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New South Wales took control of their game against Victoria in Melbourne, after Trent Copeland knocked over the hosts’ top order

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2011Stumps
Scorecard
Trent Copeland knocked over Victoria’s top order to give New South Wales control of the game and crush any lingering hopes Victoria might have had of winning a third straight Sheffield Shield title. It was a day of fluctuating fortunes, as Victoria had the best of the early session. Peter Siddle snapped up centurion Phil Jacques in the third over of the day for the addition of just one run to his overnight score of 128. That dismissal triggered a batting collapse, and the last seven wickets tumbled for 69 runs. Siddle picked up four of them to finish with 6 for 89, as NSW were restricted to 416.Needing a win to keep alive their chances of defending their title, Victoria lost Michael Hill early, caught behind of Copeland. Things then looked to have settled while Chris Rogers and Aaron Finch were adding 53 together but Rogers edged one to the keeper off Copeland after making 35. Finch and Ryan Carters soon followed, falling to Moises Henriques and Copeland respectively. When Matthew Wade became Copeland’s fourth victim, Victoria were struggling at 5 for 100.Robert Quinney and Glenn Maxwell then provided some lower order resistance, adding 73 in quick time. But both men fell to left-arm chinaman Beau Casson, who had Quinney caught for 66, having struck seven fours and two sixes, and then trapped Maxwell plumb in front for 38. Victoria would lose one more wicket, ending the day on 8 for 206.

Salman Butt’s request for a postponement in the ICC tribunal’s hearing into the spot-fixing case has been rejected

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2010Salman Butt’s request for a postponement in the ICC tribunal’s hearing into the spot-fixing case has been rejected. Michael Beloff QC, the ICC’s code of conduct commissioner and a member of the three-man tribunal to hear the charges against Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, made the decision during a lengthy teleconference with Butt’s lawyers on Wednesday.”Mr Beloff, the Chairman of the ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal, following a lengthy telephone hearing and having received written submissions, has ruled that Mr Butt’s application is denied and as such, the full hearing will take place as scheduled from 6-11 January 2011 in Doha, Qatar,” an ICC release said.Butt’s legal representatives were aiming for a postponement of the hearings to a date after the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had dealt with the case. Independent of the ICC, the Scotland Yard is pursuing its own case against the trio in the UK and has handed over evidence to the CPS.The CPS is to determine whether the case is strong enough to warrant a criminal prosecution on charges of a conspiracy to defraud, but since receiving two files of evidence from Scotland Yard – in September and November – no decision has been reached.In the early days of the case, the PCB repeatedly expressed concern over the two separate investigations being pursued against the players and asked for one to be completed before the other was taken up. But the board has since withdrawn support for the trio.Yasin Patel, a London-based barrister, will handle both the ICC and Scotland Yard cases for Butt. Asif and Amir had not asked for a postponement, though Shahid Karim, who represents Amir, while confident of his client’s prospects, said he would have preferred an independent tribunal instead of the three-man panel set up by the ICC for the hearings in Doha.Apart from Beloff, that panel includes Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Sharad Rao of Kenya.

Overnight and early morning rain in St. Vincent left the outfield waterlogged, forcing the third day’s play between West Indies A and Pakistan A to be abandoned

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2010West Indies A 216 for 1 (Brathwaite 117*, Babar 1-57) v Pakistan A
ScorecardOvernight and early morning rain in St. Vincent left the outfield waterlogged at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, forcing the third day’s play between West Indies A and Pakistan A to be abandoned. West Indies A are presently 216 for 1 in their first innings and the match will certainly be drawn. There is more rain forecast for the final day.

Tillakaratne Dilshan will lead Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe in the absence of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, both of whom have been rested for the triangular series also involving India

Sa'adi Thawfeeq20-May-2010Tillakaratne Dilshan will lead Sri Lanka in Zimbabwe in the absence of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, both of whom have been rested for the triangular series also involving India. Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a horrid World Twenty20, and Lasith Malinga also have been rested. Angelo Mathews, the allrounder, will deputise for Dilshan, who is on his first assignment as captain for an ODI series.Muttiah Muralitharan, who was ruled out during the World Twenty20 due to a groin injury, also hasn’t been picked. Sri Lanka have drafted in allrounder Jeewan Mendis, who’s been in his country’s domestic circuit for almost ten years but is yet to make a international appearance. Also featuring in the squad of 15 is left-handed batsman Lahiru Thirimanne, who played for Sri Lanka in two ODIs in Bangladesh in January.Returning to the squad are opener Upul Tharanga, middle-order batsman Chamara Silva and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando, who were not picked for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.The tournament gets underway in Bulawayo on May 28, with Zimbabwe taking on India in the opener.Sri Lanka squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Silva, Thissira Perera.

