Somerset’s Championship title hopes are hanging by a thread after an innings and 61-run defeat to Hampshire

03-Sep-2011
ScorecardSomerset’s Championship title hopes are hanging by a thread after an innings and 61-run defeat to Hampshire.Stand-in captain Alfonso Thomas fell six runs short of his first century in English cricket for the hosts, but that was not enough to prevent Somerset from only picking up two points. Hampshire, meanwhile, are now in with a realistic chance of survival. They have won three of their last four matches and took 23 points from this clash.Somerset resumed on 266 for seven, needing a further 157 to avoid an innings defeat. They held out for 21.2 overs before being bowled out for 362, Tahir claiming four for 125 and Dimitri Mascarenhas three for 70. Thomas was unbeaten on 79 overnight and added 15 before mistiming a drive off Imran Tahir to be caught at mid-on.Somerset at least put up a fight under grey skies, with the weather holding out just enough to avoid the rain break they were hoping for. Thomas, who went in the previous day with his side 132 for six, faced 141 balls and hit 12 fours and a six. Murali Kartik hit 26 in an eighth-wicket stand of 50, while Steve Kirby managed 14.There was even a late flourish from last man Charl Willoughby, who swung lustily to make an unbeaten 23, almost as many as he had managed in his previous 18 Championship innings this summer. Tahir took two of the three wickets to fall, finishing the match by having Kirby caught at point by Chris Wood.Mascarenhas pinned Kartik lbw playing no shot, the fourth Somerset player to be dismissed shouldering arms in the innings. The home side badly missed injured skipper Marcus Trescothick and must now win their last two Championship fixtures away to Yorkshire and at home to Lancashire to have any chance of winning the title.Hampshire face two of Somerset’s title rivals to finish, being away to Lancashire and at home to Warwickshire.

Former Australia Women’s captain Belinda Clark has become only the second woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2011Former Australia Women’s captain Belinda Clark has become only the second woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Joining Clark in the Hall of Fame were former Australia allrounder Alan Davidson, former West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose and the late Australia fast bowler Frederick Spofforth.Clark holds the record for the most matches as captain in the women’s game, and led Australia to victory in the 2005 World Cup. Australia lost only 17 of the 101 games under her leadership. She averaged 45.95 in 15 Tests with a top score of 136. Her ODI figures were better, an average of 47.49 in 118 games. The highlight of her batting career was the unbeaten 229 against Denmark in Mumbai in 1997, which made her the first player, male or female, to score a double-century in one-dayers. Since her retirement in 2005, nobody has beaten her record of 4844 ODI runs in the women’s game.”It is a great honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and it has been an amazing five years for women’s cricket globally,” Clark said of her induction. “Recognition of female players in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is a great initiative and I am proud to join Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, to become the second female inductee, on a long list of outstanding cricketers.”It means a lot to be recognised by the international organization and I am very proud to be included.”Davidson, Ambrose and Clark will be inducted during the ICC awards in London, while Spofforth will be inducted later next year in a ceremony involving the former fast bowler’s family.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sent its legal advisor to attend the spot-fixing trial in London involving Pakistan players Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court05-Oct-2011The spot-fixing trial involving Pakistan players Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif has been adjourned for lunch on the second day with all parties still debating legal arguments. Among those attending the trial is the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal advisor, Tafazzul Rizvi.Rizvi, who has been on a retainer with the PCB for five years, has attended the first two days of the case at Southwark Crown Court. He is unlikely to stay for the duration, which may be up to five weeks, but will report to the PCB on his findings.Butt and Asif, who flew in at the weekend from Lahore, are facing the possibility of a custodial sentence if deemed guilty, though both are pleading not guilty. They are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls.”I’m here as an observer on behalf of the PCB,” Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. “When this case started the players were on a central contract with the PCB so that is why we have an interest here. Ironically I was here in London also when the players’ hotels rooms were raided by police last year. It was important that I witness a criminal trial involving Pakistan players.”I’m only concerned with the legal side of things at the PCB not the playing side, so any evidence against them will interest us.”Rizvi also said that ICC rules mean that the players must have independent legal support, therefore he has not liaised directly with the players during the trial or beforehand. The PCB’s main aim is to observe the proceedings and learn from what has happened to influence future events or policies.”As a cricket board we need to find out if anything wrong was done by them. We can’t discuss specifics now but any wrongdoing would be reflected in the final judgement.”

