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The WICB has increased the prize money for the Caribbean T20 tournament to US$62,500 for the winning team, a raise of US$37,500 from what reigning champions Guyana took home last year

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2011The WICB has increased the prize money for the Caribbean T20 tournament to US$62,500 for the winning team, a raise of US$37,500 from what reigning champions Guyana took home last year. The total prize money for the event is US$125,000, more than double the amount in the tournament’s inaugural edition.The decision comes amid criticism from the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), the players’ representative body in the Caribbean, of overspending by the board for the competition which includes two county teams, Hampshire and Somerset. The board has defended its spending on investment, claiming it has taken the rights steps to ensure a long-term return.”An increase from 8 to 10 teams and 16 to 24 matches from the CT20 2010 necessarily increase match operating and logistics costs, accommodation and travel expenses and television production costs,” the board had said. “Caribbean T20 is not yet a profit-making venture and is still in the investment phase. WICB has put the necessary plans in place to ensure that the tournament shows a long term return on investment.”The Caribbean T20 got underway on January 10 in Antigua.

Graeme Swann told police he was on the way to buy a set of screwdrivers to rescue his trapped cat when he was arrested for drink-driving a court heard at the start of the trial

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2011Graeme Swann has been found not guilty of drink-driving, as his trial came to an end at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.Swann, who is currently on paternity leave before linking up with his England team-mates ahead of their World Cup opener against Netherlands on February 22, was stopped near his home in West Bridgford shortly after 3.00am on April 2 last year, as he drove a white Porsche Cayenne towards a local supermarket, having arrived home to find his cat trapped under the floorboards.During his original trial in August, Swann admitted to having drunk three or four glasses of white wine to celebrate his birthday, and was alleged to have told the arresting officer, PC Steven Denniss, he “shouldn’t have probably been driving”, when pulled over for driving a high-performance car in an area beset by a spate of recent burglaries.The second of two blood samples showed that Swann had 83mg of alcohol in 100ml, which is over the legal limit of 80mg. However District Judge Julia Newton said that it had not been proven that the sample could be used as evidence, after Dr John Mundy, a forensic alcohol consultant, told the court on Tuesday that it was possible the sample had been contaminated.Swann showed little reaction as the judge delivered her not-guilty verdict, and was later asked by reporters if he would be fit for the World Cup, after flying home from Australia with a back problem. “Getting there,” he replied. “It’s a bit stiff but I’ve had a lot of physio.”

Bengal and Madhya Pradesh served up a thrilling finale in Hyderabad, a game that was decided by one run to conclude the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2011
Scorecard
Bengal won the 2011 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after beating Madhya Pradesh by one run in the final•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bengal and Madhya Pradesh served up a thrilling finale in Hyderabad, a game that was decided by one run to conclude the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A quickfire 49 from Subhomoy Das, his 77-run recovery stand with wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, a collective bowling effort and greater control over their nerves gave Bengal the title.Bengal, after being put in, were dealt some early strikes that slowed their progress in the first ten overs. Their top three struggled to find the boundary and were contained by some tight MP bowling. Opener Anustup Muzumdar made 24, but off 34 deliveries, and support from the other end was lacking. Seamer Amarjeet Singh kept Bengal in check with two wickets and a run-out within the first 11 overs, and at 54 for 4 MP had them in trouble.That’s when Das and Saha got together. Not only did they help their team recover, but did so in quick time by infusing the innings with some badly-needed urgency. Das struck five fours and two sixes while Saha struck three over the ropes in his cameo of 36. The pair batted eight overs together and steered their team to a competitive 142.Captain Mohnish Mishra’s onslaught in the chase threatened to shut out Bengal out of the game. He tore into the Bengal bowling early on and at 32 without loss in less than four overs, MP would have felt vulnerable. But periodic breakthroughs from there on, coupled with a loss in momentum due to some restrictive bowling, gave Bengal hope. By the end of the 12th over, MP were 85 for 4 and had lost another attacking batsman in Naman Ojha.Harpreet Singh and Murtaza Ali, however, revived the innings in a 46-run stand that took their team within striking distance of their target. Harpreet paced his innings well to make 55 while Murtaza was more attacking, collecting 32 in 22 balls. At 131 for 4 with 10 balls to go, it was MP’s game to lose and lose they did. Ashok Dinda removed Harpreet and Ankit Sharma off consecutive deliveries, and two run-outs in the final over – including one off the final ball with three runs required to win – sealed MP’s fate.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed Sri Lanka’s captain for all three formats during the upcoming tour of England in May

