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A round-up of action from the World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2011Papua New Guinea maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament with a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Denmark at the Kowloon Cricket Club. Denmark won the toss and batted, but were in strife right from the start as each of their top six batsmen failed to get into double figures. Loa Nou, Hitolo Areni and Chris Amini shared two wickets apiece as the Denmark batsmen failed to cope with their seam bowling and were reeling at 33 for 6. Denmark’s lower order showed some fight: Martin Pedersen made 17, and Bobby Chawla and Aftab Ahmed added 55 runs for the ninth wicket to take Denmark past 100. Ahmed was unbeaten on 39 as Denmark were bowled out for a paltry 112 in just under 42 overs.That score was never going to be enough to challenge PNG and though they lost Asad Vala in the first over, Tony Ura and Amini put on a solid unbeaten 114-run partnership to carry PNG home. Ura was unbeaten on 64 while Amini was 43 not out.Half-centuries from Waqas Barkat and Najeeb Amar carried Hong Kong to a thrilling one-wicket win over Italy at the Mission Road Ground. Italy elected to bat but started poorly, losing openers Andy Northcote and Damian Fernando with just 26 runs on the board. Italy captain Alessandro Bonora and Peter Petricola then put on 110 runs for the third wicket to set the base for a big total. Bonora was run out for 40 but Petricola remained solid as he added a further 42 with Damian Crowley. However, Italy frittered away the advantage as they lost five wickets for 50 runs to slide from 178 for 3 to 228 for 8. Petricola was unbeaten on 104 as Italy reached 235 for 8 at the end of their 50 overs.Italy looked set to defend that total as Gayashan Munasinghe struck with his medium-pace to pick up three quick wickets to leave Hong Kong struggling at 25 for 4. Hussain Butt and Nizakat Khan revived the Hong Kong innings with a 43-run fifth-wicket partnership but it was the 97-run seventh wicket partnership between captain Najeeb Amar and Waqas Barkat that got Hong Kong’s chase back on track. Both batsmen looked set to carry their team across the line before Amar fell for 52 in the 44th over with the score on 184. Hong Kong seemed to lose the momentum with Amar’s dismissal as Munir Dar and Nadeem Ahmed fell in quick succession. They needed 26 off the last 12 balls with just one wicket in hand but No. 11 Aizaz Khan played a blinder, swatting three sixes in an eight-ball 24 to take Hong Kong home with two balls to spare.United States of America overcame an early batting collapse to post a two-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter against Oman at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. Oman, who were sent in to bat, started strongly, with openers Hemin Desai (28) and Deep Trivedi (11) putting on 42 runs in just under 7 overs before Desai was bowled by Kevin Darlington. His dismissal triggered a collapse as Oman slumped from 42 for 1 to 110 all out in just under 38 overs. Only Sultan Ahmed, with his 30, offered some resistance as Usman Shuja, Orlando Baker and Asif Khan picked up seven wickets between them.USA’s chase started disastrously as medium-pacer Rajesh Kumar picked up three key wickets and ran out Sushil Nadkarni to leave USA reeling at 16 for 6 in the eighth over. However, No. 9 Usman Shuja (43) and No. 10 Asif Khan (31) held firm to carry USA home. The duo added an unbeaten 71 runs for the ninth wicket to anchor USA to victory with 16 overs remaining.

Michael Bevan, the former Australia middle-order batsman, has been named coach of the Orissa team for the next edition of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011Michael Bevan, the former Australia middle-order batsman, has been named coach of the Orissa team for the next season of the Ranji Trophy. Earlier this month, Bevan was also appointed coach of the Kings XI Punjab team for the IPL.”Bevan has, in principle, agreed to render his service from October 2011 to February 2012,” Orissa Cricket Association Secretary Asirbad Behera told reporters in Cuttack. Orissa had a disappointing Ranji campaign in the 2010-11 season, finishing second from bottom in Group B after losing two of their six games and drawing four.”I will remain accountable to OCA for the performance of the team,” Bevan said, adding he was keen on working towards the overall development of cricket in the state.

