All posts by h716a5.icu

The sight of a bleeding Brendon McCullum in its brutish way did far more for the BBL than any number of marketeer’s schemes

Daniel Brettig17-Dec-2011Brett Lee’s bouncer to break the nose of Brendon McCullum gave the nascent Twenty20 Big Bash League a visceral image to stand comparison with the Andy Roberts bumper that shattered David Hookes’ jaw in the first season of World Series Cricket.Significantly, it was winced at by a record television audience for a domestic Twenty20 match in Australia, suggesting the true measure of the BBL’s opening night went beyond the mediocre crowd of 12,285 that made it to the SCG to watch the Sydney Sixers blaze past the Brisbane Heat.Foxtel recorded an average audience of 342,000 and a total of 858,000, surpassing the 316,000 average of the 2010 Big Bash final. Greater numbers were anticipated for Saturday night’s match between Shane Warne’s Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder at the MCG.Television is a critical element of the BBL package, as Cricket Australia hopes to generate enough groundswell for the competition to allow it to sell the next round of broadcast rights for the competition to one of the free-to-air commercial networks, so taking the tournament into homes beyond the reach of subscription TV.Those in attendance were given a good idea of what can be expected from the BBL, as old heads like Stuart MacGill, Matthew Hayden, James Hopes and Brad Haddin complimented youthful teams. The colours worn were garish, causing one spectator to compare them to a “kids dress-ups party”, but looked striking on television. Dancing girls, seemingly mandatory at a Twenty20 tournament worth its name, were on hand to keep those on the boundary entertained, while the re-introduction of full-strength beer to the outer was another significant decision.Corporate hospitality was in full swing, as CA and the Sixers strove to offer plenty of attraction to men and women of influence from the corporate and media worlds. There was a distinct hint of IPL flavour to the Sixers’ box in the Victor Trumper Stand, as music blared with the lights dimmed down and precious few of a raucous crowd turned to watch the cricket for long.Next door CA’s function was a more considered affair, featuring the BBL trophy itself and a glad-handing chief executive, James Sutherland. Taking some time to sit and watch the cricket itself, Sutherland was happy to see the tournament begin after a year of rushed organisation to launch it a summer ahead of the original schedule.He answered the question of how the summer might unfold with the BBL going head-to-head with Test matches by saying that audiences would now have cricket to attend in each city across December and January, not just those hosting Test matches as has traditionally been the case.”When this goes head-to-head with Test cricket, we go through the summer and play four Test matches like we are against India, the cricket circus is only in one place at one time,” Sutherland said. “In a six-week period, it comes to Perth once, Adelaide once, Sydney and Melbourne once, and it doesn’t come to Brisbane and Hobart because they’ve already had their share.”So this is a little bit about giving something more to the fans in terms of live stuff, but it is also playing cricket at different times. People will look at it and say we’re trying to do too much, but it is the best time of year, the cricket season, the time where people want to come out and go to matches. It isn’t like the football season where every second week you’ve got a home game, in some ways that is what we’re trying to give to people.”Many have contended that the BBL’s emergence will hurt the performance of what has become a maddeningly inconsistent national team. But Sutherland maintained his view that the new competition was intended to draw a greater and more diverse following to the game, one that may eventually find as much joy in Test matches as those who are sure to fill the MCG on Boxing Day.”People forget from time to time what we’re all about and understand that international cricket is the premium product,” Sutherland said. “We want that to be successful, we don’t want to compromise that. But the future is also about making sure we’ve got young fans who are going to have an interest in cricket, and international cricket. This [the BBL] gives them a flavour of cricket that hopefully will introduce a whole new raft of fans to the game.”On night one of the competition, those fans saw McCullum sent reeling and blood spilled onto the pitch. It was not the sort of moment one can easily forget, and in its brutish way did far more for the BBL than any number of marketeer’s schemes.

