All posts by h716a5.icu

Simon Jones, the former England seamer, is going to pursue a career as a T20 freelance after announcing his retirement from first-class and List A cricket from the end of the season

Alan Gardner12-Sep-2013Simon Jones, the former England seamer, is going to pursue a career as a T20 freelance after announcing his retirement from first-class and List A cricket from the end of the season. He is expected to play for Glamorgan in the Yorkshire Bank 40 final on September 21 and will then focus on securing potentially lucrative contracts to play in T20 competitions around the world.Jones is coming to the end of a two-year deal with Glamorgan but will discuss a potential T20 contract with the county’s incoming chief executive, Hugh Morris, in the close season. Injuries have blighted Jones’ career since he became an Ashes winner in 2005 but the 34-year-old is not quite ready to follow his former England team-mate Matthew Hoggard into full retirement just yet.”If I get the gigs I want to get I won’t be resting much,” Jones said. “T20 is the option that we’re looking at and I’m excited at the prospect of playing in different tournaments if I can. Getting back on the park is something I’ve worked for a long time and for me to carry on playing it’s the obvious choice, to go down that route, as the likes of Shaun Tait have done.”There’s a lot of opportunities out there but you’ve got to get a gig. I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully I get the opportunities I feel I deserve, because I still feel I have a lot to offer the game.”Jones will certainly be the first Welshman to take the path of the T20 itinerant. Andrew Flintoff, another of Jones’s 2005 team-mates, planned to end his career that way, before injury had the final word, and while Tait, the former Australia bowler, is among several one-time internationals – such as New Zealand’s Scott Styris and Jacob Oram – to play just the shortest format, few England-qualified players have seriously entertained the idea.The choice may seem a little surprising, given that Jones only made his senior debut in the format in 2008 and managed one T20 appearance for Glamorgan in 2013. His T20 record comprises 43 wickets at 21.46, with an economy of 7.43.”It’s giving me the opportunity to play for another couple of years,” Jones said of his decision. “I still feel good in my body, I still feel good in my mind and I still feel I’ve got the skills and the pace to perform at the highest level. We’ll see what happens.”Despite plans to play Championship cricket this year, Jones has only featured in Glamorgan’s limited-overs teams, missing the early part of the season due to continued problems with his knee. But he hopes to end on a high with victory at Lord’s a week on Saturday and could still be turning out in Cardiff next summer.”If Glamorgan do want to keep me for the T20 I’d be delighted to stay but if they don’t I’m going to pursue other options,” he said. “I’ve had some niggles this year, which have happened in the gym. Glamorgan have a settled team in the four-day stuff and I wasn’t quite going to get in there. It has been a frustrating season but this will hopefully be another chapter in my cricketing career.”Glamorgan’s head of elite performance, Matthew Mott, who will be leaving the county at the end of the season, added: “Simon has shown great character and determination to keep pushing himself despite his time out of the game at Glamorgan. We wish him well in his endeavours to concentrate on T20 and thank him for his contribution both on and off the field.”It is a smart and well-thought out decision and I am sure that a number teams around the world will be keen on him given his increased availability for T20 competitions. He is still in great shape and has the passion to keep playing and bowling quick for a few more years to come. Hopefully he can sign off his one-day career with Glamorgan in a winning team at Lord’s.”Simon Jones was speaking ahead of the Yorkshire Bank 40 final at Lord’s on Saturday September 21. Tickets are available from tickets.lords.org

Akram Khan will leave his position as chairman of Bangladesh’s selection committee on the day the BCB election dates are announced

