All posts by csb10.top

Mathew Dowman and Dominic Cork at last gave Derbyshire supporters a dayto savour when they transformed the match at the County Ground with arecord breaking partnership.The unbroken seventh wicket stand of 225 was the highest for Derbyshireagainst Durham and at the close, Dowman and Cork had taken their sideinto a lead of 369.It was a totally different story shortly after lunch when Durham had thehome side on the ropes at 121-6, only 143 runs in front, and there wasevery chance the game would finish inside two days.But the pitch had by now flattened out, the ball did not swing andDowman and Cork plundered bowling which became increasingly ragged on ahot afternoon.This was Dowman’s best innings for Derbyshire and, after spending 18balls on 99, he reached his eighth first-class century which wasapplauded by all the Durham team.Cork scored his fourth hundred and his unbeaten 105 was his highestscore while Dowman’s 129 not out was his best for Derbyshire.The stand was the highest against Durham this season and has seriouslydamaged their chances of avoiding relegation to the Second Divisionwhile Derbyshire now have an excellent chance of winning their firstgame since late June although they already look doomed to lose theirDivision One status.

Allied Bank (ABL) have paid one million US dollars to become one of the co-sponsors of the Pakistan-India series, a top bank official said here on Saturday. Naveed Masud, ABL’s Senior Executive Vice President, told reporters that ABL has signed an agreement with Nimbus Sports, a move that marks the bank’s arrival as a sponsor of a major international sports event.ABL has come under the microscope for closing down its sports department last year but Naveed said that the move does not mean that the bank has stopped supporting sports. “We have changed our policy and now rather than supporting individuals, we are spending our sports funds to sponsor events.” Naveed said that sponsoring sports events like the Pakistan-India series would give “us a lot of mileage”. He asserted that ABL would continue investing funds in the sponsorship of sports in the coming years.Meanwhile, after signing the contract, ABL has joined Allianz, Hutch and Grassim Cement as sponsors of the Pakistan-India series. Allianz are the title sponsors for the three-match Test series while Hutch are the lead sponsors for the five-match ODI contest.”The decision to sponsor the India-Pakistan 2006 series was taken with the knowledge of the passion of the game shared by both the nations and our intention to be an active part of the same,” said Khalid Sherwani, ABL President, in a media statement. A Nimbus official welcomed ABL’s entry as one of the series sponsors. “Allied Bank has beaten Indian banking sponsors to the line on this series — one of most important events in the cricket calendar in 2006,” said the official.

Scorecard

Graham Thorpe, with one of his greatest innings, not only kept England in the third Test, but shifted the momentum of the match their way on another absorbing day at Bridgetown. Thorpe scored a magnificent 119 not out, and dug his side out of a big hole to help them to a slender first-innings lead of two. West Indies then lost Chris Gayle shortly before stumps, and closed with a lead of just 19.England didn’t find the going easy for most of the day, and the only man who stood up to the impressive Bajan barrage of fast bowling was the dependable Thorpe, who rolled up his sleeves up and gritted it out. He can’t have played many more important innings in his long career. He used all his street-fighting savvy to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and drag England past West Indies’ modest 224.While his team-mates played uncharacteristically sloppy shots, Thorpe was prepared to wait for the bad balls. Placement and timing were the features of his innings, and he collected 13 fours in all, most of them behind square. Just as importantly, though, he hung in there for over five hours. At tea, England were tottering at 162 for 8, and Michael Vaughan would probably have settled for somewhere around 200. However, Thorpe slowly changed the whole mood of the game. He added 32 with a watchful Simon Jones, and then an even more priceless 39 with Stephen Harmison for the last wicket.In that time, he notched up his richly deserved century – England’s first of the series, but his 13th overall, in his 86th Test – by stepping down the track and crunching Fidel Edwards on the up past mid-on and to the rope. Thorpe punched the air in delight, and received rapturous applause from all quarters of the Kensington Oval. The adoring Barmy Army, along with the England balcony, appreciated just what a critical knock it was.Thorpe guided England to a two-run lead, and his vigil overshadowed what was West Indies’ most impressive allround bowling display of the series so far. Edwards, the youngest of the quartet, led the way with four wickets, two of them in the first ten minutes of the day, as England, bar Thorpe and the tailenders, failed to keep cool heads under the sustained pressure.England’s first casualty was Mark Butcher, in the fourth over of the day. He flashed at a wide, lifting ball from Edwards, and Gayle pouched it in front of his face at first slip (24 for 2). Vaughan was never at ease, and he perished trying to pull Edwards, caught behind by Ridley Jacobs for 17 (33 for 3).England had scored only 13 runs in the first 45 minutes, and it was up to the old heads of Thorpe and Nasser Hussain to drag them out of trouble again. They managed to ride out the storm for the majority of the morning session, but just as they seemed to be guiding England to lunch with no further flutters, Corey Collymore finally had his first success of the series when he bowled Hussain through the gate (65 for 4).

