Mashonaland Eagles held their nerve on a tense final day to earn a draw against Mid West Rhinos and so win the Logan Cup

Steven Price in Harare04-Apr-2010Mid West Rhinos 364 (Taylor 131) and 335 for 6 (Wessels 108*) drew with Mashonaland Eagles 451 (Lamb 159, Chigumbura 105, Rainsford 6-66) and 67 for 5

ScorecardMashonaland Eagles celebrate their victory•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mashonaland Eagles held their nerve on a tense final day at the Harare Sports Club , to earn a draw against Mid West Rhinos and so win the Logan Cup by virtue of topping the league table in the round-robin stage.A high-scoring match appeared to be heading towards a soporific conclusion on the fourth afternoon when the Rhinos declared leaving the Eagles a target of 249. In the circumstances, they were never likely to take the bait, and the assumption was they would bat out time with ease.However, Graeme Cremer and Taurai Muzarabani caused panic in reducing the Eagles to 36 for 5, and only 27 overs of dogged resistance from Forster Mutizwa and Mark Mbofana averted a shock defeat.Until then, the match had been going as expected. The Eagles won the toss and drew first blood when Rhinos opener Friday Kasteni was sent back by Elton Chigumbura for one. Brendan Taylor then led a strong batting performance as the rest of the top order chipped in with useful contributions.Malcolm Waller and Cremer went past the fifty-run mark to support Taylor who compiled an aggressive 131 off 155 balls, with 20 fours. Prince Masvaure was the most successful bowler, picking 3 for 49, as the Rhinos finished on 364.Ed Rainsford rocked the Eagles’ reply at both ends of their first innings, but two big partnerships in the middle gave the Eagles a significant lead. Greg Lamb struck 159 off 352 balls, while Chigumbura was equally patient in compiling 105. They added 211 runs before Regis Chakabva struck 74 and added 104 with Lamb. Rainsford finished with figures of 6 for 66 as the Eagles ended 87 runs ahead.Kasteni failed in the second dig as well, but Taylor and Innocent Chikunya had no troubles in taking the Rhinos past Eagle’s lead. A succession of wickets left them in some trouble at 174 for 5, before Riki Wessels and Cremer set the tone for a tricky fourth-innings chase. Cremer was stumped for 56, while Wessels was unbeaten on 108 when the declaration came about. Then came the final twist.

Scott Styris has labelled as “massive” the absence of Kevin Pietersen for New Zealand’s must-win game against England on Monday

Cricinfo staff09-May-2010Scott Styris has labelled as “massive” the absence of Kevin Pietersen for New Zealand’s must-win game against England on Monday. Pietersen has flown home for the birth of his first child and although he is planning to return for the semi-finals, his temporary unavailability could hurt England’s hopes in this match.England are all but assured of a spot in the final four, while New Zealand have to win to progress. Pietersen is the third-leading run scorer in the tournament so far and his 53 was crucial in winning their game against South Africa on Saturday.”It’s going to be massive,” Styris said. “He’s probably been, along with Jayawardene, one of the two best batsmen in the competition. He was outstanding yesterday against South Africa and he can win a game single-handedly. He’s world-class and without him, we know that it makes our job easier, although we still have to put the ball in the right areas.”England are going to be very difficult. They’ve been the form team in the competition, or one of the form teams. They’re playing good cricket, they’re confident, and confident teams in Twenty20 cricket are hard to beat. I like to think we’ve got some momentum – we’ve won all bar one of our games. England are playing well as well so it’ll be a good contest.”New Zealand are coming off a morale-boosting last-ball win over Pakistan, but Styris said the result could not mask the fact that improvement was needed in their batting. The New Zealanders struggled to 133 for 7 from their full 20 overs and Styris said to go on and have greater success in the tournament, the batsmen had to be prepared to take more risks.”We seemed to play with a little bit of fear yesterday,” Styris said. “By that, I mean guys were a little scared of taking risks and playing the big shots. In this version of the game, especially in big games, you’ve got to be prepared to get out. I felt that as a group we didn’t do that. I think we have to go in to the next game [without] fear of getting out and failing, and try and take the game by the scruff of the neck.”

