Tuesday, November 12, 2013

New Zealand Beat Sri Lanka by 4 Wickets After Getting White Wash Against Bangladesh

New Zealand 203 for 6 (Latham 86, Ronchi 49) beat Sri Lanka 138 for 1 (Sangakkara 71*, Dilshan 55*) by four wickets (D/L method)

 Before this match, Tom Latham had boasted that even this depleted New Zealand side backed themselves to chase tall scores against Sri Lanka. Striking a scintillating 86 off 68 deliveries, Latham proved that threat was not just bluster, as he carried the visitors most of the distance of their 8.6-an-over, rain-shortened chase before an ebullient Nathan McCullum pulled the match from the brink again - hitting the required 20 off the final over - to propel New Zealand over the target of 198 off the last ball. Along the way, Luke Ronchi hit his best score for New Zealand, making 49 in the belligerent 93-run partnership that resurrected the innings, after four wickets had fallen early.

The match had earlier been interrupted for five-and-a-half hours by rain and lightning, as Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan progressed effortlessly to a 126-run unbroken second-wicket stand. But, despite reaching a fine total, and a brilliant opening burst from Nuwan Kulasekara, Sri Lanka's bowlers could not contend with a wet ball or the battling opposition batsmen.

The chase took two major twists in the final overs, as Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, gambled bravely but lost out backing Rangana Herath to hold his nerve. Latham and Ronchi had smote 69 between the 15th and 19th overs and had brought the required figure to a manageable 41 from four overs, sparking Mathews' risky play. His two ace bowlers, Lasith Malinga and Kulasekara, had three overs left to bowl between them, and he called for them immediately, tasting great success at first. Malinga's fourth over - the 20th of the match - cost only four, before Kulasekara removed both Latham and Ronchi in the 21st, seemingly swinging the match definitively in Sri Lanka's favour.

But Mathews did not bank on McCullum hitting out so cleanly. With 24 needed off the last seven balls, he smashed Malinga back over his head to bring the equation to 20 off the last over. When McCullum came on strike against Herath, New Zealand needed 17 off four deliveries. He backed away to hammer the bowler over the deep cover boundary first up, then beat the field with a similar ball, bringing the target to seven runs from two balls. A second back-away six, this time over long off tied the scores, before a battered Herath delivered a knee-high full toss for McCullum to launch over long on off the last ball. At the end of the match, McCullum had walloped 32 from 9.

Earlier, Latham batted with intensity and purpose from the outset, and even early on, there was no doubting his touch. Kulasekara had earned two wickets at the other end with balls that swerved late in the air, then darted in at occasionally unplayable angles, but when he swung it big into Latham in the fourth over, the batsman strode into a commanding cover drive.

New Zealand were short on the belligerence that would truly have seen them set the chase on course during the mandatory five-over Powerplay, but Latham shifted gears - most notably hitting Tillakaratne Dilshan for three consecutive boundaries in the eighth over - and soon found equally full of self-belief in Ronchi.

The pair found boundaries all around the ground during their five-over dash between the 15th and 19th overs, while Mathews continued to change the field, searching desperately for the right hole to plug. However, like a game of Whac-A-Mole, every time he moved a fielder, the batsmen would contrive a stroke in the newly vacant direction. The disadvantage for Sri Lanka's bowlers was double: the wet ball not only slipped from their hands, the field had become much quicker after the break, thanks to the lubricating layer of rain.

Sri Lanka would feel they could have done little better with the bat, given they only lost one wicket in their innings, as Sangakkara and Dilshan reached their second century stand in as many matches. No ODI pair has made more runs together in the last two years, and following their association in Hambantota, their last five partnerships are worth 542 runs.

Dilshan played and missed a few in the opening overs, but New Zealand could do little to trouble either batsman after that. The pair have now become so accustomed to the cadence of the other's batting, that each seems instinctively aware of when to lionise the strike and when to surrender it. The visitors' attack exerted so little pressure in this match however, perhaps those sorts of decisions didn't even need to be made.

