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The Kenya cricket team landed at the Allama Iqbal international airport in Lahore amid tight security in the early hours of Wednesday

Umar Farooq10-Dec-2014The Kenya cricket team landed at the Allama Iqbal international airport in Lahore amid tight security in the early hours of Wednesday. The five one-day matches between Kenya and Pakistan A is of considerable significance to the PCB, which hopes the successful staging of the series will be the first step towards convincing other nations to tour the country.”For us we were looking to play and get match practice,” Kenya coach Steve Tikolo said. “When Pakistan offered to host us, we never had hesitation in saying yes because we wanted to come to Pakistan and play cricket. I have come here twice in the past, to Karachi and Lahore, and for me it’s about playing the game of cricket.”Forget all the side issues, politics and whatever is being said. If you are a cricketer you just play cricket and we are here to play it and nothing else. We landed here this morning and until now they have looked after us very well, to say the least. So I think other countries should also come and play cricket. If you want to move world cricket forward this is what should be happening.”Pakistan has remained a no-go destination for international teams since March 3, 2009, when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus while it was en route to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for the third day of the second Test. Eight people were killed during the attack – and some players were injured – at Liberty roundabout, located one-and-a-half kilometres from the stadium.The Kenyan team bus, flanked by police, was driven along the route where the attack took place. The visitors will be staying at the National Cricket Academy, adjacent to the Gaddafi Stadium, where all the matches will be played. The security measures put in place include the area being cordoned off by 14 giant gates.The stadium and the NCA are situated inside the Nishtar Park Sports Complex, which is a public space with several restaurants and shops. During Kenya’s stay, however, all the restaurants and shops will be shut for two weeks. Journalists intending to cover the series have had to get their accreditation cleared by the superintendent of police.”It’s an honour and privilege for us to be in Pakistan,” Tikolo said. “I feel Pakistan has done a great favour by hosting us. We have a tournament coming up in January, a world qualifier league in Namibia and this series is a part our preparation.”I believe the games we are going to play in the next 10 days are going to give my boys much practice and experience going into the tournament. So on behalf of Kenya Cricket, we are grateful to Pakistan and I hope this relationship goes further and becomes stronger.”Since the Lahore attack – nearly seven years ago – Pakistan have had to play their home series at offshore venues, primarily the UAE. THE PCB had tried to negotiate with the BCB about a tour but Bangladesh withdrew after committing twice.The PCB during the time tried to negotiate with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to commit to a tour of Pakistan but the series never happened, with Bangladesh withdrawing after committing twice.Pakistan also invited West Indies A in 2013 but the WICB refused to send the team and asked PCB to host them in UAE, which did not happen. Afghanistan, who received Associate status in the ICC only last year, had visited Pakistan several times but their fixtures were low profile. The PCB also had talks with Cricket Ireland this year but the tour was put on hold following terrorist attacks on Karachi airport in June.The PCB had, through this year, used diplomatic channels in a bid to win back lost confidence and there were frequent visits by the European Union delegation at the PCB headquarters. Kenya is the first country from outside the region to accept an offer to tour Pakistan.Kenya were scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on December 11 but the date was changed suddenly and the team landed a day earlier. The dates for the five matches remained unchanged, though, and they will be played between December 13 and 20.

Sri Lanka won when they had almost abandoned hope. From the penultimate ball of a gripping final day, Shaminda Eranga found a hostile delivery to bring their first series win in England

The Report by David Hopps24-Jun-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSri Lanka won when they had almost abandoned hope. From the penultimate ball of a gripping final day, Shaminda Eranga found a hostile delivery to bring their first series win in England. James Anderson, who could only fend it to the leg side in self-preservation, dropped to his haunches in despair. Moeen Ali’s immense maiden Test century was briefly forgotten, submerged beneath an ecstatic Sri Lankan celebration.An indomitable backs-to-the-wall display by Moeen had come so close to sparing England: an unbeaten 108, unblemished even, made from 281 balls. England’s last five wickets had clung on for all but two balls of the final day. Pride had been salvaged, perhaps a captain had been spared too, but it is Sri Lanka who can celebrate a special moment in their Test history.Sri Lanka’s last pair held out for five balls in the first Test at Lord’s. This time the task was much harder for Moeen and Anderson: 20.2 overs. Even in Cardiff, when Anderson and Monty Panesar famously held off Australia in 2009, they only saw out 11.3. This time Anderson summoned a heroic 55-ball nought, all signifying nothing.Sri Lanka explode in celebration as the wicket of James Anderson falls•Getty ImagesTension slowly seeped into the final day as it only can in Test cricket. The crowd was sparse – Yorkshire had folded its arms in condemnation, convinced like all but the most incorrigibly optimistic that England’s abject collapse to 57 for 5, well adrift of a target of 350, had sealed their fate – but a night’s sleep had cleared muddled heads and Headingley, treacherous Headingley, not the sort of pitch to turn your back on, behaved like an old softie. At only a fiver entrance fee for the final day, Yorkshire had turned its back on a classic.Moeen, a cricketing free spirit, played with such judgment and self-denial that he must have explored parts of himself never visited before. He surely surprised even himself, suppressing the silky ambition of his batting during a strikingly unselfish innings in which his most positive shots were expertly selected. He met the second new ball with conviction and, in only his second Test, he made light of his international experience with impassioned advice to England’s tail.Only with nine wickets down did Moeen seek to steal the strike, only now did his timing begin to go awry as the demands weighed upon him. But his concentration was unwavering. His century came with half-an-hour remaining, flicking Nuwan Pradeep off his pads, but it had always felt like an afterthought in an innings where he appeared entirely consumed by England’s survival. This was not as much an innings as personal growth before your eyes.Even in defeat, there should be no doubt who will be the recipient of England’s annual Beard of the Year award – and, if that is one of the most frivolous awards around, this time it would have a more serious message. There are times when the wider social impact of a performance in sport must also be recognised even in a match report – and this was one of them.A sole spectator earlier in the Test who observed, however unthinkingly, that Moeen’s beard suggested he should be blowing up buildings was rightly reported to stewards and warned. Muslim cricketers have played for England before, but none had been so visibly proud to be a role model. With every stout-hearted block, Moeen made such comments appear ever more ignorant and, for those who questioned as much, integrated himself – and more importantly his beard – deep into the fabric of the England side.There were two umpiring reviews for Moeen to survive along the way, both optimistically sought by Sri Lanka for leg-side catches. On 52, a delivery from Rangana Herath, the left-arm spinner, found its way to leg slip, on 71 Eranga flicked his thigh pad on the way through to the wicketkeeper, but he was confident that his survival chances were 100%.Such was his selectivity that it was hard to recall another blemish. On another occasion, he had an inadvisable flirt when Herath slanted a low-arm delivery across him, but generally he curbed his attacking instincts with great resolve, only occasionally allowing himself to sweep or come down the pitch to Herath, choices he made with impeccable judgment.Moeen Ali reached his maiden Test hundred in a tense conclusion to the match•Getty ImagesEngland set the tone for the final day by making only 26 in nearly 18 overs during a drizzle-interrupted morning. Root clearly relished the chance to produce an innings of Boycottian bloody-mindedness in front of the Yorkshire crowd; strokelessness is no hardship for him when the match dictates it.Not shy of a word or two himself – the innocent countenance is entirely misleading – he predictably became the victim of prolonged sledging from the Sri Lanka captain, Angelo Mathews, who was instructed to curb his behaviour more than once by both umpires, and whose victory celebrations looked bound to be interrupted by an audience with the match referee. He should offer him an arrack and see if he can get away with it.If Mathews was in danger of getting sidetracked, it did not show in his captaincy, which remained well judged. He shuffled his bowlers endlessly in the final hour to try to unsettle England’s last pair and it paid off when he flung the ball to his most aggressive bowler, Eranga for one last effort – although not before he kept Mooen off strike with his own excellent over.Sri Lanka’s bowlers, by and large, were disciplined as the wickets came only slowly. Eranga adopted a short-ball policy in mid-afternoon, but it seemed a legitimate tactic at the time and unsettled Root. Herath lobbed up over after over accurately, but found little turn, a frustration he accepted with placid countenance. Instead Root was unpicked by an outswinger from Pradeep, a leading edge flying low to gully where Lahiru Thirimanne held a smart catch.Prior became a fifth victim for Sri Lanka’s fourth-day hero, Dhammika Prasad, a well-directed ball into his body and a deflection which was expertly snapped up by Kaushal Silva low down at short leg – not the first time he has fallen in such a fashion.It was Prasad’s effort ball and it almost resulted in his first no-ball of the match – the TV umpire requiring innumerable replays before concluding, fairly enough, that he got a sliver of boot behind a wonky front line. The match referee, Andy Pycroft, was quick to advise that if there was any uncertainty – and there was uncertainty – the decision should rest with the bowler as there was not definite proof he had overstepped.That decision, as it happened, was balanced out early in the final session. With the second over of the new ball, Chris Jordan drove loosely at Eranga and edged to second slip, only for another hair’s breadth decision this time to fall in England’s favour; again legitimately so. No balls were the last thing Sri Lanka needed, but they encapsulated how they were straining with every sinew to complete something quite exceptional.There was further encouragement for Sri Lanka when a delivery from Pradeep went through the top and jagged alarmingly away from Jordan. Herath was reintroduced with the new ball seven overs old and he removed Jordan lbw with his second delivery. England’s review had an air of desperation.Indifferent light became Sri Lanka’s next problem as the emergence of a blinking Stuart Broad coincided with the first appearance of the umpires’ light meters. Broad’s departure for a toilet break early in his innings was astounding. Sri Lanka were forced to resort to Mahela Jayawardene’s little-used offspin – six wickets to his name in 145 Tests – but, while the restrictions were in operation, Broad’s 24-ball nought ended when Herath straightened one to have him lbw.Sri Lanka’s recovery had been admirable – England had been 311 for 3 in their first innings at one stage, ahead by 54 – and over-excitability was the only explanation for wasting their second review, with 16 overs remaining, a futile search for an lbw decision for Herath against Anderson. Over-excitability became concern, became desperation, before desperation – at the last – was transformed into utter delight.

