All posts by csb10.top

North West breeze to innings victory

by csb10.top Uncategorized

ScorecardNorth West Frontier Province swept to an innings-and-85-run victory at Peshawar as Sind crumbled for 137 in their second innings. Nauman Habib took five wickets as the visitors folded in another poor batting display.The day had started reasonably well for them as they removed the last three NWFP wickets for 12 runs, with Anwar Ali claim a five-wicket haul, but that still gave the home side a lead of 222. Habib then set able dismantling Sind’s second attempt, striking twice in two balls early on. He was well supported by Shakeel-ur-Rehman, who added to his three first-innings strikes with four more wickets.Afsar Nawaz was the only batsman to offer serious resistance with 44, but could do nothing to prevent a three-day defeat.
ScorecardBaluchistan’s batsman struggled on the fourth day against Punjab and were forced to follow-on. At stumps in their second innings, they had limped to 42 for 2 with Mohammad Hafeez removing both the openers.Baluchistan began the day on a slippery 50 for 2, and never truly threatened to challenge Punjab’s vast first innings of 526 for 8. Abdur Rehman, the slow left-armer, picked up 4 for 85 while Bilal Khilji was the only man to pass 50. He fell for 70 from 117 balls when he chipped a return catch back to Rehman as Baluchistan’s tail offered little resistance.Predictably, Punjab forced the follow-on and Baluchistan fared no better in their second innings, with Hafeez trapping Shoaib Khan jnr and Usman Tariq leg-before within moments of eachother. At stumps, Baluchistan still trailed by a daunting 213.

Coaching an option now – Saleem Malik

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Saleem Malik said he has an offer to play from the ICL © AFP
 

Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, has said coaching is an option now that he can legally participate in cricketing activities. On Thursday Malik had his life ban for his part in the 1994-95 match-fixing scandal lifted by a Pakistan court and he is now looking at options to resume his involvement in the game.”I was also offered to play in the ICL by my good friend Kapil Dev,” Malik told the . “IPL is an option too, if a team wants me as a coach.”The Pakistan Cricket Board banned Malik in 2000 after an inquiry commission led by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum found him guilty of bribing Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Mark Waugh to lose the Karachi Test in 1994-95. Malik, who maintained his innocence, appealed the decision in 2001.After his appeal was rejected he approached the Supreme Court, which decided in May this year that the appeal should be heard at a lower court. Malik said he had gone through hell for nine years.”I was even exonerated by the Justice Ebrahim commission, but the PCB weren’t satisfied,” he said. “They were out to get me and Justice Qayyum got me banned. What bothered me was seeing the sense of shame in my kids’ eyes.”I came from a humble family and could not study much. My dream was to seek admission for my sons in Aitchison College, Lahore’s best school. But after my life ban, my kids were denied admission there. Now they can hold their heads high.”Malik hoped the former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin would also have his life ban for his involvement in match-fixing lifted. “I can imagine what he’s going through,” Malik said.

Top picks and dummy spits

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Ben Hilfenhaus: “Good for a dummy spit or a thrown club” on the golf course © Getty Images
 

