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

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2011Papua New Guinea rolled United States of America over by seven wickets, with 44 overs to spare, in one of the most one-sided games in the tournament at the Hong Kong Cricket Club. PNG won the toss and had USA on the mat immediately, with Hitolo Areni sending Lennox Cush back for a duck. Steve Massiah seemed to be at ease with the conditions, stroking four boundaries in his 18, but things were about to fall apart spectacularly. Carl Wright succumbed against opening bowler Loa Nou, before Areni sent messiah back to reduce USA to 25 for 3. Six of the remaining eight batsmen failed to open their accounts as USA crumbled from a precarious 37 for 4 in bizarre fashion, to be bowled out for 44 in the 21st over. Seamer Rarva Dikana was the main tormentor, finishing with dream figures of 4 for 1 from 4.2 overs. PNG were in a rush to end the game, lashing boundaries and losing wickets, before Christopher Kent hit two sixes to seal PNG’s third win in three games.”We didn’t expect to bowl the USA out so cheaply this morning and all credit has to go to our bowlers and the way they performed today,” captain Dikana said after the game. “I don’t think the USA batsmen played badly, I just think they didn’t know how to read our bowlers and our fielding was particularly strong.”A win is a win for us, but I would have liked it if we hadn’t lost those three wickets to make it to the target. However, by losing those three wickets it means those batsmen have something to focus on in our next game – by improving their performances for us. We can’t rest on our laurels though, we’ve another match tomorrow and we’ve got to focus on our own game and be ready for the next challenge.”Oman authored a major recovery from 63 for 6 to overhaul the target of 241 set by Italy with seven balls to spare at Kowloon Cricket Club. Italy’s effort after electing to bat was guided by captain Alessandro Bonora’s unbeaten 124, that included ten fours and four sixes. After the early loss of Andy Northcote, Bonora laid the platform in a 84-run second-wicket stand with Damian Fernando, off 22.1 overs. The middle order faltered after Fernando’s exit for 46, but Bonora kept firing from one end to lift his side to a strong score.Oman’s chase was initially crippled by Italy’s opening bowlers, Vince Pennazza and Gayashan Munasinghe, who ripped open the top order. Oman looked down and out when No. 8 Awal Khan joined Sultan Ahmed in the middle. The pair kick-started a resurgence with a 59-run stand in 11.3 overs. Sultan’s exit did not allow Italy to run through the tail, as Amir Ali batted with rare composure for a No. 9 batsman. He added 99 with Awal and took Oman to the brink before Peter Petricola ended Awal’s resistance for 81, at 221 for 8. Rajesh Kumar held his nerve to help Amir tie the scores before perishing, in what was the final twist in the riveting match. Amir, however, hit a boundary off the next ball to seal a memorable win for Oman.”We’ve lost two games now, both of which were games that we could have won if we had applied ourselves better,” a disappointed Bonora said. “We simply did not complete the basics – bowling, fielding and even batting. I may have scored 124 runs for our 240 but it was still not enough on this pitch. We need to regroup ahead of tomorrow’s game against Hong Kong. We both have one win each and tomorrow’s game is almost like a semi-final as whoever loses falls into the relegation battle.”On the other hand, Oman captain Hemal Mehta was thrilled with the result. “We were definitely the most challenged in this game – Italy didn’t let us take wickets easily and credit has to go to Bonora for his knock,” he said. “It was outstanding and if we’d got him out early then we would have seen a much lower score on the board.””Sultan Ahmed and Awal Khan had a great partnership and after Sultan departed and Amir Ali and Awal paired up, their run partnerships really made the difference for us. We can’t be complacent though, tomorrow we’ve got USA who we know will be wanting to bounce back after being bundled out for 44 so we need refocus to face them at HKCC.”Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s bowlers sparked a dramatic collapse to set up a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Denmark at the Mission Road Ground.Having worked their way to a respectable 71 for 2, Denmark lost eight wickets for 31 runs in 15.4 overs. Najeeb Amar made the key breakthrough removing Denmark captain Michael Pedersen for 34 and struck again four overs later to snare his brother Carsten for 6.
Amar broke the back of the top order when he dismissed Rizwan Mahmood for 24 and by that point the floodgates were open. No other batsman reached double figures as new-ball pair Irfan Ahmed and Aizaz Ahmed shared five more wickets – each bowled – to speed through the lower order.The modest chase was never going to be too much of a bother and despite losing Roy Lamsam for 19, Hong Kong barely broke sweat. Coutney Kruger struck six boundaries in an unbeaten 40 and Mark Chapman hit a breezy 29 from 33 balls – with a six and two fours – to take the home side to the victory line. Chapman fell on the brink but with over half the innings left, it was never going to be costly.”It’s obviously great to finally get a win in the tournament and hopefully we can carry this momentum through to the next game against Italy,” Irfan said. “I just seemed to be able to get things right for us when it came about to claiming the wickets with the ball moving easily in the conditions at Mission Road. We kept things tight and it paid off for us today and we showed what we are capable of doing as a side.”

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has asked the Bangladeshi players and those associated with the team to not write columns in newspapers during the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2011The Bangladesh Cricket Board has asked the Bangladeshi players and those associated with the team to not write columns in newspapers during the World Cup. This directive comes after Shakib Al Hasan wrote a column expressing his displeasure at criticism from former players after his side was bowled out for 58 against West Indies. The reported that all the team members have been sent a letter asking them to stop writing columns and also “observe protocol when speaking to the media”. Coach Jamie Siddons, too, was pretty harsh in his assessment of former players’ views when he spoke at a press conference two days ago.However, the newspaper also reported that the national contracts do not have a clause that can bar them from writing in newspapers. The BCB chief Manzur Ahmed told the paper that the board will make sure the renewed contract has such a clause.In his column Shakib had suggested the former players had faced much more humiliation than the current side has encountered. Siddons said that the said former players don’t “have the balls” to say things to his face, calling them “not courageous”. Khaled Mahmud and Aminul Islam, former captains, have been vocal in their criticism of the current team, in particular the lack of fight shown.

England’s female cricketers have taken another step towards a fully professional structure after being welcomed as members of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2011England’s female cricketers have taken another step towards a fully professional structure after being welcomed as members of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Following on from their Ashes, World Cup and World Twenty20 success in recent seasons, the women’s team has enjoyed increased funding from the ECB, with several of the team combining coaching careers with on-field success.Clare Connor, head of England Women’s cricket for the ECB, said: “Joining the PCA takes the England Women’s game further towards a professional era.”ECB do everything they can to support players to be the best they can on the pitch, and PCA membership will only help that process. Huge credit must go to PCA chief executive Angus Porter, who has been tremendously supportive.”Porter added: “The PCA looks after the interests of all professional cricketers. The England women are highly professional and very successful and it’s absolutely right that we should embrace them into our organisation.”

Yorkshire suffered a dramatic reversal in fortune as they slumped to a 58-run defeat after being bowled out for 86 on the third day of their County Championship match against Nottinghamshire

22-Apr-2011
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Yorkshire suffered a dramatic reversal in fortune as they slumped to a 58-run defeat after being bowled out for 86 on the third day of their County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Headingley. The home side began the day with every chance of clinching victory in the morning session when Notts resumed on 175 for 6, still needing to score 18 runs to knock off their arrears.But a fighting seventh-wicket stand of 150 between captain Chris Read and Steven Mullaney helped the visitors to recover to 337, leaving Yorkshire needing 145 to win.
However, they were never able to take a grip of the situation and were sent packing in 30.3 overs, the pace trio of Luke Fletcher, Charlie Shreck and Paul Franks each capturing three wickets.Yorkshire hit trouble right from the start as they slumped to 15 for 3. Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath fell lbw to consecutive balls from Shreck, while captain Andrew Gale played onto his stumps.The only batsman who was capable of staying for any length of time was Jonathan
Bairstow, who kept his cool while wickets fell around him and was unbeaten at the end with 50 from 77 balls with nine fours. It briefly looked as if Joe Root and Bairstow might remedy the situation until Root was lbw to Franks and there was no comeback from 44 for 4.Gerard Brophy was lbw moving across his stumps to Shreck and Adil Rashid and Richard Pyrah were dismissed in consecutive overs from Franks. Shreck, having bowled 13 overs for 29 runs and three wickets, was rested and Samit Patel came on to have David Wainwright caught off bat and pad by Alex Hales.Fletcher trapped Ryan Sidebottom lbw and then had his team-mates jumping with joy as last man Oliver Hannon-Dalby slanted a catch to Patel at second slip.Notts had far fewer problems than they expected in the morning against untidy bowling, although one ball from Hannon-Dalby reared unexpectedly and struck Mullaney on the left hand. He was able to continue after treatment and recovered in time to hook Pyrah for
six to complete his half-century off 93 balls, while Read’s fifty, which contained
six fours, also raised the century stand.The stand went on to overtake Nottinghamshire’s previous best for the seventh wicket against Yorkshire of 147 by David Hussey and Franks at Scarborough in 2009, but at 150 it was finally ended by Rashid, who had Read lbw for 86. In his next over, Rashid bowled Adams with a big googly before the legspinner picked up a third wicket by trapping Fletcher lbw, while Mullaney was last out for 83, pulling Sidebottom to deep square leg.

The PCB has suspended selector Mohammad Ilyas for his role in the Shahid Afridi dispute and for appearing on a television with banned former captain Salman Butt

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2011The PCB has suspended national selector Mohammad Ilyas for his role in the Shahid Afridi dispute and for appearing on a television show with banned former captain Salman Butt. Ilyas had been served two show cause notices by the PCB over the incidents, both of which violate the board’s code of conduct for officials.”The Contract of Mr. Mohammad Ilyas (member National Selection Committee) with PCB has been suspended with immediate effect for violating the Clauses 8 and 9 of the same,” the PCB said in a statement. “Show Cause Notices were issued to Mr. Ilyas on June 3 and June 6, 2011 to which he replied. His reply was not found satisfactory as it was observed that he participated in a Talk show despite being warned.”Following the same procedure in the Afridi dispute, a disciplinary committee will be formed to hear the case and Ilyas will be told when he will need to appear before it.Ilyas had appeared on a television show on June 6 to discuss Afridi’s dispute with the PCB. Among the other panellists was Butt, who has been banned for 10 years (five years suspended) for spot-fixing. Under ICC rules, no board member can interact with a banned player and the sport’s governing body is also looking into Ilyas’ appearance.Afridi had specifically and personally criticised Ilyas after announcing his conditional retirement from the game as part of his blitz against the board. Late last week, an incensed Ilyas felt compelled to respond with his own attacks against Afridi and was duly issued with the notice on Friday, in which the board said he had violated the code of conduct applicable to officials.Afridi and Ilyas have a history: Ilyas has often opposed the selection of Afridi in the side but that opinion has ballooned in recent months. Afridi accused Ilyas of promoting his son-in-law Imran Farhat, while Ilyas responded by saying Afridi had pushed unfairly and persistently for Ahmed Shahzad, Fawad Alam and Shahzaib Hasan.Fuelling the dispute are Afridi’s comments about a “Punjab-Lahore lobby” working against him since he became captain; Ilyas is from Lahore and Afridi a Pathan from Karachi. His remarks have seriously irked the board and a number of prominent ex-cricketers in Lahore.At a press conference in Karachi, Afridi clarified his remarks, saying that he was talking about an individual and not a region or people. “I did say it, but I only said it so that the media would understand who I am talking about,” he said. “After that I stopped saying it and I took Ilyas’s name. The work that he is using, the kind of language that he is using – everyone can see. I will not talk of provinces, I play for Pakistan.”

Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said he is “disappointed” with Shahid Afridi’s conditional retirement from international cricket, while denying there is a rift between him and Afridi

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2011Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, has said he is “disappointed” with Shahid Afridi’s conditional retirement from international cricket, while denying there was a rift between him and Afridi. Waqar is due to meet PCB officials to discuss team manager Intikhab Alam’s report on Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies, and was reluctant to comment on the situation with Afridi before that.”I am disappointed at his decision to retire,” Waqar said. “I don’t want to make too many comments before meeting PCB officials. There are no personal differences; we all play for Pakistan and I have only come to know about my differences with Afridi through the media and will not comment on them until I know what Afridi has said.”Waqar’s reported rift with Afridi was followed by the latter being removed as Pakistan’s one-day captain, a move that led to Afridi retiring in protest of what he saw as a humiliation by the PCB. Waqar, however, insisted he had nothing to do with Afridi’s removal from the captaincy.”It’s not in my hand to appoint captain of the team,” he told reporters, on returning from the tour of Ireland. “The PCB chairman [Ijaz Butt] appoints the captain so you better ask him why the change was made.”Afridi’s retirement has prompted the PBC to suspend his central contact and revoke the No-Objection Certificate that allowed him to play for Hampshire in England’s domestic Twenty20 tournament. While Afridi replied to a showcause noticed from the board by accepting he had violated their code of conduct, he also appealed to the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, to step in and stop the board from denying him the right to play cricket where he chose to.The situation has taken on a further political tinge with Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik vowing to persuade the hugely popular Afridi to reconsider his decision. “I will do whatever I can to resolve this issue, as I am equally a fan of Afridi,” Malik tweeted on Thursday.Malik has gotten involved in cricketing affairs before: recently, he coaxed Zulqarnain Haider to return to Pakistan from England where he had fled to on the eve of a one-day match to escape from what Zulqarnain claims were death threats made to him by bookmakers. In the previous administration of Nasim Ashraf, he also played a mediating role between Ashraf and Shoaib Akhtar, in another dispute between board head and star player that got out of hand.

Northamptonshire suffered their first defeat of their Championship
campaign as they went down by 171 runs to Essex in the Division Two match at Chelmsford

27-Jun-2011
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Northamptonshire suffered their first defeat of their Championship
campaign as they went down by 171 runs to Essex in the Division Two match at Chelmsford.The 21-year-old legspinner Tom Craddock marked his Championship debut with four wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 244, after they had started the day on 37 for 1 in pursuit of a target of 416.It was a target they never really threatened to get near and as wickets fell at regular intervals Essex were able to claim only their second triumph of the summer.Northamptonshire’s innings was noted for its unfulfilled promise, with several of their top-order batsmen laying the foundation for a substantial contribution only to perish when seemingly well set.Ben Howgego and Rob White confirmed the point when they resumed in the morning, carrying the total into the 80s without any real problems before being dispatched within touching distance of half-centuries.White departed lbw to David Masters for 43, while the introduction of spin accounted for Howgego for 41 as Tim Phillips gained a similar verdict with his first delivery. Alex Wakely and Andrew Hall also failed to make the most of encouraging starts, both entering the 30s before they were removed.Wakely became the third lbw victim of the innings, this time against
off-spinner Tom Westley, a dismissal which ended a stand of 53, before Hall was bowled when attempting to swoop Craddock.That signalled Craddock’s first Championship wicket of his career. He is
currently on a two-month trial after impressing against Essex while playing for the Unicorns earlier in the season.Craddock was to stamp his mark with three further wickets as he pressed his
claims for a long-term contract. Chaminda Vaas hit a catch to Ryan ten Doeschate at deep mid-on, Lee Daggett was snapped up at short leg by Jaik Mickleburgh and James Middlebrook put up an easy catch to cover.That wicket left Craddock with figures of four wickets for 70 runs from 30
overs – and he no doubt derived even more satisfaction from the fact it was
against a county for whom he had a trial last season.Westley finished with 2 for 45 and Masters 2 for 35 as Essex emerged with
19 points. The visitors had to settle for just three.

Nottinghamshire secured top spot in the North Group of the Friends Life t20 with a 25-run victory over Worcestershire, denying the visitors a place in the quarter-finals

15-Jul-2011
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Nottinghamshire secured top spot in the North Group of the Friends Life t20 with a 25-run victory over Worcestershire, denying the visitors a place in the quarter-finals.Overseas batsman Adam Voges hit 55 from 40 balls as the hosts posted 167 for 6, and quick bowlers Darren Pattinson (3 for 20) and Luke Fletcher (3 for 34) did the damage as Worcestershire were bowled out for 142.Voges held the Nottinghamshire batting together after the hosts stumbled to 35 for 3, putting on 63 with Riki Wessels (33), while Steven Mullaney made a sprightly 35 from 20 balls as the Outlaws hit 38 off the last four overs.Nottinghamshire were always in the box seat as Pattinson and Fletcher ripped out the top order in the opening powerplay and, despite 45 from skipper Daryl Mitchell, the Royals’ reply fell away in the final overs.Nottinghamshire’ record of 11 wins from their 16 group matches has been based on a formidable batting line-up, but Adam Shantry struck in each of his first three overs as Tamim Iqbal, Alex Hales and Samit Patel were all sent back to the pavilion to put the hosts on the back foot.Voges kept his cool and consecutive boundaries off Shakib Al Hasan saw the Australian bring up his third 50 in this year’s competition off 30 balls as he and Wessels consolidated through the middle overs.Mitchell’s medium pace brought the breakthrough as Voges got a leading edge to point, and Wessels followed in the next over as he holed out to deep midwicket off Shakib. Mullaney then thumped three fours and a six, with 17 coming off Shantry’s last over, as Nottinghamshire finished on a high, and Pattinson and Fletcher kept up the momentum with two wickets apiece inside the first five overs.Moeen Ali briefly threatened as the left-hander hit four fours and a six, but Pattinson was brought back to bowl his final over and duly removed Ali with a leading edge to point. That snuffed out Worcestershire’s hopes, with the last five wickets falling in the final four overs as the tail collapsed under the pressure.Nottinghamshire will now play their home quarter-final against Somerset, who finished fourth in the South Group, with the match to take place on August 6, 7 or 8.

Pakistan seamer Mohammad Amir, who flouted his international ban following the spot-fixing controversy by playing in a Surrey league game, has reportedly been let off with a warning from the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2011Pakistan seamer Mohammad Amir, who flouted his international ban following the spot-fixing controversy by playing in a Surrey league game, has reportedly been let off with a warning from the ICC.”He was warned as to his future conduct and was reminded in the strongest terms of the conditions of his ban,” ICC spokesperson Colin Gibson was quoted as saying in the .Amir, 19, turned out for Addington against St Luke’s in June, and played a starring role for his side with bat and ball in a limited-overs game. The ECB then launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his appearance in the fixture, which fell under its regulatory jurisdiction. Amir claimed that he played the game on the understanding that it did not contravene the terms of his ban.”I was informed by club representatives before the game that it was a friendly match, being played on a privately-owned cricket ground,” Amir had told . “I asked the club representatives if the match fell under the jurisdiction of the ECB and they informed me that the match did not. I spoke to several club representatives about the issue and they all told me that it was a friendly match and therefore would not contravene my ban from the ICC. I was informed that I was fine to play.”I would not be stupid enough to knowingly play in a match that I knew would contravene my ban. Wherever I am going to play cricket, the world will know about it. I would not be stupid enough to play in a match where I knew that I would be taking a risk”.This was not the first time Amir has appeared in a game which has had to be investigated by cricket authorities. In January, when he was under provisional suspension and still awaiting punishment for the Lord’s scandal, he turned out for a Rawalpindi club to play a friendly game. That prompted the ICC and PCB to investigate the nature of the game before the former eventually concluded that it was an unofficial game and the club wasn’t registered with the Rawalpindi cricket association; Amir was thus found to have not broken the ICC’s anti-corruption code of conduct on that occasion.

Shaun Marsh, could press Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja for a place in the Australia XI when Ricky Ponting returns, with captain Michael Clarke saying there were “no guarantees” for batting berths in the side

Daniel Brettig in Kandy07-Sep-2011Shaun Marsh, who will make his Test debut in Pallekele, can press Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja for a place in the Australia XI, with captain Michael Clarke saying there were “no guarantees” for batting berths once Ricky Ponting returns.Hughes and Khawaja were preferred to Marsh for the first Test in Galle. Neither could produce a standout score – though both showed signs of promise on a poor pitch – keeping the Australian batting order in a state of some flux despite the 125-run victory.Clarke said Ponting was guaranteed to resume at No. 3 once he returns from Australia following the birth of his second child, but beyond that there is less certainty.”This is a great problem to have,” Clarke said. “Hopefully all three of them do well and we go scissors, paper, rock. It’s pressure, [but it is] good pressure. It’s what the team needs. There’s not one bloke in our team that can look at the first game and feel 100% the job’s done and I don’t need to improve from the last game.”I think every one of us needs to perform better, especially our batters. We need to make more runs. If we bat first then a good score on the board in the first innings is crucial. Our first batting innings is crucial, so every one of us puts our hand up, and if you make a start go on and get a good score.”As a newly-anointed selector, Clarke said his philosophy was to allow players to settle in, but also to ensure they were being pushed for their spots. A strong debut by Marsh would create that kind of pressure.”We’ve got a group of players in Test and one-day cricket that we think is our core group,” Clarke said. “It’s got a combination of experienced players and some youth. I think it’s really important once you select certain players that you do give them a chance. It’s hard to walk straight in and perform.”I believe these guys do deserve an opportunity, no doubt, but in saying that the player is responsible as well. The player needs to grab it with both hands. The great players that I’ve been lucky to play with, it doesn’t really matter how they got their opportunity – whether someone got injured, someone got suspended, someone got rested – generally the guy that came in made the most of that opportunity.”What we’re trying to do with Australian cricket now is to continue to keep our domestic competition as strong as we possibly can, so there is pressure on the international players – there’s someone back home that will take your spot. Shaun is dying for his opportunity, now he gets his chance.”Marsh has only made six first-class centuries since making his start as a teenager with Western Australia. However Clarke was adamant that Marsh’s natural flair for shots had been increasingly allied to knowledge of the hard graft required to succeed.”The key for Shaun is to give himself a chance,” Clarke said. “Once he gets in he’s got every shot in the book and he can destroy an opposition team because he’s got the talent to take the game away from them. For the team’s sake I’d love to see Shaun spend a bit of time in the middle.”I just think it’s really special to see someone who has worked really hard since he’s been involved in the Australian one-day team. The way he’s improved his training, the discipline he’s shown, how he’s lost a lot of weight and become fit and strong, it’s a great reward for him. I hope he just enjoys it, doesn’t worry too much and enjoys the moment. If he does that I’ve got a funny feeling he’s going to make a big score.”Australia’s bowling attack excelled in helpful conditions in the first Test, but will likely face a greater challenge to restrict and dismiss Sri Lanka’s batsmen on a Pallekele pitch that shows none of the dusty tendencies of the Galle strip. Helping the visitors is the fact that none of the bowlers were over-extended as the hosts’ first innings folded for 105.”I think the extra day off probably helped both teams, but it has definitely helped us, it’s allowed our quicks to have another couple of days off,” Clarke said. “A lot of the guys did their bowling yesterday so I don’t know if they will go there today so they can freshen up going into the Test.”On these wickets generally it’s [likely to be] long days. To take 20 wickets means long, long days in the field. I know we rolled them for 105 the other day but I would be very surprised if that happens again in this series. We have to be prepared because to bowl Sri Lanka out will take a lot of time.”