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed Sri Lanka’s captain for all three formats during the upcoming tour of England in May following Kumar Sangakkara’s resignation from the post after the World Cup. Sri Lanka Cricket have not yet named a vice-captain to fill the role vacated by Mahela Jayawardene because “the prospective candidates are nursing injuries, and their availability for the forthcoming tour is still in question.”Dilshan’s appointment ends the speculation over whether he, or 23-year-old allrounder Angelo Mathews, would be named as Sangakkara’s immediate successor. Mathews is presently fighting to recover from a leg injury which he said could keep him out for eight weeks.In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Sangakkara, who resigned with a view of giving the next captain enough time to build a team before the 2015 World Cup, had backed either player to take over the captaincy. “If they think Angie [Angelo] is too young then Dilshan will do a good job because he has these little touches for success. Anything he does on the field, he has this little knack,” he said. “I don’t know whether he will be the long-term candidate with his age, but if he keeps himself fit he can easily play the next World Cup.”Dilshan, 34, previously led Sri Lanka to a win in a triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe – the third team being India – in May-June 2010, apart from captaining the side in two Twenty20 internationals in 2008 and 2009. Presently with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, Dilshan is coming off a rich vein of form in the World Cup, in which he topped the batting table with 500 runs from nine matches at 62.50.

Only a promising 46 from Kent debutant Adam Ball prevented Gloucestershire from taking a complete stranglehold on day two of their Championship Division Two match against Kent at Canterbury

27-Apr-2011
ScorecardOnly a promising 46 from Kent debutant Adam Ball prevented Gloucestershire from taking a complete stranglehold on day two of their Championship Division Two match against Kent at Canterbury. The 18-year-old from Greenwich batted almost two hours, hitting six fours and a six to become Kent’s top-scorer in a disappointing total of 208 all out as Gloucestershire secured a first innings lead of 84.Batting again just after 5pm, Gloucestershire lost Ian Cockbain for six, Hamish Marshall and Richard Coughtrie survived the remaining 10 overs to reach 40 for 1 – an overall lead of 124 going into day three.Responding to Gloucestershire’s workmanlike first innings of 292, Kent lost early wickets and opener Joe Denly, who retired hurt with a fractured thumb. Ball and England offspinner James Tredwell (44) teamed up for 20.5 overs to save Kent’s blushes with a battling seventh-wicket stand.Denly left the field as early as the sixth over and with only eight against his name. He went for an immediate scan on his right thumb, injured the previous evening when making a stop in the field, and only returned to bat once the break had been confirmed and after the fall of Kent’s eighth wicket.Three overs after Denly’s premature departure Sam Northeast (2) fenced at one from Jon Lewis that he might have left then, just before lunch, Martin van Jaarsveld (23) played across an Ian Saxelby off-cutter to become the first of Kent’s four leg-before victims.
There was little or no mitigation for Geraint Jones who, with only one off his bat,
holed out to deep midwicket to send the hosts into the break on 78 for 3.Soon after the resumption Darren Stevens (16) also paid the price for working across the line and went leg-before to David Payne who then got one to lift and leave Rob Key. The Kent captain could only feather into the gloves of Jonathan Batty.Six balls later Azhar Mahmood fell without scoring, lbw to Saxelby and at 108 for 6 Kent were still in danger of following on until Ball and Tredwell combined to lift the spirits of Kent’s beleaguered supporters. The pair added 70 – the best partnership for any Kent wicket so far this season – with Tredwell playing second fiddle to rookie Ball. The young right-hander drove six sweet boundaries and hooked a six over mid-wicket off Saxelby that ended the follow-on threat.Tredwell, who enjoyed a life when Cockbain dropped a tough chance at second slip, ultimately went leg before for 44 and Ball followed soon after tea, caught behind when pushing away from his body. It sparked a collapse that saw Kent lose their last three wickets inside 10 balls without addition to their disappointing total of 208.Kent had needed only nine balls at the start of the day to polish off the visitor’s first innings, Simon Cook trapping Payne leg before without a run added to the overnight score.

