All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard
Plate Group Points TableGoa made a good start to their final-round Plate Group match against Himachal Pradesh, finishing the first day’s play at Margao on 264 for 4 thanks to fifties from Swapnil Asnodkar and Mandar Phadke. After losing Nikhil Haldipur for just 4 – lbw to the impressive Rahul Panta – Goa made steady progress with a 66-run stand between Asnodkar and Sagun Kamat (37) who looked good for more but was removed by Panta. Following Asnodkar’s dismissal with Goa on 164 for 4, Phadke and Shadab Jakati added exactly 100 to stave off any further threat and leave the home side in a solid position.

Match facts

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

It will be a match between the Invincibles and the Resurgents. After one blip, the Rajasthan Royals haven’t looked capable of putting a foot wrong while the Mumbai Indians, who looked set to sink after four straight losses, have managed to turn the tide. But what could have been the showpiece of the tournament will not materialise, not yet at least: Sachin Tendulkar, yet to play a match in the IPL due to groin injury, won’t be squaring up against Shane Warne.Yet Mumbai, after back-to-back wins, will approach the match with belief and confidence. After appearing rudderless in the initial matches, they were led from the front by Shaun Pollock in their spectacular come-from-behind win against the Delhi Daredevils. Pollock seems to be easing into captaincy and grasping the strengths and weaknesses of his side.Batting, though, remains Mumbai’s major weakness. Dwayne Bravo’s 64 has been the lone match-winning innings, and it is also the only half-century recorded by a Mumbai batsman. Sanath Jayasuriya and Robin Uthappa, of whom much was expected, have disappointed. A casual attitude and lack of patience have been the features of their batting, leading to an absence of partnerships. They have their task cut out against a resourceful bowling attack, cannily led by Warne.If Rajasthan have to guard against anything, it is the possibility of an off-day. Every trick they have tried has worked so far has worked like a dream. Warne has promised more surprises, and be sure that he will be up to something. Apart from carrying some momentum in to the match, Mumbai would also hoping that the law of averages catches with the old geezer.

Tournament position

Mumbai Indians P6 W/L2/4 NRR -0.889
Rajasthan Royals P6 W/L5/1 NRR +0.873

IPL form (last five matches)

Mumbai Indians LLLWW
Rajasthan Royals WWWWW

Watch out for …

Sourav Ganguly, who pulled his right hamstring while fielding in the first one-dayer against Australia in Bangalore, has been rested for the second game in Kochi as a precautionary measure.The team management has informed that the injury is not serious, and that Ganguly should be available for the remainder of the series. Ganguly went off the field in the 27th over of the first ODI at Bangalore.”An MRI scan was performed on Sourav’s right hamstring this morning and it has determined no injury to the region,” Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, said in a statement.”Based on the findings, a vigorous rehab approach will be commencing immediately. On the report of team physio John Gloster and other analysis, the team management feels that Sourav will progress quickly and hence it was decided to rest him for a game.”Ganguly was confident of regaining his fitness for the third game. “Thankfully, it’s a strain and not a tear… I should be available for the third match,” he told the Kolkata-based . The team’s cricket manager, Lalchand Rajput, also echoed his views: “It’s not a tear, but Sourav has to rest … one can’t take a chance.”Meanwhile offspinner Harbhajan Singh admitted to the same newspaper that he was recovering from a stiff neck. “I can now turn my head to the left… I’m much better and should be available for Tuesday’s match.”The second one-dayer gets underway on October 2 while the third, at Hyderabad, is scheduled for October 5.

