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The ICC has approved a six-match Twenty20 series between Pakistan and Australia, which if it goes ahead will be the longest bilateral T20 series ever staged by international sides

Brydon Coverdale25-Jun-2012The ICC has approved a six-match Twenty20 series between Pakistan and Australia, which, if it goes ahead will be the longest bilateral T20 series ever staged by international sides. The decision has improved chances of the series being staged, most likely in the period between August 22 and September 10.The PCB had deployed a four-man team, including officials from its finance and legal departments, to examine the possibility of staging a series in the UAE. It was originally keen to lock in a series of three T20s and three ODIs in August, but the extreme heat at that time of year raised serious concerns from Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association.The ICC has a rule limiting the number of matches in a bilateral T20 series to three, but countries can ask for special dispensation to hold a longer series in exceptional circumstances. The PCB’s struggle to find a suitable venue for an ODI series in August prompted the proposal for a six-match T20 series.”The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) requested support for the flexibility to stage a six-match Twenty20 International series against Australia potentially in the United Arab Emirates in August,” the ICC said in a statement. “This request required a special dispensation from the CEC and then the ICC Board as the current regulation permits only three T20I in a series.”Because of the extreme daytime heat in the UAE at that time of the year, the CEC raised no objections to the principle of a six-match T20I series replacing the scheduled series of three ODIs and three T20Is should the PCB elect to make that switch.”A PCB official told ESPNcricinfo: “The ICC’s approval has made things easier for us. There were many issues apart from the weather but now we can move in one direction and will announce our decision shortly.”A Cricket Australia spokesman said on Monday afternoon CA was still waiting for further details of the series from the PCB. Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, said the ICC’s decision was sensible given the extreme heat that players would be forced to play in if 50-over games were scheduled, while T20s could start in relatively cooler conditions later at night.”It’s a good commonsense decision given the circumstances,” Marsh told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not a perfect situation playing in the UAE at that time of year but we understand the limitations of not being able to play in Pakistan, so it’s a good compromise given the circumstances.”A number of three-match T20 series have been held between international sides in the past, but never have four or more games been approved by the ICC.The six games will provide an excellent opportunity for both sides to finalise their preparations for the ICC World T20, which takes place in Sri Lanka in September.

Middlesex took a massive step closer to promotion by claiming maximum batting bonus points against Leicestershire at Grace Road

13-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Middlesex took a massive step closer to promotion by claiming maximum batting bonus points on the second day of their County Championship Division Two game against Leicestershire at Grace Road. Top-of-the-table Middlesex reached stumps on 401 for 8 and now needed just to avoid defeat to book their place in Division One next season.A fine knock of 97 from Dawid Malan and half-centuries for John Simpson and Gareth Berg were the bedrock of the total that put Middlesex on the brink of promotion with Northamptonshire managing only three batting points against Gloucestershire.There were times, however, when the nerves kicked in for Middlesex and at 320 for 8 in the 85th over they were by no means certain of reaching the 350 total required to collect a fourth batting point. But Berg, joined by Tim Murtagh, safely saw them pass that mark and then the pair cut loose, adding another 50 runs in the next five overs to leave Middlesex in a powerful position with a lead of 82 at the close of play.Berg finished on 70 not out from 81 balls having hit three sixes and five fours as the Leicestershire attack toiled in the evening session. Only off-spinner Jigar Naik, who picked up three wickets, really troubled the Middlesex batsmen who were in control for much of the day.Andrew Strauss and Sam Robson gave them a solid start with an opening stand of 75. Strauss, who survived a confident lbw appeal from Nathan Buck before he had scored, looked in good touch and the partnership produced 50 in nine overs. A 30-minute rain interruption stopped the flow of runs and Strauss was out on the resumption, caught behind by Ned Eckersley for 32 off the bowling of Alex Wyatt.Robson then edged the same bowler to wicketkeeper Eckersley for 46 but Chris Rogers and Malan shared a third-wicket stand of 71 in 22 overs to give Middlesex command again. But, when Rogers and Jamie Dalrymple were both dismissed by successive deliveries from Naik, Middlesex looked in some trouble again.Malan, however, continued to play some fine shots against some loose bowling from the Leicestershire seamers, reaching his 50 off just 59 balls. The 200 total came up via the 31st boundary of the innings with Malan clipping Rob Taylor away to the ropes.But, with a century looking certain Malan was out for 97 off 142 balls, caught behind as he chased a wide delivery from Wayne White. Simpson steadied things again, scoring a half-century off 86 balls before top-edging a catch off Taylor and, when Ollie Rayner and Steven Crook both fell cheaply, Middlesex looked to be stumbling in their bid for the prize.But Berg and Murtagh regained the initiative and by the close the visitors were in a commanding position with every chance of achieving the double over the bottom-of-the-table hosts.

Somerset’s twins Craig and Jamie Overton both have hopes of a championship debut against Lancashire at Taunton on Thursday – but only one of them is likely to be celebrating.

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2012Somerset’s twins Craig and Jamie Overton both have hopes of a championship debut against Lancashire at Taunton on Thursday – but only one of them is likely to be celebrating.The Overton twins, who have recently returned from an England U19 one-day tour of Australia, are likely to be vying for only one place, which will bring mixed family emotions when Somerset’s final X1 is announced shortly before the start of play.Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, has given no clues as to whether it will be Craig or Jamie who is preferred. Both have been named in a 12-man squad and a final decision on the team will be made on the morning of the match.”We have had good reports about them from the England U19s’ recent trip and they are in contention,” Rose said. “We will make a decision on which of the twins plays shortly before the game when we have assessed conditions.”Jamie, a fast bowler, looks the probable starter with Craig, an allrounder, as 12th man.The twins play for North Devon CC which is best known as the Instow base of David Shepherd, a former Gloucestershire cricketer and international umpire, and arguably Devon’s most famous cricketing son.Both Overton twins helped North Devon win the Devon Cricket League last summer and they played in the Devon team who became minor counties champions. They made their senior North Devon league debut at 13.If they progress into the Somerset side, they will follow the twins Keith and Kevin Parsons, who represented the county together in the mid-1990s.North Devon flourished during the 2011 season, though they were hit by the death of former player and umpire Bill Shepherd. He was the elder brother of David, who died in 2009 as the club’s most renowned member.

Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back to inflict a comprehensive defeat on Royal Challengers Bangalore and keep their own hopes alive in the Champions League

The Report by Siddhartha Talya29-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Brad Haddin delivered a blistering start to the chase•Associated PressKolkata Knight Riders bounced back to inflict a comprehensive defeat on Royal Challengers Bangalore and keep their own hopes alive in the Champions League while making survival difficult for their opponents. A delightful cameo from the home captain, Daniel Vettori, seemed to have set up a close encounter, but the Knight Riders dominated the chase, reminding the Royal Challengers top order of what they should have done with the bat on a good pitch. Brad Haddin, replacing Shakib Al Hasan, did full justice to his role by delivering a flier at the start while Jacques Kallis anchored the reply with support from Gautam Gambhir.The Knight Riders were left angered and frustrated by Vettori’s crafty batting at the death in the Royal Challengers’ innings, but didn’t let that affect them in the chase. A spate of misfields and fumbles drew ire from Gambhir, but the batting was calm and clinical in its approach. Haddin gave the initial push by stepping up in the second over to smack the left-arm seamer S Aravind, who’s won a call-up to the India squad for the ODIs against England, for three consecutive fours as the bowler struggled with his line.Haddin’s approach came with risks but it wasn’t mindless aggression. He used his feet well against spin, charging out to J Syed Mohammad and dispatching him over long-on, and waiting patiently for Vettori to slip in a bad ball – and he did – before punishing it past point. He was unforgiving against a clutter of length deliveries from a struggling Aravind, carving them for sixes over midwicket and the bowler’s head, interspersed by a slog for a four. When he fell with the score on 62 in the eighth over, the platform had been laid.The rest of the innings seemed meticulously planned. Kallis ceded the floor to Gambhi after launching a six over long-on early in the innings, and the Knight Riders captain played his role superbly. The Royal Challengers had faltered in the field in their previous defeat, and a half-chance that went down was perhaps the one big opportunity they had of a comeback. Saurabh Tiwary failed to latch on to a catch from Gambhir at the long-off boundary, lost his balance and crashed into a member of the support staff in the dugout. Gambhir was on 2 then.As the field spread out, plenty of singles were on offer and the pair rotated the strike comfortably, the required rate in control all through. The timely bursts were provided by Gambhir, who hammered Syed to the straight boundary and past point and clipped an off-the-mark Dirk Nannes past short fine leg. The Royal Challengers didn’t help their cause by doling out extra runs, either by way of overthrows or wides. Nannes was singled out for punishment in the final surge, Kallis reaching his fifty, albeit with a streaky bottom edge, while Gambhir smashed him for two massive sixes over long-on and square leg. That over, the 16th, fetched 24, the win was completed shortly after.A spirited performance from the Knight Riders bowlers had given them the advantage for 14 overs of the hosts’ innings, the early assault from Chris Gayle being the only highlight with the bat until then. Kallis’ stirring reply after being hit for six – a yorker that knocked out Gayle’s leg stump – backed up by Brett Lee’s extra bounce that dislodged Virat Kohli, made up for the early damage.The Royal Challengers didn’t make use of their line-up’s depth, losing wickets after their batsmen got partnerships going, holing out needlessly while an uncharacteristically quiet Tillakaratne Dilshan was stumped smartly by Haddin. With his sly shuffles to the off and the use of those powerful wrists, Vettori, kept company by Syed and Raju Bhatkal, sparked a recovery that left the hosts with the momentum at the end of the innings. It would not be with them for long.After the game, Gambhir was fined $3000 while the rest of the the Knight Riders were fined $1500 per player for being two overs behind the required over rate. The penalty for a slow over rate is $1500 per over for the captain and $750 per over for each of the other players in the starting XI.

Duncan Fletcher believes captaincy may have affected Suresh Raina’s batting but that Raina has the makings of a good leader in the future

Sriram Veera at Sabina Park17-Jun-2011The thought hovered in the air for a while at the press conference. Finally someone raised it to Suresh Raina, India’s stand-in captain. “India won the games played in slow and low tracks in Trinidad but at the first sign of some bounce and pace, you lost two games.””It wasn’t about bounce,” Suresh Raina said. “If you see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had a good partnership. They bowled really well at the right areas. We couldn’t get a partnership after 35 overs and that hit us. It would have made a difference if we had 30-35 runs more.”But that was exactly the point. Kohli and Rohit tackled the conditions well – it was by no means a real bouncy track of course- but the rest didn’t. Raina the captain was very involved but Raina the batsman let himself and the team down. And he knew it. He also knew exactly why he failed in this match and in the series. “I didn’t bat well in three games. I was in bit of rush. I was not spending much time in the middle. If I had spent more time it would have been probably been different. My game is very positive. I was thinking if the ball was full I can go over covers but it didn’t work out. I will learn from this mistake and hopefully won’t [make] them anymore.”Did the captaincy affect his batting? Raina didn’t think so but the coach Duncan Fletcher, while lavishing praise on Raina’s captaincy skills, offered a different take on the issue. “It does have some sort of an effect. As a young player you are trying to develop your game and trying to establish your game but at the same time you are looking after ten to 14 other youngsters. You can’t move away from the fact that captaincy is a very very difficult job. Sometimes your mind can wander. It happens at times. The mind wanders from your game to game of team. During that period you need to be careful. Sometimes it comes in your advantage and helps your game. You just have to accept sometimes you just go through a bad patch. Other times your shots come off and your performance can be match winning.”However, Fletcher felt that Raina handled himself very well as a captain. “For someone who is 24 years of age, to lead a country like India, and a young team like this, he has done a tremendous job. He is the man who puts his head on block; he has to take the criticism and he has held his head high. He has looked positive, his body language has been positive and that is good. He can develop into a good captain in the future.”India won four of the six games during the limited-overs leg of the tour and Fletcher said he will take lots of positives from the team’s performances. “As a young side we came with a 4-2 result. You have to include the T20 game as well and it’s a very good result. You can talk about that last two which didn’t go our way but sometimes it’s very very difficult for players to concentrate after taking the series.” It’s a slightly tricky reasoning. A young side, ideally, should be fired up to play their best not matter what the circumstances. Perhaps it was just Fletcher’s way of trying to back up his players.Suresh Raina struggled with the bat in the West indies•Associated PressThe likes of S Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan and Manoj Tiwary were given opportunities in this series but they failed to produce. No player was named but Fletcher was asked whether the failure of some who have done well in domestic cricket but haven’t done well in this series was a fair indication of their talent. Fletcher said he didn’t see it that way and that he believes they can’t be judged on these performances.”If you see these young guys haven’t got really a fair chance. Five games are not enough to judge a player’s ability. First of all playing for India there is a lot of pressure. Because of so much talent around, you are going to get very few chances. Hopefully, they will get more chances in the future. They put a lot of pressure on themselves and as a result you don’t see their true potential. When you put pressure your technique changes a litte bit and it can alter your performance.”I have always used a figure of 30 games, especially for batters. You got to look at 30 games to learn to understand one-day cricket. I don’t know how many games these youngsters have played. I don’t have the stats with me right now. I have heard some great batsmen who say that it took them 50 ODIs to understand the game. The important thing is they learn from this experience.”

Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt was widely described as an “honest” and “hard-working” individual and ex-Pakistan leg-spinning great Abdul Qadir claimed him to be a person “with high morals”

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court20-Oct-2011Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt was widely described as an “honest” and “hard-working” individual and ex-Pakistan leg-spinning great Abdul Qadir claimed him to be a person “with high morals”.The comments came as Butt’s defence closed by reading to the court a series character witness accounts. Those from former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson and from ex-Pakistan strength and conditioning coach David Dwyer were read out the previous evening.At the start of day 12 of the alleged spot-fixing trial in London, Butt’s solicitor Yasin Patel read out those from Qadir, one from his sister, his mother, from former Pakistan trainer Tauseef Razzaq and from an academy coach Azhar Zaidi. All were glowing references.”The Salman Butt that I know is honest, hardworking, truthful, fair, modest, loving, highly-respected, and with a firm commitment to the success of his team and his country,” Qadir said in his. “He supports and cares for all his family and is a young man who helps wherever he can do.”I was shocked about the allegations that were made against him and am surprised with the charges he faces,” Qadir added. “I do not believe he is capable of the acts with which he is charged,” before adding, “There have been many great players in the past and I believe this young man is destined to achieve much in the future.”After these were finished being read out, it was then the turn of Mohammad Asif to take to the witness stand.Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments following the Lord’s Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenager Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

Blazing batting and diligent bowling by South Australia clinched a six-wicket victory and a bonus point over Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2011
ScoreboardBlazing batting and diligent bowling by South Australia clinched a six-wicket victory and a bonus point over Western Australia in the domestic limited overs match at the WACA ground.Michael Klinger, Daniel Harris, Daniel Christian, Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper all made useful contributions, and each struck at least one six as SA rattled to the target at better than six runs an over. The left-armer Ryan Duffield claimed two wickets but his 10 overs cost 83 runs.The Warriors only reached their 8 for 252 due to a shot-speckled century by Luke Ronchi, having earlier slipped as low as 6 for 132. Kane Richardson grabbed three wickets for SA while Jake Haberfield, a CA Chairman’s XI selection to face India, also bowled well.The win lifted SA to equal top of the competition table with Tasmania on 18 points, each team now having played six matches.

Everton will host Leicester at Goodison Park this evening in an important clash that could push Frank Lampard’s side further into safety from the relegation zone if they can take all three points from the game.

In terms of injury news, despite having an almost fully fit squad when Lampard spoke yesterday in his press conference to confirm the return of Yerry Mina and Donny Van de Beek, there has now been a new injury worry in the team that could see a starting player out for the game ahead.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been named as a doubt for selection following a rumoured injury problem according to journalist Chris Beesley from the Liverpool Echo. However, there is no clarity yet on whether he will play against Leicester City and will likely come down to the game itself for official confirmation of the striker’s condition.

With that being said, this is how Football FanCast expects Everton to line up against Brendan Rodgers’ side…

We expect to see three changes in the team that beat Manchester United, with a 4-2-3-1 formation deployed.

The first change we expect to see is Yerry Mina’s instant inclusion in the selection following his long-term injury problems that have kept him sidelined since the beginning of February when he picked up a high-grade quadriceps tendon injury during the game against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

The Toffees boss confirmed that the 6 foot 3 defender hailed a “monster” by Michael Ball, will “feature” in today’s team, and we predict he will replace Michael Keane to play alongside Ben Godfrey, which will be a huge boost in the back-line.

The second change that we think we will see in tonight’s game is the return of van de Beek but placed in a more attacking role, allowing the Man United loanee to have more freedom to be creative and play a part in troubling the Foxes defence, his attacking attributes are something he is well known for from his time at Ajax.

The third and final change we predict is Demarai Gray coming in on the left wing to replace Richarlison, who will take the centre-forward role in Calvert-Lewin’s absence.

If the rumours are true that the striker is injured again, Lampard will not be wanting to take any chances on his fitness and will likely either bench the forward or remove him from the squad completely ahead of the Merseyside Derby this weekend.

Everton can go six points clear of 18th place Burnley if they can secure their second win in a row against Leicester tonight, and Lampard will surely be hoping his team can carry their confidence from their surprise win over Man United into the game, especially with the added quality re-joining the side in the likes of Yerry Mina.

AND in other news: Lampard must unleash “unselfish” £22.5m-rated Everton star, he’ll terrify Leicester

The PCB will bring in central contracts for regional players in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy from next season, reviving a concept that began under the administration of Nasim Ashraf

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2011The PCB will bring in central contracts for regional players in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy from next season, reviving a concept that began under the administration of Nasim Ashraf but had, until now, been dormant due to financial restrictions.The contracts will be effective from October 1 this year, according to Sultan Rana, director of domestic cricket operations. “There will be contracts for 20 players from each of the 11 regions that will last for six months, covering the entire season,” Rana told ESPNcricinfo.Though the format has often changed, currently the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy includes regional sides such as Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, as well as departmental teams such as Habib Bank Limited. Players for departmental sides are employed by the organisations and thus receive monthly salaries but historically, regional players have only been given match fees and daily allowances.”There will be three grades of contracts, A, B and C, though the specific amounts they receive have yet to be finalised,” Rana said. Reports have suggested the amounts will range between Rs 10,000 (US $117) and 20,000 (US $233) a month. “We have recently increased match fees for regional players to Rs 10,000 per game so they will get that plus their monthly retainer.”The players will be selected by members of the national selection committee, the regional head coach and another representative from the region, who Rana said must be either an experienced first-class or international player. The money will come from the PCB as opposed to regional associations themselves. The contracts’ clauses and conditions will closely mirror those of the national team.The initial idea had been discussed when Shaharyar Khan and Rameez Raja were chairman and CEO of the board in 2003-04, but its implementation only occurred when Ashraf took over in October 2006. But increasing financial problems meant the concept had to be dropped until now.”The idea was basically to take ownership of the regional game and give incentives to first-class cricketers who play for regions, so that they make money from the game. Department players are looked after, but regional players also need to be incentivised,” Rana said. “The contracts will be performance-based entirely and depend on factors such as fitness, form and so on.”

Rahul Sharma threatened to win it but Murali Kartik lost the plot and Rajasthan’s Ross Taylor seized the moment, with valuable support from Ajinkya Rahane, to clinch a thrilling win

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera01-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The contest of the gmae: Robin Uthappa took on Shane Warne, but eventually fell to him•AFPIt was a tale of contrasting performances from two Pune Warriors spinners. Rahul Sharma threatened to win it for them but Murali Kartik lost the plot and Rajasthan Royals’ Ross Taylor seized the moment, with valuable support from Ajinkya Rahane, to clinch a thrilling win. Rajasthan moved to the top of the table while Pune stayed frozen at rock bottom.With 52 runs required from six overs, Rahul bowled a gem of a maiden over that included the wicket of the aggressive Ashok Menaria to end his spell with figures of 4-1-13-3. However, Kartik gifted two short balls and a full toss in the next over and Taylor looted 17 runs with the help of two fours and a six. Suddenly, the equation came down to 29 from 18 and despite two relatively disciplined overs from Alphonso Thomas and Jerome Taylor, Rajasthan just needed the odd boundary here and there to squeeze past the line.Two boundary hits from Rahane and Ross Taylor sealed the contest. When they needed 24 runs from 14 balls, Rahane sliced a slower length ball from Jerome Taylor to the point boundary and when they required 17 from 11, Ross Taylor slugged a length delivery from Thomas deep into the midwicket stands. Game over.Pune will look back and rue the reprieve they offered Ross Taylor. When Rajasthan needed 32 from 20, Taylor, on 31 then, heaved Thomas to left of deep midwicket where Nathan McCullum did all the hard work to get there but couldn’t hold on. He lunged out to take it but it bounced off his palms as he fell to the ground and bounded off his chest and right thigh.It was that kind of night for Pune. Only Rahul sparkled with the ball and almost single-handedly pushed them to the cusp of victory. His evening changed with a long hop in his second over, the seventh of the innings. Rahul Dravid, who again failed to convert a start, pulled it back to him and Rahul started to choke the run-flow with a slew of bouncing top spinners. However, Kartik had a horror day, leaking 41 runs from his four overs.Pune will also look back at their batting effort and wish if they could have done a bit more. The top order flattered to deceive. The contest of the afternoon was between Shane Warne and Robin Uthappa. It had an overload of skill, adrenaline, ego, canniness and a dash of foolhardiness. It lasted eight deliveries but it encapsulated everything that is good about Twenty20. It had an aggressive batsman intent on attack and an ambitious bowler focused on hunting down his prey. Throw in an umpire ready to brave ferocious appeals and rule on the side of conservatism, and you had a thoroughly entertaining package.Uthappa unfurled the reverse-sweep and conventional sweep to collect two fours. Warne ripped a big leg break next, starting from just about leg stump – part of the ball was outside leg – and it beat the bat to strike the pad. It was the start of Warne’s increasingly vocal tussle with the umpire Shavir Tarapore. He yelped out a huge appeal but Tarapore perhaps thought it pitched just outside leg and turned it down. Warne looped the next delivery on a length but Uthappa stretched forward to slog-sweep it over midwicket.Three boundaries in four balls and the heat was well and truly on Warne, who responded with a front-of-hand skidder that landed on the line of leg stump and just about straightened to hit the pad. Warne screamed, Tarapore stayed frozen and Uthappa survived. Warne got the final delivery to skid on towards the leg stump, Uthappa was caught in a tangle and yet again, got stuck on the pad. Replays suggested it would have clipped leg stump but you could understand why the umpire didn’t give it.Warne removed himself from Tarapore’s end and appeared at Simon Taufel’s in the ninth over. Uthappa again reverse-swept the first ball to the boundary but Warne shortened the length off the next and got it to skid and bounce towards middle. Uthappa ended up top-edging the swat to the keeper. Uthappa’s exit was sandwiched between the dismissals of Jesse Ryder, stumped off Johan Botha, and Yuvraj Singh, run out after he backed up too far at the non-striker’s end, and it derailed the innings.