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A round-up of matches from the Caribbean T20 on Tuesday, January 15, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2013
Scorecard
Trinidad and Tobago have now won four out of their five games in the Caribbean T20 and are at the top of the table. Their latest win came against Windward Islands in St Lucia, and a comprehensive one at that. Windwards batted first and were restricted to 125 for 6, thanks to economical spells from most of T&T’s bowlers. Keddy Lesporis top-scored with 31, but it came off 33 balls, and even Darren Sammy scored at less than a run a ball, making an unbeaten 25 off 27. Legspinner Samuel Badree was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 for 15 in four overs.T&T lost openers Lendl Simmons and William Perkins inside the first five overs but Dwayne Bravo and Darren Bravo ensured there were no further hiccups. Both struck half-centuries, Darren striking four fours and three sixes, and Dwayne finishing with 62, with five fours and four sixes. Their unbeaten stand of 112 in just 68 balls sealed victory with 22 balls to spare.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jamaica picked up their third win in the Caribbean T20, beating Guyana by five wickets in St Lucia. Jamaica chose to field and they had Guyana in trouble very early in the innings, the fast-bowling combination of Sheldon Cotterrell and Andre Russell rattling the Guyana top order. The pair shared six wickets between them, Russell taking four of them, and reduced Guyana to 41 for 6. Christopher Barnwell and Royston Crandon added 33 for the seventh wicket, Nikita Miller picked up two wickets and the innings folded for just 93.Jamaica’s chase suffered an early setback with the loss of two wickets inside the first three overs but Danza Hyatt, Krishmar Santokie followed by Russell chipped in with valuable 20s to see their team home with 11 balls to spare.

Ben Cutting has joined Australia’s squad for the third ODI in Brisbane as cover for Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson, both of whom missed the second game in Adelaide due to minor injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2013Ben Cutting has joined Australia’s squad for the third ODI in Brisbane as cover for Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson, both of whom missed the second game in Adelaide due to minor injuries.Australia’s selectors are confident Starc and Johnson will both be fit to play against Sri Lanka at the Gabba on Friday but have chosen to have Cutting on hand as a precaution. Cutting, who is based in Brisbane, made his one-day international debut in the loss in Adelaide, where he scored 27 and picked up 1 for 42.”Ben is here in Brisbane as a precaution due to Johnson and Starc coming back from injury,” John Inverarity, the national selector, said. “If both pace bowlers prove their fitness to play as expected, Ben will re-join the Brisbane Heat on Friday afternoon for the Big Bash League final.”Starc missed the Adelaide game due to mild calf soreness and Johnson was a late withdrawal due to a side injury.

A round-up of Group B Women’s World Cup games held in Cuttack on February 1, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2013
ScorecardSarah Coyte took 3 for 20 in ten overs for Australia•Associated Press