The wickets kept on coming in the afternoon. Andrew Flintoff was again out to a soft shot. He tamely patted Tino Best off the back foot straight to mid-off for 15 (90 for 5). Chris Read, under pressure to make runs, hit a couple of handsome drives, but was trapped in front by Edwards for 13 (119 for 6). Ashley Giles played an inelegant swat at Pedro Collins and was gobbled up by the substitute, Barbados’s Antonio Mayers, at third slip (147 for 7). Matthew Hoggard then stuck around for 13 balls until he was leg-before to that effective Collins inswinger (155 for 8).All this meant that Thorpe was fast running out of partners, but Jones and Harmison stuck around for the ride as England won that crucial last session. Jones bravely kept Thorpe company for 37 balls until he was spectacularly caught by Ramnaresh Sarwan at short leg off Best. Jones clipped the ball off his toes, and Sarwan flung up his hands more in hope than anything else, but the ball miraculously stuck in his palms (187 for 9). Harmison then again proved he can hang around when he needs to, and he shut up shop for 29 balls until he was bowled by Collins. But Thorpe had kept the huge British contingent happy, with his magical hundred at the other end.West Indies then had a tricky ten overs to face before the close, in which time Gayle was done up like a kipper. He slammed three short ones from Harmison to the boundary, but was then bowled all ends up by a yorker, which he swished at optimistically without moving his feet at all (19 for 1). Gayle won’t want to see the replay.Bad light forced the players off shortly afterwards, frustrating England’s hopes of removing Lara as well, but Gayle’s wicket has put them fractionally ahead. Early wickets tomorrow will make them strong favourites to remove that 36-year-old monkey from their backs.Freddie Auld is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

A move has been initiated to shift the Indian cricket board’s headquarters from Mumbai to Delhi and, more significantly, change the place of its registration from Chennai to the national capital. The proposal has come from Jagmohan Dalmiya, former board president, and has the support of many BCCI members.According to the plan, the BCCI is not just keen to shift the headquarters to Delhi but also construct its own state-of-the-art offices, a stark contrast from the decrepit headquarters at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.According to the Indo-Asian News Service, Dalmiya raised the issue on behalf of the CAB at the emergent working committee meeting in June and the matter again came up at the August 15 meeting in New Delhi.”The two proposals were raised by Dalmiya and have been duly listed in the minutes, just in case someone wants to see them as a proof,” said an official. “It was also agreed at Kovalam that legal opinion would be obtained to have the registration changed and that the process should be initiated.”The BCCI was registered as a society under Act XXI of 1860 at Chennai, November 28, 1940.But while many would like the headquarters to be shifted, the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Lalchand Rajput, a former Test player, registered his opposition. Apart form Rajput, Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) President Inderjit Singh Bindra is also opposed to the idea of the change.”Shifting of the headquarters would need an amendment in the BCCI Constitution, which requires two-third of the members of the general body supporting the move,” said Bindra. “And so far as changing the board’s registration is concerned, I’m not sure if it is legally possible – because then the board (as it is known) will cease to exist.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Adam Gilchrist generated a high-energy batting performance that gave Australia the ideal warm-up for the VB Series finals as they thrashed South Africa by 57 runs at Sydney. Gilchrist slammed 88 from 66 deliveries to guarantee a massive total and Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn and Michael Hussey cashed in to catapult the side to 6 for 344. Only occasionally were the visitors in sight of the huge target.South Africa must now win their final game against Sri Lanka on Tuesday to meet Australia in the best-of-three finals and they must hope Shaun Pollock recovers quickly from a bruised heel. While Pollock rested, his bowling team-mates collected serious bruises from the home side’s batsmen which must heal if they are to make a further impact on the tournament.Gilchrist starred in the first act of an incredible performance, Martyn and Hussey finished it off with an 81-run stand from 9.1 overs, and the bowlers made sure their opponents rarely travelled at more than five an over. Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs gave South Africa a chance of keeping pace with an escalating run-rate, but each time they closed in a serious disruption arrived and they had to start again.Needing more than seven an over from the outset, they lost Graeme Smith to a sensational one-handed, legside take from Gilchrist before Boeta Dippenaar (27) and Gibbs (46) departed after bright but ultimately inconsequential rallies. A one-day personal best of 76 drove Boucher and he clung on to the hope of a successful pursuit, but after launching two sixes in the same Brad Hogg over the pressure of having to find – or clear – the boundary told.His attempt at a third six fell about five metres short and was caught by James Hopes. As the match lost its impact despite the excitement of Johan van der Wath’s four sixes, spectators thronged to the exit, which was a turnaround from the opening ten overs as people raced to their seats.Gilchrist lit up the innings in an amazing example of power driving and was on target for a huge score – he admitted at the dinner break he thought about a double-century – until he miscued a pull from Charl Langeveldt in the 18th over. His one other moment of difficulty was an lbw shout on 65, but the rest of the time he charged at the South African attack with 14 boundaries.His fifty came in the eighth over from 29 deliveries as van der Wath and Monde Zondeki, who was subbed in the 14th over after giving up 42 from four, were punished. Driving, cutting and flicking, Gilchrist was unstoppable no matter how many men Graeme Smith placed on the offside.Smith delayed his second Powerplay after Australia were 121 from 15 overs and the ploy worked as Gilchrist went to the relief of the bowlers and the disappointment of a buoyant crowd. Ricky Ponting took Gilchrist’s lead and drove superbly as he collected eight boundaries in his 72 from 61 deliveries and it was such a powerful team display that it felt like Martyn was crawling, even though a fierce pull brought up his half-century from 55 balls.Hussey played his usual role of late-over storming to pound 47 from 33 and it seemed Australia could do nothing wrong as mis-hits and full-blooded strokes found the fence. In partnership with Martyn, who added a fine 79, Hussey dominated in muscular fashion and ended the innings with four fours and a six. It was an appropriate conclusion to a reign of terror begun by Gilchrist.The total lifted Australia, who were again missing Glenn McGrath after he ruled himself out due to his wife Jane’s cancer. He has also withdrawn from the finals to spend time with his family.South Africa had few moments of joy despite the early departures of Simon Katich and Andrew Symonds. van der Wath, who spilled 82 runs against Australia on Friday, was thrashed for 76 today while Andrew Hall gave up 69, and Smith and Johan Botha were pleased to go at the relatively quiet pace of five an over. The side has one game to set things right if they want a chance for finals revenge.

South AfricaGraeme Smith c Gilchrist b Lee 6 (1 for 7)
Boeta Dippenaar c Hussey b Clark 27 (2 for 52)
Herschelle Gibbs c Gilchrist b Symonds 46 (3 for 105)
Justin Kemp c Bracken b Hogg 28 (4 for 172)
Mark Boucher c Hopes b Symonds 76 (5 for 199)
Ashwell Prince run out 25 (6 for 236)
Australia
Simon Katich c Kemp b van der Wath 11 (1 for 65)
Adam Gilchrist c Boucher b Langeveldt 88 (2 for 138)
Andrew Symonds c Hall b Smith 7 (3 for 168)
Ricky Ponting c Gibbs b Botha 72 (4 for 203)
Michael Clarke c Rudolph b Hall 27 (5 for 263)
Damien Martyn run out 79 (6 for 344)

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

The combination of an irrepressible Glenn McGrath and a bouncy WACA pitch proved too lethal for Pakistan, as they crashed to their fourth-lowest total in Tests and a massive 491-run defeat. McGrath scythed through the top order taking the first seven wickets, and ending with incredible figures of 8 for 24 – his best in Test cricket – as Pakistan were bundled out for just 72 to tumble to their most comprehensive defeat in terms of runs, and the fourth-largest of all time.Even the most die-hard Pakistani supporter would have known before play started today that only one result was possible in this game, but what was expected of the players was some gumption and fight. However, none of them had any clue against the bouncing ball, as batsman after inept batsman hung his bat out to dry, and was snaffled by one of several catchers behind the stumps. The stats for today’s play will make for appalling reading for a Pakistan fan – 9 for 54 in 25.3 overs.Four years ago, playing at the same ground against West Indies in 2000-01, McGrath had taken a hat-trick, nailing Sherwin Campbell, Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams. Today, he was in line for a repeat act when he dismissed Abdul Razzaq and Inzamam-ul-Haq off successive balls, and though Kamran Akmal kept the hat-trick ball out, there was little Pakistan could do to thwart him. Homing in on a perfect line around off, he swung and seamed the ball around, and hardly conceded any run-scoring opportunities. Jason Gillespie ended up wicketless at the other end, but with some luck he could have had a few in the bag as well, as Pakistan’s batsmen, with their abysmal defensive techniques, were disasters waiting to happen.The procession started in the fifth over of the day, when Salman Butt steered a drive to Matthew Hayden at gully (2 for 34). Younis Khan fell soon after, presenting Shane Warne with some catching practice at first slip. When Razzaq poked at another one and nicked to the wicketkeeper, Inzamam walked out, batting at No. 6 because of a back injury which kept him off the field for more than a session yesterday. One ball later, he was disconsolately trudging back, given out caught behind off another jaffa (5 for 49).

Yousuf Youhana played a couple of blistering cover-drives on his way to 27, but his innings could have ended well before that – his first two scoring strokes were both flails outside off which evaded the slip cordon, and he then tried to duck under a bouncer from Gillespie with his bat hanging in the air, but Ricky Ponting spilled the chance in the slips.Youhana’s luck finally ran out when he tried to draw away from a hook off a superbly directed bouncer, but only managed a faint tickle to Adam Gilchrist (7 for 64). At that stage, McGrath was in line for a perfect ten, but Michael Kasprowicz joined in the fun, taking two of the last three wickets to fall as the innings folded in the final over before lunch.Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, had admitted before the series began that his side looked like beating nobody. The expectation then was that the players would lift their game for the big occasion. Today’s shocking batting performance means that Australia would be odds-on favourites to deliver their third consecutive 3-0 series thrashing to Pakistan.

Kenya’s veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Kennedy Otieno has vowed to quit international cricket after being dropped for the opening match of the ICC Intercontinental Cup which starts in Nairobi today. Otieno, 34, was angry at being left out of the side following a dramatic slump in form.The selectors said Otieno and his opening-partner David Obuya, who was also dropped, had failed to deliver during the recent tour of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Otieno scored 8 runs in three innings in Bangladesh before being dropped for the final ODI.”I am very bitter right now and am even considering retiring from international cricket,” he said. “I am very disappointed considering what I have done for this country. “I am crying for justice. I should be treated fairly and judged fairly as the whole top order failed in Bangladesh.”Otieno had been a virtual ever-present in the national side since 1996 and he is one of only three players – Steve Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe being the others – to have played more than 60 ODIs for Kenya.

Brad Hogg has no intention of giving up the mantle of Australia’s leading one-day spinner to Dan Cullen, the rookie offspinner, before next year’s World Cup. However, he believes Cullen is the man to take over the role of leading Australian spinner in the future.Hogg, 35, said that the hunger to compete in the World Cup was greater than it had ever been for him. “As things get closer I think it was halfway through last year [it became] one of those goals where I wanted to defend something that I have done before,” he told the . “It is good that Dan has got a crack and he has a little taste of international cricket. He is probably going to be our main spinner once Warne and MacGill go in the Test arena and hopefully he can play a big part in the one-dayers as well from now on.”Following Shane Warne’s retirement from one-day cricket, Hogg has carved out a handy role for himself and picked up his 100th wicket during the first match against Bangladesh at Chittagong on Sunday. His tally rests at 101 wickets at 28.88 – with an economy rate of 4.52 – in 83 one-day matches, and he averages just over 20 with his late-order hitting. Cullen conceded just 36 from his ten overs on debut, but it was Hogg, with 3 for 37, who was the stand-out bowler on a spin-friendly pitch in Chittagong.Hogg believed he was in the form of his career and expected himself and Cullen to both make the squad for the World Cup in the Caribbean. “They took two spinners to the last World Cup and I can’t see why they won’t this time,” he said. “It looks like it is going to be Dan or myself or either one of us, but we have to keep performing to keep our spots. As they say you don’t give a sucker an even chance.”Both bowlers are set for another crack at Bangladesh at Fatullah tomorrow with Australia naming an unchanged side for the second game of the three-match series.

Kenya’s players met with board officials at Cricket Kenya’s headquarters on Thursday after expressing unhappiness at not receiving their match fees for the abandoned tri-series match against Canada at Mombasa last month.The game was called off after Canada informed match officials that they were unable to field a side because of illness in their squad. Under ICC regulations, that means the game was deemed never to have started and, as such, Cricket Kenya did not pay its players appearance fees of between $60 and $90 each. The players, however, believed that this money should have been forthcoming even though the game was scrapped the day before and they never even left their hotel. They still received their $30 daily allowance on the day concerned.”We were concerned about our allowances for the Canada match,” Thomas Odoyo, the Kenya allrounder, told Kenya’s , “but that matter has now been resolved. With that issue now behind us, we can now focus all our attention on training.”Cricinfo has learned that the board agreed to pay the fees as a one-off, on the understanding that this did not set a precedent.The news comes days after Cricket Kenya announced its players would each receive $5000 bonuses for their success in the World Cricket League last week.”We will pay them this appearance fee soon and they have agreed to resume training,” Tom Tikolo, Cricket Kenya’s chief executive said. “They are now settled and we don’t anticipate any more issues. They [the players] also expressed concern regarding the issue of World Cup bonuses and we assured them they would get paid on time.”

Michael Lewis, the fast bowler from Victoria, has been investigated for alleged ball-tampering during the Pura Cup game against Queensland at the Gabba. In what was the first such video review in the history of Australian domestic cricket, Lewis was found to have applied his thumbnail to the ball but the umpires, stating that he hadn’t done anything illegal, let him off with a warning.Lewis was caught in suspicious circumstances on camera on two occasions: first, applying his thumbnail to the ball; and second, in the way he was holding the ball, with both hands over the top. Norm McNamara and Dave Orchard, the on-field umpires, reviewed the footage with Greg Shipperd, Victoria’s coach, and Cameron White, the captain, at the end of the day’s play and decided Lewis had no case to answer, saying the matter had been “dealt with” on the field.However, when Lewis and White were asked to comment by the media, they denied being addressed by the umpires, claiming that their on-field discussions with McNamara and Orchard were in regard to a different incident. Lewis had earlier hurled the ball at Clinton Perren, the Queensland batsman whose second-innings 90 had set his team up for a win, and this forced the umpires to intervene. “We wouldn’t be so stupid as to do something illegal when we know the cameras are on us,” Lewis has been reported as saying by the , a Melbourne-based daily.During the second day’s play, Lewis had requested McNamara and Orchard to clean the ball after it had been soiled by sand and dirt when retrieved from the boundary. Both umpires consented, and Lewis apparently cleaned the ball with his thumb. Later in the day’s proceedings, Lewis was seen to have applied his thumbnail to the ball. After being shown the footage, Graham Dixon, Queensland’s cricket chief executive, brought the matter to the attention of the umpires, adding that he was suspicious over the manner in which Lewis held the ball during delivery. The umpires watched the video and decided Lewis had done nothing illegal, and a warning was issued to Lewis that such instances were not permissable without the umpires’ consent.Despite Victoria’s claims of being scrutinised because of the intense rivalry between both teams, this incident has been taken seriously owing to another case earlier this year. An investigation into a ball-tampering episode involving an assistant coach during a Victorian second XI game was dismissed due to lack of evidence, but the vigilance with which such cases have been approached has put players under pressure. Further, Victoria’s bowlers have a reputation of generating reverse-swing, and Lewis – who maintained that he along with Rodney Hogg, the former Test bowler, had devised a legal method – has been recognised as one of the chief exponents of the craft.