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Lancashire have moved another Championship fixture away from Old Trafford due to the wet summer

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2012Lancashire have moved another Championship fixture away from Old Trafford due to the wet summer and the impact on producing enough high-standard pitches on the new square.Their final match of the season, against Surrey from September 11-14, will now be played at Aigburth, Liverpool, after the same switch was made for the Durham clash at the end of August.The Surrey game starts the day after the Twenty20 international against South Africa at Old Trafford – while the ground also hosts England Women in as part of a double-header – and the club have felt it prudent to not risk the quality of Championship pitch for what is shaping as a likely relegation tussle.Mike Watkinson, the director of cricket, said: “The period of extremely wet weather, which forced us to move the Durham game to Liverpool, hasn’t sufficiently improved to re-establish the grass cover on the newer pitches on the square. We have also got the International T20 matches the day before.”Taking these factors into consideration, and the fact that we have made a significant investment in the facilities and pitches at Liverpool, we felt that this was the correct decision. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but I am sure that our members and supporters will understand the need to prioritise cricket.”The club added that the pitch used for last week’s England Lions-Australia A match at Old Trafford – which was the same surface that will be used for next year’s Ashes Test – had received “excellent” feedback from players and officials.

Mark Boucher, former South Africa wicketkeeper, has said that it is “unlikely” he will play professional cricket in the near future as the healing process to his left eye continues

Firdose Moonda08-Aug-2012Mark Boucher, former South Africa wicketkeeper, has said that it is “unlikely” he will play professional cricket in the near future as the healing process to his left eye continues. Boucher’s eyeball was lacerated last month on the first day of South Africa’s tour to England, when a bail ricocheted off the stumps and hit him during the tour match against Somerset in Taunton.He was forced to move his intended retirement, which he had planned after the Lord’s Test, forward and returned home to South Africa to begin treatment. Boucher underwent one operation in England followed up by five more procedures in Cape Town.Although it was initially reported that he could pick up movement and detect light with the injured eye and he was hopeful of making a return at franchise or amateur level, Boucher’s cricket playing days seem over, for the foreseeable future at least.”I have lost the lens, iris and pupil in my left eye. There was severe damage to my retina. I have had two major operations and four blood draining operations in the past three weeks and physically, at times, I have been in a lot of pain,” Boucher said at his first press conference since the incident, at Newlands, where he also revealed how much his life had changed in recent weeks.”It does get uncomfortable at times and being a sportsman, I want to be active and outdoors but, without a pupil, I find any amount of sunlight very harsh and have thus been restricted to the confines of my home. It is unlikely that I will play any professional cricket again in the near future, which is very unfortunate as I was looking forward to contributing as a player for the Cobras. The risk of additional damage to my left eye or even damage to the other eye, doesn’t warrant it.”Having already considered the end of his career before the tour to England, Boucher had future projects in the works some of which have now been fast-forwarded. He has invested in his “passion for wildlife” with South African Breweries and launched the SAB Boucher Non-Profit Company, which aims to help fund the fight against rhino poaching in Africa.Boucher has been vocal in his support for saving the rhino, which has come under severe threat in recent years. More than 900 rhinos have been killed across Africa in the last three years and the species is facing extinction in some areas. Boucher and team-mates past and present, such as Paul Harris, Dale Steyn and Justin Kemp, took part in a conservation event at the end of June to raise awareness for the rhino and Boucher’s involvement will continue through his new foundation.He has also started a wine-label with long-time friend Jacques Kallis. The wine, called the Innings, went on shelves in South African stores last weekend and reported good sales. Kallis also had the label stuck on his bat and pointed to it in celebration, along with gesturing to his eye, after his century at the Oval.Boucher’s role in the Test XI has been taken up by AB de Villiers in the interim which has allowed South Africa to play the extra batsmen in JP Duminy. Wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile is expected to eventually take over as Boucher’s permanent replacement.Boucher has been monitoring the on-going series between South Africa and England and tweeting his thoughts. He has also been in contact with the squad and captain Graeme Smith hinted that they would seek Boucher’s advice on occasions, given the experience he gained over the years and the fighting way he approached the game.That fight lives on in Boucher and his parting words to the media were ones of hope, despite his current circumstances.”I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. Injuries happen and this could have happened earlier on in my career. I am incredibly grateful for the length of career that I have had and the amazing things I have experienced and people I have met during that time. This is just another challenge in my life and something that I will be working to overcome.”

