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Afghanistan will play their first one-day international against a Test-playing nation when they meet Pakistan in Sharjah on February 10

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2011Afghanistan will play their first one-day international against a Test-playing nation when they meet Pakistan in Sharjah on February 10. The match will take place three days before the first match of the limited-overs leg of Pakistan’s ‘home’ series against England in the UAE. Afghanistan played India and South Africa during the World Twenty20 2010, but in ODIs they have only faced Associate and Affiliate teams.Pakistan and Afghanistan’s cricketing relations have grown over 2011. In May, Afghanistan became the first international team to tour Pakistan since the attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in March 2009. They played three 50-over matches against Pakistan A. There was also an attempt to include Afghanistan in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament but that did not materialise.Cricket was made popular in Afghanistan by refugees who spent years living in Pakistan when Soviet troops invaded their country in 1979. Afghanistan cricket has progressed remarkably in the last three years. In 2009, they finished fifth in the World Cup Qualifiers and earned ODI status later in the year. In 2010, they won the qualifying tournament for the World Twenty20, giving them the opportunity to play in the main tournament, and also won the Intercontinental Cup, a first-class tournament. They are currently ninth on the ICC rankings for Twenty20 teams.

Alex Doolan gave Tasmania a solid platform on the first day against New South Wales in Canberra, but a pair of late wickets to Josh Hazlewood gave the Blues a slight edge at stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2011
ScorecardAlex Doolan top scored with 82•Getty ImagesAlex Doolan gave Tasmania a solid platform on the first day against New South Wales in Canberra, but a pair of late wickets to Josh Hazlewood gave the Blues a slight edge at stumps. At the close, the Tigers were 6 for 267 having chosen to bat, with Matt Johnston on 15 and Tom Triffitt on 7.Late in the afternoon, Hazlewood trapped James Faulkner lbw for 44 and soon afterwards had Doolan lbw for 82, which was the key breakthrough. Doolan and Faulkner had put together a 97-run partnership after several members of the Tasmanian top order made starts but failed to go on.Ed Cowan had struck 11 boundaries in his 65 before he was lbw to Josh Lalor, the New South Wales left-arm fast bowler playing his second first-class game. Lalor finished the day with 3 for 62 from 23 overs, a fine collection that also included George Bailey for 18 and Mark Cosgrove for 10.

After the innings and 301-run defeat in the one-off Test against New Zealand, Zimbabwe are preparing skill-wise and mentally to compete in the limited-overs leg of the tour, Regis Chakabva has said

Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2012Zimbabwe’s innings and 301-run defeat in their one-off Test against New Zealand represents, in numerical terms, the massive gulf between them and the next tier of the Test playing world. In more literal ones, it symbolises a significant stride backward for a nation that made a respectable comeback to Test cricket last year.Having seemingly built up the ability to compete and even sometimes win, their progress was smashed to smithereens on a single day. But, take into account that it was their maiden voyage from home since their return to the Test fold and the hard edges of how badly they performed are somewhat softened. “For most of us, it’s our first tour in New Zealand but as professionals we are expected to adapt,” Regis Chakabva told ESPNcricinfo. “It would have been disappointing to lose like that, no matter what conditions we played in.”Chakabva is the only Zimbabwe batsmen who could walk away from the match claiming to understand New Zealand’s pitches. His 63 in the second innings was the highest score and most accomplished performance in an otherwise abysmal Zimbabwe showing. In his typically unassuming style, Chakabva has not read too much into the effort and given the result, he probably can’t.”All our batsmen are good players, it just didn’t happen for them on the day,” he said. “I didn’t do too much differently or make too many adjustments; I just tried to stick around as long as possible. Once the ball got older it was easier, it was a good batting pitch.”If there was an area Chakabva led the way in, it was mindset. Instead of panic, even though he walked in to bat with the score on 12 for 5, he showed rare grit, something Alan Butcher has tried to develop in his players since he took over as coach. Butcher has long lamented that Zimbabwe are quick to get spooked. Tell them the pitch will be difficult to bat on and they will struggle with shot selection, tell them someone is a good bowler and they will crumble at the sight of him, tell them they have to put in a respectable performance away from home and the pressure will cause them to melt.It seemed to be the case in Napier but Chakabva said the squad were not affected by outside influences. Even though they were aware of what was expected of them, they tried to create an environment of calm in the lead up to the match. “We weren’t under that much pressure to do well, we knew it wouldn’t be easy but we were aware of the situation and what we needed to,” he said, following it up with a simple enough explanation for what went wrong. “We just didn’t do well.”With Chris Martin doing most of the demolition job, it would appear that Zimbabwe were equally outdone by a quality fast bowler as they were by conditions that suited him. Chakabva said that was not the case.Four seamers, he said, were not the problem. “I wouldn’t say they have a fearsome attack, they are very good but not fearsome.” Neither was the strip. “The wicket had more grass than usual but we have a ground at Harare, the country club, which is also bowler friendly, with more bounce. We have seen pitches like this before.”Zimbabwe have had five days to prepare for the limited-overs leg of the series, instead of three, and Chakabva said they have worked on everything from “one-day cricketing skills” to “getting our minds ready”.Far from sulking, Chakabva said they are “enjoying” the trip. While taking in the sights and sounds of a place most of them have never been to before, they have also been reminded that they still have a job to do and Chakabva said they will do it properly. “We will be more competitive, we are working hard and we want to represent our country well. Like Brendan Taylor said, we want to show the world we can play.”

