Tag Futebol

Ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis enlivens England warm-up saunter

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The left-arm/right-arm spinner couldn’t prevent Joe Root and Eoin Morgan finding their form in England’s first outing of the tour

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo05-Oct-2018England XI 215 for 2 (Morgan 91*, Root 90*) beat Sri Lanka Cricket Board XI 288 (Chandimal 77, Moeen 3-42) by 43 runs (DLS method)
ScorecardJoe Root and Eoin Morgan struck confident, unbeaten nineties in England’s first match of the Sri Lanka tour, after Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes had shared seven wickets between them against a strong Sri Lanka Board XI side.Their collective efforts enabled England to cruise to a 43-run Duckworth-Lewis victory, after rain then bad light prevented the game from reaching its natural conclusion. In pursuit of a target of 288, England finished up on 215 for 2 after 35.3,Sri Lanka’s new ODI captain Dinesh Chandimal also made use of the occasion, spending 85 deliveries in the middle and hitting 77 runs in the process. Twenty-year-old Kamindu Mendis was the other half-centurion for the Board XI making 61 off 72. He also dusted off his ambidextrous finger-spin later in the day, bowling offbreaks to the left-handed Morgan, and left-arm orthodox to the right-handed Root, as those two batsmen went about their unbroken 174-run stand.The Board XI had made a bright start to the day when Lahiru Thirimanne and Test opener Dimuth Karunaratne produced a fifty-run stand. But Moeen then claimed England’s first spoils, wriggling two deliveries between the defences of both batsmen in the space of three deliveries.Kusal Mendis – recently dropped from the ODI side – could manage only 22 before he became Moeen’s third victim, leaving Chandimal to rebuild the innings from 107 for 3. He forged a 56-run stand with Kamindu for the fifth wicket, before he was dismissed by Root. That the Board XI got anywhere near 300 was thanks also to the enterprise of No. 8 batsman Isuru Udana, who hit three sixes and three fours in his 26-ball 40.England lost Jonny Bairstow to the bowling of Udana in the fourth over, and Jason Roy to Kasun Rajitha in the ninth, but Root and Morgan quickly took control of the situation, and the visitors practically cruised from there on out. Morgan, predictably, was the more eager of the pair to venture big strokes, hitting three sixes and nine fours in his 91 not out off 84 balls. Root was 90 off 92 with eight fours to his name, when the covers came on for the final timeEngland play their second warm-up one-dayer in as many days on Saturday, also at the P Sara Oval.

Misbah's chance to script Caribbean history

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Top order a concern for Pakistan as they eye their first-ever Test series win in the Caribbean

The Preview by Danyal Rasool29-Apr-2017

Match facts

April 30, 2017
Start time 10:00 local (14:00 GMT)Misbah-ul-Haq could add yet another chapter in his captaincy book in Bridgetown•AFP

Big picture

Now that the buzz around Younis Khan’s 10,000th run is over, the focus shifts to the dreary business of the Test series unfolding around it. Weather delays and uninspiringly sedate batting at times from both sides give the first Test a dreary, old-fashioned feel. However, there were absorbing periods that left you wanting more, particularly in the last session of the fourth day, when Yasir Shah beat West Indies into submission just as the Test threatened to meander to a forgettable draw.The build-up to the second Test is not so different to the first, particularly for the West Indies, who must go back to the drawing board. It’s all very well working out the opposition’s weaknesses and setting elaborate plans, but all that is unlikely to bear fruit when you then go on to lose five wickets in the first 30 overs of the game, and drop straightforward catches, like they did in Kingston.From Pakistan’s point of view, it was as efficient a Test as they could have hoped for. They were on top right from the start. Mohammad Amir turned in his best performance since his return to cricket, Yasir did what world class second-innings spinners need to do, and their middle order piled on the runs. Their only concerns might centre around the seemingly intractable puzzle of an endlessly misfiring top order, a concern only appeased by the fact that it was well hidden in Jamaica.

