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Brett Lee’s right elbow will spend the next six weeks in a brace after he had surgery in Sydney

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009Brett Lee’s right elbow will spend the next six weeks in a brace after he had surgery in Sydney on Wednesday. Lee, who picked up the problem on the one-day tour of India, was considering his playing future when he learned last month he would be out for the Australian international season.Trefor James, Cricket Australia’s medical officer, said Lee had an operation to repair a damaged ligament. “He will be required to use an elbow brace for a period of approximately six weeks and then commence more intensive rehabilitation,” Dr James said. “His return to bowling will be determined in due course as he is regularly assessed by the surgeon and Cricket Australia’s medical staff.”Over the past year Lee has been forced into long-term rehabilitation by ankle and side complaints before the latest setback threw more doubt over his future. The run of injuries have him stalled on 76 Tests and 310 wickets and he has not played in a five-day game since limping off the MCG last December. One of the benefits of this enforced lay-off is he has been able to spend more time with his young son.

Sulieman Benn has been suspended following an ugly incident with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson at the WACA on Thursday and will miss West Indies’ next two one-day internationals

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA17-Dec-2009Sulieman Benn has been suspended following an ugly incident with Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson at the WACA on Thursday and will miss West Indies’ next two one-day internationals. Benn was handed two suspension points by the match referee Chris Broad, which equates to a ban of one Test or two ODIs, while Haddin has been fined 25% of his match fee and Johnson 10%.Because the incident occurred in the final Test of the series, Benn’s penalty applies to the next international matches in which he is to participate – the ODIs against Australia in Melbourne and Adelaide in February. Benn pleaded not guilty to a Level 2 offence while Haddin and Johnson pleaded guilty to Level 1 offences, all for “conducting themselves in any way that is not in accordance with the spirit of the game”.Benn has the right to appeal and Broad said there was every chance he would have received a lesser penalty had he pleaded guilty. The charges related to the 118th over of Australia’s innings, when Benn and Johnson ran into each other, Haddin angrily pointed his bat at Benn, and later in the over Benn approached the batsmen, brushing against Johnson, who then pushed Benn away.Broad said: “It was an incident which could have been avoided. No one likes to see cricketers pointing bats at their opponents or pushing each other away. It is not the sort of example that players should be setting at any time, least of all in a series which is being played in a great spirit and being followed by millions around the world on television.”The decision to find Benn guilty of a Level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that conduct contrary to the spirit of the game is completely unacceptable. I hope Mr Benn has learnt his lesson and will be careful in the future.”The over began with a run-in between the bowler Benn, who was moving across to field a drive, and the non-striker Johnson, who was taking off for a single. The contact seemed incidental, with neither man at fault, but Haddin appeared to inflame the situation after completing the run, when he pointed his bat at Benn.The pair exchanged words and the sparks flew again two balls later, when Haddin drove the final ball of the over back to Benn, who shaped to throw at the striker’s end even though Haddin was not taking off for a run. Haddin and Johnson had a mid-pitch meeting at the end of the over and Benn continued his remonstration, moving close to the batsmen and pointing at Haddin across the shoulder of Johnson.There appeared to be some incidental contact between Johnson and Benn when Johnson moved to position himself between his partner and the bowler. Things became even uglier when Johnson pushed Benn away, following the initial contact. After stumps the West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he felt Benn had not initiated the physical clash.”Benn wasn’t involved in that,” Gayle said. “If you watch the telly, you see who made physical contact.”Gayle said there wasn’t much in the incident and he quickly moved to speak to his bowler, and the tension died down. “As a captain basically you just try to get on with the game,” he said. “No-one wants to bring the game into disrepute so that was the only thing, just try to get on with it.”Benn’s competitive nature was on display at the Adelaide Oval last week when he regularly followed through to move into the eyeline of the batsmen, taking the sort of aggressive approach not often seen in spin bowlers. He also has a lighter side and is known for singing at every opportunity and Australia’s batsman Marcus North said while Benn was “an unusual guy”, it was natural to expect that the match would be played in a competitive spirit.”There’s a contest out there and both teams play it hard and hopefully don’t cross the line,” North said. “Both teams have played in pretty good spirit this series.”