Lendl Simmons finally made his first international hundred and, with the help of Marlon Samuels, powered West Indies to a total that proved too much for Bangladesh

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran13-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons had a partnership of 150•Associated Press

Five years after his debut, Lendl Simmons finally made his first international hundred, and with the help of another batsman who has resurrected his international career this year, Marlon Samuels, powered West Indies to a total that proved too much for Bangladesh in the first ODI in Mirpur. The pair put on 150 for the first wicket before a power-packed Kieron Pollard cameo further demoralised a Bangladesh team that was on a high after their dramatic win in the Twenty20 two days ago.Bangladesh were asked to chase down 299, which was higher than any ODI score they have made in the past two years, and despite a quick half-century from former captain Shakib Al Hasan and a patient one from makeshift opener Naeem Islam, they ended well short.Simmons had made half-centuries in six of his previous nine ODI innings, but failed to reach triple-digits each time. On Thursday, he made a fidgety start before settling in on a surface that didn’t have much in it for either the medium-pacers or the spinners.In the sixth over, he was hurried into a pull which was top-edged just wide of the bowler, then he mistimed a straight drive with which he still managed to find the boundary, before jumping outside leg as he looked to crash a short ball through off without managing to connect. He punched the air in frustration after missing out on a cut in the next over, but then showed how good he could be with fours through cover off the back and front foot.Simmons was the dominant partner in an opening stand with Adrian Barath, whose usual effervescent batting style wasn’t on display in a watchful 21 that consumed 47 deliveries. Barath was struggling with a hamstring problem, and retired hurt after the 15th over, the first victim of the newly introduced ban on runners.That provided no relief for Bangladesh as Samuels began aggressively – muscling a six over wide long-on and following it up with a slap past cover for four. Both Samuels and Simmons soon settled down and largely dealt in singles against an unthreatening Bangladeshi attack. The odd poor delivery was smacked for a boundary, like the high full toss offered by Shakib in the 29th over, and West Indies smoothly progressed to 133 for 0 after 30 overs.

Smart stats

• Lendl Simmons’ 122 is the fifth century and the highest ODI score made by a West Indian batsman against Bangladesh. He surpassed Brian Lara’s 117 scored in Dhaka in 1999.

• Simmons’ century is his first in ODIs. He has scored eight half-centuries in 30 matches and averages 34.07.

• West Indies lost their first wicket with the score on 217. The 150-run stand between Marlon Samuels and Simmons after Adrian Barath retired hurt is the third-highest opening stand for West Indies against Bangladesh.

• West Indies’ score of 298 is their second-highest score in ODIs against Bangladesh behind the 314 in Dhaka in 1999.

• The 78-run stand between Imrul Keyes and Naeem Islam is the second-highest second-wicket stand for Bangladesh against West Indies.

