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BCCI sources have said Gary Kirsten will not renew his coaching contract with India, which expires at the end of the 2011 World Cup

Sidharth Monga23-Jan-2011Unless there is a drastic turn of events, Gary Kirsten has taken part in his last bilateral series as India’s coach. A senior BCCI official confirmed that Kirsten has expressed to the board his desire to not extend his coaching contract with India because of family commitments. In all likelihood, the World Cup will now be his last assignment with India.”It is a topic that has been discussed at length for a long time. I can confirm that he will not continue his coaching assignment with India after the World Cup,” the official said. “Everyone was keen that Gary continue for another term, perhaps of three years. The team and the coach have developed an excellent rapport over the last three years. Everyone can see the results, which are obvious. Gary has also put in a lot of effort behind the scenes to bolster team spirit and oneness among the unit. We must respect his decision, especially because it is based on family commitments.”The official said that the task of identifying a successor will be an important one because while “his legacy will benefit the successor”, Kirsten’s will be big boots to fill for any coach. India rose to their much-cherished No. 1 ranking in Tests under Kirsten’s watch, and developed a habit of often coming back from dire situations.That Kirsten is unlikely to continue after the World Cup doesn’t come as a big surprise. He has previously spoken of wanting to spend more time with his family, and India’s captain MS Dhoni, had also said that the team would respect Kirsten’s choice. The three years that Kirsten has spent with India have been hectic, and have hardly given him time to be with his family – he has a wife and two growing sons. “Of course,” Dhoni said before the start of the series, when asked if India were trying to do everything within their powers to make Kirsten stay. “But what you also need to see is he has been part of the Indian cricket team for the last three years. His family – Joshua is a growing kid right now and James is a young kid too [both Kirsten’s sons] – which means Gary wants to spend time with his family. That will be the most crucial thing apart from the money aspect.”He has given [the Indian team] whatever he could, the best he could, and of course it was a pleasure to have him in the side, but then again it is a decision he will have to take. More than the cricketing part, it will be his family that will have a real impact on the decision.”Media reports have – over the series – linked Kirsten with a job closer to home, coaching the South African side, who too will be without a coach after the World Cup. Those speculations gained momentum, especially when CSA extended its deadline for applications for the coaching job from January 7 to February 18. However, Kirsten is not quite likely to go looking for another international job that soon, according to sources.

New South Wales stormed into the finals after thumping Tasmania on the back of Patrick Cummins’ four wickets and David Warner’s unbeaten 70 off 49 balls

The Bulletin by Alex Malcolm01-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPatrick Cummins regularly hit the 140kph mark during his four-wicket haul•Getty Images

The New South Wales Blues have steam-rolled the Tasmania Tigers by nine wickets to charge into the Big Bash final and confirm a place in the Twenty20 Champions League for the second time.The inaugural Champions League winners rode on Patrick Cummins’ four wickets and a 49-ball 70 not out from David Warner to win a one-sided, rain-reduced preliminary final.Play was delayed by half an hour due to Hobart’s indifferent weather and the match was reduced to 17 overs a side. The coin fell George Bailey’s way and the Tigers captain elected to bat with 12 of the 18 previous matches in the tournament being won by the side setting a total.But no-one informed the 17-year-old Penrith quick Cummins about those statistics. He steamed in from the River End to take 4 for 16 in a Man-of-the-Match display that helped dismiss the Tigers for just 103.Cummins consistently clocked 140kph and was far too quick for the Tigers’ top order. He claimed Rhett Lockyear and Ed Cowan in his second over after Stuart Clark bowled Mark Cosgrove via the inside-edge off the third ball of the match. Cowan lost his off stump to a 146kph thunderbolt.Cummins had Jonathan Wells caught at point in his third over to leave Tasmania reeling at 4 for 25.The Tigers rallied courtesy of their two most experienced players in Bailey and Travis Birt. They put on 34 before both holed out needlessly to long-off and the innings never recovered.Scott Coyte conjured an extraordinary back-handed run out to remove Ryan ten Doeschate after fielding in his follow-through, and then Cummins returned to deceive James Faulkner with a slower ball to show he has guile, as well as gas, in his weaponry.David Warner gunned down the Tigers target with 25 balls to spare with a dazzling display of power-hitting. Warner’s performances have been much maligned this tournament despite becoming the leading run-scorer after Tuesday’s game.But after a scratchy first six deliveries during which he a miscued a ball just beyond mid-off, and nearly lost his off stump swinging for the Derwent River, he ignited the chase with the biggest six of the tournament, launching a short ball from Ben Hilfenhaus out of the ground over square leg. It sparked a sequence of eight deliveries that yielded six more boundaries and virtually ended the Tigers’ tournament.Warner raced to 50 off 32 balls and ended the night with his third six to finish with 70 not out from just 49 balls. The only man he could not collar was part-time offspinner Lockyear, who bowled 10 dot-balls at Warner in four overs that cost just 12 runs. It was a spell the Blues’ opponents in the final, the South Australia Redbacks, would no doubt have noted given the success of their own offspinner Nathan Lyon in this tournament.Lockyear also had Phil Jaques dropped twice to rub salt into the Tigers’ gaping wounds.The Blues will go into the final with supreme confidence but with an injury concern. Usman Khawaja twinged a hamstring in the field and his fitness will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s final in Adelaide.

