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

IPL-5: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to leads 157 by De Villiers

Royal Challengers Bangalore 157 for 8 (de Villiers 64*, Bracewell 3-32) vs Delhi Daredevils

  

                       de Villiers 64*

Royal Challengers Bangalore were without their talisman Chris Gayle, who was not fit, but AB de Villiers stepped in to try and fill that void, lifting his struggling team with a well-paced half-century that contained a mix of the orthodox and the unconventional. His innings was the difference between the hosts plummeting to a below-par score and reaching a total that Delhi Daredevils will have to chase with care on a true pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

De Villiers began his innings with Royal Challengers on 46 for 2 in six overs, and watched the advantage of a quick start erode because of regular wickets at the other end. He scored at a run a ball for his first 22 deliveries, losing three partners on the way, and then launched Doug Bracewell over extra cover to bring up the team's 100 in the 14th over.

And then de Villiers began to turn it on, mixing deft glances and sweeps to the fine-leg boundary with audacious reverse-hits to third man. He hit Irfan Pathan for two such boundaries, getting into position early and reverse-swatting full tosses, one over the boundary and the other short of it. He crashed another straight drive past the bowler, Bracewell, in the final over but could not get on strike for the final three deliveries, and so Royal Challengers could not get past 160. Bracewell finished the innings clinically for Daredevils, taking wickets with the final two balls to end on 3 for 32.

It was Bracewell, who replaced Roelof van der Merwe in the Daredevils line-up, who pulled back Royal Challengers' quick start. Andrew McDonald had taken Irfan Pathan for 19 runs in an over but his aggression was ended by athletic excellence. McDonald swatted Morkel and Bracewell ran from mid-on towards deep midwicket, covered a lot of ground, and dived full length to take the catch with one hand. He then had Virat Kohli caught at point cheaply, ran out Daniel Vettori, and mopped up in the final over to give Daredevils the edge.

BPL's overseas players not fully paid

 As many as 13 English county cricketers played in the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) have not been fully paid even in five weeks after the competition was over, a British daily has said.

The Telegraph said the cricketers owed a combined £500,000 in unpaid wages for appearing in the competition.

When approached by bdnews24.com, BPL governing council president Gazi Ashraf Lipu said the report is "not completely true". "It is true that all the foreign players are not fully paid yet. But I hope the payment will be completed in a week."

Cricketers appearing in the BPL in February were supposed to receive money from $25,000-$75,000 based on their contracts. The Telegraph said none has been paid their full fees with a fraction having received up to 50 percent of the contract money.

"The contract was brokered by FICA (international players union) and set out the players should get 25 per cent before the start of the tournament, 50 per cent during it and 25 per cent at the end," Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association told The Telegraph.

"A handful have received 75 per cent, but most only 25. I don't know of anyone who has received the full payment," he added.

The reported quoted him as saying that the problem was concerned not only with the cricketers from England but also from all nations. He observed if the Bangladesh Cricket Board is seeking to build long-term relationships with players and want them to come back and play next year then the problem should be resolved immediately.

"I don't know what is going on behind the scenes but I do have a concern that this may be something more than a delay," added Porter.

The Telegraph said Porter thought the tournament's reputation was being compromised by not making timely payment to the cricketers, who were completely frustrated over the unexpected development.

He also hinted that the players may go ahead with legal action if the payment is not paid immediately.

"Events like this receive official backing from the ICC and there they should be made to conform to minimum standards in operational areas," Porter was further quoted as saying.

"We have seen correspondence from the BCB promising payments will be made but at this stage the players are just fed up and think they will not be paid anything."

When asked, Lipu said, "As far I know, some payments to British players have already been made. Letters have been issued to the franchises for paying up the outstanding wages in a week."

"There was a problem regarding bank permission in this regard. But the permission has been obtained and there is no problem anymore," he added.

Colombo Test'12: England beat sri-lanka by 8 wicket

In the end it was a breeze. Whatever doubts England might have had about chasing 94 to win the second Test at the end of a tormented Asian winter did not manifest themselves as they gambolled to a victory that, for the moment at least, preserves their status as the No. 1 ranked side in the world.

Lurking memories of their collapse to 72 all out, in pursuit of 145, in Abu Dhabi barely two months ago were banished as Alastair Cook proceeded from the outset at a one-day rate and Kevin Pietersen added a lighthearted singalong to his majestic first-innings century. England had it all wrapped up within 20 overs, levelling the series at 1-1 and preventing Sri Lanka from achieving their own first Test series win for three years.

It was a steamy Colombo day - one reading showed 42C - so hot that holidaymakers along Sri Lanka's coast would be dragging sunbeds into the shade. England lost their captain, Andrew Strauss, for nought, bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan as he met one that turned with ponderous footwork and an angled blade, and Jonathan Trott followed lbw to Rangana Herath as Sri Lanka successfully asked for a referral, but they were not about to wilt in the sun.

Sri Lanka, who had added another 60 in the morning session, relied entirely upon their spinners in recognition that the P Sara pitch had finally become the minefield that many had long forecast. Cook signalled his intent by driving and cutting Dilshan for successive boundaries and set the tone, scoring 30 of England's first 40 runs. When he cut three times in one over at Herath, and missed the lot, Sri Lanka must have realised there would be no miracle.

Then Pietersen came over all Frank Sinatra, confident again to do it his way, gliding down the pitch to loft Herath straight for six. Appropriately, the match ended with Pietersen v Dilshan, reviving memories of the contretemps over Pietersen's switch hit. Mahela Jayawardene brought the field in and challenged Pietersen to win it with a six and he did so, launching the ball over midwicket. What did he think of April Tests in Colombo when the climate was at its fiercest? "A joke," said Pietersen, ingenuously.

Sri Lanka, six down overnight, lost three wickets in a rush, but Angelo Mathews countered briefly to turn an overnight lead of 33 into something a little more substantial. Their chief tormenter was Graeme Swann who had rolled in, sunglasses not quite disguising a scampish intent, to turn the game with two wickets in the penultimate over of the fourth day. He spun the ball viciously at times on a pitch that, for him at least, finally had become the spin bowler's minefield that had long been predicted.

Samit Patel also chipped in with his first Test wicket when Herath anticipated Swann-like turn, found Patel-like turn instead and offered the simplest of chances to James Anderson at slip.

For Sri Lanka, the onus rested once more on Mahela Jayawardene. Swann, who took 6-106 to finish with ten wickets in the match, finally removed him an excellent ball which turned and bounced to hit the glove and lob easily to Cook, plunging forward at short leg. It was the end of a polished defensive innings - 64 from 191 balls with only four boundaries.

Jayawardene made 354 runs in four innings with two centuries and his stock has rarely been higher. It was easy to carp that Sri Lanka had not helped themselves by a scoring rate not much above two an over, but only Pietersen, whose rapid century had created the time in which England could win the game, had played with any panache on this pitch and to try to ape Pietersen in that mood would be to fly too close to the sun.

Two overs later and another Jayawardene followed, this time Prasanna, coming in two places lower at No 9 thanks to Sri Lanka's recourse to nightwatchmen on the previous two evenings. It was a briefly unimpressive stay, ended when he tried to sweep and was bowled around his legs.

Mathews' survival owed much to a calamitous morning for Cook at short leg. Three times in five overs Swann had expectations of dismissing Mathews to a nudge to short leg, but Cook failed to cling to two low chances and then a third fell wide of him as Swann looked as dangerous as at any time on England's winter tours.

There was further frustration for England, too, when Mahela Jayawardene, on 58, was adjudged lbw by umpire Asad Rauf only for the decision to be overturned on review when the tv umpire, Rod Tucker, spotted an inside edge.

As wickets fell, Mathews eventually had little choice but to formulate an attacking response, but eventually an erratic surface betrayed him as Steven Finn made one stick in the surface and Mathews, intent upon advancing to drive, could only chip into the legside. England's run of failures were soon to be put behind them. 

England 460 (Pietersen 151, Cook 94, Herath 6-133) and 97 for 2 beat Sri Lanka 275 (Mahela Jayawardene 105, Swann 4-75) and 278 (Mahela Jayawardene 64, Swann 6-106) by eight wickets