The war of words between the International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has intensified further with Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, suggesting that India could not aspire to become a cricketing force without putting its own house in order.While refusing to be drawn into the specifics of the criticism leveled at ICC by Lalit Modi, the vocal vice-president of the BCCI, on several occasions, most recently in a comprehensive discussion on Cricinfo’s Round Table, Speed said money power alone could not make India a formidable force in world cricket.”I have an old-fashioned view,” said Speed when asked if the BCCI were usingtheir superior monetary position to flex their muscle. “I judge sportsorganisations on the basis of three things: 1. How the team performs. 2. Howthe board looks after its stake-holders in terms of facilities on thegrounds, and 3. How well they use resources like population toproduce great cricketers.”The population aspect had been highlighted by Modi in his Round Table discussion to explain how it both brought in huge revenues, in terms of a captive audience, and also spurred the Indian board to greater efforts. Speed, however, chose to focus on a different aspect of the same issue.”Let us look at New Zealand. They are in the semi-final of the ChampionsTrophy with a population of four million. They don’t have a lot of money,but they are consistent. India last won a [ICC] cricketing event in 1983.I am very sure in 2007 it will be great if India win. It would mean thatthe power that India has, the population and booming economy, is beingreflected in the performance of India. It helps to have money to do that,but it is not always necessary.”Both Speed’s and Modi’s comments were the latest in the BCCI’s long-running skirmish with the ICC on several issues revolving around marketing rights, including the Members Participation Agreement (MPA), which deals with advertising during ICC events. The BCCI has refused to sign the MPA, saying it impinged on the rights of the players and the board in its present form.Speed refused to react to Modi’s recent allegations against the ICC andclearly stated that their silence on the matter was a deliberate move.”The ICC has said very little,” he continued. “We see long articles, longletters to newspapers. We’re accused of being the East India Company andlots of suggestions of inappropriate behaviour. We’ve deliberately notsaid anything. We’re not interested in debates through the media or notinterested in litigating matters in the media.”He reiterated his thoughts on Modi, the same ones he’d outlined a few weeks back, asserting that hehadn’t been to a single ICC meeting and was just shooting off opinionsinstead of sticking to facts.Modi, however, had asserted that there was an underlying ‘attitude’ problem to the whole standoff. “I will tell you what the problem is,” he had said on Round Table. “The ICC wants a ‘Yes’ man. That is the actual problem. They want somebody that they can deal with and who is going to listen to them. In our case he has to deal with the whole committee – the decision-making process which was one person is not there anymore.”On his part, Percy Sonn, the president of the ICC, echoed his views but added that hewas optimistic about the future. “I’ve had discussions with Sharad Pawar,the BCCI president, and even had a half an hour discussion with the primeminister [Sonn met the prime minister two days back] of the country,” he stated. “Whatever has happened in the past, the future is rosy. We cannot respond to allegations in newspapers. We cannot stoop to the level to involve 96 other countries to get involved in comments of an official who doesn’t represent his country in ICC.”

Matthew Hayden’s century against South Africa was so convincing it swayed the people of St Kitts to make him one of their own. Hayden not only left the ground as the fastest scorer of a World Cup hundred, but he was also granted honorary St Kitts citizenship and a life membership of the Royal St Kitts Golf Club.Hayden’s stay on the island lasted one more night as Australia left for Antigua to prepare for the first Super Eight match against West Indies on Tuesday. However, it was a memorable visit after he thrashed to three figures off only 66 balls. Herschelle Gibbs was also given citizenship by the country’s prime minister after the game for his six sixes in an over against The Netherlands.”It is a tremendous honour,” Hayden said in The Australian. “We have really enjoyed our stay here. It is a bit of a bonus.”Hayden’s early burst of 14 fours and four sixes was crucial in setting up Australia’s total of 6 for 377 on the way to an 83-run win, which earned them two points to take into the Super Eights. A year ago Hayden was not part of the one-day side, but after two record-breaking centuries in his past four innings he is an essential member again.Entering the tournament with a broken big toe, Hayden has scores of 60, 29 and 101 to improve on his previous World Cup in 2003. “In the last World Cup we had a lot of great starts, Gilly and I,” he said. “We had solid tournaments without being exceptional. This time we feel much more experienced cricketers and have seen the highs and lows a World Cup can bring, the weight of expectations.” Hayden said he did not handle the extra pressure well last time, when he scored 328 runs.

