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The BCCI has decided to extend the one-time payment it announced in 2012 for former cricketers to five more players

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2013The BCCI has decided to extend the one-time payment it announced in 2012 for former cricketers to five more players. The decision, which was taken during the board meeting in Kolkata on September 1, is set to benefit Sairaj Bahutule, Sanjay Bangar, Amol Muzumdar, S Sriram and Wasim Jaffer.Jaffer will be the biggest beneficiary of the board’s decision, having featured in 31 Tests and 211 first-class matches, but he will be eligible for the payment of Rs 60 lakh ($87,900) only after his retirement. The same applies to Muzumdar, who, although never made it to the national side, has played 166 first-class matches. He is set to gain Rs 30 lakh.Bangar, Bahutule and Sriram, all of whom have retired, are eligible for immediate payment.”Those cricketers who retired before 2003-04 had got the one-time benefit,” Ravi Savant, the BCCI treasurer, told . “There were few who retired after that, so the board felt it would extend the scheme to these players.”The scheme, first announced at the IPL 2012 opening ceremony, had benefited around 160 former cricketers. The payments were made in seven categories, with the top payments going to players who had played more than 100 Tests.

Zimbabwe opener Vusi Sibanda said that being dropped for the first ODI against Bangladesh had served as inspiration during his century in the third game

Mohammad Isam08-May-2013Zimbabwe opener Vusi Sibanda said that being dropped for the first ODI against Bangladesh had served as inspiration during his century in the third game, one that secured a series victory. Sibanda’s unbeaten 103 helped Zimbabwe chase down the target of 247 in Bulawayo and win the series 2-1.”It [the hundred] means a lot to me,” Sibanda said after the game. “All the hard work that I have put in, it is finally paying off. I was dropped from the team in the first ODI so it wasn’t easy to come back, but I grabbed whatever chance I got. I hope this is the beginning of more hundreds to come. I would continue to work hard on my game.”Sibanda stayed through the entire chase, playing the first and last ball of the innings, forming a succession of substantial partnerships to beat Bangladesh. He added 50-plus stands with Hamilton Masakadza for the first wicket and Sikandar Raza for the second. Then he added 109 for the unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with Sean Williams. Sibanda played second fiddle in all those stands.”Today was a learning curve for me, to keep myself calm and to keep the situation of the game simple. Sean Williams kept knocking it around, which made it easier for me,” Sibanda said. “I just had to support him and the others who batted with me. They did the exact same thing as well.”Sibanda had nervous moments towards the end of the match, when the runs required to win were nearly the same as those needed by him to reach his second one-day hundred. Then the scoreboard said six runs were needed but actually it was one. Williams played out five dot balls to give Sibanda the strike, and he promptly edged the ball past the wicketkeeper to get his century.”Unfortunately the scoreboard was wrong,” Sibanda said. “We thought we had six runs so weren’t under any pressure. But then we found out that only one run was needed. We just stayed calm and I hoped I get a chance to complete the hundred. It worked out well.”Zimbabwe’s captain Brendan Taylor said the victory was a “massive” moment for his team, which won its first international series since August 2011. Since Taylor’s debut in April 2004, Zimbabwe have won three ODI series and a Test series, all against Bangladesh.”I think this is probably our third or fourth series win in Tests and ODIs in the last eight or nine years,” Taylor said. “It is massive for us. It will give the players the self-belief.”I think losing the first game got the best out of us. Our bowlers were different bowlers after that game, putting pressure on the Bangladeshis in the morning period. So the credit goes to our bowlers and the top and middle-order batsmen.”

Gloucestershire’s makeshift attack, led by 18-year-old Craig Miles, took control before a Hampshire fightback