Punjab will be satisfied after taking three points on the basis of a first-innings lead against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium16-Dec-2011
Scorecard
Punjab had the unenviable task of facing the top two teams in the table away in their final two rounds of a tightly contested group. They will be satisfied with how the first of those matches have gone, after taking three points on the basis of a first-innings lead against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The one point Karnataka earned though was enough to keep them on top of the table. They are now through to the quarter-finals.A draw was the overwhelming favourite at the start of the final day, and there were few surprises as Punjab batted till almost an hour after lunch to leave Karnataka an improbable 351 to get in 49 overs. Uday Kaul made his second century of the season before Punjab ended their innings but Man-of-the-Match Mayank Sidhana was run out for 73 after looking good to get to a hundred. The only chance of there being an exciting conclusion to the match was if Punjab scored quick runs early on and set Karnataka a challenging target in the hope of pulling off an outright win, but there was no such intent from the visitors.Karnataka, already hamstrung by the absence of bowlers S Aravind and Stuart Binny, generously spilled chances in the field. Ganesh Satish, substitute Syed Moinuddin and KB Pawan all put down catches as Punjab cruised on the final day. Sidhana began confidently with several crisply driven boundaries and soon brought up the 100 of his partnership with Kaul. It was through a sharp bit of fielding, though, that the breakthrough finally came, Amit Verma firing in a direct hit from mid-on to catch Sidhana short.With Karnataka not even able to use Robin Uthappa as a medium-pacer – he was filling in as wicketkeeper for the injured CM Gautam – left-arm spinner KP Appanna had plenty of work to do, bowling unchanged through a two-and-a-half hour morning session. Kaul didn’t look as assured as Sidhana had, but he preserved, profitably using the cover drive during his century. By the time he reached the landmark, after lunch, chances of an outright win were nearing zero.It was not all gloom for Karnataka, though; fast bowler NC Aiyappa finished his comeback game with seven wickets. He was on a hat-trick soon after lunch when he sent the stumps of both Rahul Sharma and Harmeet Singh flying out of the ground. He wasn’t able to get a third next ball, but his form was an encouraging sign for Karnataka, who are without their three first-choice fast bowlers for the next couple of matches.Uthappa, who had fallen for a golden duck in the first innings, came out and whacked the ball around to pick up a quick half-century. Most of his shots were down the ground, including five sixes, and around tea the only interest was whether he would reach a hundred. He was bowled for 68 by Rahul Sharma, though, and the remainder of the match was about cautious batting as Pawan helped himself to a half-century.

Matthew Coles, the Kent seam bowler, has been called up for the rest of the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after Surrey’s Stuart Meaker pulled out because of a lower back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2012Matthew Coles, the Kent seam bowler, has been called up for the rest of the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after Surrey’s Stuart Meaker pulled out because of a lower back injury. Meaker is returning to the UK for further assessment in the hope that he will regain fitness in time for the start of the English season.Meaker’s 44 first-class wickets at 22.56 played a central role in Surrey’s late rush to promotion last year and they will be unsettled about his potential absence as they try to re-establish themselves in Division One.The Lions have two more ODI fixtures against Sri Lanka, in Colombo on Friday and Tuesday, followed by a match against an England XI in Dubai on February 10. Coles only has to make the short flight from Chennai where he has been with England’s Performance Programme.Coles, 21, has 61 first-class wickets at an average of 36, and was afflicted by injury during much of Kent’s lacklustre 2011 Division Two season but his return to the side in August led to a belated upturn in fortunes for the county.

Tasmania kept in touch with the Sheffield Shield pace-setters Queensland and Western Australia with a six-wicket defeat of New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2012

ScorecardTasmania kept in touch with the Sheffield Shield pace-setters Queensland and Western Australia and maintained hope of defending last summer’s title with a six-wicket defeat of New South Wales on the final day of the match in Hobart.Six points at Bellerive Oval took the Tigers to 22, four behind WA after their dramatic victory over Queensland at the Gabba, which kept the Bulls on 30 points with three rounds remaining.The Blues began the day uncertainly placed at 4 for 75 and the seamer Jackson Bird ensured the visitors’ lead would not be substantial by matching James Faulkner’s four wickets for the innings.Simon Katcih was unable to bat as he continued to suffer from headaches and dizziness following a blow to the head while batting in the first innings. Only Phillip Hughes and the captain Steve O’Keefe passed 20 for NSW as the Tigers were set 147 to win.The openers Ed Cowan and Steven Cazzulino brought the target well within sight via a stand of 49, and while no local batsmna passed 50, solid contributions down the order reaped a comfortable victory.NSW are now out of contention for the final, having won only one of seven matches so far.

