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A round-up of the matches played in Group C of the Ranji Trophy on December 8, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2014Group C
ScorecardFile photo: Rashmi Parida’s unbeaten 54 helped Himachal Pradesh to a first-innings lead•ESPNcricinfo LtdFifties from Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad and Kunal Saikia down the order lifted Assam to 275, earning the team a vital lead of 140 against Tripura in Guwhati. Assam began the day precariously placed at 68 for 4, and were dealt two more setbacks early on day two by the medium-pacer Manisankar Murasingh, who went on to collect 5 for 70. With Assam struggling at 90 for 6, Tripura would have backed themselves to defend their first-innings score of 135, but Tarjinder Singh and Syed Mohammad led a recovery by posting 75 for the seventh wicket. Syed Mohammad eventually fell for 51, having struck four fours and a six, but Tarjinder and Saikia carried on, combining for an eighth-wicket association which yielded 69 runs. Tarjinder was dismissed for 48, with four fours, while Saikia’s 64 included 11 fours. Tripura were 2 for 0 in their second innings at stumps.
ScorecardHyderabad were 281 for 6 overnight, but there was to be no quick finish for the Andhra bowlers on the second day. Ibrahim Khaleel made 40 at No. 7 to take Hyderabad past 300 and there was plenty of more resistance to come. After Khaleel and Pragyan Ojha were dismissed, Nos. 9 and 10 Ashish Reddy and Chama Milind made career-best scores to lift Hyderabad to 522. Reddy made 95 and Milind, whose previous best first-class score was 4 in two innings, was unbeaten on 97 when the innings ended. They scored at extraordinary strike-rates too, Reddy at 91.34 and Milind at 85.84. Their ninth-wicket stand was worth 162. D Shivkumar was Andhra’s most successful bowler, finishing with 4 for 84. Andhra’s openers made a strong reply in their first innings, with Srikar Bharat and Prasanth Kumar making unbeaten half-centuries in a 122-run stand. They still trail by 401 though.
ScorecardOnly 53 overs of play were possible in Wayanad, but Goa managed to compile a competitive 367, before their seamers dealt two early blows against Kerala. Goa began the day at 313 for 6, with their half-centurion Darshan Misal still at the crease. Misal, though, was able to add only nine runs to his overnight score of 67, as he was run out 12 overs into the day. A 23 from Shadab Jakati, though, managed to drag the team past 350. Basil Thampi picked up 4 for 110, while Nizar Niyas chipped in with 3 for 74. Goa’s fast bowlers Saurabh Bandekar and Gauresh Gawas then made two breakthroughs, dismissing VA Jagadeesh and Rohan Prem in the space of 11 overs. Kerala were 60 for 2 at stumps, with their opener KB Pawan unbeaten on 28.
ScorecardAnkush Bains and Rashmi Parida both struck fifties, as Himachal Pradesh collected a vital first-innings lead against Services in Delhi. At stumps on day two, Himachal were well-placed at 255 for 6, with Parida still unbeaten on 54. After Services had been bowled out for 225, Himachal began their reply brightly, as Bains and Raghav Dhawan put up an opening stand of 101. Bains scored 67, with 11 fours, while Dhawan’s 38 included five fours. Both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession, but Parida stayed firm, guiding the team past 250. Paras Dogra (34) and Bipul Sharma (21) both provided Parida ample support at the other end by chipping in with handy knocks, as Himachal ended the day 29 runs ahead.