Alex Winter in Bristol08-May-2013
ScorecardCraig Miles took the wickets of George Bailey, James Vince and Sean Ervine in his opening spell•Getty ImagesGloucestershire’s bowling attack is reflected in the state of Nevil Road at the moment – being in a state of repair. Cranes are swinging around the ground and the physiotherapist’s arms are equally as busy in the dressing room. But the bowlers Gloucestershire got on the field proved their worth on the opening day at Bristol.Around £10 million is being spent to upgrade the ground to keep Bristol as an international venue and, while only fractions of that sum are available for the playing staff, they earned every penny with a disciplined bowling display that ran through a far richer Hampshire batting order, save for Jimmy Adams’ loneliest of lone hands.The bowler who enjoyed most success must be one of the lowest paid professional cricketers in the country. Craig Miles, 18, signed a two-year deal last September when Gloucestershire’s financial pressure almost reached breaking point as they tried, and eventually succeeded on appeal, to get their development plans off the ground.Miles has potential to earn a few more quid from the game. He and all of Gloucestershire’s bowlers are capable of moving the ball either in the air or off the pitch but maintaining a consistent line and creating pressure has proved a major difficulty. They have leaked far too many runs too quickly.But here there was control not seen since Jon Lewis left the club two years ago. There were few four balls, they put together successive maidens and created sufficient pressure to force several loose strokes.The opening 10 overs was a textbook period of cricket with the new ball. Overs five, six, seven and eight yielded just one run and with the first ball of the ninth, Michael Roberts, an ersatz Michael Carberry, who is away with England Lions, followed a length ball from Will Gidman that nibbled away. He edged it behind and walked off with 9 on his Championship debut.Liam Dawson was drawn into driving to third slip in Gidman’s next over and a run out chance a delivery later encapsulated the pressure that Gloucestershire had developed.Hampshire bullied Leicestershire and Worcestershire in their opening two games but their mental capacity was found wanting last time out at Chelmsford and here they were guilty of being impatient. George Bailey attempted a second lavish cover drive in three balls and was bowled,Sean Ervine mistimed a drive and chipped to point, Chris Wood popped a catch up to mid-on and Adam Wheater swung across the line to be lbw to Jack Taylor. Indiscipline with the bat it may have been but Gloucestershire deserved much of their success. Miles’ second wicket of his three was a good delivery, nipping back to have James Vince lbw.Miles, born in Swindon, is one of a number of academy products creeping into the first XI out of necessity. A lack of available finance for the playing staff and a bad injury situation has given several Gloucestershire youngsters opportunities that might not have existed five years ago.He was called up last week against Leicestershire as the last fit bowler available. Currently Ian Saxelby, James Fuller, Liam Norwell and Paul Muchall are sidelined. You can therefore imagine the fear of the home supporters when Gidman left the field after tumbling in his follow-through. But it was a precautionary rest, described as an “ankle twinge” which Gloucestershire are not too concerned about.Before his early departure Gidman had bowled a fine opening spell – 8-2-10-2 – which in partnership with David Payne gave very little away. Miles then replaced Gidman to do the majority of the damage before rain, and Adams, prevented Gloucestershire closing out the Hampshire first innings on day one.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has defended his side’s poor use of the DRS on day two in Sydney

Andrew Fernando at the SCG04-Jan-2013Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has defended his side’s poor use of the DRS on day two in Sydney, after they burnt a review in Rangana Herath’s first over, but did not refer an lbw shout that would have been turned in their favour a few overs later.Sri Lanka could have had Michael Clarke out first ball when Herath struck him on the pad with one that pitched outside off stump and straightened, but were unsure if Clarke had inside edged a ball onto his pad. The unsuccessful review had been another lbw chance off David Warner, where the ball was not projected to hit enough of the stumps to overturn the original decision. Clarke went on to make 50.”It was tough for Mahela [Jayawardene],” Ford said. “I think he wanted reviews intact. Having blown one he was reluctant to blow another one unless he was absolutely sure that it was out. I think the captain tries to get as much information as possible from close fielders, like what the height was, and he has to follow his gut feeling.”It all happens quickly and standing in the slips, it’s very hard for Mahela. If they had reviewed that and maybe if one or two chances stuck today, and a couple of things had gone our way, we would have been in a better position. Although we are still in the game, we could have been in a powerful position.”Australia finished 48 runs ahead of Sri Lanka at stumps, with four first-innings wickets still in hand. However the SCG pitch has already shown signs of dryness on day two. With Australia having to bat last, Ford was hopeful a strong second-innings performance might take the visitors close to a maiden win in Australia.”We know we are in the game. We have fought hard and deserve to be in the game, because of the spirit and the fight we’ve shown. We’re well aware that it’s going to be tough from here on, but we certainly haven’t been blown away and we are sitting in a much better position than at the MCG. We will take heart from that. A number of young players have come in and shown that they have the guts and desire to play at this level.”Ford also praised Jayawardene’s knock on day one, which helped set a positive tone for Sri Lanka’s first innings, as their captain collected 72 from 110 balls, hitting 12 fours and a six. Jayawardene had struggled in the first two Tests, in which he made 12, 19, 3 and 0.”It was fantastic to see him go out and play so well. It shows what a fantastic leader he is. He was up for the challenge and went up the order and batted at three. He played superbly and I was hopeful he would get a hundred as this is his last Test match as captain, but I am sure he will have a bigger role to play in the second innings.”