Pakistan were still swooning from Ross Taylor’s blitz when they came out to bat, and the seamers destroyed the top order

The Bulletin by George Binoy08-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ross Taylor hurt Pakistan with an explosive hundred after they let him off twice•AFP

The fans who travelled through the hills to watch the first one-day international in Pallekele witnessed a Pakistan team in shambles: they saw a glut of extras, three dropped catches, the worst possible display of end-over bowling and a batting implosion from a shell-shocked team. They also saw a struggling New Zealand side take advantage of their opponent’s extraordinary failings, slowly at first, before Ross Taylor launched an assault so brutal that Pakistan were gutted and rendered defenseless by the end of the innings.Stronger opponents would have made Pakistan regret their shoddy performance – in which Kamran Akmal played the lead and Shoaib Akhtar a supporting role – sooner in the piece, but New Zealand’s batsmen did not until the end. Then, though, they did so without mercy. Martin Guptill was their solitary performer in the first half of the innings, and Taylor needed massive slices luck to get going. But in the last six overs Taylor broke free with unprecedented violence, taking 28 off a Shoaib over before plundering 30 – a new tournament record – off one from Abdul Razzaq. It began to rain sixes and fours and Pakistan’s helplessness was startling as New Zealand plundered 114 off the last six overs to reach 302.Pakistan’s batsmen were still swooning from Taylor’s rope-a-dope when they began their chase and the inevitable collapse came to pass. The contest had ended before the mandatory Powerplay was over and, after the innings had been reduced to 23 for 4 and 66 for 6, Abdul Razzaq merely delayed the inevitable with a half-century. The only worry for New Zealand was the fitness of their captain – Daniel Vettori hobbled painfully off the field after injuring his knee in the sixth over and did not return. Taylor, who took over the captaincy, however, had ensured that Vettori’s bowling wasn’t needed on the day.New Zealand’s formidable total didn’t take shape until very late though. When Pakistan’s spinners dismissed Guptill and James Franklin to reduce the innings from 112 for 2 to 113 for 4, New Zealand were slipping. When Scott Styris, who was dropped by Kamran Akmal, was trapped by an Umar Gul yorker in the first batting-Powerplay over they were only 175 for 5, in sight of a middling total. That changed in a blink.In the 47th over, Shoaib bowled wide deliveries, length deliveries and full tosses that Taylor savaged through cover point and over the deep-midwicket boundary. That exhibition of how not to bowl at the death was outdone by Razzaq, whose medium-pace at poor length was meat and drink for a marauding Taylor. Fielders looked on helplessly, Shahid Afridi tore his hair out metaphorically and Taylor continued to batter a ragged Pakistan. He had added 35 in 3.5 overs with Nathan McCullum, who initiated the acceleration, and then 85 in 3.4 overs with Jacob Oram, who muscled 25 off 9 balls.Before the massacre was The Comedy of Errors. The litany began off the first ball of the innings, when Shoaib overstepped and umpire Nigel Llong didn’t spot it. Llong called Shoaib’s next three foot-faults, though, and the New Zealand batsmen sent all those free-hits to the boundary. Brendon McCullum, however, missed an incutter soon after pulling the first free-hit for six and his dismissal brought in How, playing for the unwell Jesse Ryder.How’s problem was he couldn’t get the ball off the square. Pakistan gave the new ball to a spinner for the first time in 13 years and Abdur Rehman’s left-arm darts were hard to score off. Shoaib, at the other end, was in a generous mood, throwing a ball he fielded on his follow through wide of Kamran Akmal to concede four overthrows. That Pakistan allowed 45 during the mandatory Powerplay was largely due to Shoaib’s largesse. It was also due to Guptill’s ability to focus despite the drama around him. He dragged New Zealand forward with no help from his partner.How’s misery mercifully ended in the 13th over, when Gul’s incutter struck him so plumb that the ball would have hit the middle of middle stump. He’d made 4 off 29 balls.In walked Taylor, on his 27th birthday, and he received two enormous gifts. Before he had scored, Taylor edged the second ball of Shoaib’s second spell. Akmal moved to towards his right, then stopped and looked expectantly at first slip, where Younis Khan was in shock as the ball sped between them to the boundary. Two balls later Taylor edged again, this time the simplest of chances straight to Akmal, and survived. In between those deliveries, Taylor had slashed to the point boundary.Taylor, whose early struggle was substantial by normal standards but incomparable to How’s, slowly grew in confidence. Then Pakistan went to pieces and, though he shoudn’t have been, Taylor was there to hurt them. He finished unbeaten on 131 off 124 balls.The day’s ironic moment came when Kamran Akmal edged to slip and watched Taylor, whom he had dropped twice in single digits, take a low catch without even the faintest fumble.