Simmons then unfurled a couple of nonchalant sixes over long-on off Abdur Razzak to close in on his century. He reached the milestone in the 37th over, a delivery after Samuels was dropped by the keeper. There were more opportunities that Bangladesh wasted in the field, with Simmons, a notoriously poor runner, reprieved at least twice when a direct hit would have run him out.The final onslaught began in the 40th over, the last of the batting Powerplay, with Simmons bludgeoning a series of fours. The bowler, Shafiul Islam, also sprayed one down the leg side to concede five wides as 21 runs came off the over, leaving the new captain Mushfiqur Rahim with his hands on his head. Both Simmons and Samuels perished in a Rubel Hossain over soon after, but Pollard pulled out some massive hits in a 25-ball 41 to push West Indies close to 300.Bangladesh never looked like they could keep up with the tall asking-rate. Their best chance was if Tamim Iqbal gave them a flier but he was bogged down by the West Indies new-ball pair of Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul. He tried to break free when spin was introduced, trying to hammer Devendra Bishoo’s first ball, but could only edge it to the keeper.The other opener, Naeem, had even more trouble in providing the early momentum. At one stage he was 19 off 50 deliveries, and Bangladesh were crawling along at well below four an over when a much brisker rate was called for. Imrul Kayes, the regular opener, had to come in at No. 3 as he was off the field towards the end of the West Indies innings. He tried to inject some momentum with early boundaries and at the halfway stage Bangladesh still had an outside chance after reaching 101 for 1.That was snuffed out in the batting Powerplay that was taken after 25 overs, in accordance with the new rules that mandate that it should be completed within the 40th over. As it has done so often, the batting Powerplay resulted in a slew of wickets: both set batsmen, Kayes and Naeem, were dismissed, and Mohammad Ashraful edged a catch to the keeper.At 130 for 4, the game was pretty much over though Shakib raised some hopes with an enterprising 67. Still, it wasn’t enough to spoil Denesh Ramdin’s day – he captaining West Indies for the first time, on his return to ODI cricket, in the absence of Darren Sammy who was out with an upset stomach.

Martin Saggers has been added to the full list of First Class umpires for 2012, replacing John Steele who retired at the end of the last season.

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2011Martin Saggers, the former England bowler, has been added to the full list of first-class umpires for 2012, replacing John Steele who retired at the end of last season.Saggers, 39, was capped three times by England in 2003 and 2004 and has been on the reserve umpires list since 2010. He took 415 wickets in a first-class career for Durham and Kent between 1996 and 2009. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh, at Chittagong, and also claimed a wicket – Mark Richardson of New Zealand – with his first ball in Test cricket in England.”We would like to congratulate Martin on his promotion to the full list,” said the ECB umpires’ manager Chris Kelly. “This has been the result of some outstanding performances in matches over the last couple of seasons. His commitment and attitude on the reserve list has been exemplary and his promotion is thoroughly deserved.”Three other umpires have been added to the reserve list: Paul Pollard, who scored almost 10,000 first-class runs for Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire; Mike Burns, the former Warwickshire and Somerset all-rounder; and Ben DebenhamECB full list 2012

Rob Bailey, Neil Bainton, Mark Benson, Martin Bodenham, Nick Cook, Nigel Cowley, Jeff Evans, Steve Gale, Steve Garratt, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Peter Hartley, Richard Illingworth, Trevor Jesty, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Jeremy Lloyds, Neil Mallender, David Millns, Steve O’Shaughnessy, Tim Robinson, Martin Saggers, George Sharp, Peter Willey.ECB reserve list 2012

Paul Baldwin, Mike Burns, Ismail Dawood, Ben Debenham, Mark Eggleston, Russell Evans, Graham Lloyd, Paul Pollard, Billy Taylor, Alex Wharf.

Northamptonshire have appointed former Warwickshire batsman David Smith as their new chief executive

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2011Northamptonshire have appointed former Warwickshire batsman David Smith as their new chief executive. He will take up his role at Wantage Road in the new year having held the same position at Leicestershire.Smith scored 8,743 runs for Warwickshire between 1973 and 1985 and replaces Mark Tagg, who left at the end of October after eight years in the role.”I’m delighted to have been appointed,” said Smith. “The club has made real progress both on and off the field over the past few years. The ground development has improved the facilities on offer to all visitors to the County Ground.”Northamptonshire led Division Two of the County Championship for large parts of last season before missing out on promotion on the final day. They also appeared at T20 finals day in 2009. “This indicates a good quality playing staff,” said Smith. “I am looking forward to working with the coach David Capel and the board of directors to bring future success to the club.”After retiring, Smith spent nine years on the committee at Warwickshire before becoming chief executive at Leicestershire in January 2008. He also has other experience in the UK leisure industry, most notably with Blackpool Winter Gardens.Northamptonshire chairman Martin Lawrence believes Smith is the man to take the club forward. “We are delighted to have David on board,” said Lawrence. “His appointment ensures Northants have a bright future ahead and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome him to the club.”

