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Scotland brushed aside Kenya by 152 runs on the back of Ewan Chalmers’ maiden first-class century to record their second win in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

Callum Stewart in Aberdeen09-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsScotland brushed aside Kenya by 152 runs on the back of Ewan Chalmers’ maiden first-class century to record their second win in the ICC Intercontinental Cup. Needing 342 for victory, Scotland’s bowlers combined well to rout Kenya for under 200 for the second time in the match.Chalmers, 79 overnight, strode confidently toward his century, playing crisp strokes but he struggled as he neared the milestone. Eight runs from the mark, fast bowler Elijah Otieno made him flash outside off but the ball flew wide of the diving slip fielder. Then on 98, he pushed at left-arm spinner Hiren Varaiya to second slip who floored the opportunity. More luck came his way as his late cut took a thick edge and found the boundary to propel him to three figures.Chalmers nicked Varaiya to the keeper Irfan Karim, a mode of dismissal that fetched four of Varaiya’s five wickets in the innings. Gordon Goudie hit 21 off 29 balls, with two fours, before James Ngoche claimed the final three wickets.With over a day remaining, Scotland were heavy favourites to bowl out Kenya after they only managed 101 first time round. The dogged Duncan Allan was dislodged early through an excellent diving catch by wicketkeeper Craig Wallace off the bowling of Alasdair Evans, and Tanmay Mishra soon followed after offering a tame return catch to seamer Goudie.The Scotland bowlers were not having it all their own way like they did in the first innings as Alex Obanda and captain Collins Obuya led the counter-attack, scoring 68 runs off 80 balls. They struck two sixes and eight fours between them before Obanda, having overcome a difficult tour and looking quite solid at the crease, had his stumps broken after shouldering arms to a straight ball. His partner Obuya remained staunch though, moving past his half-century.Obuya had two lives, both chances coming off Goudie. Calvin Burnett was the first culprit and Wallace was the second, though Wallace’s was a much harder chance. Scotland were convinced they had Obuya out when he seemed to have edged one to Wallace who led the celebrations but both batsmen and umpire stayed unmoved.But while Obuya manned one end, the middle order crumbled around him. Nelson Odhiambo who twisted an ankle bowling on Tuesday did not return to bat as Ngoche was bowled by Richie Berrington to leave Obuya stranded on 91 as Scotland claimed all 20 points to wrap up the win in just three days.

“I didn’t want to just get the hundred and continue blasting and blasting and get out,” Chris Gayle said after his record-breaking 175

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2013Chris Gayle’s 175 that demolished Pune Warriors took only 66 deliveries, and included 17 sixes. While that may seem like the very definition of sustained hitting, and makes it hard to imagine a period where the batsman took it easy, Gayle spoke about how he paced his innings.”I didn’t want to just get the hundred and continue blasting and blasting and get out, you know how quickly this game can change,” Gayle said after delivering a 130-run victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He reached his hundred off 30 deliveries in the ninth over, before taking it slightly easy for the next few overs.”I wanted to stay there till the end, make sure I bat at least 18 overs, if not all, which I did, I look on that as a point of view, where I try and bat as many overs as possible, get the hundred, and then actually let Dilly [Tillakaratne Dilshan] take charge while I get a break and pick it up back in the end.”Having broken the record for the fastest T20 hundred, the highest individual score in T20 and the most sixes in an innings, Gayle said it was too soon for him to gauge the magnitude of his achievement. “Words can’t explain how I feel, I think later on tonight when I am by myself I can look back and reflect on what I’ve done today,” he said. “I’m grateful, overall from a team point of view, I’m really happy with the win, that put us on top of the table, just one of those innings, one of these days when you come out and things go according to how you want it to.”Aaron Finch, the Warriors captain, watched helplessly as his bowlers, and his own bowling, was ruthlessly taken apart by Gayle. There were no qualifiers in his praise for Gayle. “That was simply the best innings I’ve ever seen,” Finch said. He later joked: “Maybe we should ban him from the game. Maybe he’s too good, he hits it too far.”Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers’ captain, was left “speechless”. “No words. I cannot ask for anything more as a captain,” Kohli said after the game. “I’m privileged that I watched it here today live. All the people who came to the stadium today also should feel honoured that they got to see one of the best innings ever.”Dilshan, who partnered Gayle through most of his assault, was equally awestruck. “I’ve batted with him in the last IPL too and he scored a couple of hundreds. But this was something special,” he said. “In my career this was the first time I saw someone hit the ball so cleanly. I was just standing at the other end and enjoying every bit of it.”It wasn’t just with the bat that Gayle did damage. Asked to bowl the final over of the match – his first chance with the ball this IPL season – he picked up two wickets, before celebrating with his famous Gangnam Style dance. “It was really good to finish off in that particular way, ” he said. “Some people keep on asking, ‘they have seen me do Gangnam Style in international cricket, why not in IPL?’ I thought that was the perfect time to do it, you get a wicket, everything just worked for Chris Gayle today … I’m an entertainer, I try to entertain as much as possible.”With Warriors conceding a record 263 runs – the most in the history of Twenty20s – Gayle was asked whether he felt sorry for the bowler s. “Sometimes I get knocked over first ball, I would love to ask the bowler as well ‘Do you feel sorry for me’. We’re paid to be competitive out there, serious event the IPL, lot of money being spent, you want to put on your best performance at all times.”

Chris Rogers remains hopeful of a recall to the Australian Test side but realises county success may be a more realistic aim for 2013

Alex Winter09-Apr-2013Arthur Coningham, Ken Eastwood, Mick Malone. Three names that are part of a club that Chris Rogers is in danger of joining: the Australian one-Test wonders.All three enjoyed fine first-class careers but were never given the chance on the international stage. At 35 it is quite perceivable that Rogers will end his career with the same footnote.It will be quite puzzling if Rogers never plays another Test. He was considered good enough to break into the Australian side, then the world’s No. 1, in 2008, but four years later continues to be overlooked for a side struggling for runs.Rogers reels off the names of players preferred to him since his only Test in Perth. None of them get close to his near-19,000 first-class runs at a shade under 50.”It has always felt like there’s always been someone else who has come in to take that available spot,” Rogers told ESPNcricinfo. “Whether it’s a Katich or a Cowan or a Hughes. There’s always been someone else. It all comes down to opportunity and it would be nice to have had more than one Test to show people that I can play.”He can most certainly play. Last summer he passed 1,000 runs in an English season for the sixth time (he has passed the mark in two Australian seasons). His 1,086 runs at 40.22 led Middlesex to third place in the County Championship – their best finish since 1995.He cannot be shouting louder in the ears of the Australian selectors. But they continue to allow his case to pass over them. They selected Rob Quiney – only five years Rogers’ junior but with fifty fewer first-class centuries – against South Africa before Christmas. And he was allowed to have a go in two Tests.Selections like Quiney’s are a killer to Rogers who can do no more than keep the mobile phone charged up. “It’s hard to keep getting excited about the prospect of a recall because I have waited a few years for a phone call and it hasn’t come,” he said. “The selectors have gone in a different direction and there are only so many times you can get your hopes up.”But maybe this summer Rogers will be too hard to ignore. Australia’s top-order batting has consistently failed and a proven run-producer is sitting waiting on the shores to which they will tour. John Inverarity, the Australian chairman of selectors, has said Rogers will be seriously considered. Surely cause for positivity?”I’m not sure if positive is the right word,” Rogers said. “I think there’s a chance. Guys who’ve had the opportunity over the past couple of years haven’t really nailed their spot and that has maybe left the door a little bit ajar.”Omission from the Ashes would almost certainly bring a final slump of the shoulders from Rogers, who averages just 0.33-of-a-run below Justin Langer in first-class cricket.If it is not meant to be Rogers can concentrate on helping Middlesex complete their transformation. When he joined the club in 2011, they were at a particularly low ebb having finished second-bottom of the Championship the year before. But his runs rallied them back into Division One and last season’s third sees them installed as contenders for the title in 2013.A tonic for international disappointment perhaps? “As you get older the desire to win things comes much greater and to captain a side – which two years ago was struggling – to a Championship would be something I could be very proud of. But playing for your country is still the ultimate.”

Afghanistan crumbled under the weight of Pakistan A’s big total of 189, to lose by 49 runs in the Twenty20 in Lahore

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Shahid Afridi hit four fours and two sixes in his 25-ball 45•AFPAfghanistan crumbled under the weight of Pakistan A’s big total of 189, to lose by 49 runs in the Twenty20 in Lahore. Opener Ahmed Shehzad and Shahid Afridi took the contest away from Afghanistan with their attacking knocks of 68 and 45 respectively. In reply, regular wickets and slow scoring hurt them, and they limped to 140 for 9.Afghanistan started the chase brightly, the openers scoring 32 in three overs, but they slipped to 89 for 6 in the 11th over. Asghar Stanikzai was the only batsman to remain unbeaten eventually, scoring 47. The last seven batsmen scored 27 runs in all.Pakistan’s innings was based on partnerships of 66, between openers Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan, and 65, between Shehzad and Afridi, after which they were 131 for 2 in 13 overs. Although Afghanistan bounced back to keep them to below 200, the target ultimately proved too daunting for them.

West Indies women squared their five-match ODI series against South Africa 2-2, winning the final game by 22 runs in Roseau

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2013
Scorecard
West Indies women squared their five-match ODI series against South Africa 2-2, winning the final game by 22 runs in Roseau. Stafanie Taylor led the way for the hosts with 76 at the top of the order and putting together a 117-run stand for the second wicket with Shemaine Campbelle, which gave West Indies the foundation for a big score. However, they slipped from 129 for 1 to 177 for 8, Dane van Niekirk troubling them with some leg-spin that fetched her three wickets.The target, though, proved too much for South Africa in the end. West Indies made steady inroads into the batting in a collective bowling effort. South Africa had hope when top-scorer Marizanne Kapp and Cri-Zelda Brits forged a 31-run stand for the third wicket, taking the score to 98 for 3. But after Kapp fell, the rest of the batting crumbled. Brits was the last woman out, for 35, as South Africa were bowled out for 155. Three West Indies bowlers – Shaquana Quintyne, Campbelle and Shakera Selman – picked up two wickets each. West Indies were beaten in the first two games; they won the third and the fifth, while the fourth was abandoned due to rain.

Albie Morkel, the South Africa all-rounder, will be out of action for up to 10 days due to an ankle and South Africa have called in Faf du Plessis

Firdose Moonda at Headingley31-Jul-2012Albie Morkel, the South Africa all-rounder, will be out of action for up to 10 days due to an ankle and South Africa have called in Faf du Plessis as cover. Morkel will remain with the squad as he awaits results of his scans and the expectation is he will be available for the third Test if required.Morkel, who was unlikely to come into contention for the Headingley Test, was one of the reserves who impressed in the tour match against Worcestershire last week. He scored a half-century while batsmen in the Test XI, Alviro Petersen, Jacques Rudolph and JP Duminy failed.Morkel has only played one Test, against Australia in 2009, and was initially called up as a replacement when he took the place of fast bowler Marchant de Lange who had to leave the tour in the first week. De Lange sustained a back injury in last month’s unofficial Twenty20 tri-series in June and could not recover in time for the series. Morkel was easily accessible for the visitors as he had been playing in the Friends Life t20 for SomersetDu Plessis has recently been captaining South Africa A in a fifty-over tri-series in Zimbabwe, which also included Sri Lanka A. His much improved first-class record in the previous season, in which he batted at No.4 or 5 instead of lower down as was the case previously for his franchise Titans, has put him in contention for a Test spot recently. During the 2011-12 season he scored 599 runs from four matches including three hundreds.He is also due to lead South Africa A in a series against Ireland which starts next Monday. If he is not required for a Test debut at Headingley, which would only come about due to injury, he will leave the squad on Thursday and join up with the A team in Wicklow.

West Indies have picked uncapped legspinner Samuel Badree in their squad for the two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in Lauderhill, Florida on June 30 and July 1

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2012West Indies have picked uncapped legspinner Samuel Badree in their squad for the two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in Lauderhill, Florida on June 30 and July 1. Darren Bravo hasn’t been selected after he returned to the West Indies from the tour of England due to a groin strain. Also missing are seamer Tino Best and allrounder Andre Russell, who picked up an injury during the first ODI against England at the Rose Bowl.Badree, 31, who plays for Trinidad and Tobago, has played 12 first-class games, taking 14 wickets at 37.50 in a career that started ten years ago. He has done better in one-day cricket, with 32 wickets at 26.31, and has an excellent T20 record. In the 41 T20s Badree has played, he has collected 39 wickets at 15.61 with an economy-rate of just 4.42.Badree was successful in the Caribbean T20, picking up eight wickets in six games at 11.87 and going for just 4.31 an over. In the final, which T&T won, he conceded just 14 in his four-over spell, taking one wicket.”The team is well-balanced and has been selected with the Twenty20 World Cup in mind,” West Indies’ chief selector Clyde Butts said. “Looking at the team, we expect this side to do very well against New Zealand, as our preparation for the World Cup continues.”Badree has been a consistent performer in regional tournaments over a period of time and the selectors felt it was the right time to introduce him to the team.”West Indies were due to leave for the United States from the UK on Monday. The two T20s in Florida are followed by five ODIs and two Tests in the Caribbean.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL eliminator match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in Bangalore

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit22-May-2012Match factsWednesday, May 23, 2012
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Whatever their form going into the playoffs, no side plays the crunch games better than Chennai Super Kings•AFPBig PictureSuch is the knockout format of the IPL that a side that won eight and lost seven games during the league stage now has a chance to win the tournament. When as many as four out of nine teams – eight during the first three seasons – make the playoffs, such things are bound to happen. Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions, happen to be that side this season.It is not Super Kings’ problem that the format is such. While they have had to depend on three other teams messing up their qualification chances this season, the fact is that those three sides did mess up. And Super Kings would still not have qualified had they not won a few games from seemingly hopeless positions. Against Rajasthan Royals, they needed 43 from 22 deliveries. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they needed 43 from 12.Mumbai Indians, the Champions League Twenty20 2011 winners, may have won ten games, but as always, haven’t quite dominated as much as a side with so much quality should have. They have had their share of come-from-behind wins as well, including chasing 172 after being 51 for 5 against Royal Challengers.Mumbai Indians have scored their runs at 7.43 an over; Super Kings at 7.60. Mumbai Indians have gone for 7.54 an over; Super Kings for 7.58. There is not much to choose between the two on these parameters. On a Bangalore pitch, which has been the best this season for batting, with a scoring-rate rate of 8.31 an over, Mumbai Indians’ powerful line-up gives them a slight edge, as does their tendency to contain by taking wickets rather than choking the opposition batsmen.These sides played the 2010 IPL final, which Super Kings won by 22 runs after Mumbai Indians adopted some strange tactics, sending Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh ahead of Ambati Rayudu, JP Duminy and Kieron Pollard. Whatever their form going into the playoffs, no side plays the crunch games better than Super Kings.Form guide
Chennai Super Kings: LWWWL (most recent first)
Mumbai Indians: WLWWLPlayers to watchSuresh Raina, the highest run-getter in the IPL, has made 341 runs this season, but they have come at a strike-rate of 126.76, as against a Twenty20 career strike-rate close to 140. The sight of him heaving sixes over midwicket in the yellow Super Kings uniform has been a fixture throughout the five seasons of the IPL. Will he help them avoid elimination tomorrow?Kieron Pollard has had a productive season, making 204 runs at 145.71 and picking up 15 wickets at 7.93. Add to that his sharp fielding and safe catching. He had come in at No. 8 in that 2010 final with the game almost lost by then. What will he do in the 2012 eliminator?During his Man-of-the-Match performance against Delhi Daredevils in Chennai, Ben Hilfenhaus uprooted Virender Sehwag’s off stump with a late outswinger in the first over, and three balls later, dismissed David Warner. Michael Hussey has said that the new ball will be crucial in Bangalore. That adds more importance to Hilfenhaus’ role.Team combinationDwayne Smith’s explosiveness with the bat – demonstrated earlier this season when he had three balls from Ben Hilfenhaus to score the 14 needed for victory, and did – should get him into the XI. Lasith Malinga and Pollard are guaranteed starters. Who will get the fourth overseas player’s spot – James Franklin or Herschelle Gibbs? With so many hitters in the line-up, it makes sense to go for the all-round skills of Franklin. Their latest opening combination, Sachin Tendulkar and Smith, worked for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Will Smith partner Tendulkar again on Wednesday?With MS Dhoni playing both the overseas allrounders, Dwayne Bravo and Albie Morkel, whenever they’ve been available, two spots remain. Hilfenhaus, who has been outstanding apart from those three deliveries to Smith, should take one place. Will Super Kings choose their highest run-getter of the season, Faf du Plessis, over the seasoned Michael Hussey? Ideally not.Meetings this seasonIn the opening game of this season, Super Kings collapsed to 112 in Chennai, and Richard Levi shut them out with a fifty on IPL debut. It was Mumbai Indians’ turn to collapse, from 134 for 1 to 159 for 8, at the Wankhede Stadium, before Smith’s last-over assault got them home.Stats and trivia Super Kings have the best win-loss ratio in the IPL – 1.45. Mumbai Indians are next with 1.34. Mumbai Indians have taken the most wickets in the IPL – 480. Michael Hussey has the highest batting average for Super Kings – 39.76.Quotes”We’ve stumbled through a number of times to get into the semi-finals. I remember when Dhoni hit two sixes against [Kings XI] Punjab a couple of years ago, that was the difference in finishing fourth and in finishing sixth or seventh. You can look at it as a lucky way, because other teams were defeated in the last few games. But we were able to get enough points in all of our matches leading up to the finals.”

Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has said the lack of a quality fifth bowler was an important factor in his team’s 59-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2012Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has said the lack of a quality fifth bowler was an important factor in his team’s 59-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Royals chose to bat and scored 195 for 2, with Ajinkya Rahane scoring 103 and Owais Shah 60.They scored 70 in the 12 overs bowled by Zaheer Khan, Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan, and 120 in the remaining eight overs. Chris Gayle conceded 21 in one over, Vinay Kumar 51 in four and S Aravind 48 in three overs.”The problem is that we could not get through the overs from our fifth bowler. It is something we must rectify as it has hurt us in every game,” Vettori said. “We need to work hard on that fifth bowler, as teams are being very aggressive and we are not getting the results that we need to compete.”In their previous game in Chennai, Virat Kohli conceded 28 in the penultimate over and Royal Challengers failed to defend 205. They are presently second last in the league, having lost three out of four games.Vettori also said he was disappointed with his middle-order batsmen. “There’s a lot of expectation on the top four but they can’t do it every time, so they guys in the middle need to step up. We must find a solution quickly as we play Pune [Warriors] in a day and we need to get back to winning ways.”Royals batsman, Shah, whose 60 came off 26 balls, credited Rahane for the win and praised his batting style. “There is a calmness about him that shows he’s always in control,” Shah said. “He plays the ball very late and times the ball beautifully. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

Sarel Burger will lead Namibia in the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March, assisted by Raymond van Schoor, as per the 14-man squad announced by Cricket Namibia

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2012Sarel Burger will lead Namibia in the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March. Raymond van Schoor, was named vice-captain in the 14-man squad announced by Cricket Namibia. The squad will also include four non-travelling reserves.Among the newer faces in the squad are Gerhard Erasmus, Ian Opperman, Hendrik Geldenhuys and Zhivago Groenewald – these four players have seven List A matches among them.Sixteen Associate and Affiliate teams will compete in the 72-match qualifying tournament, for two available spots in the World Twenty20, slated to be held in Sri Lanka later this year. Namibia have been drawn in Group B of the qualifiers, along with Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Uganda, Oman, Italy and USA.Squad: Sarel Burger (capt), Raymond Van Schoor (vice-capt), Ewald Steenkamp, Louis van der Westhuizen, Craig Williams, Gerrie Snyman, Nicholaas Scholtz, Gerhard Erasmus, Ian Opperman, Christi Viljoen, Bernard Scholtz, Louis Klazinga, Hendrik Geldenhuys, Zhivago Groenewald

Reserves: Bredell Wessels, Pikkie Ya France, Gj Dippenaar, Christopher Coombe