Match Timeline

A round-up of the action from the seventh round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2011Johnson Charles hit an unbeaten half-century to carry Windward Islands to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Leeward Islands in St Lucia.Leeward, who were bowled out for a paltry 72 in their first-innings, fared much better in their second. They ended the third day on 284 for 7 with Jacques Taylor (48*) and Gavin Tonge (41*). Both batsmen went on to make half-centuries, and put on a further 60 runs, before they were dismissed in quick succession. The Leeward innings folded for 344 with Gary Mathurin picking up the three wickets to fall, ending with 5 for 86. This meant that Windward had to get 99 runs for victory, which they managed with ease, with Charles anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 52. Winward, who finished with 41 points, will now play Combined Campuses and Colleges in the semi-final beginning April 1 in Bridgetown.

Warwickshire face the prospect of winning at Edgbaston but ending the game with fewer points than they started as concerns over the quality of their pitch grow

George Dobell at Edgbaston12-May-2011
Scorecard
Chris Metters scored some useful runs, but really impressed with the ball as he took five wickets on debut•PA Photos

Warwickshire face the prospect of winning at Edgbaston but ending the game with fewer points than they started as concerns over the quality of their pitch grow.While Warwickshire have taken a firm grip on their Championship match against Worcestershire, their success was overshadowed by news that the ECB have convened a pitch panel to discuss the surface.The casual observer could be forgiven for concluding that this pitch is not really so bad. There is, after all, nothing from the scores to suggest anything particularly malign. And it perhaps behaved a little better on day two than it had on day one.But David Hughes, the ECB Pitch Liaison Officer present on day two, was not convinced. Indeed, he was sufficiently concerned to call in a second PLO, Tony Pigott, while Chris Wood, the ECB’s ‘Pitch Consultant’ will be present on day three. At the end of play, they will hold a pitch panel meeting to decide what action, if any, should be taken.Should the pitch be deemed ‘unfit’ for four-day cricket – the lowest grade – then Warwickshire will be penalised 24 points. Should it be deemed ‘poor’ – a more likely scenario – then they would lose eight points. For a team that flirted with relegation throughout last season, such a blow could prove very costly indeed.Whatever happens, the episode is an embarrassment to Warwickshire. The club have worked hard in recent years to redevelop their dilapidated ground and reinvigorate a fading team. And, as CB40 Champions and the owners of a vastly improved stadium, they have generally been very successful.But this will hurt them. The club’s management admit they need to host major matches every year if they are to repay the millions they have borrowed for the redevelopment and they have realistic hopes of securing Ashes Test in 2013 and 2015. But no-one will talk about excellent conference facilities or the new media centre if the pitch is sub-standard.To be fair, Edgbaston have a very good record with their international pitches since the mid-90s and there is plenty of time to improve matters before India play a Test here in August. The suggestion of Colin Povey, Warwickshire’s chief executive, that the perceived pitch problems are all “in the head” of the batsmen is surely just wishful thinking, however.Suffice it to say, his words met with an underwhelmed response from the home dressing room. Ben Scott, Worcestershire’s wicket-keeper, subsequently referred to it as “a 70 all out wicket.” As he put it: “you wouldn’t expect that here, would you?”The biggest shame of the pitch problem is that it will detract attention from an excellent debut from Chris Metters. Metters, a 20-year-old left-arm spinner who came to attention through his fine performances in Minor Counties cricket with Devon, finished the day with five for 65 and could yet add to his haul. It’s the first time a Warwickshire player has taken a five-wicket haul in the championship on their first-class debut since Jack Marshall did so, also against Worcestershire, in 1946. No-one else managed the feat in the 20th century.Few, if any, of Metter’s wickets owed much to the pitch. Bowling from the City End, by far the less helpful end in this match, he was instead rewarded for his accuracy, his variation and some gentle turn. Like his director of cricket, Ashley Giles, Metters is a former seamer turned spinner and the pace with which he bowls and the aggression he shows suggest there’s no reason why he shouldn’t enjoy a long career in the game.It would be disingenuous to deny that he was also fortunate to run into a Worcestershire side who bat, at times, with a reckless abandon that makes their position at the foot of the Championship table quite unsurprising.There is something glorious about some of the Worcestershire batting. But it’s glorious in the sense of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And we all know how that ended.Alexei Kervezee, for example, was very badly missed by Boyd Rankin on the square leg boundary before he had scored, but continued to flail away as if involved in a demanding run chase and finally fell after missing a sweep. Damien Wright slogged a full toss down the throat of deep mid-wicket, while Moeen Ali ruined his two-hours of defiance, by turning an innocuous delivery straight into the hands of leg slip. Jack Shantry, bizarrely trying to take the attack to the bowler, perished to a return catch to the last ball of the day as he tried to hit over the top, while Vikram Solanki edged to first slip as he attempted a highly ambitious back foot drive. It was not impressive batting.Only Matt Pardoe impressed. The 20-year-old, pressed into service as an opener, left the ball with discipline but drove with real style as he recorded his third half-century in just his fifth Championship appearance. His colleagues could learn much from his straight bat and patient approach.Pardoe prodded a return catch to Metters, however, as Worcestershire squandered a decent platform and lost eight for 113. It all means that they will resume on the third day requiring five more runs to avoid the possibility of the follow-on. With two days to play, however, and Warwickshire not overly keen on batting last, it might well not be enforced anyway.Earlier, Warwickshire secured a fourth batting bonus point as Worcestershire’s creaking attack was exposed for its over reliance on two seamers the wrong side of 35. Though Mohammad Yousuf’s excellent inning was ended when he left one that nipped back sharply, Tim Ambrose reached his second half-century of the season and Metters and Rankin enjoyed a merry tenth-wicket stand of 39.Wright, getting a couple to rear horribly to dismiss Tahir and Ambrose, finished with his third five-wicket haul of the season, but it was Alan Richardson who was the pick of the attack. The pair, aged 35 and 36 respectively, bowled 62 overs between them and looked infinitely superior to their colleagues. To see Rankin, a batsman with few pretensions, thrashing the support bowlers back over their heads for four, suggested there was either little wrong with the pitch, or something seriously wrong with the bowling. And this pitch is far from good.

