Category Uncategorized

Mike Burns and his Somerset team were thwarted by the rain at Derby on Friday as they attempted to win their second successive championship match of the season, and will hope for better weather when they resume at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.Despite the umpires making three separate inspections during the early part of the afternoon any hopes were abandoned when play was eventually called off by umpires Mark Benson and Allan Jones just after three o’clock.Back at the County Ground in Taunton, chief executive Peter Anderson reflected on the Cidermen’s season so far. He told me: "Some people have expressed disappointment following the team’s defeat by eight runs in the championship match at Bristol, and our National Cricket League defeat when we played Durham last weekend. We were pretty poor against Durham make no mistakes about it, but our bowlers who were criticised did have a wet ball to contend with."He continued: "There are several very pleasing signs however from the season already. Our quick bowlers are bowling sides out in sixty overs, and that is a vindication of coach Kevin Shines tactics of putting a strong bowling side out because to win matches you have to take twenty wickets, especially in Division Two.""The batting is coming together now and it is pleasing to see Jamie Cox scoring runs. Peter Bowler and newcomer James Bryant put together a gutsy performance against Durham in the championship when the pressure was on us, laying the foundation for a good win, and our newcomers are also beginning to find their feet in this team."He went on: "The young players at the club are a great value to us and there are several of them waiting in the wings ready to make their mark. Players like our rising star Gareth Andrew, Michael Parsons, Robert Woodman, Steven Wheeler, James Hilditch and Richard Timms all show great potential, not forgetting Tom Webley and Cornishman Michael Munday who are both playing first class cricket for Cambridge UCCE and Oxford UCCE respectively.""Again this is a vindication of our coaches Kevin Shine and Mark Garaway who have worked hard in the development field with these promising young players, and down through the age groups there are some lovely little gems waiting for their chances," he added.Regarding the current crop of injuries at the club the Somerset boss said: " Early season injuries started with Matt Wood who was hospitalised after contracting a virus at Southampton. That affected his availability to play, and has set him back, however thankfully he has now fully recovered and is playing again.""Matt Bulbeck having had a history of back injury has had to rest from bowling for three weeks because of a suspected stress fracture of the back, and Neil Edwards who had such a successful tour to Australia with England at Under 19 level has been suffering from glandular fever, but is now thankfully ready to resume light training."The chief concluded: "The whole of our pre season was upset by the virus that several of the players contracted at Southampton which is why we often had to use fifteen or sixteen players in the warm up matches."

A winning cash prize of £6,000 is at stake as Bath Cricket Club, fromSomerset, and Bramhall Cricket Club, from Cheshire, contest the final of theNational Club Championship at Lord’s on Thursday 6 September.The prize-money has been donated by competition sponsors, play-cricket.com,the ECB’s recreational web-site partner, and guarantees the losing finalistsa £3,000 consolation.Of the two finalists, from a competition which featured 379 originalentrants, only Bath has ever previously made it to Lord’s – in 1998 when itlost to Yorskire’s Doncaster Town. This year it crept into the finalcourtesy of winning a low scoring semi-final at High Wycombe.In a rain affected match of 37 overs-a-side, High Wycombe batted first andposted a score of 117-9 with Stuart Priscott returning impressive bowlingfigures of 7-1-11-3. In reply, after being 67-6 at one stage, Bath wassteered home by an innings of 27 not out from Gregg Brown, winning by threewickets with 3.5 overs remaining.Bramhall Cricket Club, meanwhile, won its semi-final match by four wicketsover Scotland’s Ayr Cricket Club. Ayr’s captain, Albert Simpson, won thetoss, elected to bat, and scored an unbeaten 75 from his team’s total of216-6 in the alloted 45 overs.Bramhall’s victory, achieved with 2.2 overs to spare, owed much to youngopening batsman Paddy McKeown, who has had trials with Lancashire and Essexand who scored 105. Andy Hall also made a valuable contibution with 42runs.The 45 overs-a-side National Club Championship Final will start at 11.00am.

