All posts by csb10.top

Six, six, six
Chennai, chasing 188, had lost two wickets in the space of five balls and the required rate was hovering near nine an over. Sixteen deliveries without a boundary wasn’t helping their cause, but the big-hitting Albie Morkel swung Chennai back by plundering 23 runs off the 14th over, bowled by Virender Sehwag. The first ball was heaved over midwicket for a massive six, the second biffed dead straight for the same result, and the hat-trick followed with another clout over midwicket. That spectacular comeback from Morkel made the difference when push came to shove.AB pulls off a blinder
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was threatening to finish the match himself, batting sensibly as wickets fell around him, but a stunning catch from AB de Villiers cut him short. Sehwag called back Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh to bowl the penultimate over and Dhoni skipped down to drill a full delivery towards long-on. The ball was dipping on de Villiers, harrying in from the boundary, but he dived forward and cupped it off the ground, refreshing memories of Ajay Jadeja’s similar stunner to dismiss Allan Border in the 1992 World Cup.Chamara surprise
Chennai seemed to have just four overseas players in their squad but everyone was caught on the wrong foot when Chamara Kapugedera, the Sri Lankan batsman, was named in the XI. Apparently he signed over the weekend and sneaked ahead of Makhaya Ntini, who hadn’t managed to get a wicket in three games. He didn’t have a great start, though: going for 15 runs in his only over. Things weren’t much better when he batted though his presence did play a part in Chennai moving towards the target.

The Goa middle order put up a brave fight but there was preciouslittle substance in the rest of the batting and Andhra took firstinnings points as their rain affected three day KSCA Coca Cola Trophymatch ended in a draw in Bangalore on Tuesday.Andhra declared at the overnight total of 285 for five. Goa’s toporder made a mess of things and at 65 for four, they were down in thedumps. However Amit Jadav and Gaurish Phadte initiated the recoveryprocess by adding 77 runs off 34.1 overs. Phadte’s 42 was scored off116 balls and was inclusive of six boundary hits. Jadav and S Misquinthen kept the momentum going with a sixth wicket partnership of 36runs off 12 overs before Jadhav was out for a gallant 50. He faced 160balls and hit three fours and two sixes. Once Jadhav was sixth out at178, the tail offered little resistance. Misquin made a valuable 34off 60 balls with four fours and two sixes but Goa were all out for204 off 86.4 overs. Balaji Krishna Singh was the most successfulbowler with four for 51. Due to dampness of the pitch, play started 50minutes late. Andhra got five points and Goa three.

Lions 145 for 6 (Rowley 69*) beat Titans 135 for 8 (Cullinan 40*) by 10 runs
ScorecardThe second game of the Standard Bank PRO20 Series between the Titans and the Lions, at SuperSport Park, resulted in a thrilling encounter, with the Lions trumping their opponents by only 10 runs.Winning the toss, Daryll Cullinan, the new Titans captain, put the Lions in to bat on a hard flat surface. A good start of 13 off two overs was halted when Marthinus Otto and Adam Bacher fell off consecutive balls – the Bacher dismissal was a blinder with Alviro Petersen taking a brilliant low catch at backward point. Justin Ontong scored a slow 7, and his dismissal brought Hylton Ackerman and Grant Rowley to the crease. Together they took the total to 56 for 3 at the halfway mark of 10 overs. A 56-run partnership came to an end when Ackerman holed out to long-on for a run-a-ball 27. Vaughn van Jaarsveld made a brief visit to the crease before Derek Crookes flayed 15. Grant Rowley, however, was the hero for the Lions, scoring 69 off 45 balls and striking nine fours and a six. His effort helped the Lions to end on 145 for 6.A combination of good bowling and conservative batting had the Titans struggling at 42 for 1 after 10 overs with Petersen losing his wicket early and Jacques Rudolph and Martin van Jaarsveld making heavy work of the conditions. The match turned on its head when, with the pressure mounting, van Jaarsveld tried to force the pace and was caught on the fence. Rudolph was run out off the very next ball, followed by Kemp – also run out without facing a ball. Three wickets in three balls left the Titans on 68 for 4 in the 13th over. A third run out, that of Albie Morkel, increased the pressure, which even a short flurry from Brendon Reddy did nothing to relieve. And when Goolam Bodi was run out, it was all over. Cullinan smashed the ball around, scoring 40 off 21 balls but in the end, the four run outs and the miserly bowling of Charl Langeveldt was just too much for the Titans.It’s two games down and 13 to go. On current evidence, there’s still a lot of homework to be done to come to terms with this shorter version of the game. For the 7425 spectators, however, it was an evening of packaged entertainment and excitement and worth every cent of the entrance fee.

