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Yorkshire survived a brilliant all-round display by Albie Morkel to claim a six-run Friends Life T20 win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield

14-Jul-2013
ScorecardYorkshire survived a brilliant all-round display by Albie Morkel to claim a six-run Friends Life T20 win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield. Morkel followed his best-ever T20 bowling figures of 4 for 25 with an astonishing last over assault on Liam Plunkett that almost pulled off an improbable victory for the hosts.Derbyshire needed 32 to overhaul Yorkshire’s 142 for 9 but although Morkel smashed Plunkett for three fours and two sixes, he failed to make contact with the last ball and was left unbeaten on 51 from 31 balls.Yorkshire had looked on course for a more challenging total after Phil Jaques and Dan Hodgson established a solid platform with a second-wicket stand of 49 in 6 overs. Hodgson pulled Tim Groenewald for six and Jaques twice reverse-swept boundaries as Yorkshire reached 70 for 1 in the ninth over but intelligent bowling backed up by sharp fielding allowed Derbyshire to rein the visitors in on a slow pitch.Jaques was bowled sweeping at Dan Redfern for 22 in the 10th over and Morkel struck twice in the 12th when Hodgson drove him to deep mid-on and Andy Hodd was bowled for a duck trying to clip a full length ball through midwicket.Former Derbyshire batsman Gary Ballance threatened to take the momentum awayfrom the home side with 28 from 22 balls including a straight driven six off Wes Durston but after he skied Morkel to deep midwicket in the 16th over, the rest of the innings fell away. Mark Turner varied his pace cleverly to run through the lower order and when Ryan Sidebottom pulled the last ball of the innings to midwicket, Yorkshire had lost eight wickets for 72 in 11 overs.Derbyshire suffered a setback at the start of their reply when Durston slipped going for a single and had to retire hurt on 8 but Chesney Hughes and skipper Wayne Madsen took the score to 49 before two wickets in the eighth over put Yorkshire back in it. First Madsen was run out for 19 in a mix-up with Hughes, who was out next ball for 21 when he drove Azeem Rafiq to mid off where Richard Pyrah held an excellent diving catch.The spinners were hard to get away and Rafiq struck again when Redfern cut tamely to point before Billy Godleman was caught in the same position trying to reverse sweep to leave Derbyshire struggling on 67 for 4.Morkel responded by driving Rafiq over long-on for six and cutting Pyrah for four but despite his last over heroics, Plunkett had the final word when he delivered a dot ball to give Yorkshire only their second win in the North Division and dent Derbyshire’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor believes Twenty20’s easy money has contributed to the national side’s poverty of Test match batting options

Daniel Brettig25-Apr-2013Even as he performed his stage-managed role to add gravitas and happy history to Australia’s Ashes squad announcement, the former captain Mark Taylor cut through the mystique to state how Twenty20’s easy money had contributed to the national side’s poverty of Test match batting options.Taylor and his successor Steve Waugh were present in Sydney to provide a Cricket Australia-approved reminder that teams past had flown to England with modest billing but returned home as heroes. The spirit of the 1989 Ashes tourists, unfancied almost as much as Michael Clarke’s team but ultimately the inflictors of a right royal 4-0 hammering, was invoked as though a holy rite.But Taylor was blunt in saying the hunger of Australia’s cricketers for Tests, particularly their batsmen, had been sapped by the riches on offer in T20, specifically at the IPL currently buzzing across the subcontinent. Frank and clear-eyed as ever, Taylor said no amount of wistful talk about baggy green caps and representing one’s country could counter the cash on offer to players prepared to forego their best batting technique in order to chase sixes and switch-hits in India.”If you look at the IPL and the money that’s going around there, that’s got to be a big influence I think. As much as they all say ‘Test cricket’s the No. 1’, a million dollars is very distracting,” Taylor told ESPNcricinfo. “You look at Glenn Maxwell getting US$1 million to go play in the IPL and he’s not even playing. How do you compete with that?”How do you tell a young player making the next Australian Test team is more important? Knock back an IPL contract and spend two years working on your batting technique to get in for a Test match, and throw away $2 million? It’s easier said than done.”

