ICC Champions trophy: After 2013 no Champions trophy

The 2013 Champions Trophy in England will bring the curtains down on the 14-year-old tournament, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game's three formats from 2015.

While the play--offs for the World Test Championship is scheduled for June 2017, the 50--over tournament, started way back in 1998, does not figure in the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Program after 2013.

"If you don't see it in the schedule, it means it is not planned for the future," ICC's Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat told reporters after the executive board meeting here yesterday.

"We have said for a while that we would like one championship event for each format. We are including the Test championship in there. We have the World Cup to have the champion for 50--over cricket. So we are not planning to hold Champions Trophy in the future," he added.

After the inaugural edition of the tournament was held in 1998 as the ICC Knock Out tournament, the Champions Trophy was played every two years until 2009.

Originally, all ten full members of the ICC took part, along with two associate members in the first four editions.

The 2013 event will feature the eight highest--ranked ODI teams.

The World Test Championship was initially scheduled for 2013 but had to be postponed to 2017 due to the ICC's commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors.

West Indies test squad announced for England tour next month

Squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Kirk Edwards (vice-captain), Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Shannon Gabriel, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford

Jamaican batsman Marlon Samuels and wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin have been recalled to the West Indies squad for next month's Test series in England.

Keeper Carlton Baugh has been left out along with 19-year-old opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who struggled in this month's series against Australia.

Ramdin has recovered from a hand injury but his return owes as much to Baugh's failure with the bat against Australia and the selectors are hoping he will add some steel to the lower middle order batting.

West Indies lost the third Test to Australia on Friday to finish with a 2-0 series defeat despite some encouraging displays, particularly with the ball.

Paceman Fidel Edwards, who missed the final Test with a slight back injury, has been named in the squad along with 23-year-old Trinidad quick bowler Shannon Gabriel, who has yet to feature in international cricket.

The other uncapped player in the 15 is Guyanese middle order batsman Assad Fudadin, who was called up for the third test in Dominica but did not play.

Samuels, who missed the Test series after being granted permission to play in the Indian Premier League, can also offer skipper Darren Sammy another spin option.

Shane Shillingford was rewarded for his 10 wicket haul in the final Test with a place on the tour at the expense of Devendra Bishoo.

Bishoo and Brathwaite are almost certain to feature in an upcoming 'A-team' series against India in the Caribbean as West Indies look to keep members of their extended squad involved.

"Shillingford has bowled very well against the Australians and we expect a lot from him in England," said West Indies chairman of selectors Clyde Butts.

"Bishoo has done well for West Indies in the last year or so, but he has lost some of his confidence and the selectors feel playing him in the A Team against India A will give him the chance to regain that confidence," he added.

Gabriel is likely to be given a chance in the warm-up games against Sussex and the England Lions but Edwards and Roach are the clear first choice for the new ball attack.

"Young Gabriel continues to impress the selectors in both regional and A-Team cricket, and we feel it is a good time to introduce him to the team," said Butts

"We feel he will be an asset to the team in England and has a bright future in West Indies cricket."

West Indies are due to arrive in England on May 2 with the first Test scheduled for Lord's from May 17.

After ending Pakistan tour, Bangladesh look South Africa

Bangladesh have approached South Africa for a series in May after the postponement of a series in Pakistan, which means due to its prior commitments, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is unlikely to go ahead with the Pakistan tour even if the Dhaka High Court gives the go-ahead.

According to reports, BCB has offered Cricket South Africa (CSA) to pay all the cost, whether the series takes place in Bangladesh or South Africa. Bangladesh want to play three ODIs and five Twenty20s in May

"We have received the request and we are in the process of checking whether it would be possible. We've got nothing against it; it's just about scheduling. At the moment, I can say it is a request we are looking at," CSA's acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, said.

The tour to Pakistan for an ODI and a Twenty20, on April 29 and 30 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, was put off after the Dhaka High Court, citing security concerns, ordered the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to postpone the tour by four weeks.

Had the tour gone ahead, Bangladesh would have been the first international team to tour Pakistan in three years since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. For the last three years, Pakistan has been a no-go zone for international teams and they had to play most of their home matches at neutral venues, mostly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

CSA will sit down with South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) and national coach Gary Kirsten before deciding on Bangladesh's request. South Africa have a packed schedule and SACA is unlikely to give a green signal for the tour as chief executive Tony Irish said it falls outside the Future Tours Programme (FTP). "Because this will fall outside the Future Tours Programme, it needs the permission of SACA to take place. And what I can say at the moment is that it is unlikely we will go through with it," he said.

Tendulkar's birthday: Planned for No grand celebrations

Sachin Tendulkar turns 39 on Tuesday but no big celebrations have been planned so far by the batting icon or his Mumbai Indians (MI) team-mates though his die-hard fans have made elaborate plans to observe the day in a big way.
Tendulkar and his wife Anjali, but without their two children, arrived at Chandigarh by an afternoon flight from Mumbai.
The batting maestro's IPL team Mumbai Indians teammates also arrived at Chandigarh with him. Mumbai are set to clash with Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Wednesday.