Colin Snedden, 93, a former New Zealand cricketer and sports broadcaster, has died in his sleep

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2011Colin Snedden, a former New Zealand cricketer and sports broadcaster, has died in his sleep at the age of 93. Auckland-born Snedden hailed from a family of cricketers – his father Nessie, uncle Cyril and brother Warwick were first-class players, while his nephew Martin played Test and ODI cricket. He was an offspinner and represented New Zealand in one Test in March 1947 against England in Christchurch.Snedden’s first-class career was interrupted by World War II, restricting it to nine matches played between 1938 and 1949. He took 31 wickets at 25.41 apiece in those nine games. After retirement, Snedden took up cricket and rugby radio commentary, and was subsequently named a life member of the New Zealand Sports Journalists Awards in 2007.

Opener Sam Robson celebrated his first County Championship outing of the season by batting throughout the day to score 136 as Middlesex reached 316 for 6 in their duel against Essex at Chelmsford

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2011
ScorecardOpener Sam Robson celebrated his first County Championship outing of the season by batting throughout the day to score 136 as Middlesex reached 316 for 6 in their duel against Essex at Chelmsford.The 21-year-old right-hander was brought into the side in the absence of Andrew Strauss, who will be away on England duty on Thursday, and the out-of-form Scott Newman. And he showed his appreciation by once again underlining his liking for the Essex attack, his only other Championship century coming when the sides met at Lord’s two years ago.Robson has so far punctuated his innings with 14 boundaries and kept a cool head when Graham Napier was threatening to destroy the innings. Fresh from his record-breaking 16 sixes in the last match against Surrey, the Essex seamer showed he could also be a destructive force with the ball when he returned for a second spell with Middlesex situated on 82 for one.In the space of 13 deliveries he removed Dan Housego, Dawid Malan and Neil Dexter without conceding a run. But then Robson, who had earlier shared in a half-century opening stand with Chris Rogers – who was to become a victim of Ravi Bopara when he chopped on – was to find a reliable partner in Jamie Dalrymple.They won back the initiative with a partnership of 103 in 29 overs, which finally came to an end when Napier returned for another spell. Napier found enough bounce and hostility to have Dalrymple caught in the slips by Matt Walker to end an entertaining contribution of 52 which contained seven fours and a six and arrived from 81 deliveries.But any hopes Essex might have entertained of making further quick inroads into the innings were thwarted by another century partnership, this time John Simpson providing Robson with support. The pair rarely suffered a moment of anxiety while putting on 122 in 36 overs and it needed the arrival of the second new ball to separate them.Again it was the impressive Napier who made the breakthrough when he breached the defences of Simpson after he had made 65, with eight boundaries. Napier finished the day with the magnificent figures of 5 for 43 from 20 overs, in complete contrast to 17-year-old Reece Topley who finished wicketless after spending the early part of the morning sitting his Business Studies examination at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Suffolk.The exam lasted for two hours before he was picked up by his father at 10am and arrived at the ground only minutes before taking the new ball. He has so far sent down 16 overs while conceding 80 runs – and is no doubt feeling that his exam was far easier than his attempts to remove Middlesex batsmen.