Australia 3 for 346 (Ponting 137*, Langer 82, Hussey 63*) v England
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Ricky Ponting launched his quest for Ashes vengeance with a brilliant unbeaten 137, as Australia piled on the runs on the opening day of first Test at the Gabba. Ponting, whose reputation as captain rests entirely on his success in this campaign, produced a flawless innings from first ball to last, as England’s bowlers wilted in the baking Queensland heat.It was more than just an innings from Ponting, it was a declaration of intent. This was his 10th Test hundred in just 15 Tests dating back to that epic 156 at Old Trafford, but whereas that innings had helped sustain the tension of the 2005 Ashes, this performance was conceived with the absolute opposite purpose. Fed up with the stigma of being Australia’s Ashes-losing captain, he set out to crush any semblance of a competition. It was as if every one of his innings since that moment had been mere dress-rehearsals for today.Ponting’s innings was scripted to perfection from the moment he won the toss and chose to bat first. That particular blow to England’s morale was not as acute as it had been on this ground four years ago, when Nasser Hussain opted to bowl and was met, then as now, by Ponting’s crashing blade. But as word filtered out that Ashley Giles had been selected as England’s spinner ahead of the more attacking Monty Panesar, a packed and patriotic Gabba began to feast on England’s negativity.In particular they feasted on Steve Harmison. After all the hype and all the hoopla, the official presentations, national anthems and assorted paraphernalia, Harmison’s first delivery of the 2006-07 Ashes was the ultimate anticlimax – a massive wide that was fielded at second slip to guffaws from the stands. So much expectation – too much expectation – had been heaped on his shoulders, but this was a moment to rank alongside Phil DeFreitas’s long-hop to Michael Slater on this ground way back in 1994-95.Then, as now, it pricked the bubble of anticipation, and provided Justin Langer – whom Harmison had given such a working-over at Lord’s on the last opening morning – the ideal sighter to settle his nerves. This may have been Langer’s 101st Test match, but his 100th, at Johannesburg back in April, lasted precisely one vicious delivery from Makhaya Ntini. Instead, Harmison’s nervy two-over spell was dispatched for 17 runs, mostly crashed behind square on the off-side, to set the tone for an ominously one-sided first day.Inevitably it was the captain who hauled England back into contention. Flintoff’s first over had not been laced with stardust – two no-balls and an awful overthrow from James Anderson were the highlights. But then he found some extra bounce outside off stump to kiss the edge of Matthew Hayden’s bat, and Paul Collingwood claimed a comfortable chest-high catch in his first match as England’s second slip. Hayden was gone for 21, a solid enough innings but one that was a far cry from his bullying brilliance of four years ago.

That dismissal, however, brought Ponting to the crease and at 79 for 1, with one captain facing up to the other, the Ashes had truly begun. Ponting started watchfully, needing 10 deliveries to get off the mark, but when he did it was with two shots of pure class and confidence – a full-blooded pull and a back-foot steer off Harmison, who had been recalled to the attack to inflict another of his Lord’s duelling scars, but instead had his own figures lacerated.Harmison’s malaise spread to the rest of England’s seamers. Matthew Hoggard was unable to swing the Kookaburra ball and was milked out of the attack, while Anderson – in a reprise of his nightmarish performance at Johannesburg two winters ago – was clattered for 13 fours in 15 overs. He was twice entrusted with the first over of a session, and twice he failed to live up to the task, conceding nine runs straight after lunch and tea. That didn’t however stop Flintoff trusting him with the new ball late in the day, with predictable results.Langer was particularly harsh on Anderson’s waywardness, and he seemed a shoo-in for his 23rd Test century when, on 82, he swatted a wide one from Flintoff to Kevin Pietersen at point, and swished his bat in annoyance as he left. But the damage to England’s psyche had already been done. In the absence of any cutting edge, England desperately needed a steadying influence, and lo and behold, it was the maligned Giles who provided in his first first-class match for exactly 12 months.Steady as ever, he found some extra bounce and bite outside off stump to surprise Damien Martyn as he shaped for a cut and conceded just 51 runs from his 18 overs. But by the close, the almost unnoticed Mike Hussey had nudged and shimmied his way to an unbeaten 63.It was Ponting’s day, however. By stumps he was level with Steve Waugh as Australia’s leading century maker (32) and needed just 71 more runs to reach 9000 runs in Tests. He is destined to break every record in the book. But, and it is a big but, if he fails to win this series as captain, he is destined to be judged as a failure. On today’s evidence, it’ll be over his dead body.

Scorecard

Warding off a scare before the final Test at The Oval, the Indian batsmen held on for a hard-fought draw on the final day of their tour game at Grace Road. The Sri Lankans will rue declaring a bit too late, leaving the Indians an improbable 294 to chase in 57 overs. In the end, they didn’t have enough time to polish off the tail.At 152 for 6 with 15 overs to go India were staring at a morale-shattering defeat but Gautam Gambhir’s calm half-century, his second of the match, defied the Sri Lankans. Instead of withdrawing into a shell Gambhir remained positive, going for his shots when given the chance to pilot the team through to stumps. Both Rangana Herath and Dammika Prasad were causing problems but Gambhir’s hour-long stand with Ramesh Powar ensured that the Indians continued their undefeated run on this tour.Until the action-filled final hour, a couple of laidback innings brightened what threatened to be a drab day. Michael Vandort’s assertive century stretched the Sri Lankans’ lead to 293 before Wasim Jaffer responded in typically languid style. Vandort was the bully who waited to pounce; Jaffer, the artist who simply waved the brush. Both reeled off joyous drives, used their feet against spin and batted with an air of effortlessness. In a situation that could have led to drudgery, both injected a vital spark.A 57-run second-wicket stand between Jaffer and Yuvraj Singh allowed the Indians to sniff an unlikely win. Yuvraj’s 33 was chancy – he was dropped early and survived a big shout for caught behind – but bristled with crackling strokes on both sides of the wicket. In the eighth over, delivered by left-armer Chanaka Walegedera, he ripped fours through square leg, midwicket and cover, telegraphing his intentions of going for the victory target.His dismissal, though, trapped lbw while trying to paddle-sweep offspinner Dilruwan Perera, set the match on course for a draw. Jaffer continued to prosper and brought up his fifty with a delicious cover-drive struck on the up. Waltzing down the track to Perera, he lofted as if enjoying a net, smacking him for a handsome six over long-off. It was all too easy until he was deceived by the left-arm spin of Herath and popped an inside edge back to the bowler. Two more quick wickets caused some flutters but Gambhir downed the shutters calmly.Twelve wickets fell on a day when conditions were ideal for batting. Vandort, resuming on 61, dispatched the bowling to different parts, pounding straight-drives with minimum fuss. Tall and usually taking a big stride forward, he was aggressive in bursts – a string of dot balls being followed by a couple of meaty blows.Perera, his partner this morning, fell one short of a well-deserved half-century and Malinda Warnapura capped a forgettable game with a first-ball duck, prodding unconvincingly. It was only because of Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Dammika Prasad that the Sri Lankans could boost their total. Both used agricultural methods – mowing across the line with abandon – and took on the spinners. Prasad’s two sixes pushed the total to 248 before his attempt at a third saw him caught at long-off.Despite the final-day stumble the Indians will leave Leicester upbeat, especially with their captain, Rahul Dravid, striking form with an assured half-century in the first innings. However, a couple of issues remain: one surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who didn’t keep wicket for most of this game and endured two batting failures, and another involving Anil Kumble, who didn’t make any sort of impact in his 20 overs. It’s unlikely, though, that either will sit out at The Oval.How they were outDilruwan Perera run-out (Gambhir/Karthik) 49 (115 for 2)Malinda Warnapura c Karthik b Bose 0 (115 for 3)Michael Vandort c Bose b Powar 117 (196 for 4)Thilan Samaraweera c and b Powar 24 (205 for 5)Kaushal Lokuarachchi c Kumble b Laxman 16 (217 for 6)Dammika Prasad c Karthik b Gambhir 21 (248 for 7)IndiansDinesh Karthik b Walagedera 9 (9 for 1)\Yuvraj Singh lbw b Perera 33 (66 for 2)Mahendra Singh Dhoni lbw Prasad 1 (73 for 3)Wasim Jaffer c and b Herath 55 (116 for 4)VVS Laxman lbw Herath 3 (122 for 5)Rahul Dravid lbw b Prasad 15 (152 for 6)

Steve Harmison, the England fast bowler, admits that he is unlikely to be fit for next month’s first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on May 11.Harmison, 27, was forced to fly home from India last month due to pain in his right shin and has yet to recover fully. He met with a specialist in Nottingham last week and admitted he had doubts over his availability for the first Test.”Before I saw the specialist I was hopeful of playing at Lord’s,” Harmison is quoted as saying in the . “But the way he was talking, my gut feeling is I’m not going to be fit. I thought he might let me start running again straight away, then if all went well I could play in the county championship match against Lancashire and be ready to play in the first Test. But Professor Batts believes it is better to be cautious.”Harmison suffered from shin problems earlier in his career, and in 2000-01 he was forced to withdraw from an England A tour to the Caribbean. He has taken 159 wickets from 41 matches, and has been a star performer for England over the past few seasons. Harmison said it was his aim to work out harder and begin running next week with the second Test at Edgbaston on May 25 firmly in mind.Sri Lanka tour England for five one-day internationals and three Tests.

Scorecard

Karen Rolton led from the front with an unbeaten 81, but Australia had to repel a fine New Zealand recovery to snatch the Rose Bowl with a two-run victory in Darwin. Australia’s defence of 198 was going well when the visitors were dropped to 6 for 81 by Sarah Andrews and Emma Samson before Nicola Browne intervened.With help from Rachel Priest (33), Brown edged towards the target and by the time she departed for 61 off 76 deliveries they needed 28 from 4.1 overs with two wickets remaining. Helen Watson chipped in with 16 from 19, Sophie Devine scampered to 11 and the No. 11 Sarah Burke reached six, but only a single to midwicket was managed from the last ball when three were needed.Andrews, who delivered the final over, finished with 2 for 34 from ten while the debutant Rene Farrell impressed with 3 for 36 at a tense situation. Australia’s total was set up by the experienced Rolton, who stayed for 115 balls and hit eight fours and a six. She received support from Melissa Bulow’s 41 while Sarah Tsukigawa provided some middle-order damage with 4 for 43.”It’s great to win the series, especially since we’ve had new players come in and with the injuries we’ve had here,” Rolton said. “It’s been good to play against a great team and have these close matches to increase the experience of the players.” The 3-1 result means Sunday’s final fixture will be a dead rubber.Rolton’s knock also made her the second-most prolific batsman in the history of women’s cricket. Rolton, who won the Women’s Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards in Mumbai last November, eclipsed New Zealander Debbie Hockley’s ODI aggregate of 4,064 runs while scoring her unbeaten 81.

Pakistan’s proposal to appoint neutral umpires and discuss the itinerary for the series against India early next year could not be discussed at the recent Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Kuala Lumpur because no representative from the Indian board was present.Saleem Altaf, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director, who attended the meeting, told reporters that no official from the Indian board was present at the meeting. India are scheduled to tour Pakistan from January next year, although the itinerary is yet to be finalised. This, as well as a decision on neutral umpires for the ODI series, will now be taken after discussions on the phone between representatives of the two boards.Pakistan will be using two neutral umpires during the ODI series against England after they sought and received approval from the English board. Altaf also told reporters that an itinerary for the Asia Cup, to be held in Pakistan immediately after the series against India, will be finalised soon.