“Knock back an IPL contract and spend two years working on your batting technique to get in for a Test match, and throw away $2 million? It’s easier said than done.”Mark Taylor

There was some disquiet earlier this month when the list of CA contracts omitted numerous Ashes aspirants, partly due to a system that recognises all formats. Taylor said the system had improved a good deal since 1989, or even the late 1990s, when an industrial dispute with the board pushed the players to the brink of a strike. But he still doubted how any national contract could now dissuade a young player from considering the IPL’s riches ahead of Test cricket’s more archaic sense of loyalty.”The idea of the contracts system going back to my time was to give players security, and they’ve now got that,” he said. “I think the CA contracts and even the state contracts give players good security, much more than there was back in the 1990s, and that’s what should happen.”But I’m not sure any of these contracts can ever make up for an IPL contract. There’s probably no security in the IPL, but if you get a $2 million contract you don’t need a lot of security. And that’s impossible to compete with.”In 1989, Taylor accumulated no fewer than 839 runs in the six Tests, while Waugh crashed cavalier hundreds at Headingley and Lord’s and returned home with a series average well beyond 100. They were hungry young batsmen, offered only the most rudimentary of playing contracts, and still playing at a time when numerous Australian cricketers still held down day jobs.Notwithstanding the current crop’s vastly different financial circumstances, Taylor challenged the batsmen selected other than Clarke to rise above their mediocre records and make the sorts of scores that would make a statement about Australia’s intentions, much as he and Waugh had done in Leeds.”Trent Bridge and Lord’s, the first two Tests, are very important,” Taylor said. “If you go back to ’89 we won at Headingley where no one gave us a chance, then we won at Lord’s. All of a sudden you’re 2-0 up. If Australia can start something like that, it will start with someone like David Warner or Phil Hughes, or Cowan, or Watson, making 150, a big score.”At Headingley I made 136, Steve made 177 and AB [Allan Border] made a quickfire 66. It’ll start with someone almost out of the blue making a big score and saying ‘we’re here to compete’. That’s what this side needs to do. Look at Warner, Watson, Cowan, Hughes. Four opening batsmen really, they’re all averaging in the 30s. That won’t get it done. One or two of them over there have got to average 70 in this series or more.”

South Australia made an improper approach to recruit the young Victoria legspinner James Muirhead during the 2012-13 season, a Cricket Australia grievance tribunal has ruled

Daniel Brettig03-Apr-2013South Australia made an improper approach to recruit the young Victoria legspinner James Muirhead during the 2012-13 season, a Cricket Australia grievance tribunal has ruled. However the matter has been adjourned for further proceedings at a later date after SA contested the verdict.Muirhead, who played for the Adelaide Strikers in the inaugural BBL tournament in 2011-12, is contracted to the Bushrangers but it was alleged by the Bushrangers that he was approached by SA towards the end of this season’s competition, despite his current deal, and without their permission.”The Tribunal found a breach of Rule 4 of the Rules for Interstate Competitions by the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA),” a CA spokesman said. “A further hearing of the matter has been adjourned to the 24th April 2013.”The relevant rule states: “State Association must not (and must ensure that its constituent clubs do not) hold discussions with a CA Contracted Player or a State Contracted Player who is bound to another State Association concerning the possible transfer of that player without first informing the player’s home State Association.”SA have indicated their determination to dispute the outcome. “SACA maintains that it did not breach Rule 4 of the Rules for Interstate Competitions and is currently working with its legal team to consider its options,” the SACA chief executive Keith Bradshaw said. “Given the matter is still under consideration no further comments will be made at this time.”The official recruiting period for states began on Wednesday after CA announced their list of centrally-contracted players for the coming year.

