Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown hit 92 to lead his side to a thrilling
two-wicket victory over Lancashire with one ball to spare in their Clydesdale
Bank 40 opener

25-Apr-2010
ScorecardRory Hamilton-Brown starred with 92 to deliver his first victory as Surrey captain•PA Photos

Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown hit 92 to lead his side to a thrilling
two-wicket victory over Lancashire with one ball to spare in their Clydesdale
Bank 40 opener. Lancashire had set Surrey a formidable target when Stephen Moore, playing in his first one-day game since joining them from Worcestershire, led them to a
total of 290 for 6 with 118 off 96 balls.Hamilton-Brown, who had never reached fifty in his 37 previous one-day games,
responded by sharing a rousing opening partnership of 133 in only 15 overs with
Steven Davies. Davies had made 59 off 43 balls with three sixes and seven fours when he played on heaving at Tom Smith but Hamilton-Brown, in his first one-day game as captain, kept Surrey on course in a second-wicket stand of 49 with Usman Afzaal.Then Hamilton-Brown was caught at wide long off trying to hit the ball out of the ground for a fourth time and Surrey began to lose their way. Afzaal was bowled trying to run Sajid Mahmood to third man and Mark Ramprakash was caught low down in the gully.A brief stoppage for rain, which meant that the target was revised to 283 off
39 overs added to the tension and Surrey reached the final over still needing
five to win. Stewart Walters and Andre Nel scrambled three singles, Nel was run out trying
to steal a single to the wicketkeeper and in fading light Iftikhar Anjum edged
the penultimate ball from Mahmood for four to bring Hamilton-Brown leaping down
the pavilion steps punching the air.Surrey put Lancashire in and were rewarded when Nel had Paul Horton brilliantly
caught in the gully in his first over but Moore and Tom Smith were soon taking
advantage of the short boundaries at the school ground.Smith helped Moore put on 63 for the second wicket and Ashwell Prince and
Steven Croft joined him in successive stands of 89 in 15 overs and 87 in 11
overs before he tried to hit Iftikhar for his fourth sixth and was caught in
front of the sightscreen. He also struck 14 fours.Prince scored 48 off 46 balls, Croft 44 off 43 and Mark Chilton provided a
sting in the tail by hitting three sixes and a four off the penultimate over
from Stuart Meaker to lift Lancashire to their highest score against Surrey in
limited-overs cricket.

Paul Harris, the South Africa left-arm spinner has been left out of the Nashua Titans line-up for the 2010-11 South African professional domestic season

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2010Paul Harris, the South Africa left-arm spinner has been left out of the Titans line-up for the 2010-11 South African professional domestic season.”Paul has expressed a desire to participate in all formats of franchise cricket, including the MTN 40 and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions,” said Andy O’Connor, vice-chairman and head of the playing affairs portfolio of the Titans. “We understand Paul’s views, but given the personnel available to the Nashua Titans in the spin-bowling department, we are unfortunately unable to guarantee him a spot in our team in all versions of the game.”Harris has played 100 first-class matches for 333 wickets at an average of 30.81. He also has 47 List A wickets at 26.61 and 21 in the Twenty20 format at 21.19. In recent times, he has been South Africa’s first-choice Test spinner, with 87 wickets in 29 matches.”Although we are very sad to see Paul leave, we wish him both a fond farewell and all the very best for the future”, O’Connor said. “When Paul joined us a few seasons ago, he was participating in the Western Province B team and we are immensely proud to have played a part in his rise to selection at the Test level, where he has performed most admirably.”Harris thanked the Titans for their role in his career. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Titans, but feel that I should be competing in all available formats of the game. I wish the Nashua Titans every success in the future”, he said.

Shahid Afridi told Salman Butt he was his “main guy” before the opener produced a Man-of-the-Match performance against Bangladesh

Cricinfo staff01-May-2010Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, told Salman Butt he was his “main guy” before the opener produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in the 21-run victory over Bangladesh. Butt and Kamran Akmal, who both posted 73, started the contest with a partnership of 142, but it was Butt’s smooth display that stood out.He employed more traditional shots during his 46-ball stay and collected eight fours and two sixes to set up the total of 172 for 3. The effort impressed Afridi, who had been watching Butt closely since a pre-tournament camp in Pakistan.”I thought maybe he was going to the West Indies with me but I don’t think he will get a chance,” Afridi said. “But when I saw him he was batting very well, especially in the first six overs. I told Salman Butt: ‘You are my main guy.'”He was playing proper shots as well. In the six overs, you don’t need two [Sanath] Jayasuriyas, two [Virender] Sehwags or two Afridis.”After six overs against Bangladesh Butt was 15 off 10 balls and he maintained a high tempo as the team’s score proved to be too big for their opponents. Both sides now look to their final group games against Australia.Pakistan, the defending champions, face Michael Clarke’s team in St Lucia on Sunday and Afridi said they were in the right mood following their opening success. “The guys here are feeling good and are very united,” he said. “These guys here are my big players.”Bangladesh will run into Australia in Barbados on Wednesday and must win to have any chance of reaching the second round. “Pakistan have a very important game [on Sunday] and mathematically there’s still a possibility [that Bangladesh can qualify],” he said. “In Barbados there will be bounce and carry. We would have loved to have played Australia here.”

India face Sri Lanka in a must-win encounter for the nth time in a multi-nation tournament

The Preview by Sriram Veera04-Jun-2010

Match Facts

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)
The impressive Angelo Mathews is in great all-round form•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The Big Picture

And so here we are at that stage in a multi-nation tournament where we wonder, ‘Hold on, haven’t we been here before’? India face Sri Lanka in a must-win encounter for the nth time in a multi-nation tournament.On the eve of this tourney Suresh Raina said that his team didn’t have any weaknesses. Seriously? India’s performance in the last ODI against Zimbabwe was one of the more befuddling efforts in the recent times. The openers – especially M Vijay, as Dinesh Karthik managed to end up with a decent strike-rate – seemingly meandered without any purpose on a wicket that didn’t have any demons in it. Even Raina was moved enough to make his displeasure known in the post-match ceremony.India’s problems should have been its inexperienced bowling attack but the batsmen too have blown hot and cold. Not much was expected of the bowlers, especially the seamers, but the batsmen have the potential to play better than they have so far. And the think-tank’s strategy has been puzzling.In their previous game against Sri Lanka when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who were involved in a match-winning partnership, gestured to the dressing room that they wanted to take the Powerplay; they weren’t allowed. If they had taken that Powerplay, they might well have earned a bonus point. And of course it was in the same game that Raina forgot to take the bowling Powerplay and was apparently reminded of his error by an Indian commentator.In Wednesday’s game against Zimbabwe, after setting a low target, Raina had well-spread out fields instead of attacking. To bounce back from such a dismal performance is going to be a tough ask but then India had thumped Sri Lanka without breaking a sweat just a few days ago.Sri Lanka too haven’t been without problems. In the first game, they couldn’t post a good enough total and their bowling looked pretty ordinary. In the second, they didn’t have to work too hard as Zimbabwe never turned up. In the memorable words of Zimbabwe’s new coach Alan Butcher: “frankly today we were rubbish”. Zimbabwe indeed were rubbish that day and Sri Lanka would not know whether they improved after their ordinary outing against India or whether they were made to look good by Zimbabwe’s poor effort.

Form guide (most recent first)

India LWLLW

Sri Lanka WLWLW

Watch out for…

Virat Kohli averages over 50 in his brief international ODI career. He has been consistent in the opportunities given to him and has looked pretty solid in this tourney. Even in the game against Sri Lanka where Rohit ended up with a ton, it was Virat who played the more solid knock and laid the foundation.Angelo Mathews has impressed with how quickly he has matured in the international circuit. He has been quick to gauge a situation and tailor his batting to the requirements of the match situation. And he has always come across as an intelligent bowler.

Team news

India (possible) 1 Naman Ojha, 2 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina (capt), 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Ashok Dinda, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Abhimanyu Mithun.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt.), 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Ajantha Mendis.

Stats and trivia

• Thissara Perera has played six of his eight ODIs against India. All his runs have come against India and at a strike rate of 154.66
• Amit Mishra has struggled in the ODIs: He has taken eight wickets at an average of 47. His best spell – 3 for 40 – came against Sri Lanka. Mishra’s team-mate Pragyan Ojha has played 9 of his 11 ODIs against Sri Lanka and has picked up 12 wickets at 28.08.
  

  Quotes

  ” We are not getting a good partnerships from the openers. We have to learn from it. They [the openers] didn’t get runs in last two games. “
  

Ajmal Shahzad, the Yorkshire allrounder, has been added to England’s one-day squad as injury cover for Ryan Sidebottom who has picked up a hamstring problem

Cricinfo staff15-Jun-2010Ajmal Shahzad, the Yorkshire allrounder, has been added to England’s one-day squad as injury cover for Ryan Sidebottom who has picked up a hamstring problem.Sidebottom, who suffered his injury against Worcestershire in the Friends Provident t20, has not been ruled out of the forthcoming five-match series against Australia which starts next week, but Shahzad will join up with the team ahead of the ODI against Scotland, in Edinburgh, on Saturday.Sidebottom was a key member of the World Twenty20 squad in the Caribbean having kept James Anderson out of the final XI throughout the tournament. It marked an upturn in his fortunes after an 18-month period where he was beset by injuries although he retained the support of coach Andy Flower.”It’s a shame Ryan has picked up this injury as he’s been injury-free for some time now and bowling well,” said Geoff Miller, the national selector. “Thankfully it’s a relatively minor injury and we look forward to him making a full recovery soon.”Shahzad was unlucky to miss out on the original squad having impressed on his Test debut against Bangladesh, at Old Trafford, where he took four wickets in the match and caught the attention with his rapid reverse swing. He made his ODI debut earlier this year, also against Bangladesh, at Chittagong.Sidebottom’s injury could mean that Anderson will have the chance to regain his one-day spot having voiced concerns about where he now sits in the pecking order after sitting out the World Twenty20.

It’s 103 years since a team won a Test having been bowled out for 88 or less in the first innings of the match

Brydon Coverdale at Headingley22-Jul-2010It’s 103 years since a team won a Test having been bowled out for 88 or less in the first innings of the match. It’s only six months since Pakistan last squandered a lead that should have been match-winning.The Australians are not looking back a century as they embark on the third day at Headingley, where, remarkably, they became the bookmakers’ favourites a day after being skittled for their lowest score in 26 years. Shane Watson dragged Australia back into the match with a six-wicket haul before Ricky Ponting led a batting counterattack, and despite taking a 170-run first-innings advantage, the ghosts of their Sydney meltdown could still haunt Pakistan.”We have seen it before and it might bring back some memories to Pakistan of the Test match in Sydney a few months ago,” Watson said. “They know exactly our fighting spirit as a team and what we are able to really turnaround from that Test in Sydney.”I think that will really start to creep into their minds over the next day or so especially with Ricky and Michael [Clarke] batting very nicely at the moment. We know there is still a lot of hard work to go in this Test and hopefully we will continue to do that over the next couple of days and get the result like we did in Sydney.”The SCG result will certainly be on the minds of the seven Pakistan players in this match who were also present in January. It was certainly being considered by their coach Waqar Younis, who was not in charge back then, and he is confident that with early wickets his men can avoid a repeat.”We had such a Test match back in Sydney recently so we don’t really want to get into that sort of situation,” Waqar said. “We don’t want to lose this Test match. We’re still 34 runs ahead of them, they have to start getting runs on top of us, so it’s still very much an open game for us. Tomorrow, first session is a very important one. If we fetch a couple of wickets it’ll do us good.”The key for Australia is Ponting, who survived a close lbw shout from his first ball when he offered no shot to Mohammad Aamer. Ponting dug in to register the first half-century of the match and by the close of the second day, he and his vice-captain Clarke had delivered Australia a sniff of victory, although Waqar knows removing Ponting will spark the Pakistan bowlers.”If you look at the last Test he struggled against the swing bowling but [today] he managed to get out of that period where we were looking to get him out,” Waqar said. “He’s got 12,000 runs, you’ve got to give him credit. He’s a class act, and he’s looking good, definitely a danger-man for us. If we can fetch him early morning it will be a different story.”

Azeem Rafiq, the Yorkshire offspinner, has launched a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter after being left out of the England Under-19 side for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Scarborough

Cricinfo staff28-Jul-2010Azeem Rafiq, the Yorkshire offspinner, has been suspended by his county pending a full investigation after he launched a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter following his omission from the England Under-19 side for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Scarborough.Rafiq, who captained England to a 199-run defeat in the first Test, fired a scathing attack at coach John Abraham after he was omitted for what the ECB called “inappropriate conduct” and Rafiq is now under further investigation by the board.After he was told the news of being dropped Rafiq posted: “What a f***ing farsee … John Abrahams is a useless ****… ECB prove it again what incompetent people are working for them!!”And he hadn’t finished there when he added: “John Abrahams is a useless w****r.”Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive said: “Azeem’s behaviour was totally unacceptable and the club will not tolerate it. Our professional players are role models to aspiring young cricketers and need to behave as such. Whilst Azeem has apologised formally to the ECB, the club and the coach in question the club still intend to carry out a full investigation before deciding on what disciplinary action to take. In the meantime, he is suspended on full pay and unavailable for selection.”The ECB are likely to summon Rafiq to Lord’s for a disciplinary hearing, and are considering his future place in the Under-19s.Andrew Strauss was asked about the incident as he prepared for the first Test against Pakistan. He has had experience of a player getting into trouble over Twitter when Tim Bresnan was forced to apologise for a comment he posted during the Champions Trophy last year and Strauss said players, at whatever age, must take responsbility.”What I would say is that if you haven’t led by example and have let yourself down you’ve got to take it on the chin and learn from it,” he said. “For a start players should be aware that what they write on Twitter is going to be seen by people they might not want it to be seen by. We’ve had a number of occasions of that happening, so I’d say to be very careful on that.”The other thing I’d say is that there is a right way to react to things and there is a wrong way and venting your frustration is not the right way to do it especially if you have been in the wrong. You need to take it on the chin and learn from it otherwise there are plenty of other people who can do it better than you.”It isn’t the first time Rafiq has been caught in controversy although the previous occasion was much less his fault. Yorkshire played him in their 2008 Twenty20 Cup quarter-final against Durham without realising he wasn’t properly registered and didn’t hold a British passport.Graeme Swann is the most prolific ‘tweeter’ in English cricket with an avid following and has just about avoided pushing the boundaries too much. James Anderson also tweets regularly and the pair often take part in extensive banter. However, Australia batsman Phil Hughes had less success when he announced he’d been dropped for the third Test of the Ashes last year before the team wanted it revealed to the public.

A century from Jacques Rudolph set Yorkshire on their way to an eight-run
victory over Derbyshire at Chesterfield to keep them top of Group B in the
Clydesdale Bank 40

08-Aug-2010

ScorecardA century from Jacques Rudolph set Yorkshire on their way to an eight-run
victory over Derbyshire at Chesterfield to keep them top of Group B in the
Clydesdale Bank 40.The South African scored 105, sharing a second-wicket stand of 144 in 22 overs
with Adam Lyth, who made 91, as Yorkshire made 276 for 6 from their 40
overs. Chesney Hughes hit 54 and Wayne Madsen 65 from 57 balls but, despite a late
charge from Graham Wagg (27) in his first game since late April, the Falcons
came up short on 268 for 8.Rudolph came into the game with an average of 99.25 in the 40-over competition
and the Falcons may have feared the worst when he was dropped on 16 at slip by
Chesney Hughes off Tim Groenewald. The South African did not give another chance until he had reached his century as he and Lyth plundered runs after Andrew Gale had become Wagg’s first victim in the 12th over.The Falcons had to wait another 22 overs for their next success and by then
Yorkshire were on course for their best 40-over total against Derbyshire. Rudolph reached his fourth 50 in Group B from 52 balls and lifted Garry Park for six over midwicket as he cruised to his second ton in this summer’s CB 40 league.Lyth drove Groenewald into the timber-framed pavilion to bring up the 200 in
the 32nd over, and although Rudolph went for 105 off 107 balls when he failed to
clear mid off and Jonathan Bairstow was bowled first ball by Groenewald, Anthony
McGrath accelerated the scoring in the closing overs.He drove the left-arm spin of Robin Peterson into the sightscreen at the Lake
End and sent a Wagg delivery into the spectators behind the ropes at extra cover
as Yorkshire passed the 248 for 5 they made at Chesterfield in 1979. Lyth was finally caught at deep midwicket going for his third six, but McGrath’s unbeaten 31 from 17 balls left Derbyshire with a tough chase and they made a dreadful start when Chris Rogers was run out by a direct hit from Lyth in the second over.But Hughes reeled off some silky strokes to keep his side in the hunt and also
pulled Ajmal Shahzad for six as he and Peterson took the Falcons past 50 before
Peterson was caught at slip driving at Tim Bresnan. Hughes was looking dangerous, but after completing a 43-ball fifty he drove Steve Patterson to cover.Madsen and Wes Durston added 74 in 11 overs to keep the game alive before
McGrath broke the stand with his second ball when Durston cut him low to point. The Falcons went into the last 10 overs needing 93 but accurate bowling backed up by sharp fielding built up pressure which forced Madsen into a switch hit into the hands of point.Derbyshire needed 56 off the last five overs and although Wagg smashed an
unbeaten 27 off 18 balls, Yorkshire held their nerve to clinch their seventh
victory and stay on course for a semi-final place.

Nottinghamshire’s County Championship aspirations took a hammer blow after being bowled out by challengers Yorkshire in their first innings for 59 – their lowest total in 22 years

07-Sep-2010
ScorecardAndrew Gale’s outstanding hundred built a big lead for Yorkshire•PA Photos

Nottinghamshire’s County Championship aspirations took a hammer blow after being bowled out by challengers Yorkshire in their first innings for 59 – their lowest total in 22 years. England seamer Ajmal Shahzad picked up the first two wickets on his way to 4 for 21 while Oliver Hannon-Dalby ripped out the tail with 4 for 18 as Nottinghamshire collapsed in just 33.2 overs.Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale then hit an unbeaten 147 not out to deepen their misery as the visitors racked up 260 for 8 in reply, giving them a lead of 201 and putting them right back in the race for their first Championship pennant since 2001.Andre Adams added to his career-best season haul of 58 wickets with 4 for 82 but Nottinghamshire already face a massive challenge to rescue anything from the game and stay ahead of second-placed Somerset.With heavy overnight rain leaving the pitch looking extremely green, it was an easy decision for Gale to insert Nottinghamshire after winning the toss and Trent Bridge once again proved to be a seam bowler’s paradise. Shahzad struck in the opening over as makeshift opener Paul Franks chased a ball outside off and edged to third slip, while Alex Hales also hung his bat out six overs later to offer Adil Rashid an excellent diving catch at fourth slip.Academy bowler Moin Ashraf, making his Championship debut at 18, showed excellent control to claim two notable scalps in removing Adam Voges and Samit Patel in consecutive overs. Hannon-Dalby then had Ali Brown, Chris Read and Steven Mullaney lbw in the space of seven balls either side of lunch, with Shahzad returning to dismiss top-scorer Mark Wagh for 22 and the tail subsiding swiftly.Needing to pick up early wickets to stay in the game, Nottinghamshire instead offered up easy runs, with Darren Pattinson particularly culpable. He was hauled off after three overs for 19 and his replacement Adams struck twice in two balls, Jacques Rudolph and Adam Lyth edging to gully and second slip respectively.But Gale rode his luck in the early stages before punishing width with increasing confidence to post his third century of the season from just 85 balls, slowing down in the final session.He was the only batsman to truly master the conditions all day, dominating a partnership of 111 for the fourth wicket with Jonathan Bairstow (36), who was the third of Adams’ victims, with Franks picking up three and Patel one.

Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, has defended offspinner Nathan Hauritz following his disappointing returns in the ongoing tour of India

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2010Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, has defended offspinner Nathan Hauritz following his disappointing returns in the ongoing tour of India by suggesting a lack of bounce could be the reason and backing him to be well-prepared for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.Hauritz was ineffective against India’s batsmen in the Tests, averaging 65 for his six wickets, and went wicketless in his team’s five-wicket defeat in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam.”His performance is better in Test cricket than what he has done here in India,” Nielsen told reporters in Margao, the venue of the third and final ODI on Sunday. “We have talked quite a bit since the end of the second Test. (He’s) started getting used to the conditions. He hasn’t got the assistance here he gets in Australia, probably because of the slowness of the wickets and the lack of bounce.”The Indian spinners put a lot of top spin on the ball to try and get the ball to bounce. In Australia the wickets are harder and we probably concentrate more on sidespin. It’s a big difference when you play in these conditions, something Nathan has to do to get adjusted to the playing conditions here.”Hauritz was Australia’s best bowler in the home Test series against Pakistan in 2009-10, where he picked up 18 wickets, and Nielsen said he had a chance to return to form ahead of the Ashes. “It was a massive learning curve for him. He’s a better bowler as a result of it,” Nielsen said. “He’s got two-three Sheffield Shield matches and that should help him prepare well for the first Test.”Instead, Nielsen said, the inexperience of Australia’s fast-bowling attack was a bit of a concern. Two seamers – John Hastings and Mitchell Starc – made their debuts in the Visakhapatnam game, while their partner Clint McKay was still new to international cricket. “If we lack anything it is the experience in the fast bowling group that we had in the past,” Nielsen said. “When we won the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year we had (Peter) Siddle, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson as our first three bowlers. That makes it a lot easier when bowlers four and five come into the attack.”We have Starc, Hastings and Mckay who have played very little international cricket. It puts pressure on our middle bowlers. Probably it was a little bit evident the other night when we did not take early wickets.”When asked if the results on this tour had affected Australia’s World Cup preparation, Nielsen said: “We are not panicking at all. We understand we haven’t got the results we would have liked but we have been very competitive. If you add the loss of (Ricky) Ponting, (Mitchell) Johnson, (Shane) Watson, (Michael) Hussey, (Shaun) Tait, (Brett) Lee to this one day side, we would take this side.”It has been raining in Goa over the last couple of days and Nielsen expected the pitch to play slow on Sunday. “I’m not sure it has seen a lot of sunshine,” Nielsen said. “I don’t think it will be a hard, fast, bouncy wicket. Still (there are) two days to go. They can roll a bit more tomorrow, if the sun comes out. The wicket may be a bit slow but it could be a good batting wicket.”Nielsen confirmed Callum Ferguson would replace Michael Hussey in the middle order. Hussey has returned to Australia to represent his state side Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield.