of fielding brilliance from Sammy. Clarke pushed fractionally early at a delivery that may have stopped in the surface, sending the ball back down the pitch but fair distance to Sammy’s right in his follow through. However, Sammy stuck out his hand and with the ball almost past him clung onto the catch before a nonchalant celebration.It left the intriguing situation of Australia being 149 ahead with 82 overs left in match and also having an injured James Pattinson in the dressing room. Shillingford began his latest exacting spell of the match as he teased and tested Hussey and Wade. The ball beat the outside edge and took the inside edge but nothing quite went to hand for West Indies.Shortly before Australia started to release some of the pressure as Wade pulled Sammy for a boundary and Hussey swept Shillingford and that was sign of things to come but in the end the efforts of both sides were futile.

Marsh deal lifts sad Glamorgan

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Alex Winter at Cardiff05-May-2012
ScorecardShaun Marsh becomes Glamorgan’s second overseas signing for T20•AFP

Glamorgan have rebranded their one-day team this season as the Welsh Dragons but the makeup of their XI suggests the decision could be referred to the Advertising Standards Authority, given the lack of Welshmen that will be appearing.Shaun Marsh, the Australian batsman, was announced on day four as the club’s second overseas player for the Friends Life t20, joining other players of foreign origin: Stuart Walters, Martin van Jaarsveld, Jim Allenby – Glamorgan’s T20 captain – and Marcus North, the Australian batsman who arrived today to watch his latest county battle for a draw.Glamorgan are the only team in Division Two not to have won so far this season. North is desperately needed to shore up a batting line up that has suffered collapse after collapse and only breeched 200 once. North is a overseas journeyman in county cricket – this will be his sixth county, the most by an overseas player. His last appearance at Cardiff was his Test century in the famously drawn Ashes Test of 2009. It was a great deal easier to bat in that match than the majority of the opening five rounds of this season.He admitted April was a good month to miss – his arrival was delayed by a finger injury and the birth of his second child – and that batting problems had not been confined to Glamorgan. “In these conditions you can find yourself out of a game after an hour of play and I think we’ve seen that with Glamorgan this year,” North said. “There’s still a lot of cricket left to be played and even though it hasn’t been the ideal start there are more competitions in which to compete and hopefully at some stage find ourselves at the right end of the ladder.”The competition North is most excited about is T20. Glamorgan have signed, in Marsh, someone who North describes as one of the best T20 players in the world. North played with Marsh in the Perth side who reached the final of Australia’s Big Bash League. “Matthew Mott and his team have done really well to get Shaun. He’s going to come and have a huge impact. He’s a really exciting player to get. You do play at some small grounds, and one of his strengths is hitting straight.”We’ve got some really good players here now. If Simon Jones stays fit he’s going to have a massive impact on one-day cricket because of his raw pace. And Martin van Jaarsveld seems to have his mojo back again – I reckon that’s a good experienced signing too. That’s pretty much how we based our side in Perth – we got a lot of the old guys back, because when you’re under pressure experience counts for a lot and T20 is the highest pressure and intensity.”There was plenty of pressure as Glamorgan survived 42 overs for a draw on the final afternoon. Given their experiences so far this season, even such a short time to survive would have been a significant mental challenge. But they did not receive the intensity of the first innings. Tymal Mills was largely ineffectual and played with relative comfort by Huw Waters, who was promoted up the order to No. 7 and saw Glamorgan to the close, brought about, fittingly for the match, by bad light.They might have been pushing for a win had they capitalised after reducing Essex to 37 for 5, leading by 109. Graham Wagg and Will Owen used the new ball to provide further failures for Alastair Cook, who was not forward to a ball that nipped away, and Ravi Bopara, leaning out to drive and dragging on.But a feature of the match – and probably cricket in general but heightened in the conditions at the start of this season – was that batting got much easier and partnerships developed after the new ball had been seen off in all four innings. Tom Westley and Greg Smith put on 79 as Essex declared later than hoped.It was too late a declaration. It was probably asking too much to bowl Glamorgan out in 49 overs even though Graham Wagg couldn’t bat; he was taken to hospital with a broken bone in his foot after falling when fielding off his own bowling at mid-wicket. He will miss six weeks.Despite the limited time available, Essex were on course when Charl Willoughby bowled Ben Wright with the first ball after tea. Glamorgan were 37 for 4. But Gareth Rees and captain Mark Wallace found the anticipated stand.