Former Rajasthan fast bowler and selector Shamsher Singh, 40, died of a heart attack on Thursday night

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2013Former Rajasthan fast bowler and selector Shamsher Singh, 40, died of a heart attack on Thursday. Shamsher made his debut for Rajasthan in the 1992-93 season and played his last first-class match in 2002. He took 55 wickets in 33 first-class games and 35 wickets in 26 List A matches, the last of which he played in 2001.Originally from Hisar in Haryana, Shamsher moved to Jaipur as a child, worked hard as a cricketer and never lost his passion. As part of the Rajasthan selection panel for the last few years, Shamsher encouraged the inclusion of youth, as well as talented fast bowlers like Rituraj Singh.He was instrumental in convincing the Rajasthan Cricket Associaton (RCA) to appoint former South Africa fast bowler Meryck Pringle as the fast bowling coach in 2011, when Rajasthan successfully defended their Ranji Trophy title. Shamsher was also the manager of the Rajasthan Royals team that won the IPL in 2008. His last job was as the manager of the Central Zone team in the Deodhar Trophy.Being a former player, Shamsher always empathised with players and coaches and addressed their concerns. For Rituraj, one of Rajasthan’s upcoming fast bowlers, Shamsher was an administrator who always guided a player to be a good sportsperson and human being. Last year, during Rajasthan’s fifth league match in the Ranji Trophy, Rituraj had a Grade 1 tear in his hamstring. Shamsher made sure the youngster’s rehabilitation was well taken care of by the RCA.”He was the first selector who came up to me and spoke genuinely after I had picked up an injury midway against Gujarat. I was not sure if the injury would heal in time for me to bounce back,” Rituraj said.” He told me not to worry and he assured me I would be fit to play the next match. That is the kind of confidence you want a selector to instill in a player.”One of the biggest positives Rituraj, and his fast bowling partner Aniket Choudhary, recount about Shamsher was his constant encouragement to dream big. “He was a good motivator. He was a selector who had a real good knowledge about cricket,” Rituraj said.For Choudhary, Shamsher was , a big brother and mentor. He was one of the last people to speak to Shamsher, over video chat. While Choudhary was struggling and working hard to rise above district-level cricket in Rajasthan, Shamsher fast-tracked his progress into the Ranji squad.”I know him from the last two years. I was a student at his Jaipur Cricket Academy,” Choudhary. “He spotted me once and told me that he would help me work with good coaches like Meyrick Pringle. I cannot thank him enough that he got a former international bowler like Pringle to work hard with me and that helped me make my first-class debut in the Irani Trophy two years back.”My life changed completely after I joined his academy. I always believed I would end up playing Ranji only, but after listening to him I have now grown confident that I can aspire to play for India.”Pringle did not believe the news when the academy officials called him. “I even called his phone and there was no answer,” said Pringle, who spoke to Shamsher on Thursday. “It is incredible.”Pringle, Rituraj and Choudhary were aware Shamsher was excited about his biggest dream: opening a cricket academy in Jaipur, where he had plans to invite the likes of Glenn McGrath to coach youngsters. “He was a guy who was interested in picking guys from out of the blue and helping them aspire to perform for not only the state but also the country,” Rituraj said. “That was his target.”For Pankaj, Shamsher was a forward-thinking administrator. “He wanted to bring the professional culture from overseas to Rajasthan. His academy was part of that project. He wanted us to train with the best coaches, trainers and physios. I don’t know anyone else who can now work as hard as he did and achieve that dream.”Pringle said Shamsher was an “extremely positive guy”. “Whenever he spoke cricket, you wanted to actually listen. What he achieved at the first-class level he wanted to give back to Indian cricket through his academy.”The popularity of Shamsher extended beyond Rajasthan’s Ranji team. “Bobby, as Shamsher was known, played an extremely important role in helping the international and domestic players as our team manager, which paved way for a harmonious team atmoshphere,” Rajasthan Royals’ chief executive Raghu Iyer said. Shamsher is survived by his wife and two young daughters.

Anthony McGrath may have played his last game for Yorkshire but if he does leave the club, he can do so in the knowledge that he has played a big hand in Yorkshire’s promotion

George Dobell at Chelmsford 13-Sep-2012
ScorecardAzeen Rafiq made his second half-century of the match•Getty ImagesIf this game does mark the end of Anthony McGrath’s distinguished career at Yorkshire, he can depart in the knowledge that he played a full part in restoring a great club to a place in the top division of the County Championship. McGrath, who will be 37 and out of contract in a month, began his first-class career in 1995 and is one of just two men in this team who played in the Championship-winning side of 2001.There have been a fair few downs to accompany the ups since then – McGrath has twice experienced relegation as well as those four Test and 14 ODI caps for England – but, if he has played his final first-class innings for the club he has served so well, he leaves with his head held high and knowing that he has helped Yorkshire return, in the words of their captain, “back where we belong”.When McGrath and Azeem Rafiq came to the wicket in the second innings, Yorkshire were in danger of allowing Essex back into this game. At 111 for 6, Yorkshire’s lead was 246 and there was little batting left to come. Adam Lyth, who but for an awful 2011 would surely be streets ahead of Joe Root in the race for an England cap, was unfortunate to have been caught off the full face of the bat at short leg, while Gary Ballance had been brilliantly caught at point attempting to cut the impressively tight off-spin of Tom Westley.But, instead of stumbling with the end in sight, the Yorkshire pair added 110 runs in 41.4 overs to take this game beyond Essex. Negating the increasingly sharp turn of Tom Craddock, who produced some diamonds amid the rust, the pace of Tymal Mills and the perseverance of Graham Napier, who strived in vain for a maiden 10-wicket haul, McGrath and Rafiq demonstrated composure, character and resilience to keep their side’s hopes of winning the Division Two title alive.We should not be surprised. McGrath also played a key role in the victory over Leicestershire – he scored 90 in Yorkshire’s first innings and then took 4 for 21 in Leicestershire’s first innings – and a key role in the victory over Gloucestershire – he finished unbeaten on 76 as Yorkshire chased 314 to win by two wickets. He still pulls with as much assurance as anyone in the county game and, when defending, there are still times when his bat looks as broad as a barn door. If he is not offered a new contract at Yorkshire, there will surely be a few other clubs interested.Rafiq, meanwhile, seems to grow in stature by the day. Having underlined the impression he gave in the first innings – that he has a decent defensive technique and temperament – he also showed a welcome ability to change gear as Yorkshire accelerated towards promotion. He struck four of his last 11 deliveries to the boundary and finished unbeaten on 75. It is perhaps premature talk but he might just be Graeme Swann’s spin-bowling successor in the England team.The Yorkshire declaration left Essex needing 388 to win in a minimum of 107 overs. To put that in perspective, Essex have only scored that many runs in the fourth innings of a first-class game three times in their history and never at home. Bearing in mind the turning pitch and the somewhat uneven bounce, they are most unlikely to change that record on the final day. They lost Tom Westley, caught behind prodding at a good one that left him, and Jaik Mickleburgh, top-edging an ill-advised sweep to Rafiq’s fourth delivery, before stumps.Yorkshire are not guaranteed to top the division even if they win. If Derbyshire defeat Hampshire, the two top sides will be equal on points, but Derbyshire will prevail as they have won more games. The same logic would see Derbyshire prevail in the unlikely event that both sides draw.In truth, Yorkshire would have secured promotion even without McGrath and Rafiq in this game. Kent’s loss to Glamorgan allowed Derbyshire, the surprise package of 2012, and Yorkshire to go into the final day of their games knowing that promotion was secure. For a team that was third and trailing Derbyshire by 30 points with three games to go, it is a fine achievement.Their captain, Andrew Gale, was understandably delighted. But, while saying his team can already compete with anyone, admitted they were in the market for a couple of new players before the start of next season. The fact that they will be playing Division One cricket will do no harm in convincing the likes of James Harris and Jack Brooks to come to Leeds.”It feels like we’re back where we belong,” Gale said. “Last year hurt a lot. Yorkshire are a first division side and a massive club so we didn’t want to play in Division Two. We knew we had the talent and the ability to get straight back up. We want to be competing with the best sides in the country and we’ve given ourselves the chance to do that. Given good weather we would have been up three weeks ago but those are the cards we’ve been dealt and now we’re over the line.”We had everything against us going into the last three games. We’ve won two out of three and we’re in a great position in this one, obviously we want to go up as champions. We have a squad that can go far and compete seriously in Division One. We’re one or two players light at the moment, but I hope we can fix that over the winter.”