While the five star hotel where Tendulkar and his teammates are staying have made arrangements on their own to throw a party to celebrate his birthday, his first after scoring his 100th international ton, but MI sources said the event is likely to be a low-key affair.
A small private function may be kept and his teammates will wish him on his birthday and cut the cake. MI team owner Nita Ambani is also likely to be present, the sources said.

"There may be a small function, but nothing grand.

Tendulkar is a very private person and we are not expecting the event to be a bash. It will be a small function," a team source said.
A senior official of the hotel said they were ready with their preparations, but were waiting for the green signal from Tendulkar's side.
This will not, however, dampen the spirit of his die-hard fans. As the team arrived at the hotel, his fans had already lined up.

"We are a group of friends studying in a college. All of us have placed order for a 10-kg cake to celebrate Tendulkar's birthday. All our friends will be joining us and a big party will be thrown as it is his first birthday after he scored his 100th century recently," said Tanya Mittal, one of his fans.

Last year, Tendulkar did not celebrate his birthday following the demise of his spiritual guru Satya Sai Baba.

Tendulkar has scored 51 centuries in Test cricket from 188 matches and 49 tons from 463 ODIs he has played so far in his international career spanning nearly 23 years.

Sachin Tendulkar-Prof Ramesh Tendulkar-Rajni Tendulkar-Nitin Tendulkar-Ajit Tendulkar

sachin-Sara-arjun-Tendulkar

sachin-family with his monument

2014 Twenty20 World Cup: ICC decided to extend to 16 teams for 2014 T20 world cup

"What excites me is the decision to extend the World Twenty20 event, which takes place in 2014 in Bangladesh," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat

The International Cricket Council (ICC) executive board has decided to expand the number of teams in the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh from 12 to 16 to give more opportunities to the non-test playing nations.

"What excites me is the decision to extend the World Twenty20 event, which takes place in 2014 in Bangladesh," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat told reporters in Dubai on Monday.

"From then onwards the board has decided to expand the event to 16 teams. I'm sure that is very comforting to all associates and affiliates...it provides them with a greater chance of competing on the global stage."

The Twenty20 World Cup will be played this year in Sri Lanka from Sept 18-Oct 7 between 12 teams. The current 10 full members will be joined by six qualifiers in the next version from 2014.

The ICC has also agreed to undergo an administrative realignment that will lead to the creation of a powerful chairman's post and transform the president's role in the governing body into a purely ceremonial one.

The board-appointed chairman, rather than the president, would lead the organisation in the future while the vice-president's post will be disbanded.

Following the move, the joint vice-president nomination from Bangladesh and Pakistan for the 2012-14 has been deferred until the president's role has been ratified, the ICC said.

The ICC added that the nominations committee has shortlisted four candidates to replace Lorgat, who leaves his position at the end of the annual conference in June.

Bangladesh vs Pakistan: Bangladesh confirms tour of Pakistan in the end of April

One One-Day International and one Twenty20 International to be held. The ODI is scheduled for 29 April 2012 and the Twenty20 will be played one day later at the same venue.

The ICC Board were informed today that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have agreed the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan will take place and will involve one One-Day International and one Twenty20 International to be held in Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

 There has been no cricket between two Full Member nations in Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009. The ODI is scheduled for 29 April 2012 and the Twenty20 will be played one day later at the same venue. Thereafter, the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit will commission a localised risk assessment to determine whether its officials and staff are appropriately protected by the proposed security plan, before any further decision is taken in relation to their appointment.

 ast month, the ICC had introduced a "special dispensation" to be made only in "exceptional circumstances" in order to ensure that bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it "unsafe" to appoint its officials for such series. This would allow such series to be manned by "non-neutral match officials", a departure from the ICC's Standard Playing Conditions, pending permission from its executive board.

Bangladesh was due for a full tour of Pakistan in 2012 under the ICC's Future Tours Programme. The PCB also said the remaining matches of the tour will be played at dates mutually agreed between the two Boards at venues including Bangladesh.

There had been several itineraries proposed for the tour, including a three-match ODI series and a series of two ODIs and one Twenty20 international. Karachi and Rawalpindi were the other possible venues but ESPNcricinfo understands they were dropped on security grounds.

Sunday's announcement follows lengthy negotiations between the two boards over the terms of the tour, and at times it looked as though the tour would be a non-starter. A nine-member delegation, headed by Kamal and including security officials from that country, visited Pakistan in March for a demonstration of the security plan for the proposed series. The plan was well received, it is believed, but confirmation of the series was delayed. One reason, according to the BCB, was that it was waiting for a government advisory; another possible reason was the ICC's special dispensation plan, which possibly implied that the venue was not safe for neutral officials. 

Jalal Yunus, the BCB's media committee chairman, said Kamal had taken charge of the matter and handled it personally. "We haven't talked about it since Zaka Ashraf came and discussed the matter officially, so it has been 2-3 months," he said. "The BCB president must have known the government stance and that's why he has confirmed. He has handled it personally from the beginning."

The tour will come a little more than three years after masked terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus and a van carrying ICC officials to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on what would have been the third day of the second Test of that tour. Six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured in the attack, and six security personnel and two civilians were killed.

Since then, Pakistan have hosted "home series" in UAE and other neutral venues. They played New Zealand in New Zealand (2009-10), England and Australia in England (2010). UAE has been their favoured home base, having hosted South Africa, Sri Lanka and England.

