Category Uncategorized

Mickey Arthur’s tenure as Sri Lanka coach ends on a winning note

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Dec-2021Ramesh Mendis struck early in the day to remove Kraigg Brathwaite, claimed three wickets in a single over during the middle session, then completed his second five wicket haul of the match, while Lasith Embuldeniya also took five at the other end. Between the two finger-spinners, they dismissed West Indies for 132 inside 56 overs. Sri Lanka’s winning margin was 164. Having now whitewashed this opposition, they take 100% of the World Test Championship points on offer for this series.West Indies had needed to bat out 93 overs after Sri Lanka declared their innings 2.4 overs into the day. Although during times in the morning session it seemed as if they were going to make the hosts toil, West Indies fell away rapidly after lunch, losing their last eight wickets for 40 runs, in the space of 13 overs.An awful shot from Shai Hope had sparked that collapse. Spotting a long-hop from Mendis, Hope went back to pull it, but hit it directly to the square leg fielder, who took it at belly height. Hope could have put that ball away anywhere on the legside.Next delivery, Mendis had Roston Chase caught at short leg – Oshada Fernando reacting lightning quick to hold a low chance as Chase attempted to clip the ball to leg. Mendis missed out on a hat-trick for the third time in the series when he spun one past the bat of Kyle Mayers, but Mayers would last only three more deliveries anyway, sending a catch to Dhananjaya de Silva at slip.The remaining wickets almost seemed like a formality. Embuldeniya imposed himself on West Indies’ lower order, first having Jason Holder caught at slip, much in the same way he’d had the more stubborn Jermaine Blackwood out, just before lunch. Nkrumah Bonner was then out chopping back on to the stumps.Kemar Roach struck three boundaries, but he was out lbw to Embuldeniya, before Verassammy Permaul fell in a similar fashion, and Jomel Warrican lasted just three balls before giving another catch to de Silva at slip. This was the dismissal that sealed the game.Earlier, Blackwood and Bonner had resisted for 23 overs together, surviving several close calls and one dropped catch, but Sri Lanka’s spinners were relentless on a surface that substantially favoured them, even if it wasn’t quite unplayable. Blackwood batted out 92 balls, and Bonner, who was around well into the second session, played out 143, and can easily claim to be West Indies’ most dogged batter of the series, even if there wasn’t a lot of competition for that title.Mendis’ five wickets in the second dig meant he took 11 for 136 for the game – easily his best figures, in a four-match career so far. He took 17 wickets for the series, and now has 26 Test victims all up, at an average of 21.53.To begin the day, Sri Lanka’s 10th-wicket pair had struck 17 runs in 2.4 overs until Embuldeniya – the primary aggressor on day five – was bowled by Holder. Dhananjaya de Silva had added two to his overnight score, to finish on 155 not out.

Opener’s work ethic pays off in vital first-day performance as he lays ghosts of 2016

Danyal Rasool05-Aug-2020Shan Masood doesn’t like to think about the past, and on an England tour, you can see why.Four years ago, he was drafted into the Pakistan side as opener, and there was reason for cautious optimism. His career may only have been five Test matches old, all of them confined to the subcontinent, but he wasn’t the complete novice to English conditions that that might suggest. Educated at Durham University, he had spent more time honing his cricket education than his academic one, playing under Graeme Fowler’s tutelage before joining a distance-learning programme as cricket began to take precedence.It will, then, have been a particularly dispiriting blow to have that inaugural tour of England cut short after two Test matches, as he fell to his bete noire James Anderson in each innings, for a sum of just 71 runs. While flickers of a solid technique unique to a cricketing education in England were unmistakable, it wasn’t enough for Pakistan’s famously twitchy selectors to keep the faith. He was cast aside for Sami Aslam, and it would almost be a full year before he wore international colours again. If he had hoped England would be a launchpad, the reality suggested it was more of a missed approach.What has distinguished Masood from several others in Pakistan cricket, however, is a work ethic even his most professional colleagues would struggle to match. It was a part of his DNA since well before international cricket seemed a viable career path; ever since he was 19, he would leave his parents’ flat in St John’s Wood, run to a Baker Street gym, make sure to come through Park Road to get a glimpse of Lord’s every day.Years later, when head coach Mickey Arthur instituted a rigorous fitness regime alien to Pakistan cricket at the time, Masood was always at or near the top of the fitness charts, often going well beyond the minimum standards Arthur had set. It is no secret Masood isn’t the most talented batsman in this Pakistan side, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a hungrier one.Shan Masood works the ball to the off side•Getty Images