A century from middle-order batsman Sophie Devine and a half-century from captain Suzie Bates was backed up by a combined bowling effort as New Zealand defeated South Africa by 151 runs in Cuttack. The strong total of 321 was built round the third-wicket stand of 128 between Bates and Devine, and a 101-run stand off 43 deliveries for the fifth wicket between Devine and Nicola Browne. South Africa, in reply, lost wickets regularly, and no one scored more than 37 as they capitulated for 170.South Africa’s openers were dismissed by the sixth over, and they couldn’t recover. Seamer Morna Nielsen and Lea Tahuhu destroyed the top order, and South Africa slumped to 82 for 7 in the 21st over. Susan Benade and Shabnim Ismail tried to rescue South Africa, adding 72 runs in quick time, but left-arm seamer Sian Ruck, who finished with four wickets, mopped up the tail.New Zealand’s bowlers had the cushion provided by commanding batting from their batsmen. Although openers Lucy Doolan and Lucy Satterthwaite were dismissed quickly, the middle order responded soundly. Devine, who struck 13 fours and six sixes in her knock of 145, off 131 balls, saw her side through to the end of the innings.”It feels great to have scored my first ODI century for New Zealand. There were a few plays and misses but I’m delighted to have helped us to our first win of the tournament,” Devine said after the game. “You never quite feel like you’re comfortable at the crease, you had to graft to stay there and after Suzie [Bates] departed it was good to have Sara [McGlashan] and Nicola Browne there to help the total go even higher.”We really concentrated on bowling nice tight lines and we had them [South Africa] instantly under pressure which I think helped to change their batting mindset. A couple of their players looked in good form, including their captain [Mignon] du Preez but we were consistent and patient and it worked in our favour.”Du Preez said her side had learned hard lessons. “We didn’t take the chances that we created up front when we were fielding. We missed out on removing Sophie Devine for 11 and she made us pay a heavy price for that. Our lines and length were wrong and the fielding was not at our best. Losing wickets in clusters also prevented us from forming partnerships and all those things combined were our downfall.”
ScorecardA strong bowling performance, led by seamer Sarah Coyte, helped Australia beat Pakistan by 91 runs in a Group B match in Cuttack.Set a target of 176, Pakistan’s batting order crumbled as only two batsmen had scores in double figures. Bismah Maroof was the only batsman to resist the Australian bowlers, scoring 43 of her team’s 84 runs. Coyte took three wickets, and was ably supported by medium pacers Ellyse Perry, Holly Ferling and offspinner Lisa Sthalekar, who all took two wickets apiece.Having chosen to bat, Australia did not get off to the best start, losing wickets regularly. A third-wicket partnership of 44 runs between opener Rachael Haynes and Alex Blackwell stabilised the innings a little before Blackwell was dismissed by Asmavia Iqbal. Coyte then added 45 important runs for the seventh-wicket with Sthalekar (32) and remained unbeaten on 35.

India’s full tour of New Zealand in early 2014 is likely to be trimmed to two Tests, two ODIs and two T20Is to enable the team to participate in the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India in February-March

Sidharth Monga and Nagraj Gollapudi01-Mar-2013India’s full tour of New Zealand in early 2014 is likely to be trimmed to two Tests, two ODIs and two T20Is to enable the team to participate in the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in India in February-March. The ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) has India scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and a single Twenty20 international at that time and the BCCI, committed in principle to hosting the Asia Cup, has been in negotiations with NZC.So far no formal agreement has been reached between the boards, but ESPNcricinfo understands that the new trimmed New Zealand schedule will have a maximum of 14 days of international cricket against the 21 originally penned in the FTP. Incidentally, both the New Zealand tour and the Asia Cup will be broadcast by NEO. It has been reliably learned that in the contract that Nimbus, owners of NEO, signed, it was made aware of a possible change in the original itinerary for the New Zealand tour. Nimbus announced the new deal two days ago, committing to broadcast to India all international cricket from New Zealand till 2020.For the administrators in New Zealand, it is a matter of relief there is any tour at all: sources in NZC have told ESPNcricinfo there was concern over the tour being called off but several months of negotiations between the two boards – including one-on-ones at ICC meetings – ensured an amicable arrangement for all parties. The representatives of both boards have been individually discussing the matter during ICC meetings.It is not yet known if the BCCI will compensate the NZC: India tours are a major source of revenue for all boards given the high TV viewership in India and a large expatriate community settled all over the cricketing world.India have a busy first half of 2014. They return from South Africa towards the end of January, are scheduled to go to New Zealand in February, and then go to Bangladesh either side of the IPL for the World Twenty20 and a short three-ODI series. The schedule has been made tighter by the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) offer to India to host the Asia Cup in February-March, which the BCCI is likely to take up.

Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season

George Dobell08-Apr-2013Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season.Petersen, who has signed as club’s overseas player for the first part of the season, has been detained in South Africa to complete fitness tests for the national board. He will fly on Tuesday night and arrive in London on Wednesday morning, leaving little time to complete the necessary formalities and travel to Chester-le-Street for the match against Durham.”He will arrive in London on Wednesday morning,” Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s new director of cricket told ESPNcricinfo, “so it’s unlikely we can get him through customs and up to Durham in time.”Petersen’s absence is a blow to Somerset. They are already without Nick Compton, who is being rested on the order of England following his impressive efforts for England over the winter, and hoped that Petersen could help plug the gap.They do welcome back the seamer Alfonso Thomas, however, who had an agreement with the club to prioritise the Championship over any potential IPL contract. Somerset were second in the Championship in 2012, equalling their best-ever finish.Warwickshire, last season’s champions, are also set to be missing a key player, with Chris Woakes rested on the orders of the ECB. The allrounder is suffering from fatigue, so will not be available again Derbyshire. Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin are also out, with Dougie Brown, Warwickshire’s new coach, confirming that Oliver Hannon-Dalby and 20-year-old Tom Milns will form the bowling attack alongside Chris Wright.

Miguel Cummins ripped through the Trinidad & Tobago line-up to dismiss them for 110 on the first day of the regional four-day final at Kensington Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2013
ScorecardMiguel Cummins ripped through the Trinidad & Tobago line-up to dismiss them for 110 on the first day of the regional four-day final at Kensington Oval. The Barbados top order built on Cummins’ third five-wicket haul of the tournament to end the day 34 runs in front with eight wickets standing.T&T were in early trouble after Barbados chose to bowl on a grassy surface, Cummins taking four of the first five wickets to have the visitors limping at 19 for 5. He had Adrian Barath and Yannick Cariah caught off successive deliveries in his second over, and sent back Jason Mohammed in his third. At the other end, Kemar Roach accounted for Lendl Simmons.The T&T lower order fought briefly, No 9 Rayad Emrit leading the way with 34 and No 7 Stephen Katwaroo chipping in with 24. Cummins completed his five-for, removing Emrit to end the innings in the 38th over.Kraigg Brathwaite and Rashidi Boucher, with a breezy 46, put on 62 upfront for Barbados and captain Kirk Edwards followed up with 48 before falling late in the day to Simmons. Brathwaite was unbeaten on a patient 49.Cummins’ showing took the 22-year old’s tournament haul to 31 wickets, the most by a fast bowler. “Things have been going great for me this season,” Cummins said. “This is my first full season playing for Barbados at the senior regional level. I had one match last year and it didn’t work out that well, but I was determined and came back and told myself ‘this year would be my year’.”We are going to look to bat the whole day on Friday, but if we have to bowl at all, I’ll be looking to come out bowling as hard again as I did on the first day.”

The MCC has revealed a 25-year Masterplan for the development of Lord’s to maintain the ground’s status as the finest in the world and to secure Two Test matches and two ODIs every year.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2013

Gatting to be MCC president

Mike Gatting, the former England captain, will become the next president of MCC when he takes over from Mike Griffith on October 1.

Gatting, who played 79 Tests, retired from first-class cricket in 1998 having hit more than 36,500 first-class runs at an average of 49.52 and is now Managing Director of Cricket Partnerships at ECB.

“Few people are so closely identified with Lord’s as Mike Gatting,” Griffith said. “He made Lord’s his home for Middlesex, and made more appearances for the county than any other player. He was an excellent and a particularly brave batsman for England, and he has continued to serve cricket with a dedication and passion that is unstinting for both ECB and MCC.
“Mike’s absolute priority is the good of cricket – he cares for and thinks deeply about the game. He has already done so much for MCC and Middlesex – it is fitting that someone of his cricketing stature should be president during this great ground’s Bicentenary in 2014.”