 BCB President Mustafa Kamal said: "The public of Pakistan have been deprived of cricket and we felt that we needed to support them. The reception we received when we toured Lahore and Karachi on our security visit was overwhelming."

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said: "I want to thank the BCB and the Bangladesh Government for their support for this tour."

ICC will advise of other agenda items considered by the ICC Board at the conclusion of the meeting tomorrow (Monday) when ICC will hold a press conference.

Gaddafi stadium in lahore, which is waiting host for Bangladesh

West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Port-of-Spain: match preview

2nd Test: West Indies v Australia at Port of Spain 

Apr 15-19, 2012 (10:00 local | 14:00 GMT | 20:00 BDT) 

The teams have moved on to Trinidad and the big question for Darren Sammy's West Indies side is how they can recover from the disappointment of losing a Test that was there for them to win. For the first three days at Kensington Oval, West Indies were on top. When they dismissed Michael Hussey early on the fourth morning and held a 200-run lead with only four more Australia wickets to take in the first innings, West Indies were in a position from which they simply should not have lost the match. But Australia's fighting qualities, Michael Clarke's aggressive declaration and the home side's fragility combined to create a memorable finale to the Test, as Australia bowled West Indies out cheaply a second time and then chased down 192 with the light fading late on the fifth afternoon.

Sammy and the coach Ottis Gibson must find a way to instil belief in West Indies players whose confidence was shot by those last two days in Barbados. The spin-friendly conditions in Trinidad might help them, for Devendra Bishoo bowled well in the first Test without reaping significant rewards. It could boost Nathan Lyon too, who did not have his finest Test and needs to regain his self-confidence. Most importantly, West Indies have to find a way to play out five days of a Test at high quality. In 2008, they matched Australia for a few days of each Test but were always let down by a trough at some point in the game. It happened again in Barbados last week.

Australia can take a lot from the way they fought back from a losing position. Theirs is a side with a mixture of experience and youth, and they have now won five Tests in a row, not losing since New Zealand surprised them in Hobart in early December. Clarke's captaincy credentials were already high and have been boosted further by his declaration when still behind in Bridgetown, in an effort to force a result. His confidence appears to be rubbing off on his men. If they win in Trinidad they will retain the Frank Worrell Trophy and will win the series, so West Indies cannot afford to be slow out of the blocks in this match.

Form guide

West Indies LDLLW (Most recent first)
Australia WWWWW

How do you solve a problem like Shivnarine Chanderpaul? Eventually Australia managed to do so in the second innings in Bridgetown, when he was squared up by Ryan Harris, but he had already made an unbeaten first-innings century. It was the fifth hundred Chanderpaul had made in the seven home Tests he has played against Australia. His last nine home innings against them read 104, 118, 11, 107 not out, 77 not out, 79 not out, 50, 103 not out, 12. If Chanderpaul finds a partner who is willing and able to stick with him, Australia could face a long, long time in the field.

Ricky Ponting is the only member of this Australia squad who has played a Test in Trinidad, and it was one of his very best. Back in 2003, Ponting scored 206 and 45 at Queen's Park Oval, and it was his first Test double-century. Last week in Barbados he was the unfortunate victim of a Shane Watson-scripted run-out and in the second innings was bowled when a ball stayed very low. However, he is coming off one of his finest Test series, against India, and will be keen for a long stay in the middle.

Team news

West Indies have included the offspinner Shane Shillingford in a 14-man squad and given the nature of the pitch they will consider a two-man spin attack in Shillingford and Devendra Bishoo, with Narsingh Deonarine as a backup. Should they include Shillingford, Fidel Edwards might be the man to miss out, for Kemar Roach was more of a threat in Barbados.

West Indies (possible) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Shane Shillingford, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.

Australia will consider two spinners as well, but including Michael Beer at the expense of one of three in-form fast bowlers would be a big call. Were they to make that decision, Ben Hilfenhaus might be the unlucky one to miss out, given that the pitch will also help fast men who attack the stumps, but the more likely scenario is that no change will be made from the side that won at Kensington Oval.

Australia (possible) 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The Trinidad pitch was very dry on the day before the Test and is expected to provide significant assistance to the spinners, so much so that it even drew comparisons to Kanpur from Australia coach Mickey Arthur. Rain is expected to affect every day of the Test.

 

"We spoke about it, we just need to be mentally prepared to bat in two innings of a Test match."
West Indies captain Darren Sammy

"I think in [sharply spinning] conditions you just have to have a plan and stick with it through thick and thin, and that's probably been my attitude towards spin bowling my whole career. I do get out to spin bowling but I do find I have a plan against spin bowling and I'm going to back that."
Australia captain Michael Clarke

IPL-5: Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab match preview

Sunday, April 15, 2011 at 04:00 p.m. Eden Gardens, Kolkata .

  
  The Kolkata Knight Riders will play their second home game in a row when they take on Kings XI Punjab in Match 17 of DLF IPL 2012.

Gautam Gambhir’s team was slow to get off the blocks. They lost their first two matches to the Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. But they have since discovered their form, and have beaten the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Rajasthan Royals in their return fixture.

Kings XI Punjab’s fortunes haven’t been to dissimilar to KKR; they lost to the Rajasthan Royals and the Pune Warriors India in their first two matches, but won their home fixture against the Pune Warriors India.

KKR’s decision to drop Brendon McCullum has meant the inclusion of Manvinder Bisla and his elevation to the top order. The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has impressed in both his outings so far; he scored 46 against RCB and followed it up with a run-a-ball 29 against RR. In a competition where the turnaround time between matches is next to nothing, it is important that the men in form continue to perform. Hence KKR will be hoping that Bisla continues to score runs.

From what we have seen so far, batsmen have found it next to impossible to decipher the KKR spinner Sunil Narine. The 23-year-old came into the tournament with quite a reputation, and he has certainly shown he is something special in the two matches he’s played so far. With several tricks up his sleeve, and on a spinner-friendly surface, he could run through sides on his day.

There’s a lot of pressure on Adam Gilchrist’s shoulders. Apart from being the wicketkeeper, the Australian is captain-cum-coach of the team, and he’s also the team’s premier batsman. He, along with Shaun Marsh and David Hussey, needs to start scoring big runs if KXIP are to compete.

Previous Meetings 

In seven previous meetings between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, the former hold a slight edge with four victories. In the three matches at the Eden Gardens too, KKR hold an edge – having won twice, including in the game last season.

TriviaThe Kolkata Knight Riders have an outstanding record in run chases at the Eden Gardens; they’ve won nine matches out of 11 when they’ve had to chase.

What next?
Both teams will square off yet again on April 18 when the Kolkata Knight Riders travel to Mohali for their away fixture.

IPL-5: Ryder & Smith smashes Pune to emphatic win

Smith & Ryder

Pune Warriors had only four wins all campaign in 2011, and were expected to struggle again in the absence of their marquee player Yuvraj Singh. Instead, they've got three victories in four and are top of the table after upsetting the fancied Chennai Super Kings in front of a fanatical home crowd.

It was an all-round performance from the Warriors, with their bowlers first stifling the power-packed Super Kings batting by hitting the blockhole as often as possible, backed up by some sharp fielding, something which is a rarity in the IPL.

Their chase was then controlled by two contrasting innings from two men struggling to hold down a place in their national sides. Jesse Ryder began in a hurry, but calmed down to play through the innings for the first time in his T20 career, and just when things started to become tense in the chase, Steven Smith hammered a bunch of boundaries, including two in the final over to complete the victory.

It hadn't seemed that it would be this close an encounter after Ryder, who would probably have been dropped if he failed again, provided a turbo-charged start, and even the run-outs of Robin Uthappa and Sourav Ganguly weren't too big a hindrance. The spin duo of R Ashwin and Suresh Raina, though, choked the runs to inflate the asking rate, making it difficult to understand why Shadab Jakati and Jadeja were never used. It came down to 34 off the final three overs, in which Ryder only needed to take three singles - Smith's big hits took care of the rest.

Both captains had been uncertain about how the pitch at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune would behave, but it had few demons in it. Super Kings' innings was built around a clutch of boundaries at the start of the innings from one of their cheapest buys, Faf du Plessis, and a flourish from their most expensive signing, Ravindra Jadeja, in the second half.

The openers began slowly before du Plessis waded into the fourth over from Ashish Nehra, taking 18 off it including a six over the bowler's head after advancing down the track. Du Plessis went on to become the highest run-getter of the tournament, but his opening partner M Vijay's struggles continued.

Still, Super Kings were well placed after du Plessis' blast, but were slowed down by legspinner Rahul Sharma's strikes, who removed both du Plessis and Raina. Warriors then kept a lid on the scoring through some fast and full bowling from Marlon Samuels, who fired in a succession of quicker deliveries, some clocked as high as 127kph. The batsmen couldn't get under those deliveries, and even Dhoni couldn't find the boundaries, finishing on an underwhelming 26 off 28.

Jadeja came out firing, and provided some impetus. Samuels' darts and Ashok Dinda's impressive ability to consistently deliver yorkers, though, kept the scoring down. All through the second half of the innings, one kept waiting for Super Kings' big onslaught, but Warriors' bowlers ensured that it never came. 

pune fans cheering

Jesse Ryder(73 off 56 balls )

Jesse Ryder(73 off 56 balls )

Jesse Ryder(73 off 56 balls )

IPL-5: Kevin Pietersen has said, "England jealous of IPL"

Kevin Pietersen

ealousy could be the reason for negative attitudes in England towards the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), England batting star Kevin Pietersen has said.

The Twenty20 IPL was an instant hit when it began in 2008 as a mix of glamour, entertainment and international stars playing short-form cricket, but it has attracted little interest in England.

"It (the IPL) is very much struggling to find acceptance back home," the South Africa-born England batsman, who is playing for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing tournament, was quoted as saying in the Indian media on Thursday.

"It saddens me because I have had an amazing time at the IPL, and it's down to a lot of jealousy I think which is sad. It saddens me all the negative publicity the IPL gets in the (British) media, I don't know why."

His comments came as the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, in its latest issue, blamed the influence of T2O games for India's recent dismal run in Test cricket which saw them lose eight successive matches in England and Australia.