It was an one-sided affair at Windhoek as Kenya’s bowlers, led by the Odhiambo duo, bowled out Namibia for 129 to set up a six-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2012
ScorecardIt was an one-sided affair at Windhoek as Kenya’s bowlers, led by the Odhiambo duo, bowled out Namibia for 129 to set up a six-wicket win. Kenya needed just under 31 overs to secure the win.Kenya captain Collins Obuya won the toss and his bowlers responded by reducing the hosts to 15 for 3. Nehemiah Odhiambo got rid of the openers, while Sarel Burger was run out. The middle order failed to put on any partnerships of note, the highest of the innings being 25 for the sixth wicket between Ian Opperman and Raymond van Schoor. Nelson Odhiambo accounted for three middle order wickets and his strikes never allowed Namibia to recover.Kenya lost their openers at 37, but never looked in danger during the chase. Tanmay Mishra top scored with an unbeaten 34 to guide Kenya to an easy win and a good comeback after they were hammered by an innings by the same side in the Intercontinental Cup earlier in the week.

Graeme Smith is expected to recover from bad blow on his elbow in time for the two-Test series against New Zealand early next year

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2012Graeme Smith is expected to recover from bad blow on his elbow in time for the two-Test series against New Zealand early next year. Smith was hit in the nets while training for the domestic one-day semi-final on Friday and had to sit out the fixture when his discomfort did not ease.”Initially, we thought he would recover in time but because he was in a lot of pain it wasn’t worth the risk, especially because he has to be ready to play Test cricket in three weeks’ time,” Mohammed Moosajee, South African team manager, told ESPNcricinfo. Smith is unlikely to play in the three-match Twenty20 series, which starts on December 21, as he has not been part of South Africa’s recent T20 squads.The rest of South Africa’s team, except Jacques Kallis who is recovering from a hamstring strain, were all available to play for their franchises, five days after returning from Australia. Six of them – Dale Steyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Robin Peterson, Jacques Rudolph, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel – were in action.That number could have been as many as eight but Vernon Philander and Faf du Plessis were not selected by their respective teams. Philander missed out to Steyn, Kleinveldt and Cobras’ old hands Johann Louw and Justin Kemp.Du Plessis, though, appeared to have been left out because of fatigue. He played for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League opener against Melbourne Stars on Friday. He scored 14 off 17 balls, took a catch and was involved in a run-out.Steyn was also due to take part in the BBL having signed up to play one match for Brisbane Heat. However, Cricket South Africa withdrew his no-objection certificate because the match clashed with the domestic one-day cup final.Meanwhile, JP Duminy, who ruptured his Achilles’ tendon after the first day’s play of the Brisbane Tests, is progressing well. He is able to walk with a moonboot and crutch and is on track with the physiotherapy required to make a full recovery. He is aiming for a return in the Champions Trophy in June 2013.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Saurashtra and Karnataka