'Significant concerns' over UAE one-day plan

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Australia’s cricketers will have “significant concerns” if they are asked to play one-day internationals against Pakistan in the extreme heat of the UAE in August

Brydon Coverdale21-Jun-2012Australia’s cricketers will have “significant concerns” if they are asked to play one-day internationals against Pakistan in the extreme heat of the UAE in August. The format and location of the series has not been officially confirmed, but the UAE is believed to be Pakistan’s favoured venue and the PCB director for international operations, Intikhab Alam, said last week three ODIs and three Twenty20s were likely to be played.But August is one of the hottest months in the UAE; in Dubai, for example, the average daily high temperature during the month is 41.3C. International cricket has never been played in the country in June, July, August or September, and while the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) is open to the idea of its players being asked to play Twenty20s, because the matches could start later and avoid the daytime heat, 50-over games are the major worry.”How wise is it to be going to a region that you know is going to get up to 45-plus at that time of year?” Paul Marsh, the ACA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s extreme heat. It’s also very humid. It’s of significant concern for us at the moment. The health and safety of the players needs to be at the forefront of any decision that is made.”The PCB was believed to have abandoned their plans for a Twenty20-only series, which would have mitigated the weather issue, but Marsh said his understanding was that permission was still being sought from the ICC to stage a six-match T20 series. According to ICC rules, the maximum length of a bilateral T20 series is three games, and while national boards can make proposals for longer series they cannot be played without ICC approval.”The common-sense approach would be that six Twenty20s is going to be better than three of each because of the weather conditions,” Marsh said. “We would rather see them play six Twenty20s if they have to play in the UAE because they could start later and it takes less time. But we have to wait and see what the ICC says.”If the decision is they can’t play six Twenty20s then you’re faced with the question of what do you do? I’m not an expert on heat but we’ll look at it from an occupational health and safety perspective. We have concerns about the health and safety of our players if they were to have to play 50-over games in those conditions.”A possible starting time of 5pm or 5.30pm has been floated for any ODIs played during the series, which would mean the matches could finish after midnight. However, Marsh said the ACA’s preference remained for the series to be composed entirely of T20s.”Five o’clock is still going to be pretty warm,” he said. “At least with a T20 you could start it at eight or nine o’clock and finish at 11 or midnight and then you’d be getting out of the heat of the day. A three-hour game versus an eight-hour game is obviously the issue.”Cricket Australia also has concerns about the weather in the UAE during August. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said last week that if the UAE was confirmed as Pakistan’s preferred venue the boards would need to do everything possible to reduce the players’ exposure to the extreme heat.”It’s a time of year when it is very hot and humid in the UAE,” Sutherland said last Friday. “It will be hot for our players and it will be hot for their players. We would expect both countries would have concerns about that and would be doing everything they can to minimise that effect.”

Bashir ton on debut gives Netherlands 308

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Following the washout on day two, Netherlands pushed on to 308 and then knocked over UAE’s openers cheaply on the third day of the Intercontinental Cup game in Deventer

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2012
ScorecardFollowing the washout on day two, Netherlands pushed on to 308 and then knocked over UAE’s openers cheaply on the third day of the Intercontinental Cup game in Deventer. Netherlands’ total was built around a 107-run stand between Eric Szwarczynski and Shahbaz Bashir for the fourth wicket.The pair was at the crease at the start of play, and while Szwarczynski fell short of a fifty, Bashir went on to score a century in what is his debut first-class game – he is the first Netherlands’ batsman to do so. UAE fought back after that stand, triggering a mini-collapse in which Netherlands lost five wickets for 19 runs to be 267 for 9. However, No. 11 Sebastiaan Braat – also on debut – scored a rapid 23 to push them past 300. Medium pacer Amjad Javed finished with the best figures: 4 for 49.In the 41 overs Netherlands bowled at UAE, they managed to strangle the run-flow, conceding only 74 and claiming the openers’ wickets. Shaiman Anwar and Khurram Khan were batting at stumps.