"The disintegration of India's feted batting line-up has coincided with the rise of a Twenty20-based nationalism, the growth of private marketeers and high-level conflicts of interest," wrote Wisden editor Lawrence Booth.

"It is a perfect storm. And the global game sits unsteadily in the eye. India, your sport needs you."

Pietersen, the only big England star taking part in this year's IPL, said experience gained in the tournament will be useful when England tour India for a Test and one-day series later this year.

"It will benefit the team (England), especially because we will be touring India later in the year," he said.

"Playing another month in the subcontinent honing my skills, training with the spinners and practicing, I consider myself so very fortunate."

England fast bowler Stuart Broad was forced to miss this year's IPL due to injury, while pace spearhead James Anderson and leading spinner Graeme Swann went unsold at the auction in February.

England failed to cope with spin on their recent Asia tour when they lost four of their five Tests, three against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and one in Sri Lanka.

IPL-5:Faf du Plessis shown a supernatural innings for Chennai Super Kings to win

Faf du Plessis (71 from 46 balls)

Chennai Super Kings batsman Faf du Plessis described his side scoring 45 runs in two overs to pull off a sensational five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore as "supernatural" which he would cherish for his life.

"To be part of a match like that, I don't think I have ever been (in a situation) like that. I am super excited. To get those 45 runs or some thing in last two overs, I said it's going to take some supernatural," du Plessis, who scored 71 off 46 balls to be adjudged man-of-the-match, said in post match press conference.

"I think the special thing with our batting line up is that we bat so deep. Suresh comes in and he strikes the ball for fours and sixes and then Dhoni walks in and hits sixes. That takes a bit of pressure off me," said the South African.

Asked about the heroic effort by Albie Morkel who smashed 28 runs off seven balls to turn the match on its head in the 19th over, he said, "We were down and out. Hopefully that will be the turnaround of the season. We actually said this is going to be turning point. It will give us massive confidence in the games to come."

Du Plessis said his side knew that they could chase down the big target of 206 if they got a good start.

"It's a big score and so we thought we have to play really well to get there - To get a good start. We analysed the wicket and it was a good wicket. There wasn't much spin which was the key for us. If it started to spin in the second innings it really would have been tough. But it didn't spin much. The ball was coming on nicely. Just wickets in hand towards the end was the key."

On his batting as an opener, he said, "I have been hitting the ball nicely. I knew for myself that a big score was just around the corner. I knew that I had to stay at the crease a bit longer and if I stay the runs will come. I am really enjoying the opening slot. It is new to me."

Asked how he felt facing Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan together, du Plessis said, "Those two spinners are special. As a boy I watched them on TV. Muralitharan is a legend. So it was special to face him. First time I was facing him, I had to look at the ball closely. But really enjoyed the challenge. I enjoyed (playing against) Zaheer also. He is a classy bowler. I knew I had to attack him."

Du Plessis was involved in a third wicket partnership of 40 runs with captain MS Dhoni and asked about what transpired in the middle between them, he said, "We talked about certain bowlers who we can take on. Obviously Murali was bowling really well. It was the case of playing positively against him and not taking too big risks and try and attack other bowlers.

"I said I will try and score (off) Vettori's over because the run rate was really getting high. So luckily for me, we scored a few sixes in that over. He (Dhoni) is just really calm. He is one of the best finishers in the game. To play with him was a nice learning opportunity for me," said du Plessis.

Muralitharan admitted that the 28 runs conceded by Virat Kohli in the 19th over turned the game.

On Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori giving the penultimate over to Kohli, Muralitharan said, "Raju (Bhatkal) wasn't tried because he was playing his first match and was quite expensive (35 runs in two overs). We had 42 runs to defend and we thought we could win even if we were to concede 20 in that over. But it went for 28 and that turned the game."

Muralitharan, who claimed 3/21, denied that his side were complacent after posting a big total.

"We were not at all complacent. We knew they had batters who can chase down the target and wicket was also good. Both sides fought hard and in the end one side won. Cricket is a funny game and in T20 the chances are always 50-50. We also made a few mistakes, but nothing specific," he said.

On Gayle, a useful bowler, not taking the field during bowling, Muralitharan said, "It was so hot and humid compared to Bangalore, so he got cramps while batting. With a lot more matches coming, we didn't want to risk him and thought we should give him enough time to recover for the next match. We definitely missed him because he usually bowls 2-3 overs every match."

IPL-5 : Dimitri Mascarenhas was the architects of a comfortable win for Kings XI Punjab

Dimitri Mascarenhas(5/25)

Dimitri Mascarenhas' sensational five wicket haul and Shaun Marsh's unbeaten half-century helped Punjab notch up their first win of IPL 5. Asked to bat first, Pune Warriors were dismissed for a sub-par 115 in 19 overs, courtesy a brilliant spell by Mascarenhas who claimed five wickets for 25 and was well-supported by Harmeet Singh (2-23) and Piyush Chawla (1-23). The hosts then returned to overhaul the target with 14 balls to spare with Marsh hitting an unbeaten 64 off 54 balls studded with seven fours and one six. Skipper Adam Gilchrist (21) and Chawla (21) were the other notable contributors.