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran05-Jan-2013Match factsJanuary 6-10, 2012
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Saurashtra host the quarter-final but not at their newly-constructed ground (pictured here)•ESPNcricinfo LtdBig PictureOn Christmas evening in Hubli, after Haryana had taken three points against Karnataka in the penultimate league round, Stuart Binny spoke about the “slight outside chance” Karnataka had of reaching the quarter-finals but sounded like a man who thought his team’s season was over.Miraculously, though, the complicated set of events necessary for Karnataka to progress came to pass – they won their final match (with a mere eight balls to spare), Odisha lost, and Delhi took the first-innings lead against Vidarbha but couldn’t force an outright win.Saurashtra had it a tad easier, but they too just about squeezed in to the quarter-finals in a group where five teams were separated by only three points. They needed an outright win in their final league match and their star batsman Cheteshwar Pujara duly delivered with a second-innings double-century that set up victory.Now that both teams have had last-gasp extensions to their campaigns, they will set their targets high. This is the fifth year in a row that Karnataka have reached the quarter-finals but they haven’t won a title since the glory days of the late 90s, while Saurashtra are yet to reach the Ranji finals despite successive semi-final appearances in 2007-08 and 08-09, and producing three players who have represented India in Test cricket.The match won’t be played at the shiny new home of Saurashtra cricket, the Khandheri stadium, as the India-England one-dayer is scheduled there for next Friday. While Khandheri prepares for its international debut, the Ranji quarter-final will be played at the much less modern Saurashtra University ground, which will make its first-class debut. How the pitch will fare is anybody’s guess.Sample these quotes about it. Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah: “We don’t know how the wicket will react. It’s the first time ever we’re playing here. We’ve not played any district-level or any (other match here). I’ve not played. Don’t think Cheteshwar has played here either.”Karnataka captain Stuart Binny: “We don’t know how the wicket will behave as we both are going to play first time on this ground and therefore Saurashtra will not have any advantage of playing at home.”Karnataka team manager J Abhiram: “Such an important game, I believe till yesterday there was no wicket at all. So I really don’t know if it’s an underprepared wicket, I really don’t know. They could have played this game in Bangalore, you know, in these kinds of conditions.”SquadsKarnataka have two players who missed the previous game back in the squad: their vice-captain Manish Pandey returns after an elbow injury, and left-arm spinner KP Appanna has been picked again, in place of seamer Ronit More.Karnataka: Stuart Binny (capt), Robin Uthappa, KL Rahul, Kunal Kapoor, Ganesh Satish, Manish Pandey (vice-captain), CM Gautam (wicketkeeper), Amit Verma, K Gowtham, Abhimanyu Mithun, KP Appanna, HS Sharath, SL Akshay, SK Moinuddin, Karun Nair.Saurashtra: Jaydev Shah (capt), Shitanshu Kotak, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahul Dave, Aarpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Kamlesh Makvana, Vishal Joshi, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jaydev Unadkat, Sagar Jogiyani, Sandip Maniar, Siddarth Trivedi, Saurya Sanandiya.Stats and triviaKarnataka and Saurashtra have met each other six times in the Ranji Trophy – each side has won outright twice, and in the other two games Karnataka have taken first-innings points.Karnataka’s CM Gautam tops the run-charts with 938, the most ever by a wicketkeeper in a Ranji seasonQuotes”We’ve got the talent, and we’ve been peaking at the right time. That Maharashtra game really boosted the confidence.”

“Everyone know we have a good spinning side, than a fast bowling side. That’s a fact. We’ll definitely go with a little bit of spin.”

Half-centuries from Mathew Sinclair and Ben Smith gave Central Districts their second win of the HRV Cup, a seven-wicket victory against Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2013
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Mathew Sinclair and Ben Smith gave Central Districts their second win of the HRV Cup, a seven-wicket victory against Auckland, who now have to win both their remaining games and hope other results go their way in order to make the playoff. Central Districts are bottom of the league and have no chance of progress. Auckland, however, are fourth and need to win two games and also hope Northern Districts lose both of their remaining games.Central Districts’ victory was built on a 106-run stand for the third wicket between Sinclair and Smith. Chasing 182, Sinclair made 71 off 52 balls and Smith 59 off 31 deliveries. Sinclair fell with the scores level and Central Districts won with three balls to spare. Smith’s innings was his best of the tournament.Auckland had set a competitive total at Pukekura Park after a wobbly start – they were 59 for 4 in nine overs after winning the toss. Colin de Grandhomme led their fightback, scoring a half-century off 20 balls before he was dismissed for 55 off 24. Craig Cachopa made 49 off 33 deliveries to lead his team to 181. Bevan Small and Andrew Lamb took two wickets each for Central Districts.