Daniel Flynn and Dean Brownlie have been called up for New Zealand’s third Test against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2012Daniel Flynn is likely to play for New Zealand for the first time in more than two years after being called up for the third Test against South Africa. The batsman Dean Brownlie has also been named in a 14-man squad for the match, starting in Wellington on Friday, after missing the first two Tests due to a broken finger.The opener Rob Nicol has been dropped after scores of 6, 19, 2 and 1 in his first two Tests, and the fast bowler Brent Arnel has also been squeezed out after failing to take a wicket in the defeat in Hamilton. Flynn is set to open the bating alongside Martin Guptill, while Brownlie, who was the leading scorer on the tour of Australia earlier this summer, will only slot back in to the middle order if the selectors are happy with his progress in a Plunket Shield match this week.Flynn, 26, last played for New Zealand in their home Test series against Pakistan in December 2009, when he was batting in the middle order. Although he has been batting at No.5 in the Plunket Shield this season the selectors have been impressed with his form – he has scored centuries in his past two games and has averaged 65.85 – and are prepared to throw him in at the top of the order.New Zealand Test Squad

Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, Dean Brownlie, Daniel Vettori, Kruger van Wyk (wk), Andrew Ellis, Tarun Nethula, Doug Bracewell, Tren Boult, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin

“Daniel Flynn is having a very successful Plunket Shield with the bat for Northern and is likely to join Martin Guptill at the top of the order,” the national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said. “He was part of the team in late 2009 and we are sure he will make the most of his opportunity to again represent his country.”We are mindful that Dean Brownlie is only just making a return to competitive cricket following injury and will keep a close eye on his progress. Although he has been included in the squad, his selection for the Test will largely depend on how he pulls through the match for Canterbury.”It’s disappointing for Rob and Brent but at this stage we do not feel they have managed to cement their place in the squad. Both players will benefit from a return to domestic cricket where they can put performances on the board. We are sure they will do this and will be very much in contention for selection on the upcoming tour to the West Indies.”Edited by Brydon Coverdale

Australia’s desire to preserve Ryan Harris’ battered body for as long as possible was sharply illustrated by his resting from the Trinidad match following a man of the match display in Bridgetown

Daniel Brettig at Queen's Park Oval16-Apr-2012Australia’s desire to preserve Ryan Harris’ battered body for as long as possible was sharply illustrated by his resting from the Trinidad match following a Man-of-the-Match display in Bridgetown. Harris ended the first match of the West Indies series stating his desire to play all three Tests, but the selectors on tour decided otherwise in leaving him out for a fresher James Pattinson on a Port-of-Spain pitch likely to play lower and lower as the second Test develops.Having performed heroically at Kensington Oval with bat and ball to give Australia a 1-0 series lead, Harris was sore but not under any particular injury cloud in Trinidad. He was left out with an eye to his chequered injury history in the hope that he will be fresh by the time the third Test of the series is played in Dominica. His omission was a significant moment in the development of a squad mentality for Australia’s fast bowlers, for there could be no doubt about Harris’ performance meriting his retention.Yet instead of playing, Harris found himself taking part in lunch-time training with other non-playing members of the Test squad, in contrast to the injured Peter Siddle who also missed selection for Queen’s Park Oval. Their absence created room for the left-arm spinner Michael Beer to play his first Test since he debuted in the fifth match of the 2010-11 Ashes series.”There was no doubt with the history for Ryan but also the amount that he batted and bowled throughout that game the selectors must have thought it was good to bring a fresh James Pattinson in,” the vice-captain Shane Watson said. “To make sure that Ryan is absolutely fresh and ready to go for the third Test is going to be very important. There is no doubt Ryan had an absolutely brilliant game in the last Test match so I’ve got no doubt it would have been a very tough decision for the selectors either way.”I think it’s the way our group is continuing to go. It’s just managing individuals as well as the term can possibly manage them. It continues to be a big step forward to make sure that we get the best out of every individual. And some guys pull up differently from big bowling workloads and obviously I’ve been a part of that at times throughout my career. So I think personally it’s a really big step forward in managing players’ workloads when we are playing so much and playing back-to-back Tests consistently as well.”It also works out well that playing two spinners in these conditions is going to be very important. This wicket is quite similar in many ways to some Indian wickets that I have batted on so it’s only going to get worse. The footmarks are only going to dust up and get worse so it was a perfect opportunity to play two spinners and see how they are able to handle it.”Watson revealed that Siddle had complained of developing back soreness during the first Test, and scans had confirmed inflammation that ruled him out of the second match. Siddle now has only a narrow window of time in which to prove his fitness ahead of the final match of the series, having been kept out of limited-overs series both at home and in the West Indies in order to be at his peak for the Tests.”In the end his back had started to get sore through the last Test match and he ended up getting a few scans to be able to find out what that back pain was,” Watson said. “At the moment it’s shown it’s a little bit sore and there’s a little bit of swelling there. Through experience I know when your back gets sore it’s never a great thing.”Hopefully in Peter’s case they’ve been able to get it early enough that even if it’s just a few days rest from bowling it settles down in a quick period of time. The one thing you don’t want to do is continue to push through it … sometimes as a bowler if you do that it can put you back a fair way with stress fractures. Fingers crossed that won’t be the case and a few days’ rest will mean that he’s able to be right for the third Test.”