The MCC has revealed a 15-year Masterplan for the development of Lord’s to maintain the ground’s status as the finest in the world and to secure two Test matches and two ODIs every year.The project, compiled by the MCC Ground Working Party and publicised to members at the club’s AGM, will cost up to £200 million, begin in 2014 will the final phase schedule to get underway in 2027.The development will see the capacity increase by 2,700 with the Warner, Tavern, Allen, Compton and Edrich stands rebuilt and the pavilion extended. A new entrance will be created on Grove End Road behind the pavilion, which will supersede the Grace Gates as the member’s entrance, and the existing entrances will be upgraded to better cater for large attendances.The new stands, Grove End Road entrance and new Thomas Lord building will be completed by 2017 and be funded by current MCC resources. The development will pause in 2019 when England host the World Cup before continuing with the rebuilding of the Compton and Edrich Stands and work on the Nursery Ground – a new food street, ECB offices and the removal of the Nursery pavilion to move the playing area towards Wellington Road.”This Masterplan has cricket at its heart,” MCC president Mike Griffith said. “Every MCC Member cares deeply for our wonderful ground and we have a duty to ensure any changes made to Lord’s reflect the love we have for cricket, its history and its heritage. This Masterplan will reinforce the special place the ground has within the game by making it even better for every player and spectator who comes here.”Colin Maber, the chairman of MCC’s Ground Working Party and Estates committee, added: “The Masterplan has been designed to provide a framework within which Ground development over the next 15 years can be set.”The phased approach allows room for flexibility and evolution. Our key principles – on the absolute need to retain the size of both grounds, on keeping Lord’s as a Ground rather than making it a stadium, on the importance of green open spaces, and on enhancing the experience for every visitor – will underpin all we do. It is advanced work in progress, but can be flexed to reflect changing economic circumstances, technology and research.”

Full text of the media release issued by the BCCI in response to Pune Warriors’ withdrawal from the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013The BCCI has read in media reports that Sahara has purported to terminate its franchise agreement and to pull out of IPL, the 2014 season onwards. The BCCI has had no direct communication from its franchisee, Sahara Adventure Sports Limited, in this regard.The BCCI can however confirm that, in order to satisfy the balance of the 2013 franchise fee of Rs. 120 crore, which was overdue and owing to BCCI since 3 April 2013, it has encashed part of the bank guarantee put in place by Sahara Adventure Sports Limited.The IPL Governing Council met with representatives of the franchisee on 21 February 2013 and received assurances that the franchisee would settle all obligations as they fell due. Once the 3 April 2013 due date had passed, the Governing Council had two letters sent to Sahara Adventure Sports Limited – one on 12 April 2013 and the second on 24 April 2013 – requesting settlement of the overdue amount. No payment was made and no response was received to the second letter and so, in order to protect its interests, the BCCI was forced to encash the guarantee.While it is true that the arbitration has not progressed, the BCCI cannot be held responsible since every one of the eminent retired judges suggested by the BCCI was not found acceptable by the franchisee. In order to break this impasse, a letter was sent to Sahara Adventure Sports Limited, proposing that as the claimant to the arbitration, it should approach the court to appoint an arbitrator so that the process could move forward. Again, no response was received to this suggestion.The BCCI has at all times acted in accordance with its franchise agreement with Sahara Adventure Sports Limited, and is not able to enter into a private negotiation on the quantum of the franchise fee which was offered by Sahara Adventure Sports Limited in its response to the Invitation to Tender floated by the BCCI in March 2010.Sanjay Jagdale
Hony. Secretary
BCCI

India beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the sixth match of the Top End Under-19 Series.

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2013
ScorecardMedium-pacer Deepak Hooda took 3 for 26 to help India secure a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the sixth match of the Top End Under-19 Series in Darwin. India had already made it to the final, but the defeat ended New Zealand’s hopes of qualifying and, as a result, Australia will take on India on July 12.After electing to bat, New Zealand were immediately put on the defensive with some restrictive bowling from India. Medium-pacer Abhimanyu Lamba made the first breakthrough, bowling opener Tim Seifert out for five in the 10th over. New Zealand continued to lose wickets regularly and failed to create any substantial partnership. The runs came mainly from Kyle Jamieson, who top-scored with 34, hitting two fours.Offspinner Aamir Gani picked up two wickets, while medium-pacers Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Saif took a wicket each to dismiss New Zealand for 119 within 48 overs.In reply, India got off to a shaky start, losing openers Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar within the first ten overs. But Vijay Zol and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson stabilised the innings, putting up 48 runs for the third wicket. Zol, who hit six fours and one six during his 70-ball 46, took India home with more than 25 overs remaining.