Mohammad Isam04-Jul-2013Akram Khan will leave his position as chairman of Bangladesh’s selection committee on the day the BCB election dates are announced. He confirmed this on Thursday after being asked to continue in the role till September, along with the other selectors Habibul Bashar and Minhazul Abedin.In the meantime, the BCB will formally ask the National Sports Council, Bangladesh’s sports regulatory body, to announce the board election dates. According to BCB president Nazmul Hassan, that could very well be this month.Akram has apparently been assured by the NSC that he will be elected unopposed as one of their designated directors on the board. In the 2008 elections, the number of NSC directors on the board was one, but it has not been made certain which constitution will be followed in the forthcoming election.”I will leave this position the day the election dates are announced,” Akram said. “If it happens to be before my term ends in September, I will let the board know. I am not interested in contesting elections in the present situation. I have been given an assurance. I may become a director through NSC’s quota.”I have already told the board regarding my desire to become a director, and I have done that before my tenured ended on June 30. I plan to make cricket better in the country, at all levels. I have a lot of plans about school cricket and age-group cricket. I have been a selector for six years, and I have worked with honesty and hard work.”

England will return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the first time since their Test against West Indies in 2009 was abandoned after 10 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2013England will return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua for the first time since their Test against West Indies in 2009 was abandoned after 10 balls due to a dangerous outfield consisting largely of sand.Alastair Cook, who opened the batting with Andrew Strauss in that match, will take his ODI team to West Indies for three ODIs beginning at the end of February all of which will be held at North Sound. Three Twenty20s then follow, which will be staged in Barbados, as preparation for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh which is due to start in mid-March.The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium returned to the international scene in May 2010, 14 months after the abandonment involving England, after the outfield was relayed for a second time and has since held matches in all formats.The brief tour of the Caribbean is part of a period full of ODI and Twenty20 cricket for England in the early part of 2014 following the conclusion of the Ashes in Sydney in early January.

Injuries to several players have forced the Bangladesh selectors to make four changes to the ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2013Injuries to several players have forced the Bangladesh selectors to make four changes to the ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. Mohammad Ashraful, Nazmul Hossain, Abul Hasan and Mosharraf Hossain have been drafted in to replace the injured trio of Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam and Naeem Islam, while Elias Sunny has been dropped.Mortaza and Naeem had not recovered sufficiently from injuries suffered during the Bangladesh Premier League, while Shafiul suffered a side-strain during the pre-tour camp earlier this month. Mortaza took a blow to his heel in the BPL final, sustaining a contusion injury that hampers his landing during delivery stride. Naeem was injured in the second week of February after he stepped on a ball during fielding, but he aggravated the injury by playing a few matches immediately afterwards, according to the Chittagong Kings physio. Shafiul picked up his injury while playing a league match in his hometown in Bogra.Abul and Nazmul were straight swaps for Mortaza and Shafiul. Nazmul has been in and out of the side for the last two years, having last played ODI cricket in the 2012 Asia Cup. He is the more senior of the two returning players; Abul has played just two ODIs. Rubel Hossain is the other pace bowling option in the squad.Mosharraf, a left-arm spinner, has been recalled after five years. His domestic form was impressive in the last two seasons, and he was the Player of the Match in the BPL final. Bangladesh no longer has List-A cricket, so his last performance in one-day format was good too. Mosharraf took 28 wickets for Victoria Sporting Club in the Dhaka Premier League and was the second highest wicket-taker behind Shakib Al Hasan, who is still recuperating from an operation on his leg to reduce the strain on his shin.Bangladesh play the first two ODIs in Hambantota on March 23 and 25 before playing the final game of the series in Pallekele on March 28.ODI squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Jaharul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain, Abul Hasan, Ziaur Rahman.