Michael Dighton might never play for Australia but according to one of his team-mates he’s got a skill that makes him extra special regardless. When the Tasmania fast bowler Chris Duval was asked what talent he wished he had, his response was: “I wish I could put my whole finger up my nose like Michael Dighton”. It’s amazing what can be learnt from the player profiles on the state teams’ websites.Dighton himself provides an insight into what one might see at a Tasmania celebration. What makes him laugh the most? “Dan Marsh on the dancefloor”. But Michael, since when has making fun of your captain been a good career move?For another Tiger, Brendan Drew, the funniest thing is Ben Hilfenhaus on a golf course. Apparently “he is good for a dummy spit or a thrown club with a little winding up”. So, what talent does Hilfenhaus wish he had? “Golf short game”. Spot on, Brendan.Hilfenhaus probably has more hope of developing his desired skill than his slightly pale colleague Dane Anderson. He craves the ability to tan and his favourite place is in the shade. Another good spot to be might be well away from his team-mate Alex Doolan, who was asked what songs he sings in the shower. His response: “Don’t sing or shower”.Nor apparently does Ed Cowan, the New South Wales opener. At least he clarified things: “I only bathe”. Cowan is one of the few Blues who didn’t nominate Doug Bollinger as the biggest source of laughs. But are they chuckling Dougie or him?Grant Lambert said the funniest person was “Doug Bollinger, but only when he is not trying to be funny”. Dominic Thornely, the stand-in captain, nominated “Doug Bollinger in all forms of life”. The Test squad must be rolling in the dressing-rooms having Bollinger in the group in India for a month.The New South Wales medical staff might need to chat to their ex-Victorian import Peter Nevill about the healthy food pyramid. When asked what he most likes on a sandwich, he answered “salt”. Only marginally more acceptable was the nominated sandwich filling of Western Australia’s Josh Mangan, who crams his bread full of hundreds and thousands.Another Warrior, Liam Davis, won points with Cricket Australia for giving one of their sponsors a free plug. He likes “a piece of the colonel’s chicken,mayo and lettuce on a sesame seed bun”. On a related topic, there is a gap in the profile of the New South Wales fast bowler Aaron Bird. According to the Blues’ website, he doesn’t have a Twenty20 nickname. At least, not since the preferred choice of Bird – “Flu” – was deemed inappropriate for the KFC Twenty20 a couple of years ago.Those New South Wales boys have always had a knack for mastering the original Twenty20 nickname. One of the best is Greg “Junk” Mail, although as one of the competition’s most dour batsman he rarely gets to use it. But the most inventive new entry for 2008-09 has to be Ben “Southerner” Rohrer.Rohrer nominated Steve Waugh and Brian Lara as the posters he had in his room as a child and, naturally, most of the answers to this question revolved strongly around cricket. But perhaps the most intriguing response came from Western Australia’s Theo Doropoulos, who during his formative years gazed up at “Thomas the Tank Engine before moving on to Pamela Anderson”. Let’s hope there were quite a few years in between.”Posters of bands and cars – real bogan stuff!” was the admission of Mitchell Johnson, who has now moved to Western Australia in line with the state’s confusing-name-based recruitment policy. They already have a Michael Johnson and a Matt Johnston. If only they can lure the other Michael Johnson, a Queensland rookie, they will have the complete set.The Warriors have also picked up a fast bowler who is bound to put the frighteners into opposition batsmen. His name is Death. Nicholas Death. Pleasingly, his profile suggests he is a fun-loving, golf-playing, -watching 20-year-old. And Death likes to sing . Isn’t that a more agreeable image than fingers up Tasmanian noses?

Badrinath stars in Indian win

by csb10.top Uncategorized


Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

S Badrinath led from the front with an assured half-century © Getty Images
 

Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla shared five wickets to restrict New Zealand to a below-par 167 before S Badrinath hit a polished half-century to ease India A to a five-wicket win. It wasn’t a spectacular chase but the Indians, led by the composed Badrinath, did enough to get past the line, earning a bonus point in the process.With this win all three teams stand equal on four points after the first round of matches. The next round of games will be played in Chennai from September 21.Badrinath started off a touch nervous – understandably, after his failure in the three-day game against Australia A and in the first game of this series – and was hit on the helmet early on by a bouncer from Mark Gillespie. But he settled down with the help of singles before exploding with some breathtaking shots. He took his revenge against Gillespie with a feisty on-the-up punch and a gorgeous extra-cover drive and lofted the offspinners over their heads.Dinesh Kartik rotated the strike well in an important 68-run partnership with Badrinath but fell against the run of play, edging an intended cut shot before the gum-chewing Yusuf Pathan hastened the end with some big hits. However, India’s top order continued to struggle for the second game in a row.Robin Uthappa, who played a delightful pull and a flamboyant flick over midwicket, got carried away and fell, pulling a full-length delivery straight to mid-on; Swapnil Asnodkar didn’t offer a shot to a ball on the off-stump line; Suresh Raina fell to his urge to hit on the up and was taken spectacularly by a diving Martin Guptill at point and Rohit Sharma failed yet again, flicking a slower one tamely to midwicket. It was a typical Rohit innings: a lovely cover drive to keep the purists happy before the characteristic “lazy dismissal”.New Zealand’s start was similarly ominous. Bradley Watling was run out and Guptill fished outside off before James Marshall, the captain today, chipped one straight to short midwicket to leave New Zealand wobbling at 8 for 3. However, Peter Fulton and Neil Broom went about the recovery job in a calculated manner.While Fulton took care of Dhawal Kulkarni, Broom picked runs off Chawla. It was an interesting tussle between Kulkarni and Fulton. Fulton was in trouble against the short-of-length cutters, twice edging just short of Uthappa at slip before he decided to force the bowler to alter his length by walking down the track. When the length shortened he pulled, when it was full he lofted it over the bowler and when the line changed to well outside off, he creamed through the covers.Meanwhile, Broom sussed out pretty quickly that Chawla bowls more googlies than legbreaks and hit him with the turn over the on-side field. He took the left leg out of the way to ping the cowcorner and long-on regions. At 97 for 3, things were looking good for New Zealand when disaster struck. Broom was caught short of the crease by a powerful throw by Raina from deep square leg, Fulton fell rather softly, flicking straight to midwicket and the lower order struggled against Chawla’s googlies. And 167 was never going to be enough on a track that held no demons.