Form guide

West Indies LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLLLL

In the spotlight

In a depleted side that suffers from a paucity of genuine quality, West Indies appear to have found, in Shannon Gabriel, the man who comes closest to matching that description. He was the man his captained turned to every time it looked like the West Indies were out of ideas, with the 29-year old providing the breakthrough – or at least creating chances – more often than not. His aggression cost him half his match fee in Kingston, but that sort of passion might be appreciated by the West Indies fans. On a Barbados pitch that has traditionally offered more pace and bounce than the Sabina Park surface, Gabriel is perhaps the likeliest to make the sort of telling contribution that eluded his side last game.Ahmed Shehzad, not for the first time, finds his Test career at a precipitous stage. It is a pattern that has regularly repeated itself: inconsistency at the international level, rich form domestically, rinse, repeat. Apart from a pair of fifties, Shehzad has struggled to get going since his return to the highest level during the limited-overs leg of this tour. With Pakistan’s selectors showing impatience at the top order – Kamran Akmal has already been dropped from the Champions Trophy squad – Shehzad must be feeling the pressure of playing for his place again. Whether that stifles him or spurs him on may well have a significant outcome on the second Test.

Team news

West Indies’ squad is unchanged from the one that fell to a seven-wicket defeat in Kingston. Eyebrows were raised when Shimron Hetmyer and Vishaul Singh were both selected to make their debut in a side that already lacks experience, and one of them could make way for Jermaine Blackwood.West Indies (possible): 1 Kieran Powell, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Jermaine Blackwood, 4 Shai Hope (wk), 5 Roston Chase, 6 Vishaul Singh/Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Shane Dowrich, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Shannon GabrielPakistan could stick to the side that won the first Test, even though Misbah-ul-Haq did say they would consider the possibility of playing two spinners. That would also give them a fifth bowling option, so necessary in an attack that relies on three fast bowlers.Pakistan (possible): 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Mohammad Abbas, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Yasir Shah

Pitch and conditions

The forecast for the second Test is better than the it was in Kingston, even though rain is expected on the fourth and fifth days. The surface in Bridgetown is generally hard and fast, and if it is overcast, the toss could assume great importance. Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, felt the pitch looked “unusually” dry on the eve of the Test, so spin could play a fairly significant role as the match goes on.

Stats and trivia

  • If Pakistan win this Test, it will mark their first ever Test series win in the Caribbean.
  • The first Test marked the sixth time two Pakistan bowlers took six or more wickets in a Test. The last time this happened was in 2002.

Quotes

“It’s interesting. I’ve been out there a few times since I’ve been back here, and it looks pretty dry – unusually so. Normally you would expect a little bit more in terms of the surface but it looks quite dry, it’ll be interesting to see if it’ll last all five days or if it deteriorates quickly. Not quite sure, so it’s just a matter for us, especially, to make use of our first innings when we bat.”

Coach Rajput gives us confidence – Shahidi

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

After previous coaches Taj Malik, Kabir Khan, Andy Moles and Inzamam-ul-Haq steered Afghanistan’s progress so far, Lalchand Rajput could be overseeing the team’s next steps