John Davison has announced his retirement from international cricket, saying that Canada’s match against Australia in Bangalore on Wednesday will be his last

Brydon Coverdale in Bangalore15-Mar-2011John Davison, the Canada allrounder who in 2003 broke the record for the fastest World Cup century, has announced his retirement. Davison, 40, was born in Canada but has lived nearly all his life in Australia, and he will finish his career with Wednesday’s match against the Australians, the first time he has had the chance to play against his home country.”It’s pretty fitting that it is against Australia,” Davison said on the eve of the match in Bangalore. “I’ve lived all my life there. I was never quite good enough to get a game for them. It will be a great experience to play against them. There’s some guys in the team who I’ve had a fair bit to do with, playing against or coaching. So it would be nice to have a good showing against them.”Davison spent the first half of his career as an offspinner for Victoria and South Australia, but never quite lived up to his potential and finished his career with 83 wickets for the states at an average of 55.56. However, when he discovered that he was eligible to play for Canada, having been born in British Columbia, it put a new spin on his career.He was thrust into the national side for the 2003 World Cup and found a new lease of life as an aggressive opening batsman. His finest moment was unquestionably his 67-ball century against West Indies at Centurion during that tournament, which was at the time the quickest World Cup hundred but has since been surpassed by both Matthew Hayden and Kevin O’Brien.”I was hitting them a lot better (in 2003) than I am now,” Davison said. “It was a fantastic wicket, the ball wasn’t swinging and I was just able to hit through the line of the ball. It was just one of those days where everything I tried came off. Hopefully there’s one more innings like that left in me.”John Davison will end his Canada career against a country he’s lived in for nearly all his life•AFP

Davison has played 31 one-day internationals for Canada, including 19 as captain, and he has scored 785 runs at 27.06 and collected 35 wickets at 29.65. Ashish Bagai, the current national captain, said Davison had been a fantastic ambassador for cricket in Canada.”He’s given Canada a name in the world of cricket,” Bagai said. “I’ve learned a fair bit from him and the players appreciate having him in the dressing room, both on and off the field. He’s brought professionalism and a good work ethic and self-belief in this side. That’s irreplaceable.”In his final match, Davison will come up against several men he has either played with over the years or mentored in his role as a coach at Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. Nobody goes back further with Davison than the Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who first came across Davison when they were both part of the 1991 intake at Australia’s cricket academy.”We had a few overseas tours together as part of that academy and we played with and against each other for quite a period of time through different state competitions back home,” Ponting said. “He’s got a lot to do with the development of young Australian players now, being one of the coaches at the Centre of Excellence in Australia.”He’s obviously got some great memories now out of World Cup cricket, playing with Canada, that he probably never thought he would have. At one stage to have the fastest World Cup hundred ever is a great achievement for him. He’ll be able to look back at the end of his career and look at some pretty good memories.”

Cobras beat Warriors by 12 runs to emerge South Africa’s domestic T20 champions

Firdose Moonda19-Mar-2011

Scorecard
Herschelle Gibbs was part of a quick 88-run opening stand for Cape Cobras•AFP

The Warriors became the first South African franchise to qualify for the Champions League T20 for two seasons in succession but they were unable to defend their domestic title and had to settle for the runner-up berth. They lost to Cobras by 12 runs in front of a full house at Newlands on Friday.The Cobras started in belligerently with Richard Levi and Herschelle Gibbs fashioning a first-wicket stand of 88 inside nine overs. Gibbs played a more restrained anchor role, contributing just 11 runs to the 50 partnership and was dropped by former national team-mate Mark Boucher on 21. He ended on 35 off 21 balls and then chopped one on to his stumps off Justin Kreusch’s bowling.Levi, who ended the competition as the third-highest run scorer, was on 45 at the time and was out the very next ball, holing out to Jon-Jon Smuts at long-on. Makhaya Ntini removed Justin Ontong for 6, Kreusch had Dane Vilas caught at backward point for 5 and Justin Kemp was bowled by Smuts for 6 to leave the Cobras in a precarious position on 130 for 5 in the 17th over.Owais Shah, the tournament’s top run scorer, held things together with an aggressive 39 off 26 balls. He had Vernon Philander at his side, who contributed 17 off 10 balls and together they took the Cobras to 166 for 5 – a challenging total on a pitch that would assist spin.The Warriors found themselves constantly fighting to stay afloat as wickets pushed them below the required run-rate throughout. Davy Jacobs’ miserable time at the crease continued as he fell lbw to Philander for 13. Ashwell Prince was run out for 21, just as he was starting to look threatening and Mark Boucher was bowled by Claude Henderson for four.The Smuts brothers took the target to under 100 but when Jon-Jon left, it was up to Kelly to mount a challenge. He scored an unbeaten half-century on debut and added 82 runs off 42 balls with Kreusch. The youth and experience combination came within 14 runs of the target and lasted until the final over. That was the over where the Warriors needed 26 and after they managed 15 of them, Kreusch was bowled by Johann Louw. The Warriors were able to add just one more run to their total and finished on 154 for 6.The match was billed as being a clash between teamwork from the Warriors and individual stars from the Cobras before it was played, but it turned out to be opposite as Smuts junior was the only batting star, while a strong all-round bowling performance from the Cobras gave them the crown.

Darren Sammy has said he was “surprised to see the pitch offer so much turn and bounce” after his team lost the first ODI against Pakistan at his home ground in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2011Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, has said he was “surprised to see the pitch offer so much turn and bounce” after his team lost the first ODI against Pakistan at his home ground in St Lucia. West Indies had a poorly balanced attack for the surface, with only one specialist spinner in Devendra Bishoo, and they managed to take only two Pakistan wickets in 41.3 overs.Sammy, however, focused on the failures of the West Indies batsmen to post a challenging total. They were restricted to 221 for 6 in 50 overs. “We put ourselves in a hole when we were batting, and the spinners were bowling, so we really have to come better in the next game,” he said. “We may need to show more intent in our approach.”We have a new batting coach, and he has been doing some good work, but we can’t lose sight of us reaching 221 coming from our position in the middle of the innings, so hopefully we can improve on this next time.”Pakistan’s spinners deprived the West Indian innings of momentum, with Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez bowling 30 overs for just 100 runs and picking up two wickets. Ajmal took 1 for 25 while Hafeez claimed 1 for 36. “I was very happy when West Indies won the toss and chose to bat because I thought the pitch would help our spinners,” Afridi said. “I think our spinners have been doing a great job for us in the last few months, and they again set things up for us.”The one West Indian batsman who had a satisfactory match was Darren Bravo, who anchored the innings with 67 before he was run out in the 45th over. Bravo, however, consumed 109 balls for his runs and said after the game that he wanted to score faster.”I wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked. There was a lot of spin and I wasn’t able to rotate the strike the way I’m accustomed,” Bravo said. “I have to fix that. I have to put that right. I have to find a way to turn over the strike in the middle overs and keep the innings going.”Earlier this year in Sri Lanka we faced a lot of spin as well and I was able to keep the scoreboard ticking. The Pakistan spinners bowled some good balls, but to be a great player you have to find a way to score off the good balls not just the bad balls.”

James Taylor and Josh Cobb both hit half-centuries as Leicestershire Foxes picked up their first points in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition with a comfortable 32-run victory against Scottish Saltires at Grace Road

25-Apr-2011
ScorecardJames Taylor and Josh Cobb both hit half-centuries as Leicestershire Foxes picked up their first points in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition with a comfortable 32-run victory against Scottish Saltires at Grace Road.An unbeaten 81 from Taylor and a limited-overs best of 61 by Cobb helped the Foxes post a challenging 253 for 4 after being put into bat.The loss of two early wickets put the Saltires on the back foot and, despite a battling 50 from Ewan Chalmers, they could manage only 221 for 9 and slipped to their second defeat in 24 hours. Cobb and Jacques du Toit gave the Foxes the ideal start with an opening stand of 88 in the first 14 overs, with the Saltires’ bowlers failing to find the right line or length.Both players cashed in with some well-struck boundaries, with du Toit bringing up 50 with a four off Josh Davey in the ninth over. But the stand was broken when du Toit hit a full toss from Gordon Drummond to long-on.Cobb continued to bat well, reaching his maiden half-century in one-day cricket off 46 balls with eight boundaries before also holing out to long-on off Drummond (2 for 52). But Taylor continued his fine start to the season with another splendid innings, sharing a stand of 74 in 14 overs with veteran Paul Nixon.Taylor was not at his sparkling best, but kept the scoreboard moving with some clever placement as he and Nixon continued to keep the Foxes in command. Taylor reached his fifty off 55 balls but Nixon was out for 45, caught again at long-on off Davey.Davey (2 for 55) also claimed the wicket of 17-year-old Shiv Thakor for 13, but Taylor finished unbeaten on 81 off 76 balls, having hit just four fours. The Saltires were never really in the hunt for the target as Leicestershire’s seamers struck some early blows and only Chalmers offered any real resistance with a half-century off 67 balls.The next highest scorer was captain Gordon Drummond, who hit 25 before becoming ninth out off the bowling of Wayne White. Nadeem Malik finished with 3 for 44 and captain Matthew Hoggard 2 for 38 as the Foxes eased to a comfortable victory.

Jason Gillespie has revealed the depths of his frustration at being placed in cricket purgatory after his dalliance with the ICL.