Kevin Pietersen enlivened another day heavily disrupted by the weather at the Rose Bowl with a positive 85 as England moved into the lead on 195 for 4

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan18-Jun-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen batted with great fluency on a rain-hit third day•Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen enlivened another heavily weather-disrupted day at the Rose Bowl with a positive 85 as England moved into the lead on 195 for 4. The hosts had quickly wrapped up Sri Lanka for 184, but their reply was a stop-start affair until the skies eventually cleared then Pietersen and Alastair Cook added 106 for the third wicket before Ian Bell added his own swift contribution.It was a day of huge frustration for a good crowd as frequent showers moved across the ground, especially during the afternoon session. Their good humour began to abate when the umpires called tea in bright sunshine only for another heavy shower to delay the resumption of the final session. However, the prospect of Pietersen was enough to keep many in their seats during the rain and they were rewarded as England played positively until the close.Pietersen had looked set for three figures – perhaps even before stumps – and the shot he played to edge Thisara Perera behind, which handed the bowler a notable maiden Test wicket, showed he wasn’t in the mood to hold back. There was a hint of width from Perera as Pietersen threw his hands into a drive and his disappointment was clear, but after a hard-working 72 at Lord’s this was a clear sign that his game is getting back to full working order.He had come in with England wobbling on 14 for 2 as Sri Lanka’s new-ball bowlers exploited conditions and was quickly into his stride with a straight drive that ricocheted off the stumps and beat mid-on. Further sweet drives followed and in the last over before lunch he made a statement by using his feet to Rangana Herath and drilling him through the covers.There was more than a hint of the old Pietersen swagger returning and even his defensive shots carried an air of authority about them. Strangely he wasn’t tested by left-arm spin again until the final half hour of the day by which time he was well past fifty, which had come from a swift 56 deliveries.

Smart Stats

• Chris Tremlett’s 6 for 48 is the third-best bowling performance by an English bowler in Tests against Sri Lanka. The best remains Phil Defreitas’ 7 for 70 at Lord’s in 1991

• Sri Lanka’s 184 is their sixth total below 200 in the first innings in Tests since 2005. Their lowest in the same period remains 141 against England in Birmingham in 2006

• The 106-run stand between Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook is the joint sixth-highest partnership for the third wicket for England in Tests against Sri Lanka

• Since the beginning of 2009, this is Pietersen’s 12th half-century. He has two centuries in the same period and averages 43.63

• Dilhara Fernando’s 39 is the third-highest score by a Sri Lankan No. 10 batsman in Tests against England. Chaminda Vaas holds the record with 50 at Lord’s in 2006

England’s intent to make up for lost time was clear and 126 runs came in the 31-overs up to the close. Bell played his part, as he has so often of late, with a breezy innings filled with his usual fine timing. Sri Lanka’s bowlers had begun reasonably impressively but struggled to maintain pressure as they have throughout the series while the fielding didn’t offer great support.Cook, meanwhile, picked up from where he’s been for the last two series with an innings studded with crisp boundaries. There was even a touch of flamboyance when he pulled a boundary on one leg, while he rarely missed an opportunity to drive or cut. His fifty came from 92 balls, equalling the English record of six consecutive Test fifties, and there was a stunned silence when he skewed an outside edge to gully where Thilan Samaraweera held the catch at the second attempt. Shortly after the wicket the successful bowler, Dilhara Fernando, limped out of the action although he briefly returned to the field later in the session.The contrast between Cook and his opener partner is fairly stark at the moment and Andrew Strauss’s problems continued with another cheap dismissal against left-arm quick Chanaka Welegedara. This time it was an edge to slip, instead of lbw, as Strauss pushed outside off to a ball he could have left which meant three single-figure scores in a row and 26 runs in the series. The perils of the new ball is part of the lot of an opening batsman, but Strauss’s lean run can’t be brushed off forever especially now he only has one format to focus on.Jonathan Trott also fell to the new ball when Suranga Lakmal switched to the unusual angle of a right-arm seamer around the wicket to a right hander and Trott played a loose drive. Whether it was a last-ditch gamble against Trott or a well-worked plan from stand-in captain Kumar Sangakkara it certainly had the desired effect for Sri Lanka. That, though, was the pinnacle of the visitors’ day and if England make the most of a good forecast on Sunday it could be a battle to save the Test.

Martin Guptill’s first century for Derbyshire set up a 31-run victory over Kent
in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Derby

24-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Martin Guptill’s first century for Derbyshire set up a 31-run victory over Kent
in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Derby.Guptill made 102 off 109 balls and shared a century stand for the fourth wicket
with Greg Smith (68) as the Falcons made 249 for 9 despite Azhar Mahmood
taking three for three from his last 11 balls.The Spitfires then slipped to 121 for 6 in reply, and although Darren Stevens
put them back in the contest with 65 off 52 balls, Derbyshire held their nerve
to dismiss Kent for 218 in the 35th over and keep their challenge in Group A
alive.Guptill had shared an opening stand of 59 in 10 overs with Chesney Hughes but
Derbyshire’s momentum was checked by the fall of three wickets in six overs. After Hughes (33) mistimed a pull, Wes Durston and Wayne Madsen made only one run between them as the Falcons slipped to 79 for 3.However, Smith played with controlled aggression from the moment he joined
Guptill as the pair put on 129 in 19 overs.Stevens was pulled for six as Smith moved to a half-century off only 43 balls
and with Guptill placing his shots with authority, the home side had the
platform to launch an assault in the closing overs.But Pakistan duo Mahmood and Wahab Riaz responded with some intelligent seam
bowling that saw the Falcons score only 23 runs for the loss of five wickets in
the last four overs.The pair were rewarded for bowling full and straight and hit the stumps four
times with Riaz capturing the big wicket of New Zealander Guptill, who missed a
big drive aiming to add to his 12 fours and one six in the penultimate over.Mahmood finished with figures of 4 for 57 while Riaz took 3 for 45. Mahmood then helped Sam Billings launch Kent`s chase with some flourishing strokes before he cut Steffan Jones to point in the third over to depart for 10 and Billings (19) missed a drive after cutting Tim Groenewald for six, leaving the visitors on 55 for 2.Martin van Jaarsveld pulled Jon Clare for six and was threatening to dominate
when he was lbw pushing forward at Groenewald for 29 in the 12th over.When Sam Northeast failed to beat Clare’s accurate return and was run out for
12, Kent were stumbling and they were dealt another big blow when Clare (three
for 61) returned to the attack in the 21st over.Geraint Jones was caught behind for six and then Alex Blake went the same way
three balls later to leave the Spitfires in trouble on 121 for 6.Stevens gave them hope with some defiant blows in a 44-ball fifty and was
threatening to turn the game when he was lbw to Jones in the 29th over.and
although James Tredwell hit 37 off 39 balls, Kent came up short.

As in Brisbane nine months ago this was a day for the record books with Alastair Cook to the fore, but the landmark of a triple hundred eluded him when he fell for 294

The Report by Andrew McGlashan12-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook fell short of the elite 300-club but his innings put England in a fantastic position•Getty Images

As in Brisbane nine months ago this was a day for the record books with Alastair Cook to the fore. However, the landmark of a triple hundred eluded him when he fell for 294 as England built up a monumental lead of 486 at Edgbaston. Cook and Eoin Morgan, who made his second Test hundred, added 222 for the fourth wicket on another day of complete England dominance before they were given the perfect finish by removing Virender Sehwag for a king pair.Most of the day became filled with various milestones for Cook and by tea he was in the top 10 of all-time scores for England, within touching distance of joining his mentor, Graham Gooch, in the 300-club. But, trying to drive through the off side – a rare show of aggression during a display of remorseless accumulation – he picked out deep point and, instead, joined another select band of those who reached the 290s.That list includes Sehwag – who, of course, also has triple hundreds – but in this match he hasn’t been able to score a single run. Cook’s dismissal prompted the declaration and Sehwag was back in the pavilion to the second ball of the innings when he played a booming drive at James Anderson which flew to first slip. England could also have removed Gautam Gambhir before the close when Graeme Swann had an lbw turned down that was hitting middle and leg. Swann will have a big say on Saturday.Sehwag clearly wasn’t ready for this Test, physically or mentally, but even for someone so renowned for shelving the coaching manual his shot-selection didn’t given him much of a chance. Cook’s method of batting could not be more removed from Sehwag. He has expanded his game in recent months, but in Test cricket still enjoys playing at his own pace. Cook scored seven boundaries during the day and cheers that greeted his later fours may have included a hint of irony about them. Yet even those who wished for something a touch more flamboyant can’t help but marvel at Cook’s powers of concentration and remorselessness. There was an era when England cried out for batsmen who could score huge totals and now they have a top-order full of them, with Cook leading the way.

