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Andrew Hudson has said Makhaya Ntini’s form for Kent in the County Championship was encouraging and that he would be considered for selection

Cricinfo staff03-Jun-2010Andrew Hudson, South Africa’s convener of selectors, has said Makhaya Ntini’s form for Kent in the County Championship was encouraging and that he would be considered for selection along with everyone else when the squads for upcoming series are chosen. Hudson’s comments came closely after Ntini expressed his disappointment at the lack of communication from the selectors since he was dropped from the South African team following a poor home series against England in 2009-10.”There are other players that are also performing well and we have not spoken to them either,” Hudson told . “It’s excellent to see how well Makhaya is doing for Kent in England. He has to keep on playing, keep himself fit and will certainly be considered when we pick the squads for the series’ against Zimbabwe [in September] and Pakistan [in October].”We will take everyone’s performances into account, irrespective of how many games they have played for South Africa.”Hudson was not part of the selection group that axed Ntini following a wicketless Durban Test – his 101st – last year and took over as convener following the sacking of the Mike-Procter led panel. Since then Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell have emerged as South Africa’s first-choice fast bowlers.Ntini, 32, had said that he was “slightly disappointed that no-one at Cricket South Africa” had told him if he was part of their future plans. He is currently in England where he has taken 24 wickets at an average of 19.75 in four games for Kent, a performance that drew praise from coach Paul Farbrace.

Australia A’s lower order snatched a tie against Sri Lanka A to keep the three-match one-day series alive

Cricinfo staff07-Jul-2010Sri Lanka A 8 for 257 (Chandimal 59, Karunaratne 53, Feldman 3-43) tied with Australia A 7 for 207 (Wade 45) on D/L method

Scorecard
Queensland’s Luke Feldman took three wickets on his one-day debut•Getty Images

Australia A’s lower order snatched a tie against Sri Lanka A to keep the three-match one-day series alive. The hosts scrambled 16 runs and lost Moises Henriques in the final over in Townsville before Xavier Doherty’s four through cover-point prevented the visitors from leading 2-0.Rain reduced Australia’s chase to 208 in 34 overs after Sri Lanka had posted 8 for 257. The locals suffered a severe setback when they lost three wickets in 14 balls to be 4 for 107, but they refused to give in. After Adam Voges (33), Matthew Wade (45) and George Bailey (3) went, the chase was revived by Andrew McDonald and Henriques.When they combined Australia needed 72 at nine an over, with McDonald rushing to 36 off 29 and Henriques collecting 32 off 25, including a six to long-on from the fourth-last ball. Henriques was then run-out chasing a risky second, leaving Doherty to seal an unlikely win under lights.”Sri Lanka played extremely well,” Australia’s coach Greg Chappell said. “They were attacking with the bat, bowled quite well and fielded brilliantly. After getting off to a solid start we fell in a bit of a hole when we lost those few quick wickets, but I was extremely pleased that we were able to work our way back into the match again.”The opener Dimuth Karunaratne set the platform with 53 after Sri Lanka were sent in and Dinesh Chandimal eased to 59 off 69. Jeevan Mendis chipped in with 42 and Chamara Kapugedera helped out with 38 before Luke Feldman caused some late damage.Feldman, the Queensland fast bowler, used to play in Townsville and he picked up 3 for 43 off eight overs in his first List A one-day match. Feldman took the new ball with James Pattinson (2 for 37) but his breakthroughs didn’t come until the end of the innings when Sri Lanka were chasing quick runs. The final game of the series is in Brisbane on Saturday.

Rangana Herath, who hit a career best 80 not out in Sri Lanka’s first-innings score of 520-8 declared, was confident of proving effective on a fourth day pitch

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle20-Jul-2010Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who hit a career-best 80 not out in Sri Lanka’s first-innings score of 520-8 declared, was confident of proving effective on a fourth day pitch and said Virender Sehwag’s wicket was the key for the hosts to consolidate their strong position. The Sri Lankan bowlers had nipped out three Indian wickets, including Sachin Tendulkar, before stumps on the third day. “We are on top now and if we can get two or three early wickets and bowl them out for under 300 we are in the game. That’s our target,” Herath said.”There is turn and bounce on the pitch and I am confident I can do something on it. Sehwag is the danger man and we need to get him out early.”Sehwag raced to 85 off 98 balls and looked, by far, the most comfortable among the Indian batsmen. In his previous Test appearance in Galle, in 2008, he struck a match-winning double-century to help India level the series.Muttiah Muralitharan, who is playing his final Test, needs seven more wickets to reach 800. Herath, however, said the most important objective for the team was to win the Test. “I am trying my best to get wickets to help my team win the Test,” he said. “I am fortunate that in my career I had the honour of bowling in tandem with Murali. It is easy to bowl with him at the other end. It will be difficult to fill the void left by Murali but Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv and I are trying our best to win matches for our team and country,” he said.Herath said he had been working on his batting with his coaches and the experience he gained playing county cricket for Hampshire had also helped him make his highest first-class and Test score.