Sangakkara proved once again in superior touch, as he aggressively hit out in the 14 balls Sri Lanka were allotted after the rain break, primarily through his new-fangled lap-scoop over short fine leg. He breezed to an unbeaten 71 from 59 by the innings' close as Dilshan hit 55 not out from 72 balls.

Before the series, Sri Lanka's chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya had suggested New Zealand should not have devalued the series by sending a second-string outfit, but both he and the hosts' management will now be concerned with how to salvage respectability, and they will hope that the rains allow a match in Dambulla.

Courtesy:  Andrew Fidel Fernando

News Source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-new-zealand-2013-14/content/current/story/687743.html

Ashes 2013-14: Kevin Pietersen fit for final England warm-up

 Kevin Pietersen will play in England's final Ashes warm-up match in Australia after recovering from a knee injury.

Pietersen needed a cortisone injection after feeling pain in his problematic right knee against Australia A.

Pace bowlers Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin and Chris Tremlett are all included in England's 12-man squad to face an Australia Invitational XI in Sydney.

James Anderson has been rested, while Jonny Bairstow will deputise for injured wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

The four-day match begins at 23:30 GMT on Wednesday.

 After heavy rain prevented England from practising outdoors at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Pietersen batted in the indoor nets on Wednesday without showing any discomfort from his troublesome right knee.

The Surrey right-hander, who is set to play his 100th Test at the Gabba in Brisbane from 21 November, was sidelined for three months earlier this year with deep bruising around the bone.

Finn and Tremlett are expected to be picked ahead of Boyd Rankin in a three-man seam attack containing Stuart Broad.

Finn recorded match figures of 3-176 in the draw with a Western Australia Chairman's XI Perth, but did not feature in England's rain-affected draw with Australia A in Hobart.

He is hoping that the Sydney weather improves so he can stake a claim for an Ashes place.

"We're not too downhearted about it, and I'm sure - if the weather's nice for these four days - we'll be able to get out there and set our standards high," said Finn.

"Obviously, if I play this game, I need to give as good an account of myself as I can - so that I can try to put myself in contention for the first Test match."

Much of the attention in England's final match will focus on Bairstow, who stands to deputise for Prior if the regular's keeper calf tear rules him out of the opening Test.

Bairstow keeps wicket for Yorkshire but has only taken the role once for England - in a Twenty20 international in October 2012.

Meanwhile, Bairstow's Yorkshire team-mate Gary Ballance looks to have missed his chance of making his Test debut in Brisbane after he was left out of the squad in Sydney.

Michael Carberry will be given another chance to cement his position at the top of the order following his unbeaten 153 in Hobart, with Joe Root likely to bat at number six.

England (v Australia Invitational XI in Sydney, from): AN Cook (Captain), MA Carberry, IJL Trott, IR Bell, KP Pietersen, JE Root, JM Bairstow (wkt), SCJ Broad, GP Swann, ST Finn, CT Tremlett, WB Rankin.

News Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/24909402

Monday, November 11, 2013

De Villiers, pacers secure 4-1 victory for South Africa

South Africa 268 for 7 (de Villiers 115*, Ajmal 3-45) beat Pakistan 151 (Maqsood 53, Parnell 3-36) by 117 runs.

became the fastest South African to 6000 ODI runs, scored the century that formed the backbone of their innings and led South Africa to a 4-1 series win over Pakistan. South Africa had lost to Sri Lanka by the same margin in August this year, and the side has since made noticeable improvements, particularly in the batting department.

Although not yet the finished product, their line-up is showing signs of maturity and responsibility, characterised by de Villiers' knock - a well-paced innings of two halves in which he was willing to do the hard work to find fluency on a difficult batting surface.

His first fifty was circumspect, coming off 70 balls with a single boundary - a big six to bring up the landmark. That was the indication of de Villiers' readiness to change gears. His next fifty was blasted off 29 balls.

The 83-run sixth-wicket stand de Villiers shared with Ryan McLaren took the innings from ordinary to outstanding. With 114 runs added in the last 10 overs, de Villiers ensured South Africa's new-look attack, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir rested, would not be under much pressure. Instead, it was the Pakistan line-up who faced that burden and, once again, they could not stand up to the challenge in a series where the team batting second has not won a single game.

South Africa wanted to set right their last batting performance in Sharjah, in the first ODI, when they were dismissed for 183 but they started off shakily. Mohammad Irfan accounted for Hashim Amla in the first over when he hit the opener on the front pad. Amla considered a review but erroneously decided against it. Replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump. That made it the fifth time Irfan accounted for Amla's wicket in eight ODIs - the most number of times a bowler has dismissed Amla.


Courtesy: Firdose Moonda, ESPN

News Source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan-v-south-africa-2013-14/content/current/story/687541.html

Sunday, October 27, 2013

ICC T20 World Cup Fixtures, 2013

Men’s

First Round – Groups
Group A – Bangladesh, Qualifier, Qualifier, Qualifier
Group B – Zimbabwe, Qualifier, Qualifier, Qualifier

Super 10 (S10) Groups (Based on teams’ rankings on the Reliance ICC T20I Team Rankings as on 8 October 2012)

Group 1 – Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Group B Qualifier 1 (Q1B)
Group 2 – West Indies, India, Pakistan, Australia, Group A Qualifier 1 (Q1A)

Fixtures
Sun 16 Mar – Bangladesh v Qualifier Group A (1530-1830), Mirpur
Sun 16 Mar – Qualifier Group A v Qualifier Group A (1930-2230), Chittagong
Mon 17 Mar – Qualifier Group B v Zimbabwe, (1530-1830), Sylhet
Mon 17 Mar – Qualifier Group B v Qualifier Group B (1930-2230), Sylhet
Tues 18 Mar – Qualifier Group A v Qualifier Group A (1530-1830), Chittagong
Tues 18 Mar – Bangladesh v Qualifier Group A (1930-2230), Chittagong
Wed 19 Mar – Zimbabwe v Qualifier Group B (1530-1830), Sylhet
Wed 19 Mar – Qualifier Group B v Qualifier Group B (1930-2230), Sylhet
Thurs 20 Mar – Qualifier Group A v Qualifier Group A (1530-1830), Chittagong
Thurs 20 Mar – Bangladesh v Qualifier Group A (1930-2230), Chittagong
Fri 21 Mar – Zimbabwe v Qualifier Group B (1130-1430), Sylhet
Fri 21 Mar – Qualifier Group B v Qualifier Group B (1530-1830), Sylhet
Fri 21 Mar – India v Pakistan (1930-2230), Mirpur
Sat 22 Mar – Sri Lanka v South Africa (1530-1830), Chittagong
Sat 22 Mar – England v New Zealand (1930-2230), Chittagong
Sun 23 Mar – Pakistan v Australia (1530-1830), Mirpur
Sun 23 Mar – West Indies v India (1930-2230), Mirpur
Mon 24 Mar – New Zealand v South Africa (1530-1830), Chittagong
Mon 24 Mar – Sri Lanka v Q1B (1930-2230), Chittagong
Tues 25 Mar – Q1A v West Indies (1930-2230), Mirpur
Thurs 27 Mar – South Africa v Q1B (1530-1830), Chittagong
Thurs 27 Mar – England v Sri Lanka (1930-2230), Chittagong
Fri 28 Mar – West Indies v Australia (1530-1830), Mirpur
Fri 28 Mar – Q1A v India (1930-2230), Mirpur
Sat 29 Mar – New Zealand v Q1B (1530-1830), Chittagong
Sat 29 Mar – England v South Africa (1930-2230), Chittagong
Sun 30 Mar – Pakistan v Q1A (1530-1830), Mirpur
Sun 30 Mar – India v Australia (1930-2230), Mirpur
Mon 31 Mar – England v Q1B (1530-1830), Chittagong
Mon 31 Mar – Sri Lanka v New Zealand (1930-2230), Chittagong
Tues 1 Apr – Q1A v Australia (1530-1830), Mirpur
Tues 1 Apr – West Indies v Pakistan (1930-2230), Mirpur
Thurs 3 Apr – Women’s semi-final A1 v B2 (1430-1730), Mirpur
Thurs 3 Apr – Men’s semi-final S10 Group 1 First v S10 Group 2 Second (1900-2200), Mirpur
Fri 4 Apr – Women’s semi-final A2 v B1 (1430-1730), Mirpur
Fri 4 Apr – Men’s semi-final S10 Group 1 Second v S10 Group 2 First (1900-2200), Mirpur
Sun 6 Apr – Women’s final (1430-1730), Mirpur
Sun 6 Apr – Men’s final (1900-2200), Mirpur
Mon 7 Apr – Reserve day

Women’s

Groups

Group A – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Ireland
Group B – England, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Fixtures

Sun 23 Mar – Australia v New Zealand (1530-1830), Sylhet
Sun 23 Mar – South Africa v Pakistan (1930-2230), Sylhet
Mon 24 Mar – England v West Indies (1530-1830), Sylhet
Mon 24 Mar – India v Sri Lanka (1930-2230), Sylhet
Tues 25 Mar – New Zealand v Ireland (1530-1830), Sylhet
Tues 25 Mar – Australia v South Africa (1930-2230), Sylhet
Wed 26 Mar – West Indies v Bangladesh (1530-1830), Sylhet
Wed 26 Mar – England v India (1930-2230), Sylhet
Thurs 27 Mar – Australia v Ireland (1530-1830), Sylhet
Thurs 27 Mar – New Zealand v Pakistan (1930-2230), Sylhet
Fri 28 Mar – England v Bangladesh (1530-1830), Sylhet
Fri 28 Mar – West Indies v Sri Lanka (1930-2230), Sylhet
Sat 29 Mar – South Africa v Ireland (1530-1830), Sylhet
Sat 29 Mar – Australia v Pakistan (1930-2230), Sylhet
Sun 30 Mar – India v Bangladesh (1530-1830), Sylhet
Sun 30 Mar – England v Sri Lanka (1930-2230), Sylhet
Mon 31 Mar – Pakistan v Ireland (1530-1830), Sylhet
Mon 31 Mar – New Zealand v South Africa (1930-2230), Sylhet
Tues 1 Apr – Sri Lanka v Bangladesh (1530-1830), Sylhet
Tues 1 Apr – West Indies v India (1930-2230), Sylhet
Wed 2 Apr – WT20 2016 Qualification Play-Off – A3 v B4 (1530-1830), Sylhet
Wed 2 Apr – WT20 2016 Qualification Play-Off – A4 v B3 (1930-2230), Sylhet

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

India Cricket Board confirms two Tests, three ODIs in South Africa

India's tour of South Africa later this year has been confirmed by the BCCI, which on Tuesday announced a series of two Tests and three ODIs. The dates and venues for the matches, however, are yet to be announced.*

Responding to the BCCI statement, Cricket South Africa said that the venues were being worked out. "Since the confirmation about the fixtures only came this morning, the cricket ops team will work on this now. At this stage we can't put a date to when the fixtures will be confirmed, but will advise as soon as that process is complete."

The tour's confirmation came after an assurance from CSA that it would suspend its CEO, Haroon Lorgat, from dealing with matters related to India and the ICC pending an inquiry by the world body into allegations against him. The allegations relate to Lorgat's role in the statement issued by David Becker, formerly the ICC's legal head, that the BCCI's flouting of the FTP could have legal implications. In his statement, released to the media last week, Becker had said it was "improper" to allow a member body to "blatantly disregard an ICC resolution".


News Source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2013-14/content/current/story/681123.html