The BCCI has retained a base price of Rs 2 crore (approx. $328,000) per international match while inviting bids for a series-title sponsor for all the international games and major domestic tournaments in India over the 2014-15 season

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2014The BCCI has retained a base price of Rs 2 crore (approx. $328,000) per international match while inviting bids for a series title sponsor for all the international games and major domestic tournaments in India over the 2014-15 season.Currently, only one home series, against West Indies, is scheduled in the forthcoming season. As the series comprises three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20, the BCCI’s marketing committee decided to float the tender only for the nine international games and it is hoping to earn at least Rs 18 crore (approx $2.95 million) from series sponsorship rights over the next six months.The marketing committee was advised to invite bids only for the coming season since the FTP from 2015 was “still being finalised”. Once the international fixtures from 2015 to 2023 are sealed, with at least two series to be played at home every season, the BCCI hopes for better returns from series-title sponsorship.The highest bidder for this season will also get the title sponsor rights for the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare trophy and Prof DB Deodhar Trophy.Star India had bought the rights at the same base price for the last season, in which India played two international series at home.The bids will be opened on August 28 in the presence of all the bidders and the invitation to tender documents will be available at the BCCI office in Mumbai for Rs 2 lakh (approx. $3,280) from August 6 to 26.

Glenn Maxwell and David Miller can’t keep delivering every time, and soon, the rest of the Kings XI batting will be tested, if their bowlers continue to go for so many

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit21-Apr-20145:20

Agarkar: Sunrisers’ Indian batsmen have to chip in

Match facts Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Start time 1830 local (1430 GMT, 2000 IST)Big PictureWho will stop Kings XI Punjab? They chased 200-plus against Chennai Super Kings, then they hunted down 190-plus against Rajasthan Royals. And they did so with more than an over to spare both times. It has been basically the duo of Glenn Maxwell and David Miller who have done the damage; the others have either largely not clicked or have not been needed. They can’t keep on delivering at such levels every time, and soon, the rest of the Punjab batting will be tested, if their bowlers continue to go for so many.Sunrisers Hyderabad’s attack – Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Karn Sharma, Darren Sammy – has the potential to test them more than their previous two opponents did. This group of bowlers set up several wins for their side last season in their run to the playoffs. However, even Sunrisers’ attack could find it tough in Sharjah. The pitch for the Kings XI-Royals match was a belter without any help for the bowlers.While Kings XI have plenty of firepower all across their middle order in the form of Maxwell, Miller and captain George Bailey, Sunrisers’ batting appears lopsided, with most of the strength concentrated at the top in Aaron Finch, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan.Watch out forGlenn Maxwell’s scores so far have been 95 off 43 and 89 off 45. After being named Man of the Match against Royals, he said he had left the job “half finished” and should have taken his team to the finish himself. He may overwhelmingly favour the square leg/midwicket region against spin, but he showed another facet of his game against Royals. With Dhawal Kulkarni bowling on the stumps to a leg-side field and no sweeper on the off, Maxwell opened the face to pick up boundaries through cover.Amit Mishra has made legspin a wicket-taking asset in T20 without reducing it to quick-and-flat stuff. He lured several batsmen to their fall with big tossed up legbreaks in the recent World T20. He will be up against a man whose principal way of dealing with spinners is to slog-sweep them out of sight.Stats and trivia Glenn Maxwell’s strike-rate of 160.34 is the second-highest among batsmen who have made at least 1000 career T20 runs At 6.78, Amit Mishra’s economy-rate is the worst for spinners with 150 or more career T20 wickets