It will almost certainly need a deal to be struck between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire to force a positive result in this match after the whole of the third day was lost to rain

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge26-Aug-2010

ScorecardIt will almost certainly need a deal to be struck between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire to force a positive result in this match after the whole of the third day was lost to rain.However, Nottinghamshire are in much less need of a win than Lancashire, whose outside chance in the title race would be effectively ended by anything less. Expect Nottinghamshire, then, to set their sights on batting bonus points.

Phillip Hughes has found out the hard way how Justin Langer sweated and fought to play 105 Tests

John Townsend25-Aug-2010Phillip Hughes has found out the hard way how Justin Langer sweated and fought to play 105 Tests. Hughes has just lived the Langer lifestyle for three days but now believes he could hardly be better prepared to return to the Test team after seven matches spread over four series and an imposing record of 615 runs at 51.25.Whether that happens in India in October, or during the Ashes campaign this summer, or in another series some time in the future, the decision is out of Hughes’ hands. He knows there is only one focus for him in the immediate future – to score so many runs for New South Wales that selection will take care of itself.At 21, Hughes knows that he has time on his side and a national selection panel eager to promote him after he was dumped during last year’s Ashes but he is not willing to risk being unprepared when his name is finally called. “He knows how to score runs but he has an outstanding work ethic and has a fighter’s attitude,” Langer said.”He has a run-maker’s instinct but he is also working to build a technical base for the next 15 years, not just the coming summer. He is only 21 and has a great record but he knows there are plenty of areas he can get better. How exciting is that?”Battered and sore after three gruelling days, Hughes was still elated by the experience. It involved dawn boxing sessions and beach running, three daily net sessions against a bowling machine pounding 150kph deliveries into his rib cage, Langer’s old favourite of a century of 20m sprints and then nights spent at the Langer dinner table where the philosophies of life and cricket were dissected. He paid his own way to Perth and stayed with the Langer family at their City Beach home.Langer remains Australia’s batting coach but has a job description that involves being as much a mentor and inspiration as technical adviser. “I’ve got to know Justin better and better over the past 18 months and given that my [dislocated] shoulder is now 100%, it was a good time to get over here and work on a few things and get some tough practice under my belt,” Hughes said. “It was pretty hard work, much harder than I anticipated, but Justin played 105 Tests so that shows there is a clear reward if you do the work.”Hughes will shortly travel to Hampshire to play the final three matches and while his sessions with Langer were to arm him for the county stint, his trip involved a broader range of experiences. “I worked on some specific things and just general batting but it was also just great to spend three days with him and talk about every day life,” Hughes said. “The passion that he has got for sport and life is simply fantastic.”For every question I asked him, he asked me one back. He played 105 Tests so there were plenty of things about that experience to talk about but he also reinforced how important it was to have a good balance off the field. It was not just about scoring runs but having respect for the game and respect for your opposition.”Hughes arrived with a bang against South Africa last year, scoring twin centuries in his second match, but like Langer and a host of other cricketers, was dropped and forced to address the technical and mental issues hindering his progress. Langer had several phases in his career but finished so strongly that he was one of only seven players to score 5000 runs in the final five years of his career.

Opener Steve Marillier’s marathon, unbeaten century halted Mid West Rhinos’ charge towards an innings victory and helped Southern Rocks draw their second game of the Logan Cup in Masvingo

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2010
Scorecard
Opener Steve Marillier’s marathon, unbeaten century halted Mid West Rhinos’ charge towards an innings victory and helped Southern Rocks draw their second game of the Logan Cup in Masvingo.Following on after conceding a 322-run first-innings lead, Rocks were left with the task of batting out four sessions to save the game. But for Marillier’s effort, they would have struggled to do so. After his partner Sikandar Raza was dismissed with the score on zero, Marillier – playing only his eighth first-class game – faced 380 deliveries and remained not out on 148, his maiden century. The next highest score was Craig Ervine’s 46. The match was called off with Rocks on 282 for 5 after 119 overs.The Rhinos’ commanding position in the game was built by first-innings hundreds from Brendan Taylor, their captain Vusi Sibanda and Malcolm Waller. They piled up 609 for 7 after getting sent in by Rocks. An opening stand of 180 between Taylor and Friday Kasteni, who made 61, set the tone for the middle order to build the huge total.In reply, half-centuries from Tatenda Taibu and Raza could not help Rocks avoid the follow-on. Legspinner Graeme Cremer picked up his 12th five-wicket haul in 61 first-class games to dismiss Rocks for 287. Sibanda immediately enforced the follow-on, but Marillier’s effort meant Rhinos had to be content with earning only one point for the first-innings lead from the game.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has been summoned by the Pakistan Assembly for a hearing on October 11 to explain the reasons behind the controversy-ridden tour of England