Mahela Jayawardene is pleased Sri Lanka’s turnaround in the triangular series has begun with youngsters stepping up

Sidharth Monga18-Feb-2012Mahela Jayawardene is pleased Sri Lanka’s turnaround in the triangular series has begun with youngsters stepping up. Thisara Perera, the promising allrounder who is slowly becoming a key member of the side, and Farveez Maharoof, who made yet another comeback in an in-and-out career, took four wickets for 47 runs between them, and broke the back of the Australian innings.”These are the guys who are going to take Sri Lanka cricket into the future,” Jayawardene said. “Hopefully we can build on that.”I am a big fan of his [Maharoof’s]. He has been playing some good cricket back home. Especially with two new balls, he is one of the guys who can give us something extra with the bat and the ball in different conditions. It’s good to have him back. He felt really confident. He is an experienced player, he played in the 2007 World Cup as a 20-year-old.”Perera, a more regular member of the side than Maharoof, had earlier been dropped in Sri Lanka’s second match of the tournament. In their big win against Australia, he contributed to two run-outs apart from taking two wickets. “Brilliant,” Jayawardene said. “These are young guys who are coming through. They believe they belong here, which is great. The energy level they bring to the team is fantastic.”He [Perera] is a fast-bowler-allrounder, who can field at any position, he is a good slip fielder as well. It’s good to have this group of players we can work with for the future. Got other youngsters who are coming back from injury. We will get a bigger pool going forward. Exciting times as long as we keep working hard.”Apart from youngsters, Jayawardene was pleased Sri Lanka finally got a decent start to their innings. Jayawardene moved back to the opening role, dropping Upul Tharanga, and the captain and former captain put on 74 for the first wicket. “We needed a tactical change,” Jayawardene said. “We were not getting starts upfront. Upul is a very good player. But unfortunately he is going through a bit of a period. We felt giving him a break will do him justice, freshen him up. I just jumped in straightaway.”Lahiru is a middle-over batsman, he can fit anywhere. We just need to settle things upfront, make sure we get a good start, which we did today.”Jayawardene has seen good signs from Tillakaratne Dilshan. “Dilly plays his own game,” Jayawardene said. “We never restricted him. He goes out there and plays naturally. He is a fantastic player to have. On the field he saves 20 runs. Even on a good wicket he can bowl five-six overs for you. A complete package. The way he batted today was beautiful. We just want to make him a free player so he can win matches for us. He has got three good starts now, hopefully he will get a big one next game.”

Alister McDermott helped Queensland secure a place in the Sheffield Shield final, which they will almost certainly host, with an innings victory over South Australia at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2012
ScorecardJames Hopes will lead Queensland into a Sheffield Shield final•Getty ImagesAlister McDermott helped Queensland secure a place in the Sheffield Shield final, which they will almost certainly host, with an innings victory over South Australia at the Gabba. The Bulls bowled the Redbacks out for 103 in their second innings to confirm the margin of an innings and 91 runs, which highlighted the gulf between the two sides this summer.Queensland were set to finish on top of the table unless Western Australia could somehow conjure victory against Tasmania in Hobart, which loomed as an almost impossible task. South Australia have ended the season on the bottom of the Shield table without a victory from their ten games, the first time a team has failed to win a match in a Shield campaign since Victoria in 1992-93.The Redbacks won only one game last summer and two the season before, and face an enormous task to lift themselves out of the mire in the longer format next season. They needed 194 runs in their second innings to make Queensland bat again but they had only two men who reached double figures, the opener Tom Stray (15) and Tom Cooper, who made 49.McDermott collected 4 for 35, including the final two wickets in one over, but all of Queensland’s fast men proved difficult. Ryan Harris took 2 for 20 off 19 miserly overs, James Hopes was even more economical with 2 for 9 from 12 overs, and Steve Magoffin picked up 2 for 27.