Mohammad Isam30-Sep-2016Afghanistan’s development from a struggling team to a genuine threat to higher-ranked sides can be traced through the progressive contributions of their last few coaches. Taj Malik laid the foundations before Kabir Khan got them to think like international cricketers. Andy Moles took them to the 2015 World Cup, after which Inzamam-ul-Haq guided them to their maiden ODI and T20I series wins, over Zimbabwe.Now it is Lalchand Rajput, the former India batsman, who is taking Afghanistan further into unchartered territory. On October 1, in the third ODI, they will seek to take their next big step, by clinching their first-ever bilateral series against Bangladesh.Rajput was appointed in June this year after Inzamam left the role to take over as Pakistan’s chief selector. So far, Rajput has been able to consolidate and build on the progress made during Inzamam’s seven months as coach. Afghanistan now seem to be at least on par with Ireland, and a cut above all other Associate nations.A 2-1 series result could lead to their rise up the ODI rankings, which would be a huge confidence boost for the emerging team. Young batsman Hashmatullah Shahidi said that Rajput’s focus has been on the batting, especially on how to bat for the full 50 overs and rotate the strike.”In the last one year, Afghanistan cricket has been improving,” Shahidi said. “Before him [Rajput], Inzamam-ul-Haq did very well as our coach. Now Rajput sir is trying hard with us. He is giving us more confidence. He tells us that we are one of the best sides in the world.”He is asking us to play positive cricket against each and every team. He tells us to take everything positively. He is also working on our batting. He is teaching us how to play 50 overs, play till the end and concentrate on singles.”Shahidi said they are now focused on trying to finish their innings well, which they didn’t do in the first ODI that they lost by seven runs. They nearly repeated their mistake in the second game before managing to scrape through with a two-wicket win.”He [Rajput] told us that those who are set at the wicket should go till the end. This was our mistake in the first game. We had a good partnership but we didn’t finish the game. It will be hard for the new batsmen to come and play like set batsmen. We will try to fill that gap.”We had a good partnership and I scored runs in the first game but I should have finished the game. I will learn from my mistakes from the last two games,” said Shahidi, who made a fifty in the first ODI.He was also confident that their spinners Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan would once again have a major say in the outcome of the game, as they did in the second ODI, tying up the Bangladesh batsmen and then picking up late wickets to derail them completely.”Rashid Khan is a very good young talent. He has been successful in the last six months,” Shahidi said. “We have good spinners in the side like Mohammad Nabi, who bowled really well in the last game. They will, , do very well in the last game for us.”Steady batting and the spinners’ well-planned spells will be Afghanistan’s advantage in the third ODI. If they do end up beating Bangladesh, it would be a major milestone in their cricket history, and Rajput would be lauded for his contribution, much like his predecessors Malik, Khan, Moles and Inzamam.

Hughes hundred ensures Australia draw series

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

On debut, Phillip Hughes scored a century to give Australia a 1-0 lead in this series. In the final game, he made another hundred to save Australia from series defeat and salvage a 2-2 result

The Report by Brydon Coverdale23-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPhillip Hughes scored his second hundred of the series•Getty Images

On debut, Phillip Hughes scored a century to give Australia a 1-0 lead in this series. In the final game, he made another hundred to save Australia from series defeat and salvage a 2-2 result. Set 248 to win the game and the five-match contest, Sri Lanka struggled early, staged a plucky fightback led by Angelo Mathews, and ultimately fell short as Australia’s bowlers backed up the fine work of Hughes, whose unbeaten 138 was all the more important in a batting line-up missing Michael Clarke.Australia’s captain had been ruled out due to an ankle injury suffered at training on the day before the match and it left the Australians with a flimsy looking batting order that featured the allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Moises Henriques at Nos. 6 and 7. But Hughes ensured the heavy lifting was done by the time those men walked to the crease and having been sent in by Mahela Jayawardene, who backed his team’s chasing form, the Australians were pleased with their 5 for 247.Still, the pitch was good, and only last summer Sri Lanka had successfully chased down 281 to beat the Australians at the same venue. The visitors knew they were in with a good chance. But early wickets were costly, and ultimately fatal to their victory hopes. At the halfway point of the chase Sri Lanka were 4 for 85, with barely one-third of the runs they needed. For most of the final 15 overs, the required run-rate hovered above nine an over.

Smart stats

  • Phillip Hughes’ 138 is the fifth-highest score by an Australian batsman against Sri Lanka and the fourth-highest against Sri Lanka in home ODIs.

  • Hughes’ 138 is also the third-highest score (second-highest for an Australian batsman) in ODIs in Hobart. The highest is 172 by Adam Gilchrist against Zimbabwe in 2004.