A round-up of Syed Mushtaq Ali matches played on April 1, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2014North ZoneGautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag struck forties and guided Delhi’s successful chase for a six-wicket win over Himachal Pradesh.Gambhir and Sehwag shared an opening stand of 82 in little more than 11 overs. Sehwag was the first to be dismissed for a 32-ball 42 which included five fours and a six. Gambhir was out two overs later for 41 off 40 balls with six fours. Delhi lost Mithun Manhas and Unmukt Chand in the next over but Rajat Bhatia and Milind Kumar ensured Himachal would have no more successes, reaching the target in the 19th over.Earlier, Paras Dogra helped Himachal overcome a shaky start to post a competitive 134 for 6. Himachal were 10 for 2 in the second over, before Dogra strung partnerships with Prashant Chopra (24), Nikhil Gangta (29) and Rishi Dhawan (27) to rescue the side. Dogra was unbeaten on 40 off 41 balls with one four and a six.In Chandigarh, fast bowler Shadab Nazar’s 4 for 13 set up Services’ comfortable, seven-wicket win over Jammu & Kashmir.J&K had a reasonable start to the innings after opting to bat, but they struggled to keep the score moving after Adil Reshi was dismissed by Nazar. Arshad Kawaja’s dismissal in the sixth over sparked a period where J&K slid from 26 for 1 to 59 for 8 in 10 overs. Samiullah Beigh’s 23-ball 24, which had just one boundary shot, and a useful 16 from No. 10 Vijay Dogra helped J&K to 91 before they were dismissed in the 19th over.In spite of the loss of their openers Nakul Verma and Yashpal Singh within three overs, Services reached the target in the 17th over, guided by Rajat Paliwal’s unbeaten 29 off 27 balls.Three-wicket hauls by Harshal Patel and Jayant Yadav triggered a batting collapse that handed Haryana a 32-run victory over Punjab in Mohali. Chasing 137, Punjab were struggling at 49 for 5 and there was no resistance from the lower order as they ended on 104 for 9. Patel, the right-arm seamer, took 3 for 35 while Yadav, the offspinner, took 3 for 10 from four overs. For Haryana, the captain Rahul Dewan top scored with 38 before he was stumped off Harbhajan Singh. There were no major contributions from the middle or lower order as Harbhajan and legspinner Himanshu Chawla shared five wickets between them. Chawla finished with 3 for 23.East ZoneAn unbeaten 53 from Laxmi Shukla and five wickets shared between offspinners Aamir Gani and Saurasish Lahiri helped Bengal beat Assam by 44 runs at Eden Gardens.Laxmi Shukla’s 53 off 42 balls provided impetus to Bengal’s innings and his fifth-wicket partnership of 38 with Arnab Nandi came off just 15 balls. Most of those runs came from Nandi who hit 28 off nine balls with five fours and a six.In reply, Assam’s batsmen, save for Dheeraj Jadhav, struggled against Bengal’s bowlers, specially the off-spin duo of Gani, who was making his T20 debut, and Lahiri, who ran through the side’s batting line-up. Jadhav scored 38 off 30 and Sibsankar Roy and J Syed Mohammad contributed a few runs lower down the order but Assam were too far behind to pose a threat to Bengal. Gani, who also represented India U-19 at the World Cup in February, finished with 3 for 18 in his debut T20 game.Odisha won their opening game against Tripura by six wickets in Kolkata.Chasing 117, Odisha secured the win in 19 overs, losing four wickets in an otherwise easy chase that was set up by opener Paresh Patel’s 37-ball 43. Earlier, Tripura struggled to post a challenging total after being put in to bat and were dismissed for 116. Manisankar Murasingh was the top-scorer with a 31-ball 38 but no other batsman managed a score of more than 20 as the team lurched from one wicket to another. Jayanta Behera took 3 for 22 in four overs while Basant Mohanty took 2 for 17.Central ZoneKuldeep Yadav’s left-arm chinaman had an emphatic impact in his first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match as he picked up 3-15 to usher Uttar Pradesh to a five-wicket victory. Rajasthan had progressed to a decent start but from 74 for 2 they crumbled to 115 all out and posed little challenge with the ball thereafter.Rajasthan’s No.4 Puneet Yadav with 33 off 34 balls was the top-scorer, but since him none of the batsmen could reach double figures. Kuldeep’s strike of Rajesh Bishnoi in the 12th over kick-started the slide and Rajasthan barely held on till the 20th over as he claimed two additional wickets in the death. Piyush Chawla, the UP captain, contributed two wickets and a run-out while seamer Amit Mishra had dented the top order with two wickets of his ownA double-strike left Rajasthan at 12 for 2, but Eklavya Dwivedi stood firm with 45 off 39 and was in the middle when the winning runs were struck.The Saxena brothers ripped through the Railways batting, picking up six wickets between them, to send them crashing to 86 all out and take Madhya Pradesh to victory by seven wickets and with more than eight overs to spare.Jalaj, the offspinner, was the wrecker-in-chief with 4 for 12. A horrid start had enhanced his threat with two of Railways’ top-three being dismissed by the seventh ball of the match. A brief 38-run stand for the third wicket between Amit Paunikar and captain Mahesh Rawat sought stabilise the innings, but Saxena broke the middle-order and Jatin cleaned up the tail in the 19th over.A similarly poor start – Anureet Singh struck twice in four overs – would not prove too difficult to overcome as Harmeet Singh and Udit Birla guided the side from 24 for 3 to a straightforward victory.South ZoneA century from DB Ravi Teja laid the platform for Hyderabad to beat Kerala by 34 runs in Visakhapatnam. Sent in to bat, Hyderabad made a solid start before losing their captain Akshath Reddy in the sixth over. Ravi Teja and Hanuma Vihari took over after that, putting on 126 in 76 balls, before Vihari was run out three short of a half-century. Vihari had struck two fours and two sixes in his 36-ball innings. Ravi Teja went on to finish on an unbeaten 101 off 68 balls, with 11 fours and a six, as Hyderabad posted a daunting 179 for 2 in their 20 overs.Kerala were on course till they lost their first wicket at 56 in the eighth over. After that, the Hyderabad spinners struck regular blows, as the batsmen failed to convert starts. Opener KJ Rakesh top-scored with 48, but no one else crossed 24, as Kerala ended their innings on 145 for 9. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha took three wickets, while legspinner Akash Bhandari, offspinner Amol Shinde and seamer Ashish Reddy took two apiece.An opening stand of 87 between Manish Pandey and KL Rahul was the bedrock of Karnataka’s seven-wicket win over Andhra in Vizianagaram. The target of 132 was achieved in 18.1 overs as Manish Pandey top scored with 60 while Rahul made 34. Rahul’s knock came off 34 balls before he was bowled by B Sudhakar who took 2 for 19. Pandey’s came off 51 balls before he was bowled by AG Praveen. Their knocks overshadowed Ricky Bhui’s unbeaten 53. Bhui came in with the score at 30 for 2 and added 47 for the fourth wicket with GK Chiranjeevi. Bhui’s knock came off 34 balls with four fours and three sixes. Abrar Kazi, the left-arm spinner, took 2 for 25.An unbeaten 89 by Sagun Kamat helped Goa ease to a seven-wicket win over Tamil Nadu in Visakhapatnam. Kamat and Swapnil Asnodkar took the game away from Tamil Nadu with an opening stand of 112, and that allowed Goa to overhaul the target of 149 easily. Kamat smashed seven sixes and five fours in his 61-ball knock. Asnodkar made 41 off 27 balls before he was dismissed by B Aparajith. Kamat ensured he stayed till the end to achieve the target with more than two overs to spare. After Tamil Nadu opted to bat, they lost M Vijay and Aparajith in quick succession. Dinesh Karthik and B Indrajith hit a couple of 30s to lift the innings with a stand of 47. Late hitting by M Shahrukh Khan took the score close to 150 but it wasn’t enough. Harshad Gadekar, the right-arm seamer, was the most effective for Goa with 2 for 17.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Super Eights matches that ended on January 19