Daniel Brettig03-Jun-2011Jason Gillespie has revealed the depths of his frustration at being placed in cricket purgatory after his dalliance with the ill-fated Indian Cricket League.Two years after the ICL folded, Gillespie has been granted an official coaching position in Australia, as an assistant on the A tour of Zimbabwe in July. He will then stay on in the African nation for his second year with the Midwest Rhinos, who offered him the chance to coach at a time when few others seemed interested.Gillespie will offer plenty of knowledge of the country, and of bowling, while also seeking to smooth his own coaching skills alongside the likes of the Centre of Excellence head coach Troy Cooley and the tour manager Brian McFadyen. He is happy and excited to be back in the Australian fold, but the bitterness of the ICL and its aftermath has not been forgotten.”I’ve got no doubt about it, it certainly held me back,” Gillespie told ESPNcricinfo. “When I signed with the ICL I had the blessing of everyone and I was actually indecisive about whether I would come back to play first-class cricket for South Australia the next year.”The opportunity came along to play the shortest form of the game, it was financially beneficial, there was a bit of a coaching element too and a number of the overseas players were to be involved in commentary. Once that all fell away, to be thought of as a rebel and in such a negative light, especially after playing first-class cricket for years and also for Australia, I just thought it was a bit … I was disappointed.”Gillespie and others were caught up in political machinations beyond their immediate comprehension, made worse when the ICL crumbled and left scores of players, coaches and support staff out of pocket.”It’s always been good intentions from Cricket Australia but I think it was also about not wanting to upset people. I must admit it got to me and I was upset, I was upset with the world for a while there,” Gillespie said. “In hindsight I didn’t realise how much we were going to be ostracised, basically for playing cricket, but then I resigned myself to the fact it was a much bigger issue than that.”I’ve moved on, but it took me a while to move on. I was pretty upset and I vented my frustration a few times, but it was more the frustration at the competition I’d signed for collapsing than what happened in Australia. It was a bitter pill to swallow.”Since then Gillespie has applied for bowling coach roles with South Australia and Australia, on both occasions being told that he would need to accumulate more experience as Joe Dawes (SA) and Craig McDermott (CA) won the posts.”I’ve applied for a couple of jobs, I’m Australian and long-term would be looking to do something in Australia, but for the next few years I’ve realised that I need to go and get experience somewhere else,” Gillespie said. “Zimbabwe has been a great learning curve for me and I’ll forever be indebted to the Rhinos for giving me a chance.”I’ve been told in interviews that I just need to go and get more experience, which is fine, I’ve absolutely no problem with that. I’ve coached in Zimbabwe and coached in the IPL, but other than the SA country side I’ve got no experience in Australian cricket as a coach and it’s nice to make a start.”As for Zimbabwe, Gillespie saw evidence of the progress made in cricket, which falls within the remit of the MDC-aligned sport minister David Coltart, during his first summer with the Rhinos.”There’s a couple of things that can still be improved, but the thing you’ve got to remember is that Zimbabwe cricket has basically started a first-class competition from scratch in the past few years,” Gillespie said. “But there’s a real desire to improve and build that competition, and it was really exciting to be over there and be involved in that.”In Zimbabwe there was a lot of excitement when they heard that Australia A were touring, and talking to Alan Butcher the Zimbabwe coach they’re seeing it as a wonderful opportunity for the team to play against an Australian unit.”Gillespie said parts of the country had changed markedly from the strange world he glimpsed from inside the Australian team bus during a brief but bleak 2004 tour.”It was a bit of a bubble we were in in 2004 and I have to say that living there day to day is very different to a cricket tour,” he said. “The main thing people would ask about is ‘did you feel safe’ and ‘is it a safe place’, and we can certainly say that it is safe. My wife has actually told a number of people that in Harare she felt just as safe as she would have in Adelaide.”

David Hemp will lead Bermuda in the ICC Americas T20 Qualifier between July 17 and 25 in Florida

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2011David Hemp will lead Bermuda in the ICC Americas T20 Qualifier between July 17 and 25 in Florida, the Bermuda Cricket Board has announced. The 14-man squad will convene for training sessions next week.Bermuda’s coach David Moore said he is pleased with the squad and the selection process. “The T20 National Team series [a series that coupled as national try-outs] has been an excellent exercise, not only for the selection of the team, but the development of the players and their improved understanding of the T20 game,” he said. “It is good to welcome back some players that have international experience and have been away from the squad.”Squad: David Hemp (capt), Stephen Outerbridge, Oronde Bascome, Lionel Cann, Fiqre Crockwell, Chris Douglas, OJ Pitcher, Joshua Gilbert, Malachi Jones, Kamau Leverock, Dean Minors (wk), George O’Brien, Samuel Robinson, Rodney TrottStandbys: Dennico Hollis, Jordan De Silva, Lateef Trott

Essex’s Ravi Bopara has been recalled to England’s squad for the third Test against India at Edgbaston