  • The win is Australia’s first against Sri Lanka in Hobart. On both previous occasions (1999 and 2012), they lost by three wickets.

  • For the first time since the New Zealand series in 2008-09, a bilateral series in Australia ended in a tie. In between, Australia won three series by margins of 5-0, 4-0 and 6-1.

  • The 79-run stand between Angelo Mathews and Jeevan Mendis is the second-highest sixth-wicket stand for Sri Lanka against Australia. The highest is 115 between Aravinda de Silva and Roshan Mahanama in Colombo in 1996.

Mathews and Jeevan Mendis caused Australia some jitters with a 79-run stand that in its latter stages kept up with the required rate, but when both men fell in consecutive overs with 61 runs still required, it was all but over. They had picked the gaps well and were finding the boundary regularly until Mendis (26) advanced to Moises Henriques, who sent the bull full and straight and rattled the stumps.In the next over, Mathews fell for 67 from 79 balls when he tried to pull a slower-ball bouncer from Mitchell Johnson and succeeded only in lobbing a catch to midwicket. Henriques followed up by bowling Thisara Perera for 7 and he finished with 3 for 32 from his ten overs, an impressive performance from a man whose results so far in the series had been slim. Clint McKay finished the job with the final two wickets to secure the 32-run victory in the 49th over.The problems had started for Sri Lanka through a somewhat unlikely source, the spinner Xavier Doherty, who had not taken a wicket in the series until this game. But his flight and subtle turn troubled the Sri Lankans and he ended a promising opening partnership of 57 when Mahela Jayawardene, who looked in crisp form for 38 from 39 balls, tried to drive Doherty over mid-off and instead lobbed a catch to mid-on.In Doherty’s next over he added the wicket of Lahiru Thirimanne, who with 1 from 10 balls had struggled to make a fluent start. The pressure of dot balls accounted for Thirimanne, who tried to smash Doherty over midwicket and was caught in the deep. Tillakaratne Dilshan followed for a scratchy 19 from 48 balls when he tickled a catch through to Matthew Wade off Henriques, who found just enough away movement.The Sri Lankan chase was almost derailed when Dinesh Chandimal (6) played an ugly attempted flick through leg only to see Doherty’s ball spin just enough to beat the bat and hit the stumps. At 4 for 77, Sri Lanka needed something special. It didn’t come from Kushal Perera, who top-edged Johnson and was caught at midwicket for 14, leaving the score at 5 for 108.Slowly, Mathews and Mendis worked Sri Lanka back into the contest and Mathews could dream of another come-from-behind chase, just like he orchestrated in his first match in Australia three years ago. But not this time. This time, the runs posted by Hughes early in the match proved the difference. His hundred was all the more important after Australia lost both their openers within the first ten overs of the game.There were useful contributions from several batsmen, notably David Hussey with 34, but Hughes was the key man and finished unbeaten on 138 from 154 balls. While Hughes lifted his tempo in the final stages, some of his partners were unable to stick around. Hussey was run out when he slammed the ball into the ground and back to the bowler Thisara Perera and inexplicably took off for a run that wasn’t there, giving Perera plenty of time to throw down the stumps.Glenn Maxwell followed for 9 when he skied a catch to cover off Lasith Malinga, providing Maxwell with his third single-figure score from three ODIs in this series. That was Malinga’s only wicket for the innings and while some of his yorkers in the middle overs were threatening, overall he was not quite as dangerous as during the previous few games. Nor was Nuwan Kulasekara, who collected 1 for 57 and couldn’t find the same sort of swing he had displayed over the past week.In fact, Sri Lanka’s best bowler was arguably the part-timer Dilshan, who opened, sent down three maidens, and finished with 1 for 22 from seven overs. Dilshan broke the 31-run opening stand between David Warner and Matthew Wade, who was moved up from the middle order. On 10, Warner played for a straight ball but Dilshan, coming around the wicket, got the ball to straighten enough to beat the bat of Warner, who looked back to see his off stump disturbed.Wade (23) was lbw to Kulasekara in the tenth over, his ill-judged attempted late cut to a straight ball matched only by his poor decision to have Richard Kettleborough’s lbw call reviewed. That left the Australians at 2 for 37 and needing to prevent another collapse. Hughes and the stand-in captain George Bailey steadied the innings with a 60-run partnership which, although not brisk, was important. On 17, Bailey chipped a return catch to Thisara Perera but Australia had a platform.Hughes, fresh from three single-figure scores, was initially cautious but started to pick off some boundaries as his innings moved on, including a couple of handsome drives through cover and mid-off when the Sri Lankan fast bowlers overpitched. His half-century came from 82 balls and gradually he became more and more confident, even opening his stance to crunch Malinga through wide mid-on for a boundary.His hundred came with a cut for four off Perera from his 132nd delivery and he was keen to lift the scoring rate after that, slogging Kulasekara over midwicket for the only six of the innings. The Australians picked up 47 runs in the final five overs, 30 of which came from the bat of Hughes.In the end, Hughes wasn’t Player of the Series – that honour went to Kulasekara – but he was Man of the Match in Australia’s two wins. Not bad for a first effort.