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2014Group AIslamabad booked a berth in the QEA final, against Rawalpindi, by thrashing Karachi Whites by an innings and 28 runs in Islamabad.Asked to bat, Karachi Whites produced only one fifty, from Asif Zakir (67), as they were restricted to 249 by Shehzad Azam (4 for 124), Hamza Nadeem (3 for 51) and Mudassar Ali (2 for 59). Hundreds from Zeeshan Ali (167) and Imad Wasim (139*) helped Islamabad put on a massive 478 for 4 before declaring. A five-for from Azam in the second innings meant Karachi Whites barely crossed the 200-run mark and gave Islamabad 10 crucial points with which they jumped from the bottom to the top of the Group A table.Karachi Blues fell just short of making it to the final despite beating Peshawar by four wickets in Karachi. They ended with nine points, one short of Islamabad’s 10, but were level with Karachi Whites and Peshawar. Karachi Blues were benefitted by an all-round effort from the players even though they conceded a first-innings lead to Peshawar.Put in to bat, Peshawar had fifties from top-order batsmen Iftikhar Ahmed (56) and Mohammad Idrees (63) but no other major contributions from the middle or lower order. Medium-pacers Adeel Malik and Rajesh Ramesh took four and three wickets respectively. Karachi Blues narrated a similar story with the only substantial contribution coming from opener Naved Khan (88) – the rest of the batsmen struggled to take them close to Peshawar’s score. Medium-pacer Afaq Ahmed took four wickets for 45 runs.But then, a collective effort from the Karachi Blues bowlers restricted Peshawar to 134 on the third day. Their batsmen then chased 190 with four wickets in hand, led by an unbeaten 84 from Yasir Hussain and 45 from Fakhar Zaman. The six points earned weren’t enough to take them to the final though.Group BRawalpindi, who started the round at the top of Group B, progressed to the tournament’s final despite not taking a point off Multan, in Islamabad. Rawalpindi were even in danger of losing the game at one point. They held on for the draw, after conceding the first-innings lead, meaning they were tied on points with Lahore Shalimar but still topped the group based on a superior net run rate. The final is scheduled for January 23 to 27.Left-arm pacer Nasir Malik picked up a five-for to ensure Multan did not get away to a huge first-innings total, but Rawalpindi’s batsmen flopped to cede any advantage built up by their bowlers; only one batsman got past 20 for them, as they folded for 102 in little over a session. Multan’s new-ball pair of Aamer Yamin and Kumail Abbas were the destroyers-in-chief, claiming nine between them.Multan’s top order was shaky in the second innings, but three half-centuries from the middle order ensured Rawalpindi were chasing over 400. Twenty-year-old opener Adnan Mehmood, in only his second first-class game, scored a hundred to lead the effort to knock off 430. While a few of his team-mates also got starts, they could not kick on, and several failed, meaning he was fighting a lonely battle for the most part. The second highest score came from No. 8 Haseeb Azam, who made 86. However, regular wickets dented their chances and in the end it was left to Nos. 10 and 11 to hold on for the draw, which they did. Play ended with Rawalpindi 85 short of their target.Lahore Shalimar, needed victory to book their place in the final, but with the first day’s play washed out against Sialkot, they were always in a race against time. Despite them batting at a brisk rate all through, and also declaring their first innings closed, they could only draw. They did manage three points for the first innings lead, but it was a close run thing – opener Imran Butt scored a century to lead them to 328 for 7 declared before Sialkot, courtesy a ton from Salman Ali, fell just 15 short of lead. That they didn’t get it was in large part due to seamer Abdul Matin, who took 4 for 68.In their second innings, Lahore Shalimar got to 4 for 186 before play was called off. Their three points brought them level with Rawalpindi on the points table, but it was just not enough.*16.30GMT, January 19: The report had said earlier that Lahore Shalimar had qualified for the final, not taking into account net run rate. This has been corrected.