Michael Kasprowicz, who grew into a respected Test bowler after starting his state career as a smiling 17-year-old, will retire after the one-day match against Western Australia on February 16. One of the game’s most popular players, Kasprowicz will leave as Queensland’s most prolific wicket-taker – he currently has 501, 38 more than his great friend Andy Bichel – and a valued contributor to Australian cricket over the past three decades.In a collection of fine achievements, Kasprowicz’s greatest is probably the recovery from injuries as a result of the 2006 boot camp. He hurt his back during the bonding exercises, then suffered a groin problem and delivered only eight balls for Queensland before hurting his leg. It was his lowest season but he remained in good spirits, jokingly claiming the break as long-service leave.Further problems hampered him this summer and the constant battle to regain fitness has resulted in him walking away. He has appeared in four first-class matches since coming back, taking 11 wickets at 35.09, and collected five victims in five FR Cup matches. Kasprowicz, who has two young children, is 36 on Sunday and his exit opens the way for a new breed of Queensland bowlers.”I’m excited about the opportunities that await me,” he said. “I’m looking forward to doing things like going to the beach on a Saturday in summer for the first time since I was about eight years old and spending time with my family together. Probably the one thing I will miss is the feeling you get in a winning dressing room and being with your mates.”He has played 114 first-class games for Queensland and also had county stints with Essex, Leicestershire and Glamorgan, where he honed his skills and frightened batsmen with his under-estimated pace. Consistent performances for the domestic sides ensured he was never far from being mentioned in selection meetings and he was constantly to-ing and fro-ing into the national side.In 43 Tests he picked up 113 wickets at 32.88, although his figures were better than they read. Five-wicket hauls came at The Oval, where he recorded a career-best 7 for 36 in 1997, Bangalore, Darwin and Perth, showing his versatility. He also appeared in 43 ODIs and the country’s first two Twenty20 internationals.During his last Test Kasprowicz sealed a dramatic two-wicket victory in partnership with Brett Lee against South Africa, easing the pain of the disheartening defeat to England in the 2005 Ashes. Following a 59-run last-wicket stand with Lee, Kasprowicz was ruled to have edged Andrew Flintoff to Geraint Jones at Edgbaston, a moment that was crucial to England winning the series for the first time in 16 years.The pair fell three short of a legendary success and Kasprowicz was devastated. His mood wasn’t helped by a text message from a confident former school mate, who congratulated him on the victory when it seemed certain Australia would secure a miraculous result.