Mohammad Aamer doesn’t seem to lack much, not smarts, not pace and, after his maiden five-wicket haul at the MCG, certainly not confidence.

Osman Samiuddin at the MCG29-Dec-2009Mohammad Aamer doesn’t seem to lack much, not smarts, not pace and certainly not confidence. He fairly bounced into the press box after the fourth day’s play, his first five-wicket haul in the kitty, and immediately engaged in some lively, witty banter with journalists. And why not?He’s been Pakistan’s most dangerous bowler in this Test. He’s bowled quicker than he has bowled before; in particular on the third afternoon when he unleashed a spell of such visceral intensity, it lit up the entire day.This morning he carried on, though in making an old ball talk from round the wicket, he provided another dimension altogether. The dismissals of Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin, had the stamp of Wasim Akram on them: old ball coming in with the angle, straightening and leaving the batsmen. Haddin had barely kept out the previous ball, which had homed in on his pads. The MCG has seen such deliveries before, on more august occasions.How many left-armers have been as adept and dangerous at this angle of attack so early in their careers? Some go through entire careers without being able to do so. Shane Watson is as well-placed as any to speak about Aamer, having taken him on in the game’s most riveting battle, and he is convinced that little is missing from Aamer’s game. “He’s an extremely good bowler,” Watson said. “It’s amazing that he’s only 17 because the pace that he bowls, the skill that he has, he’s able to get the ball to move both ways. He’s got a slower ball, a good bouncer and he keeps charging in too. He bowled a lot of overs and especially yesterday evening he bowled a very good spell of fast bowling and this morning. I’m glad he pulled up stumps when he did.”Watson should have been Aamer’s sixth wicket, but he was grassed at point on 99. Not that Aamer was unhappy with a five-wicket haul, for the impression he has made has been greater than the number of wickets he has taken so far. “It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I’ve bowled good spells and been a bit unlucky a few times so it was good to get the wickets this time. I’ve felt in good rhythm through this Test and really enjoyed my spells. Australia is a big team and to make a mark here is always important. If it can help my team in any way then it will obviously feel much better.”And though he was particularly happy with the way he dismissed Clarke today, the prize scalp was that of Ricky Ponting the day before. He had spoken of wanting Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket before the Champions Trophy and went on to get it. He had spoken of Ponting’s wicket before they arrived here. The plan had been to use the Chris Gayle method, to bowl short, and its success pleased Aamer no end. “It’s a great feeling because he is such a big player, the best batsman in the world,” he said.”I was happier that I got him out according to a plan. I got a lot of confidence from that, because in cricket it shows me there is no batsman too big or bowler too big. You only need to use your brain and have some confidence. Seniors tell you how to go about it and if you follow that, you shouldn’t be in trouble. Obviously I was really happy because he is a big player but also happy because a captain is depending on you, setting a field for you to bowl to and succeeding in that and whether it is Ponting or any other batsman, it is a great feeling.”Gradually, since his international debut at the World Twenty20, Aamer has also bulked up; Akram and a number of others have advised him to put on some weight to protect a naturally frail body. Work with David Dwyer, Pakistan’s Australian trainer, has helped put on the muscle and the pace has since increased. He has crossed 150kmph a few times at the MCG, on what is still thought to be a sluggish surface.”Maybe my pace has increased,” he said. “It happens sometimes when the more you play, the more your arm gets used to the load and the looser it gets. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that it is a big series and I am striving harder. I don’t really feel it that I am bowling faster but the speeds are there.”I have built up my body a little. I’ve worked hard with DD (David Dwyer) on it and have increased my weight from 72kg to 75kg. I’ve added a bit of muscle to it. If we have rest days between matches, maybe four to five days, then I spend time in the gym, but in back-to-back Tests that is difficult to do. On any day off, we work to whatever plan DD gives us.”