There are currently two selectors from the west in the panel, including the chair Ajit Agarkar, and none from the north

Shashank Kishore15-Jan-2024The BCCI has invited applications for the post of one national selector for the senior men’s team. However, the board’s advertisement, published on their website, doesn’t specify which of the active selectors would be replaced from the current five-member panel chaired by Ajit Agarkar.The convention has been to pick one selector from each zone (north, south, east, west and central) with the most experienced member – in terms of Test caps – heading the panel. No selector can have more than a combined term of five years (junior and senior panels taken together).Since Agarkar was brought in as chairman to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Chetan Sharma – from the north zone – last July, there are two selectors for the west, belonging to the same association (Mumbai Cricket Association), with no-one from the north. The other members currently in the panel are Salil Ankola (west), SS Das (central), S Sharath (south) and Subroto Banerjee (east).It’s possible the BCCI will want to have someone from the north in the committee, and one of the two men from the west might have to make way. Agarkar, it was understood at the time, was the unanimous choice of the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Ashok Malhotra, Sulakshana Naik and Jatin Paranjape.Applicants have until 6pm IST on January 25 to submit their candidature. The BCCI will then screen the applications before inviting shortlisted candidates for an interview. Applicants should have played (a) a minimum of seven Tests, or (b) 30 first-class games, or (c) ten ODIs and 20 first-class matches to be eligible. No date has been set for the interviews.The Agarkar-led committee has picked the India squad for the first two of five Tests against England at home beginning January 25, with the squad for the subsequent three Tests likely to be picked after the second Test in Visakhapatnam, ending February 6. India’s next assignment after the England Tests is the T20 World Cup which follows immediately after IPL 2024.

Two late wickets gave the Redbacks hope after the batting struggled again

Daniel Brettig19-Oct-2020Tasmania made a rare departure from their usual formula by including a specialist spin bowler for the only the third match since the 2016-17 season, but it was their trusty seamers’ collective that rolled South Australia for 195 on the opening day at Karen Rolton Oval.The Redbacks’ captain Travis Head won the toss and chose to bat first after the hosts had dropped Tom Cooper for Callum Ferguson, only to see the ball move around helpfully for the Tigers both through the air and off a fresh pitch and slip to 4 for 61 by lunch.Only a partial recovery could be managed thereafter, through a doughty 64 from the wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen with support from Chadd Sayers. Peter Siddle and Nathan Ellis shared the plaudits for their spells to the top order, before Jackson Bird and the part-timer Beau Webster – making good use of his height in switching to medium pace from his offspin – cleaned up the rest.On a fine day in Adelaide, South Australia would have hoped to bat through the day, but were still inside the opening half hour when Jake Weatherald edged a beautifully pitched delivery from Siddle into the slips cordon. Brad Davis was victim to a similarly precise delivery from Ellis, moving away just enough to claim an edge that was wonderfully taken by Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine, diving in front of first slip.Disastrously, Head was to become the second South Australia batsman to be run out in a first innings in as many games, after Davis against Western Australia. Henry Hunt called Head through for a quick single to cover, giving Alex Doolan the chance to throw the stumps down and trigger wild celebrations.Hunt fought well for most of the morning session, but in the final over before lunch was tempted to push at a fullish delivery from Siddle that moved away just enough to take a thin edge through to Paine. As well as he bowled, Siddle might well have claimed a few more victims had he prevented the batsmen from shouldering arms by offering a few more balls of similar length.Ferguson, seeking a more consistent run in the XI after some recent struggles to keep his place, made it as far as 29 before he smeared unattractively across a stumps-seeking ball from Ellis that hit the back pad for a clear lbw. Liam Scott looked composed before fencing at a Webster delivery that bounced a little more than expected and being pouched in the gully, and at 6 for 107 the Redbacks were looking at a tally no better than 150.Sayers, however, dug in alongside Nielsen, and they were able to combine for a stand worth 55 valuable runs against the older ball. Sayers made it to 30 before he dragged Webster onto the stumps, and the tail did not hang around long enough to take the Redbacks beyond 200.That left Tasmania with an awkward 11 overs to the close, and Jordan Silk had reason to be nonplussed at being given lbw to a Sayers delivery that seamed and bounced to be clipping the top of leg stump at best. Doolan made it all the way to the penultimate over of the day, before he glanced Kane Richardson into Nielsen’s gloves.

The pair added 98 for the second wicket to set up India’s total of 166, which they defended with aplomb courtesy three wickets each from Shikha Pandey, Rumeli Dhar and Rajeshwari Gayakwad

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Jemimah Rodrigues sports a smile after the practice match•ESPNcricinfo/Annesha Ghosh

A 98-run stand between half-centurion Mithali Raj and Jemimah Rodrigues, followed by an inspired effort by their bowling and fielding units, helped India complete a 54-run win in the fifth T20I and seal a first-ever away-series double. Having won the ODI series 2-1, India clinched the T20I series 3-1, bowling South Africa out for 112 in 18 overs in Cape Town.Having put India in, Marizanne Kapp removed Smriti Mandhana inside the Powerplay. Mandhana’s opening partner Raj, however, pressed on to her third half-century – a 50-ball 62 studded with short-arm pulls, sweeps and cuts that brought her eight fours and three sixes. Keeping her company for 11.3 overs was the 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, whose promotion to No. 3 – which has otherwise been the slot earmarked for captain Harmanpreet Kaur in this series – paid off.Having been reprieved on 15 by wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee, Rodrigues waltzed to a 34-ball 44. Raj and Rodrigues then fell in successive overs, to Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka respectively. India were 134 for 4, with 3.1 overs left. Harmanpreet partnered Veda Krishnamurthy in a brisk 32-run stand, reeling off 27 off 17 balls courtesy a four and two massive sixes that sailed into the leg-side stands. Krishnamurthy pinched eight off the six balls she faced, before being run-out off the final ball of the innings as India finished on 166 for 4.India’s momentum, gathered through the closing overs of their innings, was kept going by their quick-bowling troika of Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey and Rumeli Dhar, who reduced the hosts to 22 for 3 inside six overs. While Vastrakar opened with a maiden over, Dhar accounted for both openers – Dane van Niekerk her first wicket upon returning to international cricket after a six-year hiatus.Pandey subsequently sent back Sune Luus, followed by the wickets of Mignon du Preez and Nadine de Klerk in the space of three balls in the ninth over. Half the South African line-up had been sniped out for 44. Chloe Tryon tried resuscitating the chase, hitting two sixes, but could not go beyond a 17-ball 25 as she holed out off Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Harmanpreet completed a regulation catch at long-off and blew a kiss as a follow-up act.That three of South Africa’s partnerships ended in the twenties, the highest being a seventh-wicket stand of 29 between Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp, underlined their inability to deal with the lack of pace from the Indian attack, aided by some agile fielding. While Harmanpreet and Mandhana prevented at least three fours by throwing themselves around near the rope, Rodrigues pulled off a stunner at the deep-square leg boundary to send back Kapp for a 21-ball 27. Rodriguez’s two-handed back-arch-and-leap act gave Dhar her third wicket before Gayakwad took out the tail; both finished with identical returns of 3 for 26, though Gayakwad bowled one over less.

New Zealand’s Under-19s will look to emulate the adventurous style of the country’s senior team, their captain Josh Finnie has said

Mohammad Isam21-Jan-2016New Zealand’s Under-19s will look to emulate the adventurous style of the country’s senior team, their captain Josh Finnie has said.

High security for the tournament

Bangladesh has employed high and unprecedented security measures for the Under-19 World Cup, with team buses being escorted by multiple police cars. The team hotel in Dhaka has been virtually sealed off, with very few people allowed to even stand near the entrance, which is filled with security personnel from several government agencies.
“I haven’t seen anything like this before,” Jack Tector, Ireland Under-19s’ captain, said. “But I think we are told that the Irish government had sent people over to investigate. They spoke to the Bangladesh government. Once they deemed it was safe to come, we were more than happy to go. We are comfortable.”
The same thought was echoed by Scotland captain Neil Flack: “I think terrorist threats can happen to anybody at any time. We are going to have the most security in this tournament. We just got off the bus. We had about eight or nine vehicles. It can be one of the safest places in the world.”

“We are trying to base our strategy at the way they go about it,” Finnie said. “The [2015] World Cup brought a pretty good feel to playing cricket in New Zealand. It wasn’t really recognised as a major sport there for a while but over the past year or so it has really captivated the nation. We are looking to do what they did.”Finnie said New Zealand’s preparation for the Under-19 World Cup had been boosted by the time the team spent in Dubai, where they took part in a tri-nation tournament that also featured the Under-19 sides from Pakistan and Australia. He said the highlight of that competition for New Zealand was the century scored by Christian Leopard in the final match, which Pakistan won by 31 runs. Leopard walked in with New Zealand 67 for 5 chasing 280, and smashed 116 off 71 balls.”We have just been in Dubai and found out how we are not too fazed with batting on those wickets,” Finnie said. “We faced a lot of spin there.”It was pretty special watching that [innings] from the sidelines. We were in the dumps there with five or six down and thought the day might be over early but he just played his natural game.”With Australia pulling out of the Under-19 World Cup due to security concerns, Ireland have been drafted into the tournament. Finnie said New Zealand – who are in Ireland’s group – would treat them with respect.”Obviously we are not too sure what Ireland are like,” he said. “We have to treat them same as anyone else coming into the game by thinking they will be like any big name.”Seated next to Finnie at the press conference, Ireland captain Jack Tector narrated how his team got to know about their unexpected entry into the World Cup.”It has obviously been quite a manic few weeks,” Tector said. “Basically on Christmas day an article came out from an Australian journalist and we saw that Australia were considering pulling out. And then ten days after that, we got an email from Cricket Ireland asking for our availability when it was confirmed that Australia had pulled out. We had to get out our schools and universities, but had no problem there, and five days later we are in Dubai. It has been quite an exciting few weeks.”When asked how Ireland’s Under-19s would cope with the unique challenge of playing in front of a live TV audience, against India, Tector said they would want to make a day of it.”We haven’t talked that much about this but it will be quite nerve-wracking on the day,” he said. “But to play on television we have to make the most of it. We have to play a good game against India but it is a massive opportunity to represent Ireland and hopefully the country will be watching us.”

Michael Clarke has said he was happy with the smooth captaincy transition during the one-day tour of Bangladesh, which was Ricky Ponting’s first international series under another skipper in seven years

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2011Michael Clarke has said he was pleased with the smooth captaincy transition during the one-day tour of Bangladesh, which was Ricky Ponting’s first international series under another skipper in seven years. Clarke said he felt Ponting still had plenty to offer the team, in both runs and experience, and that the former captain had no trouble handing over the reins to Clarke.”Both of us spoke openly daily, we enjoyed it and I certainly see Ricky playing a big part not only in my captaincy, but the other guys in the team and their development,” Clarke said at a function in Sydney on Wednesday. “There’s a lot less stress on his shoulders now. He can concentrate on batting well, as he has been, and helping the rest of the boys.”Ponting became the first Australia captain in nearly 30 years to stay on in the team after relinquishing the leadership, when he was named in the squad for the series in Bangladesh. But Clarke, who had already led Australia 43 times across all formats before he took the job full-time, said there was no risk of him deferring to Ponting when making decisions.”It will never get to that,” he said. “You’re always asking other players for ideas and what their thoughts are on the field. He was there in Bangladesh when I needed him. Ask him a question and he’ll give me the answer, then it’s the captain and the vice-captain’s decision to work out what’s best for the team and make that call.”The relationship among all the players – that’s one thing I make clear to all the guys, to feel free to be who they are, to be open, be upfront and if they have an idea to try and do whatever’s best for the team. Just about all the guys have played under me as captain, whether it be Twenty20 or one-dayers.”He gave me the freedom to be me and be the captain I wanted to be. He was there if I needed guidance or had any questions. As I said before we left for Bangladesh, Punter and I have a great relationship and I know that’s the guy he is – he’ll want to continue to do whatever is best for the team and he certainly did that in Bangladesh.”Clarke’s next on-field challenges don’t come until August, when the team heads to Sri Lanka for a Test tour. In the meantime, one of his major tasks will be to discuss the future direction of the side with the Don Argus-led panel charged with conducting Cricket Australia’s performance review.