Routes to the final:

Bath CC

1st Round Bath 164 all out, Cardiff 159 all out
2nd Round Bath 195 for 6 Cheltenham, 110 all out
3rd Round Swansea 152 for 8, Bath 156 for 8
4th Round Bath 256 for 8, Lansdown 232 all out
5th Round Bath 174 all out, Bovey Tracey 162 all out
6th Round Bath 221 for 5, Havant 129 all out
Quarter-Finals Bath 194 for 7 Saffron Walden 176 all out
Semi-Finals High Wycombe 117 for 9 Bath 118 for 7

Bramhall CC

1st Round Bramhall 148 all out, Longridge 147 for 9
2nd Round Fulwood & Broughton 115 all out Bramhall 117 for 7
3rd Round Winnington Park 141 for 9, Bramhall 142 for 2
4th Round Wallasey 170 for 8, Bramhall 171 for 5
5th Round Bramhall 251 for 9, Kearsley 107 all out
6th Round Bramhall 161 for 9, Harrogate 134 all out
Quarter-Finals Bramhall 230 for 6, Wolverhampton 230 all out
Semi-Finals Ayr 216 for 6, Bramhall 217 for 5

Scorecard
Wriddhiman Saha fell two short of a century in Mohali•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jiwanjot Singh followed up his double-century on debut with an unbeaten century in his second first-class game to help put Punjab into a position of strength in Mohali. With his 102 not out, scored alongside Mayank Sidana’s unbeaten 107, Jiwanjot’s average now reads 315. This was Sidhana’s second first-class century.Such joy evaded Wriddhiman Saha, who fell two short of a century in the morning session. This was Saha’s third fifty-plus score in three innings in this Ranji Trophy. Punjab, though, did well enough to take the last three Bengal wickets for just 12 runs. Rahul Sharma, making a comeback after Harbhajan Singh left for the England Tests, took four wickets.Bengal made a good start with the ball, but after Karan Goel’s wicket they bowled 57 wicketless overs for 206 runs. Ashok Dinda bowled 20 unsuccessful overs.
Scorecard
At the end of a topsy-turvy second day, Mumbai and Rajasthan looked set to settle their differences through first-innings lead. Rajasthan scored 209 runs for the loss of eight wickets on day two, following which the Mumbai openers batted out 28 overs without any loss.Rajasthan lost Vineet Saxena for his overnight 114, and Mumbai capped off a tight session with the wickets of Robin Bist and Ashok Menaria. At 322 for 5 Rajasthan found a 58-run partnership for the sixth wicket only to lose three for 19 again.However, Dishant Yagnik and Pankaj Singh added 62 for the ninth wicket, and a 17-run final-wicket stand took Rajasthan to 478. The Mumbai openers, though, brought the game right back in balance by denying the Rajasthan bowlers.
Scorecard
VVS Laxman, who after his Test retirement has committed to helping his Ranji side out of the doldrums, scored his 55th first-class century to carry Hyderabad to 341, a score from where they can hope to earn their first points of the season.This was Laxman’s 55th first-class century. Twenty-three of those have come for Hyderabad, a record for the Ranji side. He began the day at 70 not out, but lost Hanuma Vihari early. Vihari scored 81 in a 143-run partnership. Laxman, though, carried the lower order until he fell for 120, with the score at 251 for 7.A familiar story of a collapse after Laxman seemed to be playing itself out, but Mohammed Khader and Vishal Sharma added 71 crucial runs for the last wicket, a contribution most likely to please Laxman, who made scoring with the tail an artform.The bowlers continued in that spirit and Khader, Pagadala Naidu and Vihari took a wicket each before stumps to put Hyderabad in control.
Scorecard
Overnight batsmen Manprit Juneja and Rujul Bhatt ground Saurashtra into the Surat dust as Gujarat added 322 runs on the second day before declaring at 600 for 9. Saurashtra might have started the day with some hope after having taken five wickets on the first day, but it took them 53.1 overs to take their first wicket of the second, by which time Juneja and Bhatt had added 239 for the sixth wicket.This was the second first-class century for both Juneja and Bhatt, who are making it a habit of making tons into big ones. Their 159 and 160 not out didn’t even come close to threatening their personal bests, 201 not out and 186.The Saurashtra openers batted out the 12 overs they were asked to just before stumps, but their side know they are still in for a big fight.