Ashraf given farewell by PCB

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Nasim Ashraf, the former chairman of the Pakistan board, was given a warm send-off by his colleagues after he visited the board headquarters in Lahore on Friday for a farewell meeting. Sohail Mansoor, the board’s spokesman, said it was a “warm and sentimental affair”.Ashraf, who resigned from the PCB after 20 months in charge, spoke about his tenure. “I have a genuine love for cricket and tried my best to take Pakistan cricket where it truly belongs,” he told the . “I may have committed some mistakes during my tenure but my intentions were to promote Pakistan cricket.”I’m leaving the PCB and Pakistan cricket in a good shape and I pray that things get even better in the future.”Ashraf had resigned on August 18, the day that Pervez Musharraf, one of his main beneficiaries and closest allies, stood down as the president of the country.

Solanki and Moore share record stand

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Stephen Moore and Vikram Solanki utterly dominated the second day against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham, batting through among the rain, to end with unbeaten centuries in a second-wicket stand so far worth a mighty 301. By the curtailed close, with only 56.3 overs of the second day, Moore was on 120 and Solanki 179 from 161 balls in what was the highest second-wicket partnership in Worcestershire‘s history, beating the 300 between Philip Weston and Graeme Hick against India in 1996. The pair also brought up personal milestones – Solanki passing 13,000 first-class runs and Moore reaching 1000 runs for the season – as they carried on flawlessly on a decent batting surface. Worcestershire now lead by 42 runs with nine wickets remaining.Glamorgan fought back on the second to leave their game against Essex delicately poised at Garon Park. The visitors wrapped up the Essex innings for the addition of another 67 runs after the batting side resumed on 139 for 5 – level with Glamorgan’s first effort. Essex captain Mark Pettini (21) was unable to add to his overnight score before he was caught at short mid-off in the first over of the morning. The last two wickets added 47 as Glamorgan regretted dropping Graham Napier on 0 at square leg off a skier following an attempted pull. Glamorgan’s second innings suggested the wicket had flattened out from the opening day as they reached 252 for 5 at the close with consistent contributions down the order. Robert Croft was unexpectedly promoted to open as a pinch-hitter to take advantage of the new ball but he soon edged through off Napier. Conventional opening pair Richard Grant (75) and Gareth Rees (62) then put on 120 for the second wicket before a flurry of wickets gave Essex the ascendancy once more. Michael Powell (36 not out) and Mark Wallace (26 not out) added an unbeaten 62 for the sixth wicket to leave Glamorgan 185 runs in front on a slightly truncated day owing to rain which lopped off seven overs.HD Ackerman’s agonising 199 boosted Leicestershire to a strong 432. The side were helped by Tom Smith – the on-loan Lancashire player registering his maiden Championship fifty from 28 matches – and Claude Henderson, who was unbeaten on 53. Ian Salisbury took the final three wickets to end with a haul of 5 for 87. Darren Maddy and Navdeep Poonia began the reply for Warwickshire when play was called off for the day at Grace Road.There was no play on Thursday between Northamptonshire and Derbyshire at Chesterfield because of rain.

The leaders Nottinghamshire slipped to 114 for 4 in reply to Durham‘s 266, with Bilal Shafayat carrying their hopes through an unbeaten fifty at Trent Bridge. Only 32 overs were played, but it was enough for Steve Harmison to claim two wickets after being left out of the Test team, including Matt Wood in the 3.4 overs of the morning session. Callum Thorp and Dale Benkenstein also make inroads to leave the match finely balanced.Solid innings from Zander de Bruyn and Marcus Trescothick launched a positive reply for Somerset after Sussex reached 419 at Horsham. Justin Langer could only manage 15 before being removed by Robin Martin-Jenkins but the second-wicket pair continued undaunted until Jason Lewry broke the stand when it was worth 141. Trescothick departed not long afterwards, another victim for Martin-Jenkins, falling eight short of his century and Peter Trego fell shortly before the close to Luke Wright.Yasir Arafat took six wickets to finish off Hampshire for 367, but Joe Denly and Rob Key responded well with an opening stand of 110, Kent ending up on 241 for 3 at Canterbury. Key was dropped on 33 at slip and Denly was given two lives, on 24 at mid-off and 28 in the slips. Both batsmen will have been frustrated to miss out on their centuries after being given second chances, while Imran Tahir had two victims in his pocket. Hampshire’s last five wickets fell for 40 and that could prove crucial in the final outcome.Only 13.3 overs were possible at Headingley, where Yorkshire added 30 runs without any loss before play was called off at 1.40pm. They still trail Surrey by 124 runs but crucially have all ten wickets remaining in their first innings and are well placed to erase the deficit.