Increasingly, it is difficult to dismiss the suspicion that Nottinghamshire’s title challenge is on its last legs and that Warwickshire have one hand on the trophy

Jon Culley at Edgbaston28-Aug-2012Warwickshire 298 for 5 (Westwood 81, Ambrose 64*) v Nottinghamshire
ScorecardPaul Franks claimed three wickets but Warwickshire ended the opening day well placed•Getty ImagesIncreasingly, it is difficult to dismiss the suspicion that Nottinghamshire’s title challenge is on its last legs and that Warwickshire have one hand on the trophy. Quite apart from the knowledge that Chris Read’s team will be shorn of four of their top six batsmen when these sides meet again at Trent Bridge in the last week of the season, it now looks likely that Andre Adams, the bowler on whom so much of their recent success has rested, will be missing too.Adams, who turned 37 last month, was recalled after missing Nottinghamshire’s match against Durham nearly two weeks ago with a calf injury. However, it was clear during his 10-over opening spell that he was not at his best. He bowled two much shorter spells later and by the end of the second of those he was coming in off a shortened run in clear discomfort. He left the field soon afterwards.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, confirmed that Adams was still troubled by the calf problem and that he feared his season was over.”He has been struggling since our game at Taunton three weeks ago and it isn’t getting better,” he said. “It was a bit of a gamble playing him here but it is a game we have to win so we felt we had to take that gamble. Unfortunately he has had a recurrence and I think that may be it for the season for him now.”Nottinghamshire are also without their left-arm quick, Harry Gurney, while Ben Phillips was ruled out of this match when he went down with a ‘flu-like virus overnight. With Samit Patel on England duty, Nottinghamshire are left with Luke Fletcher, Andy Carter and Paul Franks to share the seam-bowling duties, with Graeme White in as specialist spinner.However, though Fletcher and Franks – both keen to impress, for different reasons – performed well, with Adams ineffective they lacked enough armoury to contain Warwickshire’s strong batting line-up.A partnership of 102 between Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke, spanning 30 overs either side of tea against an ageing ball, built on opener Ian Westwood’s valuable 81 to take Warwickshire close to 300 at the close and with Ian Blackwell still to come it would be no surprise on a good pitch if the final total were closer to 400, even if a full quota of batting points might be out of reach.Westwood might have been out twice. He was dropped on 48 low down at first slip by Alex Hales off Fletcher and again on 62 at second slip by Adam Voges off Adams. In matches as critical as this, chances missed are forgiven less easily than ever and Hales, in particular, has not had the surest hands this season.Hales did hold on to one earlier as Fletcher made the first breakthrough by removing Varun Chopra. Fletcher, 23, is a favourite with Nottinghamshire supporters, who always appreciate a trier. A new-ball bowler with natural aggression, he is a broadly built character who plainly does not find it as easy as some to keep off the pounds yet is a handful for most batsmen when he is on song and this was such a day. He finished with 2 for 49 from 25 overs, proving his stamina when he came back for his fourth spell of the day, with the new ball, and almost immediately had Clarke caught behind.Compared with Fletcher, Franks is at the other end of his career. Like Fletcher, he can seldom be faulted for commitment, not least because he is also a Nottinghamshire man and wears his county allegiance on his sleeve. His motivation now is that he would prefer to finish his career there, after 17 seasons as a senior player, rather than move on. Although he has a year left on his contract, he has become peripheral to Nottinghamshire’s plans as they seek to build a new seam attack and he has been told he can speak to other counties.He had taken only seven first-class wickets before this match yet performed impressively, adding three to his score with swinging deliveries. He bowled William Porterfield with one that came back into the left-hander and persuaded another to move enough to trap Westwood leg before, having had Jim Troughton caught behind off an inside edge for 40 the over before.Those wickets threatened momentarily to shift the balance back towards Nottinghamshire. Had Adams been somewhere near his best, it might have been a turning point. As it is, Ambrose, who has hit 11 fours and looked in control, has taken the initiative back and Nottinghamshire’s chances of taking the win they need to stay in contention already look slim.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Asia Cup match between Bangladesh and India, in Mirpur

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo15-Mar-2012Match factsMarch 16, 2012
Start time 1400 (0800 GMT)How many more failures can Sachin Tendulkar afford?•Associated PressBig PictureThe worry for Bangladesh is that a lot of their chief weapons fired in the tournament opener, Pakistan played below par, yet Bangladesh still lost. Their two world-class batsmen – Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan – got half-centuries, their rising star Nasir Hossain made a substantial contribution, and their left-arm spinners were miserly. There was even the bonus of a three-wicket burst from one of their medium-pacers. There is still room for improvement, of course, but Bangladesh’s tendency in recent months has been to underperform rather than exceed expectations, and it is hard not to feel they have already produced their performance of the tournament.India cannot afford to think that way, but even without Virender Sehwag around to call Bangladesh “ordinary”, they will be confident they can handle whatever the home team throws at them. The 2007 World Cup upset apart, India have been dominant against Bangladesh, their batsmen collecting plenty of runs against an attack suited to India’s strengths. The challenge for India, perhaps, will be to put in a tight performance with the ball and in the field, rather than just rely on their batsmen to outscore Bangladesh. They started the Commonwealth Bank series with some impressive performances in the field but a familiar profligacy and sloppiness set in as the tournament progressed. With a long stretch of subcontinent cricket ahead of them, India will be hoping their spinners can start exercising the same sort of control over the opposition as they did in the home series against England and West Indies last year.Form Guide(most recent first)
Bangladesh: LLLLW
India: WWLLLIn the spotlightForget the hundredth hundred, Sachin Tendulkar was not even able to go past 50 in the CB series, and averages 18.62 in eight ODIs this year. That is the kind of poor form that should put any player under pressure to keep his place, even if it is Tendulkar. He did not look too tense at India’s optional training session on Wednesday, but cannot ignore his lean run of form. Weaker opposition and familiar conditions offer perhaps his best opportunity to get a big score. He has never scored an ODI hundred against Bangladesh and will want to change that so he can go in to the high-profile match against Pakistan with some confidence.Mashrafe Mortaza’s four-wicket haul against India in the 2007 World Cup remains one of the most memorable performances by a Bangladesh bowler in an ODI. Unfortunately, Mortaza’s career has not quite followed the trajectory many though it would after that game, with a slew of injuries keeping him out of action for long periods. His latest comeback, at the age of 28, could be one of his last opportunities to contribute to Bangladesh cricket. He started well against Pakistan, giving away just 13 runs in a five-over first spell, but was taken apart by Umar Gul at the death.Pitch and conditionsThe pitches in Mirpur have been better for batting in the evenings, but the first two matches have been won by the team batting first. The slowness of the pitch in the afternoon did have its effect on India’s innings against Sri Lanka, though, with Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli looking to work the ball around rather than score boundaries. The dew in the evening may also affect the Bangladesh spinners, and with India having proved recently that they can chase pretty much anything, MS Dhoni may be tempted to deviate from his bat-first policy.TeamsAfter Ravindra Jadeja’s poor performance in India’s first match, Yusuf Pathan may get an opportunity in the second. India may also consider bringing in Rahul Sharma for either R Vinay Kumar or Praveen Kumar, who were both expensive against Sri Lanka, but Dhoni has always preferred having three medium-pacers in the side. Manoj Tiwary still awaits his opportunity after scoring a century in the last ODI he played for India, but it is hard to see who could replace in the XI. Rohit Sharma did not get an opportunity in the first game, Suresh Raina showed signs of returning to form and Virat Kohli will not want to miss a game being in the form he is in.India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 MS Dhoni, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 R Ashwin, 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Praveen KumarMushfiqur Rahim defended the decision to play just six specialist batsmen against Pakistan, so will probably go in with the same strategy.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Nazimuddin, 2 Tamim Iqbal, 3 Jahurul Islam, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Abdur Razzak, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Shahadat HossainStats and Trivia Virat Kohli averages 152.00 in four ODIs against Bangladesh, with two centuries. He has the opportunity to become the first India batsman, and the fifth overall, to score hundreds in three consecutive ODIs Though MS Dhoni has received criticism for his Test performances, in ODIs, since the World Cup, he averages 99.85 in 16 innings, with nine not outs helping his averageQuotes”The spinners have struggled so far, but they have to try and do a better job. If they’re trying hard, I’m happy.”
“Australian tracks were really good for the seamers because of the extra bounce, but here [in the subcontinent] compared to other countries you have to mix it up more, bowl slower balls and use variations.”
Edited by Tariq Engineer

Not even eight days rest, their best efforts with the bat and Amit Mishra’s three wickets were enough to earn Deccan Chargers a first win in IPL 2012

The Report by Firdose Moonda17-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Brad Hodge’s 48 came at a strike rate of 228.57, and that was perhaps the difference between the two sides•AFPNot even eight days rest, their best efforts with the bat and Amit Mishra’s three wickets were enough to earn Deccan Chargers a first win in IPL 2012. After Kumar Sangakkara and Shikhar Dhawan put on the highest first-wicket partnership of the season, and JP Duminy and Daniel Christian blasted 77 off the last five overs, Chargers piled on a hefty score for Rajasthan Royals to chase, but they were unable to defend it on a flat pitch with small boundaries.Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane did the groundwork and Brad Hodge finished off fiercely. Almost everything Chargers did, Royals did better. Although Dravid and Rahane shared a stand of only 62, compared to Sangakkara and Dhawan’s 94 , the Royals pair scored at a faster rate. They went at 10.62 runs to the over compared to Sangakkara and Dhawan’s 8.81. Chargers had amassed 119 for 2 after 15 overs, Royals had the same score after 13. Duminy’s 58 came at a strike rate of 223.07, Brad Hodge’s 48 came at a strike rate of 228.57, and that was perhaps the difference between the two sides.With a tall task ahead of them, Royals approached it aggressively. Rahul Dravid tore into an out-of-sorts Dale Steyn in the second over, using the pace to club him for three fours. With the in-form Rahane on the other end, Daniel Christian and birthday-boy Anand Rajan also took a pasting and Royals raced to the fastest fifty in this season’s tournament, off 4.5 overs.Dravid seemed set for a much longer stay at the crease but was foxed by a Christian slower ball that was aimed at his legs. He did not get inside the line and the ball cannoned into the pads and onto the stumps. The wicket brought a short-lived calm to the crease as Rahane and Ashok Menaria consolidated.Unlike Chargers, who suffered a lapse in the mid-section of their innings and scored 23 runs between overs 13 and 16, Royals kept their slump to just two overs. The 8th and 9h overs yielded only eight runs in total but Rahane soon had the wheels turning again with a six over long-off after charging down the track to Mishra.Menaria was not expected to bat at No. 3, given the match situation which needed quick runs, but Royals stuck to their original line-up and he did not let them down. He freed his arms and found the boundary and seemed a worthy partner to Rahane until he pulled straight to short midwicket. Rahane holed out two overs later to cause jitters in the Royals camp. Those nerves would have grown when Shah was dropped by Steyn at long-on when he was on 10 and then caught two balls later at deep midwicket.Hodge did not waste time taking over and ensured the advantage was back with Royals when he clubbed Steyn for four consecutive fours. Hodge cut the short ball, turned the full toss to square leg, lofted another short one over third man and carved a half-volley through the covers to ensure Steyn had the most expensive return of the Chargers’ bowlers.With the anxiety shifting to Chargers, they dropped another catch, putting Johan Botha down and found themselves with only 11 to defend off the last over. Dishant Yagnik, little-known on the international stage, was the unlikely hero. Steyn offered him a touch of width and he found the gap on the off side and followed it up by slapping the ball through the covers to hand Royals victory.This is the second match of in the tournament that Chargers have lost from a seemingly winnable position. Last Monday, they let Mumbai Indians canter to a five-wicket win after having them under their thumb at 95 for 4, chasing 139, in the 17th over. Chargers’ three losses keeps them at the bottom of the points table.

A round-up of the first day of the fourth round of Pentangular Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2012On a day dominated by bowlers, Baluchistan were restricted by Federal Areas to 223 for 8 at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Asked to bat, Baluchistan were struggling at 57 for 4 at one stage but recovered thanks to a middle-order fightback. Rehan Rafiq made 67 and was supported by Naved Yasin and Taimur Ali. Wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf was unbeaten on 54 at stumps, having built important stands with Rizwan Haider (27) and Ahmed Raza (13). Seamers Sadaf Hussain and Iftikhar Anjum bagged three wickets each.Seamers Bilawal Bhatti and Asif Raza ran through the Sind batting line-up, giving Punjab the advantage on the first day at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sind will rue the fact that several of their batsmen got starts but were unable to push on. No.3 to No. 10 all got into double-figures but the highest among them was 36 from Khurram Manzoor. Bhatti picked up five wickets, Raza collected four, and Sind were bowled out for 225. Punjab were well placed in their response, their openers adding 59 before the close.