West Indies allrounder Marlon Samuels has been banned from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after his action was found to be illegal for a second time since December 2013. The offspinner’s action can be reassessed by the ICC only after this period is complete.Samuels, who was prohibited from bowling quicker deliveries in 2013, was reported for a suspect action in October, during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Samuels underwent an independent assessment in Brisbane which revealed that his elbow extension exceeded the permitted 15-degree limit. Incidentally, the ICC had allowed Samuels to bowl in an ODI in November, after the 14-day grace period for reported bowlers had expired, on the grounds that the West Indies team was “incorrectly advised” about his eligibility.”As this report constitutes the player’s second suspension within a two-year period, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period,” an ICC release stated. “Samuels is entitled to appeal any procedural aspect of the Independent Assessment that has led to this automatic suspension. However, only after the expiry of this one-year period will he be entitled to approach the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action.”Samuels was reported for the third time in his career in October. In 2008, he was called for a suspect faster ball after the third Test against South Africa in Durban. He was later suspended from bowling in international cricket but after remedial work on his action, was permitted to bowl in September 2011.He was reported once again at the end of the second day of the second Test against India in Mumbai in November 2013. He was subsequently allowed to bowl the offbreak delivery but not his quicker ball.Samuels is the third bowler to be banned from bowling in international cricket by the ICC in 2015. Sunil Narine was suspended in November due to an illegal action. Like Samuels, Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez was handed a 12-month ban by the ICC in July, after his action was found to be illegal for a second time since November 2014.

Worcestershire’s season continues to go from bad worse. Not only has New Road flooded for a second time, making any more cricket there this season unlikely, large amounts of the players’ kit has been damaged leaving them short of supplies ahead of the Championship match against Surrey at Guildford.The squad are going to have to share whites and equipment after flood water got into the lock-ups at New Road. Steve Rhodes, the director of cricket, also lost his laptop after swimming into his office to try and rescue some possessions.”There has been around four feet of water in the dressing room where the players store a lot of their kit and equipment, ” Rhodes told the Press Association. “The floods also got into the lock-up where most of the training gear is kept and caused a lot of damage.”A lot of players are waiting for new kit to be delivered but we will have to muck in and help each other out for the game at Surrey. Some of the guys will probably have to wear other people’s whites and share their kit. The situation will cause us a bit of a logistical nightmare but we all pull together and get through it.”Worcestershire are still waiting to announce the new venues for their next batch of home matches and to find out the ECB’s decision on the Kent and Lancashire Championship games that were abandoned without a ball bowled.The ECB initially ruled the Kent game would be replayed later this month, but that sparked angry reaction from other Division One teams. With the Lancashire game also off they may be forced to overturn that ruling as fitting in a host of rearranged fixtures wouldn’t be possible.

Steve Harmison has been ruled out of Durham’s final Championship fixture of the season, against Yorkshire, after medical advice over the back injury that forced him to miss the one-day series against Pakistan.Harmison had been scheduled to return to action against at Headingley in next Wednesday’s Division One clash. But after a review by the ECB medical staff he has been withdrawn in order to allow more time for further rehabilitation ahead of the Champions Trophy.David Graveney, the England chairman of selectors, said: “Stephen’s withdrawal from this match will allow for a more gradual progression in his recovery programme. He will continue to work with the Durham and England medical staff as well as ECB fast bowling coach Kevin Shine, and we anticipate that he will be fully fit for the Champions Trophy.”Harmison is one of the injury clouds hanging over the squads for the Champions Trophy and Ashes series, that were named on Monday, which also include Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Liam Plunkett and James Anderson.On Wednesday England were given another moment of concern when Matthew Hoggard, who isn’t traveling to India, pulled out of Yorkshire’s match against Nottinghamshire which a side strain. England are due to leave for India on October 6.