Six Test players in Bangladesh A for Indian series

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named six Test players in the Bangladesh A squad for the Shafi Darashah Invitational tournament in India

Mohammad Isam15-Jul-2012The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named six Test players in the Bangladesh A squad for the Shafi Darashah Invitational tournament in India. The tournament is a four-day competition hosted by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which will feature local first-class teams and will run from July 27 to August 14 in Bangalore and Mysore.

Bangladesh A 15-man squad

Shahriar Nafees, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mithun Ali, Shamsur Rahman, Raqibul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Farhad Hossain, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr, Sohag Gazi, Shahadat Hossain, Alauddin Babu, Dolar Mahmud, Kazi Kamrul Islam

However, the BCB didn’t announce a captain for the team and it was learned that the decision would be made in “a day or two”.The six Test players in the squad include Shahriar Nafees, Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr and Shahadat Hossain. Shuvagata Hom, who has played a handful of ODIs, was also picked.Shamsur Rahman, Mithun Ali and Farhad Hossain, who all scored more than 500 runs in the National Cricket League 2011-12, are in the 15-man squad, while the bowlers include offspinner Sohag Gazi, and seamers Alauddin Babu, Dolar Mahmud and Kazi Kamrul Islam – the latter two aggregated more than 25 wickets in the NCL.Saqlain Sajib, Rajshahi’s 23-year-old left-arm spinner who was one of only three bowlers who took 50 wickets in the NCL, did not find a place in the 15.Robiul Islam, Nasiruddin Faruque, Arafat Sunny and Al-Amin Hossain were named standbys.Bangladesh A will fly out for the tournament on July 23. They are placed in group A, along with the KSCA XI, KSCA Colts and the Baroda Cricket Association XI (BCA), and will play the BCA XI in their opening game from July 27. The other group includes the KSCA President’s XI, Mumbai Cricket Association XI, Rajasthan Cricket Association President’s XI and Hydrabad Cricket Asscoaition XI.

Dhaka make final despite Shakib

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Dhaka Gladiators made it to the final of the Bangladesh Premier League with a nine-run victory over Khulna Royal Bengals in the second semi-final, in front of a packed Shere Bangla National Stadium that backed the home team as well as could be expected

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2012
ScorecardAzhar Mahmood top scored for Dhaka Gladiators with 65•BPL T20