Smart stats

• Cook’s 294 is now has the highest score by a batsman at Edgbaston surpassing Peter May’s 285 against West Indies in 1957.

• Cook’s effort is also the second-longest innings in terms of balls faced by an English batsman against India. Geoff Boycott’s 555-ball 246 in 1967 is on top of the list.

• It is the second occasion in the series that England have managed three century stands in one innings and the fourth time they have achieved the feat since the start of the year.

• England’s total of 710 for 7 is their third-highest team total and their highest against India.

• England’s score of 596 at the start of the fifth wicket is their fifth-highest in Tests and their third-highest against India after the 641 for 4 at Lord’s in 1990 and 599 for 4 in Chennai in 1985.

• The 222-run stand between Cook and Morgan is the highest fourth-wicket stand for England against India at Edgbaston going past the 191 between Boycott and David Gower in 1979.

• This is the fifth occasion that a team has taken a lead over 400 against India at the end of the second innings after fielding first. India have gone on to lose on three occasions.

• Rahul Dravid became the first player to reach the 10000-run mark at the No.3 position. His 27 centuries at No.3 are second only to Ricky Ponting’s 32.

• Virender Sehwag was dismissed for a duck for the 14th time in his career. This is his first pair in Tests and the fourth for an Indian opening batsman.

Before lunch he registered his double hundred from 378 balls and soon moved past his previous best of 235 at Brisbane in November. And the milestones kept on coming. When he went to 247 it gave him the second-highest score by an England batsman against India, with only Gooch ahead of him with 333, and Cook’s 250 – which came from 485 balls – was the first such score for England since that 1990 epic by Gooch.Alongside Cook’s personal landmarks it was also a day for England to set some high points with the final total their third-highest and their best in non-timeless Tests. England’s progress wasn’t always scintillating but they were content to grind India down with two days still available. The innings was also halted twice for poor light, the first occasion when the floodlights couldn’t be turned on due to a power failure at the ground.As they had yesterday, England wanted to wear down the bowlers for later acceleration and that came as Tim Bresnan played some shots during a crisp half-century in a 97-run stand alongside Cook. It was a slightly improved display from the Indians as there were a few more dives in the outfield while bowlers put in some hard yards.The main partnership, and the one that built on the previous day’s gains, was between Cook and Morgan. With a deep-set field more akin to the middle overs of a one-day game it was a perfect situation for Morgan to help himself to a Test hundred. He had to be watchful against Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma, but was given plenty of spin to milk around.His century arrived from 188 balls and he was soon using his feet to loft Suresh Raina down the ground. Morgan, though, hadn’t wasted the two lives he was given on the second day and following two scores in the 70s this season it will have settled any debate about his position in the line-up for the foreseeable future. If he’d stayed in the middle England’s rate would have increased, but attempting an inside-out drive he picked out Sehwag at cover – fortunately, given the standard of India’s catching, he didn’t have to move far to hold on.It meant Ravi Bopara, on his return to Test cricket, came in at 596 for 4 with little to gain and, almost inevitably having watched the 69-over stand that preceded him, he didn’t manage a long stay. He opened his account with a back-cut to third man but was trapped lbw by Amit Mishra when a delivery straightened and would have hit middle. It was due recognition for Mishra who had bowled with more verve and found considerable turn, although that was probably of more interest to Swann.Mishra claimed his third success when Matt Prior top-edged a sweep that was well caught by Sachin Tendulkar who made good ground running from deep square leg. Wickets, though, were irrelevant; it was just a matter of Cook’s progress and how many England wanted to lead by.Bresnan provided useful impetus just as things were threatening to stall and his stay included a mighty six over midwicket off Ishant. Cook would have dearly wanted those six runs for himself, but it was about the only thing that didn’t quite go to script. India have a huge challenge to even take this match to the final day.