On the state of the game
It’s a nice position to be in, with a 250-run lead. But it’s still a very good pitch for batting. And in that respect, our bowling today was superb. Glenn McGrath was brilliant in his 100th Test, and he got great support from Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. And I thought Shane Warne deserved better figures in the 20 overs he bowled. We need five more wickets. It’ll take time, and patience, and then we have to follow it up with some good batting.On the possibility of enforcing the follow-on, given Australia’s past experiences
We’ve always been mindful of enforcing the follow-on. We’re playing back-to-back Tests, and to put the bowlers and fielders back in straight away will be a big test for them. But the bowlers will get some rest tonight, and if we can get them out early tomorrow, it remains an option. There has been enough movement on offer for the new-ball bowlers, and it’s been difficult for top-order batsmen.On Darren Lehmann’s injury
Brett [Lee] will continue to field, but we’re doing everything possible to make sure that Darren recovers quick enough to play a part in the Mumbai Test.On whether he was surprised at how quickly India went into a defensive shell after Virender Sehwag was dismissed
Sehwag can ignite an innings, and losing him quickly made it harder for the Indians to adjust. If anything, this shows that the Australian batting was better than the score indicates. All the bowlers have got some assistance from the pitch, and I thought we bowled exceptionally well today. We didn’t allow India any sort of momentum.On the off-side cordons that were frequently employed
The pitch produced bounce and pace, with some seam movement. It was conducive to getting edges, and the line of attack needed to be different here.On whether a chat with Glenn McGrath might have contributed to Sehwag’s dismissal
I think apart from McGrath’s bowling, you have to credit Kasprowicz’s previous over. He contained Sehwag and tightened him up. As we all know, he likes to go for his shots. So I’d say Kasprowicz contributed in part to the dismissal.On the role played by Errol Alcott, the physio
It’s not just Errol, it’s been the total support from the backroom staff. Errol’s knowledge and experience of the subcontinent are unmatched, but the trainer and the masseurs have all done their bit. The performance of the players can be attributed to the work done off the field.

India 342 for 4 (Dravid 134*, Laxman 71, Patel 69, Ganguly 53*) lead Pakistan 224 by 118 runs
Scorecard

Rahul Dravid struck 134 not out, an innings of the highest class and character, to put India well on top on the second day of the deciding Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. India reached 342 for 4 by the close of play, 118 ahead, with six wickets still in hand. It was no solo act, though – Parthiv Patel vindicated Sourav Ganguly’s bold decision to promote him to the top of the order by making a feisty 69, VVS Laxman made a strokeful 71, off just 99 balls, and Ganguly himself made an aggressive 53 not out.Dravid’s century, his first against Pakistan, reflected his quintessence. It featured solid defence, impeccable shot selection, classical strokeplay, and unwavering concentration. Dravid has been the key figure in India’s finest overseas wins of recent times – Headingley and Adelaide, especially – and here, on yet another big occasion, in conditions which offered some encouragement to the bowlers, he played a calm and unhurried innings.Dravid had his slices of luck, though. He survived an early scare, when an lbw appeal against him, off Mohammad Sami, was turned down by the umpire, although it appeared absolutely plumb, an impression confirmed by Hawk-Eye. The last few minutes before tea were also nervy ones – he cut a ball from Sami uppishly to Yasir Hameed at point, who fumbled with it, and dropped it. Moments later, Dravid inside-edged a ball from Danish Kaneria down near his feet, from where it bobbed up and was caught by a diving Kamran Akmal. Replays were called for but were inconclusive, and Dravid survived.But these were isolated instances in a beautifully constructed innings, the centrepiece of three lucrative partnerships – 129 with Patel, 131 with Laxman, and an unbeaten 81 with Ganguly.Patel’s elevation as an opener entailed tests of both character and technique. On both fronts, he delivered. His shot-selection was immaculate, and in the first few overs of the morning he let go everything that was not on the stumps, and played everything else late, and close to his body. He opened up as the game went along, though, and was especially severe to anything full or short outside off, getting most of his ten boundaries square of the wicket on the off side.But although Patel excelled in the areas square of the wicket, he was not limited to them. An on-drive off Sami and a straight-drive off Shoaib Akhtar were orthodox strokes of the highest class, and showcased the potential Patel has as a batsman. He may not be a long-term opening option for India, but Ganguly’s move was a short-term tactical move*, and it paid off superbly.

Pakistan’s fast bowlers, in the morning, had not extracted anywhere near the kind of movement as the Indians had done on the first day, though Shoaib hurried both batsman initially with his pace. Kaneria troubled Patel when he came on, beating him with a top-spinner and a googly early on, but once the batsman had a good look at him, he no longer looked dangerous. It was eventually Fazl-e-Akbar who got Pakistan the first breakthrough.Akbar bowled an accurate spell in the post-lunch session, getting some movement, and pitching the ball consistently in the corridor. He accounted for Patel, who edged one that was leaving him to Akmal (129 for 2). Sachin Tendulkar came out to bat – but not for long.After getting off the mark with an edge through slips off Akbar, Tendulkar succumbed to Shoaib off the first ball of the next over, a snorter just outside off stump which Tendulkar could not get his bat away from in time. The face of his bat opened as the ball passed him, as he simultaneously tried to draw it away, and the ball was virtually guided through to Akmal (130 for 3).Laxman, who is accustomed to long partnerships with Dravid, was the next man in, and after an early edge through slips for four, he showed no sign of nerves. Solid in defence, imperious on the attack, Laxman quickly got into his groove. If there were any demons in the pitch, he quickly exorcised them, playing some dazzling pulls and drives, and timing the ball so well that it seemed almost magical.The second new ball brought Pakistan some relief, as Shoaib launched into yet another hostile spell. He induced two edges off Dravid, both of which fell short, before knocking off Laxman’s middle stump with a full-toss that swung wildly from its original line on leg stump (261 for 4).Ganguly came in next, and began positively, slashing the short balls outside off, timing his off-drives to perfection, and scoring at a run a ball for much of his innings, before slowing down towards the end. Shoaib, meanwhile, went off the field to treat an injured wrist, as news filtered in that he would not bowl for the rest of the day. It was a stony cherry on the top of a bad cake.India looked well set, as the day ended, to extend their lead to such an extent that they wouldn’t have to bat again. Dravid was still at the crease, defiant and determined, and Ganguly would certainly take the attack to Pakistan on the third morning. And Yuvraj Singh waited in the pavilion. The big question that now remained, it appeared, was if Pakistan’s batsmen could bat well enough in the second innings to save the Test. Ganguly’s men were running the show.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.*Patel is clearly not a long-term option to open, as he cannot possibly both keep wicket and open the batting. But in this crucial Test, he did the task asked of him. Patel’s brief was the same as Aakash Chopra’s had been, to take the shine off the new ball, and he did better than what one could expect from Chopra. His 69 was higher than Chopra’s best of 60, he lasted much longer (141 balls) than Chopra’s average stay at the crease per innings, of 79 balls, and his strike-rate of 49 was much better than Chopra’s, of 35.46. Patel’s performance was Ganguly’s triumph as a tactician. (Back to article)