Dhaka Gladiators made it to the final of the Bangladesh Premier League with a nine-run victory over Khulna Royal Bengals in the second semi-final, in front of a packed Shere Bangla National Stadium that backed the home team as well as could be expected. Dhaka successfully defended their total of 191 for 4, Khulan making 183 for 7 in 20 overs. Khulna threatened Dhaka for a good part of the chase, courtesy a rapid knock from their captain, Shakib Al Hasan – he scored his first Twenty20 half-century, an unbeaten 86 off 41 balls – but it just wasn’t enough to see the team through.After a revamped Dhaka – Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Awais Zia flew in from Dubai in time for the match, following the conclusion of Pakistan’s series against England – chose to bat, Khulna bowled quite poorly from the onset. Dhaka lost the big-hitting Zia and Nazimuddin by the time they got to 22, but then Pakistan’s Imran Nazir smashed 41 off 25 balls with six fours and two sixes to steady them. Nazir fell in the eighth over to another Pakistan player who had arrived at the BPL just in time for the knock-outs – Mohammad Hafeez.Dhaka’s total was chiefly built around a 72-run fourth-wicket stand between Mohammad Ashraful and Azhar Mahmood, who made 65 off 39 balls with six fours and three sixes. Ashraful struck four boundaries and a six in his 33-ball 47. Afridi came in towards the end and provided the final surge, with an 11-ball 27. He was particularly harsh on Shakib, hammering 19 in the left-arm spinner’s last over.In the chase, Khulna lost their overseas batsmen (Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Herschelle Gibbs, Hafeez and Dwayne Smith) within eight overs, but Shakib and Nasir Hossain held on for a fine fifth-wicket stand of 87. Shakib was deprived of a few well-struck runs when two of his straight-drives hit Nasir and the stumps. Yet, he managed to reach his half-century off 22 balls. Big swings to the leg side apart, he gathered runs through flicks, sweeps and scoops off Elias Sunny, Ajmal and Afridi.The thirty-one required off the final over, though, proved just beyond Shakib’s reach – he could manage only 21 runs off Azhar Mahmood. Sunny shone with the ball, taking 3-29 – a credible showing, especially with two top-quality spinners playing alongside him.

Warne suffers minor burns in cooking mishap on BBL eve

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Shane Warne has suffered serious burns to his bowling hand a mere five days from the Melbourne Stars’ first match in the Twenty20 Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2011Shane Warne has suffered serious burns to his bowling hand a mere five days from the Melbourne Stars’ first match in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, placing his fitness for the start of the tournament in some jeopardy.The burns, which Warne relayed to the world via a graphic image on Twitter, were sustained in a cooking accident.His team was due to take part in a practice match on Monday, though the Stars have indicated that Warne was not scheduled to take part in the fixture.”Not ideal preparation for practice match today-burning the bowling hand Get better quickly please,any suggestions-HELP,” Warne wrote. “Ps no more trying to be a master chef ! Stop and by a bacon roll on the way to the ground next time – silly Shane !”Cameron White, the Stars’ captain, said Warne was confident he would be fit to play on Saturday.”I saw his hand and I saw the pic on Twitter as well – it’s one of those things, it looks a lot worse than probably what it is,” White told reporters. “He said to me in the rooms before that he’s pretty sure he’ll be able to bowl on Wednesday and 100 per cent confident he’s going to play on Saturday as well.”It’s just part and parcel of Warney. The boys are really looking forward to playing with him and what he brings to the table – from burning his hand cooking a bacon sandwich to everything that he’ll do out on the ground.”Warne’s mishap was not the only drama to envelop Melbourne’s two T20 teams in the days before the start of the BBL.Another Star, the Tasmanian allrounder James Faulkner, suffered a dislocated finger in the field during the practice match, while the Renegades’ Brad Hodge has suffered a hamstring injury. Simon Helmot, the Renegades coach, said he felt “sick” after confirmation that Hodge had suffered a hamstring tear.”Obviously when one of your main men go down, it’s disappointing,” he said. “He was a bit dejected at the time, he was really disappointed. But he’s a competitor, he’ll do everything possible to get himself right as soon as possible.”

Hong Kong chief rubbishes corruption reports

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Dinesh Tandon, chairman of the Hong Kong Cricket Association, has dismissed suggestions anything untoward occurred during the 2010 Hong Kong Sixes tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2011Dinesh Tandon, chairman of the Hong Kong Cricket Association, has dismissed suggestions anything untoward occurred during the 2010 Hong Kong Sixes tournament.Heath Mills, the New Zealand Players’ Association CEO, had confirmed reports which claimed New Zealand players reported a suspicious approach at the tournament, but Tandon was confident nothing untoward had happened.We have been made aware by the ICC that an incident happened and we are investigating it further,” Tandon told the . “But I can assure you that there has been no instance of match-fixing or spot-fixing.”Members of the New Zealand side, which included Daryl Tuffey, Nathan McCullum and Scott Styris, dined with a man in Hong Kong who introduced himself as a Middle Eastern diamond dealer, but grew uncomfortable when he began offering them products. They reported the interaction to the team manager Steve Wilkins, who in turn informed NZC, and the players were subsequently interviewed by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit.”The Hong Kong Sixes aren’t the usual bilateral series or an ICC event, these sorts of events that do take place that are festivals if you like,” Mills had told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously if there isn’t an ICC anti-corruption official there to police it, a lot of the protocols aren’t going to be followed.”But Tandon said, from their end, the tournament organisers had followed all necessary protocols. “We have strictly adhered to ICC guidelines on corruption and I’m confident nothing happened.”

Debutant Neser impresses for Queensland

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The debutant Michael Neser enjoyed his opening day of first-class cricket, collecting four wickets as Western Australia’s batsmen failed to make use of their starts at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2010
ScorecardThe debutant Michael Neser enjoyed his opening day of first-class cricket, collecting four wickets as Western Australia’s batsmen failed to make use of their starts at the Gabba. The Warriors reached 8 for 279 at stumps, with David Bandy unbeaten on 40 and Australia’s Test bolter Michael Beer at the crease on 4.The South African-born Neser, who moved to Australia at the age of 10, finished the day with 4 for 42. His haul included the key wickets of the in-form Shaun Marsh, who was caught and bowled when he skied a pull on 20, and the Warriors captain Adam Voges, who was caught behind for 4.Neser also removed the openers, Wes Robinson for 49 and Liam Davis for 56, after the visitors made a solid start having chosen to bat. Bandy and Luke Ronchi, who made 68, helped Western Australia put on some lower-order runs, but two late wickets from Chris Swan gave Queensland some momentum heading in to the second morning.

Hampshire in talks for Caribbean Twenty20

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Hampshire are in talks with the West Indies cricket board over the possibility of joining the Twenty20 Calypso Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2010Hampshire are in talks with the West Indies Cricket Board over the possibility of joining the Caribbean T20 and are waiting on assurances from the board.Hampshire missed out on the Twenty20 Champions League after winning the Friends Provident t20 because the tournament clashed with the end of the Championship season. Playing in West Indies’ domestic tournament would be their first chance of international competition.The club are yet to commit, however, because they are waiting on news from the WICB. “We have yet to commit as there are financial implications,” Hampshire chief executive Glenn Delve said. “Financially it needs to stack up and we have yet to receive assurances from the West Indies cricket board.”The inaugural Caribbean T20 was held in July this year with Guyana emerging triumphant and earning a spot in the Champions League Twenty20. The Calypso Cup, another Twenty20 tournament planned for January 2011, has been postponed indefinitely due to “ongoing financial challenges” faced by the board. The tournament was meant to include four domestic teams from the Caribbean, three English counties and one overseas team.Hampshire’s presence would help raise the profile of the tournament, which is scheduled for January.Hampshire were previously linked to the Royals franchise but sought to distance themselves when Rajasthan Royals were expelled from the IPL, with chairman Rod Bransgrove telling reporters when the news broke that “the club has not yet signed final documentation in relation to the proposed commercial partnership with the Rajasthan Royals.”