A round-up of Premier League Tournament matches played in Sri Lanka this week

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Apr-2013Moors Sports Club beat Panadura Sports Club by seven runs in a thrilling, final-round match of the Premier League tournament. The win put Moors at the top of Group A and helped them book a place in next weekend’s final.Moors, who were placed second before this match, needed an outright victory over leaders Panadura to secure a final berth. Panadura won the toss and put the opposition into bat on a result-oriented pitch. Moors were dismissed for 240, thanks largely to a five-wicket haul by Gayan Sirisoma. Panadura, though, were skittled for exactly half that score in their first innings as Malinda Pushpakumara took 7 for 56, dismissing five of the top six batsmen. Sirisoma grabbed another five wickets in the second innings as Moors fell for 130 with none of their batsmen crossing an individual score of 20. That collapse gave Panadura a second chance, but they fell eight runs short of a target of 251, in spite of contributions from Chamara Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene and Dinesh Ranga Cooray. The last-wicket pair of Sirisoma and Sujeewa de Silva added 23 runs together before de Silva was given out lbw, ending Panadura’s season.In Group B, a run fest helped Sinhala Sports Club (SSC) keep Tamil Union at bay as they qualified for the final, which will be played on their home ground. SSC captain Thilina Kandamby’s unbeaten 340, which broke the Sri Lankan first-class record for the highest individual score set by Kusal Perera two weeks ago, was the standout performance of the round.A Tamil Union bowling attack, that featured Chanaka Welegedera, Suranga Lakmal and Rangana Herath, failed to prevent SSC from scoring a massive 787 for 8, nullifying Tamil Union’s chances of an outright win. Dimuth Karunaratne was the first of three centurions, hitting 115 off 170 balls, after his opening partner fell for a four-ball duck. Kaushal Silva made 180 at No. 4. Kandamby arrived after Karunaratne’s dismissal, with the score at 241 for 3, and put on 195 with Silva. He later shared a 226-run partnership with Upul Bandara for the seventh wicket, before eventually declaring the innings at stumps on the second day. Needing almost 800 to get the first-innings points they needed to displace SSC, Tamil Union had little to play for on the final day and were all out for 314. Kaushal Lokuarachchi was the highest wicket-taker for SSC, picking 4 for 136.Air Force Sports Club and Burgher Recreation Club competed in what was effectively a relegation battle amid some controversy. The pitch prepared for the match was deemed unsuitable and the teams played on a different surface, which only allowed for a two-day match. The difference between the two teams was 1.7 points, with Air Force on 51.6 and Burgher on 49.9, but Air Force managed to secure first-innings points by gaining a lead of 29 runs to help seal their place in the Premier League. Opener Thuppahi Nadeera scored an unbeaten 105 in the first innings for Air Force and guided his side to 244, with little support from his teammates. Left-arm spinner Akila Isanka then took 5 for 90 as Burgher were dismissed for 215. With only two days of play possible, the match ended in a draw.Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club defeated bottom-placed Kurunegala Youth by six wickets. Navy needed an innings victory to stay in the first-class competition and, their six-wicket victory wasn’t enough to take them past Badureliya Cricket Club in the points table. Navy made 369 in the first innings, with Chanaka Ruwansiri making 122. Although they dismissed Kurunegala Youth for 212 and 182, they still had to bat in the fourth innings to chase a target of 26.Three left-arm spinners topped the list of wicket-takers this season. Moors’ Pushpakumara took 64 wickets, ahead of Panadura’s Sirisoma and Colombo Cricket Club’s Dinouk Hettiarachchi, who both took 58. No bowler with more than 30 wickets had a better average or strike rate than 19-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal who finished with 50 wickets in spite of playing fewer matches than the table leaders due to his national commitments. Sachithra Senanayake, who led the table before he left for national duty, finished with 49 scalps.Among the batsmen, SSC’s wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva scored the most runs, hitting four hundreds and two fifties to pile up 814 runs. Former Test opener Malinda Warnapura made 804 runs while Air Force’s 20-year-old batsman Yashodha Lanka made 802. The best average however, belonged to Kusal Perera who scored 695 runs at an average of 115.83 in four fewer matches than the table leaders.The end of the season also sees six teams – three lowest-ranked teams from each group – culled from the top competition. These teams will move down to form an emerging league, which begins next year. The matches in the league will be treated as club matches. After the final round, Burgher Recreation Club, Lankan Cricket Club and Saracens Sports Club were relegated from Group A, while from Group B, Navy Sports Club, Galle Cricket Club and Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club will not play first-class cricket in 2014. The relegations are part of a three-year plan to halve the number of clubs playing in the top three-day tournament, in order to improve the quality of the first-class competition.