John Emburey, Former England Captain and current Middlesex Coach backs Ladbrokes sponsorship of the Middlesex County Cricket League and Youth Academy.This is a new and innovative sponsorship for Ladbrokes; combining support for the league and the academy and for the first time Ladbrokes is launching their highly successful `Fair Play’ scheme into league cricket.John Emburey Fair Play Ambassador commented, "This is an opportunity for Umpires to strike back, it’s a great initiative and a fantastic opportunity to penalise players for sledging and bad sportsmanship on the field. It will improve standards of behaviour and uphold the traditions of the game. We are thrilled to be involved with such an enlightened approach".The scheme rewards one club in each 1st XI side that finishes top of the Fair Play league in each of the 3 divisions considered by the umpires to have achieved the highest standards in Fair Play through the season.In assessing teams for Fair Play umpires will consider three broad criteria, which are based on `The Spirit of Cricket’. The criteria for Umpires are:

• Spirit of Cricket on the Field
• Courtesy towards umpires and opponents
• Acceptance of decisions

Ladbrokes, sponsors of this years Middlesex Cricket League is officially launching the partnership at The Cricketers Club of London, 71 Blandford Street, London W1U 1AB, on Tuesday 8th April at 7pm.Dominic Harrison, Ladbrokes Commercial Director said "Ladbrokes recognises the importance of supporting grass roots sports and is delighted to be sponsoring the Middlesex League, we are looking forward to a successful and enjoyable relationship"Vinny Codrington, Chief Executive of Middlesex, was delighted to have secured such a sponsorship. "To be able to support league cricket in the county, and help with the development of players through the academy is a major step forward for cricket in Middlesex, and we are delighted to be involved with Ladbrokes."

Exactly seven days are left before Bangladesh is taking on the mightyPakistan in their home ground for the inaugural match of Asian TestChampionship. The ground of Multan is unfamiliar to both sides evenInzamam-Ul-Haq knows little or nothing about it. It is worth mentioning thathe was born here and Waqar’s hometown is not far away. A team like Pakistandoes not go for spinners when they have a bundle of match winning fastbowlers in their camp. So let’s think they are coming with their quickies inthe Multan field.Bangladesh’s performance against the quick bowlers is a suspect and it isevident in all three Tests they have played so far. Fast bowlers from Indiaand Zimbabwe caused the havoc on every occasion and they had claimed 39 outof 60 Bangladeshi wickets. Pakistan certainly has a stronger pace attackthan that of the other two rivals Bangladesh played against. Here, thequestion arises how far the Bangla Tigers will go against the hostility ofthe Paki quickies with a frail tail?The specialist batsmen of the country were seen struggling against therising deliveries of the Indian and Zimbabwean pacers. Think about thesecond innings of the Test against India when the side collapsed to 91 only.Most of them succumbed to the short pitch deliveries and were found quitenervous in facing such balls.Against Zimbabwe it turned out to be a more daunting task, as they had todeal with the pacers in alien tracks and the front line batsmen missed theassistance they should get from the tail enders. On an average the last fivewickets put 50 to 60 runs on the board, which brought a hasty finish in theinnings. Otherwise, it could not be stiff to take three of their innings offto 300 landmarks or more (257, 168, 254 and 266 are the four test inningsthey played in Zimbabwe and the last five wickets put 63, 39, 83 and 63respectively).The tail-enders of Bangladesh team can bat at least their averages make itclear. Mushfiqur Rahman, who batted at number eight, is an excellent batsmanbut failed miserably. Hasibul Hussain hits the ball hard and he made 28against India. Mohammed Sharif proved in the ODI that he could be helpful atthe end. Enamul Hoque’s ability to bat is indisputable (His average is 36.38in the First Class matches). The sole exception is Manjurul who bats atnumber eleven and much should not be expected from him.Instead of staying on the wicket and batting sensibly, these players wereseen carried away with their wild shots that cost their wickets eventuallyand brought the doom for their side.In Multan, we hope Bangladesh would show some signs of improvements here.