Stage set for Hong Kong to prove themselves

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Hong Kong’s inexperienced players hope to gain plenty by competing against stronger opponents in the Asia Cup © AFP
 

While he knows all too well how tough it will be for his inexperienced side to beat India and Pakistan, Hong Kong captain Tabarak Dar sees the Asia Cup as an excellent opportunity to learn and develop.The tournament starts in Karachi on June 24, and Dar believes it will encourage Hong Kong and other smaller sides to lift their game in the future. “I believe this [Asia Cup] is a very good chance to play with big guns Pakistan and India, the two world-class outfits,” he told the , a Pakistan daily. “And if we are able to compete with them it would only benefit Hong Kong cricket.”Even though our task is very tough, we are pretty optimistic of putting up a good show here because the stage is set for our lads to prove everyone where we stand in international cricket.”Hong Kong lost both their matches in the previous Asia Cup in 2004. They play hosts Pakistan on Tuesday and India the next day.”At the end of the day, we are not here on holidays,” said Dar, 32. “Our aim is to be competitive in this tournament and try to create an upset or two. Playing alongside the best teams will be a good learning process for my team.”While Dar could not single out any one player to watch out for, he had confidence in his team. “There are individuals in this squad who are capable of big things,” he said. “Basically, ours is a side that contains all-round players. However, we are pinning our bowling hopes on Nadeem Ahmed, who was a youngster when we played in Sri Lanka in 2004.””Straight after the Asia Cup we have the ACC Trophy, so we are looking at it as an opportunity to play against bigger Test nations and show the world where we stand here and then in the ACC Trophy,” said Dar.Aftab Habib, Hong Kong’s coach, admitted they were up against the odds. “We are a very small team but this Asia Cup gives us an opportunity to know where we stand against bigger teams and it is a huge stepping stone for us,” Habib, a former England Test player who took over as coach 10 months ago, told . “I am honoured to be associated with Hong Kong cricket and by now have got to know the boys well and the goal for me is to take them further.”

Form book points to India

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Match facts

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Start time 15.00 (local), 9.00 (GMT)

India might be tempted to hand Yusuf Pathan a one-day debut, especially after his sparkling performances in the recent IPL © Cricinfo Ltd
 

The Big Picture

Overworked v Undercooked probably sums up the state of the two title contenders in the tri-series. India travel-weary bunch are probably more match-ready but they will be up against a set of players who’re coming off an extended rest. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has lost just one series since being handed captaincy (against Australia) but it would require his side to stop a side coming off a 12-game winning streak.India taking on Pakistan in a neutral venue was almost a norm in the ’90s – when the teams faced off in conditions as diverse as Sharjah, Toronto and Singapore – but the two sides have managed that only for five games in the last five years. The form guide also looks slightly different from the last decade – India have an 8-3 advantage in the last 11 games – and have a side that’s learnt how to hold its nerve in the crunch.Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has wished for his side to hand India a drubbing. The result of the game may not have a bearing on the finalists in this tournament but the confidence built up will no doubt come in handy during the Asia Cup and Champions Trophy – two titles both sides would want in their kitty.

Form guide – India

Last five matches: WWWLW (most recent first)
Player to watch: India might be tempted to hand Yusuf Pathan a one-day debut, especially after his sparkling performances in the recent IPL. Apart from his explosive batting skills, which will no doubt come in handy lower down the order, he could be useful with his fastish offbreaks and electric intensity on the field. He’s shown the ability to clear the boundary under pressure and often guided his side – the Rajasthan Royals – in tense run-chases.

Form guide – Pakistan

Last five matches: WWWWW (most recent first)
Player to watch: Wahab Riaz’s three wickets set up Pakistan’s big win the other night but this will be his first real test. His three ODIs and a Twenty20 have all come against lesser opposition and it will be interesting to see how he stands up to a relatively stronger batting line-up. India, on the other hand, will be wary of one of the rising stars in Pakistan cricket, someone whose rhythmic action and pace has already caught the eye.