Centuries from Aditya Tare and Ajit Agarkar helped Mumbai take a large, confident step towards a sizeable first-innings total in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Services.

Sharda Ugra in Delhi17-Jan-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Ajit Agarkar scored his first Ranji century in three years•ESPNcricinfo LtdCenturies from Aditya Tare and Ajit Agarkar helped Mumbai take a large, confident step towards a sizeable first-innings total in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Services. On a slow, sluggish day of cricket, interrupted by bad light and a spot of rain, Mumbai had reached 380 for 6 when play was suspended as the light worsened.Tare was batting on 108, his second century for Mumbai this season, while Agarkar’s 113 not out was his first Ranji century since the 2009-2010 season against Himachal Pradesh.The unbroken 211-run seventh-wicket partnership between Tare and Agarkar has given Mumbai an iron-fisted control of the semi-final and Services all the grief they would not have wanted after a promising first day. They lost their strike bowler and leading wicket-taker of the season, Suraj Yadav, who had to go off the field due to a twisted ankle after bowling four overs in the morning just shortly after the introduction of the new ball. Off the 65 overs of play that happened today, Mumbai scored 181 runs without losing a wicket.Tare’s was the slower of the two centuries, uncharacteristic when it comes to his batting, but typical of his performances for Mumbai this season. He has opened the batting in five matches, batted at No. 3 and 4, and No. 7 once, before being slotted into the conventional No. 6 slot meant for the wicketkeeper. The value of his contributions, said Agarkar, is what has enabled Mumbai to play five bowlers. Tare is better known for flamboyant shot-making but on Thursday, collected the runs with a quality well-known in the old Mumbai school of batting – accumulate when available, don’t throw your wicket away and don’t get ahead of yourself. Tare showed patience to wear down the bowlers, and did not try to force pace with dazzling but dangerous improvisation.Agarkar thinks Tare’s batting has been exceptional this season, and the performance in Palam, was a sign that he had “adapted to a demanding situation.” In keeping with his better-known side, he pulled out a reverse sweep against left-arm spinner Avishek Sinha to take Mumbai past 300, and got to his century by guiding a yorker-length ball from Nakul Verma to third man for four.At the other end Agarkar moved at a quicker clip, but played without risk, offering occasional entertainment with attractive strokes around the ground. Shadab Nazar was punched off the backfoot through covers, Nishan Singh was driven straight down the ground and the spinner Sinha punished similarly. This was his fourth first-class century and his second Ranji century for Mumbai. His first two first-class centuries have come in unusual surroundings – in Peshawar for India A on a 1997-98 tour and the second at a Lord’s Test for India in 2002 – before he scored two more for Mumbai. He was asked to name his favourite shot of the day among his fourteen boundaries at Palam and Agarkar said, dead-pan, “the single to get to a hundred.”Despite their sturdy performance in the field on day one, Services found the second line in their bowling attack significantly weaker from the discipline of their three medium-pacers. When they began to resort to part-time options as the long second session dragged on, Mumbai accelerated, scoring 23 in the last five overs before tea. In the final 15-over second session curtailed by bad light, Mumbai scored 59. Start of play was delayed by 45 minutes due to bad light, then truncated after 9.5 overs due to the combination of bad light and a light drizzle. The very long second session produced 97 off 40.1 overs.Mumbai now have the collective gleam in their eye: the wicket, Agarkar said, had required the batsmen to grind, slow but holding steady. “We’ve got enough batting to survive on a difficult wicket and surviving today was important. It’s a six day match and we want as many runs as we can get.”The Services camp will be nursing hurting calves and some pride this evening, but said they could only do the one thing they knew best: fight. “We’ve got this chance after so long, we won’t let it go.” While the weather and the wicket promise many a slow session of cricket, a tussle underneath the surface will always be on. It is what Ranji Trophy semi-finals should ideally be about.