And in his quest to make the most of whatever ability he possesses, Masood went back to the domestic circuit, piling on the runs in both the white-ball format and the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. He made the most of a call-up for a first-class call-up against New Zealand in 2018, scoring 73 against New Zealand and then smashing 161 in a List A match against the England Lions.He focused on tightening up his technique, picking the length early and playing the ball late, while trying to ensure he survived the first 20 balls or so of an innings, to give himself a chance of being out in the middle once set. He sought help from coaches, analysts, writers, and just about anyone else who had an opinion on a game he desperately wanted to make it in.”Situationally you always have to look at the team,” he said after reaching the close on the first day on 46 not out. “We always knew that the new ball is going to be a struggle. It’s not an easy gig being an opening batsman in this country. But there comes an opportunity to give your team a good start, especially if you opt to bat first.”I just thought it was very important to take the shine off the ball in the first hour and make it easier for the guys coming in,” he added. “The ball did a bit off the seam in the first session but as the second session went on, we got into a bit of a scoring mode. But I think there’s a long way to go, both as a team and as an individual, and you want to capitalise on any start you get. So hopefully, tomorrow, we can make this count.”ALSO READ: Babar, Shan lift Pakistan on stop-start dayThere have been bigger scores and more spectacular innings from Masood over the past two years, but today’s may well be his most satisfying in terms of signifying quite how far he has come. He made sure to hang around early on while the ball – particularly Anderson’s – moved around menacingly, and played at the ones he couldn’t leave with soft hands to ensure edges didn’t carry through to the slips.He didn’t mind not attacking a single ball all first session, so long as it meant he wasn’t giving his wicket away cheaply. He didn’t care that he’d scored just 9 off the 34 Chris Woakes balls he faced, what likely pleased him would be how well he had left him on length. He was unperturbed at the fact he’d scored a measly five runs off Dom Bess in 29 deliveries, even as Babar Azam milked him at a run a ball in 25. He was unflustered by potentially becoming the slowest Pakistani to a half-century in England; what matters more is he’s become the first overseas opener since 2016 to survive more than 100 balls in England.There was good fortune, of course; Bess was unlucky not to have had him twice, with Jos Buttler missing a catch and a stumping, the latter a rare ill-judged dance down the wicket on the stroke of stumps. But in a career like Masood’s, fortune is a central character of the story rather than a mere support act.Two years ago, he accompanied Pakistan on a trip to South Africa, where he was designated to be an understudy to Haris Sohail. On the morning of the first Test, Sohail’s knee seized up, and Masood would get a first chance in 13 months. He would go on to become the leading runscorer for Pakistan in that series, finishing behind only Quinton de Kock. He has since averaged 47.85, second only to Azam in the Pakistan side. In that time, he has transformed into an automatic Test selection rather than a wayfaring afterthought.No wonder, then, that Masood doesn’t want to dwell upon his last tour of England. This isn’t 2016, and it certainly isn’t the same Shan Masood.

The Mumbai captain had carried niggles even during the league phase of the tournament

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Mar-2019Mumbai’s preparations for the Super League phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy have suffered a jolt with their captain Ajinkya Rahane declared unfit.Ajit Agarkar, Mumbai’s chairman of selectors, said Rahane had “pushed through” the group stage but he needed rest to recover.In the league stage, Mumbai topped the Group C table, winning five out of six matches, but Rahane made just 58 runs at an average of 9.67. Agarkar felt Rahane’s experience would have been the key during the Super League stage.”He was carrying niggles even during the league phase, which he kind of pushed through when we were in a bit of trouble. But he would not be 100% (for Super League),” Agarkar said.Suresh Raina is set to be another notable absentee from the Super League phase of the tournament. The Uttar Pradesh batsman wasn’t at his best before being ruled out, aggregating 80 runs in six matches, with just one fifty and four single digit scores.Closely watching Rahane and Raina’s recovery will be their IPL franchises Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, where Rahane is the captain and Raina the most prolific run-getter. The IPL will start on March 23 with the Super Kings taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore. Royals will start their campaign in Jaipur against Kings XI Punjab on March 25.