Conjuring victories out of nowhere is the hallmark of an outstanding cricket team and England is certainly one of those

Andrew McGlashan02-Jun-2011

Match Facts

June 3-7, Lord’s
Start time 11.00am (1000GMT)Kevin Pietersen’s form is about the only significant concern for England•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Conjuring victories out of nowhere is the hallmark of an outstanding cricket team and England is certainly one of those. Their thrilling effort to bowl out Sri Lanka for 82 in 24.4 overs on the final afternoon in Cardiff secured their fifth innings victory in seven Tests. Regardless of the frailties in Sri Lanka’s batting, it was a mind-boggling performance from Chris Tremlett, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad.It has set them up perfectly for the season and they will enter the second Test at Lord’s with confidence soaring, especially as they started Cardiff with a hint of early-season rustiness to let Sri Lanka battle their way to 400. Then, though, things started slotting into place with a double-hundred from Jonathan Trott, another century for Alastair Cook and an effortless ton from Ian Bell.The challenge now will be to refocus their energies and start afresh, but with the leadership of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower that shouldn’t be a problem. They see every success as just another stepping stone towards an ultimate goal. They will enjoy turning up at Lord’s, too, because it’s a ground where England have a strong recent record with three consecutive victories and no defeat since 2005.The pitch is also likely to suit them with more pace than Cardiff which will benefit their batsmen and their three-pronged pace attack, that’s set to be England’s tallest ever with Steven Finn favourite to replace the injured James Anderson. It all adds up to a monumental task facing Sri Lanka if they want to regain pride. They’ve never won at Lord’s, although on the last two visits have secured creditable draws, particularly in 2006 when they batted more than two days to save the game.Although it was their batting which crumbled on Monday, it’s the bowling that requires the most work because there will be no way back into the series if they can’t take 20 wickets. They didn’t even look like taking 10 in Cardiff and at 1-0 down there is no point being anything less than attacking in their mindset from here. That, though, is easier said than done when you’ve just been humbled for 82. The next five days will show us what this Sri Lankan team is really made of.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WWWLW
Sri Lanka LDDDL

Watch out for…

Kevin Pietersen made the headlines and filled reams of newsprint in the first Test and he only made 3. His dismissal, lbw to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, meant his mindset and form were once again being dissected. The pre-series bravado will count for nothing unless he starts scoring big runs consistently. Everyone from the coach to the captain to his team-mates are fully behind him, yet at some point time will run out. He averages 62.71 in Tests at Lord’s, but Herath is already loosening up.Mahela Jayawardene has a terrific record at Lord’s with a hundred in each of his previous Test visits to the ground. Sri Lanka desperately need their senior middle-order batsman to fire and Jayawardene had a poor game in Cardiff with scores of 4 and 15, edging twice to first slip. However, he has the technique to withstand England’s tall pace attack, and the home side will know they have suffered many long hours in the field at his hands before.

Team news

The one decision for England to make is whether Finn or Jade Dernbach replaces Anderson. All the indications are that it will be Finn even though Dernbach’s fuller length and swing would complement the attack nicely. However, Lord’s is Finn’s home ground and in two Tests here he has 13 wickets.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 Steven FinnIt was a positive move by Sri Lanka to promote Prasanna Jayawardene to No. 6, and it worked in the first innings at Cardiff when he made an excellent 112. But will they be spooked by how the match end? The temptation will be to play an extra batsman, but somehow they need to find wicket-taking bowlers. The return of Dilhara Fernando will be a bonus and Chanaka Welegedara, the left-arm seamer, should play to add variation.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara , 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Chanaka Welegedara

Pitch and conditions

The good news after the often dreary weather in Cardiff is that the forecast for London is excellent over the next four or five days. Temperatures are set to hit the mid-20s and no rain is forecast. Interestingly, the Lord’s pitch had a distinct tinge of green in the lead up to the game but most of that is expected to disappear by the first morning.

Stats and trivia

• In the 2006 meeting between these two teams at Lord’s, Sri Lanka batted for 199 overs to save the match and Andrew Flintoff bowled 51 of them.
• Jonathan Trott, who scored 203 in Cardiff, also likes batting at Lord’s. Last season he hit 226 and 36 not out against Bangladesh followed by 184 against Pakistan.
• In 1984, Duleep Mendis, currently the selector in tour with Sri Lanka, hit 111 and 94 in the country’s first Test at Lord’s.

For a full stats preview click here.

Quotes

“I don’t think any of us want to take our foot off the pedal now. We’ve got some early momentum in this series. We’ve got to push on and keep challenging ourselves to get better and better.”

Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett bowled England to an extraordinary innings-and-14-run victory as Sri Lanka collapsed in a barely believable 24.4 overs on the final day in Cardiff

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan30-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Strauss took a sharp catch to remove Tharanga Paranavitana and start Sri Lanka’s rapid demise•Getty Images

