All posts by csb10.top

Lancashire 0 for 0 trail Gloucestershire 311 for 8 dec (Hancock 61, Taylor 60, Adshead 52*, Keedy 7-95) by 311 runs
Scorecard

If, as now seems almost certain, Lancashire are relegated sometime in the next three days, no fault will be attached to Gary Keedy, whose career-best figures of 7 for 95 kept their outside chances of survival alive a little longer.Keedy bowled unchanged from the 11th over, taking the first seven wickets to fall as Gloucestershire, who won the toss, ploughed towards three batting points. When they declared on 311 for 8, shortly before bad light ended play early, they were within one point of safety. The ECB had warned them that any declarations made with a view to deliberately depriving Lancashire of bonus points would be penalised, but not even the harshest critic would claim that this one one made anything other than perfect tactical sense.Craig Spearman and Phil Weston gave Gloucestershire a sound start after Chris Taylor won the toss, adding 55 before Keedy struck twice. He had Spearman stumped by Warren Hegg for 34 and then bowled Weston for 19 (60 for 2). Gloucestershire reached lunch on a sedate 156 for 2, but shortly after the restart Keedy struck three times in as many overs.But after that flurry of activity, Tim Hancock and Steve Adshead put on a vital 97 for the sixth wicket, and in so doing almost extinguished Lancashire’s slim hopes. Keedy broke the stand, dismissing Hancock and Ian Fisher in quick succession, but Gloucestershire passed 300 – and earned another batting point – before, with the gloom enveloping Old Trafford, both in the skies and the pavilion, they declared.”Although it would obviously be a big disappointment, it wouldn’t be the disaster that being relegated from the Premiership has become in football,” Jim Cumbes, Lancashire’s chief executive, told the Daily Telegraph. “Financially, all counties receive the same central funding no matter which division they are in, and we wouldn’t be looking at a mass exodus of players or anything like that. But we see ourselves as one of the top four or five counties, which doesn’t square with being in the Second Division.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has distanced itself from the scathing comments Wasim Bari, the chairman of selectors, made against David Shepherd. Bari lashed out at Shepherd for a poor performance in the final of the Videocon Cup in Amstelveen, which Pakistan lost to Australia by 17 runs.”We have no comment to offer on this issue. Whatever Bari has said are his personal views and don’t reflect that of the board,” said a PCB spokesman, according to a Reuters report. Bari, a former Pakistan captain, who played 81 Test and 51 one-day internationals, had said that Shepherd was too old and that he should step down from umpiring in international cricket.Meanwhile, Bari stood by his remarks. “I don’t think I said anything different from what people are talking about after the final,” said Bari, in the full knowledge that the International Cricket Council frowns upon its members making negative comments regarding umpires or officials who run the game.The report goes on to say that a source in the board revealed that Bari had been reminded not to make comments about umpiring in the future.

The Women’s Cricket Association of India is undeterred by the BCCI’s postponement of the impending merger between the two boards. The BCCI failed to discuss the matter in the working committee meeting in Thiruvananthapuram last week, but Shubhangi Kulkani, the secretary of the WCAI, remained positive about the issue. “I haven’t heard directly from the BCCI yet,” Kulkarni told Cricinfo, “but from the reports that I have heard they are considering the merger, and are looking into how other countries have merged and they are going to put it up in the next meeting.”According to the Indian board, though they are considering the merger, the matter has been put on hold. SK Nair, the secretary of the BCCI, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, “The recent performances [of the women’s team] have been exceptional and we want to give them due credence. The BCCI will soon allow itself to take a decision on this.”However, contrasting comments have come from the board. “The BCCI has enough on its plate as it is,” a senior official said, according to the daily. “Women’s cricket can wait, currently that’s not the priority.”The ICC has granted time till March 2006 for boards of all countries to complete the merger. Kulkarni informed, “It’s up to the BCCI. The International Women Cricket’s Council had asked all countries to start the merger process in 2003 and it was to be completed by 2005. India is the only country where it has not happened, so that is how we have got this extension of time. It has already taken two years, so [it’s] difficult to say how long will it take.”Kulkarni was also considering contacting Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the BCCI president, to take the matter further. “I have talked to the president and asked him if we can meet and discuss the things in person. They were busy with the meeting and after the meeting they said we would meet, so I have to get in touch with them again.”

