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An unbeaten century by Dwayne Smith lit up the Kensington Oval, helping Barbados Tridents to a comfortable 29-run win against St Lucia Zouks

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAn unbeaten century by Dwayne Smith lit up the Kensington Oval, helping Barbados Tridents to a comfortable 29-run win against St Lucia Zouks but sparks also flew elsewhere. Tino Best and Shoaib Malik were involved in an altercation after the bowler dismissed the batsman, his celebration littered with choice words. Malik returned the favour before the umpire’s intervened.However, the incident had no bearing on the cricket being played. Malik had scored 49, Tridents were 128 in the 15th over and Smith was cruising along at 71. There was no let off in the remaining 5.1 overs: Smith fired up a late surge adding 58 runs in the period. He reached his second T20 century of the penultimate ball of the innings with a six over midwicket of Sohail Tanvir and celebrated it with another six off the last ball.The innings had started in a similar flourish. Zouks opted to bowl but the first ball, bowled by Roelof van de Merwe, was cut past point for a boundary by Smith. It wasn’t a one off. Smith launched a four and a six over mid-off before cutting one through to the point boundary to make it 18 off the first over. Tanvir struck of his first ball from the other end, but that proved to be their only positive in the next 13.4 overs.Smith and Malik partnered in an 110-run association that set up the foundation for a huge total. The two took their time taking 34 runs in their first six overs and apart from an odd boundary, didn’t look to press on. Smith reached his half-century in the 11th over, off 39 balls. The innings got a boost in the 15th over when both Smith and Malik launched into Best, taking 15 runs off his first four balls. Best uprooted Malik’s leg stump in the fifth delivery, but the momentum had been shifted. Smith continued his merry six-hitting ways and ended up with a tally of eight hits overs the boundary.Zouks needed a strong start to their innings but their top-order batsmen were unable to string major partnerships together. By the time Darren Sammy was dismissed, for a duck, in the 14th over, the chase had gone out of hand. Zouks needed 108 off 42 balls at that stage and although Tanvir and Keddy Lesporis made a valiant effort, their unbeaten 78-run stand fell much short of the target.

Ahead of his first tour of England, R Ashwin has said he wants to revert to being an attacking bowler

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2014Ahead of his first tour of England, R Ashwin has said he wants to revert to being an attacking bowler. Ashwin said the team management had used him in a holding role in previous overseas Tests, and said this wasn’t his strength.”I had a chat with a couple of people who have done well in England,” Ashwin told the . “A few interesting things have come out of it. Bowling in a way that they have been doing takes practice. I need to see if it is working for me and find ways to take wickets.”There have been times where the team wanted me to hold an end up, which is not my strength. I would like to get back to my strength and start spinning the ball really hard and get batsmen out. In terms of strategy, I have a couple in my mind which I’ll be working on.”Ashwin hasn’t tasted too much success away from home so far, with only nine wickets in four Tests at an average of 74.77. After a wicketless first Test in South Africa, Ashwin was dropped, with Ravindra Jadeja replacing him for the second Test and remaining in the side as the only specialist spinner for the two Tests in New Zealand.”There are various factors that determine performance, some of which, like luck, aren’t in my hand,” Ashwin said. “I have been working very hard on whatever is in my hand. Apart from hard work, I think patience is also required.”Ashwin’s overseas struggles led Sunil Subramaniam, his former mentor, to criticise him in the media. Asked about this, Ashwin said he didn’t know what led to the breakdown of relations between them.”I think a coach must communicate with the player first,” he said. “I don’t know where we fell out. He was someone who was helping me. Whenever I needed help, I hired him. But with the tight international calendar, you don’t get the time to go back to someone and the drawing board. I don’t know where it comes from and you don’t know who needs the publicity.”India haven’t won a Test match away from home since that 2011 England tour, in which they lost the Test series 4-0. Ashwin said this wasn’t playing on his mind.”A lot of new guys have come in the team after the 2011 debacle. So that way it is going to be a fresh start,” he said. “Besides, the experience of players like Gautam Gambhir will be really handy. As a whole, it is a great challenge. I am very optimistic.”

Ahead of their showdown on Sunday, GOAL rank the 10 greatest African players to play for the Premier League title contenders

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images10Ali Benarbia

Manchester City pulled off a coup when they recruited Algeria’s Benarbia from Paris Saint-Germain in 2001, with the North African having won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award two years previously.

He was influential as the Sky Blues won promotion to the Premier League under Kevin Keegan, but struggled to impose himself in the top flight.

He also represented AS Monaco, Bordeaux and Martigues, and was named Algerian footballer of the year in 2002.

AdvertisementGetty Images9Wilfried Bony

Bony was previously Africa’s most expensive player ever, costing Manchester City £28 million when he moved from Swansea City at the beginning of 2015.

However, he struggled for game time due to injuries and increased competition from Sergio Aguero and Iheanacho, and departed on a season-long loan to Stoke City on transfer deadline day as his Etihad Stadium career came to an end.

He subsequently moved back to Swansea City, and is currently with Eredivisie club NEC Nijmegen.

Getty8Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor has often been a polarising figure in world football.

It seems that, as soon as he starts to get the fans on his side, he does something that conjures up the ire of his supporters.

He has represented a host of high-profile clubs, including Spanish giants Real Madrid and Arsenal, among others, and departed the Gunners for Manchester City in 2009 for a fee believed to be about £25 million, making him, at one point, Africa's most expensive player.

He remained at the Etihad Stadium until 2011, when he joined Tottenham Hotspur.

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Getty7Bruce Grobbelaar

The Zimbabwe stopper is remembered as one of Africa’s finest goalkeepers in history…and is certainly the most successful.

He was a key man in one of Liverpool’s greatest sides, winning six titles and three domestic cups during his time at Anfield.

He was influential as the Reds won the European Cup in 1984, putting AS Roma’s strikers off with his infamous bandy legs in the final shootout.

West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach has escaped serious injury following a car accident early on Saturday morning in his native Barbados

Renaldo Matadeen20-Apr-2014West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach has escaped serious injury following a car accident early on Saturday morning in his native Barbados.Roach, 25, crashed his BMW sedan after losing control due to slippery road conditions at traffic lights near Wanstead Drive, just outside Bridgetown. According to local reports, the car flipped several times before landing in the 3Ws Park, approximately half a mile from the 3Ws Oval.Two wheels of the vehicle were broken off and the airbags deployed reports stated. Roach sustained a head wound but appeared coherent as he was taken by ambulance from the scene.Roach took to Twitter a few hours later after the accident to reveal to follows that he was recovering and in good health. “Sorry To Scare My Friends, Family And Fans But I’m Straight! Thanks For The Love! #BlessUp.”Inspector David Welch confirmed that police responded to the incident but divulged that further details could not be given since the investigating officers were still gathering information.Roach has played 23 Tests and 61 One-Day Internationals but has not appeared up for West Indies in nearly a year because of injury.

While the pace of Jamie Overton caught the eye, it was the patience and denial of Keaton Jennings that gave Durham the advantage over Somerset.

George Dobell at Chester-le-Street20-Apr-2014
by 301 runsScorecardJamie Overton bowled with pace but little control and over-stepped eight times•Getty ImagesIt may be pace and big hitting that catches the eye, but it is so often patience and denial that proves more effective.So it proved on the first day of this game at Chester-le-Street. While the bowling of Jamie Overton, a young man blessed with unusual pace, may be what lingers longest in the mind, it was the well organised batting of Keaton Jennings that proved decisive.Put into bat on a track that is notoriously helpful for seamers, Durham achieved the second highest first innings score on the ground for two years. In 2013, six of the eight first innings total amounted to between 237 and 267 and only once did a side score above that. While the pitch may be drier than normal and carrying less grass cover, this is a total that might be considered about 40 above par.So Somerset will be especially rueful that they donated 32 extras to the Durham total. That tally includes 30 in no-balls – each no-ball costs two runs in the Championship – with the first session accounting for 24 of them. As Somerset’s vice-captain James Hildreth said afterwards: “That amount of runs can be absolutely crucial in a game here at this time of season.”While Somerset’s bowlers have some excuse – shorn of the injured pair of Alfonso Thomas and Steve Kirby, this is a youthful attack with its best years well ahead of it – it does seem shoddy to concede so many extras. Nor can it reflect especially well on the disciplines that should be instilled in training.But the extras are only part of the story. Somerset also squandered the new ball – Mark Stoneman pulled a four and a six in the first over – and conceded 42 fours and two sixes in the innings with a surfeit of short and wide bowling that allowed Durham to score at almost five-an-over for the first hour and then, just as it seemed Somerset might claw their way back into the game, counter-attack with an eighth-wicket stand of 65 in 18 overs.Durham, in turn, might reflect that they failed to make Somerset pay as heavily as they might have done. While their total is still more than competitive, it could have been far better against an attack that lost Craig Meschede to a side strain in the evening session and contains the sort of spinner in Johann Myburgh who seems to only bowl to improve the over-rate. Somerset were also without Craig Overton, who has a side strain.But Durham lost several soft wickets. Stoneman flashed without foot movement, Scott Borthwick was drawn into feeling for one he should have left, Phil Mustard left a straight one and Michael Richardson poked to gully the delivery after sustaining a blow to the head off Overton, who was as rapid as he was unpredictable.That Durham were able to post such a good total was largely due to Jennings. The former South Africa Uunder-19 captain is a left-handed batsman in the accumulative mould of Alastair Cook and, while his colleagues poked and prodded at balls they could have let pass, he left well, defended with a straight bat and waited for the short ball, the leg side ball or the over-pitched ball to put away. He rarely had to wait for long. It took a delivery that bounced more than normal to take his edge and end his innings.Overton, by contrast, looked raw. Not only did he over-step eight times, but he bowled far too short, far too often and, like Tymal Mills at Essex, provided a reminder that pace without control is a mixed blessing. But, by generating such sharp pace from a run-up that faintly resembles Steve Harmison, when everything clicked, he looked a fearsome prospect and he also struck Jamie Harrison, a much-improved batsman, a blow on the head. Tough days like this should be part of the learning process and it is not surprising that James Whitaker, the national selector, took a keen interest in him throughout the day.Somerset improved after lunch. Lewis Gregory bowled a particularly good spell to account for Jennings, with one that bounced, and Paul Collingwod, with one that kept low, to suggest there was still plenty in the surface if the ball was put in the right areas. But when Gareth Breese, as much a batsman as a bowler these days, helped Harrison plunder a tiring attack, Durham took the game away from Somerset. Had Breese, at third slip, held on to a tough chance offered by Marcus Trescothick in the final over of the day off the deserving Chris Rushworth, they would have capitalised further.”Anything above 250 here will be competitive,” Jennings said afterwards. “Sooner or later you get a ball here that has your name on it. We have excellent new ball bowlers and if we out the ball in good areas tomorrow, that should prove a good total.””We were disappointed with how we bowled,” Hildreth said, “particularly in that first session. It is hugely frustrating when you see all those no-balls, because they are completely within our control and we have just given them extras. Durham are ahead at the moment.”

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza rued the dismissal of half-centurion Anamul Haque off the final ball of the match when his side needed three runs to win over the No.1-ranked T20 team

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong12-Feb-2014Bangladesh needed three to win off the last ball and although Anamul Haque, on 58 off 44, would regret top-edging the hip-high full toss, Bangladesh were ultimately done in by two earlier dismissals. Captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain fell at crucial times which limited their ability to challenge the the target of 169.Shakib had added 43 runs for the third wicket with Anamul, before he tried to belt Nuwan Kulasekara in the 14th over and was bowled off a slower ball. Bangladesh needed a very gettable 62 runs off 40 balls before he got out. Nasir, Bangladesh’s designated finisher, swung hard against Lasith Malinga and holed out at long-on. At the time, Bangladesh still had 20 balls to get the requisite 37 runs, but that is the price Nasir or Shakib pays for their risk-taking.”Shakib and Nasir’s dismissals made a lot of difference because we could not accelerate from that point,” Mashrafe said. “It was probably the right time to pick up the pace.”We are very disappointed to lose such a game to the No. 1-ranked team in the world. Everyone is upset, but we will take good points out of this game. Nasir’s dismissal was just bad timing for us. It showed how things can go the other way.”But since Bangladesh were just one hit away from beating Sri Lanka, Anamul’s execution off that last ball would always be debated. Mashrafe has said it was down to luck, as almost everything was going the home team’s way in the final over.”We were equal with Sri Lanka and that one ball in the end made the difference. Anamul was hitting it well by that time, as we had seen the previous two balls when he hit two very good shots over cover. The last ball was unfortunate, the timing wasn’t there. It could have taken a top edge and gone behind the keeper but he hit it with the face of the bat.”The platform was ready for us. The batsman was set and the bowler was under pressure. I think luck betrayed us in the end. But credit to [Anamul Haque] Bijoy for bouncing back so well after missing out on the Test matches. He took the side very close to victory.”Thisara Perera was given that last over and leaked 14 runs off the first five balls, but Sri Lanka’s top-scorer Kusal Perera, who believed the visitors’ score was a little light, said the team had backed Thisara to deliver.”It is a team game, and we can’t forget the fast bowler in the last ball,” he said. “He bowled two balls, [and got hit for] two boundaries. We had to ask him something before the last ball. That’s how the game goes.”We were always thinking about winning the match. We don’t want to think about the losing side. We were 10 to 15 runs short. But it was a defendable target.”Bangladesh’s fielding kept them in the game when Kusal was smashing it everywhere during his 44-ball 64. Anamul took a superbly balanced catch at deep midwicket while Nasir took a blinder diving to his right around the same position at the other end of the ground. Mashrafe has said that it was important to field well to turn their fortunes in the shortest format. Bangladesh have now lost 23 of 32 matches played since 2006.”We were always a good fielding side, and today we had some really good ones out there,” he said. “We took some great catches, and those have more of an effect in Twenty20s than Tests or ODIs. We dropped a few catches in the Test series, so it was a good way to bounce back.”I would still say we played well. Sunny bowled well, and Mithun probably had to play that shot. It was a good mix for us but to win T20 games, there has to be two bowlers and three batsmen doing the job, or three bowlers and two batsmen.”

If South Africa win in Cape Town it will be their first series win at home against Australia since 1970 – they have lost four and drawn two since their readmission

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale28-Feb-2014Match facts March 1-5, Cape Town
Start time 1030 local (0830GMT)Shane Watson is likely to return to Australia’s XI for the deciding Test•Getty ImagesBig Picture For all the close battles that Australia and South Africa have had over the past few years, only once since the mid-1990s have they entered the last Test of a series with the score even. That was in the last series in Australia in 2012-13, when the hosts felt they had the better of the first two draws only for South Africa to romp over the top of them in the decider in Perth. For the second successive series between these teams, it comes down to the third and final Test.There could hardly be a more tantalising location for the decider. Not only does Newlands boast arguably the finest backdrop in world cricket, it was the scene of the most remarkable of all the recent Tests between these two sides. At this ground in November 2011, Shane Watson and Ryan Harris skittled South Africa for 96, which seemed a pretty darn good effort. Until Australia collapsed for 47. They were lucky even to get there, having been 21 for 9. For just the third time in Test history, part of all four innings of a Test occurred on one day. Not that the pitch was a minefield – Michael Clarke, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla all scored hundreds in the same Test.A dry surface is expected this time around and as in the first two Tests the team batting last may have a difficult task on their hands. South Africa’s batsmen handled Mitchell Johnson with greater ease on the slower Port Elizabeth pitch than in Centurion and South Africa’s ability to find reverse swing was also critical. If the hosts can carry their momentum into the Cape Town Test they could secure their first series win at home against Australia since their readmission.Form guide (last five completed games most recent first)
South Africa WLWDW
Australia LWWWWIn the spotlightThere are few sights more worrying to an Australian cricketer than an in-form Hashim Amla. At his best, as he was in the Perth win in 2012-13, he can manoeuvre almost any ball to any part of the field. And since the start of the 2011-12 series in South Africa, Amla has scored five Test centuries against Australia while averaging 61.15. A return to form for an unbeaten 127 in Port Elizabeth was the last thing Australia needed, and a significant boost to South Africa’s hopes of winning the series.Michael Clarke has played 11 innings since his last Test half-century. That is the longest such drought of his Test career and is all the more surprising given his dominance as a batsman since he took over the captaincy. Clarke has at times been too keen to get bat on ball during this series and he will hope that a good, long chat with Shane Warne has helped him reach the mental space required for this decider. At least he can think back to his century when Australia last played a Test here, even if it was overshadowed by their 47 all out in the second innings.Team news Alviro Petersen is expected to return after missing the Port Elizabeth Test due to a virus, which would mean Dean Elgar would likely shift down the order and Quinton de Kock would make way. A change to the attack is also required due to Wayne Parnell’s groin strain and Rory Kleinveldt might be favoured over Kyle Abbott and Ryan McLaren. There is a good chance the spin duties will again be shared by the part-timers Elgar and JP Duminy.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Dean Elgar, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Rory Kleinveldt, 11 Morne Morkel.After missing the first two Tests with a calf injury, Shane Watson is expected to return to Australia’s line-up for the series decider, adding a valuable extra bowling option and slotting in at No. 6. Shaun Marsh will miss out with Alex Doolan staying in team – Inverarity confirmed as much at training on Friday*. There is a question mark over the attack after the fast men endured a heavy workload in Port Elizabeth. Ryan Harris in particular has struggled for impact and James Pattinson may be considered to add some freshness to the bowling group.Australia (possible) 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Alex Doolan, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Shane Watson, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris/James Pattinson, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon.Pitch and conditionsA dry pitch is expected in Cape Town, where the weather has been very hot and windy in the lead-up to the Test. Groundsman Evan Flint has the challenge of ensuring there is enough moisture in the surface to prevent it from breaking up too early, but whatever the case, batting last will not be easy. There are some showers expected during the match, with the third day shaping as the most likely to be affected.Stats and trivia ‘ If South Africa win in Cape Town it will be their first series win at home against Australia since 1970 – they have lost four and drawn two since their readmission Australia will finish the series second on the ICC’s Test rankings if they win or draw in Cape Town, but third if they lose – South Africa cannot be budged from first Australia have lost their past two Cape Town Tests but prior to that had an excellent record there, having won nine of the previous ten Tests they had played thereQuotes “This would be an amazing achievement by this team to win this Test match, and as an individual player who has played a lot of cricket around the world if this doesn’t excite you, you are in the wrong sport.”
*1530GMT February 28: The preview was updated with the news of Shaun Marsh’s exclusion

The bowling attack England will face in the two-day tour match in Alice Springs this week has been weakened further, with the withdrawal of Alister McDermott and Kane Richardson

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2013The bowling attack England will face in the two-day tour match in Alice Springs this week has been weakened further, with the withdrawal of Alister McDermott and Kane Richardson. The two fast men will return to play for their states in this week’s round of Sheffield Shield matches and have been replace by Victoria’s Jayde Herrick and Western Australia’s Simon Mackin.McDermott and Richardson would have been the two strongest members of the pace attack. Richardson made his one-day international debut for Australia against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval in January and McDermott has also been part of Australia squads, although he is yet to play a match for his country.Herrick, 28, has not played for Victoria this summer but has taken 77 first-class wickets at 31.55, and played for Victoria against the touring England side in a practice match on the 2010-11 Ashes tour. Mackin, 21, holds a Western Australia rookie contract but is yet to represent the Warriors in a first XI match.Michael Beer will captain the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI for the two-day match at Traeger Park in Alice Springs, which runs from Friday to Saturday this week.CA Chairman’s XI Steve Cazzulino, Marcus Harris, Michael Hill, Alex Keath, Jake Doran, Ashton Turner, James Muirhead, Michael Beer (capt), Josh Lalor, Jayde Herrick, Simon Mackin, Luke Robins (NT).

Kane Williamson’s recovery from a minor shoulder injury will cause him to miss part of the seven-match ODI series against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2015Kane Williamson’s recovery from a minor shoulder injury will cause him to miss part of the seven-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. The injury occurred when Williamson dived while fielding and fell on his shoulder during the first Test in Christchurch.New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said the team management had managed the injury over the course of the two Tests and the first ODI, and would now give Williamson a break. According to an NZC press release, he will be out for 7-10 days. This means he could potentially return in time for the fifth ODI on January 23.”Kane is obviously a very important player for us and we need to give his shoulder the time to fully recover,” Hesson said. “He’s played a lot of cricket of late and this window will allow him to get back to 100%.”

Yasir Arafat, the Pakistan allrounder, has been brought in by the Perth Scorchers as a replacement for West Indies’ Dwayne Smith

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2013Yasir Arafat, the Pakistan allrounder, has been brought in by the Perth Scorchers as a replacement for West Indies’ Dwayne Smith. Smith, who had not flown to Australia ahead of the Scorchers’ opening game on Sunday, is expected to miss the entire Big Bash League due to personal reasons.Arafat has not played for Pakistan in over a year – he last played in the World Twenty20 in September 2012 – but is something of a travelling Twenty20 specialist. He has played domestic leagues in England, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Scotland, apart from turning out for Khan Research Laboratories in Pakistan. He has played 165 T20s in all, scoring 1025 runs at a strike rate of 119 and 207 wickets with a best of 4 for 5.Should Smith become available to play during the course of the tournament, the Scorchers can apply to the BBL technical committee to have him reinstated in the squad. Their other overseas signing in an 18-man squad is South African pacer Alfonso Thomas.The Scorchers began their campaign with a three-wicket loss to the Brisbane Heat in an away game. Next up for them is a home game against the Melbourne Renegades on Boxing Day.