Malinga helps super Sri Lanka survive Afridi

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Sri Lanka survived Shahid Afridi’s finest innings and Shoaib Akhtar on comeback through some desperate fielding and lovely bowling from Lasith Malinga

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga15-Jun-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Hawk-eyeDon’t go by the strike-rate of 143.42, or the seven sixes – this was arguably Shahid Afridi’s most mature innings•Associated Press

Sri Lanka survived Shahid Afridi’s finest innings and Shoaib Akhtar on comeback through some desperate fielding and lovely bowling from Lasith Malinga. The batsmen before Afridi seemed either incompetent of or uninterested in the chase, the batsmen with him seemed intent on running themselves out, his cramp-induced groans could be heard through the stump microphone, he hobbled the last 17 of his runs, and he had taken Pakistan from 32 for 4 to within 39 of the target when Kumar Sangakkara produced a catch for the ages. Malinga, coming back into ODI cricket, then produced a lethal three-over spell inside the batting Powerplay to wipe the tail off much in the fashion Pakistanis are used to doing with others.It was a match of top-class performances all through. Shoaib struggled physically through his 10 overs, but bowled with pace and fire to keep Sri Lanka in rebuilding mode, the ever-improving Angelo Mathews scored a fifty with the tail to give Sri Lanka something to bowl at, Malinga had some fun with the Pakistan top order, Afridi played an absolute blinder, and then Malinga finished it off ruthlessly.Captaincy seems to have done something to Afridi. It was hands down his most mature innings. Don’t go by the strike-rate of 143.42, or the seven sixes, or the demolition of Muttiah Muralitharan (51 off 25), this was every bit a batsman’s knock and not a happy hitter’s. When he walked in, the game was so not on, with four wickets down for 32 in the 14th over.Afridi then reminded the crowd Pakistan were indeed trying to win the match. Just like that, he smacked the first two balls pitched up to him for sixes. Farveez Maharoof was at the receiving end, and learned his lesson fast: he hardly pitched anything up in the rest of his spell, and bowled some impressive cutters, but didn’t court success.You could sense Sri Lanka were now waiting for the inevitable mistake from Afridi. You could sense Afridi was not going to make that inevitable mistake. The deep fielders waited for catches, all they got was shots to their right or their left that got Pakistan couples. Umar Akmal joined in the process, and the pair began to use the big ground to their advantage. On nine occasions they managed to take couples during their 73-run fifth-wicket stand. In a further exhibition of calculated hitting, Afridi lofted Murali for four sixes in four overs, all over his head, all risk-free.With cause for worry, Sangakkara brought Malinga back for the 25th over, and Umar set off for a suicidal single having defended straight to short cover. And Tillakaratne Dilshan is not the man to steal sharp singles off. Umar’s brother, Kamran Akmal, way better with the batting gloves than the keeping ones, started another important partnership.Afridi now took his innings to a level higher, finding gaps through the field for fours. Murali was welcomed back with a swept boundary in the 32nd over, taking Afridi to 74, and Pakistan to 154. Off the second ball, Kamran got run out. Still no impact on Afridi. He was not fazed even by a short ball from Malinga that he couldn’t spot. A fantastic slower ball followed, which he was deceived by but still managed to glance it for four.Nuwan Kulasekara came back and bounced Afridi. The effort involved in playing one of those bumpers brought Afridi down like a sack of potatoes. He was 92 then. It isn’t clear whether he didn’t ask for a runner or wasn’t allowed one. In the 40th over, he punched Mathews to the point boundary to reach his hundred. More cramps. In the 41st, he lofted Murali for a fifth six, and before the ball could land, way beyond the straight boundary, Afridi was down on the ground again.Then came the turning point. Murali got one to break in big, Afridi was cramped down the leg side, it bounced on him, took his glove, went towards slip, and Sangakkara, who had already committed down the leg side, dived to his right and pulled off a one-handed blinder. Sangakkara sensed blood, Abdul Razzaq thought it was time to finish the game off. With 33 required in the last eight, the Powerplay was called for.Back came Malinga. He bowled to Mohammad Aamer with a 7-2 off-side field, pushed him back with back-of-a-length deliveries, and then gave him a full, reverse-swinging delivery that took out the off stump. Too good. Out came Shoaib, with a chance to redeem what could have been his day. He kept out a yorker, took a single, and was given strike for two balls. He expected another yorker, but got a crazy slower ball and holed out to mid-off. Too good.Last man Mohammad Asif played out the last ball, and Razzaq refused the single. In the next over, he took a boundary off Murali and a single off the last ball. Last over for Malinga, and of the Powerplay, with 19 required off 24, and one wicket in hand. Razzaq played out four deliveries. Off the fifth he was hit on the thigh and he took the risk of letting Asif play out one delivery. Mistake. Malinga hit the bull’s eye. Too good.While Malinga went on a celebratory run, an injured and broken Afridi couldn’t even come for the presentation. Perhaps he didn’t deserve to lose on the night, but then again many of his team-mates didn’t deserve to win. More importantly Malinga did enough to win.

'Murali doesn't deserve the record' – Emerson

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Ross Emerson, the Australian umpire who no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan during an ODI against England in Adelaide in 1999, insists the offspinner doesn’t deserve his record of most wickets in Tests and the 50-over format

Cricinfo staff08-Jul-2010Ross Emerson, the Australian umpire who no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing, including in an ODI in Adelaide in 1999, insists the offspinner doesn’t deserve his record of most wickets in Tests and the 50-over format.”I haven’t changed my view in 15 years – he doesn’t deserve the record,” Emerson told Sydney’s . “You couldn’t compare his record to Shane Warne’s – no one ever doubted the legality of Warne’s action. Murali was a great competitor and a great bowler but a lot of the time he just didn’t bowl within the limits of the law.”Murali will retire from Tests following the first Test against India in Galle that starts on July 18. He was first no-balled for “throwing” by Darrell Hair in the MCG Test in 1995 and it was almost ten years later that the ICC amended the rules pertaining to suspect bowling actions, permitting all bowlers to straighten their bowling arms by up to 15 degrees.Hair, unlike Emerson, had no problems with Murali holding the record, but didn’t regret his decision to no-ball him. Instead, he argued, the ICC’s decision to change the rules vindicated his actions. “I have no angst over him holding the record but the fact that the rules had to be changed to handle bowlers like that vindicated my actions and the actions of other umpires who called him,” Hair said.”Once they changed the rules and made it legal for bowlers to bend their arm to 15 per cent they gave an advantage to a couple of bowlers who could get something extra from that rule. I would rather see the rule as it was where you couldn’t bend your arm at all. That would mean everyone was the same.”Emerson, who later stood down and was not reappointed to the umpires panel, claimed he had been asked to no-ball Murali by an Australian official and was ignored once the incident became a major issue. “I was called to a meeting with him and, knowing that I had called some other players, he told me I had set standards in certain areas which I should uphold in Adelaide,” Emerson said. “Yet everything blew up after I called Murali and when I saw him again he wouldn’t even look at me.”Darrell Hair and I were called the controversial ones yet the rule change proved us right. The controversial ones were the umpires who thought he was a chucker yet weren’t brave enough to call him. A lot of umpires agreed with what we did but didn’t have the courage to call him.”Murali, meanwhile, said he had proved his action was legitimate after being cleared by a series of Tests conducted by the ICC. “I have no regrets at all of being called a controversial bowler,” he told reporters in Colombo. “I have proved everything by use of technology. I don’t regret anything. My talent is God’s gift.”Nowadays, we use technology for everything. Those who criticise must give bowlers a chance to be tested, not treat them as criminals.”

Aamer helps Pakistan to 2-0 Twenty20 win

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

If Pakistan are a confidence team, their Twenty20 efforts over the past two days augur well for next week’s first Test. A day after Pakistan ended their 12-match losing stretch against Australia across all formats, Mohammad Aamer helped them begin their o

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at Edgbaston06-Jul-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKamran Akmal gave Pakistan a good start, and they kicked on from there•PA Photos

If Pakistan are a confidence team, their Twenty20 efforts over the past two days augur well for next week’s first Test. A day after they ended their 12-match losing stretch against Australia across all formats, Mohammad Aamer helped them begin their own winning streak with an 11-run victory that brought 2-0 series triumph. Tests are a very different story, but their Twenty20 form has given the group a spark.There was a distinct sense of déjà vu after Monday’s game; again there was a big crowd of Pakistan fans, again Pakistan scored around the 160 mark and again Australia’s batsmen were tied down and couldn’t lift their tempo for a successful chase. The last pair was left needing 19 from the final over and despite a six from Dirk Nannes, they came up short.Aamer made important late runs and then removed Australia’s openers, but Pakistan had useful contributions from all their key men. Shahid Afridi made a quick 18 and grabbed two wickets, Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt and Umar Akmal all chipped in at the top of the order, and Shoaib Akhtar and Saeed Ajmal were hard to get away.The Rawalpindi Express was out of steam on Monday but had gained momentum 24 hours later. Akhtar has been driving around Birmingham in a red Ferrari over the past few days and perhaps the speedy number inspired him, for he was comfortably the quickest bowler in the match and hovered around 95mph.A couple of sizzling bouncers whizzed past the faces of Australian batsmen but the only man to fall to Akhtar was Tim Paine, who skewed an ugly swipe to mid-off. Akhtar had begun by conceding a pair of fours in his opening over as Michael Clarke showed the sort of Twenty20 form he has not displayed in recent times.Australia had rested Shane Watson, so Clarke took it upon himself to open the innings, finding the gaps and clearing the infield several times with well-judged chips and drives. Clarke had motored to 30 from 17 deliveries when he played on to Aamer, and the bowler was so pumped at his success that in his follow through he leapt in celebration and crashed into the departing Clarke.Aamer immediately apologised and the men exchanged a friendly pat on the arm, but Clarke was frustrated with himself for failing to push on. It was Aamer’s second wicket – he had already trapped David Warner lbw for 1 – and he went on to finish with 3 for 27. James Hopes (30) and David Hussey (33) worked the ball around through the middle overs but boundaries were few and far between, and too much work was left too late.Australia had set themselves a task by allowing Pakistan to reach almost the same score as won them the game on Monday. A late 20 not out from Aamer was especially valuable and included a pair of sixes off the debutant spinner Steve O’Keefe and David Hussey. The spinners bowled well, and O’Keefe finished with 3 for 29, which was an impressive return for a man who hadn’t played a Twenty20 for his state for nearly 18 months.Afridi and Umar Akmal provided a key partnership for Pakistan; their 30-run stand included one monstrous six from Afridi, who slapped Shaun Tait straight back over the bowler’s head. The ball cleared the construction area, put a cameraman at risk, and exited the stadium to the roars of the Pakistan fans.Nannes (3 for 30) collected them both in consecutive balls in the 17th over, Umar (25) caught and bowled when his top edge flew so high that almost any member of the infield could have run in and claimed it, and Afridi caught behind for 18. Already, Butt and Kamran Akmal had given them a strong start with a 61-run combination.The left-arm spinner O’Keefe struck in his first over when Butt top-edged a sweep and was caught at short fine leg for 31. Kamran followed soon afterwards for 33 when he skied a pull off Mitchell Johnson and was caught by Clarke running back at midwicket. O’Keefe had helped give Australia a way into the middle order, but they couldn’t make it count.If Pakistan were surprised by the selection of O’Keefe, they must have been even more taken aback at Clarke’s choice of opening bowler. David Hussey sent down the first over – the first time Australia had opened with a spinner in a Twenty20 international – and it was a success, a wicket-maiden that included Shahzaib Hasan lbw trying to slog-sweep.The day began in triumph for Australia; it ended in jubilation for Pakistan. It has also set the scene for a fascinating Test series.

Dhoni impressed with seamers on placid track

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

MS Dhoni has defended his bowling unit, which is yet to bowl a side out on tour, including the Board President’s XI in a tour game

Sidharth Monga at the SSC30-Jul-2010Following the high-scoring draw at the SSC, the Indian captain MS Dhoni has defended his bowling unit, which is yet to bowl a side out on tour, including the Board President’s XI in a tour game.”I am happy with the kind of effort they [Ishant Sharma and Abhimanyu Mithun] are putting in to their bowling,” Dhoni said. “In the last two Tests, we have bowled first, and there was nothing in it for them.”Quite placid tracks. Even when you are bowling in the second innings, the wicket slows down a bit, so the batsmen are going to be in little discomfort. And if you are bowling first and the wicket is one of these sorts, it gets really difficult for a fast bowler to either contain batsmen or get wickets. But still they were up there when it came to pace. They were bowling at decent pace and they are always willing to bowl whenever they are asked to, so overall, I am quite happy with their performance.”It was an inexperienced pace attack, with Ishant trying to come out of a lean patch and Mithun making his debut, but surely more was expected of Harbhajan Singh? Apparently not. “It’s about when you are bowling,” Dhoni said. “If you are doing that on the first two days with nothing in the wicket, with no marks, it doesn’t really bother. In the second game here he looked very impressive, getting bounce. If conditions are slightly in his favour he can do wonders for the team.”It’s really difficult to judge what a good performance is. At Galle, Murali took 25 overs to get that one wicket. So it’s not always the wickets that count. You also have to see the broad picture – when the bowler bowls, who the batsman is, the start the opposition has got and accordingly, you have to decide.”Dhoni spoke about having to play a lot of cricket in batsmen-friendly conditions. “If it’s always about bowlers’ turning up and taking 20-odd wickets on wickets that are in favour of the batsmen, it’s not really possible,” he said. “It’s not the first time we are playing a Test match or a series where we haven’t been able to get the batsmen out. So I don’t think it’s a big worry.”The bowlers we have look fit and can bowl long spells. It’s just that with a little more exposure, with a bit more games under their belt, they will have experience and will know more ways of getting the batsmen out. You don’t always have to nick them to the slips or to the keeper. In a Test match, you can get them out in different positions, using the slower ball or the bouncer can work well.”Dhoni, though, was concerned about the bench strength of bowlers, especially with the amount of cricket India plays. “Overall, if we can have a bigger bench strength, which means if we can have a spectrum of around eight fast bowlers to pick from, it will be really great because we are not a side which plays three Tests a year,” he said. “We play a lot of Tests, ODIs and with IPL also coming in, we need fast bowlers who are fit, which means you [need to] have eight to 10 fast bowlers whom you can rotate around and still play with your best bowling attack.”

Mohammad Yousuf shines on rainy day

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Mohammad Yousuf walked in at New Road 57 minutes into the Pakistanis’ innings after the openers, having started off on a pretty note, had departed in quick succession

Nagraj Gollapudi at New Road13-Aug-2010
ScorecardMohammad Yousuf enjoyed being back in the middle•Getty Images

Mohammad Yousuf walked in at New Road 57 minutes into the Pakistanis’ innings after the openers, having started on a pretty note, had departed in quick succession. As bad light and spells of rain curtailed the most of the day’s play, the severity of the situation probably wasn’t lost on Pakistan’s most senior batsman.All summer the Pakistani batsmen have failed to stay long periods at the crease. After the 150-run defeat against England at Trent Bridge, the PCB, without any hint or suggestion, rushed in Yousuf. His experience was crucial for the young middle order, it was felt. Yousuf had led Pakistan as recently as January but retired abruptly and unceremoniously after a PCB inquest nailed him as one of the culprits for the abysmal Australian tour. Fortunately, he arrived in England with a fresh mindset.He had opted to sit out of the Edgbaston Test, having landed on the eve of the match. On Friday he did not have to wait for long. Yasir Hameed, having been dropped once by Moeen Ali at second slip off Chris Russell, went for a rash stroke the very next delivery, pitched in the channel, and was picked neatly by first slip by Vikram Solanki, who had stepped down as Worcester captain late last evening.Azhar Ali, the other opener, was run out having found himself at the same end as Hameed less than three overs earlier. Suddenly, Kamran Akmal’s decision to bat on an overcast day, with a batting order short of runs, seemed dicey.But Yousuf calmed the nerves. He slid in like a wrestler into the ring. Then, with a hunched stance, he judiciously picked the right balls to play. The first delivery was left alone. Ditto the next one. Two runs were stolen after a misfield at short over. The next 16 deliveries, spread around an hour-long rain break, did not fetch any runs.As the others rushed back to the dressing room, Yousuf altered his path to sign some autographs. He wanted to be there in the middle. He remained padded all through the extended interval as tea was taken, and when play resumed an hour before the regulated stoppage time, he had gathered his wits.The 21-year-old Russell, who is on the Worcester staff and playing his maiden game for the first eleven, was spanked disdainfully as he kept pitching short. Yousuf played a classic square cut past the point boundary. A ball later he steered it past the slips and the vacant third man for another four. The shot of the day arrived a few overs later when Yousuf, in his 30s, charged Russell, and hit a straight drive past the bowler. The local lad was seething with anger mid-pitch.As he was trying to find his own feet, Yousuf helped Umar Amin settle down quickly, too. At the change of overs he was intensely speaking to the left-hander, animatedly directing the dos and don’ts. Amin was guarded to begin with, yet grew confident with time.On a day when rain had robbed about 68 overs, Yousuf maintained his calm and stood out like the rainbow that appeared late in the afternoon and brightened the Pakistanis’ spirits.

Intense Victoria maul woeful Wayamba

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Wayamba’s Champions League hopes crashed against a top-quality fielding effort from Victoria, that was backed by purpose with both ball and bat, as they succumbed to a eight-wicket pounding in Centurion

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar20-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJeevantha Kulatunga was one of the five Wayamba batsmen to depart without scoring•Associated Press

Wayamba’s Champions League hopes crashed in Centurion against a top-quality fielding effort from Victoria that was backed by purposeful bowling and batting. Victoria looked like the side more hungry to succeed in a must-win game for both teams and Wayamba paid the price, losing five batsmen for ducks as they spluttered to 106. Things could have been far worse but for a brief period of sublime strokeplay from Jehan Mubarak and a nervy half-century from Mahela Jayawardene. Those two contributed 95, and extras, at six, was the next highest score in Wayamba’s listless innings.David Hussey and Aaron Finch then bustled to the victory target without too many problems to seal an eight-wicket win. Their urgency, however, wasn’t enough for Victoria to surpass Warriors’ net run-rate, and their semi-final prospects hinged on either a defeat or a comprehensive win for Chennai in the final league game.Victoria’s intensity was epitomised by the second over of the game. James Pattinson struck with his first ball in the tournament, yorking Jeevantha Kulatunga for his second successive duck. Mahela Udawatte, returning to the side after missing the previous game, began with a confident drive on the move that would have eased his nerves in normal circumstances. No such luck today: Clint McKay, fielding well inside the circle at mid-off, scampered to his right and dived full length to stop the shot. Udawatte’s disappointment at being denied four quickly gave way to shock as McKay sat up and threw down middle stump at the striker’s end, beating the batsman’s scramble to the crease.Pattinson finished off the over with three teasers outside Jehan Mubarak’s offstump to complete the maiden. Nine for two in two overs, even before Wayamba knew what had hit them.Wayamba’s two best batsmen then sparked a brief recovery. Mubarak started well, clipping Pattinson twice to the leg-side boundary, before exploiting Peter Siddle’s errant lines to pick up fours either side of the wicket. John Hastings’ slow bouncers had completely undone Chennai Super Kings in the previous game but Mubarak had no trouble against them, pulling two sixes in his opening over.Jayawardene was not at his best, and began with a nervous top-edged six over third man while looking to swing Dirk Nannes across the line. There was more good fortune outside the off stump, as he thick-edged Siddle and McKay for boundaries. In completely contrasting fashion, the pair had raised 72 in 8.3 overs and for the first time in the tournament, Wayamba seemed to be coming into their own. Victoria, though, were not yet done.Andrew McDonald prised Mubarak out with an off-cutter in the 11th over. Kushal Perera was sent back by Hussey’s excellence in the field, plucking a screamer that was flying to his right in the covers. Matthew Wade contributed his bit – a nifty stumping to send back Shalika Karunanayake, and a regulation catch when Thisara Perera edged Siddle. Hastings then pulled off the third fielding highlight of the evening, tumbling low at point to catch Isuru Udana inches from the ground. In 3.2 overs, Wayamba had gone from 81 for 2 to 95 for 7, and even a fast-improving Jayawardene could not save them from there. Siddle and Nannes hit the stumps at will to hasten the end, raising visions of McKay’s spark of brilliance earlier in the day, as Wayamba’s batting fell by the wayside.Their bowlers did not fare much better. Brad Hodge and Wade did not contribute much, but there was no stopping Hussey, who waded into the bowling with the rampant confidence of a man who had just thumped 22 runs in a Super Over. So dominant was his batting, it allowed Finch a rare night of non-violence as he purred along at a run-a-ball. So inept were Wayamba, despite Finch’s not-so-aggressive innings, the game ended with 40 balls to spare.

Zimbabwe forfeit Cup match against Scotland

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Zimbabwe have forfeited their Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland after the two sides couldn’t agree a venue

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010Zimbabwe have forfeited their Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland after the two sides couldn’t agree a venue following Scotland’s decision not tour the country and with the Zimbabwe board declining to use a neutral location.It means Scotland will now face Afghanistan in the final in Dubai during November after the ICC reluctantly accepted Zimbabwe Cricket’s (ZC) decision although warned against it happening again in the future.”We wanted this fixture to go ahead and we did everything possible to facilitate an agreement between the two sides. We were happy for the match to take place anywhere in the world but the sides could not agree,” said Dave Richardson, chairman of the event technical committee and ICC general manager of cricket. “It is disappointing for us and the ICC Intercontinental Cup that these two sides could not agree when or where to play their fixture and, for the integrity of the competition, these circumstances must not be allowed to happen again.””However, taking into account all of the circumstances that have been presented to the technical committee in this case, we are prepared to accept ZC’s unequivocal and unqualified statement of forfeiture and declare the match as being forfeited.”Zimbabwe took part in the tournament – the first-class event for Associate nations – as part of their route back to Test cricket although their decision to forfeit means they won’t be faced with the potential embarrassment of losing in the final despite still being funded as a Full Member.”We feel that the Intercontinental Cup is a significant competition in Scotland’s development and therefore important that it gets the full benefits associated with playing in it,” Ozias Bvute, the ZC managing director, said. “Moreover, given the limited playing opportunities available to them, it would be unnecessarily counterproductive to rob them of their right to participation or reduce their chances of reaching the final.”Zimbabwe has no dispute with either Cricket Scotland or the ICC. Instead, we seek only a solution that will ultimately allow for fair participation by all, as such, ZC has decided to forfeit the match in favour of Scotland. ZC wishes it to be noted that our development side has enjoyed its participation in this competition and we wish Cricket Scotland and their team the best as they now progress to the final.”Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith added: “Cricket Scotland notes the decision of the event technical committee. We are glad a conclusion has been reached on this issue and we are now very much looking forward to participating in the final. It will be a great opportunity for our young, talented side to experience the big-match environment of an ICC final.”

Dhoni praises bowlers for clean sweep

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

MS Dhoni was full of praise for his bowlers, and the way his side showed character despite injuries to key players, following India’s clean sweep of Australia in the two-Test series

Sidharth Monga at the Chinnaswamy Stadium13-Oct-2010MS Dhoni was full of praise for his bowlers, and the way his side showed character despite injuries to key players, following India’s clean sweep of Australia in the two-Test series.Both Tests in this series were heading towards draws before India’s bowlers triggered Australia’s second-innings collapses, setting up close finishes in each of the games. “I think the effort put in by the players, especially the bowlers, was really outstanding because by losing tosses I am not really helping them out,” Dhoni said.”Every time, especially in the subcontinent, we are having to bowl first. First innings [in Bangalore] we couldn’t get any kind of reverse-swing because the wicket and the square were not so dry, which meant they had to turn up and look for alternative ways to get the batsmen out. Still they were more than willing to come up with spells whenever needed. This was not a track where a match can get over in four-and-a-half days. It was not a turning track where the spinners can just bowl and get wickets.”As has often been the case of late, India played a Test series without their first-choice XIs, and also lost players along the way. VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma needed injections and tablets to stand up straight, but they rescued India in a famous finish in Mohali. Gautam Gambhir, too, injured his knee and had to sit out.All the three replacements, though, did their jobs in Bangalore, and Dhoni acknowledged that. “Not only in Tests, we have been playing series without our key players,” Dhoni said. “Consistently we have not played our strongest side.”I am fortunate to have a side that has performed very well in the past one-and-a-half years and the credit goes to them. Whether it is the youngsters or the seniors, they have always performed whenever they get the opportunity. Individuals like Murali Vijay, who is not consistently featuring in the XI because we have Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir doing the job for us. But whenever he has got an opportunity to play games, he has scored decent amount of runs. You could complain maybe that he got the kind of start he needed, but hasn’t scored big runs. In this match, he really made it big. He got the start, went onto cross the century barrier, and continued his innings. It was a good learning experience for him. In the same way [Cheteshwar] Pujara, too, batted really well.”Having beaten Australia, their biggest rivals over the last decade, 2-0 in their last two series, Dhoni said India needed to create bowling reserves if they were to dominate world cricket like Australia did. “If our bowling lot can grow – four-five good fast bowlers, and one or two more spinners, the workload can be spread,” Dhoni said. “It is very difficult for the fast bowlers to play every Test. Within the next 20 days, we will start another three-match series on similar wickets. You just can’t turn up there and put the ball there, these pitches take a lot of effort. There is a lot of pressure on the fast bowlers, and especially with the four-bowler combination, spinners have to bowl a lot of overs. Especially when the captain keeps losing the toss.”Dhoni also credited the side for having come together well despite the limited time for preparation. “The whole team didn’t get a chance to have practice sessions together because some of the boys were playing the Champions League,” Dhoni said. “We got limited time, but what is impressive is the way we utilised those practice sessions in the right manner. Everyone was up for it.”Dhoni made it a point to praise the team for handling the pressure situations well. “Most of the times, this is a series that has plenty of hype created around it, and it’s good that it ended without any controversy… One good thing in both the Test matches, even though the last-innings targets were not huge, was that there was pressure on both the sides. Ultimately it was a close finish in both the games. You may look at this scorecard and say this was an easy win, but still there was nervousness in the dressing room. I think it was a good short Test series we had.”

Anderson confident after return from rib injury

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

James Anderson showed no discomfort and said he felt “really good” after delivering 22 overs and picking up the wicket of Luke Pomersbach on the first day of England’s tour match

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2010James Anderson showed he was fully recovered from his fractured rib as he delivered 22 impressive overs on the opening day against Western Australia in Perth and claimed the wicket of Luke Pomersbach.It was his first full day of competitive cricket after suffering the injury during England’s pre-Ashes camp in Germany, but Anderson insisted it was no longer a worry. “To be honest, I haven’t really been thinking about the ribs for a while now, since I got back into training,” he said. “It’s just as though it never happened.”To break a bone in your body is a bit of a worry and I was a bit worried the first week after it happened – it was quite sore – but once I got training again and running again I didn’t feel it so I was pretty confident that I’d be fine.”While Stuart Broad led a dramatic start with two wickets in his first over, Anderson delivered a miserly opening spell, giving away just eight runs from his first nine overs before lunch. He finished with figures of 1 for 49, while Broad picked up 3 for 47. With Steven Finn, Paul Collingwood and Graeme Swann also chipping in with a wicket apiece before Western Australia declared at 8 for 242, Anderson lauded a patient performance from England’s attack.”It went pretty well, it was a pretty tough pitch to bowl on because there’s not a great deal there after the ball gets softer,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a patience game over here when the ball gets old. The first 10 or 15 overs are going to be crucial with that new ball. Reverse-swing might play a part somewhere down the line. On a lush outfield like this we’ve just got to be patient. I think we showed pretty good patience today.”I think, in general, we’re pretty happy. I think Swanny got better as the day went on, Broady bowled brilliantly up front, I was pretty happy with the way I bowled and Finny showed glimpses of some form. It was a great start and I think it showed the intent we’ve got on this tour.”The one worry for England was Finn’s inconsistency as he struggled to find the right length, but Anderson suggested that the young bowler would quickly learn. “I’m not sure how much he’s bowled in Australia before,” he said. “He might take a couple of spells, a couple of good spells, to get used to the length he’s got to bowl out here, which might be slightly different to the one he bowls in England. It might take him a couple of games, but we’re confident he’ll be fine. He showed enough form today to be right in the Test squad.”After Alastair Cook’s early dismissal to Steve Magoffin, Anderson was back on the field as nightwatchman and gave the England camp a minor scare when he was struck on the body while batting. But he dismissed any worries that his rib injury had been aggravated. “It was the wrong side, it hit me in the armpit,” he said.

Prior finds touch as England eye unbeaten tour

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

There hasn’t been much wrong with Matt Prior’s batting on this tour, it’s just that his best work hasn’t been required yet

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG12-Dec-2010There hasn’t been much wrong with Matt Prior’s batting on this tour, it’s just that his best work hasn’t been required yet. Alastair Cook is in the form of his life, Andrew Strauss is leading by example, Kevin Pietersen was a matchwinner in Adelaide, Jonathan Trott loves batting against Australia and Ian Bell is in career-best touch. Paul Collingwood is the only one in the top six yet to fire.And so, the man at No. 7 has been almost irrelevant. He hadn’t made a half-century on the trip until the tour match against Victoria – he hadn’t had to. And while this outing doesn’t count towards the Ashes, England are desperate to go through the trip without losing a match, and Prior’s unbeaten 102 ensured that record stay intact as a rainy draw was secured against a local attack that proved more threatening than could have been expected.”It was just nice to get in the middle and have an opportunity to bat for a while, try and build an innings and get through a tricky patch as well,” Prior said. “For me personally, it was perfect preparation for next week. I was delighted to get the hundred but more important was the time in the middle and getting back into the rhythm of building an innings.”If we carry on playing the brand of cricket we have been, there’s certainly no reason why we can’t go through the tour unbeaten. You go on any tour, you want to be unbeaten, whether it be an Ashes tour or anywhere else. If we could manage to do that, it would be a fantastic feat, but it’s something we’re certainly targeting.”That approach meant that a game that featured three declarations, as the captains tried to create a result, was reduced to a dull draw after England’s top order faltered to be 4 for 55 shortly before lunch. The promotion of Tim Bresnan ahead of Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell notwithstanding, England weren’t about to throw away their winning touch.”Going in to lunch we were adamant we weren’t losing this game,” Prior said. “Winning is a habit and it’s a habit that you want to protect. If we had have lost today, I think we would have been very disappointed people. You can’t take for granted being on a good run and you have to sometimes dig in and make sure you continue that run.”One of the main aims England took in to the match was to establish which of their backup fast bowlers will replace the injured Stuart Broad for the third Test in Perth, but Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad took only one wicket between them. Tremlett remains the favourite to join the Test side, but Prior said it was not fair to compare their work on a slow drop-in pitch at the MCG to the quicker, bouncier surface they would be confronted with at the WACA.”This was not an easy wicket to get the batsman out,” he said. “I don’t think any bowler was going to charge in and take a whole load. All three of them bowled beautifully, held up ends, didn’t let the batters score at a rate, and all did a very good job on a wicket that wasn’t helpful at all. They’ve all put their hands up.”So has Prior, who batted at No. 4 to give him time at the crease. Should Australia’s bowlers find the magic solution to running through England’s top order, they’ll be met by the sight of an in-form No. 7 striding to the wicket, and their work will be far from done.