Bowlers tear through Afghanistan

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Max Sorensen and Alex Cusack each took four wickets to help Ireland skittle Afghanistan for 84, as their rain-hit Intercontinental Cup match got underway on day three

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2012
ScorecardMax Sorensen celebrates taking one of his four wickets•ICC/Rob O’Connor

Max Sorensen and Alex Cusack each took four wickets to help Ireland skittle Afghanistan for 84, as their rain-hit Intercontinental Cup match finally got underway on day three. By the close, Ireland had built a 42-run lead with eight wickets in hand, giving them the opportunity to try and press for victory on the final day.Trent Johnston also impressed with the ball, taking 2 for 7 off eight overs, as the Afghanistan batsmen struggled against the seaming ball. Only three players reached double figures – Afsar Khan, Samiullah Shenwari and Gulbodin Naib all scoring 13 – as the innings lasted just 29.1 overs.”Once the conditions dried up and it allowed us to get out on the field, I think the bowlers set us off on the right foot,” Ireland captain Kevin O’Brien said. “It was a good all-round performance”It was always going to be if you win the toss you’re going to bowl, I think that was probably the only way we were going to get a win. With the bowlers putting in a performance and now the top four putting us in a hugely strong position, it certainly is on the cards tomorrow. If we can get a full day in, maybe 60 or 70 overs at Afghanistan, we certainly would fancy our chances.”Ireland showed how to play in the conditions, with Cusack adding an unbeaten 34 batting at No. 3, to go with his 4 for 31. Naib and Karim Sadiq made the breakthroughs for Afghanistan but after Paul Stirling fell for 42, Cusack and Surrey’s Gary Wilson added a further 61 runs.

Weather puts damper on chance of result

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

West Indies need 71 runs with six wickets in hand to wrap up their Test series against New Zealand 2-0, but they will hope that the tropical storm Ernesto gives them enough time to knock off those runs

Subash Jayaraman in Jamaica05-Aug-2012West Indies need 71 runs with six wickets in hand and two full days to go to wrap up their Test series against New Zealand 2-0, but they will hope that the tropical storm Ernesto, expected to hit Jamaica on Sunday, gives them enough time to knock off those runs. After lashing the Windward Islands over the past few days, affecting Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the Grenadines, Ernesto is making its way towards Jamaica, and is expected to bring rains and heavy gusts of wind on days four and five.As Ernesto moves towards the western Caribbean, “a region with lower wind shear and warmer water temperatures”, it is expected to strengthen further. High winds, rain and thunderstorms are predicted for the Kingston area for Sunday and Monday. Some locals say there haven’t been elaborate emergency procedures put in place, which could suggest they are not expecting the full fury of a hurricane, but it is still likely to bring rains, putting play in serious doubt.The weather was perhaps at the back of Chris Gayle’s mind when he started the chase of 206 with a first-over six. West Indies took 19 off the first two overs, but Trent Boult and Tim Southee sent back the openers to slow the charge. Although Marlon Samuels, centurion from the first innings and the one batsman who seemed to be at ease on this pitch, got another rapid start, New Zealand were able to apply the brakes on the scoring again with two further wickets.Only 79 came off 31 overs in the last session of the day. If the weather does deny West Indies a win, they will be left wondering whether they could have been more urgent in that phase, coming close enough to the target by stumps on day three so as to be able to ask for the extra half hour to finish the game.