West Indies’ captain Merissa Aguilleira was pleased with the all-round effort of her team, and especially the batting, after they routed Sri Lanka by 209 runs in their second match of the Women’s World Cup

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai03-Feb-2013West Indies’ captain Merissa Aguilleira was pleased with the all-round effort of her team, and especially the batting, after they routed Sri Lanka by 209 runs in their second match of the Women’s World Cup at the MIG Ground in Mumbai. They were bowled out for 179 in their previous match at the Brabourne Stadium, and three days later, the team put up a total of 368 here.”I must say this is a great example of a team effort,” Aguilleira said. “The batsmen did extremely well leading us upfront. We had a lot of people getting into the act with the bat. After that we followed up with the ball also. I think it was an all-round performance.”The major contribution was Stafanie Taylor’s knock of 171 and she almost carried her bat through the innings. Aguilleira said the team is always confident of putting up a big score when Taylor is in the middle.”We cherish Stafanie because she is such a phenomenal player and whenever she bats we believe that we will be able to get runs. She is very dedicated and we look forward to seeing more such innings from her in the future.”Taylor, who crossed her previous best score of 147, said she wanted to score as many runs as possible and that the thought of scoring 200 had crossed her mind. “My aim was just to go out there and do my best and build an innings with the others. The coach wanted me to score 200 today but unfortunately I was tired. I was trying but I think fatigue got the best of me.”Shashikala Siriwardene, the Sri Lanka Women’s captain, was particularly unhappy with the team’s fielding, as they dropped catches, missed run-outs and gave away many runs in overthrows. “Our fielding let us down very badly. I am very disappointed with it,” she said. “Eighty percent of the singles that they took shouldn’t have been conceded.”Siriwardene had put West Indies in to bat in slightly hazy conditions. But the West Indies batsmen were hardly troubled by the bowlers, who did not get much assistance from the pitch. “At one point I felt that we should have batted first,” she said. “We thought that there was something in the pitch for the bowlers, like the England match. But sometimes we make wrong decisions and we look to improvise.”West Indies struck a total of 34 fours and seven sixes, a majority of them hit by Taylor and Deandra Dottin. Apart from the toss and the fielding, Siriwardene said, one of the main differences in the two teams was the way the West Indies batsmen hit the ball hard. “We all know West Indies players use their power a lot. They can clear the fence at any time. Hopefully we won’t have to face the same problem against India in our next match.”All four teams in Group A have now played two matches, and won one and lost one each, which means net run-rate will come into play. England will now take on West Indies and India will play Sri Lanka on February 5, which will decide which teams proceed to the Super Sixes.

South Australia’s batsmen handed back to New South Wales the fighting chance they had been given by another fine display from Chadd Sayers on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2013
ScorecardSouth Australia’s batsmen handed back to New South Wales the fighting chance they had been given by another fine display from Chadd Sayers on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.Defending a meagre 182 on another overcast day, the Redbacks nipped through the Blues’ batting with great success before lunch, and it took a trio of 40s by Trent Copeland, Steve O’Keefe and Gurinder Sandhu to forge a narrow first-innings lead for the hosts. Sayers’ five wickets gave him 47 at 18.29 for the season.However the SA opener Alex Carey was out to Josh Hazlewood second ball of the innings, and another three wickets left NSW in with a strong chance of securing the outright win they need to overtake the Redbacks and be a chance of sneaking into the Shield final.

Kolkata Knight Riders kept their 100% record of successfully chasing totals under 120 intact as they triumphed at their second home in Ranchi