With this win, Punjab avenged their first leg defeat to the Warriors at Pune and also spanned their two-match losing streak, where they had also lost to Rajasthan Royals.

Punjab began their run chase on a faulty note when hero of last year's edition, Paul Valthaty was removed off the very first ball by Ashok Dinda. After the initial blow, skipper Gilchrist along with Marsh, who made a comeback in this game after injury, tried to steady the innings. However, Gilchrist fell at the end of eight overs when Angelo Mathews had him caught by Steven Smith. A few overs later, Rahul Sharma earned his only scalp with Mandeep Singh (10) falling in the 12th over, handing over a catch to Smith.

After that Marsh along with Chawla ensured their were no more hiccups. Luck was also by his side as Pune let go of several opportunities to send Marsh back. A run out chance went abegging when Jesse Ryder failed to collect the ball cleanly to dislodge the stumps. As Marsh was inching towards half-century, he was dropped by Dinda off the bowling of Ashish Nehra. The Australian made good use of the chances and saw his team through in the end.

Earlier, there was a hint of movement in the wicket after overnight rain and the hosts made good use of it as they bowled a good line to make life difficult for Pune, who had beaten them in their first leg match. Pune suffered their first blow when New Zealand's Jesse Ryder (7), who tried to steal a cheeky single, was run out in the third over.

However, it was Mascarenhas who dealt the massive blow when in the sixth over, he had Ganguly caught by Marsh of the leading edge. The former India skipper's nine-ball innings was laced with three fours. Mascarenhas then struck again in the same over when he had a struggling Samuels bowled to an incoming delivery. Uthappa, who looked in good form in the previous two games, tried to hold one end as wickets kept tumbling and Pune was tottering at 3-29 at one stage.

Harmeet Singh, who has been bowling intelligently, tasted success in his first over when he trapped Angelo Mathews (11) leg-before in the ninth over. Mascarenhas once again came back to inflict more damage when he had Uthappa (17) caught by Bipul Sharma in the 13th over.

Middle-order batsman Mithun Manhas was the top-scorer for Pune and his 28-ball innings included three hits to the fence and a six, but he also fell to Mascarenhas in the 18th over while trying to play a sweep shot over the short fine-leg region. In the same over, Rahul Sharma became Mascarenhas' fifth victim when he had him caught by Mandeep Singh. Ashok Dinda was the last man out when he was found short of crease in the last ball of the 19th over.

Piyush Chawla also played his part and picked up a wicket when he cleaned up Steven Smith (13) in the 16th over. Manish Pandey (0) offered little resistance giving Harmeet his second wicket. Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana bowled a tight line, giving away 19 and 18 runs respectively, though both ended up wicketless.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) blamed for present crisis in cricket

BCB logo

As the domestic cricket has fallen in chronic problem, the former cricketers lashed out at Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) harshly saying that the country’s cricket would have to pay a price badly in future if such troubles continue. According to the former cricketers, it is BCB’s fault to make the matter complicated as they failed to tame the clubs and took them to the ground. They also lambasted BCB for being club oriented leaving the interest of country’s cricket in murk.
The Premier Division Cricket League this season faced huge ups and downs and was postponed six times. The uncertainty over the resumption of the league looms large day by day but the BCB is yet to take any control over the clubs.
The current stalemate is created over the transfer fiasco of Victoria’s Pakistan recruit Mohammad Yousuf as Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited and Abahani Limited cited his transfer as fake. As the domestic powerhouses were related with it, Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) referred the issue to the cricket apex body. But the BCB failed to give any ruling though asked CCDM to restart the league on April 10. Abahani and Mohammedan remained adamant of not playing the league unless the transfer of Yousuf is declared invalid. The situation got more complicated when other clubs joined Abahani and Mohammedan. The rain for the time being gave the BCB a relief as CCDM announced the ground unplayable.
In the wake of the situation, the players also were concerned about their future. They however were not in a position to make any comment.
Former Bangladesh skipper Roquibul Hassan termed ‘poor management’ and ‘corruption’ as the reason behind the hindrance of the league.
“It is very unfortunate that the league faced obstacle repeatedly. BCB should not interfere into the matter because this issue should be handled by CCDM. But the people who are in CCDM are completely unprofessional to run the office. They just saw their interest, but not for cricket. That’s why they could not handle the issue,” he said.
He simultaneously lambasted the clubs as well for not being sincere to resume the league.
“BCB boosted them up financially as the league was halted by BPL. So they should be sincere. The big clubs should think about the interest of the cricket but they could not show a liberal attitude.”
“However I believe that we could overcome the situation and the league will be restarted. But I urged all stakeholders not to make delay to start the National Cricket League.”
Another former captain Faruk Ahmed however blamed the BCB wholly rather making the clubs culpable.
“BCB failed to take control over the clubs since the directors are completely club oriented. Their activities over the issue made it crystal clear that they gave more importance to their clubs rather than the country’s cricket,” said Faruk Ahmed, the former national captain.
“As they are morally weak, they could not overcome the trouble. But if it continues, the cricket would have to pay a severe price in future,” he added.
“It’s not new that they create the problems for the first time. They rather created problems relentlessly since they took the office. They have no plan, no vision. There was no development in any arena. There were no activities in Academy so the players were not produced.”
Though Bangladesh cricket did extra ordinary job in Asia Cup, Faruk thought that the scattered success came up with relying on some world class performers like Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.
“BCB could not claim the credit. Success came up only for some world class performers. They are produced in our regime. But the way they run the board, there was possibility to collapse our cricket in next three or four years.”
The CCDM however declared that the league would be restarted on April 13 though the clubs stuck to their previous decision.
“We never said that we would not play the league. They (BCB) would have to tell about the Yousuf’s transfer clearly and should give reply to our letter,” Mohammedan cricket committee chief Khandokar Jamiluddin said.
As the problem lingers, the expenditure of the clubs got higher since they continued the practice session. The five clubs excluding Victoria of the super league may claim compensation from the BCB.
“We are thinking about it but yet to discuss the matter with all clubs. However we’ve to discuss first before taking any decision,” he said.

West Indies vs Australia1st test : West Indies still hold upper hand in first Test

 West Indies held the upper hand at the end of the third day of the first Test here on Monday as they reduced Australia to 248 for 5, still trailing by 201 runs. Only a solid 73 by captain Michael Clarke and a typically stubborn unbeaten 47 by veteran Mike Hussey all but ensured that the Aussies would avoid the follow-on.
Clarke was disappointed with his team’s performance in the match so far.
“We have no excuses for not bowling and fielding as well as we would have liked day one, day two and certainly no excuses for being five down on that wicket today,” he said.
However, he was still confident the Australians could win the match.
“I think we’re going to have to bowl better than what we did in the first innings and we’re going to have to try to make as many runs as we can in this first innings to see how close we are to them.
“I certainly think we can still win the Test match from here.”
His West Indian counterpart Darren Sammy was by contrast delighted with his team.
“The team played well. The bowlers supported each other,” he said.
“We’re quite happy with the way the day went.”
Sammy snapped up the first wicket to fall as having added only one run to his overnight score of 13, Ed Cowan was drawn into a shot to a ball just outside off stump and edged through to the keeper.
Shane Watson, batting for the first time in a Test at number three, was fortunate to survive twice when he had scored five.
Sammy’s persevering line just outside off stump worked again when David Warner, having scored 42 off 55 balls, played at a ball without much foot movement and Darren Bravo took the catch at second slip.
After the early scares Watson had settled but when he turned a Fidel Edwards delivery to fine leg he was looking for a second run which would have been tight.

edward

Tigers’ India tour still only a hope

Bangladesh’s revelation that India will host them for a full international series in December raised quite a few eyebrows as it remained unclear of how India would accommodate them in their crowded international schedule.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board in a statement on Monday said its president AHM Mustafa Kamal had a favourable discussion with his Indian counterpart during his recent visit and that he ‘received assurance that India will host Bangladesh for a full tour later this year.’
No official word came from Board of Control for Cricket in India through any channel following the statement, which has taken aback many in both countries given India already have a tight schedule.
The world champions will play non-stop cricket from coming August to April, which means it will be extremely difficult for them to find a window for their less fancied neighbour.
India are due to host New Zealand in August-September for three Tests, take part in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September-October before their players get themselves engaged in Champions League Twenty20 tournament.
An intriguing four-match Test series against England will follow in November-December when India will go all-out to avenge their last year’s 4-0 drubbing that saw them losing their number one crown.
England’s India tour also includes seven one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international. According to International Cricket Council’s new Future Tour Programme England’s India tour will end in January.
It means India will be engaged against England from November to January and worse for Bangladesh is that this high-profile series will be replaced by another icon series in February when Australia will tour India.
The Aussies will play four Tests in India, which will be another revenge mission for the home side. India lost to Australia 4-0 earlier this year and it will now be their turn to return it back to Australia.
BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus, quoting Kamal, said India has promised to accommodate Bangladesh between the Test and one-day series against England in December, but still it remained a big question if they will want to risk their players of being injured before the Australia series.
Given the track record of Kamal, who has a tendency of providing contradicting statements to media, BCB’s decision of issuing a media release based on his words also came as a surprise to many.
‘We have full confidence in our president and he has informed the Board that India tour is all but certain,’ said Yunus. ‘The two boards will very soon finalise the details of the tour and sign an agreement.’
Yunus also hoped that it will not be a short trip for the Tigers and will rather include two Tests, three ODIs and a T20 International.
‘We have a plan to include all three formats in the series. Let see how we can do this,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani media already started alleging that Bangladesh’s planned India tour is a reward to them for declining the tour to their country. 
PakTribune.com under a headline of ‘BD to visit India in Dec, Pak ignored’ reported that anti-Pakistan Indian cricket lobby dominated the Bangladesh Cricket Board as BCB decided to visit India in December.
The BCB however said they are yet to take any decision on Pakistan tour.

IPL-5 : Sakib in, Knight Riders win

Shakib Al Hasan

At last the Indian Premier League provided some delight for the Bangladeshi fans as Sakib al Hasan got his place in the playing eleven of Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.
Millions of TV viewers from Bangladesh who had their eyes glued in the first two matches of KKR were disappointed as their premier star Sakib was overlooked.
 