Nashua Titans, the current South African Standard Bank Pro20 Cup winners, have named their 15-man squad for the six-team inaugural International 20:20 Club Championship to be held in Leicester from September 15 to17.The squad will be led by Gerard Dros, the Titans middle-order batsman. The team includes Alviro Petersen, an explosive opener who has ripped apart the bowling in domestic competition, while the bowling line-up includes Pierre de Bruyn and Ethy Mbhalati, and the young Albie Morkel, the South Africa one-day player is also selected in the team.Delighted after having qualified for the first-ever Twenty20 club championship, Alex Balfour, director of strategy for investors in cricket, said: “The fact that five of the six teams participating in the inaugural International 20:20 Championship are current or recent domestic 20:20 champions gives this tournament real credibility. We will find out who really is the best team in the world at the 20:20 format.”Richard Pybus, the newly appointed coach of the Nashua Titans, said, “Although we miss some of our national players who are on duty with South Africa and South Africa `A’, we are looking forward to bringing a young and dynamic side. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the younger players in our squad to put down a marker for the rest of the season.”Other teams include Pakistan’s Faisalabad Wolves, Chilaw Marians, English Twenty20 Cup champions Somerset Sabres. Hosts Leicestershire Foxes, and the PCA Masters XI, which will feature a number of current and past England players, will also participate in the tournament.In the first round, teams will be awarded two points for a win and one for a tie with the top two teams in each group going through to the semi-finals. Winners of these will contest the final that evening.Titans squad
1 Maurice Aronstam, 2 Gulam Bodi, 3 Pierre de Bruyn, 4 Gerald Dros (capt), 5 Francois du Plessis, 6 Paul Harris, 7 Ethy Mbhalati, 8 Morné Morkel, 9 Johann Myburgh, 10 Alviro Petersen, 11 Aaron Phangiso, 12 Brendon Reddy, 13 André Seymore, 14 Kruger van Wyk (wk), 15 Albie Morkel

Brian Basson, the United Cricket Board’s operations director, has said that South Africa are unhappy with the way Steve Bucknor and Billy Doctrove, the umpires, applied the bad-light laws on the fifth day of the second Test at Durban.”I wasn’t in Durban myself, but I watched the Test on TV and I wasn’t happy with the state of affairs,” Basoon told supercricket.co.za. “I don’t think the umpires were consistent over the course of the five days.” He has conveyed his disappointment to the ICC.Basoon said that there was no definite rule regarding poor light when the stadium’s artificial lights are in operation. “When the ICC and the umpires met to discuss the rules, they decided that as soon as the flood lights took over from natural light, it would be unfair to continue batting.”Shane Warne trapped last-man Makhaya Ntini leg before with 43 balls remaining in the day to give Australia an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series with one Test to play.