Tired, drawn and stung by defeat, Joe Root is adamant he would love another crack at the England captaincy in Australia in four years’ time

George Dobell in Sydney02-Jan-2018Joe Root believes he is the man to captain England on their next Ashes tour in four-year’s time.While Root has been stung by the pain of defeat, he believes the lessons he has learned will stand him in good stead when the side returns to Australia. And, just as he now views being dropped from the Sydney Test at the end of the 2013-14 Ashes as “one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he now feels he has “gained a lot” from the experience of this series that will prove beneficial in the future.”Of course I want to captain England here in four years,” Root said. “Yes, it’s been a long trip with stuff that you don’t want to have to deal with on occasions but I think I’ve gained a lot from that.”I’m looking forward to the different challenges that will present themselves after this trip. I want us to be the best side in the world and that’s not going to happen overnight.”Among the lessons Root says he has learned is the requirement for more pace and spin in England’s attack and the need for England’s batsmen to make far greater contributions. And while he remains hugely respectful of the skills James Anderson offers England, he knows they cannot continue to rely upon a bowler who is now 35 years-old and almost certainly playing his final Test in Australia in the coming days.

Root on…

Moeen Ali: “I’m not worried about Mo. He’s a fine player and I’m sure he’ll play a lot more cricket for England. Over the summer he was one of the most instrumental parts of our team with bat and ball. He has struggled a bit on this trip but, technically I don’t think there’s a huge amount he needs to work on. When someone is going through a tough period it’s important as a squad that you remember how valuable he has been and what he’s capable of doing.”
Playing in the IPL: “I’ll think about that after this series. I know there are deadlines to meet, but it’s most important that I spend all my time and energy on this last game.”
The ball-tampering allegations: “That was ridiculous. You know when you come to Australia, you’re playing against everyone, not just the 11 guys on the field. It’s important that next time we get here we know exactly what to expect in terms of the media barrage or, as Trevor Bayliss said the other day, the ‘Pommie bashing’ from the Australian press. You have to make sure that you’re very switched on to the way they operate.”

“Let’s be honest, there are going to be certain changes in the seam-bowling department in four years’ time unless we’re rolling Jimmy Anderson out at 40 or whatever he’s going to be,” Root said. “An extra bit of pace could be very important next time round. Having someone like Mark Wood fit for a long period of time could be very useful.”We’ve also seen how crucial the spin department can be over here, so we have to make sure it is as strong as it can be. And, as a batting group, we’ve got to be prepared to bat for long, long periods of time.”No captain in modern times has led England in successive away Ashes series (Mike Brearley led England in two away Test series against Australia, but only one was granted Ashes status) but Root, who celebrated his 27th birthday on the last day of the Melbourne Test, has the time and, it seems, the energy to try again in four years. So while some critics – notably Graeme Swann – have suggested England are compromising Root’s effectiveness as a batsman by burdening him with leadership, Root himself is adamant that the example of Steve Smith has inspired him to lead from the front in similar fashion.”You see that and you want to be the one doing it,” Root said. “Smith has probably been the difference between the teams. Take his runs out of it and we’ve been there or thereabouts to win.”So credit to him. He’s played exceptionally well. But it’s a little lesson to me on leading from the front.”Root’s previous experiences in Sydney – he was dropped at the end of the 2013-14 series as England gave debuts to three players – not only inspired him to work harder than ever to regain his place, but taught him that “chucking guys in for the last game of a series” was no way to improve the side. Scott Borthwick, Boyd Rankin and Gary Ballance all made their Test debuts in Sydney in 2014, with only Ballance going on to play another Test for England.”Being dropped made a big impact on my career,” Root said. “Being left out was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”Coming back into the team you have a slightly different view on things. You go away and give yourself the opportunity to work extremely hard on areas you want to look at. You have a different drive and determination moving forward.”Once you have played for England, you never want to do anything else. You don’t want to just play county cricket. You want to be in and around international cricket for as long as you can. It’s very easy to get that determination and drive to see where you need to get back to.”But we’re not going to improve by chucking guys in for the last game of a series. It’s really important that next time we come here, we don’t look at it in a daunted way, or feel like there’s a massive gap between the two sides, because if we do things in the right way we’ve got a really good chance next time round.”It’s really important that we start look at what we have to do now and not too far down the line. The planning for it has to start now.”