Graeme Smith’s first press conference on arriving in India was very much in character – quietly confident, understated, controversy-free and no mind games

Sidharth Monga in Nagpur01-Feb-2010Graeme Smith is an imposing figure and a bull-headed batsman, but that’s on the field. Mindgames in press conferences are not his thing, nor South Africa’s. They haven’t made statements in the past about ageing cricketers in the opposition, nor how their opponents play “old-school” cricket, and they don’t predict scorelines. They come in quietly confident, manage to stay low-key, and surprise the opposition.That they have been the most successful visiting team in India over the past 10 years always manages to stay a surprise. They have won one series, lost one and drawn one, which is better than Australia’s one win and two losses. On none of those three occasions did South Africa come in as favourites but in all of those series they stretched India to the extreme.Their first press conference on arriving in India for this series – one that will decide who stays No. 1 for a considerable duration of 2010 – was no different. Ask Smith about India being vulnerable without Rahul Dravid, and he says there is still enough quality in the line-up. Ask him about his team’s good record in India, and he reminds all that it was the box that wasn’t ticked when they beat both Australia and England in away series in 2008.Smith did talk about the No. 1 ranking but if you were the host broadcaster trying to cash in on the stakes, you could have done with better headlines. Smith conceded India were No. 1 for a reason, and were the favourites going into the series.”India have played good cricket to get there”, Smith said. “We have had recent success in terms of having had that ranking. But it’s not really an issue for us, we have come over to India to play good cricket, to focus on our own game, and we know if we can perform to our levels and standards, we will be able to put India under a lot of pressure.”Any time you come to India, it’s always tough, you always probably start as underdogs. India are favourites going into this series. If this series was in South Africa, probably we would have been favourites. In the subcontinent, India have proven to be difficult to beat at any stage throughout nine years of my international career.”The build-up back home was not ideal, with Mickey Arthur stepping down as coach less than a week ago. The bad timing hasn’t been helped by South Africa’s schedule: they come to India – a change of weather, a change of pitches and outfield, a change of the whole ethos from the series they played against England – with only five days to prepare for the first of two Tests. Even a day’s delay in acclimatising could result in an unassailable deficit.While Smith acknowledged the disadvantage that comes with a crunched schedule, he didn’t hide behind it. “International cricket today doesn’t allow you too much time,” he said. “This tour has been changed a couple of times, from one-day tour to Test tour to sort of both, which is great for cricket that we can play Tests and one-dayers here.”But we know we have got the five days, and we have to make the most of that. There is a lot to jam in those five days, especially for Corrie [van Zyl, the interim coach], who has just come in. There is a lot for us to do, the most important thing to do is to get the specifics right, and make sure you are making the most of the each day you are given. The two-day game [their only practice game, against the Board President’s XI] is an important part of it. To acclimatise to these pitches, getting our brains working in the right way, and really start enjoying playing the brand of cricket you have to play in the subcontinent.”It was not just fancy words: they spent a healthy five hours training at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, the venue of their tour game, a day after the entire team showed up for an optional training session hours after landing in Nagpur. On Monday the players went through rigorous drills, under the supervision of their coaches – van Zyl, Kepler Wessels (batting), Vincent Barnes (bowling) and Rob Walter (the conditioning coach who also assists in the fielding department).While Smith didn’t harp on India’s weaknesses or their strengths or the hype around the No. 1 ranking, he was a confident man thanks to his side’s record in the subcontinent of late. “We won in Pakistan on our last tour there, we won in Bangladesh, we came very close to winning the series here in India”, he said. “We were one-love going into the last Test so I think generally we have played well. I think we have got a very positive mindset when it comes to playing in the subcontinent, which is important. The guys have been together for a period of time, we really enjoy coming to play in India.”