Steven Finn praised the hard work of England’s bowlers after returning to the attack for the second Test against Sri Lanka

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo03-Apr-2012Steven Finn has waited a long time to get his place back in England’s Test team but he probably wished it was on a nice green-top rather than the parched, slow surface that greeted him in Colombo.However, despite England’s recent problems with the batting there is one thing the last few months have confirmed for certain. The bowling attack does not shirk a challenge. Heads could easily have dropped after Andrew Strauss lost another toss, or as Mahela Jayawardene constructed another hundred, but the discipline they have shown almost without fail was in evidence throughout the day.”As seamers we are all stupid enough to just run in every time the captain tosses you the ball,” Finn said. “It’s one of those things, you just have to suck it up and get on with it. I had a bit of cramp come the end of the day but that’s part and parcel of fast bowling.”Finn, who last played a Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, contributed 18 overs and although his figures do not stand out like some of his recent one-day hauls he played an important role in the reshuffled attack which reverted to three quicks, Graeme Swann and the support of Samit Patel’s left-arm spin.Finn highlighted the qualities he can bring to the line-up in a testing burst against Thilan Samaraweera who firstly survived a review for a catch at short leg and was then struck on the helmet when he failed to avoid a well-directed bouncer. It was a blow that shook Samaraweera: “For a few moments I wasn’t sure what had happened,” he said.England, though, were convinced they had removed him on 36 when the ball looped to Alastair Cook under the helmet. “I said to Straussy I heard two noises and was pretty sure it was glove then thigh pad,” Finn said. “Such is life it didn’t get given and we didn’t let it affect us. We kept plugging away, the worst thing we could have done is get pent up about the decision.”In the dressing room there was, perhaps, a little less calm response as Andy Flower, the team director, was seen making a quick visit to the umpires’ room to clarify the decision. “Andy is passionate about English cricket and winning and I’m sure it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary,” Finn said. “The downside of not having Hot Spot is there’s no conclusive evidence. We just have to get on with it.”England’s rewards came late in the day as Sri Lanka lost Mahela Jayawardene moments before the new ball was taken and Prasanna Jayawardene, edging Finn to the wicketkeeper, shortly before the close. When England were not taking wickets, such as during the 124-run stand between Mahela Jayawardene and Samaraweera, they did not allow the run-rate to escalate and, unlike in Galle last week, managed to maintain their intensity during the final session.”The fact they did not really go anywhere, they are 230 off 90 overs, maybe swings it a little bit to our favour,” Finn said. “I thought we played some good, attritional cricket and were very patient and we got our rewards towards the back end of the day. Jayawardene played very well and assessed the conditions excellently, but I thought that as a bowling unit we did good all day.”The leader in every sense, though, was James Anderson as he ended the day with 3 for 52 to follow his five-wicket haul in Galle. Finn, who made his Test debut in Bangladesh in 2009-10 in conditions not dissimilar to this during a series where Anderson was rested, was often seen sharing words with his senior team-mate at the end of his run.”I’ve learnt a lot off Jimmy since I’ve come into the team, especially over the last 12 months,” Finn said. “He’s an exceptional bowler and as a young bowler you can look towards him and how he gets his wickets. He knows how to extract the maximum movement, nip, swing or whatever in any given conditions and to have him talking to me as I’m walking back to my mark helps me get my mindset right. I feel as though I’m learning all the time.”Edited by Alan Gardner

Kings XI Punjab captain Adam Gilchrist has credited his bowlers for exploiting the grassy conditions in Mohali to help his side beat Pune Warriors by seven wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2012Kings XI Punjab captain Adam Gilchrist has credited his bowlers for exploiting the grassy conditions in Mohali on Thursday and helping his side beat Pune Warriors by seven wickets to register their first win in of the IPL season. Punjab’s Kings XI’S bowlers justified Gilchrist’s decision to bowl first for the third straight match, with Dimitri Mascarenhas picking up his second five-for in Twenty20 cricket and Harmeet Singh striking twice to restrict Warriors to 115.”I knew that it was a bit risky to bowl first, given that we had bowled first in our previous two games and we had not got any momentum going,” Gilchrist said. “Our bowlers bowled beautifully today. The wicket had a green cover. There was a big storm last night, a lot of moisture around.”Gilchrist said that the bowlers, especially Mascarenhas challenged the batsmen at all times by putting the ball in the right spot. Chasing 115, Punjab always looked in control with Shaun Marsh, who missed their last match due to injury, top-scoring with 64. “It’s wonderful to see Shaun, he’s such a beautiful player to watch,” said Gilchrist. “I read an article which said he’s the most successful batsman in IPL history. He’s just a great player and it’s nice to see him back.”