After playing 13 consecutive Tests during a period when his form was so strong he kept Lee out, Kasprowicz was no longer considered an essential during that series. He fought back to tour South Africa, but was forced home with injury and never returned.Ricky Ponting said Kasprowicz “did a terrific job” whenever he played for Australia. “He’s been an amazing servant to Queensland and Australian cricket,” he said. “He’s just a real workhorse sort of bowler. He had to reinvent himself a couple of times through his career, had a few injuries early on and loss of form and that sort of thing.”Ponting said Kasprowicz’s lighter side made him fun to tour with. “He made a newspaper, the Mumbai Mumbler, he called it,” he said. “Chock-a-block full of some hilarious stuff. He’d download pictures from the internet and make up little stories about it. He was terrific to have around the group.””I’ve enjoyed every moment I had in the game,” Kasprowicz said. “I have tried to make it fun whenever I was on the field, whatever the state of the game.”A man for all conditions, he kept answering his country’s SOS calls, particularly for tours to the subcontinent. One of his key qualities in the middle stages of his career was an ability to reverse-swing the ball, a trait which won him high praise in India. In the beginning, when he played for Queensland while his mates studied for their final high school exams, he was a swing bowler, but he showed he could evolve with the game, concentrating on hitting the pitch before re-focussing later in life on shape in the air.Kasprowicz has acted as a mentor for youngsters throughout his time with the state and bowlers with promise will continue to line up for invaluable tips from a professional who has finally given in to his body’s demands. Players like Kasprowicz, who have pushed forcefully from the fringes, have been responsible for keeping the standards of the national team so high. Australian cricket should not forget him easily.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have named a 20-man training pool for the forthcomingtour to New Zealand in December and January. The most notable absentees areRomesh Kaluwitharana and Avishka Gunawardene.Marvan Atapattu has not been reconfirmed as captain but his impressiveleadership during the past year means that he his eventual appointment isassured despite a fractious relationship with Asantha de Mel, the chairmanof the selectors.The identity of the likely vice-captain is less clear. Atapattu’s currentdeputy, Mahela Jayawardene, could be replaced despite a good year, on andoff the field, by Chaminda Vaas, who is apparently favoured by some membersof the current seven-man selection committee.Sri Lanka have selected their final touring squads from outside theirtraining pools in the past so Kaluwitharana’s fate is not sealed, but withhis 35th birthday fast approaching his international career could be overdespite a fifty in his last Test match.Gunawardene’s sacking had been on the cards after allegations of misconduct during the ICC Champions Trophy and his poor record away from home. His omission will provide an opportunity for Saman Jayantha to cement a place as Sanath Jayasuriya’s partner.Muttiah Muralitharan has not been named in the training pool having not yetrecovered sufficiently from his shoulder surgery, but, assuming hisMelbourne-based surgeon, Dr David Young, gives him the go-ahead next week,he will target a return in the latter part of the tour.Sri Lanka are due to play a five-match ODI series starting December 26followed by a two-Test series starting on January 19.Squad Marvan Atapattu (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Rangana Herath, Saman Jayantha, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Lasitha Malinga, Ian Daniel, Farveez, Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Jehan Mubarak, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk).

With the one-day series safely in the bag, Pakistan are now eyeing victory in the Test series against West Indies. Speaking to the media after Pakistan’s comfortable 40-run win the second match in St Lucia, Younis Khan, who led the team in the field after Inzmam-ul-Haq was injured during batting, said: “We’ve never won a Test series here, so it’s my golden chance. We are playing our best cricket for a while.” Younis will captain the side in the first Test, as Inzamam will be serving a one-match suspension.Younis also said that the tours of Australia and India had helped toughen the team. “I think the tough tours to Australia and India have helped us gel as a team and believe in ourselves,” the BBC website quoted him as saying. “Those tours were a turning point for us.”Shoaib Malik, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for scoring 51 and bowling ten overs of tidy offspin, reckoned that Pakistan’s total of 258 was below par. “In my opinion, the score was a little short – it was a 270-plus [wicket] – but if you work hard in bowling, then you can manage.” Pakistan, who came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat India 4-2 in the ODI series last month, have now won six one-dayers in a row.For West Indies, on the other hand, it was another disappointing defeat, their eighth consecutive one, which equalled their worst run – they had been beaten eight times in a row in 1999-2000, when they lost three matches in Sharjah and then five in New Zealand. (click here for more details.) Shivnarine Chanderpaul, their captain, blamed the defeat on the batsmen. “Obviously the batting has been letting us down in most of the games and we need to pick it up,” he said. “Our experienced batsmen need to take on the responsibility and do the job.”He was encouraged, though, by the presence of David Scott, the performance-enhancement specialist who has come down to see the last two matches of the series. “It gives us an opportunity to talk to him and see if there is anything he can provide to help us approach the mental side of cricket.”West Indies play the last match of the series at the same venue today (Sunday, May 22), after which the two teams will be involved in a two-Test series.