Mumbai showed exactly why they can be backed almost blindly in important contests, as they shredded the Saurashtra batting to take charge of the final

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran in Mumbai26-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
File photo: Dhawal Kulkarni was the most effective of Mumbai’s bowlers on the first day•ESPNcricinfo LtdBased on this season’s form, there was no reason for Mumbai to start the final as overwhelming favourites against Saurashtra. But when it comes to big matches, the formbook can be ripped apart. At the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, Mumbai showed exactly why they can be backed almost blindly in important contests, as they shredded the Saurashtra batting to take charge of the final.Before the game, it was assumed that Mumbai’s strategy, if they won the toss, would be to bury the opposition under a mountain of runs, as they had done to perfection in the quarter-final against Baroda. Surprisingly, they chose to bowl. At times, there were three slips and two gullies in place and Saurashtra’s run-rate was almost always below two an over, even though the track was not a batsman-killer. It had decent bounce and a bit of movement in the morning, but was certainly not tricky enough to merit the visitors’ collapse to 50 for 5. Perhaps Saurashtra were overwhelmed by the occasion, and Ajit Agarkar looked to exploit that by banging in a bouncer on the first ball of the match.Agarkar’s new-ball partner Dhawal Kulkarni was the star of the morning session with his opening spell of 7-4-6-2 that kept the Saurashtra batsmen on edge. Opener Sagar Jogiyani retreated towards leg and pushed his bat out, edging to second slip in the second over of the day. Rahul Dave, unsure whether to duck or pull a Kulkarni short ball, got himself tangled up before providing another slip catch. One of the best deliveries of the day was the one that accounted for Sheldon Jackson, Saurashtra’s highest run-getter this season with centuries in the quarter-final and semi-final. Kulkarni got it to bounce and swerve away just a touch, making Jackson prod the ball to the keeper. He finished the innings with figures of 21.3-13-24-4.The experienced opener Shitanshu Kotak hardly played a forceful shot in his two-hour stay, as he tried to stabilise the rocky innings. He fell, though, in a manner which had some resemblance to his semi-final dismissal – caught at slip while trying to force a spinner off the backfoot.While Saurashtra struggled, their captain, Jaydev Shah, down with a fever, decided to demote himself from his regular No. 4 spot, walking in after four wickets had fallen. If he had hoped the extra time in the dressing room would have allowed time for the moisture in the track to evaporate, he needn’t have bothered as he clipped left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar to midwicket for a duck.Saurashtra showed more spine after lunch with Aarpit Vasavada, the bespectacled left-hand batsman who has been one of their success stories this year, battling to a half-century filled with slaps and edges around point. Kamlesh Makwana, a regular source of runs in the lower order, also resisted and the pair cautiously played out almost the entire session.With the track flattening out, Saurashtra raising hopes of a competitive total and Mumbai’s bowlers unable to make the breakthrough, the home side turned to their crisis man, Abhishek Nayar, who duly delivered by removing both batsmen a few minutes short of tea.The Saurashtra tail hung around for a while, riding their luck as they repeatedly swished and missed at Kulkarni’s deliveries outside off. The batting collapse aside, Jaydev Unadkat’s run-out would have disappointed Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra, who had spoken before the match about how he had worked hard to imbibe some cricketing nous in the team during his long stint. Unadkat didn’t show much evidence of that. The bowler, who took off a lackadaisical single after hitting to point, didn’t try sliding his bat in to beat a throw from Dabholkar. He was out for 22. It was the sort of schoolboy mistake that famously makes Sunil Gavaskar livid.Unadkat could have made up for that mistake as early as the first ball of Mumbai’s innings when he jagged the ball in to beat Wasim Jaffer’s bat only for the loud lbw appeal to be turned down due to the height. Mumbai reached stumps without losing any wickets and a bigger crowd than the thousand-odd who showed up on the first day will be on hand to cheer them on Sunday, when they look to bat Saurashtra out of the match.