Spinners put Leicestershire on top

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Leicestershire spinners Claude Henderson and Jigar Naik shared five wickets as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 234 on the first day at Grace Road

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2012
ScorecardLeicestershire spinners Claude Henderson and Jigar Naik shared five wickets as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 234 on the first day at Grace Road. The home side then tightened their grip by reaching 94 for 3 at stumps, with Greg Smith unbeaten on 47.Victory in this final match of the season would take Leicestershire above Gloucestershire in the table. Henderson took 3 for 32 and Naik 2 for 36 as Gloucestershire lost their last four wickets for nine runs in four overs. Ian Cockbain and Hamish Marshall shared a fifth-wicket stand of 96 to prop up a disappointing Gloucestershire performance.It was an eventful and entertaining pre-lunch session after Gloucestershire won the toss and decided to bat. They raced along at more than four runs an over but lost four wickets on a pitch that offered some assistance to the home side’s seamers.Nathan Buck struck the first blow, yorking Ed Cowan for 19 with the total at 31. Ben Howell followed four runs later, bowled off stump by Wayne White after being dropped at slip in the same over. Despite a flurry of boundaries the wickets continued to fall with Alex Gidman trapped lbw by Shiv Thakor, who then produced an absolute beauty to bowl Dan Housego in his next over.That left Gloucestershire on 71 for 4, but Marshall and Cockbain launched a spirited counter-attack sharing a stand of 96 in 17 overs. It was an exhilarating partnership while it lasted with 56 of the runs coming in boundaries – seven to each batsman.But Marshall was caught behind for 47 slashing at a wide delivery from Buck shortly after lunch, and when Leicestershire turned to the spin of Henderson and Naik, the Gloucestershire innings subsided. Henderson had Cockbain caught at short extra cover for 48 and the final four wickets fell for nine runs in four overs either side of the tea interval, Henderson claiming the last two with successive deliveries.Leicestershire’s reply began badly, with Michael Thornely out lbw to Will Gidman without scoring. But Smith, recalled to the side after an unbeaten century in the Second XI Championship final last week, looked in good touch.He lost two more partners however, as Liam Norwell bowled Ned Eckersley for 25 and Will Gidman pinned Matt Boyce lbw. Smith stood firm and was 47 not out at the close, with Leicestershire trailing by 140 runs.

Habib Bank remain unbeaten

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

A round-up of the fourth round of Presidents’ Trophy 2012-13 matches

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2012Habib Bank secured their fourth win in as many matches in Pakistan’s President’s Trophy when they defeated State Bank by 129 runs in Faisalabad. State Bank’s win was grounded on a first innings total of 327, which featured a Younis Khan ton and 91 from Rameez Aziz. Fast bowler Ehsan Adil took 8 wickets for 79 in the match, ensuring State Bank never breached the 200-run mark, while part-timers Ahmed Shehzad and Aftab Alam also took 4 wickets apiece.Younis made 101 after Habib Bank won the toss and chose to bat first, and shared a 101-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Aziz. Saad Altaf and Mohammad Ali ground out five top-order wickets between them for State Bank, before legspinner Kashi Siddiq took care of the tail with 4 of his own.In response, State Bank could only manage 198, as Adil accounted for four of the top five. Only Usman Saeed made a fifty for State Bank, before Shehzad decimated the lower order with 4 for 7 in 2.5 overs. With a first innings lead of 129, Habib Bank declared their second innings at 148 for 5. Adil and Alam then completed the victory, taking eight wickets between them as they dismissed State Bank for 148 on the final day.Habib Bank sits atop the President’s Trophy ladder, with 33 points.National Bank drew with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in a high-scoring match in Lahore, where both teams posted first innings totals in excess of 300, before National Bank made 428 in their second innings. There was only time for two overs in the fourth innings before stumps were drawn on the fourth day.Qaiser Abbas’ 106 provided the backbone for National Bank’s 323, after being asked to bat first, and though PIA had them at 151 for 5 on the first day, a 136-run partnership for the sixth wicket propelled National Bank towards 300 before the tail took them beyond it. Aizaz Cheema took 4 for 81 among the PIA bowlers.PIA also produced a lone centurion in response, though they had seemed headed for a large first innings deficit before he sparked a revival. Wahab Riaz and Abbas had reduced PIA to 144 for seven before Shoaib Khan snr batted alongside the tail for his unbeaten 121, taking part in a 125-run partnership for the eighth wicket, before putting on 53 for the ninth. When PIA were eventually dismissed, they had a 13-run lead.National Bank then made 428 in the second innings, effectively making a result impossible, despite the urgency with which Amim-ur-Rehman compiled his 137 from 168 deliveries. Bilal Munir and Umair Khan made half-centuries, while Anwar Ali took 5 for 115.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines ground out a 32-run victory against Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in Sialkot, after PQA were dismissed for 215, having been set 247 to win. On the final day, PQA had progressed to 161 for 5, needing 87 to win, but lost their last five wickets for 54 as Samiullah Khan and Mohammad Hafeez took four second-innings wickets apiece. Samiullah finished with 7 wickets for 112, but PQA’s left arm spinner Azam Hussain’s 10 for 91 could not prevent defeat for his side.Mohammad Rizwan’s 91 and Ali Waqas’ 56 took Sui Gas to 266 in the first innings. Rizwan struck 13 fours in his innings, striking at 77.14. Azam dismissed Rizwan and Waqas, as well as Misbah-ul-Haq as he took 4 for 41 in the first innings. In response, PQA made 244, with Saniyal Ahsan the only batsman to make a half century, with 61.A six-wicket haul by Saeed Ajmal was one of the highlights of a drawn game between Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and Water and Power Development Authority. It was Ajmal’s 27th five-for in a first-class game but it was not enough to turn the momentum completely in favor of ZTBL, who were behind by eleven runs in the first innings.Batting first, WAPDA rode on Sohaib Maqsood’s 110 to get to 294 all out after Abdul Razzaq helped remove middle-order cheaply. The allrounder took his twelfth five-wicket haul but ZTBL began poorly in their reply. Only Haris Sohail withstood the challenge, hammering 115 in his first first-class appearance of the season. He had been away in South Africa playing in the Champions League T20s for Sialkot Stallions, and missed the first three games for ZTBL.Ajmal then took six wickets in WAPDA’s second innings which was kept alive by Kaleem Ahmed’s staunch 70 which he made in more than five hours at the crease.Mohammad Irfan and Yasir Ali fashioned Khan Research Laboratories‘ (KRL) fightback as they beat United Bank Limited (UBL) by four wickets at their home ground in Rawalpindi. The pace duo picked up three wickets each in the UBL second innings to reduce them to 143 all out, which added little to the 29-run deficit KRL had sustained in the first innings.After being put into bat, Abid Ali’s first century of the season helped UBL post 319 all out, despite a four-wicket haul from left-armer Irfan. Half-centuries from Zain Abbas, Saeed Anwar jnr and Naved Yasin got KRL close but they were bowled out for 290 runs. Fast bowler Mohammad Irshad took five wickets and four were taken by left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti in the KRL first innings.Irfan and Ali broke through early in the second innings, to restrict UBL to 143. It left enough time for KRL to chase down the 173-run target, which they did in 39.4 overs, picking up their second win. UBL are winless after four games.

Spin the focus in series opener

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between India and England in Ahmedabad

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran14-Nov-2012

Match facts

November 15-19, 2012
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)