Lancashire did not make any attempt to chase down 336 from 85 overs on the
final day of their County Championship Division One match against Essex,
instead settling for a draw at Old Trafford

27-May-2010

ScorecardLancashire did not make any attempt to chase down 336 from 85 overs on the
final day of their County Championship Division One match against Essex,
instead settling for a draw at Old Trafford.The home side had been offered the target by Mark Pettini when he declared
Essex’s second innings on 212 for 5 after Ryan ten Doeschate and Matthew
Walker both completed half-centuries during the morning session.It was soon obvious from the way opening batsman Luke Sutton set about his
innings that the Red Rose were happy with six points. Sutton finished with a painstaking 26 off 155 balls, his innings spanning just over three hours.Despite opening bowlers David Masters and Maurice Chambers bowling tight
spells, Essex struggled to take wickets as they searched for victory on a dead
track. Chris Wright had both Paul Horton and Steven Croft caught behind by James
Foster within three balls in the 66th over but it was too little, too late.Horton top scored for Lancashire with 64 off 179 balls and his side had reached
177 for 5 from 83.4 overs when the players shook hands on the draw. Essex, who travel to face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Saturday, took eight points from the fixture.Masters had given the visitors an early glimmer when he had Stephen Moore
caught behind by Foster for five in the ninth over of Lancashire’s chase. Sutton and Horton then shared a second-wicket partnership of 93 in 40 overs which effectively killed the contest.Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was expected to be a major threat with the
ball but he only took one wicket for 49 runs from 33 overs. Ten Doeschate claimed Essex’s second wicket in the latter stages of the afternoon when Sutton edged behind to Foster.Lancashire’s reluctance to even attempt to chase down the runs was somewhat
surprising, given their coach Peter Moores had said after day three: “The way
the points are structured this year encourages sides to be aggressive with 16
for a win.”Ashwell Prince hit three fours and a six in a brisk 29 before he was caught at
short leg by Billy Godleman off Kaneria and Wright’s double strike meant Essex
had taken three wickets in 10 balls.But Mark Chilton and Glen Chapple batted through to close for Lancashire, who
face Yorkshire at Headingley on Saturday. Simon Kerrigan had earlier claimed the only wicket to fall in Essex’s second innings when Ten Doeschate holed out to Croft at long off for 56 off 57 balls – his second half-century of the match. Essex added 57 runs from 9.4 overs with Walker finishing unbeaten on 53 off 108 balls.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has rued the loss of wickets at crucial times and some avoidable dismissals during his team’s innings which led to a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of India in Bulawayo

Cricinfo staff30-May-2010Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has rued the loss of wickets at crucial times and some avoidable dismissals during his team’s innings which led to a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of India in Bulawayo. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 242, and India made short work of the target, courtesy a second successive ton from Rohit Sharma and his 154-run stand with Virat Kohli.”To defend a score of 240-odd we had to bowl in the right areas and take half-chances,” Dilshan said. “It went wrong with the bat, couple of run-outs and some untimely wickets. Had that not happened, we could have ended up with 280 or 290 and it might have been a different game.”Sri Lanka’s batsmen had got starts but needed one to score big, or several to chip in with important contributions, to set a challenging target. Dilshan made 61 before being run out, Angelo Mathews struck a fluent 75 and none of Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedara or Thissara Perera – each got a start – pushed on to reach a half-century. Dilshan, though, lauded the pair of Rohit and Kohli, who, after getting together at 47 for 2, took the game away from Sri Lanka.”It was a flat wicket without any help for the fast bowlers, and there was no turn for the spinners either,” Dilshan said. “So to defend 240, we had to take early wickets. Rohit and Kohli, though, put up a century partnership and batted really well.”The pair was adept at rotating the strike, but the flat wicket, according to Dilshan, meant there was little he or the bowlers could do to contain them. “We tried to bring the fielders up but the wicket was of no help for the bowlers, and they batted really well.”Rohit, however, felt the pitch was slow and required some adjustment to score on. “It was on the slower side, a two-paced wicket with not every ball coming on to the bat. You need to adjust accordingly and play the shots,” he said.

Sharad Pawar has ruled out bilateral series between India and Pakistan in the near future, saying the restoration of cricketing ties was a diplomatic issue that had to be addressed by the two governments

Cricinfo staff08-Jul-2010Sharad Pawar, the ICC president, has ruled out bilateral series between India and Pakistan in the near future, saying the restoration of cricketing ties between the countries was a diplomatic issue that had to be addressed by the two governments.”Immediate ties between both countries is not possible,” Pawar told . “It is not in the hands of the cricket boards. It is a diplomatic issue. This is a decision taken by the Indian government.”Diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan worsened in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. The BCCI called off a scheduled tour of Pakistan in early 2009, following a directive from the government. The two countries have only played two ODIs since – in the Champions Trophy in 2009 and the Asia Cup this year. The relationship between the two countries’ board was also strained when Pakistan was stripped of its rights to host the 2011 World Cup after the Lahore attacks, and the World Cup secretariat was moved to Mumbai.There has been steady speculation in Pakistan since the ICC meeting in Singapore of a potential Pakistan-India series, on neutral turf sometime next year. The chatter is linked with Pakistan’s backing of other Asian and African countries, as well as the West Indies, in the movement to reject John Howard’s nomination as ICC vice-president but PCB officials have not commented on the matter.On Wednesday in Lahore, Ijaz Butt, chairman of the PCB, didn’t confirm or deny a query on the possibility of a resumption, arguing that bilateral talks between any boards on future commitments should remain private until further development. Butt has, in the past, been open about wanting to see the rivalry resume sooner rather than later though he has also acknowledged that it is tied in with political realities.

Alan Isaac, the candidate who replaced John Howard as Australia and New Zealand’s nominee for the ICC vice-presidency, has supported the creation of a window in the Future Tour Programme for the IPL

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2010Alan Isaac, the candidate who replaced John Howard as Australia and New Zealand’s nominee for the ICC vice-presidency, has supported the creation of a window in the Future Tour Programme for the IPL. The ICC had earlier ruled out accommodating lucrative Twenty20 leagues in the already cramped international calendar, but Isaac said that was likely to change as the ICC’s sub-committee is working on remodelling the FTP.”The Future Tours Program has to allow the IPL, because unless it is accommodated we will end up with more challenges,” Isaac told the . ”There will be more pressure put around the scheduling of ICC events [such as World Cups and the Champions Trophy], and those ICC events are so critical to members because of the revenue generated.”It has to be worked into the Future Tours Program because there is a demand and an interest. The players seem to like it, and there is more money coming into the game. ‘The sub-committee work is being done on that basis [that the IPL will be part of the FTP].”Isaac, the New Zealand Cricket chairman, replaced former Australia prime minister John Howard as the ICC vice-president nominee following Cricket Australia’s refusal to choose another candidate. Howard’s nomination was blocked last month in Singapore by members from six countries. After being told by the ICC board to find another option by August 31, New Zealand asked Sir John Anderson, the country’s original recommendation, to reconsider. When Anderson refused Isaac, 58, stepped forward.Isaac said Anderson’s decision to decline contesting was unexpected. ”He shocked me when he said he wasn’t available, then encouraged me to make myself available,” Isaac said. ”That was the first time I started thinking about the role. I don’t see myself as second or third choice, ultimately I will be judged on the work that is done.”Isaac conceded that the ICC has had its share of criticism on the way it works and how certain powerful members like India have got their way. He said India have a very significant role to play in the game’s governing body in terms of the revenue they generate.”I think one of the most important things is that we work to enhance the reputation of the ICC,” Isaac said. ”The media are quite critical of it, sometimes justifiably, and lots of decisions it makes get criticised. Each member around the table has got their own issues and agendas, I understand that, it is about leading everyone in a common direction.”There is no doubt [India] are powerful, that is a matter of fact. When the ICC sells its commercial rights a lot of that comes from India, that is the commercial reality and we have got to recognise that. The Indian officials I have dealt with in my 20 months at the ICC have been really good to work with, there are no issues at all.”

Michael Lumb will miss Twenty20 finals day and England’s two Twenty20s against Pakistan after being ruled out for the season due to a broken foot

Cricinfo staff12-Aug-2010Michael Lumb will miss Twenty20 finals day and England’s two Twenty20s against Pakistan after being ruled out for the season due to a broken foot. Lumb was fielding in close against Somerset when he was struck by a shot from his England T20 opening partner Craig Kieswetter.Lumb had struggled for form since returning from the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean and was given a break by Hampshire to allow him to recharge his batteries. The time off appeared to have worked when he had found his touch in the longer format with 158 against Durham last week.Hampshire will miss him in their first appearance at a Twenty20 finals day, especially after they declined to pick Kevin Pietersen in their squad, but it wasn’t certain that he would have been selected for the semi-final against EssexEngland will also miss Lumb in their two Twenty20 internationals in Cardiff early next month. He proved a valuable player in their triumphant ICC World Twenty20 campaign in the Caribbean in May, when he played all seven matches.However, following the two matches against Pakistan, England’s next Twenty20 internationals are not until early January following the Ashes series so Lumb will face a long wait to see if his winner’s medal from West Indies is the start or end of his England career.

The ICC’s proposal to limit to 10 the number of teams in the World Cup is exactly that – a proposal – and does not exclude Associate nations, a senior official has said

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Sep-2010The ICC’s proposal to limit to 10 the number of teams in the World Cup is exactly that – a proposal – and does not exclude Associate nations, a senior official has said. Speaking a day after the decisions were made public and sparked criticism by Associate members, Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager on cricket, told ESPNcricinfo it had not yet been worked out exactly which teams would qualify for the tournament.”How the ten members are to be determined has still to be decided,” Richardson said. “It could be the full members only but it could be not.”The recommendation to reduce the number of teams from 2015 – 14 will play at the 2011 World Cup – was made at the ICC’s chief executives’ committee [CEC] meeting in Cape Town earlier this week and will now be discussed by the board. Richardson stressed that nowhere in the proposal was it stated that Associates could not participate in the World Cup. “They haven’t said they would exclude Associates; nowhere has anyone said, at this stage, the decision is to allow only full members to participate in the World Cup,” he said.The CEC includes representatives from three Associate and Affiliate members – Ireland (Warren Deutrom), Hong Kong (John Cribbin) and Namibia (Francois Erasmus) – who would have had a say before the recommendations were finalised.The proposal’s genesis lies in the ICC’s move to revamp the World Cup, which was entrusted to a working group comprising senior officials of four national boards – James Sutherland, N Srinivasan, David Collier and Nishantha Ranatunga – and Richardson. The decision was taken after submissions from various quarters and interactions with the broadcasters. “There was a general view that the World Cup in its current form was too many teams, too many one-sided matches. So the idea was to have the ten best teams in the world,” Richardson said.Explaining the rationale behind the CEC view, Richardson said the primary motive was to look at the whole basket of ICC events as one product and enhance the brand value. Hence it was deemed necessary to improve the quality of the product. “The main reason was, it’s easier for teams to be competitive in the 20-over version rather than in the 50-over version,” Richardson said. And why is that? “There is nothing worse than a one-sided 50-over game. So one of the major reasons was to increase the quality of the matches (in ODI World Cup).” This, he said, could be done by reducing the number of teams in the 50-over World Cup.Richardson pointed out that the issue of qualification would now be determined by the governance review committee, which will submit its findings to the executive board. There is no definitive time-frame for that. “We have still got five years before the next world Cup so we have got plenty of time to determine how teams are going to qualify,” Richardson remarked.The issue that remains unresolved concerns the parameters to determine the 10 best countries. There doesn’t seem to be any ready solution, especially given the bottleneck over the disparity in the distribution of monies from the World Cup which the ICC gives to the full members and Associates. The full member gets 75 percent while the remaining 25 percent is distributed among the Associates. So any decision to include one Associate member in the World Cup at the expense of a full member could see objections from the latter unless the income was protected.

Ian Bell has been added to England’s squad for the remaining two one-day internationals in the NatWest Series against Pakistan

Cricinfo staff19-Sep-2010Batsman Ian Bell, who scored a century in Saturday’s CB40 final, has been added to England’s squad for the remaining two one-day internationals in the NatWest Series against Pakistan.Bell has not been part of the England set-up since breaking a bone in his foot while fielding during the second one-day international against Bangladesh at Bristol earlier this summer. He has since recovered from the metatarsal injury, scoring 107 off 95 balls in Warwickshire’s victory over Somerset at Lord’s.”It’s fantastic to have him back in the squad,” Andrew Strauss, the England captain, said. “He wasn’t in originally because we weren’t sure about where he was in his recovery and he needed some cricket for Warwickshire. He’s played very well and strengthens are squad to give us more options batting wise.”Bell made a successful return to the one-day squad in the first match against Bangladesh, where he struck an unbeaten 84 to seal victory at Trent Bridge but was soon back on the sidelines after his injury at Bristol. With England’s impressive one-day form it’s a battle to find a place in the line-up, especially with Kevin Pietersen to return, but Bell feels he is now coming into his prime.”I’ll just keep working as hard as I can to get in the side in one-day cricket as well as Test cricket,” he said. “I feel I’m improving all the time. I’m desperate to keep improving because at 28 the best years are still to come.”It’s been great to be back on field. When I did the injury the England guys and the specialists erred on the side of safety,” Bell added. “The surgeon suggested eight weeks off, I probably could have played after seven but was it worth risking it ahead of aus? Probably not.”So hats off to the ECB – Kirk Russell [the physio] and Nick Pierce the doctor got it right in terms of giving myself enough time but also getting some cricket under my belt.”Paul Collingwood, who missed the third one-dayer at The Oval with a virus, trained with the squad on Sunday at Lord’s and is likely to be available. Strauss confirmed that Bell wasn’t in as cover and will stand an equal chance of being selected.

After days of rain, the weather in Mirpur improved to allow a full one-day international and it was Bangladesh’s spinners who shone, dismissing New Zealand cheaply to secure a seven-wicket victory

The Bulletin by Andrew Fernando11-Oct-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Suhrawadi Shuvo took 3 for 14 in ten overs to help dismiss New Zealand cheaply•AFP

Bangladesh took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, and won two consecutive ODIs against top-flight opposition for the first time in their 232-match history, by cruising to a seven-wicket victory in the third one-dayer at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. The stage was set for Bangladesh’s batsmen after their spinners had decimated the New Zealand line-up – and they didn’t disappoint, hunting down the meagre total of 173 in 40 overs, ensuring the visitors had to win both the remaining matches to draw the five-match contest.The trio of Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners were into the game early after Shafiul Islam had removed the dangerous Brendon McCullum in the first over, and they tore out the heart of the New Zealand batting line-up, reducing them to 101 for 7 in the 33rd over. A belligerent 72-run association between Ross Taylor and Kyle Mills revived the innings, but a total of 173 was always going to be tough to defend, especially with the New Zealand seam bowlers yet to find their radar on this rain-ridden tour.The Bangladesh openers began positively in pursuit of New Zealand’s total, smartly putting away bad balls through point and down the ground to reach 35 for no loss after five overs, before the lunch break interrupted their progress. Not much changed after the stoppage, though, as both
batsmen continued to pick up regular boundaries, with a particularly handsome on-drive from Imrul Kayes standing out. The fifty came in just 7.4 overs and not even the introduction of the ever-
threatening Daniel Vettori – so often the bane of Bangladesh in these one-day encounters – could prevent the batsmen from scoring over five an over with relative ease. It was a day when everything
was going right for them.Shahriar Nafees was effective square of the wicket on the off side, and he brought up his half-century with a cover drive off Andy McKay in the 16th over. Neither batsmen was troubled by
the wayward bowling and they rotated strike intelligently, with the more circumspect Kayes feeding the strike to his aggressive partner.The century partnership between the Bangladesh openers was only the third such stand in 19 matches against New Zealand. By the time Nafees chipped Nathan McCullum to mid-on for a run-a-ball 73, only 47 runs were required for victory. Imrul Kayes also fell soon after reaching his fifty, again trying to loft McCullum over cover, but the Bangladesh middle order ensured that the home team got home with plenty of overs and wickets to spare.This significant victory, however, had been set up in the first half of the match, when BJ Watling and Jesse Ryder’s attempts to steadily rebuild the innings after the early loss of McCullum were thwarted by the hosts’ spinners, who began operating at both ends after just eight overs had been bowled by the fast bowlers. Both batsmen holed out trying to accelerate, and the wickets continued to fall in quick succession. Grant Elliott was bowled by a delivery from Shakib that broke sharply off the slowish surface, and Suhrawadi Shuvo added the scalps of Daniel Vettori and Shanan Stewart to the wicket of Ryder to complete his three-wicket haul.McCullum didn’t last long at the crease either, leaving the New Zealand innings in tatters. Taylor, who had played a lone hand, finally found some support in Mills, and the pair went about setting a new New Zealand record for the eighth wicket, scoring 72 runs off 64 deliveries. Taylor was typically strong on the leg side, slamming four sixes and four fours in his unbeaten innings of 62, Mills also smacked three magnificent sixes down the ground.Despite the expensive period of play for Bangladesh, it was business as usual following the wicket of Mills, as Mahmudullah dismissed Tim Southee and Andy McKay in successive deliveries to end the innings. The total was made to look extremely average by a Bangladesh top order that seems to be growing in confidence in the one-day format.