Denesh Ramdin, the Trinidad & Tobago captain, has said it was smooth sailing for his side in the Caribbean T20 after losing to Windward Islands in their first match

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2012Denesh Ramdin, the Trinidad & Tobago captain, has said it was smooth sailing for his side in the Caribbean T20 after losing to Windward Islands in their first match. Jamaica, the defending champions, lost by 11 runs to Windward Islands at North Sound, and Ramdin said it was the “kick up the backside” they needed to focus for the rest of the tournament.”We are known as the Red Force and we showed we are a true force,” Ramdin told the . “We didn’t get it right in the first match, Windwards gave us a kick up the backside, but we came back as a strong force against Leeward Islands and Guyana. After that, it was smooth sailing because we know we have matchwinners in all departments.”Both Ramdin and the T&T coach Kevin Williams said they were surprised at how easily Jamaica rolled over in the final. T&T won by 63 runs, after Jamaica never appeared to make a serious attempt to chase their total of 168.”We actually thought Jamaica would have been stronger in the final, but our bowlers did a fantastic job in the first six overs and that squeezed them,” Ramdin said. “After that, we knew we had the trophy in our hands.”Williams said it was satisfying to prevent Jamaica from holding all the Caribbean domestic titles simultaneously. “Seeing that it was a final, we expected Jamaica to put up more of a fight,” he told the . “We spoke about it and we knew that, if they won, they would hold the four-day, 50-over and Twenty20 trophies, and it was nice to stop them from achieving that and defend our title in style.”After the game, Andre Russell and Shawn Findlay revealed there was division in their Jamaica team that affected their performance.Ramdin took over from Daren Ganga as captain before the Caribbean T20 and Williams said he had done well to achieve immediate success. Williams said T&T had raised the bar further in terms of the quality of Twenty20 cricket played in the Caribbean, and that the next step was to achieve something in the Champions League T20, for which T&T have qualified for the third time. “I always say we raised the bar for T20 cricket in the Caribbean and the other teams were playing catch-up, and it is nice to know we can raise it a little higher,” Williams said. “It is a great achievement for us qualifying for the Champions League again; we have not done anything in that tournament as yet but it is still a great achievement for us.”The semi-finals and final of this year’s Caribbean T20 were played in Bridgetown, as they were in 2010-11, and Ramdin said it had become like a home ground for T&T. “It was great to see the way our fans came out and supported us here in Barbados for the semi-finals and final. It was like a home away from home,” he said. “Also, we were delighted that the games were being broadcast all over the world so the fans could see the talent in our team as well as all the talent in the other teams across the Caribbean.”

A round-up of the action from the Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2012Matabeleland Tuskers produced a performance not in keeping with their last-place ranking, thumping Southern Rocks by eight wickets with over 19 overs remaining in Bulawayo. The Tuskers justified their decision to field, rolling the Rocks for 123 in 39.2 overs. The bowlers shared the wickets around, with Gavin Ewing finishing with the best figures: 3 for 24. Ewing then came good with the bat, scoring a patient 49 not out, to take Tuskers home with Steven Trenchard for company.In the other match, a rain-marred top-of-the-table clash in Harare, the Mashonaland Eagles beat the Mid West Rhinos via the Duckworth-Lewis method. After being asked to bat, the Rhinos could managed only 189 for 9 in their 50. The only real contribution for them came from Roland Benade, who made 67. After rain interrupted the chase repeatedly, the recalculated score left Eagles a very undemanding 61 from 20, which they easily surpassed.