Scorecard
Warren McSkimming took 3 for 18 from 14 overs on the first day at Dunedin to peg back Canterbury. But Gary Stead and Neil Broom swept to an unbeaten partnership of 58 for the fifth wicket to restore Canterbury’s innings – they were 163 for 4 at stumps. The medium-pacer McSkimming continued his strong wicket-taking vein – he took nine wickets in the last match against Auckland – striking twice early on to remove the Papps brothers, Tim and Michael, and reduce the visitors to 15 for 2. They were both out caught. Peter Fulton and Shanan Stewart rescued the innings, lifting Canterbury past the hundred-mark before both tumbled in quick succession, each making 44. Fulton was McSkimming’s third victim, while Aaraon Redmond trapped Stewart lbw. Stead and Broom then lifted them from 105 for 4 by adding 58 before the close of play.
Scorecard
A solid 91 from Alun Evans lifted Northern Districts to 262 on the first day of their State Championship match at the Eden Park Outer Oval. And they dealt Auckland an early blow, removing Bradley-John Watling without scoring to leave the home side 12 for 1 at the close. Evans posted 15 fours and one six on his way to a sparkling 91 from just 100 balls, but the legspinner Brooke Walker trapped him nine short of three figures. Wickets tumbled steadily throughout ND’s innings, but James Marshall stood firm from No. 5, adding 71 before Gareth Shaw ran him out.
Scorecard
Michael Parlane and Jesse Ryder each struck unbeaten half-centuries to cement a solid day’s batting for Wellington at Palmerston North. Central Districts took just two wickets all day as Wellington set about building a platform on the first day at Fitzherbert Park. Matthew Bell (32 including seven fours) and Luke Woodcock (34) shared an opening stand of 59 before both fell within a short time. The wicketkeeper Mathew Sinclair clung on to edges from each of the openers, Bell being undone by Ewen Thompson’s fast-medium pace, and Regan West claiming Woodcock’s wicket. But Wellington’s third-wicket pairing of Parlane (52 not out) and Ryder (55 not out) strode on from 72 for 2 to post an unbeaten stand of 126 by the close.

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

Careless shots and a flurry of wickets aside, South Africa raced to a victory inside three days after successfully chasing down 217 to beat New Zealand in the third and final Test at Johannesburg. In a frenetic final two sessions, South Africa lost six wickets en route to their target and were deeply indebted to their captain’s second fifty in the game to see them home by four wickets.The tone was set just before lunch when, faced with an uncomfortable nine overs and chasing a middling target of 217, Smith and his opening partner Boeta Dippenaar set off like a rocket. Dippenaar was the aggressor, crunching four boundaries to settle South Africa’s nerves who went to lunch on 49 without loss; before this game, only three times had South Africa successfully chased down more than 200 runs in the fourth innings. They were let off by New Zealand’s bowlers, though, who wasted the new ball and handed the momentum – at a key stage of the match – to the batsmen.Smith and Dippenaar continued their confident start after lunch, too. And much as South Africa’s bowlers had suffered with their lengths in the morning, so did New Zealand in the afternoon session. Too often, Martin bowled short allowing the batsmen to rock back and power him through the covers. When he did pitch it up, batting was trickier, as Dippenaar found out when a fuller delivery caught his outside edge and flew to Brendon McCullum to end a 69-run opening partnership.Undaunted, Smith continued to hit boundaries to take the initiative away from New Zealand, powering Scott Styris for a vicious four over midwicket before clobbering James Franklin for two further fours. His fifty – his second of the match – came up with a crunching back-foot drive which rather signalled that the end was nigh for New Zealand.With South Africa settled on 114 for 1, Stephen Fleming turned to Daniel Vettori for a breakthrough who was immediately sent packing; coming down the pitch, Smith lofted him over his head for four, narrowly avoiding long-on, before smashing him for six off the next delivery. Vettori didn’t bowl again in the innings.Smith got carried away, though. After glancing Franklin fine for another four, he got cramped for room attempting the same shot. Hashim Amla, too, paid the price for over-eagerness – anyone would think they had a train to catch. After playing reasonably well for his 28, with the game seemingly in the bag, a lazy flick through midwicket off Kyle Mills saw the ball cannon into his stumps. It was a poor, careless dismissal from a batsman who too frequently flits between the excellent and the dreadful.Mills, bowling with surprising pace and lift, accounted for Jacques Kallis too. And when Franklin bowled AB de Villiers for 8, South Africa’s bullish counterattacking started to look a little foolish, especially considering the amount of time still left in the game. However Ashwell Prince – who is fast becoming South Africa’s second middle-order rock – remained solid, calmly picking up singles to take South Africa home safely with an unbeaten 43.Given the nervy run-chase – this is only the fourth time South Africa have successfully chased over 200 runs in the fourth innings – New Zealand were perhaps only fifty runs short of setting South Africa a truly testing total. With Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori both playing sensibly, seemingly unflustered in the morning session, a target in excess of 250 was within their grasp. Oram misjudged the length from Dale Steyn, though, ballooning a difficult but well-held chance to de Villiers at mid-off to end their 49-run stand.Vettori and Franklin were similarly untroubled for much of the morning; as South Africa’s shoulders dropped, so did the bowler’s lengths. Time and again Vettori was allowed to rock back and hammer fours through the off-side, or glance a fortunate edge down to his favoured third-man region. Curiously, Shaun Pollock was held back from the attack until the 15th over and it was he who broke through Franklin’s thoroughly impressive defence. Andrew Hall then mopped up the rest as New Zealand stumbled, failing to add to their score having sat comfortably on 283 for 7.That South Africa were so keen on finishing the job in double-quick time said much about a side that has, on occasions this season, struggled to take the initiative and close the door on their opponents. Their aggression paid dividends, however, and Smith – who received the Man-of-the-Match award for his two fifties – has ended the season on a winning note and, at last, with runs to his name.