Limping Michael Carberry helped Hampshire establish a sound first-innings position against Leicestershire and in the process justified his call to the England Lions squad

27-Apr-2012
ScorecardMichael Carberry has earned a recall to the England Lions squad•Getty ImagesLimping Michael Carberry helped Hampshire establish a sound first-innings position against Leicestershire and in the process justified his call to the England Lions squad to face the West Indies next month. On a second day hindered by rain, Hampshire closed at 181 for 4 with Carberry needing the aid of a runner in making an unbeaten 73.This was in response to Leicestershire’s first-innings total of 234 all out, made in 99.2 overs after a late rally led by wicketkeeper Ned Eckersley’s diligent 34.Carberry, whose solitary England cap came two years ago, is only now fully recovered from blood clots on the lung, a condition which stopped him playing until July and at one stage threatened his life. But while the lung problem may be part of his past, Carberry still struggled while batting on another cloud-covered day because of a recurrence of a groin injury.It did not stop him hitting pace bowler Alex Wyatt for six and striking 13 fours in his 138-ball innings as Leicestershire failed to build on a promising start which saw Wyatt dismiss openers Sean Terry and Liam Dawson cheaply.Terry, son of the former Hampshire and England batsman Paul, marked his championship debut with a duck, caught in the slips in Wyatt’s first over. When Dawson was caught behind for 19, Hampshire were 25 for 2 but then Carberry was joined by stand-in captain Simon Katich in a stand of 124 for the third wicket.Katich edged Nadeem Malik to the wicketkeeper after making 54 and James Vince followed five runs later at 154, caught at slip by Ramnaresh Sarwan off Wyatt. But Carberry remained firm and with Sean Ervine saw Hampshire through to the close, at which point they were 53 behind with six wickets in hand. The persevering Wyatt ended the day with 3 for 63.Earlier Leicestershire resumed at 159 for 6 and added a further 75 around Eckersley’s important contribution from number eight, after the loss of Joshua Cobb after four overs of the day’s play. Left-arm spinner Dawson, who had taken three wickets overnight, added two more in Cobb and Wayne White to finish with career-best Championship figures of five for 29.David Balcombe, who has had an outstanding season so far, took only one wicket in the innings, that of Eckersley to a slip catch by Vince, and David Griffiths finished off Leicestershire when he had last man Wyatt held by wicketkeeper Michael Bates.

The Champions League T20 governing council has approved the inclusion of the Sialkot Stallions in this year’s tournament to be held in October

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2012The Champions League T20 governing council has approved the inclusion of the Sialkot Stallions in this year’s tournament to be held in October. Sialkot will be the first domestic team from Pakistan to take part in the event. Sundar Raman, a member of the CLT20’s technical committee, announced the decision on Twitter. “CLT to invite Sialkot stallions for this year’s edition,” Raman tweeted.Earlier this month the BCCI, the league’s largest stakeholder, announced that it would inform the tournament’s governing council ahead of today’s meeting that it had no objection to the participation of a team from Pakistan. BCCI president N Srinivasan said the CLT20 governing council had already decided to invite a Pakistani team for the next tournament, to be held in India in October; the BCCI was now concurring with that decision. “The CLT20 is owned by the BCCI, Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa, so we will recommend to the governing council that the BCCI has no objection and is prepared to invite a Pakistan team,” Srinivasan said at the time.Sialkot were also the representatives in the 2008 tournament but that event was cancelled after the Mumbai terrorist attacks and Pakistani teams had been kept out of subsequent tournaments. The Sialkot Regional Cricket Association had requested the PCB last month to make efforts to enable the participation of Sialkot in the Champions League. The PCB, in turn, had said that Sialkot’s participation was dependent on the restoration of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan.