Lalit Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have announced a truce and decided to stand united against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Feb-2012Lalit Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), have announced a truce and decided to stand united against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi. Ousted IPL chairman Modi, who was defeated by Joshi – a minister in the federal government – in the 2009 RCA elections, announced his patch-up with Dixit via his Twitter account.
“RCA should only have people who will serve the game and [work for the] betterment of the game. There can be no compromise [on] that,” Modi wrote. “@Sanjay_Dixit has done that too. Others are there [in power now] because of our differences in the past. Not because they have done anything for the game.””When two persons with [a] passion for cricket combine, [the] sky is the limit,” Dixit wrote in reply to Modi’s positive tweet.Facing a common rival in Joshi has probably played its part in both Modi and Dixit joining forces. It was Joshi who suspended Dixit from his post of secretary, following a rift over the appointment of RCA officials last July. At the time, Modi had supported the move. “Dixit was ruining cricket in Rajasthan. Irregularities have become common in the RCA’s functioning,” Modi was quoted as saying by the . In response to that quote Dixit had tweeted: “Fugitives are not allowed in the RCA, whether through front door or back door”.But the bitterness of the past has seemingly now been replaced by a more accommodating attitude. Dixit told ESPNcricinfo, cryptically, that his past differences with Modi were “more of form than that of substance” and was reluctant to elaborate.The next RCA election is about fifteen months away and Dixit said that the patch-up was made keeping in mind the “long term” benefits. “He [Modi] was in power at the RCA, and I had two-and-a-half years [in charge]. We are the only two people who have done something for Rajasthan cricket,” he said. “Shri CP Joshi has no idea of cricket. So we have decided to bury our differences in the interest of Rajasthan cricket.”Dixit said that the current RCA setup, chaired by Joshi, had been keeping him from actively participating in the administration of cricket in the state. “I still am the honorary secretary [of the RCA] but because of some disputes, I am not getting [to play an] active part. [It’s] because of Dr CP Joshi’s style of functioning.”

Mahela Jayawardene wasn’t perturbed that Sri Lanka will most likely have to win tomorrow against Pakistan

Siddarth Ravindran in Mirpur14-Mar-2012Sri Lanka’s previous engagement before landing in Dhaka was the Commonwealth Bank tri-series, the longest ODI tournament outside the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. With eight matches per team in the league phase, Sri Lanka had to wait almost a month to find out if they would make the final. In the Asia Cup, they could be eliminated three days after their first game – a loss to Pakistan tomorrow, and an India victory on Friday would end both Bangladesh’s and Sri Lanka’s chances.Mahela Jayawardene wasn’t perturbed that Sri Lanka will most likely have to win tomorrow against Pakistan. “It is (a do-or-die match), but we are used to that. In Australia we had quite a few of those. It’s still in our control so we don’t have to depend on anybody else,” he said. “I quite like that situation. We know how important the match is going to be tomorrow, so looking forward to that.”Pakistan took on Sri Lanka last November and comfortably won the one-day series, as the spin of Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal proved too good. “Ajmal has improved tremendously in the last year and it shows in his record. In Dubai when we played against him, we had good and bad times,” Jayawardene said. “Hopefully we’ll have to handle him better tomorrow because it’s a one-off game for us. Umar Gul is also one of the top fast bowlers and Afridi can be a handful.”Sri Lanka’s own bowling would get a lot more teeth if their pace spearhead is deemed fit enough to play tomorrow. Lasith Malinga was rested from the first game as he was recovering from an injury which he carried in the finals of the CB series. He didn’t seem to be in too much discomfort as he bowled and batted during Sri Lanka’s practice session in the afternoon, and they will be tempted to pick him, considering their final league match is against relative lightweights Bangladesh.One of Malinga’s biggest weapons is reverse swing, which he uses devastatingly to slow down teams at the death. Brett Lee has complained about how the use of two new balls was reducing the amount of reverse swing available, and as a result reducing the effectiveness of fast bowlers.Jayawardene, though, said that was not the case in the subcontinent. “Probably in conditions in Australia and England to a certain extent, but even yesterday we saw after about 30 overs, our guys managed to start getting reverse back,” he said. “Surfaces are much more dry here and the balls do get older. You still can reverse the ball. I thought that [Suranga] Lakmal, Kula [Nuwan Kulasekara] and even [Farveez] Maharoof, to a certain extent, did reverse the ball.”In other countries like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, you don’t need reverse swing. With the two new balls and the wicket helping you (fast bowlers), it’s quite a handful (for the batsmen).”Edited by Abhishek Purohit