At 70 for 8, Australia Under-19s looked like wrapping up West Indies Under-19s for a sub-100 total, until they ran into Nicolas Pooran, who played the innings of the tournament to lift his team to 208

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran in Dubai23-Feb-2014
ScorecardNicolas Pooran hit 20 of the 23 boundaries in West Indies’ innings•ICCAt 70 for 8, Australia Under-19s looked like wrapping up West Indies Under-19s for a sub-100 total, until they ran into Nicolas Pooran, who played the innings of the tournament to lift his team to 208. The fightback went in vain as Australia coasted to victory by five wickets and set up a semi-final clash with South Africa on Wednesday.The alarming trend of top-order collapses continued at the Dubai International Stadium and on Monday it was West Indies’ turn to suffer. Pooran, however, showed it was possible to bat 50 overs even after losing eight for nothing. The unsung hero was his partner Jerome Jones, who pitched a tent at the other end and ensured Pooran got as much strike as possible.Pooran’s 143 constituted a staggering 69% of West Indies’ runs. His stand of 136 with Jones was a record for the ninth-wicket partnership in U-19 ODIs, and Jones contributed just 20.Of the 23 boundaries in West Indies’ innings, Pooran hit 20, evidence of the control he had. He began by flicking Greg Walker to fine leg before clearing the infield on both sides of the wicket against the seamers. Pooran started farming the strike once Jones joined him at 70 for 8 but he showed enough trust in his partner’s batting ability. Pooran turned down several singles and was successful in taking a single off the fourth ball on many occasions, letting Jones play the last two.The 50 stand took only 47 balls and Pooran faced 39 of those. His driving and placement through the off side was crisp and the shot that stood out was his straight six off Walker, not just for the distance covered but also for the follow-through. Thomas Andrews was treated harshly, Pooran slogged him over deep midwicket and hit three sixes in the penultimate over.Pooran deftly flicked Ben Ashkenazi to fine leg to move to 95 and two runs later their stand swelled to 83, breaking the record for the ninth wicket in U-19 one-dayers. He brought up his century with a flicked boundary to fine leg and had all but ensured that West Indies batted out 50 overs.Australia’s fielding standards subsided as the partnership grew, with several fumbles and a run-out opportunity missed. Pooran had dug out a yorker and Jones charged out for the single but was sent back. The throw was too high. Pooran lost his middle stump in the final over and he walked back to warm gestures of appreciation from the Australians who each shook his hand.West Indies may not have managed a par score, but it was a fighting one, which also looked unlikely given how they had begun. Australia bowled five seamers in the first 25 overs and induced several mistakes. They stuck to fuller lengths but it was the extra pace and hint of movement that the batsmen found tough to negotiate.Billy Stanlake bowled one of the best deliveries of the tournament – a fast, inswinging yorker – to uproot Shimron Hetmeyer’s middle stump. The left-hand opener barely had time to get his bat down to dig it out and the quality of the delivery was enough to dent the psyche of the rest. Tagenarine Chanderpaul, West Indies’ in-form batsman, pushed at a delivery from Walker that moved away and edged to slip. Walker was on a hat-trick after he trapped Jonathan Drakes lbw padding up to one that came back in.Jeremy Solozano attempted an expansive drive off James Bazley and edged to slip, where Alex Gregory took a sharp, high catch. West Indies lost half their side for 52 when Brandon King edged Ashkenazi to the wicketkeeper. Ashkenazi then flattened Ramaal Lewis’ middle stump before the left-arm spinner Andrews dismissed Gudakesh Motie and Bryan Charles in similar manner. Australia had to wait 23 overs for their next breakthrough.Australia were carried by a solid opening stand of 107 between Jaron Morgan and Matthew Short. Morgan began with back-to-back boundaries off Jones, pulled wide of midwicket and the second over the bowler’s head. Morgan had a close call earlier in his innings when he went down the track to Lewis, only for the wicketkeeper to fumble the stumping.Morgan then took on the left-arm spinner Motie, pulling and driving two boundaries in an over. Australia had moved to 60 for 0 after ten overs, in contrast to the way West Indies began. The shot that really signaled Australia’s dominance was Morgan charging Lewis and launching it at least eight rows over long-on. Morgan brought up his fifty off 61 balls but couldn’t carry on, giving Bryan Charles the charge and holing out to Solozano running forward. The ball before he charged down and scored a boundary down the ground.West Indies didn’t have to wait long for their second breakthrough, as Ray Jordan sent back Short thanks to his brilliant reflexes. Jordan threw himself to his right on his follow-through and took it one-handed. Australia were at a comfortable 112 for 2 at that stage, needing only 97 from 28 overs. West Indies needed to keep pegging away and they got two more wickets in quick succession. Pooran made up for his stumping lapse earlier when he sent back Damien Mortimer and Jordan produced a brute of a yorker to send back Alex Gregory.West Indies needed more such brilliance to pull things in their favour but Jake Doran and Ben McDermott ensured Australia’s safe passage.