Big Picture

To most, if not all, Indian players involved in the 4-0 drubbing that culminated at The Oval last August, the countdown to this Test series would have started long ago. The then No.1 Test team wasn’t supposed to be whitewashed and yet it was, in a humiliating manner, prompting Geoff Boycott to comment bluntly that India were playing like Bangladesh in disguise.The word “revenge” hasn’t escaped many ever since. Players like Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli may have stopped short of using the word, but in media interactions over the last year, all three have backed producing rank turners at home to give India a distinct advantage. There’s nothing wrong in playing to your strengths, but in this case it can be seen as a defensive ploy, as a quick patch-up job to fix a deep crater in India’s recent Test record. It’s a similar scenario to the early 90s when, after two poor tours to Australia and South Africa, India ruthlessly unleashed three spinners at home and swept all three Tests against England in 1993. The short-terms gains were obvious, but it couldn’t mask the fact that India were still abysmal tourists for more than a decade. India don’t tour for a Test series till 2013, but if their overseas record doesn’t improve, series wins at home in the interim will be forgotten.India are unlikely to repeat the tactic in Ahmedabad, as Dhoni said on the eve of the game. Nevertheless, spin will be the focus – not just how the England batsman will fare, but also how India’s misfiring line-up can get on top of their own conditions. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are still due for big scores, but won’t find it easy against a quality attack which has a world-class spinner in Graeme Swann. Sachin Tendulkar’s defence is not as watertight as it used to be. The No. 6 position is still a revolving door and Yuvraj Singh needs time to finally make the position his own. A one-sided turning pitch could make the fast bowlers redundant. Zaheer Khan is a shadow of his former self and it won’t do him any good if he is reduced to a containing bowler supporting the spinners. The more India gains out of his experienced hands at the start of the series, the better.For England, the rude shocks of the UAE Tests against Pakistan and the home series defeat to South Africa still linger. They arrived in India with ample time to fit in three warm-ups, a rarity in an era when most touring teams struggle to fit in even one practice game. That England asked for three, itself shows that they value Test success highly. The Ashes might be the pinnacle, but subcontinent success is a close second. Since 2000, they’ve had series victories in Sri Lanka and Pakistan but India has eluded them since 1984-85. Still, there was some discontent regarding the quality of opposition in two of those tour games. Spinners were apparently deliberately kept away, so the tourists don’t have enough of a sighting once the Tests get underway.Though they failed to push for a victory even against Haryana and a second-string Mumbai – not the strongest domestic sides – there were positives. Four of their top six scored centuries and some looked to be positive against the turning ball early in the innings by using their feet. Pitches aside, the time spent in India so far would have at least helped acclimatise to the weather.

Form guide

India: WWLLL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England: LDLDW

Players to watch

For all the fuss and drama over Kevin Pietersen‘s breakdown in relations with England in August, England didn’t have his services for only one Test. And they did miss him. Following his Headingley heroics, they headed to Lord’s and conceded the series to South Africa. Dhoni said he was “200%” sure Pietersen would return for the India tour. Water has flown under the bridge between him and his team-mates and players say he has been his jovial self all tour. His prowess against spin will be crucial. Rewind to England’s Colombo Test in April this year – it was his counter-attacking century that helped England fight back and level the Test series. And he can use his pads with greater freedom, without the threat of DRS at the back of his mind.England have yet to face India’s frontline spinners, R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, with the red ball. They rolled New Zealand over with 18 and 13 wickets respectively in the two-Test series in August and though they may not evoke as much fear as Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in their prime, they can be formidable against the best Test sides in home conditions. Dhoni sees Ashwin as the attacking option, capable of tossing it up and bringing out his variations, and Ojha as the containing bowler capable of restrictive lines. That Ojha was given the new ball against New Zealand shows his captain’s faith in him. For England, Ashwin and Ojha represent the unknown elements.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at Motera was re-laid as recently as September, and contains a greater percentage of sand and a different type of clay (field clay rather than pond clay). It hasn’t been tested over a period of time and nobody is quite sure how it will play. Dhoni said it looked dry and will break up as the match progresses, giving the spinners more assistance. From that description, it shouldn’t be too different from the typical Indian pitch.

Team news

Ishant Sharma was down with a viral infection and was all but ruled out of contention. Either way, India are unlikely to field three seamers and Zaheer and Umesh Yadav remain the first choice. Yuvraj Singh is expected to bat at No. 6, with Suresh Raina not considered for the first two Tests.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Pragyan OjhaSteven Finn was ruled out after the England management decided not to risk a half-fit fast bowler in testing conditions. However, Stuart Broad is set to play after recovering from a bruised heel, though he has bowled just 10 warm-up overs on tour. Tim Bresnan is likely to replace Finn, but that spot could also go to Monty Panesar, if England choose to go with two spinners. Nick Compton is certain to debut, as Cook’s opening partner.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Tim Bresnan / Monty Panesar, 10 Graeme Swann 11 James Anderson

Stats and trivia

  • England are among only two visiting teams to beat India in a Test match at home since 2006, the other being South Africa.
  • England have played only one Test in Ahmedabad, drawing the game in 2001.
  • Since 2006, seamers have taken 45 wickets while spinners have accounted for 33 in Ahmedabad.

Quotes

“When we go on the field there will be a red ball and there will be two teams, so you can name it whatever you want.”
“What I don’t want to change is his confidence, or his swagger when he bats, because that’s what has made him such a great player.”

Zulfiqar spell takes WAPDA to thrilling win

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

A round-up of the President’s Trophy matches that ended on November 23, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2012
ScorecardLeft-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar’s seven-wicket haul helped Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) snatch a thrilling four-run win against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in a see-saw battle in Faisalabad. The continuous shift of momentum was apparent in SBP’s chase of 165 as in the entire match. After being in a position of control at 93 for 3, SBP lost six wickets for 36 runs, then managed a 33-run last-wicket stand to raise hopes of victory, but in the end, they fell five short of the target.Neither team created a position of clear advantage throughout the contest. However, WAPDA, led by seamers Junaid Khan and Azhar Attari, had a slight edge over their opponents midway, as they took a 46-run first-innings lead.But that was nullified by a poor second innings by them. Spinners Adnan Rasool and Hasan Mahmood ran through the entire batting order, taking nine wickets between them to bowl WAPDA out for 118. Only lower middle-order batsman Mohammad Ayub resisted their onslaught with an unbeaten 32.The chase began poorly as opener Rameez Raja fell with five runs on the board. His partner, captain Kashif Siddiq, with other top-order batsmen, took them to a position of apparent safety at 93 for 3, before a collapse ensued.
ScorecardAt the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi, the home team, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), claimed a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with the help of big centuries from middle-order batsman Shoaib Ahmed, and a combined bowling performance in the second innings.After being asked to bowl, KRL took wickets regularly to bowl PIA out for 268. Although only lower-order batsman Tahir Khan scored a half-century, PIA were helped by small but productive partnerships to go past the 250-run mark. The seventh-wicket stand of 58 was the highest, but there were five other partnerships all worth over 30. Left-arm seamer Rahat Ali took four wickets.But the total was overhauled by KRL, with a knock of 177 from middle-order batsman Shoaib. Off the other batsmen, only Saeed Anwar jnr scored a half-century, as they were bowled out for 343. Shoaib’s innings featured 21 boundaries and three sixes.The deficit of 75 was erased by PIA, but three wickets apiece by Yasir Ali and Ali Khan restricted them to 194. Sarfraz Ahmed, with an unbeaten 53, and Faisal Iqbal were the chief contributors to that total. The target was quickly achieved by KRL, courtesy of an aggressive 54 from opener Tayyab Riaz.
ScorecardA potential winning opportunity was spurned by Habib Bank Limited in their chase of 139 as they drew against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in Islamabad. After gaining a 61-run lead in the first innings, Habib Bank, through seamers Ehsan Adil and Abdul Ameer, bowled SNGPL for 199. But they couldn’t chase down the small target in 36 overs, and had to be content with three points from the game.SNGPL, after choosing to bat, lost a couple of wickets early, but a 75-run third-wicket partnership, and four other smaller stands took them to 232.Habib Bank’s reply was dominated by their first three batsmen. Openers Imran Farhat and Shan Masood put on 119, with both scoring half-centuries and No. 3 Ahmed Shehzad scored 94. But from 220 for 3, they collapsed to 293 all out.SNGPL managed a more productive second innings than their first. Opener Azeem Ghumman scored a half-century, but of the other batsmen, no one scored more than 24. Ehsan Adil, who had taken two wickets in the first innings, took four this time. A target of 139 in 36 overs appeared achievable and Habib Bank began their chase positively too, but they lost four wickets quickly, and ultimately, ended the game at 73 for 5 with a draw.