Bilal Shafayat made 93 in his first appearance for Hampshire while Jimmy Adams’ century helped lead the hosts to 352 for 8

David Lloyd at West End11-May-2012
ScorecardHampshire captain Jimmy Adams scored 122 to end a run of poor form•Getty ImagesSome counties wait all season for a successful comeback but Hampshire had two in a day here, with Bilal Shafayat making 93 and Jimmy Adams pressing on to 122 after the hosts had been stuck in on what appeared, at first sight, to be a seamer’s dream of a pitch.Shafayat’s return to centre stage was especially remarkable, given that his Championship career looked as though it might have stalled, never to start again. Released by Notts at the end of the 2010 season, he played only second XI cricket last year and was signed up by Shropshire for their Minor Counties campaign this term. In some ways, though, Adams’ innings was even more pleasing for Hampshire. Their captain missed the last two Championship games for undisclosed “personal reasons” and, before that, four innings had brought the opener only 24 runs.Prospects did not look great for any batsman when, after two days of rain, the covers were removed this morning to reveal a green pitch. No wonder table-topping Derbyshire opted to bowl first – and no surprise, either, when Hampshire found themselves one down through Liam Dawson snicking a catch to second slip.In truth, though, the hosts were not required to play nearly enough against the new ball and when they did find themselves pressed into action, it came off the surface so slowly that adjustments could be made. But, that said, the stand of 164 between Adams and Shafayat was still special enough to have home supporters purring with pleasure.Shafayat looked to have the cricketing world ay his feet during the early stages of his career. He made a Championship debut for Notts in 2001, when still a week short of his 17th birthday, scoring an eye-catching 72. Soon enough, the youngster was not only playing for England Under-19s but also captaining them and huge things were expected. Somehow, though, Shafayat failed to kick on. A spell at Northamptonshire did not do the trick, nor did a return to Trent Bridge, and when Notts decided to let him go in 2010 he had averaged less than 12 across six Championship matches and his career figure was down to a distinctly modest 29.72.Since then, Shafayat’s only first-class cricket has been played in Pakistan but neither that nor a second XI double century for Hampshire last season had persuaded anyone over here to take a serious punt on him – until now. Hampshire decided to register the 27-year-old last Friday on a short-term basis and a combination of events this week (with Michael Carberry playing for England Lions and this game being reduced to a two-day affair, thereby encouraging the hosts to leave out a front-line bowler) brought about his selection.It will take more than this knock – lasting 93 balls and containing 17 fours, many of which were clipped, turned and forced through the leg side – to remove ‘riled Ricky Ponting’ from the top of Shafayat’s CV. But it’s a good start. “I don’t want that to be my only claim to fame,” he said with a smile when reminded of how he annoyed Australia’s captain while serving as England’s 12th man during the tense final stages of the drawn 2009 Ashes Test in Cardiff.Required, on two occasions, to take gloves and water to last pair Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar, Shafayat felt the rough edge of Ponting’s tongue for playing his part in what the boys in Baggy Green saw as a dastardly time-wasting plot. Here, Shafayat appeared all set to celebrate a century until chasing a wide one from seamer Jonathan Clare to edge a catch behind. He left to warm applause but looked particularly disappointed, and understandably so.As for Adams, he showed why his name was in the England frame not so long ago, producing a steady stream of straight and cover drives. His hundred was reached off 176 balls and the left-hander looked set for a big one until he was rightly sent back by Sean Ervine and run-out. Still, Hampshire’s stall had been well and truly set out and, although wickets fell regularly during the second half of the day, the home side were more than happy with their 352 for eight. And they may be happier still if they can persuade Derbyshire to set up a contest on Saturday through the forfeiture route.”I think they are keen but we’ll talk again in the morning,” Adams said. “We want to have an entertaining final day if we can and hopefully we’ll have a game for everyone tomorrow.”And as for the two major run-makers? “It was pretty obvious I’ve been short of runs so it’s nice for me to get back and make some,” said Adams. “But I thought Bilal played magnificently and it was a pleasure to bat with him. He has scored buckets of runs for our second team, it was a great effort from him today and it gives us a few good headaches and some tough decisions for next week.”