How they were out

South AfricaBoeta Dippenaar c McCullum b Martin 37 (69 for 1)
Graeme Smith b McCullum b Franklin 68 (130 for 2)
Hashim Amla b Mills 28 (156 for 3)
Jacques Kallis c How b Mills 13 (167 for 4)
AB de Villiers b Franklin 5 (180 for 5)
Mark Boucher b Franklin 6 (202 for 6)
New ZealandJacob Oram c Dippenaar b Steyn 27 (239 for 7)
James Franklin b Pollock 19 (283 for 8)
Daniel Vettori c de Villiers b Hall 60 (283 for 9)
Chris Martin c Amla b Hall 0 (283 all out)

Bangladesh have named Saqibul Hasan and Forhad Reza, two young allrounders, in their 15-man squad for the tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya following outstanding performances with the youth teams over the past year.Hasan is a left-arm spinner and a middle-order batsman who had an outstanding season with the Bangladesh under-19 squad and is currently with the A squad in Zimbabwe. Reza, a middle-order batsman and a seam bowler, was the top-scorer in last year’s domestic league.Faruq Ahmed, the chief selector said: “They are very good cricketers in all departments of the game. We have high hopes from them and it’s time for them to perform at the international level.”Tushar Imran, the middle order batsman with 35 ODIs under his belt and the left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak were dropped from the side that also sees the return of Mushfiqur Rahim, the U-19 captain. Bangladesh, who beat Kenya 4-0 in a one-day series at home earlier this year, will leave for Nairobi on July 16.They will play three one-day matches against Kenya on July 19, 22 and 23. Habibul Bashar’s team will also play five one-dayers against Zimbabwe starting on July 29.Squad Habibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful, Shahriar Nafees, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Farhad Reza, Saqibul Hasan, Alok Kapali

Scorecard

Western Australia stumbled in their bid to keep their slim final hopes alive, wobbling to 2 for 23 in reply to South Australia’s 260. Ryan Harris struck twice as the Warriors faced a shaky 11-over period after the Redbacks again threw away a promising start to their own innings.South Australia were playing only for pride as they tried to avoid the prospect of finishing a season winless for the first time since 1976-77. The Warriors need a win and other results to fall their way to sneak into the Pura Cup decider against Tasmania.Danny McLauchlan, the left-arm fast man in his second first-class match, was Western Australia’s most dangerous bowler and finished with 3 for 75. He removed Darren Lehmann for 66 after Lehmann and Mark Cosgrove showed good signs and took the score to 2 for 125.Lehmann faced 92 deliveries before he edged McLauchlan onto the stumps trying to guide the ball to third man and when Cosgrove departed for 57, the Redbacks had tumbled to 6 for 179. They threatened to fall short of 200 until the lower order mounted a salvage operation, with Harris and Jason Gillespie adding 46 between them.Harris continued to fight with the late dismissals of Justin Langer (10) and Aaron Heal, the night-watchman, for 0. He had both batsmen bowled and only Chris Rogers survived, reaching 12 not out at stumps.

