It was not the surface or the spin but errors in decision-making and incorrect execution which, Hashim Amla explained, caused his first defeat as Test captain

Firdose Moonda in Mohali07-Nov-20152:56

‘Disappointing we didn’t apply ourselves better’ – Amla

It was not the surface or the spin but errors in decision-making and incorrect execution which, Hashim Amla explained, caused his first defeat as Test captain. South Africa were bowled out for under 200 on a slow surface twice; Amla believes they could have scored more runs had they shown better skills.”We could have applied ourselves better,” Amla said. “There were decisions we made while we were batting that were not the right decisions.”Poor shot selection cost Dean Elgar his wicket in both innings but the rest of South Africa’s line-up were guilty of misreading the turn or lack thereof. Faf du Plessis was dismissed by a straight delivery in both innings, Amla left a straight ball in the second innings and AB de Villiers played on to a straight ball.Overall, South Africa looked uncertain in their approach, even after they discussed being wary of both turn and the absence of it. “The chat we had was that the ball’s not turning that much, actually,” Amla said. “There were quite a few dismissals from both teams from a lack of turn rather than excessive turn.”His own dismissal in the second innings was a case in point. In the post-match television interview, he called his decision to leave the ball a “brainfreeze”, and by the time the press conference came had decided he would have been far better off offering a shot. “It’s a matter of playing the ball or not playing the ball. If I’d played it I probably would have hit it in the middle of the bat.”Hindsight, though, offered little consolation.In the end, South Africa have been left with a lot of what-ifs over their batting, after their bowlers gave them the chance to pull off an upset. Amla thought 200 was “chaseable”, although he would have preferred a target in the region of 160. Still, Amla believed his team could get there and even adjusted their game plan for the fourth innings.Vernon Philander was promoted to open the batting, to provide a solid start against spin and shield the specialist batsmen for later on, when South Africa hoped the target would be within reach. “We thought we would mix it up and get a right-hander up front. Vernon has one of the most solid techniques and he has done a great job for us at No. 7, including against the new ball,” Amla said. “It was a good idea if Ashwin was going to bowl. It would have panned out well for us the way Stiaan batted with Dale to come.”That Dale Steyn batted at all is a good sign for South Africa, after he was unable to bowl in the second innings having sustained a groin strain earlier in the match. Importantly for South Africa, they were able to be incisive even without a contribution from Steyn, who also went wicketless in the first innings. But, even though it did not look as though South Africa missed him, Amla said they did. “Not having Dale is a difficult one, because he is the best fast bowler in the world and in the subcontinent the most successful fast bowler,” Amla said. “It is a blow not to have had Dale in the last innings, and we’re certainly missing Morne Morkel.”Morkel sat out the Mohali Test after he failed a late fitness following a quad injury, but Amla is optimistic both Steyn and Morkel, and maybe even JP Duminy, who has had stitches removed from a cut on his hand, will be able to play in Bangalore. “Hopefully in the next Test JP might be fit and a few dynamics might change for our team. Dale might be fit to bowl again too.”Duminy would add depth to the batting and another option with the ball, although South Africa can be proud of the way some of their lesser bowling lights shone in this Test. Their errors with the bat aside, their spinners kept themselves in the game for three innings in entirely foreign conditions, something that earned the captain’s praise.”Throughout this Test match, even though it was such a short Test match, we managed to hold our own right into the last innings,” Amla said. “They could have got away from us with about 250 or 300 in the last innings, and that would have been exceptionally difficult. The way we bowled and applied ourselves in the field was very good.”

South Africa have called wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock into their squad for the second Test in Cape Town providing a clear indication that AB de Villiers will be relieved of the gloves

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2015South Africa have called wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock into their squad for the second Test against England in Cape Town providing a clear indication that AB de Villiers will be relieved of the gloves following the 241-run defeat in Durban. Chris Morris, the quick bowler, has also been brought in to bolster the pace stocks following the injury to Dale Steyn.

South Africa 2nd Test squad

Hashim Amla (capt), AB de Villiers, Kyle Abbott, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl. (Hardus Viljoen also on stand-by).

A third change sees Lions’ quick Hardus Vijoen placed on standby after two successive ten-wicket hauls. Unlike Morris, Viljoen has not officially been called up but has been told to stay ready in case he is needed – further suggesting Steyn will not be passed it. Viljoen’s franchise team-mate, opening batsman, Stephen Cook has missed out.De Kock scored a century in the recent round of Sunfoil four-day matches to follow a half-century he made against England for South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg. He played the last of his six Test against Bangladesh, in Chittagong, in July and has an average of 33.00. Stephen Cook, the opening batsman, was another option to bolster the batting after he made an unbeaten 168 for Lions, but was again overlooked with Stiaan van Zyl retainedDe Villiers dropped two catches during England’s second innings of the first Test and gave a TV interview, following speculation over his future, where he said he needed to manage his workload.Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said on the prospect of de Villiers relinquishing the gloves: “It still needs to be cleared with the selectors but we are looking at that route.”Hashim Amla, South Africa’s captain, added: “Having AB keep allows us to play an extra batter and he has said he will do it. We’ll see how he feels at the end of today because he has had a heavy workload. Depending on how AB feels, we will decide on Quinton.”Steyn has been retained in the squad but is unlikely to be fit for the second Test and will undergo a fitness on New Year’s Day in Cape Town. Kagiso Rabada, who was part of the squad for Durban, is his likely replacement but the uncapped Morris offers another option.”We will assess Dale over the next day or two,” said Domingo. “It is unlikely he will play the next Test. He has not made much Test cricket for us lately and that is a big blow.”Both Domingo and Amla were left to rue the side’s continuing frailties with the bat, which finished with them losing 6 for 38 on the final morning.”Our first innings let us down and we didn’t manage to put the pressure on the English,” Amla said. “I would think it is more about confidence. Once you get runs under your belt you start playing differently. We have to be quite patient with the younger guys and hopefully senior guys like myself will start getting runs for the team.”Domingo concurred: “We are not getting enough runs. There is quality batting in our line-up and hopefully we can turn that round soon. Maybe it is not a bad thing that there is a two-day turnaround so we can get on with it rather than sitting and wondering. I was expecting a lot more fight and I am disappointed with the way we have gone about it.”However, he gave his backing to the incumbent players even though the batting line-up managed just one fifty plus score in the Test. Reading between the lines, the most vulnerable of the batsmen would appear to be Temba Bavuma, who made 10 and 0 in Durban especially, as Rabada’s selection to replace Steyn would maintain the quota balance. If, against the odds, Steyn is fit then it becomes a different case.”When you have got players the calibre of Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, with proven records, performances under pressure, big hundreds when it counts, you know they are one or two innings away from a big score and you’ve got to keep believing in that.” he said. “Whether its five or 10 innings, I cant tell you that. You’ve just got to believe that they are going to make a score at some stage”There were some glimpses of what some of the other batters are capable of. Stiaan in the second innings played really nicely. Stiaan is a very good player. He has got a hell of a first-class record. For sure, he might be batting in a position that he is not accustomed to but he has done it before at franchise level. It’s such a fine line because you can’t throw everybody out and bring in five new players. England would love that. Wouldn’t they love to bowl to five debutants. We know we’ve got quality there. The key is for us to get that quality firing.”

Salman Butt scored a hundred and Mohammad Asif picked up two wickets in six overs on their return to competitive cricket after over five years

Umar Farooq10-Jan-2016
ScorecardPlaying competitive cricket after over five years, Salmat Butt scored a brisk hundred with 14 fours•AFP

Salman Butt scored a hundred and Mohammad Asif picked up two wickets in six overs on their return to competitive cricket after over five years. Butt and Asif, whose spot-fixing ban were lifted last September, were representing Water and Power Development Authority against Federally Administered Tribal Areas in the ongoing 16-team National One Day Cup in Pakistan.Butt and Asif were allowed to play again by the PCB since they are only a month away from completing their rehabilitation. They were actually eligible to play all forms of cricket from September, and were signed as non-executive 17th grade employees by WAPDA. Both of them have been travelling with the team but were not allowed to play first-class cricket earlier as the PCB wanted them to complete their rehabilitation programme before making a comeback.Butt, 31, opened and scored 135 from 143 balls with the help of 14 fours to power WAPDA to 277 for 7 in 50 overs. Asif, 33,
removed the FATA openers and finished with figures of 6-0-22-2, to spark a collapse as FATA were skittled for 136 and lost by a hefty margin of 141 runs.”This is the start and I hope that this is the new beginning,” Butt said after the match. “I will try to maintain this performance. As long as I will get more matches I will improve and rhythm will be better. I thank my family, friends, coaches, my WAPDA team and all those well-wishers who supported me. Without their contribution it would not have happened.”I was focused all through these years. I did a lot of work to keep myself in best shape. Since I wasn’t allowed to play cricket for registered clubs, I had been training at unregistered facilities and the result is there. I thank Waqar [Younis] and other seniors, they have positive thoughts in their talk and this gives me more encouragement.”Recently, Pakistan selected Mohammad Amir for the New Zealand tour, which became a subject of heated debate even within the Pakistan squad. Butt and Asif are also looking ahead to their reintegration in the system, backed by some solid performances.”I don’t want to see who is opposing me and what he is saying,” Butt said. “There will be negative opinions as well and with respect to them I will not reply to them. My target is to work hard. I hope things will get better, no complaints and I will look towards and things will fall into place finally.”Amir’s return, without doubt will strengthen Pakistan’s bowling and competition will grow in the bowling contingent and others’ performances will also get better, so I wish him the best.”Asif had also been seen training in Lahore and believed he was ready to prove himself. “I am very relaxed, the toughest phase of my life is over,” he said. “Throughout the five-year span I remained focused about cricket and that’s why I am not finding any difficulty in bowling.”We were in the team for Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as well but unfortunately we were not allowed to play. But now is the chance to prove myself and I am ready for that. This one-day tournament will help me gauge where I stand as far as bowling is concerned. I am a swing bowler so I will not find any difficulty. International cricket is my target but I have to do well in the domestic matches before I can hope of international cricket.”

Zimbabwe’s batting line-up mustered a power-packed performance, something they hadn’t done earlier in the series, to keep the series alive with a 31-run win in the third T20 against Bangladesh

The Report by Vishal Dikshit20-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:12

Zimbabwe beats Bangladesh for third time in T20Is

Zimbabwe’s batting line-up put up a power-packed performance, something they hadn’t done earlier in the series, to keep it alive with a 31-run win in the third T20 against Bangladesh. Zimbabwe’s spinners continued to pick wickets, like they had done earlier in the series, and derailed the hosts’ chase around the halfway mark despite their strong start.Marshalled by Vusi Sibanda at the start and Malcolm Waller later, Zimbabwe’s sustained aggression took them to a challenging 187 after stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza had said the “160-mark” would be decent on this pitch in Khulna. Tendai Chisoro, Graeme Cremer and Sikandar Raza took all six wickets and conceded only 40 runs in their 10 overs.There were useful contributions from all of Zimbabwe’s top five batsmen, and each of them had a strike rate of over 120. Sibanda showed his intent from the first ball he faced by charging at left-arm pacer Abu Hider, one of the four Bangladesh debutants, to drill him through the covers for four. He carved out a pretty wide ‘V’ on both sides of the pitch by dispatching meaty drives and flicks. Masakadza also got going after a slow start, and hammered Mohammad Shahid, another debutant, for four consecutive fours, but fell for 20 when in search of a fifth.Hider and Shahid were punished for 45 runs in the first four overs and Sibanda welcomed the third debutant Muktar Ali with a four as well. Zimbabwe were 59 for 1 when rain interrupted and Shakib Al Hasan had Richmond Mutumbami and Sibanda caught at deep midwicket after the break, in consecutive overs, to drag the run-rate from over ten to under eight.Meanwhile, Waller and Williams were getting themselves set. And having faced about ten balls each, they unfurled a barrage of boundaries to help Zimbabwe swindle 85 runs from the last seven overs; six of those went for at least ten an over.Mosaddek Hossain dropped Williams on 12 at backward point, but it was Waller who caused more damage. Shahid, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib – all were punished for sixes before Waller eventually holed out to deep midwicket, for a 23-ball 49. Williams continued till the last over and some late strikes from Peter Moor too meant the Bangladesh bowlers got no respite.Chisoro dented Bangladesh’s chase in the first over to dismiss Imrul Kayes, playing his first match of the series, for 1 but Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman kept the hosts in the hunt. Sarkar used his wrists to find gaps and Sabbir targeted the leg side, just like he had done in the second T20, with pulls and slogs. Sabbir mirrored Masakadza by dispatching three straight fours in the sixth over that hauled their run-rate over nine. Zimbabwe also paid the price for Mutumbami’s mistake when he missed Sarkar’s stumping off Williams’ first ball. That over cost 12 runs and the visitors seemed unsettled.Zimbabwe caught a break when Sarkar top-edged a slog sweep for an easy catch at midwicket in Cremer’s first over that broke their most productive and threatening stand, of 67 runs. Masakadza rotated his spinners for the next nine overs, the asking rate shot up and the wickets came down. Sabbir brought up a 31-ball fifty with a four in the 11th over but fell two balls later by holing out in the leg side.Their hopes fell on Shakib, but he found Waller at long-on with 86 required from 36. Mahmudullah top-edged Cremer in the same over to give Mutumbami an easy catch. As well as Nurul Hasan scooped during his 17-ball 30 and Muktar supported him with 19 from 15, it just wasn’t enough.

Chris Morris gave South Africa one of their most memorable ODI victories in Johannesburg on Friday night but not even the man himself thinks it has secured him a place in a side

Firdose Moonda13-Feb-2016Chris Morris gave South Africa one of their most memorable ODI victories in Johannesburg on Friday night but not even the man himself thinks it has secured him a place in a side packed with allrounders but still searching for middle-order muscle.”I’m trying my hardest to cement a spot in the team,” Morris said. “I wouldn’t say I’ve leapfrogged over anybody. There are still a couple of guys who should be given an opportunity if they put in the performances but I’ve put in a lot of work on my batting. Eventually it has to pay off and tonight it was my turn to show off that I am pushing for that allrounder spot.”As a seam-bowling allrounder, Morris’ direct competitor is David Wiese, who also played in the Wanderers match but had far less eye-catching returns. Wiese scored just 21 runs off 32 balls before reaching for a wide ball and spooning a catch to short cover after a similar bowling effort to Morris’. Wiese conceded 58 runs in his 10 overs while Morris cost South Africa 52 runs in nine overs and picked up an important wicket – that of Joe Root – at the death.Ultimately Morris believes they are not competing with the bat because his “main role is to bowl.” In that department, Morris thought he was “slightly under par” but admitted that “being a hitter at the end is a bit of an advantage”.In South Africa, it is more than a bit of a positive. The team have long looked for reliable finishers and have yet to find someone who can consistently deliver, although AB de Villiers mentioned someone else who he can now put faith in at the end.”Fudgie, look he’s a big match player, he always has been, especially at domestic level, he’s proved it time and time again,” de Villiers said, referring to Farhaan Behardien, who hit 38 off 42 and shared in a sixth-wicket stand of 48 with Wiese that ensured South Africa did not implode after JP Duminy’s dismissal. “He’s started to prove that now at international level over the last year or so, playing big knocks under pressure. Unfortunately he got out but he played his game to perfection and set it up nicely for guys like Chris to finish it off.”Behardien will welcome the support, especially after his bowling was not required and he received heaps of criticism on social media for not seeing the chase through.De Villiers’ backing of Behardien can also only mean that Duminy, who ran the captain out and was then dismissed by an Adil Rashid legbreak that smacked him on the pad, is under pressure for his place, especially as his contributions dwindle.Duminy’s bowling was cast aside two matches ago, when South Africa first called on an allrounder in the XI, but that has not helped his batting. He last scored an ODI fifty seven matches ago, in Bangladesh last June, and questions over how much longer South Africa can accommodate Duminy while keeping David Miller and Rilee Rossouw on the sidelines are starting to sprout.Unlike some of his team-mates, Duminy does not seem to embrace the do-or-die moment in the same way Morris did. “As a cricketer you live for those pressure situations,” Morris said. “I kind of enjoy being put under pressure because that’s where you get tested as a character and a cricketer.”Those are exactly the kind of words a captain like de Villiers wants to hear. “Knocks like that shape a player,” de Villiers said. “It’s massive for Chris what happened. The game and sport is about confidence and now he can find a way to get a bit of confidence and self-belief.”Not that Morris needed any more of an ego boost. Last Saturday, he sold for a million dollars in the IPL – over R16 million at the current exchange rate – but it seems he still has not realised what that says about his worth.Just as Morris did not think his match-winning efforts at the Wanderers will guarantee him a place in the national side, he does not think that his price tag says too much about his ability. “I don’t think anyone can justify going for that amount of money in the IPL,” Morris said. But after his performance on Friday, the Delhi Daredevils will be able to justify spending that amount.

Josh Hazlewood has called for Cricket Australia to organise more T20 internationals in the lead-up to such big-ticket events

Arun Venugopal in Kolkata12-Mar-2016Australia’s record in World T20 events is a rather curious anomaly for a team that has generally bossed ICC events. The general perception – no doubt a result of holding Australia to the exalted standards they have set for themselves in the 50-over World Cup – is they have flopped in each of the five previous editions of the World T20, but in reality they have been hit or miss. Australia have managed two semi-finals and a final but have not made the knockouts in their other two attempts; in fact, their campaign in 2009 lasted a mere three days.Some would suggest that Australia have rarely taken Twenty20 cricket seriously enough, despite their players being highly sought after in leagues across the world, not to mention the recent popularity of the Big Bash. The players disagree with such a notion but, undoubtedly, there is recognition that they need to play a greater number of T20Is.In the last 12 months Australia have played only seven T20Is; among the eight top-ranked teams only England (7) and West Indies (2) have played that number or fewer. Pakistan (17), India (15), Sri Lanka (13) and South Africa (11) have played a considerably higher number of matches, with India and Sri Lanka stacking their calendar to such an extent that they have played eleven and nine matches respectively since the new year.Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood reckoned his team would do well to adopt a similar approach and called for Cricket Australia to organise more T20 internationals in the lead-up to such big-ticket events.”We obviously don’t play as much T20 cricket as some of the other nations, and even in these conditions we don’t play as much,” he told journalists in Kolkata.”I think we definitely could play T20 a little bit more leading into big tournaments like this and probably in conditions that we are going to face in the tournament. In the future that’s something that we have to look at. It [India playing many games] is smart leading into a T20 tournament, to play a lot of that format that you are going to play. I think we are getting better at it but I think we still need to improve it.”John Hastings, Hazlewood’s pace-bowling partner, agreed with the observation of their captain, Steven Smith, that the absence of many regular players from the Test and ODI side hurt Australia. He also felt that the heavy turnover of players didn’t afford them much time to figure out their roles in the team.”I think mainly it’s because we haven’t probably had a settled line-up over the years where the guys are resting at the back of a Test tour or a one day tour,” he said. “There’s been a lot of different players coming through and making their debuts for Australia in T20 cricket. So when you are always chopping and changing, it’s difficult to have a really defined role in the side on what you want to get of it and what the team needs you to do.”Smith, however, was confident about Australia’s chances given the number of players in the team who had knowledge of Indian conditions.”Traditionally we haven’t done as well as we would have liked in this format. This is a tournament that has eluded us so we’re here to try and win it,” he said. “We have all certainly played a lot of T20 cricket. We know how to play the game and if we do it to the best of our ability we are going to be a tough side to beat.”I think IPL has been great in the development of a lot of players from all around the world. The experiences we have had from the IPL will hold us in good stead for this tournament. A lot of us know what to expect, what the conditions are going to be like. What it’s like playing in front of big crowds here in India. We’re really excited.”Hastings said Australia’s 2-1 win in their recent T20 international series against South Africa was an injection of positive energy just ahead of the World T20. “It’s been great that this last two weeks in South Africa we have had a pretty settled team,” he said. “It’s the same fifteen that are going to be with us right through for the next three weeks. I think that will hold us in better shape now [since] we know our guys inside out. Now it’s about going out and executing our skills.”

South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula has punished CSA for failing to meet transformation guidelines, barring it from hosting or bidding for any major international tournaments

Firdose Moonda25-Apr-20164:18

Cullinan: No need to create this havoc

Cricket South Africa will not be allowed to host or bid for any major international tournaments after failing to meet transformation guidelines. South Africa’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, imposed the sanction after receiving the annual transformation report from the eminent person’s group (EPG), a ministerially appointed independent committee. The same punishment was meted out to the rugby, athletics and netball federations, and the decision will be reviewed next year.South Africa is not due to host any senior-team ICC events until at least 2023 but is scheduled to stage the under-19 World Cup in 2020. The sanction effectively means CSA cannot lobby or express interest in any other tournaments until Mbalula has cleared them.Cricket is one of a “big five” of South African sporting federations that signed a memorandum of understanding with the sports ministry last May underlining a five-year strategic plan and commitment to change. The specifics of each federation’s targets have not been made public but there was a general 60% players-of-colour target across national representative men’s teams. CSA fell short of that, with 55% of their team made up of players of colour and 45% white.The other major area under consideration was black African representation, which has become a pressing issue in the country. Mbalula explained there was both a moral and strategic need to increase black African representation. “It is the right thing to do considering the grave injustices of the past but there is also the reality that 84% of the country’s under-18 population is black African. To ignore this from a sustainability perspective alone will be suicidal,” Mbalula said. CSA only had 9% black African representation in the national team.The report also covered coaching structures and administrative positions, and found, across all platforms, that the rate of transformation in South African sport remained too slow. “The projections (for demographic representation) stretch into 2030 and 2040. We cannot have that,” Willie Basson, a member of the EPG and a former CSA acting president, said.Like Mbalula, Basson noted that the demographics of the South African population must be reflected in national teams. “If we cannot mobilise the black Africanisation in our sport, we will pay the consequence in the not so distance future,” he said.The report praised the CSA for being one of the forerunners of transformation data collection along with rugby. “They have assigned dedicated resources to transformations data while many other codes are doing it on a part-time basis,” Basson said. Both CSA and the South African Rugby Union have transformation committees in place, which Mbalula has now made a requirement for all sports federations.The process of reviewing transformation is now in its third year and will continue to be undertaken until South African teams are considered adequately representative. Federations who fail to meet the transformation targets can face sanctions that also include suspension of government funding, withdrawing government recognition of the federation as a national federation – which would impact their ability to compete internationally – and withdrawing political support for endorsements and sponsorships.

Sean Ervine has been named as Hampshire captain in T20 and 50-over cricket after James Vince’s England call

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2016The rise of James Vince to England’s Test team has left his county, Hampshire, looking for a replacement captain, with Sean Ervine named as the man to take charge in T20 and 50-over cricket.Ervine, 33, is one of Hampshire’s longest-serving players and captained the team on their pre-season tour of Barbados, when Vince was away at the World T20.”It feels great to be captain,” Ervine said. “Whilst we’re disappointed Vince can’t be with us, it’s brilliant he’s been selected for England.”I’ll bring calmness, and try and use my experience from over the years to counter certain situations – it can get quite manic out there. I captained in Barbados during pre-season and I really enjoyed the experience. Jimmy [Adams] has been a brilliant example and Vince has done an amazing job. It’s just about making sure we continue the success we’ve had over the last few years.”Vince was named Hampshire’s T20 captain in 2014, then took over in 50-over cricket at the start of last season. Adams’ decision to relinquish the Championship captaincy midway through 2015 saw Vince elevated in all three formats but this has coincided with his England career taking off and the club may not see much of him this year.A former Zimbabwe international, Ervine has played a key part in Hampshire’s limited-overs success, helping them to lift the C&G Trophy in 2005, as well as T20 titles in 2010 and 2012. He was the first Hampshire player to make 100 T20 appearances and has helped them to a record six successive Finals Days.His first match in charge will come next Friday, when Hampshire begin their NatWest Blast campaign with a fixture away to Middlesex at Uxbridge.

A round-up of the fourth day’s action at ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey

Peter Della Penna in Jersey 25-May-2016Guernsey left-arm spinner Max Ellis teamed with Thomas Kirk at first slip for four dismissals on the way to bowling out Nigeria for 99, setting up a ten-wicket win at St Saviour on Tuesday. Kirk also claimed another catch at slip for medium pacer Luke Nussbaumer to take five grabs in a stellar individual fielding effort. All ten wickets for Nigeria were either bowled, lbw or caught between first slip and gully as they lasted just 34 overs after choosing to bat first on a sunny and cloud-free morning.It could’ve been even worse for Nigeria with No. 3 batsman Salako Abdulazeez put down on nought by wicketkeeper Jason Martin, diving to his left across Kirk to spill a one-handed effort in the third over off Newey. Abdulazeez wound up making 20, one of three players to reach double-figures while three deliveries down the leg side that went to the boundary for five wides were part of Guernsey’s 22 extras conceded, joint second-highest score of the innings behind opener Joshua Ayannaike’s 26.Ellis entered in the 18th over and struck with his fourth ball, clipping the edge of Leke Oyede for 3 and continued to rip out the middle and lower order to finish with figures of 4 for 9 in nine overs including five maidens. It followed on from Nussbaumer’s incisive spell that wiped out the top order and resulted in 3 for 13 off four overs.Matthew Stokes and GH Smit began cautiously in pursuit of the target, especially after both were dropped in the slips on 9 and 1 respectively inside the first six overs off opening bowlers Okpe Issac and Chimezie Onwuzulike. They were going at barely above three an over through the first 12 before Stokes started to come out of his shell with a pair of sweeps to the square leg boundary against spinner Sesan Adedeji in an 11-run over to take the score to 48 after 13.Smit cracked three boundaries in the 16th and Stokes did the same in the 18th to take the score to 98. A sliced two past gully five balls into the 19th by Smit ended proceedings ahead of the scheduled lunch interval as Smit finished on 38 with six fours while Stokes walked off unbeaten on 48 with eight boundaries. Stokes has 126 runs so far in three innings at this tournament and has been dismissed just once.Hosts Jersey defeated Tanzania by 85 runs at St Clement behind an unbeaten century and two wickets from left-arm spinning allrounder Ben Stevens. Jersey captain Peter Gough opted to bat first at the toss and struck 47 in an 87-run opening stand with Nat Watkins before making way for Stevens in the 18th over. Stevens teamed with Cornelis Bodenstein and later Corey Bisson for a pair of half-century stands on the way to making 103 not out off 88 balls.The left-hander brought up his first fifty off 61 balls – with his fourth boundary in the 42nd over – then accelerated dramatically to club 51 off his next 27 deliveries, with only four dot balls in that stretch. On 93 at the start of the final over, Stevens struck his third six and then followed it with a two to bring up three figures as Jersey ended on 273 for 5.Tanzania posted their highest score of the tournament so far in reply, batting out all 50 overs to end on 188 for 8, but scoring at three per over through the first 35 overs they were never a serious chance of overhauling the target especially once star allrounder Kassim Nassoro fell to Ben Kynman for a top score of 42 to make it 106 for 5.Stand-in captain Shaheed Dhanani, deputizing for the omitted Hamisi Abdallah, also made 42 before being bowled by Charles Perchard, one of two wickets for the medium pacer in the final over of the match.At St Martin, Oman cantered to victory over Vanuatu by nine wickets with 9.2 overs to spare. Zeeshan Maqsood followed up his half-century against Jersey on Monday with an unbeaten 130 off 138 balls to spearhead the chase of Vanuatu’s respectable total of 204 for 7 after the Pacific islanders opted to bat first.Vanuatu did themselves no favours in the field though, dropping Maqsood twice in the slips in the opening three overs off Nalin Nipiko and Callum Blake before the allrounder had reached 15. They entered the day already behind the eight ball with leading pace bowler Patrick Matautaava ruled out with a left quadriceps injury and things got worse later on when Nipiko, who took the new ball in Matautaava’s place, walked off halfway through the innings with a left groin injury. Both Matautaava and Nipiko remain in doubt for Vanuatu’s final two fixtures against Tanzania and Nigeria.Earlier, Nipiko made a valiant unbeaten 93 off 108 balls, but Vanuatu struggled to maintain momentum – their best partnership was 44 runs for the fifth and eighth wickets – with Oman’s attack taking wickets at regular intervals at the opposite end. Rajeshkumar Ranpura took 2 for 37 to lead the attack with Munis Ansari having a rest day following his career-best 5 for 27 against Jersey.Tuesday’s results moved Guernsey to 3-0 and they’ll take on 2-1 Jersey on Wednesday at St Martin in a pivotal showdown that could determine promotion berths for Division Four a day ahead of the end of the group stage. Wins by Guernsey and Oman, who face Tanzania at St Saviour, would clinch promotion to Division Four for both sides.A Jersey victory over Guernsey though could leave the door open for a three-way tie between the three sides at 4-1 if Guernsey goes on to defeat Oman on the last day of group play paired with a Jersey win over Nigeria. In such a scenario, the tiebreaker to decide the two teams promoted would be decided by net run rate. After three rounds of play, Guernsey holds a +0.141 advantage over Oman and a +1.099 advantage over Jersey. Vanuatu and Tanzania sit at 0-3 and have already been eliminated from contention for promotion while Nigeria at 1-2 is also a threat of being relegated.

Mohammad Amir has said he is “terribly lucky” to be back in the Test set-up, having served a jail sentence and a five-year suspension from the ICC for the 2010 spot-fixing case

Umar Farooq18-Jun-20161:02

Quick Facts – Amir set to play Tests again

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has said he is “terribly lucky” to be back in the Test set-up, having served a jail sentence in the UK and a five-year suspension from the ICC for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing case. Coincidentally, Amir is set to resume his Test career next month at Lord’s – the scene of the fixing scandal.Ahead of the Pakistan team’s departure for England on Saturday, Amir also said he had “unfinished business” and sought a fresh start to help Pakistan win the four-Test series.”To be honest I never thought about my comeback and I feel terribly lucky to be back to play Test cricket again,” Amir told ESPNcricinfo. “I was all excited for Test cricket because that is where my career was held back and I still can’t believe that this is happening. You call it a coincidence or whatever, but to me it is a blessing that I am starting right from where I stopped in 2010. That tour was marred by the controversy and that left me with unfinished business. My only aim is to be the best bowler of the series, get Pakistan to win the series, and sign off with fresh memories.”Amir was successfully reintegrated into Pakistan’s limited-overs team this year, but he has not played a Test since 2010. The fast bowler conceded he hasn’t forgotten the past, but he hoped to overcome it and put his name on the Lord’s honours board again.Amir, only 18 then, was the youngest player to find a place on the honours board when he claimed 6 for 84 on his first tour to England in 2010. He was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the four-Test series with 19 at an average of 18.36, and ultimately shared the Player-of-the-Series award with England batsman Jonathan Trott. He and Mohammad Asif were then convicted after deliberately bowling no-balls at Lord’s.”I might have registered my comeback months ago, but Test cricket is the actual cricket, and playing it again is what I was looking forward to, and this is my real comeback,” Amir said. “I won’t say that I have forgotten my past, as my memory still holds those ugly moments from 2010, but I want to perform well. I want to get my name on the honours board at Lord’s once again to win back the love and support in England. I am looking at this tour positively as I want to supersede my past with a better future.”Amir’s reintegration had met internal opposition, with ODI captain Azhar Ali and former captain Mohammad Hafeez choosing to stay away from Pakistan’s training camp in December, before the New Zealand tour. The side has moved on since, and Amir said he was “stronger than before”, having learnt his lesson.”As a bowler I always try to be different every day and want to come hard to take a step towards improvement,” he said. “You will see a different Amir this time in England as a bowler, as a person with new refreshing thoughts. See I have gone through a lot of tough times, which actually taught me a lot of good lessons, and now I am much stronger than before. With every passing day I am getting mature, and maturity comes with time and experience. I got enough in my life to stand strong and look for a positive future ahead.”Mohammad Amir unleashed a scorching spell during his 3 for 18 against India at the Asia Cup in Mirpur•AFP

Amir also felt that his case would be an example for other players, and called for a life ban if anyone is found guilty of fixing.”This fixing in cricket should not be allowed and anyone caught should be banned for life,” he said. “If anyone still hasn’t learned a lesson from our cases, then he will be the biggest fool. Whatever happened with us and the way our careers went down, I think this is the biggest example for everyone. Imagine what we could have achieved in those lost years. I had missed five of the best years of my life and if I was still playing, everyone would know where I would have been standing right now.”If this [corruption] is still happening it is really alarming and there is a serious problem in the dignity of the player. I think the player must alone be blamed and nobody can help this. Neither the home board, nor the ICC nor the parents can help if the player doesn’t want to be honest. I think players themselves have to be honest. I fully back what [Alastair] Cook has said the other day, that fixers should be banned for life.”Although England captain Alastair Cook and fast bowler Stuart Broad expressed no concerns about facing Amir, who had served the punishment handed down to him, again, the Pakistan fast bowler was wary of sledging and hostility from the crowd. During the side’s tour to New Zealand earlier in the year, Amir was taunted by the Westpac Stadium announcer Mark McLeod, who had played a cash register sound effect during one of the bowler’s spells on his comeback. Pakistan’s team management had also claimed there was a spectator who flashed money and jewellery at their players during the first ODI in Wellington.”I always believe that as a professional you have to be ready for any kind of situation,” Amir said. “The crowd sometimes gets nasty but you are a professional only if you handle all kinds of situations wisely. In the ground the crowd shouts wherever you go, but as a professional it’s my duty to focus on the game and if you are not doing it, you are not into cricket. So naturally when I am on the ground, my utmost focus is on cricket and this is what I will be doing in England as well. Sledging is a part of game and it isn’t new in cricket and I have this in my mind. But I don’t want to lose my focus; I would rather think about my performance. With a positive frame of mind, such negative things will be irrelevant.”Amir has shown sparkling form since his return to cricket. He picked up 14 wickets in nine games in the Bangladesh Premier League at an average and economy rate of 12.64 and 5.56. He followed that with seven wickets in seven matches in the inaugural Pakistan Super League, including a hat-trick. Amir then took five wickets in two ODIs and 11 wickets in as many T20 internationals in 2016, including a sensational 3 for 18 against India at the Asia Cup in February.There have been a few questions about Amir’s fitness for the longest format, but he stated that he was ready for Tests. “The recent training camp in Kakul enhanced my fitness level,” he said. “I had never experienced such an intense training session and I really enjoyed that. I can clearly see a big difference in my fitness level after finishing the camp. I am completely ready for this form of the game and I have always been in love with five-day cricket. I am desperately waiting for it.”