Pakistan A shocked their England counterparts with a six-wicket win off the penultimate ball in their Twenty20 match in Abu Dubai

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010

ScorecardPakistan A gained some revenge over their England counterparts with a six-wicket win off the penultimate ball in their Twenty20 match in Abu Dubai. Led by a 47-ball 49 from Umair Khan, Pakistan A chased down’ 147 with a ball to spare to consign the Lions to their first defeat since arriving in UAE.With six still needed off the final over from Sajid Mahmood, Naeem Anjum was run out from the first delivery to set up a tense finish. Tanvir Ahmed then found a crucial boundary to ease the pressure on Pakistan A as he and Kashif Siddiq scampered home with one ball remaining.It is a frustrating result for the Lions after they responded well to Mohammad Hafeez’s invitation to bat first, reaching 58 without loss inside the first six overs. Craig Kieswetter and Steven Davies looked well set, with Kieswetter in particular in good order. He is pushing for a berth in the senior side having qualified for England on Tuesday and earned special mention from Andy Flower on Monday.After Davies departed for 17, Kieswetter clubbed his way to his second half-century of the tour, hitting five fours and three sixes, including one which sailed over midwicket, on his way to 50 from 31 balls. His dismissal in the 10th over, stumped running down the wicket at former Test left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, robbed his side of a chance to post a really imposing total. While Ian Bell and Michael Lumb played tidily it was only Peter Trego that attempted anything expansive. He hit 14 from nine balls to help lift the total to 146.Pakistan A were reduced to 18 for 2 inside the first three overs of their reply, with the openers falling to each of the opening bowlers. Asad Shafiq then set about reviving Pakistan A’s hopes in a 61-run stand with Umair, carrying the total to 79 before he was out in the 12th over.At that stage the game was evenly poised and Pakistan A did well to work the ball around and calmly lay the foundations for the victory. Umair was bowled one short of a deserved 50 by Steve Kirby but England Lions couldn’t quite take decisive control of the game. Aamer Sajjad picked off two boundaries and ran well between the wickets to take his side within nine runs of the target with nine balls to go. In the end they had just enough to take them over the line.

Ian Bell’s classy 138 wrestled England a narrow advantage in the second Test after Bangladesh’s hopes were deflated by poor umpiring decisions and gritty batting

The Bulletin by Sahil Dutta22-Mar-2010

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIan Bell batted serenely to reach his 10th Test hundred•Getty Images

Ian Bell’s classy 138 wrestled England a narrow advantage in the second Test after Bangladesh’s hopes were deflated by poor umpiring decisions and gritty batting. Bell was supported by a fluent 62 from Matt Prior and a battling 76 from Tim Bresnan who batted through the final two sessions to remain unbeaten at the close.What ended a lacklustre day started with real tension when Jonathan Trott was dismissed in the third over. His torturous effort last night heaped pressure on his batting partners but he was unlucky to be out to a ball that trickled back off his forearm on to off stump. It was an important strike and left England teetering on the brink of embarrassment until Bell revived their hopes.Watchful but untroubled throughout he has transformed his reputation as a soft-centred scorer of easy runs to one of England’s steeliest batsmen this winter. His 10th Test hundred is the first time he has passed three figures without a team-mate doing the same before him in the innings and is a mark of how far he has come since being dropped after England’s 54-all-out calamity in Jamaica last year. Dripping with talent he feathered the ball around the ground at will, reaching three figures in typically deft style, gliding Rubel Hossain for four behind point.Bell’s average against Bangladesh continues to be stratospheric, although plummeted to a mere 244 when he was finally dismissed for 138. Unlike his runs in the first Test this innings was crucial, guiding England out of trouble and setting up a chance of victory. It’s the style of knock that makes him appear like a natural No. 3, a hole the selectors have longingly looked at Bell to fill, but given his success down the order they will be reluctant to tamper.It could have all been different for Bangladesh had they not been denied three decisions at crucial moments. With Shakib Al Hassan asphyxiating England at one end and Rubel finding incisive reverse-swing at the other, Prior was on 7 when Rubel snaked one into his pads and trapped him bang in front. However, Tony Hill thought otherwise and Prior made it count.After struggling for runs early on the second new ball broke the shackles and Prior went on to share an enterprising 98-run stand with Bell. Shakib, much like his opposite number, has made some curious decisions through the series. He virtually ignored his two offspinners, Naeem Islam and Mahmudullah, instead stubbornly sticking to Abdul Razzak’s innocuous left-arm spin. Razzak was poor on the second day but was again given the new ball. He repeatedly erred in length and line and allowed Prior to canter his way to an 83-ball fifty.It was only a rash swipe from Prior, looking for a third boundary in an over over off Shakib, that allowed Bangladesh a glimpse at a first-innings lead as they saw Bresnan wondering out at No. 7 ahead of Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad with the deficit still 147. Bresnan should have departed on 5 when Shakib found an inside edge that popped up off the pad to silly point, yet once more the decision was turned down and the home side never really recovered.Across the two Tests and the earlier one-day series Bangladesh have endured the worst of the decisions. It’s difficult for a side used to losing to see opportunities denied and it was no surprise when, seeing the chance of a rare win disappearing, Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, grow increasingly agitated. Firstly he charged into the umpires’ room and later, when an lbw appeal against Bell was turned out, he was seen gesticulating at the boundary edge. It was the kind of passion that David Lloyd used to show in his time as England coach and Siddons’ frustration was understandable.Bangladesh really flagged as the day wore on, revealing their inexperience as the fielding descended into farce at times and the intent all but disappearing. Bresnan picked off the runs that were available on a pitch designed for utter tedium. He’ll make harder Test runs but a maiden fifty, coming at a time England needed them will be a useful nudge to the selectors when Ashes fever heats up later in the year.Bangladesh showed more heart in the final session with Rubel, in particular, running in hard in unforgiving conditions. England once again favoured caution over adventure, working the ball around and being content to drift along without showing the flair needed to be ruthless. Shakib toiled all day, recalling yesteryear with 27 maidens, and was rewarded when Bell skied a slog-sweep to midwicket.Shortly before the close, Bangladesh finally had some luck when Bresnan drilled a drive back at Shakib, who deflected it onto the stumps to run out Graeme Swann at the non-striker’s end and Broad was out lbw to the underused Mahmudullah. Bresnan ended 26 short of a maiden hundred and England will need to extend their narrow to give themselves before trying to extract Bangladesh for a second time on this very docile surface and, once again, there will be a huge onus on Swann.

Shakib Al Hasan admitted that the experience of taking consecutive Test matches deep into the fifth day had left his team weary when it came to the sharp end of the contest

Andrew Miller in Dhaka24-Mar-2010Shakib Al Hasan admitted that the experience of taking consecutive Test matches deep into the fifth day had left his team weary when it came to the sharp end of the contest, as he reflected on a series from which his players emerged with great credit, but once again, nothing tangible to show for their efforts.For Shakib it was a match from which he took great personal pride, as he underlined his credentials as a world-class allrounder with scores of 49 and 96, as well as a marathon haul of 4 for 124 in 66 first-innings overs. But those three statistical near-misses encapsulated the frustrations that Bangladesh felt collectively, as a match that they had dominated for large parts of the first half of the game degenerated into a sapping nine-wicket defeat.”We were bowling in the last session of the fifth day, and in the last Test we also played five days, so it was tiring for us,” said Shakib. “Normally we don’t play so much cricket, so it was a very tough job for us, and I think many of us lost our intensity. We need to see how physically fit we are, because maybe some of us thought we cannot do it anymore at this stage. When England got to 100 for 1, we were a bit loose, which should not have happened.”Inevitably, much of the blame for Bangladesh’s collapse will be pinned on the umpiring on the third day, but Shakib denied that his side had still been dwelling on those missed opportunities when they shipped six match-changing wickets the following day. Instead he blamed misfortune, with Junaid Siddique being caught off Alastair Cook’s boot, and Imrul Kayes bowled via an improbable deflection off the thigh-pad.But at 172 for 6, with a lead of 94 going into the final day, there was still a slender opportunity to bat out for a draw, a result that would have counted as a very moral victory. Shakib’s intent was plain upon the resumption, as he set about establishing a total that could be defended, but in the end he played one rash shot too many with a century beckoning and only the No. 11 Rubel Hossain for company.”The situation was that we had to score either 40-odd runs or survive 10 more overs,” said Shakib, whose stumping for 96 off James Tredwell left England needing 209 in a minimum of 55 overs. “I thought the second one was a difficult option, so I went for my shot. Maybe I could have defended it, but in that case, if Rubel was out in the next over, I would have regretted it.”At first I thought to play a sweep over square leg,” he said. “Then I thought his ball was not spinning at all. Everything was coming straight, so I wanted to play straight. But that did spin and I missed it. It was a very tricky situation because I had to think both attack and defence, and I’ve hardly ever faced a situation like this. It was a new experience for us, but hopefully we will learn from it.”Personally, I tried to give whatever I could. If you consider my Test career, I would say I worked harder in this Test than anyone,” he added. “I just wanted another 20-25 runs, so that we could have push them. If they had needed more than 110 runs in each session things would have been easier for us. But they needed only 100 and 100, and on the last day of the last game, it was difficult for us.”For Shakib, it was the third time in his Test career that he had been stuck on 96 at the end of an innings, although he did reach his maiden century against New Zealand in February. “Nowadays luck is not doing any favour to me,” he said. “I’ve got 49, 96, four wickets … the last one was not coming. Hopefully luck will smile on me again.”With a little more experience – and they are gaining more and more with each match – Bangladesh will be better placed in the future to capitalise on situations such as they faced in this contest. For all that England’s approach to the match attracted few admirers, their greater awareness of the end-game paid off in the final stages, as Cook pointed out afterwards.”I think we could have chased up to 250 in 50 overs on that wicket,” said Cook. “We didn’t mind Bangladesh playing a few shots, because we were happy to sacrifice a few runs for wickets, instead of having to prise them out. Once we’d got a good start, and kept our wickets in hand, towards the end we felt we could chase anything down.”On that wicket, you needed a really big score in the first innings,” he added. “Bangladesh needed a bigger score if they wanted to win the game, and they will learn from that experience that 400 wasn’t good enough. But the fight that they showed here and at Chittagong has surprised us all and it bodes well for their future.”

Defeats in their most recent games have resulted in Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders dropping a place in the points table, to sixth and seventh respectively

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran31-Mar-2010

Match facts

Thursday, April 1
Start time 20.00 local (14.30 GMT)Kolkata have blown hot and cold this season. What they’re looking for is consistency•Indian Premier League

Big picture

Defeats in their most recent games have resulted in Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders dropping a place in the points table, to sixth and seventh respectively. They opened this year’s tournament at the DY Patil Stadium on March 12, and Deccan will aim to level the score against a team which has blown hot and cold this season.Deccan are coming off two successive defeats, the cause of both being the disappointing batting. Adam Gilchrist said his team had been inconsistent and that nobody was getting a big enough score. A target of 149 wasn’t challenging enough for Rajasthan Royals and Yusuf Pathan, who blitzed 73 off 44 balls to complete a thumping win. Against Mumbai Indians, a Harbhajan Singh blitzkrieg dented their bowling figures and confidence even before they began the chase. Their key players, including Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds, didn’t fire and the rest – barring Rohit Sharma – weren’t good enough backup options. A win will take them closer to the top four.Kolkata have performed better than they did last year, but they’re still a work in progress. With players of the caliber of Chris Gayle and Angelo Mathews, they have underperformed, as three wins and four losses suggest. There’s inconsistency in the batting, like in the case of Manoj Tiwary, who has two fifties and two ducks in six innings. They will need to win at least five of their next seven games to stand a chance of making the semis and, in order to do that, they’ll have to find their best combination as soon as possible. Their coach Dav Whatmore said he wants them to win all their remaining home games. They’re unpredictable, extremely mediocre in defeat but also capable on their day, like when they choked Punjab.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata Knight Riders LWLLL
Deccan Chargers LLWWW

Team talk

Dav Whatmore, the Kolkata coach, didn’t reveal any details of the team composition on the eve of the game. He said Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis would be considered at some stage. He also backed Sourav Ganguly to open and dismissed suggestions that he was struggling.For Deccan, Gilchrist said the team would decide on VVS Laxman’s inclusion later. Monish Mishra replaced him in the previous game but scored only 13. Kemar Roach gave them extra speed, but will they sacrifice him for Chaminda Vaas’ accuracy?

Previously…

Kolkata 3 Deccan 2
In their first meeting this year, Kolkata overcame a poor start thanks to Mathews and Owais Shah to post 161. Deccan appeared on course to chase it down but collapsed to lose by 11 runs.

Prime numbers

• Kolkata have the lowest average runs per over during the Powerplay in this IPL – 7.35. Deccan have the third-highest – 9.08.
• RP Singh has conceded nine sixes, the joint-highest for a bowler in this IPL.

In the spotlight

Ishant Sharma bowled just one over against Delhi, got pasted for 17 but took a wicket. He is Kolkata’s leading wicket-taker at the moment with seven wickets but his economy rate of 9.04 in six games isn’t so flattering.Scores of 1 and 0 have put a lot of pressure on Deccan’s captain Gilchrist. He insists that the batting is not just dependent on him, but his twin failures have had an effect on the rest in the last two games.

The chatter

“We won one game chasing. But chasing can sometimes be a little bit tricky with the extra pressure of losing wickets. Yes, we have talked about it. We feel that we have got the team to come up, whether we bat first or second.”
Dav Whatmore“I do not see our match against KKR as a revenge match. Rather, I would term it as a match where we should rectify the mistakes we made in the previous matches.”
Adam Gilchrist

New Zealand will resume their long-term rivalry with Australia in Sunday’s Women’s World Twenty20 final

The Bulletin by Peter English14-May-2010New Zealand 180 for 5 (McGlashan 84, Devine 27, Selman 2-27) beat West Indies 124 for 8 (Taylor 40, Watkins 3-26) by 56 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sara McGlashan delivered a magnificent performance with 84•AFP

New Zealand will resume their long-term rivalry with Australia in Sunday’s Women’s World Twenty20 final after Sara McGlashan’s stunning half-century earned a 56-run win over West Indies. McGlashan crunched a magnificent 84 from 55 balls as New Zealand raced to 180 for 5 and the bowlers backed up by restricting their opponents to 124 for 8.Australia beat India by seven wickets on Thursday to reach the decider for the first time, but New Zealand will start as favourites following their dominant form in the format. They have also beaten Australia six times in a row and are the only team Alex Blackwell’s side fears in Twenty20.McGlashan showed why during her powerful performance and she gained excellent help from Sophie Devine as they delivered the highest score of the tournament. After being 49 for 2, McGlashan and Devine put on a speedy 93 at almost 11 an over to eliminate West Indies’ chances.Showing power and poise, McGlashan blasted two sixes down the ground and six fours, while Devine chipped in with 27 from 22. McGlashan fired a brutal boundary clearance to long-on from the offspinner Anisa Mohammad and in the same over Devine launched her into the stand at backward square leg. Those six balls cost 19 and New Zealand quickly went further ahead.McGlashan brought up her half-century with a force for four through mid-on and followed next ball with a boundary to fine-leg. She also cleared the rope straight off Shemaine Campbelle before Devine produced a clever late cut for four.West Indies had no answers despite trying spinners and medium pacers to stop the flood of runs. Devine fell in the 17th over, giving Shakera Selman (2 for 27) her second wicket, but McGlashan continued to plunder until she was beaten by Selman’s direct hit from short third man. Nicola Browne thrashed a six to midwicket in the last over to finish unbeaten on 15 and provide a late surge.The start of the match was disrupted by a heavy shower, which sent the players off after 10 deliveries, and Suzie Bates (7) was the first casualty on the resumption. The visitors suffered another early loss when their captain Aimee Watkins (20) tried to lift the rate and miscued.West Indies’ chase started brightly against two spinners operating with the new ball, but Watkins soon forced a legside edge from Pamela Lavine. With her side needing to score at nine an over, Stafanie Taylor provided some muscle as she targeted the legspin of Erin Bermingham. Taylor collected two sixes and Cordel Jack brought up the team’s fifty in the sixth over with another clearance off the slow bowler, who gave up 28 in three overs.Jack departed on 18 with a soft pull off Browne to midwicket and Taylor went in the following over when run-out for 40 off 33 by McGlashan. Deandra Dottin then managed a single before swiping at Browne and edging behind to Rachel Priest, leaving the hosts in serious trouble at 76 for 4.West Indies tried to hit their way out of trouble but the assignment was too difficult and their flame went out. Watkins benefitted from the late thrashing to collect 3 for 26 while Browne and Lucy Doolan both finished with 2 for 20 off four overs.New Zealand reached the final at last year’s event but were beaten by England at Lord’s, so the players are desperate to go one better this time. Only Australia stand in their way.

World cricket is set for a serious political rift over the nomination of John Howard, the former Australian prime minister, as the president-designate of the ICC

Martin Williamson and Brydon Coverdale26-May-2010World cricket is set for a serious political rift over the nomination of John Howard, the former Australian prime minister, as the president-designate of the ICC. The cricket boards of South Africa and Zimbabwe are leading an initiative to block Howard’s nomination, while Australia and New Zealand, who jointly nominated him, stand behind their man. Four votes are needed to block Howard’s nomination and it is believed that, barring some dramatic late changes, his candidature will not be a formality.The BCCI’s position is expected to play crucial role in the issue. David Morgan, the president of the ICC, is scheduled on Thursday to meet Sharad Pawar, who takes over the presidency next month, and is expected to discuss the matter.Cricket South Africa has taken up the matter in the strongest of manners, accusing David Morgan, the ICC president, of ignoring the sentiments of an “overwhelming number of ICC directors” who were opposed to Howard’s candidature. Morgan has also been accused of making the matter a personal cause.The ICC follows a policy of regional rotation for its presidency and this year was the turn of Australia and New Zealand. Howard, a career politician and self-declared cricket tragic, beat off a strong challenge from New Zealand Cricket, which favoured John Anderson, a former chairman of the board and a long-time cricket administrator, to win the nomination for the term, which starts from 2012. He was due to serve as vice-president to Pawar for the next two years.As it turns out, though, a section of the ICC board has strong reservations about Howard. Zimbabwe Cricket has made no secret of its opposition to a man who was so critical of it when he was prime minister and is certain to vote against him if the matter reaches that point.Morgan has strongly defended his position in an email exchange with Mtutuzeli Nyoka, the CSA president. He is believed to made it clear that he had no personal agenda and that he had acted according to the ICC constitution. He is expected to vigorously defend Nyoka’s charge and is understood to have reminded his fellow directors that their job is to act in the best interests of ICC members, and not pursue personal agendas.Howard, it will be stressed, was selected by New Zealand and Cricket Australia as part of the ICC’s constitutional process, and therefore Morgan has not acted unconstitutionallyFor the record, the ICC is playing down the issue. “The board has not yet discussed the matter,” its chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, told Cricinfo.” What you might be hearing might have happened on the sidelines but it was not discussed at the board meeting. The process is that Australia and New Zealand nominate someone, followed by the board considering the nomination before putting it before the annual conference. It is a three-step process.”It [the opposition to Howard’s nomination] is speculative at this moment. We haven’t yet faced such a scenario; it has not been blocked as yet, nor even considered.”Asked what would happen if the nomination was rejected, Lorgat said: “We will probably go back and ask (the same region) for another nomination. But that has never happened and what you are saying is speculative.”Meanwhile, Cricket Australia stood firmly behind its man. “We remain rock solid in our support of the nomination,” Peter Young, the CA spokesperson, told Cricinfo. “CA and NZC undertook an exhaustive professional process and have come up with a joint nomination that we are convinced is the best possible nomination we could put forward. We will continue to be welded on in our joint support of that nomination. We have made that clear to the ICC in recent weeks.”Australia’s position received unqualified backing from New Zealand cricket. “We certainly haven’t heard any notification from ICC that there’s a problem with that. We’re certainly not contemplating any other scenarios than John Howard being our man,” Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, said.”We believe we went through a very robust and thorough process. We believe ICC should accept that and accept the nomination.”The matter may come down to the neutrals and the ECB offered a non-committal comment on the situation. “It’s up to New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia to nominate a candidate and we as the ECB will await that nomination at the ICC annual conference,” an ECB spokesman said.The sense of what is at stake was summed up by Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman. “This is a very sensitive issue right now so I don’t want to discuss it,” Butt said. “I know John Howard personally and I know how much he loves the sport and the game.”