An inspired spell post-tea by Jaydev Unadkat lifted Saurashtra’s sagging spirits, but Baroda continued to hold the edge on the penultimate day in Rajkot, armed with a lead of close to 300 on a deteriorating pitch

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran in Rajkot24-Dec-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Jaydev Unadkat picked up four wickets in a spell of eight overs•Getty ImagesAn inspired spell post-tea by Jaydev Unadkat lifted Saurashtra’s sagging spirits, but Baroda continued to hold the edge on the penultimate day in Rajkot, armed with a lead of close to 300 on a deteriorating pitch. With a day left and three innings yet to be completed, a draw looked the most likely outcome with Baroda poised to go home with more points.Spinners were expected to bag most of the wickets on a pitch tailor-made for them, but Unadkat’s spell of eight overs in which he picked four wickets proved that he could battle the conditions. Saurashtra had lost half the battle when they conceded a first-innings lead of 89 and their best hope of taking more than just a point was to push for an outright win. It required a collapse from Baroda and for a while, the visitors looked like losing their foothold when they slid to 130 for 5. However, Pinal Shah and Utkarsh Patel showed good resistance to stretch the lead to a point where it would place unrealistic expectations on any team batting last on this surface.Saurabh Wakaskar and Aditya Waghmode built Baroda’s lead with a stand of 74 for the third wicket. Wakaskar, who scored a century in the first innings, was aggressive against the spinners, driving down the ground and smashing a straight six that struck the sightscreen. He was let off on 60 when he miscued an attempted six to long-on, only for Unadkat to spill the catch over his head. Saurashtra couldn’t let go of those chances, given their situation, but Unadkat made amends with the skill he’s known better for.Fortunes oscillated when he began his spell after tea and removed Waghmode leg-before. He was on a hat-trick when he sent Irfan Pathan’s off stump spinning back a few yards. It was a blow for Irfan, playing purely as a batsman and missing a length ball. Wakaskar added only nine more runs after being dropped, trapped in front by Unadkat. The left-arm seamer, not picked for India’s tour of South Africa, ran in with vigour, extracting good pace from an unhelpful wicket. He bent his back to try and bounce the batsmen out and it was a testing period for Baroda, who couldn’t take their position for granted.Unadkat was lucky to get a fourth wicket, though, when Yusuf Pathan, on 17, was adjudged caught behind trying to cut. It bounced more than he expected and the umpire was convinced he had nicked it. A stunned Yusuf stood his ground and trudged off, staring at the Saurashtra players huddled together. It was untimely for Yusuf, just when he was looking dangerous. One of his two sixes landed several rows behind long-on and the ball couldn’t be traced. The lead looked like swelling quickly so long as he was around. However, Shah and Utkarsh batted positively, buoyed by uninhibited cheers from the Baroda dressing room and ensured no further losses.Utkarsh, the offspinner, was effective with the ball as well in the morning. Baroda had the hosts under pressure coming into the third morning, having removed six wickets on day two. But Saurashtra appeared comfortable against pace. The introduction of spin, though, was the turning point for Baroda as Utkarsh took two in two. Arpit Vasavada, the last recognised batsman, failed to make them pay for being dropped at slip as he was stumped in the following over. Utkarsh had Vishal Joshi caught behind the following ball to finish with 5 for 70. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and Unadkat frustrated Baroda with a last-wicket stand of 53 but the visitors still gained a healthy lead when Yusuf dismissed Jadeja leg-before for 44.