A magnificent 209 runs partnership for the fifth wicket, between opener Kamran Sajid and skipper Faisal Iqbal, enabled Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to gain a big first innings lead over Pakistan Customs, on the second day at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1.PIA ended on 318 for 5, which means that they are now 119 runs ahead of the Customs’ modest first innings effort of 199 all out, with five wickets still in hand. At one stage early in the morning, Customs looked like turning the tide their own way, as four PIA men were back in the pavilion with only 54 scored. The nightwatchman Umar Gul was gone soon after his team resumed at 46 for 2 and Bazid Khan lasted only four balls before perishing for a duck.However, Kamran and Faisal then took control with an excellent display that saw them both scoring centuries. The 22-year-old Kamran from Lahore achieved his career-best knock of 147, playing in his 50th first-class match. The all-rounder, who represented Pakistan at the 2001-02 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, reached his fifth hundred. It was a patient knock, as he stayed at the crease for just over six and a half hours, faced 313 balls and hit 21 boundaries.Faisal has so far scored an unbeaten 107, in almost five and a quarter hours, off 237 deliveries with the help of 15 fours and a six, his fourth century of the season. Even after Kamran’s departure, Faisal found another able partner in the veteran Mahmood Hamid and the two have added 55 for the unbroken sixth-wicket stand.An interesting match is developing at Sheikhupura as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) equaled Service Industries’ first innings score, by the close of play on the second day. However, after Service had been bowled out for 191, ZTBL replied with exactly that amount of runs but they still have a wicket standing.At 65 for 6 it appeared that ZTBL would concede a first innings lead. The seam bowler Asim Butt and opening bowler Jamshed Ahmed had them in deep trouble but then came a useful cameo innings of 42 off 68 balls from wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal, the younger brother of Pakistan stumper Kamran Akmal. He helped add 45 for the seventh-wicket stand with Tanvir Ahmed (19). Later on, the tail-enders Kashif Daud (24) and Siddiq Khan (22 not out) continued the reconstruction.Butt has so far captured a career-best 6 for 29 in 18 overs, his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Earlier, after having resumed at 174-6, Service were all out for 191. Mustansar Ali added only one run to end his innings at 56 and Kashif Daud, a 19-year-old quick bowler, finished with figures of 5 for 47 in 14 overs.Struggling Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) turned the tables on Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) by claiming the crucial first innings lead, on the second day at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex.Faced with KRL’s under-par first innings total of 220, SNGPL were spun out for a poor 157 yesterday that handed KRL a 63-run advantage. By the close KRL had boosted their overall lead to 101 runs with all wickets intact. SNGPL were undone by the off-spin of Saeed Ajmal, who captured 4 for 25 in 17.4 overs. He was ably supported by 3 for 51 from Alamgir Khan. The only bright spot in the SNGPL innings was a 63-run fourth-wicket partnership between the Test duo of Mohammad Hafeez and the skipper skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (28). Hafeez hit 40 off just 56 balls with five fours and a six.Left-arm paceman Sajid Ali finished with 5 for 46 for SNGPL while wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman completed five catches. Even if KRL gain nine points from this match, they’ll remain faced with the danger of relegation to next season’s Grade-II circuit. They were beaten in all their first three matches and are making their last appearance in the league round.On yet another day curtailed by heavy fog and fading light Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) moved to 216 for 6 against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground on Thursday. A thick blanket of fog had reduced the first day’s play on Wednesday to a mere 45 deliveries.On the second morning two wickets fell with the score having got to just 23. Adil Nisar began the recovery with a watchful 37 in a little over two and a quarter hours. Then came an invaluable 123-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Aamer Sajjad top-scored with 74 runs off 139 balls with seven boundaries. Mohammad Sami took 2 for 60 in 18 overs and the medium-fast Yasir Arafat bagged 2 for 51, while Kamran Akmal held two catches.