Graeme Swann and Chris Tremlett bowled England to an extraordinary innings-and-14-run victory as Sri Lanka collapsed in a barely believable 24.4 overs on the final day in Cardiff. The pair shared eight wickets before Stuart Broad bounced out the last two batsmen to secure one of more remarkable wins in recent memory considering the amount of time lost to rain. Sri Lanka were shell-shocked and couldn’t handle the pressure, losing eight wickets in the final session.When Andrew Strauss declared two overs into the day, having given Ian Bell chance to reach his hundred – after play was delayed until 3pm by heavy morning rain – the summit of England’s ambitions appeared to be taking some psychological points to Lord’s on Friday. However, Tremlett removed both openers before tea to set the nerves jangling, and when Mahela Jayawardene became his third at the start of the final session, panic was beginning to set in the Sri Lankan ranks.Only when they were eight down did the visitors try to erase England’s advantage with any haste as Thisara Perera and Ajantha Mendis put bat to ball, but wickets were never far away against a pumped-up bowling attack. It didn’t matter that Strauss only had three frontline options, with James Anderson suffering a side strain. Tremlett preyed on the batsmen’s insecurities against the short ball, Swann found turn to force frazzled minds into playing loose shots, and then Broad hustled through the final resistance with 26 overs still to play.The merits of Strauss allowing Bell to reach three figures would have been hotly debated had England run out of time at the end, but his bowlers ensured he didn’t have to worry. The door was pushed ajar by Tremlett’s new-ball burst, elevated to the role vacated by Anderson and one he’ll be reluctant to relinquish. He struck with the last ball of his first over when Tharanga Paranavitana edged a low chance to first slip that was well held by the captain.Tillakaratne Dilshan is a player who could have quickly erased the deficit and eased the pressure, but he got into a tangle against a shorter delivery from Tremlett and the chance lobbed back to the bowler. Dilshan was given out straight away but he went to the DRS and replays confirmed a glove. Mahela and Kumar Sangakkara survived until tea with Sri Lanka 33 for 2, yet they gave a false sense of security.Although Tremlett changed ends after the interval, he maintained a probing length which left doubt in the batsman’s mind as to whether to play forward to back. Mahela opted to come onto the front foot and Tremlett’s extra carry ensured another edge carried comfortably to Strauss. England began to sense something could happen.Swann then gave another example of why he’s the world’s best spin bowler. Thilan Samaraweera was caught playing back to one that didn’t bounce and dragged onto the stump. Next, from round the wicket, a beautiful piece of bowling lured Sangakkara into an edge and Strauss snaffled his third edge – this time in the unaccustomed position of slip to the spinner.There was no stopping England or Swann as Farveez Maharoof edged his third ball and again the DRS was fruitless as HotSpot showed a clear edge. However, TV evidence was less clear when Prasanna Jayawardene, the first-innings hero with 112, was given out off a gloved pull. This time it was England who called for the review and although HotSpot wasn’t conclusive, Rod Tucker, the third umpire, went on the noise as he had with Sangakkara’s first-innings dismissal. The subsequent use of Snicko proved he was right again.Sri Lanka aided in their own demise, none more so than Rangana Herath who played a horrid sweep at Swann to be caught in front, leaving the visitors 52 for 8. Perera and Mendis quickly worked out the only chance was to get in front of England and the next two overs brought 20 yet, amazingly for a match were 139 overs were lost to rain, there was plenty of time left.Broad was disappointing in the first innings but when Tremlett was rested he responded with a fierce spell to the lower order. He roughed up Perera who lobbed a chance between three fielders before being brilliantly caught, low down, by Bell at short leg. Two balls later Suranga Lakmal fended another short delivery into the slips. England, four months on from Sydney, were back in victory mode. In contrast, Sri Lanka’s dressing room was full of blank faces and this will take some getting over.

Azhar Mahmood and Martin van Jaarsveld played starring roles as Kent won their Friends Life t20 clash with Surrey by six wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2011
Scorecard

Azhar Mahmood and Martin van Jaarsveld played starring roles as Kent won their Friends Life t20 clash with Surrey by six wickets. The experienced duo added 112 in 13 overs for Kent’s third wicket after Dirk Nannes had bowled both Rob Key and Joe Denly in his explosive opening over.Surrey’s total of 150 for 4 was based on a stand of 103 in 14 overs by Tom Maynard and Zander de Bruyn which was dominated by 22-year-old Maynard, who hit 76 from 46 balls with four sixes and five fours. But Van Jaarsveld, with a 39-ball 62, and Mahmood – who added 49 from 36 balls to his bowling figures of two for 26 – were equal to the task.Van Jaarsveld was dropped by Stuart Meaker at mid-on when he had made just 13, and then proceeded to take three fours off the same bowler in the sixth over. Mahmood greeted the introduction of leg spinner Chris Schofield by swinging two legside sixes, and the former Pakistan all-rounder later hit further maximums off Gareth Batty and Meaker.Van Jaarsveld eventually mishit Yasir Arafat to mid-wicket in the 15th over and when Mahmood was caught at long off in the next over, it was left to Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast to complete Kent’s comfortable victory.Surrey’s innings made a stuttering start, with Rory Hamilton-Brown and Jason Roy falling cheaply. Hamilton-Brown hit Wahab Riaz straight to point and Roy carved to third man after making just seven.Steven Davies did swing Charl Langeveldt for six, but when he was brilliantly caught for 27 by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, Surrey were struggling at 38 for 3.Maynard upped the pace by taking two sixes off Adam Ball’s final over and Langeveldt was also driven for six as Maynard went to his half-century in 32 balls, but De Bruyn could not match his partner’s ability to accelerate. Despite coming in during the fifth over and ending on 25 not out, De Bruyn did not hit a single boundary from the 44 balls he faced.Maynard fell in the 19th over, held at long-on off the returning Mahmood, and his efforts at least gave Surrey’s bowlers something to defend.

India’s difficult preparations ahead of the first Test continued as their big-name batting order stumbled against Charl Willoughby after watching Somerset pile up 425 for 3

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at Taunton16-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Charl Willoughby ripped through the Indian top order•Getty Images

India’s difficult preparations ahead of the first Test continued as their big-name batting order stumbled against Charl Willoughby after watching Somerset pile up 425 for 3 at Taunton. Willoughby claimed 5 for 50, including four scalps in his opening spell, and was backed up by his team-mates as the visitors closed on 138 for 8 with the follow-on looming, although the hosts are unlikely to enforce it.Heavy rain then frequent showers delayed play until mid-afternoon and Somerset batted on until shortly before the 100-over allocation of their first innings. It then took the home side less than 18 overs to take more wickets than the visitors managed in 96 as Willoughby, the former South Africa seamer, cut through a star-studded line-up. The home side bowled far better than the Indians, finding a hint of swing, but were aided by some poor shots and not just from players who have been on the sidelines.The Indians began briskly as Gautam Gambhir, returning from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the West Indies tour, collected five confident boundaries. But he seemed in too much of a rush and fell chasing a delivery he could barely reach, edging it to the keeper. Abhinav Mukund, who is set to open the batting in the absence of Virender Sehwag, was more circumspect and didn’t seem happy with his lbw decision which left India 51 for 2 and brought Sachin Tendulkar to the crease.Tendulkar, as with Gambhir and Zaheer Khan, hasn’t played a first-class game since the final Test against South Africa in early January – a gap of more than six months. It showed even from Tendulkar as he had more nervous moments reaching double figures than he would have in getting to a hundred. He survived a close shout for lbw against Alfonso Thomas, then slashed flat-footedly at a wide delivery, but also played a couple of elegant drives.He was beginning to settle and had moved to 26 when he drove at 19-year-old Craig Meschede’s fourth ball and edged through to Jos Buttler. It was Meschede’s maiden first-class wicket and one he’ll be able to regale stories about for years to come. He might be seeking out Tendulkar to sign the match ball.By then, the Indians had already lost other senior batsmen. Rahul Dravid edged an uncharacteristically airy drive to second slip and Willoughby had his fourth wicket when Yuvraj Singh was trapped lbw for a duck. Willoughby’s performance showed the value of a left-arm seamer which is a variation England are missing in their attack after the retirement of Ryan Sidebottom.After Tendulkar’s departure the slide continued as Wriddhiman Saha fell to Peter Trego without scoring. Following a brief recovery Zaheer Khan lost his middle stump when he played back to Thomas and Amit Mishra spooned to point to give Willoughby his five-wicket haul. Suresh Raina at least remained firm until the close but it wasn’t a distinguished performance.Earlier, the Indian bowlers had only managed to add one further scalp as Arul Suppiah was removed for a career-best 156. Zaheer and Sreesanth were both given another bowl, the former to try to find rhythm ahead of the Test and the latter to try and force his way into contention. It was Sreesanth who broke through when Suppiah, having passed his previous best of 151, edged to first slip where Dravid held a low catch.However, the visitor’s intensity was well down and they were happy to wait for Somerset’s declaration. Mishra, back on the field after taking a blow on the finger yesterday, continued to have trouble with no-balls, taking his tally to 12 for the innings. There was was also some friendly part-time spin served up by Raina and Yuvraj.Chris Jones, a 20-year-old batsman starting to force his way into the first eleven, took advantage to register a confident half-century from 69 balls and James Hildreth, the England Lions captain, eased his way to 30 off 28 balls include a huge six over long-on off Mishra. The presumption was that the Indians would also cash in on good batting conditions, but Andrew Strauss will have liked what he saw while standing at first slip.