Ryan Harris is no certainty to play in the final Investec Ashes Test at The Oval as Australia’s selectors consider his long-term importance ahead of the home Ashes series later this year

Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2013Ryan Harris is no certainty to play in the final Investec Ashes Test at The Oval as Australia’s selectors consider his long-term importance ahead of the home Ashes series later this year. Harris was outstanding at Chester-le-Street, where his seven-wicket haul in the second innings and nine for the match gave Australia a victory chance that was not grasped by the batsmen, but the 47 overs he bowled was the most he has ever sent down in a Test.His relentless speed, accuracy and aggression caused problems for England’s batsmen and despite having not played in the first Test at Trent Bridge, Harris is now Australia’s leading wicket taker in the series with 20 victims at 19.25 and is second only to Graeme Swann from either side. But his injury history – this is the first time he has ever made it through three consecutive Tests unscathed – will be considered by the selectors in the lead-up to The Oval.”We would love him to play,” coach Darren Lehmann said. “He is exceptional. The extra day would be good because there’s only a week before the next game. To be perfectly honest, we will be extra careful with him. We have to make sure he is right come the next Test series.”He is so valuable to us, as he showed in the past few games. We would have loved to have played him in the first Test but he wasn’t quite right. He has shown his value since then. If he is in any doubt of getting through he won’t play.”Harris is without question an impact bowler, the kind of man who can run through a batting line-up, and he has collected 67 wickets at 22.32 in his 15 Test appearances. Harris has missed far more Tests than he has played but has still managed to bustle his way into the top ten of the ICC Test bowling rankings, sitting at No.7, behind Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Rangana Herath, Saeed Ajmal, Peter Siddle and Swann.”He’s top three or four I reckon,” Lehmann said. “But that’s a totally biased opinion isn’t it, I’ve had him for years [as coach of Queensland]. I just reckon he’s outstanding in what he gives to the team and how he bowls and he just gets good players out, doesn’t he? The wickets he’s got have been high end all series. He’s blown England away a few times.”Should Australia rest Harris the logical replacement would be Mitchell Starc, who has bowled well in patches during this series, including a searching spell of reverse swing at Old Trafford. Starc made way for Jackson Bird at Chester-le-Street and while Bird also bowled well at times, swinging the ball away and building pressure, he also lacked the pace to offer the kind of threat posed by Harris.”I thought he was good in patches,” Lehmann said of Bird. “He was really good at certain stages of the game and then bowled poorly in other patches and he knows that. He’s a great young kid. Hopefully he’ll get his chance to bowl again at The Oval and impress again.”The make-up of Australia’s attack will also depend on the fitness of Shane Watson, who has developed into their first-change option this series due to his accuracy and economy. The Australians believe they need a fifth bowler and after Watson left the field halfway through one of his overs on Sunday with pain in his right hip/groin region, there remains uncertainty over whether he will be able to bowl at The Oval.If Watson is unable to bowl it would be difficult for him to keep his place as a batsman only, despite his impressive first-innings 68 at Chester-le-Street. One possibility would be to include James Faulkner or Ashton Agar as a bowling allrounder at No.7 and move Brad Haddin up to No.6, but such decisions will not be considered until Australia find out more about the injury to Watson, who fielded and batted after suffering the pain.”I’ll sum that up with the medical staff in the next couple of days,” Lehmann said. “I hope he’s bowling. That’s what he’s picked in the side to do, bat and bowl. And I thought he bowled really well in the first innings and batted well. But we need him bowling. We like to have five bowlers. England can have four at the moment because we’re not batting well enough at the moment and that’s a simple fact of life.”He’d be a chance [to play as a batsman only] because he played very well but he’s got to value add and he value adds when he’s bowling. So we’ll just have to sit down and see how he goes.”