KKR were forced to revise their strategy after two drubbing against Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals respectively that prompted call from many corners to pick Sakib.  
They made four changes to their side against tournament’s one of the most favourites Bangalore and were finally rewarded with a massive 42-run to open their account.
Sakib was unable to make any contribution with the bat and also dropped a catch but came back strongly with the ball as he picked up the last Bangalore wicket to finish with 2-21 off three overs.
 

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsmen Brendon McCullum and West Indian off spinner Sunil Narine were left out along with Indians Debabrata Das and Iqbal Abdullah to make room for Manvinder Bisla, Sakib, Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate and Laxmipathy Balaji respectively.
McCullum scored eleven runs in the first two matches while Narine who was surprisingly given the nod ahead of Sakib had an ordinary outing against Rajasthan.
Das made 18 and 12 respectively while left-arm spinner Abdullah went wicket less in the first two matches. 
Coming in at number seven with KKR at 6-143 in 17.2 overs, Sakib was in a look out to increase the run rate, but fell to the hands of the long-off fielder off Vinay Kumar when he tried to heave over the extra cover.
KKR posted 165-8 and was led by Balaji (4-18) while they defended their modest total. Balaji could have had a five-for if Sakib had not dropped Saurabh Tiwary at deep square leg.
Sakib came in to bowl in the 16th over and gave away nine runs. He picked up his two wickets in his next two overs respectively. 

India tour likely this year: BCB

Tigers are likely to have the first fully-fledged tour to India this year, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president A H M Mustafa Kamal has said. Speaking at the board's meeting on Monday, Kamal said his Indian counterpart N Srinivasan had assured him in his recent visit to the country about the tour by the end of 2012, a BCB media release said. Kamal's meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Srinivasan during the inauguration of Indian Premier League was fruitful, the release said, quoting Kamal as saying in Monday's meeting. Bangladesh played the first Test on Nov 12, 2000 against India at home ground but has not had a fully-fledged tour to the neighbouring country. BCB is being criticised for its failure to keep a tour to India in the current future tours programme of Bangladesh cricket team. After meeting Srinivasan during his recent visit to India to join IPL inauguration, Kamal said they had discussed the issue. "The national team will tour India soon," he had said. 

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Match Preview: West Indies vs Australia Match scheduled to begin at 014:00 GMT

West Indies v Australia, 1st Test, Barbados , Apr 7-11, 2012 (10:00 local | 14:00 GMT | 20:00 Bangladesh Time)

 

In times gone by, a Test series between West Indies and Australia would have evinced plenty of interest. Now, thanks to the state of West Indies cricket, most experts and fans expect Australia to win the series comfortably, even though they had a tough time in the ODIs and the T20Is, only managing to share those series. The reason for the pessimism is clear: West Indies have been a poor Test side for a while now, and even their home record has taken a beating recently. Since they last played a home series against Australia, in 2008, West Indies have won only two out of 15 home Tests, and lost series against Bangladesh, India and South Africa. Apart from beating England in 2009, their one bright spark was winning a Test against Pakistan in a drawn series last year.

Given these recent stats, and the unavailability of a few key players for West Indies, Australia will feel pretty confident of taking the series, especially after giving India a drubbing in their last Test series.

The recent head-to-head record between these two teams is also overwhelmingly in favour of Australia - they have a 15-1 win-loss record against West Indies since 2000, and 5-1 in the West Indies during this period. This recent run has meant West Indies no longer have a winning record against Australia at home - it's now slipped to 17-14 in favour of Australia.

Tests between West Indies and Australia

	Tests	Aus won	WI won	Drawn/ Tied
Overall	108	52	32	23/ 1
In West Indies	45	17	14	14/ 0
Since 2000	18	15	1	2/ 0
In West Indies, since 2000	7	5	1	1/ 0

The batting and bowling averages since 2000 indicate how far ahead Australia have been in their head-to-head contests. They've averaged 43.58 runs per wicket with the bat in Tests against West Indies, and conceded less than 27 runs per wicket. In the West Indies, their bowling average has gone up to more than 31, but the batting average has also climbed to 46.28. Ricky Ponting has led the charge of the Australian batsmen during this period, scoring six hundreds in 17 Tests and averaging almost 65. He has done even better in the West Indies, averaging 84.60, with four centuries in six Tests.

Among the West Indian batsmen, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been the one batsman among the current lot who has shone consistently against Australia, and there will be plenty of responsibility on him this time around as well. In 12 Tests against Australia since 2000, Chanderpaul averages 47.95; in six home Tests against them during this period, his record matches that of Ponting's: four centuries in six Tests, and an average of 77.67. Moreover, he also has a superb record in Barbados, the venue for the first Test: in 15 matches there, he averages 63.55, including three centuries. Meanwhile, Ponting hasn't done badly here either, with two centuries in three Tests, and an average touching 60.

West Indies' fast bowling is probably their strongest suit, with Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach all in the mix. Roach created a pretty good impression in Australia in 2009, but in terms of stats, Edwards has the best numbers against Australia, especially in home conditions. In three Tests against them at home, he has taken 15 wickets at 25.13. That included a match haul of eight wickets in Kingston in the first Test in 2008 - the bowlers gave West Indies a fair chance of winning that Test, but faced with a fourth-innings target of 287, West Indies could only muster 191