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2010Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has been summoned by Pakistan’s national assembly for a hearing on October 11 to explain the reasons for the controversy-ridden tour of England, as well as his allegations against Andrew Strauss’s team and their subsequent withdrawal. He will also be questioned regarding Younis Khan’s continued absence from the Pakistan side.Apart from Butt, the Assembly also summoned the board’s legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi, former team manager Yawar Saeed, coaches Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed and Ijaz Ahmed and chief selector Mohsin Khan to the hearing.”The hearing is being held to review the performance of the team in England, the controversies that took place in England and the way the Pakistan board has handled things so far,” Iqbal Muhammad Ali, chairman of the committee, told PTI. “The committee wants to know the reasons for the shoddy performances and also how the Pakistan team got entangled into such serious controversies. We also want to know the reason for Butt’s statement against the England board and his U-turn, and to review the selection process.”The PCB will also have to explain why Younis Khan was being ignored for selection when all the other players punished after the 2009-10 tour of Australia, with the exception of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, had been pardoned and brought back to the team. “We want to ask the chairman to explain what crime Younis has committed that he (Butt) is not willing to give clearance to the selectors to pick Younis,” Ali said.Former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas had recently urged the PCB to reappoint Younis as captain to lead the side out of its current crisis. Pakistan’s tour of England was riven by controversy, with a expose alleging that fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, and Test captain Salman Butt, had conspired to bowl no-balls on demand. The ICC provisionally suspended the trio, leaving Pakistan without a Test captain.

Round-up of the third day of the third round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2010

Group B

Yusuf Pathan picked up four wickets to put Baroda in a winning position against Uttar Pradesh•Cricket Kenya

Baroda strengthened their position against Uttar Pradesh on the third day at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, and will look to force a win on the fourth. Allrounder Yusuf Pathan starred with the ball yet again, grabbing four wickets to follow up on his five-for in the first innings, and restrict UP to 279 for 8 at stumps, a lead of just 160.UP’s performance with the bat in the second innings was significantly superior to the first but they will rue the fact that their batsmen didn’t capitalise on starts. Opener Tanmay Srivastava made 60, the partnership for the first wicket with Digvijay Singh yielded 85 but much of the responsibility to steer the team towards a competitive lead was placed on the lower order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar contributed 55, legspinner Piyush Chawla made 36 and wicketkeeper Amir Khan remained unbeaten on 30 to help UP recover from 147 for 5. The aim for UP tomorrow will be to extend the lead past 200 and give their bowlers a target challenging enough to defend. Baroda currently top the table in Group B and a win would keep them there.Former Tamil Nadu batsman Hemang Badani steered Haryana to a first-innings lead against Karnataka at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Haryana’s bowlers had done the job on the first two days, bowling out Karnataka for 222, and at stumps on the second day, Haryana looked good to take the lead, finishing up on 146 for 3. But Karnataka hit back early on the third day to grab two quick wickets, including opener Nitin Saini for 64, to restrict the opposition to 156 for 5. But the lower order stepped up to support Badani, who anchored the innings with 88. A 43-run seventh-wicket stand with Sachin Rana took Haryana into the lead, the last-wicket pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Sanjay Budhwar added 38 while the last four wickets yielded 94 runs. In their second innings, Karnataka lost opener Muralidharen Gautam for 34 and ended the day on 72 for 1, still 25 behind.A collective bowling performance from Himachal Pradesh set up a big first innings lead and a possibility of an innings win against Punjab in Dharmasala. Seam bowling has been Himachal Pradesh’s strength and in conditions traditionally favourable for swing and pace, the hosts flourished. Vikramjeet Malik and Rishi Dhawan picked up three wickets each, seamer Mohinderraj Sharma took two while former captain Ashok Thakur chipped in with one to bowl out Punjab for 229 and gain a lead of 244. Only Mandeep Singh, batting at No.7, offered any significant resistance, remaining unbeaten on 53. Himachal, looking for a win after a draw in the first game, had no hesitation enforcing the follow-on and dealt a setback, leaving Punjab on 42 for 1 at stumps.