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2011Essex’s Ravi Bopara has been recalled to England’s squad for the third Test against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday, after Jonathan Trott failed to recover full fitness after landing heavily on his shoulder while fielding during last week’s Trent Bridge Test.Bopara, who played the last of his ten Tests against Australia in August 2009, was reportedly unlucky to miss out on selection against Sri Lanka earlier this season, after Eoin Morgan’s 192 for the England Lions tipped the balance in his favour. He has been given his opportunity this time around, however, despite a strong challenge from the uncapped Leicestershire batsman, James Taylor, who made 98 for the Lions against Sri Lanka A at Scarborough on Friday.”We have seen some very pleasing performances during the first two npower Test matches,” said the national selector, Geoff Miller. “But there is still plenty more to do in this series and the squad and management will be determined to carry the momentum from recent weeks through to the remaining two Tests and push for a comprehensive series victory.Also included in the 13-man squad is the Middlesex seamer, Steven Finn, who came in as cover on the eve of the Trent Bridge Test after Chris Tremlett succumbed to a back spasm. Though Tremlett is also retained in the squad, his replacement, Tim Bresnan, performed superbly in his absence, making a free-flowing 90 in England’s second innings, and sealing the 319-run victory with career-best figures of 5 for 48.”Ravi Bopara comes in for Jonathan Trott who is continuing his rehabilitation from his shoulder injury,” confirmed Miller. “Chris Tremlett is recovering well from the back spasms that ruled him out of the second Test and although we are expecting him to be fully fit ahead of Wednesday we felt it was prudent to include an extra seam bowler at this stage meaning Steven Finn comes into the squad.”Bopara made just 25 and 19 in the England Lions game this week, but confirmed his current form with an impressive 178 for Essex against Leicestershire last week. If England persist with six batsmen, he is likely to slot into the middle order, while Ian Bell is Trott’s probable replacement at No. 3 following his superb 159 in the second innings at Trent Bridge. Bopara had a mixed time at No. 3 in his last spell in the Test side. He made 143 against West Indies at Chester-le-Street, but then managed just 105 runs in seven innings in the Ashes.England are currently riding high in the series, leading 2-0 with two Tests to come, and one more victory will guarantee they succeed India as the No. 1 team in Test cricket.Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn.

Whatever the result of the one-off Test, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor feels his men have achieved something significant

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo04-Sep-2011Whatever the result of the one-off Test in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor feels his men have achieved something significant.”A lot of people probably would have written us off in three days against Pakistan, so to get deep into the fourth day and now to be going into a fifth day is a positive,” Taylor said. “Especially in these conditions which probably suit them more and are a little more sub-continental. So, we’ll be pretty satisfied whatever happens.”On a pitch that has provided assistance to the spinners, Zimbabwe batted well in the first innings, but poorly in the second, to leave them on the backfoot as the match enters its final day. Despite their setback Taylor was mostly pleased that the team stuck to their strategies, particularly early on the fourth day when they took the last five Pakistan wickets for 51 runs. “Everything went pretty much to plan, the bowlers stuck it out and eventually found some reward,” he said, “The seamers went for under three an over and Ray Price bowled really well in his 50 overs, it was very good.”Taylor, in turn, set attacking fields throughout the innings, rarely venturing onto the same defensive path his opposite number Misbah-ul-Haq is renowned for. “I’m a positive captain,” Taylor said. “On a wearing wicket with Ray Price and Greg Lamb bowling into the rough, I had to back your bowlers and set good fields. That was always my thinking.”Taylor’s main frustration came from the dropped catches – six of them in total – which went against the grain for a side that are usually exceptional in the field. “It was probably a concentration thing,” he said. “It’s really disappointing because fielding is one part of the game that we work very hard on. If we held onto some of them they could have been 300 all out and that could have been the difference.”Instead, Zimbabwe allowed Pakistan to overtake their first innings score and then “all the hard work done by the bowlers was undone by the batsmen.” Still, Taylor feels that with a sizeable enough lead, they are in with a chance if they can score quickly on the final morning. “We’ll always believe; we know Pakistan could capitulate,” he said. “We are still a long way off, we probably still need to bat another two hours, at least, and give our bowlers a good total to bowl at.”