Michael Clarke is Australia’s 43rd Test captain after succeeding the injured Ricky Ponting for Monday’s fifth Ashes Test in Sydney

Peter English30-Dec-2010Michael Clarke is Australia’s 43rd Test captain after succeeding the injured Ricky Ponting for Monday’s fifth Ashes Test in Sydney. Clarke, who has been the deputy since 2008, takes the coveted job at a time when the team is at its nadir and the 29-year-old is in a severe batting rut.Ponting’s broken left pinky not only means he may never add to his 152 Tests, but it accelerates the transition to Clarke during a summer in which his performances have indicated he is not ready for the role. He now has no choice after his appointment – and the elevation of Brad Haddin to vice-captain – was approved in a unanimous decision by Cricket Australia’s board on Thursday afternoon.”Obviously I’m honoured, it’s for this Test match and hopefully we can get Punter right as soon as possible and get him back into whichever team,” Clarke said at the SCG. “The sooner we can get him back into the one dayers, the better for us.”Clarke is in charge of a 12-man squad as it attempts to draw the series with England, who retained the Ashes with their innings victory in Melbourne on Wednesday. Usman Khawaja has been included to make his debut at No. 3 while Doug Bollinger was recalled to replace Ryan Harris, who suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle at the MCG.But the major focus is on how Clarke will deal with his switch from energetic lieutenant to the man who has to juggle his own game with all the extra commitments required to run a team. He has led Australia in 18 ODIs and another 18 Twenty20s and has usually enjoyed giving the captaincy back to Ponting.In his dream Clarke would have taken the job in peak form, but he has experienced a poor campaign against England with 148 runs at 21.14 and only one half-century. Even that came with criticism after he tweeted an apology for not walking when he was dismissed late on the penultimate day in Adelaide.”I make no bones about it, my form has not been good enough throughout this series,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of innings where I’ve felt really good but I need to get out here and make sure I get some runs on the board, and that’s my focus right now. I’ve had the chance to captain Australia in the Twenty20 form and a handful of one-dayers as well, and I don’t think it’s hurt my performance. Hopefully that’s the same this week.”Clarke is a modern cricketer and his metrosexual tendencies and A-list activities have created lingering questions over his suitability for the leadership. His on-field moves will now be analysed intently as he hopes for a way out of such a dire period for Australia.Ponting’s fractured finger deteriorated during the fourth Test that finished with him failing to win the Ashes for a record third time. If the urn was still up for grabs he would have pushed to play but gave into medical advice.”I’m devastated to tell you the truth, it was the news I was dreading,” Ponting said after landing in Sydney. “During the game I didn’t think I’d done too much more to it.” When asked if he was considering retirement he said: “I’m not thinking about it at all.”Ponting, who scored only 113 runs in the first four games, could face surgery on his finger, but is expected to be fit to guide Australia in their push to win a fourth consecutive World Cup. He had an x-ray on the final day of the Melbourne defeat and it showed the fracture had moved during the match.”What I need right at the moment is just as much time as I possibly can to let it heal and make sure that I’m 100% right for the start of the World Cup,” he said. “That’s really how the decision was made, so I’ve just got to do everything in my power over the next little bit to look after it as well as I can.”He will see a specialist again over the next day to decide on the best way forward. “Hopefully he will commence training in the later part of the Australian summer,” Alex Kountouris, the team’s physiotherapist, said. “He is expected to be fully fit for the World Cup.”Ponting’s Test future is less clear as Australia’s next five-day engagement is currently scheduled for Sri Lanka in August, although there is a talk of a series against Bangladesh after the World Cup. He is already 36 and Australia have realised during their poor Ashes performance that they have to start rebuilding through young players.Australia squad Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Michael Clarke (capt), Michael Hussey, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger, Michael Beer.