Saturday, May 29, 2010

USA Wins Over Argentina in the Highest Scoring Match of the Day

At St. Georges Cricket Club underdogs Argentina won the toss and elected to field. Openers Sushil Nadkarni and Orlando Baker got the defending champions off to a reasonable start with an opening partnership of 49 runs with Nadkarni first wicket to fall. The USA suddenly fell into a hole with skipper Steve Massiah, international veteran Lennox Cush and Carl Wright failing to add much to the score.

Opener Orlando Baker blazed his half century in just 41 balls, but with a sudden collapse he had to change his approach and became the anchor for the turning point of the match. Joined at the wicked by Aditya Thyagarajan, with the score of 91 for 4, the two went on to what was a match winning partnership of 213 runs in 94 minutes. Thyagarajan the aggressor ended up with 159, while Baker scored 113. The USA ended their 50 overs at 347 for 6 wickets.

Any hope of Argentina chasing this target was quickly extinguished by opening pacer Adrian Gordon who removed the two openers for 23 runs. Gordon ended up with figures of 4/38. There was some resistance in the middle by Grant Dugmore who top scored with 64, including three sixes.
Donald Forrester (38) and Gary Savage (35) tried in vain to offer some support, but in the end the target was too mammoth for the South Americans who ended their 50 overs with 227/9.

Full credit to the Argentine squad for an excellent display of ground fielding; if it wasn't for this the margin of victory of 120 runs would have been much greater.

IPL parties not responsible for T20 World Cup debacle: Tendulkar

Pune: Contradicting Mahendra Singh Dhoni's views, senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said IPL parties cannot be blamed for India's debacle in the recent Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.
India could not reach the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup and skipper Dhoni said late night parties and continuous travelling during the Indian Premier League took a toll on the players' body.
Tendulkar, however, begged to differ and said every player should be aware of their responsibilities.
"Parties and performance are two different things that cannot be related and every player should know his responsibility," Tendulkar told reporters after laying foundation stone of an extension of Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital.
Besides, Tendulkar said parties are not new in cricket. "Parties used to be held even in the past," he said, laying stress on observing individual's discretion in the matter.
Tendulkar, who led Mumbai Indians to the final of IPL 3, said he avoided the parties since he wanted to be fresh for the next day's match.
"I did not go for any of the IPL parties. I always wanted to be ready for the next match," he said.
Tendulkar said every player should know how his body reacts and follow certain things to carry out his duties and responsibilities.
Arguably the greatest batsman ever, Tendulkar said it was important to "understand your body" and strike a balance between play and rest.
"Physical fitness helps you in being mentally tough, enhancing you confidence level," the 37-year-old said.
"When pressure builds up in the game I try to focus on the next ball with calmness without thinking of the future course of the match.
"My mood undergoes a change before every match as I start mentally preparing myself for the game," he added.

Morkel, Langeveldt propel SA to series-clinching victory

Morne Morkel and Charl Langeveldt shared seven wickets to bowl South Africa to a 67-run victory over West Indies in the third One-day International.
Morkel captured an ODI career-best four wickets for 21 runs from seven overs pn Friday, and Langeveldt took three for 30 from the same number of overs, as the South Africans successfully defended a victory target of 225 to win the match at Windsor Park with 72 balls to spare.
Morkel formalised the result, when Ravi Rampaul essayed an indescribable off-side stroke, and skied the ball to deep extra cover, where Johan Botha held a fine catch running backwards.
The victory gave the Proteas an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, following a 66-run victory, under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, in the rain-marred opening match last Saturday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, where they also won the second ODI by 17 runs last Monday.
"It is fantastic to have won the first three games of the series, since series wins are always important," said South Africa captain Graeme Smith.
"We needed to bounce back (following the Twenty20 World Cup), and we did.
"We knew the pitch had a bit in it, although it was a little two-paced. We felt if our bowlers hit the deck hard, we could get some life out of it."
A resolute 70 from AB deVilliers anchored the South Africans to a respectable 224 all out in 47.2 of their 50 overs, after they won the toss, and elected to bat on another belter of a pitch.
DeVilliers struck just two fours and one six from 80 balls, as the Proteas' batting stumbled for the first time in the series.
South Africa's bowlers then made sure their limp batting performance did not lead to a terminal meltdown, and diligently worked their way through the brittle West Indies batting.
"I thought we let another one slip away," said West Indies captain Chris Gayle. "Coming after that big effort in the last game, it was a bit disappointing for us, the way we batted.
"We still have two games to play, and all we can do is keep working hard at it."
Langeveldt started the rout, when he had Gayle caught at slip for 16 in the sixth over, and Morkel kept up the pressure.
The lanky fast-medium bowler had opener Dale Richards caught at slip for the top score of 28, and trapped Darren Bravo, the younger brother of West Indies vice captain and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, lbw for one to leave the hosts 63 for three in the 14th over.
Langeveldt then snuffed the life out of any plans the home team had to stage a recovery, when he returned for a second spell.
He snared Kieron Pollard caught at point for 10, and Darren Sammy, whose 50 in the previous match was the fastest by a West Indies batsman in ODIs, caught behind for 14 to leave the hosts 118 for seven.
Earlier, several of the South African batsmen got starts, but deVilliers was the only player to carry on, and tucked Dwayne Bravo through mid-wicket for a deuce to reach his 50 from 46 balls in the 37th over.
DeVilliers was however, run out in the 44th over, when he failed to beat long-on fielder Sulieman Benn's direct hit at the bowler's end, after Dale Steyn turned down his call for a second run.
His dismissal epitomised the Proteas' innings, following another sound start of 53 from Smith and fellow opener Hashim Amla.
Every time it appeared South Africa were about to jam their feet down hard on the accelerator, they would concede a wicket to their opponents, whose bowling and fielding were much sharper than in the previous two matches.
Amla, the leading scorer on either side in the series, fell for 34, Jacques Kallis made 31, and Smith got 29 to be the main supporting cast in the South African batting.
Pollard was the most successful West Indies bowler with three wickets for 27 runs from six overs; Bravo and Benn supported with two wickets apiece.
The series continues on Sunday with the fourth ODI here before it concludes at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad & Tobago next Wednesday.

Bowlers' inexperience let us down: Raina

Bulawayo: His captaincy debut soured by India's embarrassing loss to Zimbabwe, skipper Suresh Raina blamed his inexperienced bowlers for the debacle in the tri-series opener.
"Unfortunately, we didn't bowl well today. Some of the bowlers were playing for the first time. Hopefully they can learn from our mistakes and move one from here," Raina said after the match which his side lost by six wickets with 10 balls to spare.
Three Indian pacers - Ashok Dinda, R Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav - made their ODI debut and none of them impressed today. All of them proved expensive and it took them 13 overs to draw first blood, allowing Zimbabwe a rollicking start that set the tone for their successful chase.
In contrast, Raina said, the slow bowlers did a better job. "In the first six overs, we didn't bowl well. (Amit) Mishra and (Ravindra) Jadeja then bowled well and we made a comeback. But they had a powerplay left and couple of their players played well, which cost us the game," Raina explained.
"We need to work on our bowling and fielding department to come back against Sri Lanka," he said. Leading a weakened side in absence of senior players, Raina praised Zimbabwe for the way they chased down the target.
"They battled really well. They hanged around and had good partnerships," he said.
His Zimbabwe counterpart Elton Chigumbura was beaming after the match and he heaped praise on debutant Chris Ervine, who made an unbeaten 67, and Man of the Match Brendon Taylor. "There was a good partnership between BT (Taylor) and Hamilton (Masakadza) which gave us a good start and the foundation for a win. All credit goes to BT for his knock."
"Credit goes to Ervine as well and he has to make sure that he gets consistent. He played very well today," Chigumbura said.
Taylor, who slammed a 103-ball 81, took three catches and effected a stunning run out, said while batting, the idea was to keep wickets in hand. "I am very happy. It (man of the match) doesn't come often. We basically wanted to bat through and try not to lose too many wickets. We just wanted to knock it around in the middle overs," Taylor said.
"We knew Elton, (Andy) Blignaut and (Charles) Coventry were yet to come in and we had the firepower," he added.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

India to test bench strength in Zimbabwe

New Delhi: A second-string Indian team left for Zimbabwe on Wednesday to play a tri-series, hoping to convince the selectors they were ready for the big league.
The 15-man-squad, led by Suresh Raina, will play Sri Lanka and the hosts in a double-leg tri-series that opens in Bulawayo on Friday and ends with the final in Harare on June 9.
The selectors have rested eight top stars -- captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra -- from the tournament.
"With the senior players taking a break, this is a good time for the younger lot to make an impression and prove their worth," said Raina, 23, ahead of the team's departure.
"The seniors may be missing, but we still have a very good team that can win the tournament."
Four members of the touring squad -- fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Pankaj Singh, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and batsman Naman Ojha -- have not played international cricket at the senior level.
India's tri-series squad: Suresh Raina (capt), Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Pankaj Singh, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Naman Ojha.

Schedule:
May 28 : India v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo
May 30 : India v Sri Lanka, Bulawayo
June 1 : Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo
June 3 : India v Zimbabwe, Harare
June 5 : India v Sri Lanka, Harare
June 7 : Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Harare
June 9 : Final, Harare

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Namibia completes comfortable win over Bermuda

A record-breaking opening partnership by Ewaid Steenkamp and Raymond van Schoor and a five-wicket haul by Louis Klazinga helped Namibia defeat Bermuda comfortably by an innings and 185 runs on the third day of the ICC Intercontinental Shield match played at Wanderer's Cricket Ground, Windhoek on Monday.

Chasing 369 for victory, the Bermuda batting order collapsed in the second innings under strict bowling from Klazinga (5-45) and Tobias Verwey, who followed his five-wicket haul in the first innings with his 2-49. Only skipper David Hemp put in some resistance with 65 runs to be the top-scorer in the team total of 184 all out in 47.4 overs.

Namibia had earlier posted a total of 583 in its first innings with openers Steenkamp smashing a massive 206 while teammate van Schoor following it up with a brilliant 157 as the pair built up an opening partnership of 374 runs - the highest for any wicket in ICC Intercontinental Cup/Shield history.

Skipper Craig Williams then added an unbeaten 110 in reply to Bermuda's first innings total of 214 all out.

Namibia is now placed second in the ICC Intercontinental Shield table with 26 points while Bermuda is placed last with no points. Uganda still heads the table with 29 points while UAE sits third on the list with 17 points.

Cricket Ireland's Coach Education Programme undergoes total revamp

When Mark Garaway, Cricket Ireland's Operations Director, came into post towards the end of last summer, he made it a priority to oversee a complete change in the way Coach Education was organised and directed.

His pinpointing of this area, which he sees as key to the development of the game at all levels, kick-started a series of events that aim to lay down a fabric and sustainable structure for Coach Education that will see an increase in the number of fully qualified coaches at all levels of the game, the continued development of those coaches already active and a general drive to deliver the highest standards of coaching possible.

With Mark having worked in partnership with Club Development Manager Tim Simmonite on the process of overhauling previous practice and design of future strategy, they deemed it necessary to create a position in the Governing Body that dealt solely with the development of this area.

With this being the case, Stephen Moreton was employed as Coach Education Officer at the end of January 2010. Stephen, based in Dublin, has an all-Ireland remit in his post, overseeing all elements of Coach Education from schools to International level.

A 12-month rolling programme of coaching courses is in the process of being designed, and the pre-requisites of Child Protection and First Aid qualifications will be built in alongside.

Stephen will also focus on the certification of coaches, and also the management of a new Coaches Database. Making reference to the new system Garaway said "Coach Education is a massively important driver in the development of the game in Ireland at all levels. With Stephen now in post we have somebody who can work intensely on this area and push on with the developments needed."

Unorthodox' Morgan picked for England Test squad

London, May 24 (ANI): Middlesex left-hander Eoin Morgan, who has been included in England's squad for the First Test against Bangladesh at Lords on Thursday, is ready to become a proper Test batsman as well as the world's most unorthodox one-day player.
Morgan was selected ahead of Michael Carberry and Ravi Bopara because the selectors believe his skill and fearless temperament can succeed in five-day cricket.
Yorkshire fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad is also in the 12-man squad while World Twenty20 winning captain Paul Collingwood and fast bowler Stuart Broad have been rested.
Morgan's first-class record for Middlesex last year was poor as he averaged just 24, but he has been chosen on potential. It will be interesting to see whether he unleashes some of his cack-handed strokes in Tests, The Sun reports.
Morgan said: "Every kid dreams of playing in an Ashes series and I'm no different. That would be phenomenal."
"With the confidence I have shown in the one-dayers, I think I have the mental game for Test cricket. I've never been in better form," he said.
Strauss said: "Eoin has demonstrated time and again that he is capable of playing on the big stage. He has a calm head in pressure situations."
ENGLAND SQUAD: Strauss (capt), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Morgan, Prior (wkt), Bresnan, Swann, Finn, Shahzad, Anderson. (ANI)

South Africa survive Sammy blitz, take 2-0 lead

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (Reuters) - South Africa overcame a sizzling late innings blitz by Darren Sammy to take a 2-0 lead in the one-day international series against the West Indies on Monday.
Chasing South Africa's 300 for seven, the West Indies ended on 283 with Sammy not out on 58 from just 24 deliveries which included six towering sixes and a pair of fours.
South Africa's innings was built on commanding half centuries by Hashim Amla (92) and Jacques Kallis (85) at the Sir Vivian Richards ground.
Amla dominated an opening stand of 89 with captain Graeme Smith (37) then partnered Kallis as they put on 79 for the second wicket. AB de Villiers hammered 41 from 35 balls with three fours and a six.
Dwayne Bravo rallied the West Indian response with 74, including three fours and two sixes, after opener Dale Richards -- who was flown in overnight from Barbados -- made 51.
With the game looking lost at 200 for six in the 40th over, Sammy reignited Windies hopes with a six-filled innings which took the team within 18 runs of victory before they ran out of wickets.
South African quick bowler Morne Morkel finished with three for 58 while the standout bowlers for West Indies were Kieron Pollard (two for 39) and Jerome Taylor (two for 50).
Three matches remain in the series. The next is on Friday in Dominica.
(Editing by Alison Wildey; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Monday, May 24, 2010

Out in the cold, Irfan vows to come back

It took one Australian tour in 2003-04 to make a curly-haired teenager a household name. Once he began swinging the ball both ways, comparisons with Wasim Akram followed. A few impressive knocks later, he was destined to be the next Kapil Dev. The fall for Irfan Pathan though, has been as quick as his climb was.
Having lost his swing and a considerable amount of pace, Pathan is no longer the blue-eyed boy of the selection committee. Despite scoring 397 runs at an average of 49.62 and scalping 22 wickets in the 2009-10 Ranji season, followed by a five-wicket haul in the Duleep Trophy final, Pathan didn't make the cut for the Zimbabwean tour or the India A side � touring England � as a pool of fresh faces was preferred by the selectors.
Working on errors
The disappointment is clear, but Pathan does his best to conceal it. "I really don't know what to say. I was hopeful. Every cricketer thinks of where he is going wrong and tries to work on his errors. I'm playing well but need to do better. I'm still hoping to make a comeback," Pathan says, while speaking to The Indian Express.
While cricket pundits attempt to deconstruct where the downfall began, Pathan isn't sure himself. Could it have been because of the drop in pace? "But I have never been a 140-plus bowler," he says.
"I don't know what people are expecting from me. Do they want to see me to bowl at 140-plus and take no wickets? Or do they want to see me swing my way to wickets and give away fewer runs?" he asks, adding, "I was a bowler who could take wickets and perform whenever the team required."
The long season has finally come to an end after the IPL, and Pathan has planned his next three months in advance.
"At the moment I'm working on my body, hitting the gym. These three months will be crucial as I will work on my pace. It all depends on how I maintain my body," he says.
The 25-year-old has more plans in place but is reluctant to reveal them, though he is tugging at the leash to return into the senior side as it's been a year since he was last part of the Indian team. Pathan is aware of his statistics this season, and rattles them off like a student giving his oral exams.
"It all depends on how my next season goes, I'm ready to do well again. Ready for more hard work, ready to learn everyday, ready to come back."

Sri Lanka beats New Zealand by 7 wickets

Nuwan Kulasekera and Lasith Malinga shared seven wickets as Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by seven wickets in a Twenty20 cricket international Sunday, leveling the two-match series at 1-1.
Kulasekera took three wickets for four runs from three overs and Malinga four wickets for 12 runs as Sri Lanka dismissed New Zealand for 81 runs in 17.3 overs.
Nathan McCullum top-scored with an unbeaten 36 while captain Daniel Vettori added 27 for New Zealand.
Tillakaratne Dilshan made an unbeaten 33 and Thissara Perera 24 as Sri Lanka reached its winning target after having three wickets down in the 16th over.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 29 runs on Saturday _ the first major cricket international played in the United States.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Dhoni to remain Twenty20 captain: BCCI

Mumbai, May 14 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday brushed aside all media reports that said Mahendra Singh Dhoni might be asked to step down as India's Twenty20 captain following the team's miserable performance at the World Cup in the West Indies.
"Obviously we are not happy with the performance of the team, but it does not mean that we are thinking of removing Dhoni as Twenty20 captain," said a BCCI source.
Critics and former players blamed the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the team's dismal performance in the T20 World Cup.
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has, however, come out in support of the cricket team.
Tendulkar said that cricket is a game of uncertainties and people should not lose faith in the players.
"The players have been training hard. They know, and they understand their responsibility. But sometimes they click, sometimes it doesn't click. We Mumbai Indians also played so well, but in the finals things didn't work out for us," said Tendulkar.
"So, it can happen in cricket. All I can say right now is that the players need support so that they can start fresh again and look to deliver a better performance," he added.
India, which had won the inaugural World T20 tournament in 2007, failed to win three of its Super Eight matches in this year's tournament.
The performance has led to many questions being asked of skipper M S Dhoni and his teammates. (ANI)

'New look' England can defend Ashes: Pietersen



England batsman Kevin Pietersen has said that the new look Three Lions squad has the potential to defend the Ashes in Australia under coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss.
England's last series Down Under had resulted in an embarrassing 5-0 whitewash, but Pietersen claims that the current team has the potential to give a tough fight to the Aussies in their own back yard.
"Words can't describe how I feel right now after the fortnight I've had. It's always good to beat Australia [Twenty20 World Cup final]. To do it away from England and on a flat wicket is something the boys can take a lot of positives from. I can't say we will do this or do that, win the Ashes and all, but I can say this team will keep improving all the time," The Sun quoted Pietersen, as saying.
"The team spirit in 2005 was special. We had an incredible side and the way the guys enjoyed each other's success was the key. And I can see that in this team. Everyone in this side is now dovetailing much like that great Australian side of a few years ago," he added.
The 29-year-old also dismissed reports emerging in the Australian press that branded the Twenty20 World Cup winning England squad as a team of 'imports'.
"People are entitled to their opinions of course, but I think it's time to move on from all that. It's the kind of heckling we're going to get at the end of the year in Australia though I guess. We get it here too, but to see England winning is the best thing," Pietersen said.
"I don't think there should be any negatives about what we've achieved over the last few weeks - it's all down to the year we've had under Flower and Strauss," he added.

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