Steven Smith scored a timely half-century as Australia’s selectors consider their Test squad to tour India, helping New South Wales to first-innings points in their match against Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2013
Scorecard
Steven Smith made 72•Getty ImagesSteven Smith scored a timely half-century as Australia’s selectors consider their Test squad to tour India, helping New South Wales to first-innings points in their match against Western Australia. Moises Henriques was also in form and at stumps was unbeaten on 62 alongside Steve O’Keefe on 16, and at 6 for 263, the Blues had a 21-run lead over the Warriors.On a slow pitch that most batsmen found hard work, Smith batted for more than three hours for his 72 and struck nine boundaries before he was dismissed by Jason Behrendorff. Several New South Wales batsmen made starts, including Scott Henry (39) and Peter Nevill (26), but both were removed by the debutant spinner Ashton Agar.Henriques struck six fours and one six in his innings and for much of the time was batting alongside Smith in a 72-run partnership. Earlier, the Warriors had added only 10 runs to their overnight total before losing their final wicket, which was claimed by O’Keefe, who ended up with 4 for 55.

Mountaineers cruised to a seven-wicket win against the Mashonaland Eagles in the final of the Domestic T20 Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMountaineers cruised to a seven-wicket win against the Mashonaland Eagles in the final of the Domestic T20 Competition at the Harare Sports Club. After dismantling Eagles’ batting order and dismissing them for 106, Mountaineers chased the revised target of 103 in the 18th over.Choosing to bat first, the Eagles lost their first three wickets – Cephas Zhuwao, Sikandar Raza and Chamu Chibhabha – to Tapiwa Mufudza within the first six overs, finding themselves in trouble at 36 for 3. Stuart Matsikanyeri and Regis Chakabva put on 44 off 45 for the fourth wicket but once their partnership was broken, the Mountaineers got on top of them and skittled the remaining six wickets for 23 runs.Due to a rain interruption, the revised target for Mountaineers was 103 in 19 overs. Mark Pettini got them off to a flying start but lost his opening partner Kevin Kasuza. Tino Mawoyo and Pettini then put on 50 in 33 balls but both of them fell in quick succession. With only 23 more to win, Timycen Maruma and Greg Lamb finished the match with 11 balls to spare to become the T20 champions.

Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against India in Ahmedabad due to the thigh strain that limited his warm-up participation to four overs in the first match in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2012Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against India in Ahmedabad due to the thigh strain that limited his warm-up participation to four overs in the first match in Mumbai.England captain Alastair Cook confirmed that Finn would not be considered for the opening match of the series as it would be a significant risk. England are still likely to field one fast bowler under an injury cloud with Stuart Broad set to play after recovering from the bruised heel that meant he has bowled just 10 warm-up overs on tour.While Finn and Broad bowled with impressive pace at practice on Sunday, it was always unlikely that the England management would two risk two bowlers in the same Test. Finn barely participated in fielding practice and did not bowl a single delivery in the nets. While he is not thought to have suffered any injury setback, it seems the England management are keen not to risk his recovery; particularly in a Test that will be played in hot, arduous conditions.The problem for Finn now is that there are no further matches on the tour outside of the Tests so he will have to regain form and fitness in the nets.The most likely replacement for Finn appears to be Tim Bresnan who bowled well in the second innings of the final warm-up match against Haryana where he found useful reverse swing. Graham Onions, Stuart Meaker or a second frontline spinner in Monty Panesar are the other options and Cook is happy with the depth available.”I wouldn’t call them back-up bowlers, they’re all vying for a place to play in this XI, to be lucky enough to play for England,” Cook said. “They’ve all worked hard to get used to these conditions and as selectors we’ve got a tough decision to make.”

Rest of India completed a comfortable innings-and-79 run victory on the fourth day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran in Bangalore24-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The margins of defeat for the Ranji champions in five of the previous six years in the Irani Cup: 404 runs, 361 runs, 187 runs, nine wickets and nine wickets. This season was just as comprehensive, as Rest of India completed a comfortable innings-and-79-run victory on the fourth day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.Rajasthan’s batting and bowling were both not at the level of Rest of India’s, but what really hurt them as they tried to at least take the match to the fifth day was their appalling running between the wickets.There was an early alarm when Hrishkesh Kanitkar and Vineet Saxena had a communication breakdown, but both had the time to return to their creases. That wasn’t the case in the 26th over when Saxena nudged the ball towards square leg and took off, but Kanitkar didn’t respond and a sprawling Ishant Sharma fired in the throw to end the overnight partnership.Till then they had been largely untroubled by the pace of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, and a wicket had looked unlikely. Kanitkar and the batsman who had his reputation most enhanced in this the game, Robin Bist, were then comfortable against everything Rest of India threw at them. A few overs before lunch, Rest of India had resorted to having three men deep on the leg side when the left-arm spinners were operating, allowing Kanitkar to push the ball around and accumulate. Bist was more aggressive, unleashing some powerful drives and the partnership swelled towards a hundred.That stand also ended through a mix-up. Kanitkar pushed the ball towards point and wanted the single, but Bist didn’t. Though the return from Badrinath was a tough take for wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, there was enough time for the bails to be taken off and two of Rajasthan’s most adhesive batsmen had given away their wickets recklessly.Bist wasn’t as solid as in the first innings, edging several past the keeper in the middle of some crisp striking. With Pragyan Ojha getting the odd ball to turn and bounce, much depended on Bist if Rajasthan were to avoid an innings defeat. His footwork had been precise in much of the match, but on 67, he was caught on the crease to a delivery from Ojha that neither jumped nor turned dramatically, but still managed to sneak between bat and pad.That brought together the last pair of recognised batsmen, RR Parida and Dishant Yagnik. That pair, too, was separated by a run-out. Parida played the ball out towards sweeper cover; Yagnik ambled through the first run, assuming there was only an easy two to be taken before Umesh Yadav fielded; Parida pushed for the third but Umesh, who unlike most Indian fast bowlers has a strong arm, rifled in a throw that caught Yagnik short.Rajasthan were soon down to 226 for 8, on a track which was still not spiteful, against an attack which was not exactly fearsome. Ishant was disciplined, keeping the ball around off but wasn’t able to regularly clock above 130kph, Umesh continued to bowl too wide to worry batsmen consistently and the spinners were steady though not menacing.Even without Rest of India’s bowlers being at their best, Rajasthan were overwhelmed in the match, again highlighting the vast difference in between the two sides.

Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has signed a three-year contract as head coach of United Arab Emirates

Umar Farooq07-Mar-2012Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has signed a three-year contract as head coach of United Arab Emirates. He is already in the UAE but will start the job full-time from April 1. Javed had emerged as a candidate for the position in February while he was still employed as bowling coach of Pakistan during their series against England in the UAE. Dilawar Mani, the chief-executive officer of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), said the board wanted to wait till that series was over before announcing Javed as UAE coach.”The ECB is delighted with Aaqib’s acceptance of its offer,” Mani said. “He signed a standard contract of three years that can be extended by mutual agreement. An earlier announcement would have been inappropriate due to Aaqib’s key role as assistant and bowling coach of Pakistan, and would have caused a distraction from his primary responsibility”He has played with distinction for Pakistan and performed most commendably as bowling coach. His contribution to Pakistan cricket has been most invaluable.”Javed had been involved in coaching in Pakistan for a decade, having started at the Lahore Regional Academy and then moved on to stints as Pakistan Under-19 coach and head coach at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. He had been involved with the Pakistan national team on-and-off since 2009, with stints as bowling coach as well as assistant coach.Javed landed in the UAE on Tuesday and observed UAE’s match against Scotland in the ICC World Cricket League Championship on Wednesday, in Sharjah. His first assignment will be the Intercontinental Cup tour of the Netherlands in July, followed by the ACC Elite Cup in October. UAE have been training without a coach since Kabir Khan resigned from the job to return to the job of Afghanistan coach, which he held before moving to the UAE.Apart from Kabir, former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Mohammad, former Sri Lanka fast bowler Champaka Ramanayake and Madan Lal, the former India allrounder, have coached UAE. Madan Lal took UAE to their only World Cup appearance in 1996.Javed said his job would include planning the future of UAE cricket in conjunction with the ECB. “I shall dedicate myself to producing results and nurturing the talent in the UAE,” Javed said. “I shall work closely with the ECB management to strategise the planning process for the creation of a high-class squad.”Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Worcestershire’s ninth-wicket pair of Matt Pardoe and Richard Jones hung on to secure a draw as Surrey dominated after following on

Paul Edwards at New Road12-May-2012
ScorecardRory Hamilton-Brown scored a century before setting Worcestershire 260 to win after Surrey had followed-on•Getty ImagesThere were plenty of reasons for Worcestershire supporters to be optimistic as they made their way to New Road for the final day of their match against Surrey: their team was a couple of wickets away from dominating the game; people could sport sun-hats without being asked which fancy dress party they were attending later; and no rain was forecast.Well, the weather continued to behave itself but nearly everything else went pear-shaped for Daryl Mitchell’s men on this balmy Saturday. Surrey completely outplayed them, adding 215 more runs in 42 overs and then reducing the home side to 135 for 8 before Richard Jones and the admirable Matt Pardoe survived the final 45 balls to secure a draw. Pardoe, who also plays for Kidderminster Victoria in the Birmingham League, ended the match on 38 not out by displaying an exemplary defensive technique and a passion for crease occupation that some of his colleagues would do well to copy.For their part, Rory Hamilton-Brown’s players could be justifiably delighted with the way they had responded to conceding a 172-run first innings lead and then being reduced to 125 for 4, still 47 in arrears, on Friday evening. Had they won, it would have been only the second occasion since 1868 that they had done so after following on. And no one had greater reason to be thoroughly chuffed than Championship debutant George Edwards, whose two early wickets ended Worcestershire’s interest in scoring 260 runs in 52 overs to win the game. He then returned to get rid of Ben Scott and Aneesh Kapil as a few Worcestershire batsmen lost either the will or the technique to resist. Scott seemed to abandon both.Edwards, a strong-looking seamer who plays for Spencer CC in the Surrey Championship, was only in the side because Stuart Meaker and Jade Dernbach are on England Lions duty. All the same, the 19-year-old’s extra bounce and pace forced Michael Klinger to fend the ball to sub fielder Chris Jordan in the gully, and he then trapped Vikram Solanki lbw for nought with a superb yorker which speared the No. 3 painfully on the toes. When Mitchell was lbw on the front foot to Jon Lewis five deliveries later Worcestershire had lost three wickets in eleven balls and talk of a home victory was confined to supporters who had spent too long in the sun.Surrey dominated the first half of the day too, especially the morning session, in which they scored 166 runs in 32 overs. After a 20-minute period in which Hamilton-Brown and Maynard were content to push singles, a tuning-up exercise they completed with ominous ease, the Surrey pair treated Mitchell’s attack with disdain, pummelling a succession of boundaries and adding 90 runs in the first hour.Maynard was initially the more destructive, straight driving Jones for two thunderous boundaries and becoming the first Surrey batsman to reach a Championship century this season when he hit Kapil for six over long-on. Hamilton-Brown emulated his partner’s aggressive approach in the second hour of the morning and reached three figures – and his first ever hundred in the second innings of a first-class match – when he ran Kapil down to third man for four. Worcestershire supporters who had arrived with high hopes of seeing their side record their first Championship victory of the season were instead offered a glimpse of what life may be like if Alan Richardson’s shoulder injury proves to be serious. It was not a congenial sight for them.One wicket did fall in the session but Hamilton-Brown’s departure for 115 amounted to little more than acceptable collateral damage for Surrey. The captain’s 225-run partnership with Maynard had broken the Surrey record for the fifth wicket against Worcestershire and it also looked to have broken the home players’ spirit as fielding errors crept in. At lunch Surrey were 382 for 5 and the locals’ cheery talk of early finishes had been replaced by gloomy discussions of declaration times and possible collapses. It had been savage stuff.Surrey added 49 runs in even time after lunch before Hamilton-Brown called off the dogs. Maynard reached his highest first-class score in the first over after the interval but was caught at point by Solanki off Lucas for 143 immediately afterwards. Zander de Bruyn also perished in the quest for quick runs, though it scarcely mattered. Jones finished with match figures of 8 for 171 and he probably has fond recollections of Friday. Worcestershire’s supporters will empathise.

ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka, in East London

Firdose Moonda in East London13-Jan-2012Sri Lanka have had two days to digest, dissect and debate their largest ODI defeat and their lowest ODI score. This is what they have concluded. “We have to just address all areas: our batting, bowling, fielding and mental approach to the game,” Geoff Marsh, the Sri Lanka coach, said, covering the entire spectrum of cricketing skills in his analysis. “The whole game [in Paarl], we didn’t play well.”Marsh’s remarks summarised Sri Lanka’s problems succinctly; he somehow managed to make the huge improvement they needed from the first ODI sound manageable. “We can explain the batting, it was very quick,” he joked. “We didn’t bowl consistently enough, we didn’t build pressure and we didn’t take wickets.”After Lasith Malinga dismissed Graeme Smith in the third over, Sri Lanka did not see success for more than half the innings. Twenty-six overs and 144 runs later, they were able to remove Jacques Kallis. By then, they had bled too much and the life had been drained from their attack.”Against South Africa you’ve got to take early wickets; you can’t allow their players to build big partnerships at the start or you are going to be chasing 300 plus,” Marsh said. Malinga’s burst at the end, in which he took four wickets in three overs, was the only reason Sri Lanka were not left chasing 330.As it happened, 130 would have been enough. Pace, bounce and determination from South Africa’s fast bowlers buried a Sri Lanka batting line-up that was impressive on paper but limp on the pitch.One of Sri Lanka’s chief concerns is the form of former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who has had a dismal tour. His only score of significance came in a practice one-day match against an Emerging Cape Cobras side, in which he was dropped twice on his way to 74. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews have also struggled for runs, making the core of Sri Lanka’s line-up, which was so impressive nine months ago during the World Cup, look fragile. Marsh, though, said he still had faith in the batsmen.”We believe that they are only a couple of shots away from getting back into form. Our players have got fantastic records and they just need to get started and get going. We are very happy to stick with them and back them all the way.”Though Sri Lanka’s experienced players have struggled on the field, Marsh said they had taken on a leadership role behind the scenes. “Although they are not scoring runs, they are still making an effort to lift the team as they did before the second Test match. As a coach, you look at that, and it’s great that they are still having a huge impact.”The Durban Test match remains the only high-point of Sri Lanka’s tour. After a thrashing in Centurion, the team regrouped and, within a week, were playing with more commitment and confidence. Although the win was historic – it was their first Test win in South Africa – Sri Lanka did not seem to get carried away with it, and Marsh wants to use that recovery as inspiration for an ODI series that has started in eerily similar fashion to the Tests.”It’s not as if we can’t do it because we did in the second Test match. If you look at the second Test, we were consistent in all areas. We got early wickets, kept the pressure on, got our heads down against some really good bowling and got a score that our bowlers could bowl at. Nothing changes in the one-day game; we’ve got to get enough runs on the board to allow our bowlers to bowl South Africa out.”A simple plan, but one that will take fortitude and force to achieve. Marsh said Sri Lanka had the desire. “We’ve got a wonderful bunch of guys and the spirit is fantastic. If you attend our team meetings, you will see how much we want to win.”