A preview of the IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors in Mohali

The Preview by Rachna Shetty20-Apr-2013Match factsSunday, April 21
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big pictureWhen they clash on Sunday night, Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors will be looking to shake off their inability to shut out games, and an inconsistency to carry forward a winning momentum, which has placed both teams in the bottom half of the points table. For Kings XI, their batting has been a let-down, with the experienced batsmen failing to shoulder the responsibility of guiding an innings. Their performance can be evidenced from one telling statistic: after five matches, none of their batsmen have scored a half-century. It’s a record they will be eager to erase. They will be buoyed by the arrival of Shaun Marsh, possibly Kings XI’s most valuable player. In 42 IPL matches for Kings XI, Marsh has scored 1603 runs at an average of 45.80 and a strike-rate of 135.96 and, with his fitness issues behind him, should be an automatic pick for the game, as Kings XI try to get past their batting woes against a good bowling attack.Pune have been patchy so far, following up a stunning victory against Chennai Super Kings with mediocre batting against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With the chase against Sunrisers under control, the Warriors batsmen, including Angelo Mathews, played some inexplicable shots to find themselves on the losing side and the middle order, in particular, needs to return to sensible cricket and back their top order better. Their next few fixtures are against top-billing teams and a win against Kings XI could help them gain some confidence going ahead.Form GuideKings XI Punjab LWLLW (most recent first)
Pune Warriors LWLWLPlayers to watchOne of T20 cricket’s journeymen, Azhar Mahmood has emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker for Kings XI so far after Praveen Kumar. It’s his batting, though, that Kings XI will need if they are to challenge Pune Warriors. He has scored 35 runs in four innings so far.With his effective swing bowling, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the leading strike bowler for Warriors, providing breakthroughs at the start of the innings. This season, he has picked up seven wickets at an economy-rate of 6.00 and has also impressed with his tactical nous while opening the bowling.Stats and trivia In the five matches between the two teams, Warriors have won three times, while Kings XI have won twice. David Hussey is joint-second in the list of batsmen to score most ducks in Twenty20 cricket. Hussey has 14 ducks from 195 innings, behind Herschelle Gibbs (23 from 161)Quotes”There are still plenty of matches to go this season. So, everyone in the team has to back each other moving ahead and pray for the best.”

Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath stressed that Zaheer Khan’s form will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 18

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2013Former India bowlers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath stressed that Zaheer Khan’s form will be crucial to India’s chances of doing well in the Test series against South Africa, which starts on December 18. Zaheer, who last played a Test for India against England in December 2012, was picked for the tour of South Africa and is the most experienced bowler in a pace attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.”Zaheer will be the leader,” Kumble told . “He will get reverse (swing) as well. [I] Just hope he bowls at his usual speed. He shouldn’t drop his pace, shouldn’t bowl within himself. It would be good if he can knock a few wickets upfront.”According to Srinath, Zaheer’s effectiveness would depend on him bowling the right spells. “Strength and energy will be critical to Zaheer. As for line, length and strategies, he is a master at that,” Srinath said to the newspaper. “It boils down to his core strength and [about] him coming in for the right spells and sustaining that energy. Another core area for Zaheer is the way he guides the other bowlers.”Zaheer is fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers in South Africa, behind Kumble, Srinath and Sreesanth. In six Tests, Zaheer has 23 wickets at an average of 32.52.Kumble, the most successful Indian bowler in South Africa – with 45 wickets in 12 games – said that the spinners would have to deal with the challenge of additional bounce on the pitches and a softer, used ball.”It does not spin much but you do get bounce from the surface,” Kumble said. “The spinners have to take that into account when they set the field. The ball tends to get soft after 20 overs, so the spinners need to handle that in the middle overs. Between the grounds, there is not much at Johannesburg but Durban does a bit more. And if the game goes to the fourth and fifth day, the spinners will have a role.”Kumble added that R Ashwin, India’s frontline spinner on his first tour to South Africa, could exploit the rough patches created by the follow-throughs of the pacers: “I enjoyed bowling there, bowling into the rough especially against a left-handed batsman. With Zaheer and hopefully (Lonwabo) Tsotsobe bowling (both being left-arm seamers), there will be a rough that Ashwin can exploit.”Both bowlers stressed that the Indian attack would have to get their lengths right, instead of merely relying on the bounce.”The length has to be neither forward nor backward,” Kumble said. “It has to be a length where after pitching, the height of the ball should be able to hit the knee roll of the pad and if the batsman snicks it, there is enough carry for the catch to be taken. You can’t just release the ball, even if there is swing you need to hit the deck hard.”

Peter Borren has been named captain of Netherlands’ 14-man squad for the ODI against South Africa in Amstelveen on May 31

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013Peter Borren has been named captain of Netherlands’ 14-man squad for the ODI against South Africa in Amstelveen on May 31.On May 28, Netherlands’ YB40 squad will travel to Amsterdam for the Canal Bike Race against the South Africans. They will then practice for two days in Amstelveen before the ODI.Squad: Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Daan van Bunge, Mudassar Bukhari, Tom de Grooth, Tim Gruijters, James Gruijters, Tom Heggelman, Ahsan Malik, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart.

Chris Gayle consigned a quiet start to a chase of 155 a distant memory with another calm demolition job of an opposition team

The Report by Siddhartha Talya11-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
An all too familiar sight in the IPL•BCCIChris Gayle took centre stage once again for Royal Challengers Bangalore, after a rare-slip up in their previous game. He consigned a quiet start to a chase of 155 to a distant memory with another calm demolition job of an opposition team, backed up by his captain Virat Kohli, as Kolkata Knight Riders suffered their second defeat in a row following a promising start to their new season as defending champions.Gautam Gambhir guided the Knight Riders batting, happy at being asked to bat during the toss, but the total his side managed proved below-par on an excellent track for batting. The Royal Challengers seamers bowled impressively to restrict partnerships after they had begun encouragingly, and struck in the late overs to stifle an attempted surge. It kept Knight Riders down to a chaseable score, and Gayle made it look worse than it was.Gambhir was at ease piercing the gaps through the in-field, dispatching Moises Henriques, who opened the bowling, through the leg side and RP Singh past point and extra cover. Muttiah Muralitharan was driven through off, smacked over mid-on, and slog-swept, all this during a half-century stand with Jacques Kallis that promised to take Knight Riders beyond what they eventually got. Kallis sliced Vinay Kumar to deep point, but the promotion of Yusuf Pathan to No.4 triggered an acceleration.Yusuf struck his first three balls, all from Vinay, for boundaries to different parts of the ground, before whipping Jaidev Unadkat for six over midwicket. But Royal Challengers pulled things back, breaking the stand when Yusuf holed out to long-on off a slower delivery from Henriques. Gambhir and Tiwary put together a spirited partnership of their own, but the pair, together with Eoin Morgan, fell in a space of two overs at the death. RP leaked a few fours, but picked up three wickets and ran out Ryan McLaren in his final spell. The last four overs, which began with seven wickets in hand, yielded just 31 runs.Knight Riders would have expected a closer contest, having limited the hosts to 21 for 1 in the first five overs of the chase. But both Gayle and Kohli compensated for their early restraint. They targeted McLaren – who was replacing Brett Lee – first, Kohli whipping him for two fours through the leg side and Gayle swinging him for two massive sixes near cow corner. Kohli cashed in on anything bowled too straight, dismissing Pradeep Sangwan for two consecutive sixes.The occasional relief for Knight Riders came through Sunil Narine’s miserly spell and when Sangwan managed to york Gayle, though not well enough to beat his defense, but there was a generous supply of length balls against a batsman well set and in the groove to finish things off quickly. Gayle picked out the deep midwicket area, sending Sangwan again, and L Balaji, over the ropes before reserving the same treatment for Kallis twice in an over.Changes of pace, cutters, and variations in length were all futile against Gayle, who was the architect of another dominating Royal Challengers performance. Just how will bowling attacks find a way through that formidable trio of Gayle, Kohli, and AB de Villiers?

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has been linked with West Ham if David Moyes is sacked and the Bundesliga champions relieve him of his duties.

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Premier League club interested in TuchelStill on books at BayernHammers interested if Moyes leavesWHAT HAPPENED?

West Ham would consider appointing Bayern's Tuchel if they decide to sack Moyes, according to . Tuchel is still on the books with the German club but they are five points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and were beaten by Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie in midweek. With the Irons beaten 6-0 by Arsenal at the weekend, Moyes' job security is once again under the microscope.

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Moyes has guided the Hammers to eighth in the Premier League table and won the Europa Conference League last season, but they have not won a game in this calendar year. As a result, if form does not turn around, there is a possibility that Moyes could simply leave at the end of his contract at the end of the season. Tuchel may well have been relieved of his duties by then, especially if Bayern do not catch Leverkusen in the Bundesliga title race.

(C)Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

West Ham's last win actually came against Arsenal, on December 28, as the Hammers won 2-0 at the Emirates. Since then, though, they have drawn three league games and lost two. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Bristol City.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WEST HAM?

The Irons play Nottingham Forest on Saturday in a vital game for Moyes. Bayern, meanwhile, play Bochum in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

The New Zealand batsman Scott Styris will play in the Big Bash League this season as the second international player for the Hobart Hurricanes

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2012The New Zealand batsman Scott Styris will play in the Big Bash League this season as the second international player for the Hobart Hurricanes. Styris, 37, retired from international cricket last year but has remained a useful Twenty20 player in domestic competitions around the world, having played for two IPL franchises, the Sylhet Royals in Bangladesh and this year for Sussex in England’s county competition.The Hurricanes were impressed by his form for Sussex, which included a 37-ball century last month, equalling the third-fastest hundred in T20 history. Styris said he was looking forward to joining the Hurricanes, having not played in Australia’s T20 competition before.”I’m enjoying my involvement in franchise T20 cricket around the world and have always enjoyed the challenge of playing in Australia against Australians,” Styris said. “The prospect of competing in this major Aussie domestic competition excites me greatly.”The England batsman Owais Shah is the other international player on the Hurricanes’ list for this season, and they have now signed 16 men. All teams must finalise their squads of 18 by the end of November, and the Sydney Thunder have added two more to their list with the signings of Usman Khawaja and Chris Rogers.Khawaja was part of the Thunder group last summer but this will be the first exposure to the BBL for Rogers, who was last year overlooked for a deal. Rogers, 34, continues to pile up the runs in county cricket and for Victoria, and the Thunder hope that in addition to his scoring he will be a valuable mentor for the younger players.”Chris is an exceptional batsman with an outstanding first-class record,” Shane Duff, the Thunder coach, said. “He is the type of proven player we lacked last season and he will play an important role in our line-up.”

Afsar Zazai, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman, and 18-year-old batsman Usman Ghani have been picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2015 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2014Afsar Zazai, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman, and 18-year-old batsman Usman Ghani have been picked in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2015 World Cup, the side’s maiden appearance at the tournament. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shafiqullah has been named among the four standbys for the squad, which will be led by captain Mohammad Nabi.Zazai had made his ODI debut for Afganistan in the recent four-match series against UAE where he kept wicket in all games, even with Shafiqullah in the XI. Ghani, who also made his debut earlier this year, has scored 316 ODI runs, including a century against Zimbabwe in July, one of two Afghanistan batsmen to score ODI centuries in 2014.Mohammad Shahzad, the experienced keeper-batsman, is not part of the squad. Shahzad has not played an ODI since the Asia Cup in March.Afghanistan’s World Cup squad

Mohammad Nabi (captain), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani
Standby: Shafiqullah (wk),Sharafuddin Ashraf,Izatullah Dawlatzai, Hashmatullah Shaidi.

Afghanistan have opted for four pacers in the 15-member squad, with Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam and Hamid Hassan. The main squad has no specialist spinners and part-timers Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari and Javed Ahmadi will be expected to pitch in. Apart from Shafiqullah, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Izatullah Dawlatzai and Hashmatullah Shaidi have been named as standbys.The selection meeting of the Afghanistan Cricket Board was conducted over two days and coach Andy Moles said there had been long discussions over the final 15.Moles said that the players who had missed out on selection had been given reasons for the decision: “For the players who are not part of the list, the committee has already given them strong reasons for that. They are also given suggestions to work on the areas where they lack or struggle.”

Mark Higgs, the left-arm spinner who last played state cricket in 2005, has won a surprise call-up to the Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2013Mark Higgs, the left-arm spinner who last played state cricket in 2005, has won a surprise call-up to the Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes. Higgs, 36, has been confirmed as a replacement player for Ben Hilfenhaus, who was ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to injury, and could make his Twenty20 debut against the Brisbane Heat on Saturday.The chance for a BBL deal appeared to have passed Higgs by when the Adelaide Strikers preferred fellow veteran Brad Young after trialing both men before the tournament began. But the Hurricanes apparently took note and have gambled on Higgs, who is the coach of the ACT Comets Futures League side and until last summer was the captain.The absence of fellow left-arm orthodox bowler Xavier Doherty, who is part of Australia’s ODI squad, could make Higgs an important player for the Hurricanes if they reach the finals. An allrounder who played for both New South Wales and South Australia from 1997-98 until late 2005, Higgs was good enough to play for Australia A and toured with the national side to the ICC KnockOut Trophy in Kenya.In other squad changes on Wednesday, the batsman Travis Head was approved as a replacement for the injured James Smith in the Adelaide Strikers squad, while Adam Crosthwaite could play for the Sydney Sixers in their last qualifying match. Brad Haddin, the Sixers’ first-choice gloveman, is part of the ODI squad and the backup Daniel Smith faces a fitness test ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Melbourne Renegades.

India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has called the tax exemption of Rs 45 crore granted to the ICC for the 2011 World Cup “unjustified and devoid of merit”, and recommended that the Department of Revenue review the exemption

Tariq Engineer30-Nov-2011India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has called the tax exemption of Rs 45 crore (approximately US$8.67 million) granted to the ICC for the 2011 World Cup “unjustified and devoid of merit”, and recommended that the Department of Revenue review the exemption.In a report tabled in India’s Parliament on Tuesday, the committee said, “regarding tax exemption of about Rs 45.00 crore granted to International Cricket Council (ICC) on the revenue generated from the recently concluded World Cup cricket tournament, the Committee are not convinced about the tenability of the tax exemptions given to the ICC, as the World Cup received huge sponsorships and was patronised by the corporate sector in a big way.”Therefore, the Committee are of the considered view that the tax exemption granted to ICC using discretionary powers under the provisions of general exemption for international sporting events was unjustified and devoid of merit. The Committee recommend that the tax exemption granted to ICC be reviewed by the Department of Revenue.”The recommendation was one of several recommendations/observations contained in the committee report, which was tabled by sports minister Ajay Maken in response to a question about the inquiries into the various allegations against the BCCI, most of them over the running of the IPL.The committee was also scathing in its criticism of the Income Tax Department, saying it had been inconsistent in taxing the BCCI and called for a probe of the department. “The inordinate delay and gross inaction in finalising assessment cannot but reinforce the Committee’s desire seeking a thorough probe into the whole gamut of this issue, bringing out clearly the culpability of the tax officials concerned with granting exemptions and finalising assessments in this case.”The BCCI was not spared either. The committee stated that the Indian board needs to improve its functioning so that it can preempt the kind of controversies and allegations that have arisen out of the IPL, and recommended that an investigation into the awarding of media rights for the tournament be instituted.”With regard to reported irregularities in award of media rights and commercial contracts executed in the course of the IPL, considering the serious irregularities and offences, the Committee would like the investigating agencies to look into all matters relating to breach of law, and identify and punish all those persons responsible for the same without further loss of time.”The board has already been sent 19 show-cause notices over foreign exchange violations involving amounts totalling approximately Rs 1077.43 crore, and been asked to pay Income Tax aggregating Rs 375.16 crore. Service tax show-cause notices totalling Rs. 159.12 crore have also been sent to a number of stakeholders and service providers of the IPL.