Firdose Moonda12-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Jacques Kallis’ 41 helped steer Kolkata Knight Riders to the target•BCCIKolkata Knight Riders kept their 100% record of successfully chasing totals under 120 intact as they triumphed at their second home in Ranchi. Their bowlers were largely responsible for keeping them in the competition, having restricted Royal Challengers to their lowest total in a first innings of an IPL match in India.Through good lengths and variation, they ensured the batsmen would not have to toil as much as Royal Challengers’ troops did. They laboured through the slowest Powerplay in this year’s tournament, with only 22 runs from the first six overs and limped to their slowest century of 2013, off 102 balls. They managed just seven boundaries in their innings, their second lowest count in the tournament’s history.Knight Riders’ selection of Sachithra Senanayake proved a shrewd move on a slow surface, as he and L Balaji made run-scoring difficult upfront. Chesteshwar Pujara was dismissed for 5 as he tried to hit out, but Chris Gayle managed his frustrations well.His only four came from an edge past first slip and he had little respite, besides Ryan ten Doeschate’s sole over, in which Virat Kohli and Gayle took 14 runs of it. Kohli, however, didn’t last long, playing on off Jacques Kallis for 17.Four boundary-less overs followed before Gayle’s vigil was broken. He went forward to defend the first ball of Sunil Narine’s second over, but it turned past the outside edge, and he was stumped with his toe right on the line.Gayle was Narine’s first scalp. Saurabh Tiwary, Ravi Rampaul and Abhimanyu Mithun were the other three which took the West Indian to the top of the wicket-charts with 22 to his name. He tied Royal Challengers up at the end of their innings, after Balaji got rid of a threatening looking AB de Villiers.The South African one-day captain managed a paddle and a loft over extra cover before he was caught behind, trying to tickle the ball fine. Had de Villiers lasted into the last four overs, Royal Challengers may have been able to eye a total over 130, but they had to settle for a below-par 115 for 9.Despite the sluggish surface, they needed a better bowling effort than their attack has seemed capable of producing this season. Ravi Rampaul gave them some hope when he had Manvinder Bisla caught at point off the second ball. He should have accounted for Kallis too, but Mithun badly misjudged the catch at fine leg, running in before realising he had underestimated the strength of the shot.Kallis capitalised on his let off and anchored the chase almost to the end. The required run rate hovered around a run-a-ball throughout, but Royal Challengers could not build any pressure. Gautam Gambhir took three fours off a Mithun over that was peppered with generously short balls, and Murali Kartik conceded boundaries when he tossed it up.Kallis and Manoj Tiwary worked the ball around, and even though both were dismissed at the twilight of the match, they had done enough. Ryan ten Doeschate hit the winning runs to make qualifying for the playoffs an uphill battle for Royal Challengers in their remaining matches.

Preview for the match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in Jaipur

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran11-May-2013Match factsMay 12, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMTRoyals’ top order has been hard to breach in the last three games•BCCIBig PictureIt’s ironic that even at this stage, not even one of the four playoff berths have been confirmed. It’s easy to think that Chennai Super Kings, table leaders since April 28, have already made it to the playoffs, but mathematically, they haven’t. Victory against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday will confirm their position in the final four. After Jaipur, they head back home to face the easiest of their three opponents , Delhi Daredevils, before heading to Bangalore. Both their away games are against teams that haven’t lost at home. The prospect of Super Kings getting eliminated is highly improbable, given their consistency. They had a rude wake-up call against Mumbai Indians, but the manner in which they overpowered Sunrisers Hyderabad – another team with an unbeaten home record till that night – showed that they hadn’t hit a late-season slump.Royals will be aware that if there’s one team that can challenge their fortress, it’s Super Kings. Royals’ remaining opponents aren’t the easiest – Super Kings, Mumbai Indians (away), Sunrisers (away). However, given their recent form, it’s hard to bet against them from qualifying either. Their last three wins – consecutive – have come while chasing. They will also be aware that Super Kings posted 223 in their last match, so if they end up bowling first, their bowlers will have to be at their best. Royals are third with 18 points and their aim will be to knock Mumbai off the second position.Form guideRajasthan Royals WWWLW
Chennai Super Kings WLWWWPlayers to watchM Vijay missed a few games due to injury, and though he failed in his comeback game against Mumbai, scoring 2, he found his touch against Sunrisers. Though he didn’t score big – he scored 29 – his three consecutive sixes against Ishant Sharma, all stand-and-deliver shots, showed that he was getting his groove back.The Royals top order has been in sparkling form of late, with the team losing just eight wickets in the last three games. Their top three – Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson – have aggregated 368 runs, with a total of five half-centuries. Super Kings’ bowlers will be tested.Stats and trivia Super Kings have won two out of the three games they have played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium MS Dhoni has effected nine stumpings off R Ashwin, the best wicketkeeper-bowler combination in the IPLQuotes”We need to bowl better in the death overs and giving away 87 runs in last five overs is not acceptable. We could not maintain the momentum in death overs. About 50-55 in last five is okay but not more than that.”