Tatenda Taibu, the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced his retirement, stating that he wants to focus on working for the church

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2012Tatenda Taibu, the Zimbabwe wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced his retirement, stating that he wants to focus on working for the church. Taibu played 28 Tests and 150 ODIs for Zimbabwe and has quit aged only 29, usually a cricketer’s prime.The decision comes as even more of a surprise as, earlier in the day, he was named in Zimbabwe’s provisional squad for September’s World Twenty20. It ends an 11-year international career, during which he became the youngest Test captain in history. A finger injury kept him out of top-flight cricket since the tour of New Zealand early this year.”I just feel that my true calling now lies in doing the Lord’s work,” Taibu said, “and although I am fortunate and proud to have played for my country, the time has come for me to put my entire focus on that part of my life.”Since making his debut at the age of 18 in 2001, Taibu was an automatic pick for Zimbabwe, except for the times when he clashed with his country’s cricket board. He had stepped down as captain and quit the national side back in 2005 following threats against his family. Taibu moved to South Africa in 2006 with the intention of going through the four-year qualification process to be eligible for international cricket for them. However, he reappeared for Zimbabwe in 2007.One of the highlights of his career was his Man-of-the-Match performance in 2005 against Bangladesh, when he made 85* and 153 to help Zimbabwe draw the Test. His only other Test victory was against Bangladesh last year, when Zimbabwe returned to the format after a six-year exile. Taibu’s outspoken nature was highlighted before that match as he slammed the board for not doing enough to promote cricket in the country.He was picked while still in his teens as a potential long-term successor as wicketkeeper-batsman to Andy Flower, and while he didn’t reach the heights Flower did, he forged a solid career. He finishes as the country’s fourth-highest run-getter in ODIs, and only Flower has effected more dismissals than him as a one-day wicketkeeper for Zimbabwe.

The 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in England, will be the last time the tournament is played as the ICC moves towards having one championship for each of the game’s three formats from 2015

Tariq Engineer17-Apr-2012The 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in England, will be the last time the tournament is played as the ICC moves towards having one championship for each of the game’s three formats from 2015. The tournament is part of the Future Tours Program in 2013 but does not appear after that, with the play-offs for the World Test Championship scheduled for June 2017.”If you don’t see it in the schedule, it means it is not planned for the future,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC’s chief executive, said at a press conference following the executive board meeting on Monday. “We have said for a while that we would like one championship event for each format. We are including the Test championship in there. We have the World Cup to have the champion for 50-overs cricket. So we are not planning to hold Champions Trophy in the future.”The World Test Championship was initially scheduled for 2013, but had to be postponed due to the ICC’s commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors. The ICC’s broadcast partner is ESPN STAR Sports*, with whom they have a contract till 2015. The ICC had initially hoped to convince all interested parties to switch the Champions Trophy, the ICC’s second-biggest 50-over tournament, to play-offs between the top four Test teams as per the ICC Test rankings.However, after the ICC’s executive board meeting in October, 2011, it released a statement saying there would be significant commercial challenges in replacing the Champions Trophy without the support and consent of the ICC’s broadcast partner. Changing the tournament’s format from ODIs to Test play-offs would have required a substantial cut in the broadcast rights fee, which would have repercussions on the Members.Inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998, the Champions Trophy was played every two years until 2009, switching to a round-robin format in 2002. Originally, all ten Full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) took part, together with (for the first four competitions) two Associate members. The 2013 event in England will feature the eight highest-ranked ODI teams calculated six months before the tournament.*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)