Group A

Unless Mumbai commit hara kiri they remain favourites to score an outright win against Railways at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The defending champions need a further 230 runs for the win with all ten wickets in hand. Earlier, Railways displayed plenty of grit to deny Mumbai an easy day, as they raised a modest 269 in their second innings, setting 252 for victory.

Form Guide

Tracking ESPNcricinfo’s players to watch this season
Ravindra Jadeja: Finished with figures of 0 for 134 against Tamil Nadu, but made 63 in Saurashtra’s first innings
R Ashwin: Trapped Jadeja lbw on the third day in Saurashtra’s reply to Tamil Nadu’s 582
Abhinav Mukund: Was finally dismissed for 232, his 10th first-class 100-plus score, against Saurashtra
Yuvraj Singh: Fared poorly in the first against against Himachal Pradesh, making 27, and is now unbeaten on 9 as Punjab battle to save the game after following on
Piyush Chawla: Made a gritty 36 down the order for Uttar Pradesh in the second innings against Baroda, but his main test will be when he bowls in the chase

Sanjay Bangar, owner of a Test century (he played 12 Tests for India), brought his vast experience to the fore, to score a feisty 62 including a handsome straight six off Ramesh Powar. In the company of Prashant Awasthi, Bangar raised hopes of changing the script from the previous evening, when Railways had lost three wickets, and early in the day as Powar and Dhawal Kulkarni maintained tight control. But, having survived the first hour confidently, Bangar rushed into a pull against a slower one from Iqbal Abdulla, giving a simple return catch.Though Mahesh Rawat battled with purpose, he missed out on the company of an able partner. Still, with some lusty hitting he helped himself to the highest score for the visitors in the match (76) which helped Railways to live another day.
The onus would be on Murali Karti to produce a special effort to stop Mumbai from marching to victory on a pitch that is slow but not unplayable.A first-innings score of 562 can be intimidating but Assam showed little signs of being under pressure against Bengal on the third day, responding strongly by reaching 293 for 3 at stumps at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.Barring the seamer Shami Ahmed, who picked up all three wickets, the Assam batsmen negotiated the others with ease and built significant partnerships that have given them hope of overhauling the Bengal score and gaining three points based on a first-innings lead. The reply was set up by a 150-run opening stand between Dheeraj Jadhav (62) and Sibsankar Roy (89), and Amol Muzumdar, the captain, contributed 44. But the star on the third day for Assam was former Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra batsman Sridharan Sriram, whose attacking, unbeaten 89, off 112 balls, has put his team within reach of Bengal’s score with seven wickets in hand. Sriram’s presence at the crease will be crucial to Assam’s chances if they are to walk away with three points.Delhi reached a good position inflict an innings defeat on Gujarat at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi had already gained a substantial lead by stumps on the second day and Yogesh Nagar set about extending that with his maiden first-class century. Nagar, unbeaten on 69 overnight, smashed 151, laced with 15 fours and two sixes as Delhi declared on 437 for 6, a lead of 366. In reply, Gujarat had begun well with openers Jay Desai and Priyank Panchal adding 96. But left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra struck to remove Desai for 49 while Mithun Manhas, with his part-time offspin, accounted for Niraj Patel, who had failed to score for 27 deliveries. At stumps, Gujarat had reached 114 for 2, still 254 behind.Tamil Nadu held the advantage against Saurashtra at the end of the third day at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Abhinav Mukund, who had reached a double-century the previous day, and S Badrinath, who was unbeaten on 142 overnight, continued on, taking their team past 500. Both batsmen were dismissed before TN declared on 582 for 4, giving themselves an excellent chance of gaining a first-innings lead and even winning the game. But Saurashtra replied well, with Shitanshu Kotak and Ravindra Jadeja overcoming the early loss of the openers with half-centuries and a 93-run stand. Captain Jaydev Shah chipped in with 42 and Kotak helped take Saurashtra to 246 for 4 at stumps. They are still 346 behind and could well look to bat out the day to ensure the teams share points, but TN will back themselves to take the remaining six wickets and earn three points.

The MCC World Cricket Committee has said that disputed low catches shouldn’t be sent to the third umpire for adjudication because TV cameras rarely make the situation any clearer

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2010The MCC World Cricket Committee has said that disputed low catches shouldn’t be sent to the third umpire for adjudication because TV cameras rarely make the situation any clearer. Under current regulations, the on-field officials can ask the third umpire to check if a ball has carried, but the two-dimensional pictures can often make it appear as though a ball has bounced when it’s probably a clean catch.Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, has always been an advocate of such catches staying on the field and decisions being taken by the two standing umpires, while saying batsmen should also take the fielder’s word. There was an example in the current Ashes series during the Brisbane Test when Alastair Cook, during his unbeaten 235, flicked the ball to short midwicket where Ponting claimed the catch but it was ruled not out on TV evidence.The committee, which met in Perth ahead of the third Ashes Test, said when the UDRS was in use either side would be within their rights to use a review for such catches, but that the third umpire should only overrule the on-field decision with “overwhelming” evidence.”The MCC World Cricket Committee believes that current technology used by third umpires does not provide definitive proof of low catches, and recommends that the on-field umpires must be asked to make an initial decision based on the naked eye,” a statement said. “In games utilising the UDRS, if the batsman or fielding captain wishes to review the decision, he may do so at this point provided that he still has a review in hand.”In assessing whether or not the ball carried, the third umpire should uphold the original decision unless there is overwhelming proof that the decision was incorrect. With so many examples proving inconclusive on television, the committee feels that the benefit of the doubt too often goes to the batsmen, who often now stand their ground for most low catches.”Andrew Strauss, the England captain, agreed that technology wasn’t suitable for ruling on low catches but insisted that there could be no half measures when it comes to where a decision is made. “My view is that the umpires need to be consistent, whatever they do,” he said. “If they want to make the decision themselves, I think that’s a healthy situation – I agree the technology is flawed, in that respect. Where it becomes very messy is where they make the decision once, and then the next time they refer it. I’d be very supportive of them if they just made the decision consistently.”However, MCC didn’t back Ponting’s idea that the fielder’s word should be taken and instead thought the onus should be on the two umpires in the middle. “The committee saw merit in Ricky Ponting’s recent assertion that captains should all agree to take the fielder’s word on low catches,” the statement added. “However, it felt that such an agreement would be difficult to implement and consequently urges the ICC to direct the on-field umpires to make the decision.”

Cricket Kenya have headed off an attempted strike by its women’s players on the eve of a World Cup Qualifying event

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2010A disappointing year for Kenyan cricket is ending on another sour note with news the country’s women’s team refused to play in the World Cup African Qualifyiers because of a dispute over money, although they subsequently backed down when Cricket Kenya refused to give way.In July the senior men’s side scrapped a tour of England after they went on strike over pay, and although the matter was subsequently resolved it cost Cricket Kenya £50,000 and untold goodwill.Tom Sears, the board’s chief executive, said the women announced on December 12, two days before the start of the tournament, they would not play unless they were paid, although he explained “common sense prevailed and the team has now unconditionally agreed to participate”.”It’s important that all followers and stakeholders on Kenyan cricket are aware of all the facts following speculation appearing in the media, including the wholly untrue allegation that we have “abandoned” the Kenya women’s team,” Sears said. “The fact of the matter is that the players stated, for the first time, on Sunday they would not play unless they were paid to compete and we are not in a position to do that.”I met personally with the squad to discuss this issue over a month ago and outlined exactly what the position was regarding payment and allowances. At that meeting the squad were satisfied that while we couldn’t give them what they wanted we were doing everything we could to prepare them for this crucial event.”Late last week the squad raised the issue again and after a series of meetings on December 10 where they were informed the situation had not changed, again they accepted the position and agreed to participate. Sadly over the weekend they have changed their position despite giving me their assurances which is extremely disappointing.”From the time this issue was first raised we have consistently told the players we are not in a position to pay them to play so they could make an informed decision whether they could afford to be involved in terms of work and study commitments but also the financial considerations they would have to make.”We appreciate the commitment the players make in order to represent their country and they have been told that from next year we will be able to review their allowances and work with them to make progress. After initially agreeing this was acceptable and a sensible way forward both a month ago and again last week they have now completely changed their stance.”Cricket Kenya pays transport allowances for all matches and training sessions and provides meals, uniforms, facilities, equipment and professional coaches, the players were going to be given accommodation and all meals during the tournament but they wanted paying as well which we simply cannot afford to do at this time. We have invested a great deal of time and finance into preparing the squad for this event but we cannot be held to ransom like this just days before it is due to start.”We have informed and consulted with representatives of the ICC, ACA and the Ministry of Sport and while they share our disappointment the way the squad has made this matter public and threatened to not compete, they are completely supportive of our stance.”