Team news

Virender Sehwag didn’t practice on match-eve but Gary Kirsten, the coach, said it was only because of a slight cold. India would want to try out a few options early in the tournament – particularly giving Yusuf a chance.The series offers India a chance to rotate a few players, allowing a few to get some valuable rest. Ishant Sharma would be expected to take the new ball and there could be a toss up between RP Singh and Praveen Kumar to share it. Piyush Chawla would lead a spin department with Yusuf, Yuvraj Singh and Sehwag providing back-up.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Robin Uthappa, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Ishant Sharma.Pakistan are unlikely to change the combination that comprehensively beat Bangladesh. Fawad Alam, the left-arm spinner and batsman, didn’t have a great outing but is likely to get another chance with no real spin back-up in the squad.Pakistan (probable): 1 Salman Butt, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Shoaib Malik (capt), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Wahab Riaz.

The last time the teams met at a neutral venue was in 2006, at the DLF Cup in Abu Dhabi © AFP
 

Pitch & conditions

India and Pakistan will play on a different pitch from that which was used for the first game but it is expected to play in similar fashion. Lawson said that the new ball bounced and came on to the bat but Salman Butt, who made 70 against Bangladesh, said there was grip and turn as the ball got older which did not make stroke-making easy.The weather on the eve of the match was clear, after a short shower in the morning when the Indians were going through their fielding drills. It remained sunny through the afternoon and the evening but the climate changes quickly in Dhaka. The BBC’s forecast is for heavy showers.

Stats and trivia

  • India and Pakistan last played at a neutral venue in mid-2006 – the DLF Cup in Abu Dhabi ended with both sides winning one game apiece.
  • Salman Butt has 565 runs in nine matches this year, including two hundreds and three fifties.
  • In four matches, against India, Sohail Tanvir has taken eight wickets at 22.25 apiece.
  • Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni have been involved in five century stands in nine innings against Pakistan.

    Quotes

    ” It [Transition from T20 to ODIs] is something that we’ve given consideration and thought to. We need to make sure that our game plans and strategies are designed for 50-over cricket. It is different from what you’re doing in the IPL. So we’ve worked hard over the last two days at getting our shapes right, our game plans right as to how we’re going to play the 50-over format.
    Gary Kirsten on India’s need to change their mindset.”I would like to score a 150-run win over India on Tuesday.”
    Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, raises the bar.

    • 'I will consider coaching Pakistan' – Akram

    by csb10.top Uncategorized

    Wasim Akram: “Coaching Pakistan is a matter of great pride” © Reuters
     

    Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, said on Monday he will consider coaching the Pakistan team if offered the role.”Coaching Pakistan is a matter of great pride. It is my way of returning something back to cricket which gave me so much,” he told reporters on the opening day of the specialised coaching camp for fast bowlers at the Gaddafi Stadium.Akram, along with National Cricket Academy chief coach Mudassar Nazar and coach Aaqib Javed, is supervising the seven-day long camp aimed at polishing the talent of 16 upcoming bowlers .Akram said he was busy with his media commitments but that he would definitely consider an offer from the Pakistan board. “But I am already serving cricket as I am always there to take on short coaching assignments the way I am doing now,” he said.He also said Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson, currently in his home town in Australia, should join the national team’s training camp as soon as possible. “I think the coach should be there when the camp starts and he must be there to supervise the training,” he said when told that Lawson might arrive late for the team’s training camp for the tri-series in Bangladesh, which starts on June 8.

    Salute to Bill Brown, 90 not out

    by csb10.top Uncategorized

    SYDNEY – Test captains from three countries, along with survivors of DonBradman’s greatest team, gathered in Sydney tonight to honour worldcricket’s oldest living skipper, former Invincible Bill Brown.The Brisbane 90-year-old was feted at a testimonial dinner chaired byformer England captain Tony Greig with guests including ex-Australianskippers Brian Booth, Bob Simpson and Ian Craig, and New Zealand greatWalter Hadlee.Hadlee’s son, cricketing knight Sir Richard, also joined the tribute,along with former Australian paceman Geoff Lawson.Completing the line-up were members of Bradman’s 1948 Invincibles BillJohnston, Sam Loxton, Neil Harvey and Arthur Morris.Brown, who played in the first two Tests of the 1948 Ashes series,captained Australia in 1946 in the inaugural Test against New Zealand.He scored two centuries at Lord’s and averaged over 46in a 22-Test career either side of WWII.Cricket’s elder statesman has declared the modern game to be in “a goodstate of health” despite sledging which he can’t stand and the ’90smatch-fixing scandals which he calls “completely beyond the pale,they’ve got to be stopped”.Brown is the sixth Australian Test player to live into his nineties.Australia’s oldest Test cricketer was Ken Burn, who died in 1956 aged 93years and 307 days.Items auctioned at tonight’s dinner included a 1948 Ashes bat signed byboth teams.Funds raised will help the Lord’s Taverners Australia assistdisadvantaged children.