Sri Lanka are poised to appoint a new captain and rest key senior players for their forthcoming tour of Bangladesh which follows the ongoing VB Series. According to selection sources, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan are expected to be rested as the selectors look to the future.Sri Lanka’s selectors are concerned about player burnout due to the team’s intensive schedule in 2006 and want to keep senior players fresh. Atapattu has been struggling with a back injury and the break will allow him to recover fully for a Test and ODI series against Pakistan starting in March. Muralitharan will miss the one-day leg of the tour so he can see his newly born son for the first time.The final make-up of the squad and the new captain will be finalised on Monday when the selectors meet. Lalith Kaluperuma, the chairman of selectors, is currently in Australia with the team but will return in time for the meeting. Sri Lanka are due to depart for Bangladesh on February 17.Most discussion will centre around the appointment of the captain and vice-captain. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the former vice-captain until Vaas’s appointment midway through the India tour last year, are the clear frontrunners, although there is also a possibility that Sanath Jayasuriya, the former captain, could take up the job in an interim capacity.

Less than a month after Worcestershire announced a £50,000 deal with Kidderminster CC to stage county matches at their ground in the event of New Road flooding again, the old pavilion at Chester Road has been destroyed by fire.Fireman were called to tackle a blaze in the early hours of Sunday morning but were unable to save the wooden building which had to be demolished as it was unsafe. Police believe the fire was started deliberately.The structure was built around 1870 at the old Lorne Street ground and subsequently moved with the club to the current venue. It was replaced by a newer building in 1927 and has more recently been used for storing equipment.A spokesman for the club said that the worst hit would be the 150 youngsters whose kit was all lost in the fire. “We’ve accumulated a lot over the last few years but it has all gone up in smoke … the boys need bats, helmets, boxes and pads and the price of those all adds up.”

Australia may be hit by injuries and down 1-0 in the five-match one-day series, but Michael Clarke does not think there is much to worry about. Clarke, who scored a half-century in Sunday’s six-wicket loss, believes the side is playing well despite losing the opening two games of the tour.”[The first ODI] was a little bit disappointing but we’re not far away,” he told . “I don’t think we have too much to worry about. We’re playing pretty good cricket.”Australia’s back-up bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Mick Lewis suffered in the first one-dayer alongside Brett Lee, but injuries are becoming a greater problem as Ricky Ponting (stomach), Andrew Symonds (hip) and Stuart Clark (rib) are all in doubt for Friday’s second match at Cape Town. Phil Jaques will arrive in South Africa as cover on Wednesday and will be considered for a spot at No. 3 or in the middle order.Ponting is hopeful of playing and Clarke backed his captain to be fit. “Fingers crossed, I hope Ricky is fine for Friday, so Phil probably won’t get the chance to play,” Clarke said. “Jaquesy is a fantastic player. As he has shown before, he’ll step up and do well. We’ll get Jaquesy if Ricky and Andrew [Symonds] aren’t fit.”Clarke said the appearance of both injured players would give the side a big lift as they attempt to level the series. “Ricky and Andrew, if they don’t score a run between them, just their presence in the field is missed unbelievably,” Clarke said. “Punter is the No. 1 batsman in the world at the moment and ‘Symmo’ is certainly up there. You can’t replace those sorts of guys and they were certainly missed.”The Test squad is announced next week and Clarke has been fine-tuning his new-ball method in the nets in a bid to return to the squad for the three-match series starting on March 16. “I just need to continue working hard on my game, continue scoring runs and hopefully another opportunity will come up,” he said.

Jenny Thompson looks back at the week in county cricket
Download MP3(right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real: WMA