With a draw the most likely conclusion on the fourth day at Chinnaswamy Stadium, hosts Karnataka utilised the time available for some batting practice

The Report by Rachna Shetty in Bangalore17-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile pic: Stuart Binny hit his seventh first-class hundred after Karnataka conceded the first-innings lead•Sivaraman KittaWith a draw the most likely conclusion on the fourth day at Chinnaswamy Stadium, hosts Karnataka utilised the time available for some batting practice against Gujarat. They finished the day at 245 for 4, boosted by Stuart Binny’s seventh first-class hundred, after dismissing Gujarat for 411 in the first session. The draw gives Gujarat three points based on a first-innings lead while Karnataka get one.Abhimanyu Mithun had an impressive morning session and was instrumental in ensuring that the Gujarat resistance lasted less than 20 overs. Mithun dismissed Rakesh Dhurv and last man, Jasprit Bumrah, while the remaining two wickets were taken by Mayank Agarwal, to restrict Gujarat to 411 with a lead of 105.The rest of the day belonged to Binny, who was promoted up the order to No. 4 after Manish Pandey’s injury. After scores of 2 and 4 in the lead-up to this innings, Binny was keen to get some runs, particularly as Karnataka prepare for three successive away games.Karnataka were 23 for 2 in the 10th over after Agarwal and Kunal Kapoor were dismissed cheaply but their next 100 runs came off 115 balls as Binny got into the groove straightaway, attacking the Gujarat spinners and pacers alike and forcing them to change their attacking lengths to defensive ones.At the other end, KL Rahul grew in confidence, hitting out against Akshar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, but the young opener would be disappointed on missing out on a bigger score after getting yet another start as he was dismissed by Rakesh Dhurv for 47.His exit hardly affected Binny, who brought out the reverse-sweep to have the sparse crowd hooting in appreciation. By the time Binny reached his century, off 88 balls, Karnataka had only scored 184. He was dismissed playing in the manner in which he had started, attempting a big shot, but by then, Karnataka had played long enough to ensure a draw.Wicketkeeper CM Gautam and Ganesh Satish played out the remaining overs safely until play was called off.Binny was pleased that he had made use of an opportunity given by the team management to find some form. He also said that the spinners’ lines early on allowed him to settle quickly.”I have a pretty simple game plan,” Binny said. “I try and play 20 minutes to see what is happening, in terms of conditions, and then I play my game. The pitch was good to bat on and the spinners tried to attack me early on, which helped me attack them in turn. I won’t say I was worried that I didn’t get enough runs but it’s always good to start your Ranji Trophy with a few runs. I don’t think I played more than 10 balls in the two innings before this one, and therefore it’s crucial for me to play out the first 20 minutes.”With three away games against Vidarbha, Odisha and Haryana up next, Binny said the team would be focused on first securing a first-innings lead before attempting an outright victory. Manish Pandey is expected to recover from a twisted ankle in time for the next round on November 21 and with Robin Uthappa also expected to be join the squad, Karnataka are confident of their chances.”At the moment, we haven’t got the results we have wanted,” Binny said. “We shouldn’t try and think too much about where we are on the table because it’s still too early in the tournament. First we will try to get an innings-lead and then try for an all-out victory.”Gujarat, who are comfortable in the second place with 13 points, are scheduled to play an away game against Punjab on November 21.

Ashton Agar has been visibly restricted by a hip problem and underwent scans after the first day’s play while Steve Smith revealed he had battled a quad strain for the past 10 days

Daniel Brettig at Lord's19-Jul-2013Injuries have had contrasting effects on Steve Smith and Ashton Agar in the early passages of the Lord’s Test. Agar, so free in his movements during his unforgettable debut at Trent Bridge, has been visibly restricted by a hip problem and underwent scans after the first day’s play. Smith, meanwhile, revealed he had battled a quad strain for the past 10 days, and thus entered the match raring to bowl after not doing so much in the nets recently.Australia’s physio Alex Kountouris described Agar’s difficulties: “Ashton Agar has some left hip pain but has been able to continue bowling. He will bat and is expected to be able to bowl next innings.” Agar struggled with his action for most of the day and moved awkwardly in the field. Smith, though, was quite the opposite.”I haven’t been able to bowl for a week and a half in the nets because of a quad injury so I was nice and fresh and it came out naturally. It worked for me,” Smith said after his spell of 3 for 18 changed the complexion of day one, at the same time explaining why he was not called on to bowl at Trent Bridge. “I was actually really keen to have a bowl yesterday. I was actually warming up an hour before hand but he [the captain, Michael Clarke] wasn’t watching.”I really enjoy bowling when I am bowling well. I sort of probably put a bit too much pressure on myself when I’m not. That’s why I guess having a week and a half off bowling and just coming out and being natural has been good for me.”It was no coincidence that Smith’s most productive spell as a legspinner in a Test match took place now. He is classified as a batsman who bowls a little rather than the opposite. Despite ample natural ability to twirl a leg break, Smith has never considered himself a frontline bowler, even if past selection panels have classified him as such.”I probably wasn’t ever an actual spinner,” Smith said of making his Test debut as a bowling allrounder at Lord’s against Pakistan in 2010. “I was lucky to get that role at that time. I’ve always seen myself as more of a batter than a bowler so I’m obviously grateful to have played out here as a spinner and taking a few wickets at the same time.”Smith has spoken at various times to Shane Warne down the years, memorising advice about keeping his shoulder high and generating maximum spin. The advice of the new national coach Darren Lehmann has been simpler, but no less valuable.”Every time he walks past me he says keep bowling at the stumps,” Smith said. “That’s a pretty simple plan for a spinner. Just try and hit the stumps and let natural variation play its part.”