Leicestershire’s Friends Life t20 win on Saturday and subsequent path to the Champions League Twenty20 will provide a huge boost – especially financially – to the county

Richard Sydenham28-Aug-2011Leicestershire have not had much to celebrate over the past year with boardroom unrest, heavy financial losses and defeats on the field. But their Friends Life t20 win on Saturday and subsequent path to the Champions League Twenty20 will provide a huge boost – especially financially.The Foxes condemned Somerset to a third runners-up prize in as many years under the lights at Edgbaston, and the club and players now stand to pocket at least £500,000 in fees and sponsorship if they can progress from an initial six-team qualifying event and enter the main Champions League in India next month.Handouts from the England and Wales Cricket Board – which received a central payment for the English participation – have already been agreed, while commercial opportunities are there for the taking, though Leicestershire will need to be one of the three teams that progress to the main draw to exploit the opportunity substantially.”It’s been a struggle for us,” Mike Siddall, the Leicestershire chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo after the final. “We lost £400,000 last year and are having to claw our way back from that. It’s been really tough but we’ve had a lot of help from our sponsors. We’ve also had donations from other people so we have got the cash flow sorted out but it is still tough for us, especially to hold on to our players. But we are fighting and this triumph shows we can take on the big boys on the field and come out on top.”Winning this tournament has been absolutely brilliant. If we can make some more money from the Champions League it goes a long way to repairing the damage from the loss of last year.”The publicity from Twenty20 is unbelievable with finals day on Sky TV (and around the world also). There is so much to be gained from the publicity, which means so much for a club like us, which is bottom of the Second Division in the County Championship (46 points adrift of the next club).”Siddall said that the ECB has agreed to disperse a participation fee of $200,000 each to both Leicestershire and Somerset. If either side progresses from the qualifiers into to the main Champions League, then a further $200,000 will be paid by the ECB.”We will share that with the players and they will get a larger share than the club,” Siddall said. “The players have also got £140,000 for winning the tournament and that’s just for the players.”We get £60,000 for winning it, plus another £25,000 from the ECB so it’s worth a lot for a county like ourselves.”But the bottom line as far as the Champions League goes is what we make of it and how we tap into the various opportunities out there. We don’t know what the event will bring yet but there are possibilities there. Maybe there will be Indian companies who will want to get on our shirts – and I’m sure there will be – so we will be investigating that over the next few weeks.”We’re new to this. Somerset have been there before so I’ll be picking their brains before we go to see how they maximised their income from it before.One of Leicestershire’s overseas players Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq faces an anxious wait to discover whether he will be granted a visa by the Indian government, which may not be as easy as the player apparently thinks, given the frosty relations between the border nations in recent times. But Siddall is optimistic.”Abdul tells me he won’t have any problem getting a visa, so we’ll put that to the test. He’s going back to Pakistan next week. He will have to sort out his own visa as his passport will be over there, but he’s been to India before and he’s confident he can get a visa so we will put our faith in him.”I’ve not investigated all the possibilities just yet but I would have thought that if there is a player in your squad who can’t get a visa you must be able to bring in another player. We will have to see.”Siddall’s satisfaction at his team’s ‘Passage to India’ and the subsequent financial boost is tempered by his own frustrations at the Champions League’s format which he feels is unfair to the English qualifiers.”I don’t think it’s right at all that we have won our Twenty20 and still have to play a qualifying tournament,” Siddall said. “I think the rules are very much biased to the Indian sides. The Aussies also go straight in so there is clearly a nice, cosy agreement there.”But they have invited us to participate and it’s their tournament. They make the rules and we have to abide by them. All the counties agreed that we would have to go into a qualifying tournament as a way into the Champions League.”I do think the English sides should go straight in though. But it will give us more motivation. Wouldn’t it be great if Somerset and ourselves made it straight into the main tournament?”He would know privately, though, that the fact the ECB are not shareholders of the tournament – unlike the boards of India, Australia and South Africa – is weighted against any English qualifier now or in the foreseeable future.Leicestershire take on Trinidad & Tobago – without Kieron Pollard – and Sri Lankan team Ruhuna in their qualifying group B, while Somerset join Auckland and the Kolkata Knight Riders in group A. The qualifiers will be played from September 19-21.