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test and ODI captain, has said that his team’s recent record against Sri Lanka gives it the edge leading into the tour slated for June and July

Umar Farooq18-May-2012Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test and ODI captain, has said that his team’s recent record against Sri Lanka gives it the edge leading into the tour slated for June and July.”Sri Lanka is always a difficult team to play against, especially in their back yard,” Misbah said on the sidelines of Pakistan’s preparatory camp in Lahore. “Obviously we have to be at our best in all departments, because they always come hard at the opposition. But our record against them gives us the upper hand, and our confidence level is high.”In their last series against Sri Lanka, in the UAE in October-November 2011, Pakistan won in all three formats. In the three-Test series, they won 1-0, took the ODIs 4-1 and won the one-off Twenty20. They also beat Sri Lanka in the one game the teams played against each other in the Asia Cup in March. However, the previous time the two teams played in Sri Lanka, Pakistan lost the Tests 2-0 and the one-dayers 3-2.Misbah said Pakistan’s improvements on the fielding and fitness fronts would help them this time around. “I think we have shown a lot of improvement in fielding and fitness in last couple of years,” he said. “Every coach in the past, whether it was Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed, everyone did a good job [with those disciplines] and now Julien [Fountain, the fielding coach] is doing a great job.”For the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan have picked specialist players in each format, meaning Misbah has missed out in the Twenty20 squad, and the captaincy was handed over to Mohammad Hafeez. Misbah reiterated that he will be available in the shortest format, should Pakistan require him.”It [Twenty20] is a format that is widely played in the world and I will keep on playing it,” he said. “As far as [ending] my international career is concerned, I think that decision has to be taken by the PCB.””Obviously the burden on me has been eased, and I can now focus on two formats. But if you are enjoying playing cricket, you can easily cope with it [playing all three formats too].”

Adrian Barath has called on his colleagues to help restore the pride of West Indies’ cricket in the final match of the Test series against England

George Dobell05-Jun-2012Adrian Barath has called on his colleagues to help restore the pride of West Indies’ cricket in the final match of the Test series against England at Edgbaston.Barath, like the rest of West Indies’ top four, has struggled to deal with England’s seam attack in the first two Tests, but feels the team have shown signs of improvement and now just need to maintain their performance over a whole game in order to win tangible rewards for their progress. England have already secured the three-Test series with victories in the first two Tests at Lord’s and Trent Bridge.Barath has a point, though. Several times in recent Tests, West Indies have earned a position from which they might have gone on to win. Against India in Delhi – where India eventually won by five wickets – and against Australia in Bridgetown – where Australia won by three wickets – West Indies held the advantage after each side’s first innings. Similarly, when England slumped to 57 for 4 chasing 191 to win in the first Test of the series at Lord’s, West Indies had a wonderful opportunity to clinch a rare victory. On each occasion, however, one poor session has cost West Indies dear and allowed their opponents back into the game.”We are getting ourselves into positions to win Tests over the last couple of months,” Barath said. “Where we need to move forward in our cricket is carrying on for five days. Sometimes we dominate the game for three days, but then we mess up in one session. That’s the mindset we’re working upon. That is what Test cricket is all about. It’s not a couple of hours; it’s over the course of five days. You have to be on the money every day, every hour, every over.”It’s important, having not had any wins in the series so far, that we finish well in this last Test. There is a lot at stake. The pride of West Indies’ cricket has been showing some signs of improvement for the last couple of months. It’s about getting a Test win; getting a win against England. It’s definitely nothing impossible for us. We showed at Lord’s where we got those early wickets. If we had carried on getting wickets anything would have been possible. We’re really looking forward to getting a win here and bringing some pride to the West Indies.”The tourists have strengthened their squad in recent days with the call-up of spinner Sunil Narine. While it is asking a great deal of Narine, a man with only six first-class games behind him, to come into the team for a Test debut after only a few days’ acclimatisation, West Indies may well feel they have little to lose and that ‘mystery’ spin is England’s Achilles heel. Narine looked some way below his best in the nets at Edgbaston on Tuesday and it would remain something of a surprise if he displaced Shane Shillingford, a man who took a ten-wicket haul against Australia only two Tests ago. But Narine’s record – both in his limited first-class career and as arguably the leading bowler in the recent IPL season – is nothing short of exceptional. In those six first-class games he has claimed five five-wicket hauls and, in his last three, he has claimed 31 wickets at an average of under 10.Barath, a fellow Trinidadian, knows Narine’s game as well as anyone and feels he has what it takes to be a success at Test level.”He has the ability to be a world-class bowler,” Barath said. “What is good about him is that he is humble and he is always trying to figure out ways to improve and develop new deliveries. Everyone is looking at him on TV, doing their homework and trying to pick him. But he is always working on a new type of delivery. He is always developing something. A spinner of his capabilities will adjust his pace and flight to the conditions.”Everyone has seen him in T20 and he’s obviously made a name for himself even before he’s played a Test. But I’ve played a couple of first-class matches with him this season and it wasn’t easy. Most of the batsmen were really guessing and just sticking their bat out. I was fielding at bat-pad and I had a lot of catches there. It was not easy. Obviously the conditions are different – the ball doesn’t turn as much in England – but by the fourth and fifth day any good spinner will extract spin.”Barath also admitted to some feelings of relief in the omission of James Anderson from the England team. While Anderson’s series averages are relatively modest – he has claimed nine wickets at an average of 26.88 – he has beaten the bat often and proved particularly dangerous with the new ball.”Any opener would say the same,” Barath said, admitting his delight at Anderson’s absence. “He’s bowled well. He is deservedly England’s cricketer of the year. There is no doubt in that when you face him. At Lord’s he was swinging the ball all over the place – both ways – and bowling the best deliveries, but just not hitting the edge. Broad took seven wickets but Anderson looked like he was the one who would have taken seven wickets. He was unlucky.”Barath also welcomed the return of Chris Gayle to the West Indies limited-overs side. While Gayle’s return came, arguably, at his expense, Barath appeared genuinely excited about the depth of West Indies squad.”He’s been in the set-up for years and everyone has respect for Chris,” Barath said. “It’s great to have him back and he’ll lend experience to our players.”Having Chris in our team makes it really solid. The depth in our batting – with Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Darren and Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Andrew Russell – mean that once we get it right at the top of the order and we get going in the Powerplay it would be difficult to say how could we not chase a big score. Or set one. So once we get it right, we have a good ODI team.”

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said that although Kumar Sangakkara’s injury was unfortunate, it was good in a way as it allowed Sangakkara an overdue break from cricket

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo29-Jul-2012Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said that although Kumar Sangakkara’s injury was unfortunate, it was good in a way as it allowed Sangakkara an overdue break from cricket ahead of the World Twenty20 tournament in September. “He hasn’t had a break for nearly two years so if you look at it that way, it’s unfortunate but he gets a deserving break. Hopefully he will get fit for the World Cup [World Twenty20],” Jayawardene said.”Kumar behind the wickets is always the added factor for me as a captain because he sees things and he can analyse them and let me know certain things. It’s a big opportunity for him [Dinesh Chandimal, who is] keeping wickets after a long time.”Kumar Sangakkara felt some pain after being hit by Ashok Dinda but decided to bat on, Mahela Jayawardene said. Sangakkara was on 23 off 29 deliveries when he was struck on the glove by a short ball and went on to make 73 off 95 before falling to Dinda. A scan showed later that Sangakkara had fractured a finger on his right hand, putting him out of action for at least four weeks.”Sanga said that he had pain but he could bat through,” Jayawardene said. “He knew there was pain but it wasn’t really bad when you are in that situation. When [he is] batting in the middle he will bat through, but he did feel it so that’s probably why he didn’t go for big shots. I just told him to just bat through [the innings].”Jayawardene backed his decision to bat first, despite recent results showing that the relaid Premadasa pitch favours teams batting second. Eight of eleven games at the ground since 2011 have been won by the chasing side.”When we put runs on the board it is always easier for a side to put pressure [on the opposition]. Even after being 20 for 3, we ended up with 286. I thought if we had a good start we probably could have scored more runs. I thought we came back into the game when they were 180 for 4 after the [batting] Powerplay. I think the way we bowled in the last ten overs and obviously the lost opportunities [while fielding] probably cost us the game. We had them [under pressure] in certain situations, but just couldn’t finish it off.”With India needing 65 off 44, Sachithra Senanayake, substituting for Sangakkara, dropped Suresh Raina on 19. Raina went on to make a match-winning unbeaten 65. Jayawardene, however, said Sri Lanka’s fielding was largely good. “The ground fielding was excellent except for the couple of fumbles but we will definitely look into it because that’s an area which we take a lot of pride in ourselves – our fielding.”