Luke Ronchi and Martin Guptill combined to give the New Zealand team management a selection headache sooner than they would have anticipated

The Report by Sidharth Monga in Delhi18-Sep-2016
Scorecard1:21

‘My game plan is to get off strike’ – Ronchi

In the second innings of their warm-up match against Mumbai, Luke Ronchi and Martin Guptill combined to give the New Zealand team management a selection headache sooner than they would have anticipated. While Guptill followed his first-innings failure with a duck, Ronchi scored a blistering century on a last-day pitch that had begun to misbehave.It would be a dramatic move if a batsman who has opened only three times in first-class cricket replaced an opener in whom New Zealand have invested, but if there ever was a time and a place to do so, this might be it. Guptill averages 29.59 in Tests, which drops to 20.68 in Asia. He may be sensational in limited-overs cricket, but Tests and spin have not been his best friends. Concurrently, there is no better place than Asia for a non-opener to think about converting. It is often the best time to bat, before the ball begins to turn, reverse swing or gets too soft to travel.Ronchi got his crack at a top-order spot in the second innings, much like his previous three forays playing for Western Australia before he moved to New Zealand. Mumbai declared immediately after Siddhesh Lad’s century – the third of their innings. Then, out walked Ronchi alongside Guptill, the only specialist batsman who did not get a long hit in the first innings. With it being the third day of the game, the flat pitch had dried out and was offering turn and variable bounce, enough for Mumbai to open with the left-arm spin of Vishal Dabholkar.But Guptill can’t blame the pitch for his dismissal. In Dabholkar’s first over, the batsman edged a half-volley, seemingly playing inside the line of the ball and giving the slip fielder an easy catch. Ronchi looked in much better control, and displayed more scoring options against spin and the slow nature of the pitch. He swept with authority, drove the quicks with power, found gaps repeatedly and was difficult to pin down at one end for the pressure to build.”My game plan is to get off strike,” Ronchi said after the match. “If the field is in, I go over the top. [A] couple over the top, then a few gaps, and get off strike. That’s the way I go about it. If it works, fantastic. Doesn’t work all the time, but the best way to bat sometimes is to be at the other end. If you can get yourself off strike, it is a good thing.”Even if New Zealand were to stay conservative and don’t open with Ronchi, he might be quite useful in the middle order. Almost all of his 107 runs came in the company of bowlers. The New Zealanders used the final day of the game to give chances to those who didn’t get them in the first innings. Guptill and Henry Nicholls were the only specialist batsmen repeated before they had no choice but to send others in. Ronchi put on 23, 64 and 47 runs with Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell and Trent Boult respectively. Batting with the tail could prove crucial on raging turners; Ravindra Jadeja frequently gave India the match-tilting runs from around 120 for 6 in the series against South Africa.Asked if he might have staked a claim for the opening position, Ronchi said: “Maybe, but it’s just the position I was given in the second innings – to go out and open. [I] just wanted to sort of have a hit and do as best as I possibly could. If it comes up I certainly won’t say no, but you never know what Hess [Mike Hesson] and Kane [Williamson] are thinking. So I will just go about my business and do the best I can for my team whenever given the chance, I guess.”I have no idea [what role they have in mind for me]. It’s up to them. Whatever they say, I will try to do my best. If given a chance, that is. If I am not playing, I am not playing. If I am playing and batting at 11, I am more than happy. Whatever role they ask me to perform, I certainly won’t say no.”If New Zealand do want Ronchi in, Nicholls may in danger of going out. He scored 1 in the second innings, but was undone by a ball that jumped out of the rough. If Nicholls does play the first Test in Kanpur, as a middle-order batsman, he would have to face one of the most difficult spin environments without any prior experience. Going into that with 30 runs from two innings would not make him feel good.This is when just one warm-up match on such a tough tour becomes unfair. A batsman needs time out in the middle to develop the methods and confidence to play spin. As another example, Santner jumped out of the crease to try to get to the pitch of a ball, and was stumped off Lad. He bats in the lower order for New Zealand and his runs could be very crucial. If selected for the Test, and having failed against a part-timer in a practice match, will he have the confidence to run at R Ashwin or Jadeja?The odd misbehaving delivery aside, New Zealand batted relatively comfortably through the rest of the day. They were bowled out for 235 in the fourth of the mandatory 15 overs in the last hour of play, but Mumbai did not take up the chase of 96 in nine overs.

Gloucestershire claimed their first limited-overs trophy in more than a decade after tightening like a vice during the last third of Surrey’s innings to suffocate the run chase and triumph in a thrilling finish

The Report by Alan Gardner at Lord's19-Sep-2015
ScorecardJack Taylor was Man of the Match after scoring 35 of 26 balls and taking three wickets•Getty Images

Gloucestershire claimed their first limited-overs trophy in more than a decade after tightening like a vice during the last third of Surrey’s innings to suffocate the run chase and triumph in a thrilling finish. After losing their talisman, captain Michael Klinger, to the third ball of the match and then being cleaned up for 220 by Jade Dernbach’s hat-trick, this was a remarkable triumph from a Gloucestershire side who refused to give in against seemingly mighty opposition.When Kumar Sangakkara and Rory Burns were compiling a century stand for the third wicket, there was little to trouble Surrey, but spinners Jack Taylor and Tom Smith sparked a dramatic comeback as the shadows lengthened at Lord’s. Only Sam Curran, the youngest player on the pitch in only his seventh List A innings, seemed to possess the required nerve but his poise cruelly deserted him at the end.It came down to seven runs being required off the final over with two wickets standing, after James Burke was run out from the final ball of the penultimate over as Curran tried to steal a single to mid-on. But Curran fell to the next delivery, attempting to hit David Payne over long-on and picking out the fielder.Dernbach, whose 6 for 35 were the third-best figures in a Lord’s final, could only watch from the other end as Gareth Batty then pulled the ball to deep square leg without adding to the total to confirm Gloucestershire’s victory with three deliveries remaining.Fittingly it was Taylor who took the catch. The offspinner, who finished with 3 for 43, also struck a vital 35 from 26 balls in Gloucestershire’s innings to be named Man of the Match.At 143 for 2, Surrey looked as if they would ease to victory, only for Taylor and Smith to turn the screw. The asking rate hovered around a run a ball throughout the last ten overs but wickets fell regularly: Gary Wilson caught at midwicket, Azhar Mahmood stumped, Tom Curran lbw attempting a reverse-sweep – to a ball that may well have missed leg stump.Gloucestershire, playing their first Lord’s final in over a decade, came into the match as underdogs and many feared what would become of them if Klinger failed. Those fears were sharpened when Klinger was dismissed for a duck in Dernbach’s opening over and Gloucestershire required a dogged fifty from another veteran in Geraint Jones, playing in his final match before retirement, to drag them towards respectability.It was hardly an imposing total against a Surrey batting order that has been rampant in this competition, their top three of Jason Roy, Steven Davies and Sangakkara behind only Klinger in the run-scoring list. James Fuller’s hugely impressive opening spell accounted for Roy and Davies but Sangakkara did not offer a chance until mis-hitting a Taylor full toss to mid-on with 78 still needed.On a slow pitch and with what seemed like a majority of the crowd urging them on, Gloucestershire kept themselves in the contest by strangling the scoring. The required rate rose from less than five at the start of the 35th over, before Sangakkara’s dismissal, to more than six as Taylor and Smith wheeled away.It should have been a day to savour for Dernbach – recently described by his captain as “the most complete seamer in England in one-day cricket” – as he became the third man to a hat-trick in a Lord’s final, emulating James Averis and Ken Higgs. After the darkness of 2012, when the death of Tom Maynard had a devastating effect on Dernbach and several of his team-mates, this would have been a cathartic victory.Dernbach’s final wicket came courtesy of an extremely poor umpiring decision but the yorker to clean up Jones after he had reached a 64-ball fifty was a brutally effective piece of death bowling. Craig Miles then inside-edged a drive through to Wilson before umpire Rob Bailey gave last man Payne out lbw after he was hit on the body ducking into a full toss – though replays suggested the ball was missing leg stump by some distance.The 40-year-old Mahmood, only in the side as a seasoned replacement for the injured Zafar Ansari and playing his first List A game in over a year, returned immaculate figures of 2 for 28 from ten overs as Surrey took charge. Gloucestershire only managed one fifty partnership and might have struggled to get past 200 but for the efforts of No. 9 Taylor, which included consecutive leg-side sixes off Tom Curran in the 45th over.Surrey had batted first in every one of their previous Royal London Cup matches this season, winning eight out of nine but this time Batty decided to chase. Maybe it was a psychological ploy: get Klinger in and have a go at him early. The sun was shining and the skies were clear in north London, which is not often the case this late in the season, but still Batty chose to insert on winning the toss. Klinger, the leading run-scorer in the competition and the man many felt was Gloucestershire’s best – even – chance of winning, was offered centre stage.A Lord’s final was once a prime opportunity to persuade the England selectors of a player’s case. Klinger, into his 36th year, still hopes to catch Australia’s attention but this was not to be his moment: attempting to impose himself against Dernbach, he was caught behind forcing a cut. The time it took for Nick Cook’s finger to go up was enough for Gloucestershire hearts to sink into their boots.Surrey had carried out their hit while barely getting their hands dirty; Gloucestershire sensed the wall at their backs already. It seemed like a mortal blow.Victory would be all the sweeter for the manner in which it came but the recovery was slow. Gareth Roderick and Chris Dent put on 40 for the second wicket, the latter dropped when Sam Curran grassed a catch off his own bowling.Dent was on 13 at the time but looked in good touch, only to drill Dernbach straight to mid-off for 22 off 20. Hamish Marshall, one of only two Gloucestershire players with international experience, was next to fall, stumped off a leg-side wide from Batty. His first ball had disappeared down to fine leg for five wides but, an over later, Marshall walked past a similarly errant delivery, beaten by some turn, and Wilson completed a smart bit of work.Mahmood then reeled off ten overs of wicket-to-wicket thriftiness, only slightly blemished when Jones clouted a slower ball beyond the ropes. Benny Howell was bowled through the gate and Roderick played on but Tom Smith combined with Jones to add 52 for the sixth wicket. Taylor then added further impetus but, with 250 still a possibility, he carved a Dernbach full toss to backward point.Gloucestershire needed early wickets and Fuller, bowling in the high 80s mph and making use of a short leg, provided hope by removing both openers inside 12 overs. Roy toe-ended an aggressive swipe to cover while Davies seemed beaten for pace by one that reared back into him and could only play on. Gloucestershire believed but it was much, later until everyone else did.

Mohammad Ashraful will see a doctor in Galle for an eye allergy that has recurred several times in the last eight years

Mohammad Isam in Matara05-Mar-2013Mohammad Ashraful will see a doctor in Galle for an eye allergy that has recurred several times in the last eight years, ahead of what is now certain to be his first Test match in more than a year. The problem hasn’t affected his batting so far, but Ashraful wanted it checked as a precautionary measure, rather than ride on luck as he has done during the home season.It wasn’t good fortune, however, that brought him a century in Bangladesh’s tour game in Matara. Ashraful worked hard to reach his second first-class hundred this season, this one being as crucial as the one in Bogra a few months ago.Ashraful had recently said playing in that Bangladesh Cricket League game was lucky, because he had been woefully out of form and was almost on the verge of giving himself a break from cricket. He later scored a hundred in the BPL too, which he also believed was due to luck. One would imagine that his last-minute inclusion in the Test side for Sri Lanka was also fortunate, after Shahriar Nafees suffered a freak accident at home.There was little luck, however, during his 102 against the Sri Lanka Development Emerging Team. He steadily built an innings that looked un-Ashraful like, but was more effective than the blitzes he is famous for. His effort helped his team score 479.”I wanted to build an innings,” Ashraful said after the game had ended in a draw. “I tried to leave a lot of balls, kept my eye on making sure we have a partnership. Sometimes when the
bowling is good and you are not settled, the best place to bat is at the non-striker’s end. I tried to do that today, especially at the start of the innings.”Ashraful averages 22.60 in 57 Tests, but he believes a second coming is possible. He also picked a role model in a bid to bring his faltering career back on track.”I am trying to resurrect my career like [Tillakaratne] Dilshan did since 2009. I would play in the same way, but I want to bat in the top order and take it from there. I think I am at an age when I want to have a second coming, and from the top order, I think I can target that. I haven’t had a great career so far, so I want to grab this opportunity.”Dilshan had changed position as a batsman, turning himself into a destructive opener in the 2008-09 season, and has been more consistent compared to when he was an allrounder batting lower in the order.Ashraful’s humility about an unfulfilled career could make a difference in the next two weeks.

Pakistan’s spinners gave their team a chance of avoiding a whitewash by taking advantage of a wearing surface to leave England’s pursuit of 238 in the balance

The Report by Andrew McGlashan21-Feb-2012
ScorecardKevin Pietersen scored his second consecutive hundred as England wrapped a 4-0 series win•Associated Press

What a difference a few days makes. It was suggested that Kevin Pietersen had the last two matches of this series to save his one-day international career and less than week later he has back-to-back hundreds to his name – the second a career-best 130 – a spring in his step and a strut at the crease as he guided England to a whitewash against Pakistan with four balls to spare.Pietersen became the second England batsman in the series, following captain Alastair Cook, to hit consecutive hundreds and it was the second time Pietersen had achieved the feat, following the South Africa series in 2004-05 at the start of his career. It’s long been a criticism of England’s one-day game that there aren’t enough individual three-figure innings so it will provide huge satisfaction for Andy Flower and Graham Gooch, shortly to become the full-time batting coach.The series, too, is a huge feather in the caps of Flower and Cook. The 4-0 scoreline is England’s first whitewash against anyone other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe since they beat Australia before the 1997 Ashes. That was one of many false dawns for England’s one-day side and there needs to be more evidence to find out how this unit develops, but having lost 5-0 in India last October this has been the ideal response.This was a better display from Pietersen than his hundred on Saturday and it was also his longest ODI innings. Early on his lost regular partners – Cook fell second ball of the innings – and the pitch, used for the second time in three days, was worn and a touch slower. Pakistan packed their side with five spinners and just one quick but only Saeed Ajmal, who removed Eoin Morgan and the debutant Jos Buttler in the space of three balls to leave England wobbling on 68 for 4, posed a significant threat.Pietersen’s main moment of concern came when he was saved by the DRS on 80 after getting into a horrid tangle trying to scoop Abdur Rehman over his shoulder. He was given out lbw by umpire Zameer Haider but replays showed he’d been struck outside off stump. Last week Pietersen spoke about DRS being his biggest challenge; here it was his biggest saviour. The review system made an important intervention when Samit Patel, on 5 and with England needing 44 off 40 balls, was given lbw by Haider but had also been struck outside the line. It wasn’t a great evening for the umpires with Cook earlier given not out before Pakistan reviewed.

Smart stats

• Kevin Pietersen’s century is his second in consecutive matches. This is the first time he scored two consecutive centuries since his debut series in 2004-05 against South Africa.

• Pietersen’s hundred is his ninth in ODIs and is also his highest score. He is now second behind Marcus Trescothick on the list of England batsmen with the most ODI centuries.

• Pietersen’s 130 is the fourth-highest score by an England batsman against Pakistan and the third-highest outside England after Graham Gooch’s 142 in Karachi in 1987 and Alastair Cook’s 137 in this series.

• England’s 4-0 series win is their first ever series whitewash in ODI series of four or more matches against top teams (Zimbabwe and Bangladesh excluded). Their only previous such series results have come against Zimbabwein 2001-02 and 2004-05.

• The 109-run stand between Pietersen and Craig Kieswetter is the second-highest fifth-wicket stand for England against Pakistan after the 138 between Andrew Flintoff and Graham Thorpe in 2000. It is also joint seventh on the list of highest fifth-wicket stands in the UAE.

• Jade Dernbach returned his career best bowling figures of 4 for 45 in his 14th match surpassing his previous best of 3 for 30. It is also the sixth-best bowling figures by an England bowler against Pakistan outside England.

• The 111-run stand between Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali is the third-highest second-wicket stand for Pakistan against England in ODIs. The highest is 167 between Rameez Raja and Saleem Malik in Karachi in 1987.

Patel, on the day he was given an ECB incremental contract, played a calm hand after Craig Kieswetter – who produced his first substantial innings in the middle order – had been run out to end the crucial stand of 109 that turned the chase around. Pietersen went to 99 with a pulled six off Junaid Khan but the hundred was celebrated in far more subdued style than the first. He was aware the victory hadn’t been sealed and proceeded to rubber-stamp the result with a flurry of boundaries off Junaid and a straight six off Ajmal. He couldn’t quite finish the game, skewing a drive to point with two needed, but the process of restoring a reputation was well advanced.Again, England had shown the value of one player getting a hundred. In contrast Pakistan’s brittle batting line-up again cost them the game, failing to make the most of a solid base provided by Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, the future of Pakistan’s batting, who added 111 for the second wicket. England’s reshuffled bowling attack, including debutant Danny Briggs and the recalled Jade Dernbach, stifled the middle order with Misbah-ul-Haq left to gather what he could.It was another tale of Pakistan’s batsmen failing to build on starts as four of them passed 20 but none bettered Shafiq’s confident 65. On a surface being used for the second time in three days it was difficult for new batsmen to force the pace straight away, demonstrated by the way the innings fell away. England rested James Anderson and Stuart Broad while Graeme Swann had a minor calf strain, which gave the chance to Briggs claim a commendable 2 for 39 and Dernbach 4 for 45. The latter cleaned up the lower order with Pakistan losing their last six wickets for 35 runs.Dernbach had a difficult tour of India, where his obsession with variation worked against him, and then had a tough experience in Australia’s Big Bash League where he was dropped after two games for Melbourne Stars. Consistency still proved an occasional problem for Dernbach but he also maintained the happy knack of picking up wickets, including Mohammad Hafeez second and Azhar for a stubborn 58.Shafiq had the perfect opportunity, against a weakened attack, to score his maiden ODI hundred but chopped on against Bresnan in the 23rd over. From there life became much tougher for Pakistan. Umar Akmal was promoted to No. 4 with the chance to build an innings couldn’t gathered momentum and provided Briggs with his first international wicket when he lofted a catch to long-off. Briggs showed calmness and control in his first appearance, quickly recovering himself from a couple of loose deliveries against Azhar.The scoring rate had seized up as Azhar approached his maiden ODI fifty and Shoaib Malik struggled to time the ball. The sense with Azhar, albeit in the very early stages of his career, is that he doesn’t have a range of gears to move through in the one-day game. Malik does not have the excuse of inexperience to fall back on and his return to Pakistan colours has not been a happy one in this series. Having used up 33 deliveries for 23 he missed a sweep against Briggs in the spinner’s last over. When a team can win without three of their main bowlers it bodes well for the future.Edited by Alan Gardner

Leicestershire continue to feel the effects of a tumultuous 2010 and have announced a loss of £404,862 for the year to September 30

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011Leicestershire continue to feel the effects of a tumultuous 2010 and have announced a loss of £404,862 for the year to September 30. The county was beset with problems last summer, with the resignations of chief executive David Smith, senior coach Tim Boon and chairman Neil Davidson.”The results are bad but we have known for some time that costs have not been controlled and income from membership and Twenty20 was way down on budget,” said recently appointed chief executive Mike Siddall.”In almost every area costs are either over budget or income targets have not been achieved. The club needs rebuilding from the bottom and although we have a tough job on our hands it is far from an impossible task.”So far we have replaced our kit supplier, caterer, legal adviser and physiotherapy services provider and desperately need to upgrade our IT and financial systems.”The losses have had a detrimental effect on the club’s cash flow and Siddall added: “The position is serious and in order to guarantee the bank overdraft, the club needs to increase its commercial income significantly. We are continuing our discussions with Leicester City Council to see what can be done in order to relax the covenant the council has over the Grace Road ground. I am optimistic that a solution can be found to enable us to offer sufficient security to cover the facilities we require.””The board has been completely revamped and we have appointed a new company secretary,” added chairman Paul Haywood, who took over when Neil Davidson resigned in October. “Expertise has been brought in to help increase sponsorship and membership income. Costs are now under control and we have set a budget which should return the club to profit.”I am very optimistic for the future. Sponsors, including main club sponsor The Oval Group, are backing the club and sales of attractively priced membership packages have been good. We finished last season on a very positive note and skipper Matthew Hoggard and the team are really looking forward to the new season.”

Daniel Christian is in line to become the second player of Aboriginal heritage to play an international for Australia

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010Daniel Christian, the South Australia allrounder, is in line to become the second player of Aboriginal heritage to play an international for Australia after being selected in the Twenty20 squad to face West Indies. Christian will join Jason Gillespie, the former fast bowler, on the list if he appears in either of the games in Hobart on Sunday or Sydney on Tuesday.Michael Clarke leads the team that will also include the pace trio of Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes, which upset Pakistan during a tight victory last month. The selectors have been impressed by Christian’s power with the bat and effective medium pace in the domestic Twenty20 competition and picked him in a 14-man squad.”We continue to look at various options and the balance of the team leading into the World Twenty20,” the panel chairman Andrew Hilditch said. “We see Dan as an explosive allrounder who could have a good impact for us in Twenty20 internationals.”In three seasons of domestic Twenty20 action Christian has 230 runs at a strike-rate of 148.38 and taken 13 wickets in 16 games. He has also been in strong form for the Redbacks in the other competitions and last week took nine wickets and scored 71 in a Sheffield Shield win over Western Australia.Christian grew up in New South Wales and is a graduate of Cricket Australia’s indigenous cricket programme. He captained the national indigenous development squad during a tour of England last winter and is due to help them again later this year when they play Papua New Guinea.”I’m an Aboriginal man from the Wiradjuri tribe in New South Wales, that’s all through my Dad’s side of the family, and they’re all born and bred from down there,” he said in Adelaide. “I’ve grown up in that environment, and I’m an Aboriginal man … it is what it is.”Australia Twenty20 squad Shane Watson, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Travis Birt, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait.