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Anjum Chopra has been appointed captain of the India women’s team after being out of international cricket for nearly two years

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2012Anjum Chopra has been appointed captain of the India women’s team after being out of international cricket for nearly two years. She will lead the team on their tour of the West Indies in February and March, taking over from Jhulan Goswami, who has been captain since 2008. Chopra, a left-hand top-order batsman, last captained India in February 2003, and has been in and out of the side since 2007.”I’m humbled by the faith shown in me,” Chopra said. “But it comes with a lot of responsibility. Leading the side anywhere is a challenge.”Chopra’s recall comes after India finished bottom of the table in both the ODIs and Twenty20 internationals in the NatWest Women’s Quadrangular series in England last summer. They will play five Twenty20 games, with the first on February 18, and three ODIs in the West Indies and Chopra said the focus would be on preparing for the Women’s World Twenty20, in September 2012 in Sri Lanka, and the Women’s ODI World Cup, which will be played in India in 2013.”The first target is the West Indies tour. Then we all know there are World Cups both home and away coming up. We’re moving towards that. This tour provides us with the perfect chance to go out there and work on our shortcomings ahead of the T20.”The make-up of the team has changed since Chopra was last captain – the current India coach, Anju Jain, was once her opening partner – but she said it would not feel strange returning to the role. “The only difference would be that the woman sitting next to me [Jain] was once my fellow opener but now she dons a different role. Back then Jhulan and Mithali [Raj] just about got into the team, but now things have changed.”Chopra has supplemented her cricket career with television appearances – she was a pundit on the IPL’s official pre and post-match shows in 2011. She said, however, that she never stopped focussing on playing. “I’ve never been away from cricket. I’ve never forgotten the fact that I’m doing commentary because I’m a cricketer. I never went away from playing the sport. Since I’ve been doing television for almost 10 years, people think I’ve retired. ‘You’re still playing?’ they ask. I don’t know why that happens. And I can’t be worried about what people think.”When West Indies toured India in January 2011, both the ODI and Twenty20 series went down to the last game, with India winning the ODIs 3-2 and the Twenty20s 2-1. Chopra said she anticipated another hard battle. “It’s definitely going to be a good series. Last time, when they were here, the games were pretty close. West Indies have improved a lot in the last year or so. There will be good competition.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the third Australia-India Test in Perth

Daniel Brettig12-Jan-2012Match factsFriday, January 13, WACA
Start time 1030 (0230 GMT)Virender Sehwag out cheaply – a sight India do not wish to see again in Perth•Getty ImagesBig PictureOnce again, Australia arrive in Perth with a 2-0 series lead over India. This time, however, the circumstances are mightily different from those that faced the combatants in 2008. Then the dust was settling from Monkeygate, now the only dust is that of India’s fragile batting, which has folded all too easily in four innings so far. Australia’s 2008 team were also agitated and distracted by the Harbhajan Singh/Andrew Symonds case, and senior players spent as much time deliberating over that issue as they did worrying about how to defeat India at the WACA. This time Michael Clarke’s team is happier, more settled and certainly better focussed on the task of sealing the series. India seem to be lacking the spark that they had entering the ’08 match, fuelled as it was by their defence of Harbhajan, who has not made this tour.The hosts, of course, are not entirely without problems. The inexperienced top order was brushed aside by Zaheer Khan in Sydney, and will need to fight for traction in Perth, while the spinner Nathan Lyon will want to be more impactful than he had been in Melbourne and Sydney. That is, if he is chosen – a well-grassed surface is tempting Clarke and the selectors to consider including Mitchell Starc as well as Ryan Harris for the Test, as a four-man pace attack provided Australia with their only win of last summer’s horrid Ashes campaign.India, meanwhile, have happy memories of the victory in ’08, but appear far less galvanised than four summers ago. Ishant Sharma returns to the place where he first made his name, twice dismissing Ricky Ponting in that match, the second time at the end of a spell remembered by all who saw it. So far on this tour he has bowled better than his figures suggest, and may need to bowl a fraction fuller on the bouncy WACA deck to gain the wickets his team needs from him. Among the batsmen, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are under particular pressure to offer decent support for Sachin Tendulkar, who has looked in fine touch so far, even as he is continually dogged by the barrier of 100 international centuries.Form guideAustralia: WWLWW (most recent first)
India: LLDWW
Players to watch …Ryan Harris is at once Australia’s most capable pace bowler and also the team’s most tenuous. His battered body succumbed to a hamstring problem in Sri Lanka then a hip ailment in South Africa, cancelling him out of the Test plans for the remainder of 2011 as the team performance manager Pat Howard decreed that Harris had to get fit enough to bowl for five days on the run. To that end he has been eased back into the squad, training in Melbourne, carrying out the duties of 12th man in Sydney and now into the team in Perth where his nine wickets helped bring England briefly to heel last summer. In the absence of the injured James Pattinson, Harris’ speed and swing will ask the most impertinent questions of India’s batsmen – provided he can stay physically sound.Depending on what you read, Virender Sehwag is either the reason India’s tour is going badly, or the best man to pull his team-mates out of their current slumber. His fearless approach to batting has so far looked chancy in Australia, resulting in one Melbourne innings that was exciting but edgy and three cheap dismissals thereafter. Sehwag has battled to find his best batting rhythm against a concerted attack on his off stump, and can expect more of the same in Perth. However the WACA ground is a place where free-spirited openers can score with tremendous speed once they get going – see Roy Fredericks’ effort in 1975-76 for ultimate proof – and Sehwag is well and truly due for a major score.Team newsThe only conundrum for Australia is whether to play the spin of Nathan Lyon or the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc. Though he battled for consistency in his first two Tests against New Zealand, Starc has shown the benefits of time spent with Wasim Akram this week, bending the ball late on a full length, with his high-arm action affording plenty of bounce. Lyon, though, is the sort of spin bowler who may benefit from the WACA’s bounce and breeze.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon/Mitchell Starc.Virat Kohli and VVS Laxman are expected to hold their spots ahead of Rohit Sharma, while Vinay Kumar’s fast medium may be considered if India decide on an all-pace attack.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman 6 Virat Kohli, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin/Vinay Kumar, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.Pitch and conditionsIndia took some getting used to how green the WACA pitch appeared when they first arrived in Perth, but the January heat should allow it to dry out sufficiently to provide a fair Test surface. Close observation has revealed the grass to be of finer consistency than last year’s, which may mean less seam movement than was gained during the Ashes match. Either way, there should be plenty of pace and bounce on offer.Stats and trivia Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey are the only current members of the Australian team to have taken part in the 2008 Perth Test By contrast, India have retained Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma Tendulkar returns to the scene of one of his most celebrated centuries – 114 against Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney and Paul Reiffel on a speedy pitch in 1992 A win or a draw would return the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australian hands for the first time since 2008Quotes”Everyone who comes and watches cricket in Perth wants to see batsmen ducking and weaving out of the way of short balls, batsmen getting great benefit for their shots down the ground, lots of square-of-the-wicket shots being played. If we get a fast, bouncy one [surface] this week, then I’m sure with the batting talent on display you’ll see a lot of great highlights throughout.”
“It’s always nice to come and play in these conditions. It’s like an Australian team coming and playing on a rank turner in India, and winning a Test match. We would like to do the same thing again.”

South Africa rested their bowler of the series and three injured batsmen, promoted a tailender to the top of the order, and had their big-hitting allrounder at No.3, but New Zealand still could not prevent a heavy five-wicket loss

The Report by Andrew Fernando at Eden Park03-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMarchant de Lange bowled with plenty of aggression on debut•Getty ImagesSouth Africa rested their bowler of the series and three injured batsmen, promoted a tailender to the top of the order, and had their big-hitting allrounder at No.3, but New Zealand still could not prevent a heavy five-wicket loss and a whitewash in a series that rarely had the visitors extended. Marchant de Lange had broken loose over a brittle New Zealand middle order to set up the emphatic victory – his 4 for 46 helping to dismiss the hosts for a paltry 206 after Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe had built an impressive dam of pressure with the new ball. Hashim Amla made another pleasing half-century to lead South Africa’s reply, which achieved the target in the 44th over.New Zealand’s innings clunked and whirred in frustrating spurts until the hosts were put out of their misery in 47th over. Though they did well at times to negotiate terrific one-day bowling, particularly from South Africa’s fast men, wickets fell with startling regularity and batsmen succumbed just as New Zealand seemed to be recovering from the last blow. The first five partnerships read 13, 32, 29, 31, 55. Each pair had a start, but none could complete the recovery they had begun, as batsmen lost their heads and their wickets to surrender any momentum they had wrested – usually at a significant cost to the scoring-rate.South Africa were almost casual in reply. Wayne Parnell, who has an ODI average below 20 and a List A average below 25, opened the innings with Hashim Amla, after Jacques Kallis and Justin Ontong joined Graeme Smith on the injury list. The pair made a swift 80-run dent in the target, before Parnell was dismissed in the 16th over. Even with South Africa’s significantly depleted batting order, with Amla contributing once more, 207 turned out to be a cakewalk.Amla’s innings didn’t match the pace of his Napier knock at Eden Park, but it was no less classy. Favouring the leg side for boundary hits this time, he negotiated the new ball with characteristic ease. A knee-high full toss from Kyle Mills was succinctly dispatched, before a serene glide down the ground brought four more in the next over. The ease with which Parnell also managed the early period perhaps betrayed the gulf between South Africa’ new-ball pair – who at times were unplayable – and New Zealand’s opening bowlers, but it was also a statement on an Eden Park pitch that suited batting.Amla survived a reprieve on 30, when he was dropped by Nathan McCullum, but when he was eventually dismissed for 76, the middle order only needed to saunter home. Albie Morkel hit three sixes in a brisk 41, and though both Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy were dismissed late in the game by Rob Nicol, with less than 20 runs to get, AB de Villiers had little to do.de Villiers had hoped to exploit the weather and a pitch that had had some rain when he opted to bowl, and his new-ball bowlers could have hardly made better use of the friendly conditions. The skid in the surface added another layer of venom to Steyn’s outswing, while Tsotsobe’s steady seamers also benefitted from movement not normally seen at Eden Park. The pair’s unerring lines and impeccable length offered precious little to New Zealand’s typically explosive top order, but even when they did stray, as Tsotsobe did in the fifth over, South Africa’s fielders shone – Faf du Plessis dived well to his left to snatch a full blooded aerial cut from Martin Guptill.While Steyn and Tsotsobe thrived on the movement created by their skill, de Lange’s raw pace and aggressive length added the brutal edge to the attack. Rob Nicol was laid flat on his back by a 144kph bouncer at his throat, while McCullum, too, was hopping around deep in the crease to stay on top of the bounce.Nicol succumbed to a slider from Johan Botha after he had done well to survive the pace barrage, but de Lange returned to fell McCullum in the 22nd over, in a dismissal that betrayed McCullum’s scars from their previous battle. Having made 13 from Dale Steyn’s previous over, McCullum seemed to be reviving a scoring-rate after having accumulated steadily alongside Kane Williamson. But he played back to de Lange, in anticipation of the quick, short ball, and ended up only scooping the full delivery to point.Williamson and James Franklin then began yet another phase of rebuilding, but almost as soon as their association began to gain traction, Williamson was run out superbly by du Plessis, who was horizontal in mid-flight when he let his pinpoint throw fly. In a cruel snapshot of New Zealand’s innings, the wicket had fallen the very delivery after the first four of the partnership was struck.Colin de Grandhomme lofted a free-hit ball over deep midwicket to relax early nerves on debut, and the risk-averse accumulation resumed anew, this time with perhaps a tad more vigour. Franklin was intent on dropping anchor, but de Grandhomme showed glimmers of his aggressive potential when he threw in the odd calculated slog amid the singles. But although a 40-minute rain delay just before the batting Powerplay didn’t assuage de Grandhomme’s desire to boost the scoring-rate, a hostile maiden from Steyn quieted his progress, and then a direct hit from Albie Morkel at mid-off silenced him altogether. Another start, another poor option and another dismissal just as a platform was being put together – New Zealand’s innings read like a study in badly learnt lessons. de Grandhomme’s departure left New Zealand 160 for 5 in the 39th over.The wickets of Franklin – again to an awful shot – and Andrew Ellis, three overs later, plunged them further, and only a tailender’s 13 from Michael Bates helped them limp beyond 200.Edited by Nikita Bastian

A round-up of the 3rd and 4th quarter-final games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2012Punjab’s spinners, led by Bipul Sharma and Rahul Sharma, set up a five-wicket win over Hyderabad at Palam A Ground. Bipul and Rahul shared seven wickets between them to restrict Hyderabad to a modest 175, before Chandan Madan hit an unbeaten 78 to guide Punjab home. Hyderabad progressed steadily to 79 for 1 in the 23rd over before Bipul struck with the wicket of Akshath Reddy. The Hyderabad middle order failed to convert starts as the spinners struck at regular intervals. Ibrahim Khaleel top scored with 46, but the lower order and tail could only manage single-figure scores. Bipul finished with 4 for 31 while Rahul took 3 for 40. Hyderabad lost their last seven wickets for just 54 runs.It wasn’t smooth sailing for Punjab either with the bat. Early strikes by Anwar Ahmed and Ashish Reddy reduced Punjab to 28 for 4, but Madan dropped anchor. He added 35 for the fifth wicket with Amitoze Singh but the most productive was the unbroken 91 for the sixth with Bipul, who rounded off a productive day with an unbeaten 41, hitting three sixes. Punjab will play Bengal in the semis on Saturday.Coincidentally at the Feroz Shah Kotla, the team batting first was restricted to 175. Delhi were the victors, beating Railways by seven wickets to set up the semis clash with Mumbai. The Delhi seamers, Rajat Bhatia, Parvinder Awana, Pradeep Sangwan and Pawan Suyal shared nine wickets between them after opting to field first. Ashish Yadav was the only Railways batsman to show some resistance, hitting 59 at No.7. Railways were struggling at one stage at 56 for 6, before their lower order battled it out to last till the 50th over.With Delhi reinforced by the early return of Gautam Gambhir from Australia, the target of 176 was hardly going to test them. Gambhir made an unbeaten 34, but the chase was anchored by Shikhar Dhawan who made a run-a-ball 69. Dhawan added 97 with fellow opener Mohit Sharma to shut Railways out of the game.

Jesse Ryder is unlikely to be considered for a central contract or selected for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, according to David White, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2012Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, is unlikely to be considered for a central contract or selected for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, according to David White, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive. White said that Ryder needs to prove his “commitment to the game” before he could be considered for national selection once again.”No, I don’t think so,” White told , responding to a question on whether Ryder’s IPL form puts him into contention for the summer’s tour to the Caribbean. “It is great that he is playing cricket again but he is a fair way from being considered for New Zealand.”He needs to prove to the selectors and New Zealand Cricket his commitment to the game, and that means on and off the field. He needs to do a lot of work on a lot of things like fitness, attitude … and be exemplary off the park.”Ryder has scored 217 runs in seven games for Pune Warriors so far, with two half-centuries. He had travelled to India for the IPL with a support structure consisting of his manager and clinical psychologist in place, coming off an ‘indefinite break’ from cricket that he had announced in March. That announcement came after Ryder was dropped from the New Zealand squad for the third ODI against South Africa for breaking team protocol and then left out of the Test series as well.When Ryder had announced his participation in the IPL, White had extended his support. “It’s really positive that Jesse has reached the point where here is ready to play competitive cricket again,” he had said. “He has clear expectations from NZC in terms of what is required from him to make a return to international cricket and playing in the IPL is a good first step. We are proud of the progress he has made and we will continue to support him through what has been a tough time.”Ryder has had a history of disciplinary issues, prompting questions about his commitment to New Zealand cricket. Previously, in August 2010, he was fined for “intoxicated and rowdy” behaviour at a hotel during an indoor cricket tournament and he said he had feared for his career while NZC was investigating the incident. The most serious of Ryder’s indiscretions was in 2008, when he put his right hand through a glass window during a late-night session at a Christchurch bar. In January 2009, NZC said Ryder had given up alcohol after another incident, which resulted in him missing an ODI against West Indies.

Andrew Strauss reached his second century of the series as he and Kevin Pietersen put on an unbroken hundred partnership to put England on the front foot

The Report by David Hopps26-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryAndrew Strauss scored his second century in successive Tests against West Indies•Getty ImagesIf Andrew Strauss’ hundred in the first Test against West Indies on his beloved home ground at Lord’s provided personal regeneration, another hundred in the second Test at Trent Bridge was an exercise in pampering. The weather was idyllic, the pitch was good natured and the West Indies attack was full of pleasantries. It was part Test cricket, part spa treatment.Four overs remained on the second day when Strauss clipped an overpitched delivery from West Indies’ offspinner, Shane Shillingford, to the midwicket boundary. In place of his yelp of achievement at Lord’s was the expression of a man who had been cosseted in mind and body. “The wicket looked very placid,” said Strauss, who looked very placid himself.He has 21 Test hundreds now (six against West Indies), one behind the joint record held by Wally Hammond, Geoffrey Boycott and Colin Cowdrey. . Alongside him Kevin Pietersen, unbeaten on 72 at the close, was as frisky as a hare in mating season.Strauss had a poor record on this ground – only two half-centuries in 13 attempts – and he got off the mark with a slash over the slips off Kemar Roach. But long before the end he played with a panache of old, driving and cutting effortlessly, his lacerating cut shot making Sammy’s tactic of a deep gully an irrelevance.As his innings progressed he worked the leg side in a way that is reserved for his best days. Late among his 18 boundaries were two sweeps in an over against Shillingford, haunted no more by the shot that caused horrors for every England batsman in the UAE last winter.Ravi Rampaul, despite carrying the sort of excess baggage for which Ryanair would charge a hefty surcharge, was the most challenging member of West Indies’ attack, claiming both England wickets and periodically finding more movement than any bowler in the match. Darren Sammy, another captain to make a Test hundred on the day, in his case his first, and Shillingford were unable to impose any authority.As for Roach, the no-balls that twice cost him the wicket of Alastair Cook will prey on his mind for a long time. He imagined that he had dismissed Cook, England’s most dogged performer, either side of tea only to be penalised for overstepping. Cook had made only a single when he was well caught by the wicketkeeper, Denesh Ramdin. Then he repeated the indiscretion: another bat hung out to dry by Cook, a more regulation catch for Ramdin. Roach stared into his twinkling gold chain and may have briefly caught sight of a guilty face staring back at him.Roach, the most threatening member of West Indies’ attack, now has 26 no-balls in the series. He has been this way before. He had India’s captain, MS Dhoni, caught behind off no-balls in successive overs in a Test against India at Eden Gardens last year, but he does not seem to have learned from the experience.It would be unfair to suggest that Roach’s indiscipline is symptomatic of a wider West Indies malaise. Their cricket has been disciplined, if limited, throughout the series and despite perfect batting conditions they restricted the early part of England’s innings to two runs an over before Cook, on 24, gave Ramdin his third catch – a better ball this, from Rampaul. Jonathan Trott’s breezy 35 ended to an lbw decision, upheld on review, as Rampaul nipped one back shortly after tea.The thinnest of edges had protected Pietersen from an lbw decision against Rampaul when he was on nought, but this was not the sort of day for Pietersen to recognise his own vulnerability. He had only a single when he struck Shillingford for an imperious straight six – an over that cost 19 as Strauss cut two boundaries – and England’s strokeplay began to flow.Smart stats

Darren Sammy’s century is his first in Tests and only the seventh by a West Indian No.8 batsman. It is also the ninth century by visiting No.8 batsman in England.

Andrew Strauss scored his second consecutive century of the series and becomes the first England captain to score two centuries in a series against West Indies twice.

Strauss, who has scored five centuries as captain against West Indies, goes past Michael Vaughan on the list of England captains with most hundreds against West Indies.

Strauss is also level on top with Colin Cowdrey and Allan Lamb among England players with most centuries against West Indies (6).

The 204-run stand between Samuels and Darren Sammy is the second-highest seventh-wicket stand in Tests for West Indies and their highest such stand against England.

The 136-run stand between Kevin Pietersen and Strauss is presently the third-highest third-wicket stand for England against West Indies in Tests at Trent Bridge. The highest is 207 between Peter May and Tom Graveney in 1957.

Sammy could find solace in a maiden Test hundred as West Indies were dismissed for 370 with England rounding up the last four wickets within 90 minutes. Some Test centuries impress you, some Test centuries move you, some just add another layer to Test cricket’s statistics. As long as you were not an England bowler Sammy’s maiden Test hundred was more liable to make you smile.It was a rip roaring affair, a collection of powerful strokes that were audacious in their adventure and charming in their unorthodoxy. It was a ride that you would not expect to see very often and that made it even more worthwhile.England’s bowlers did not share the delight. There were too many thick edges and technical blemishes for that and when Sammy’s century came up in his 26th Test it was entirely appropriate that it did so with a moment of fortune.In fact, make that two moments of fortune, in successive balls, too. Six overs into the morning, Sammy bludgeoned a length ball from Stuart Broad wide of gully off a thick edge. The shot that took him to 100 was a travesty, an intended whip through midwicket that sailed just wide of the diving Ian Bell at gully. Broad kept his counsel; not so long ago he would have eaten the stumps in fury.Sammy beamed, and there was contentment in the applause, too, because his innings, 106 from 156 balls, had provided rich entertainment. His worth as West Indies Test captain has been perpetually questioned – he entered this Test with an average below 20 and only two half-centuries, and his bowling does not entirely compensate – and he deserved his day in the sun. He might not enjoy his day in the sun on Sunday: England will have designs on 650.Tim Bresnan, whose retention of England’s third seamer role ahead of Steven Finn has come into focus ahead of the South Africa series later this summer, added lustre to his figures by taking three of the last four West Indies wickets, finishing with 4 for 104.He removed Sammy on the pull shot at deep midwicket for 107, a trap which by then Sammy was on too much of a high to take much notice of, so ending a stand of 204 in 52 overs, a seventh-wicket record for Tests at Trent Bridge. Bresnan also dismissed Marlon Samuels, West Indies’ other century maker, in his next over for 117 as James Anderson held a sliced drive in the gully.Bresnan’s intervention was necessary. Anderson and Broad both had speeds well done on normal after their exertions of the first day, registering around 80mph on a bountiful pitch for batting. Neither looked as if they had leapt out of bed energetically and before them was the sort of featherbed designed to give any fast bowler a sleepless night.

Andre Adams took a career-best 7 for 32 before Nottinghamshire’s openers helped built a solid lead over Lancashire

Jon Culley at Old Trafford03-May-2012
ScorecardAndre Adams recorded career-best first-class figures to help skittle Lancashire•PA PhotosYou cannot help but conclude that there is something odd going on when Glen Chapple and Andre Adams, quite probably the two finest bowlers on the county circuit, can reach the combined age of 74 and have only one Test cap between them.Chapple’s extraordinary overlooking by the England selectors has been noted with incredulity on several occasions during an exemplary first-class career and there is bemusement, too, that Adams stepped out for a five-day game only once, against England in Auckland, his home town, a decade ago.No one now bowls with greater consistency, both in terms of economy and strike rate, than the 36-year-old Adams, who hit another peak with career-best figures of 7-32 to give Nottinghamshire an unlikely first-innings lead on which they have so far built solidly enough to suggest that Lancashire, the defending champions, will struggle to avoid a third defeat in a season only four matches old.He was the chief architect of a post-lunch implosion that saw Lancashire’s last six wickets fall for 15 runs inside 12 overs, conceding a lead of 23 that Nottinghamshire did not envisage when they were bowled out for 169 on Wednesday, their downfall in no small part down to Chapple’s impressive support for a luckless James Anderson.Adams dismissed Steven Croft and Gareth Cross with consecutive deliveries to add another five-for to an impressive tally that now stands at 28 in his career, 13 of which have come in the last three seasons. He had set the ball rolling by bowling Karl Brown with the third delivery of the day and ended what was shaping up as a potentially threatening innings by Stephen Moore when he produced the ball he seems able to summon at will, drawing the batsman forward but not allowing him to drive and moving it away just enough to take the edge.His maturing years have been his best, yet he has no regrets that they did not come sooner and has never considered trying to force his way back into the New Zealand team.”I shut the door on international cricket when I came to Nottinghamshire as a Kolpak and to be honest my last few games for New Zealand were not an enjoyable experience,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to go back.”When I was in New Zealand I was always fighting for a place and in those circumstances you sometimes forget about getting better as a cricketer. At Nottinghamshire I have been able to work in an honest environment, where I’m responsible for what I do and I’m not fighting for my place. To be here enjoying my cricket is a big deal for me.”I know what I have to do, which is essentially to be as annoying as I can be with the ball, by which I mean trying to put the ball in the right place as often as possible. It is what makes Chapple so good. He is a fine bowler and he is very annoying in that he hardly misses.”Adams’s miserly economy, backed up by similarly tight bowling from Ben Phillips and Graeme Swann, tended to show up Stuart Broad’s less-than-economical figures more perhaps than they otherwise might. On an essentially slow pitch that afforded few chances for fluent strokeplay, the England strike bowler went for 60 runs from 14 overs.In his defence, it was his first competitive bowl since his calf injury in Sri Lanka and his natural pace probably worked against him as the only bowler who offered speed off the bat.”He has a great record for us and it is good to have him here,” Adams said, offering some sympathy. “He had not bowled for a while and maybe he bowled a bit too short at times but having not been able to make a contribution so far he will be really up for it when he bowls again.”Fortunately for Nottinghamshire, Adams more than compensated, as did Swann, who took perhaps the most important wicket of the day when he had Ashwell Prince caught at bat-pad and wrapped up the innings on a hat-trick after bowling his friend and England team-mate Anderson first ball.Anderson remains in the wars. Having damaged his thumb on Wednesday, he bowled only one over on Thursday, although not because of the pain but because of a flu-like virus which affected him overnight. He signalled to Chapple, his captain, that he was feeling unwell and left the field immediately and was not seen again for an hour and 40 minutes, reappearing only because he thought he would have to be in the field for as much time as he had been off it in order to bowl on the third morning. As it happened, the umpires were able to tell him to return to his impromptu sick bed in the dressing room because the slate would be wiped clean overnight.Nottinghamshire will resume with a lead of 145 and eight wickets in hand and the opportunity to build a lead of 200-plus that could be as much as they need if Broad clicks and Adams merely continues where he left off. Against a depleted attack they have batted with respect for the pitch, in particular Neil Edwards and Michael Lumb, the latter revealing the kind of diligent approach for which he wants to be appreciated more.

South Africa’s bowlers finally arrived in Harare, where they kept Zimbabwe to a below-par total in a must-win encounter to book their place in the tri-series final

The Report by Firdose Moonda23-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRichard Levi scored 54 off 30 balls•AFPSouth Africa’s bowlers finally arrived in Harare, keeping Zimbabwe to a below-par total in a must-win encounter to book their place in the tri-series final. Zimbabwe, however, managed to delay defeat until the 18th over, which allowed them to qualify as well, pipping Bangladesh on net run-rate. Bangladesh needed the hosts to lose inside 15 overs.An improved Wayne Parnell did the bulk of the damage on a sluggish pitch. His triple-strike midway through the Zimbabwe innings left South Africa with a moderate total to chase. Richard Levi took control of the reply and his half-century led South Africa to a relatively straight-forward win.Zimbabwe had decided to bat and Hamilton Masakadza showed his intent early on, flat-batting Chris Morris for a stunning six over cover. He did not have much support, though, as Vusi Sibanda was out lbw to a full, straight ball from Morris, and Brendan Taylor holed out to mid-on.Masakadza tried to rebuild the innings but became Parnell’s first victim when he decided to accelerate. Masakadza cut towards cover, where Farhaan Berhardien took a low catch that had to be referred to the television umpire. It was shown to be clean and Masakadza’s run of three fifties in as many matches, ended. Parnell struck again in that over to remove Malcolm Waller.Both wicket-taking deliveries in Parnell’s first over were fairly ordinary but he showed marked improvement from the previous matches through better lines and lengths. He claimed a third scalp when Elton Chigumbura edged a ball that moved away slightly.When Chigumbura departed, Zimbabwe were only five down but their tail was already at the crease. It was up to Stuart Matsikenyeri to prevent a collapse and he did through his 32-run stand with Graeme Cremer. An Albie Morkel slower ball eventually accounted for Matsikenyeri, when he hit down the ground and du Plessis took a one-handed catch looking into the sun. Cremer stuck around until the end and showed good temperament to combine with Prosper Utseya and give Zimbabwe 124 to defend.Zimbabwe’s only real sniff at making things difficult for South Africa came in the first over of the chase. Hashim Amla tried to flick Chris Mpofu fine on the leg-side but got an edge that carried to Taylor.Amla’s dismissal allowed for the much-heralded pair of Richard Levi and Faf du Plessis to combine. Levi dominated the 55-run stand and muscled anything too full or straight, which all the Zimbabwe seamers were guilty of bowling, over the leg-side. Du Plessis was caught behind in Jarvis’ second over but Levi powered on.When Levi was run out in the 11th over, he had done enough to put South Africa on course. Richard Muzhange’s yorkers and Cremer’s googlies, however, kept South Africa at bay long enough to ensure Zimbabwe also qualified. Justin Ontong and Behardien could not find the boundary in their 34-run partnership but they secured South Africa’s place in the final.

This time, the rain was kind to Yorkshire, rescuing them from a position which by no means had them staring at a defeat but was not likely to lead them into anything but an anxious final afternoon

Jon Culley at Northampton04-Aug-2012
ScorecardThis time, the rain was kind to Yorkshire, rescuing them from a position which by no means had them staring at a defeat but was not likely to lead them into anything but an anxious final afternoon. Three down in their second innings and still 29 behind when a forecast thunderstorm arrived just after lunch, they were less than downcast at the sight of groundstaff fighting a losing battle to cover the square.It is the 10th draw of their soggy season, of which only four matches remain. The next three are at home, including one at Scarborough, with their pursuit of a top-two finish and an immediate return to Division One concluding against Essex at Chelmsford. Jason Gillespie, their ever-optimistic Australian coach, reckons Yorkshire need to win three of those matches, which would be asking a lot if it did not rain again between now and the middle of next month. In reality, they will probably need some help.Gillespie’s first season has seen Yorkshire advance on one front, reaching their first finals day in Twenty20, but 2013 marks the club’s 150th anniversary and there is a sense of pride to be satisfied. A gallant near-miss in this year’s promotion race may not go down well in the committee room.”Look, everyone is in no doubt that promotion is our big goal for the season,” Gillespie said. “We are confident that we have the game to succeed on that front but we need the weather to allow us to play.”We were outplayed by Northamptonshire here, there’s no doubt about that. Although the weather played a part, we did not play the cricket we know we can play. But I would like to win three of the four remaining games – or all four, preferably – and I think we are good enough to do it.”Yorkshire are where they want to finish as the table stands, in second place, ahead of Kent and Hampshire, but have played a match more than all of their rivals and are obliged to sit out the next round. By the time they take on Derbyshire, the leaders, at Headingley on August 15, the table will give a more realistic picture of their chances.By then, in their favour, they should have Ryan Sidebottom back, provided a run-out with the Second XI confirms his recovery from a calf injury. His return would restore some confidence in the Yorkshire attack’s potency as a wicket-taking force, as would a little more of the promise shown by Adil Rashid in this match.Rashid’s first five-wicket return since the beginning of last season suggested the leg-spinner’s omission from the side since the middle of May, in Championship cricket at least, has had the effect it was hoped it might.”Adil bowled really well,” Gillespie said. “He was disappointed to be left out but his attitude had been spot on and the way he has responded has been brilliant.”He could have gone the other way and been quite negative but he has been positive, gone out and played some second team games and shown a good attitude to training and preparation. He has tinkered with his action a bit and has come back, bowled 31 overs and taken five wickets. We are delighted he has done so well.”Rashid found some encouragement in the pitch here, which was one reason why the final two sessions, had they gone ahead, could have been an ordeal for Yorkshire. James Middlebrook, too, was beginning to enjoy himself.The offspinner had claimed one wicket and was bowling with four fielders around the bat until play was called off. He had dismissed Phil Jaques and there was pressure at the other end, too, mostly exerted by David Willey, who conceded only 10 runs in as many overs from the Wantage Road end following a similarly disciplined spell by Oliver Stone, the 18-year-old, who picked up his second wicket in the match when Adam Lyth sliced him to point. Willey had Joe Root caught at second slip during a sequence of seven consecutive maidens.

Kent threw Group C of the Clydesdale Bank 40 wide open by beating leaders Warwickshire by six wickets on a tricky Edgbaston pitch

13-Aug-2012
ScorecardKent threw Group C of the Clydesdale Bank 40 wide open by beating leaders Warwickshire by six wickets on a tricky Edgbaston pitch.The Spitfires skittled Warwickshire for just 92, their third lowest one-day score at their home ground, inside 31 overs and got home with 19.4 overs to spare after an early wobble. Kent’s win took them level with Warwickshire on points but the Bears still lead the table by virtue of an extra win.Warwickshire’s decision to play this match on a used and grassy pitch, which will also host tomorrow’s match between England Lions and Australia A, played straight into the hands of Kent’s quartet of seamers who all extracted movement from the surface after captain Rob Key decided to bowl first.Darren Steven took 5 for 25 to give him figures of 9 for 61 in two days following a five-wicket haul in the victory over Derbyshire at Canterbury on Sunday. Former Pakistan seamer Azhar Mahmood and Mark Davies undermined Warwickshire’s innings by taking two wickets apiece in reducing the hosts to 15 for 4 at one stage.With Varun Chopra and Chris Woakes called up by England Lions and Steffan Piolet sidelined by a hamstring injury, Warwickshire’s batting looked lightweight and their batsmen appeared to have suspicions about the quality of the pitch from an early stage.Laurie Evans gave the pitch a long stare after he edged Mahmood to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones in the second over. William Porterfield clipped Mahmood to midwicket and Jim Troughton nibbled Davies to Stevens at slip.The Stevens-Davies combination accounted for Darren Maddy who was caught pushing forward and it was left to Rikki Clarke to prevent the innings from total disintegration after Stevens and Simon Cook joined the attack. Clarke, playing as a specialist batsman because of a torn abdominal muscle, played a restrained unbeaten innings of 35 from 66 balls but only Paul Best supported him for long.Best straight drove offspinner Adam Riley for the only six of Warwickshire’s innings before he edged to first slip and Stevens snuffed out the innings when he pinned Chris Wright lbw.There was little chance of Kent repeating their 10-wicket win over Warwickshire at Canterbury in June but they were given a solid start by Key and Sam Billings before Billings edged Chris Wright to second slip.Key went lbw to Keith Barker and Stevens and Sam Northeast perished to Darren Maddy’s accurate medium pace. But Mahmood, who straight drove Maddy for six, and Alex Blake guided Kent home with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 39.