Sussex won a high-scoring game by 19 runs against Essex at Hove to go clear at the top of the Friends Life t20 South Group

24-Jun-2012
ScorecardSussex won a high-scoring game by 19 runs against Essex at Hove to go clear at the top of the Friends Life t20 South Group.Chris Nash made 52 and Joe Gatting 45 not out as Sussex set a daunting total of 209 for 6, the second highest in the competition this season. Some big hitting from Mark Pettini (44) and James Foster (47) kept Essex in contention but they fell short in the end, with Chris Liddle taking 3 for 35.Sussex’s former Essex player Scott Styris took the Man of the Match award after making a quickfire 36 and claiming 2 for 28.Luke Wright and Nash set the tone by smashing 21 runs off the second over from Graham Napier as Sussex raced to 74-0 after the six-over Powerplay. Wright carried on where he left off against Middlesex on Friday night when he made 91 as he hit sixes off David Masters and Napier before slapping a full toss from Ryan ten Doeschate straight to long off for 40 off 21 balls.The departure of Wright did not slow the scoring rate, however, as Nash and Styris continued to take the attack to Essex. Nash made his runs from 41 balls, including two fours and two sixes, before being stumped by a smart piece of work by Foster off a leg-side wide from ten Doeschate.Styris enjoyed himself against his old side as he crashed sixes off ten Doeschate and Reece Topley before being caught in the deep for 36 off 20 balls. Gatting ensured Sussex’s innings did not lose momentum as he hit a career-best score from just 22 balls, including four fours and two sixes, as the Sharks posted their second-highest total ever in the competition.Essex made a slow start in reply but remained in contention thanks to Pettini, who made 44 off 31 balls. The Eagles were well behind the run rate at halfway on 74 for 2 but some powerful hitting from Greg Smith and Foster gave them hope of pulling off a sensational win.Smith hit three sixes in his 26-ball 39 before being bowled by Will Beer while Foster hit four sixes in a row to reduce the deficit to 25 off the final over but Essex’s hopes disappeared when their captain was caught on the boundary with three balls to go.

Opener Neil McKenzie batted throughout the day to inspire Hampshire on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clash against Essex at Chelmsford.

19-Jul-2012
ScorecardOpener Neil McKenzie batted throughout the day to inspire Hampshire on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clash against Essex at Chelmsford.McKenzie, the 36-year-old South African, was unbeaten on 134 during an innings that spoke volumes for his determination and concentration, which ensured his side claimed the upper hand as they finished on 303 for 6 after winning the toss. He has so far defied the attempts of seven bowlers to remove him during an effort that has so far spanned 270 deliveries and brought him 13 boundaries.The eleventh boundary, a superb drive through extra-cover off Ryan ten Doeschate, brought up his century after nearly five hours and highlighted why Hampshire made great efforts to sign him for championship duty. He was only originally set to play Friends Life t20 matches this season, but was recently persuaded to make himself available for four-day action.His main accomplice was Sean Ervine. Together, after the fourth wicket had gone down at 106, they put on 110 in 28 overs. Ervine struck seven fours in his innings of 55, which was brought to an end when he played on against David Masters, easily the pick of the Essex bowlers. But the stand should have been broken after it had yielded just 10 runs because Harbhajan Singh, diving forward from second slip, failed to accept a catch offered against Masters.It proved a day Harbhajan will want to forget. In addition to spilling that catch, he went wicketless throughout 28 overs while conceding 73 runs.Following Ervine’s departure, Michael Bates contributed 27 in a sixth wicket stand of 72 before he gloved a Graham Napier delivery to diminutive wicketkeeper Adam Wheater while attempting to take evasive action.But no-one was able to remove McKenzie from the scene although an opportunity was spurned just before the close when Wheater leapt high but failed to grab the chance off Napier.Masters, Napier and ten Doeschate have so far claimed two wickets each, the latter picking up his successes in the space of six deliveries just before lunch. Bilal Shafayat was trapped lbw to end an entertaining 31 while Simon Katich was caught behind by a ball that left him. It was a double strike that left Hampshire 70 for 3 at the interval and Essex reflecting on a satisfactory morning’s work. But the day ended with Hampshire – and particularly the rock-like McKenzie – in charge.