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Sunrisers bested RCB on a night that produced the biggest IPL total and the highest match aggregate in all T20s

Himanshu Agrawal15-Apr-20242:54

How do you bowl to Travis Head in this kind of form?

Sunrisers Hyderabad showed how merciless modern T20 batting can look, obliterating the record they had themselves set earlier this season to post 287 for 3, the highest total in the IPL.Travis Head, who has won Australia the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup final over the last year, sent another warning signal for his opponents ahead of the T20 World Cup. He had scored a 24-ball 62 when Sunrisers made 277 for 3 against Mumbai on March 27; now he belted a career-best 102 off 41 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Related

• Maxwell takes a break to refresh after asking to be rested by RCB

• Shock and awe all around at Head's hair-raising hundred

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• As it happened – SRH, RCB serve up surreal run-fest

• Stats – Sunrisers Hyderabad break their own record for highest-ever IPL total

The big hits were incessant. Head hit eight sixes, and Heinrich Klaasen seven in a 31-ball 67, out of a Sunrisers total of 22 – another IPL record. RCB did their bit too, on a dream day for batters, sending 16 hits soaring over the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s boundaries as they made a superb effort to restrict the damage to their net run rate. They finished on 262 for 7, Dinesh Karthik leading the way with 83 off 35 balls.The match aggregate of 549 runs was the highest in all T20 cricket.Travis Head hit eight sixes out of a Sunrisers total of 22, an IPL record for a team innings•BCCI

Head breaks RCB’s hearts

RCB went into the match without a single frontline spinner. But with two left-handers in Head and Abhishek Sharma opening for Sunrisers, they began with the offspin of batting allrounder Will Jacks. He found turn in the first over, and conceded just seven. His second over was even better, going for just four.And yet, Sunrisers put up 76 in the powerplay, the third time they had gone past 70 during that phase of the innings this season. By then, Head had motored to his half-century off 20 balls. Head hit four sixes across the fifth and sixth overs as RCB debutant Lockie Ferguson went for 18 and then Yash Dayal for 20.Head’s second fifty was even quicker, taking only 19 balls, and the century came up in the 12th over. Ferguson had Head ballooning a catch to mid-off halfway into the 13th, but Klaasen had arrived by then, and SRH already had 165 on the board. That was enough indication of what more was to come on a flat pitch surrounded by small boundaries.

Klaasen continues six fest

Promoted to No. 3 after the openers hammered 108 in 8.1 overs, Klaasen kept Sunrisers’ party going. He managed only three runs from his first five deliveries, but soon got into the six-hitting groove that has made him among the world’s most dangerous T20 hitters. He swung Dayal and Ferguson for sixes over midwicket just before Head was dismissed, and that wicket did nothing to temper Klaasen’s aggression.Dinesh Karthik ensured RCB didn’t suffer too much net-run-rate damage•BCCI

With Head’s dismissal bringing a second right-hander to the crease in Aiden Markram, RCB brought on the left-arm spin of Mahipal Lomror in the 14th over. The match-up didn’t bring any joy, as Klaasen carted him for two sixes.Klaasen hit three more sixes – including a 106m straight hit off Ferguson that sailed over the roof – before being dismissed with three overs remaining, with Sunrisers on 231. The only question then was if they could breach their own record total of 277. Abdul Samad and Markram put all doubts away with stunning cameos, as the last two overs produced 46 runs.

Karthik fights to limit the damage

There was only one way for RCB to bat in their response, and Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis counterattacked their way to 79 in the powerplay, three more than what Sunrisers had managed at that stage. RCB’s opening pair smashed 11 fours and four sixes in that phase alone. Even so, RCB were behind the asking rate, which had now climbed to nearly 15.Sunrisers’ Impact Sub Mayank Markande, who replaced Head at the start of the chase, beat Kohli with a googly just after the powerplay, and that began something of a mini-collapse, as RCB slipped to 122 for 5 by the end of the 10th over, with Pat Cummins striking twice including getting du Plessis for 62.That is when Karthik entered to keep the crowd entertained. He was the dominant partner in a 59-run partnership with Lomror, which briefly stirred hopes of an outlandish finish, as Markande and Jaydev Unadkat leaked 46 across the 13th and 14th overs.A six-run 15th over from Cummins, which also included the wicket of Lomror, effectively ended RCB’s hopes, but Karthik kept going, hitting at least one six ever over until he was dismissed with eight balls remaining. Seven sixes came off his bat including a switch-hit off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but he couldn’t prevent RCB from slumping to a fifth successive loss and remaining rooted to the bottom of the points table.

“That’s an approach that can work if the conditions are really docile like it was in Pakistan”

Firdose Moonda08-Dec-2022Batting in Test cricket is not all fun and games, even if England are making it look that way. That’s the word from returning South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen, who favours a balance of powers in the red-ball game rather than the run-dominant approach England have taken since Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes took over in May.In the Bazball era, England have scored runs quicker than anyone else, at 4.77 to the over, and won seven of the eight Tests they have played. Their most recent triumph over Pakistan in Rawalpindi was built on the back of four first-innings centuries, a brave second-innings declaration and speedy scoring – at 6.50 and 7.36 runs in the two innings – and is being spoken as a victory that could change the way Test cricket is played. But van der Dussen is not that convinced.”If there’s ever a place to play like that it’s probably Pakistan,” he said, quickly remembering that South Africa did not bat like that when they toured there in early 2021. “And then you are going to follow up with a question of why didn’t we play like that when we were there. But if you look at the English side, they have been very vocal in terms of they are going to back their guys, even through a few failures. They are out of the World Test Championship (WTC) for this run so it’s almost a nothing-to-lose type of game that they can play.”Related

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South Africa, on the other hand, are second on the WTC points table and need to win at least one Test on the Australia tour to stay in the final race. While they plan on approaching the series in a similar way to how they have always played – steady with the bat and sensational with the ball – van der Dussen also hopes conditions will support a “good balance between bat and ball,” something South Africa have not had in the WTC cycle so far.They have played on slow surfaces in the West Indies, and seamer-friendly pitches at home, in New Zealand and in England, where they suffered their only series loss. The 2-1 defeat is where van der Dussen believes his point was best proved: England’s ultra-aggressive approach only works if the quick bowlers can’t get into the game.”To an extent, they [the England batters] tried it against us and it didn’t really work, even though we lost the series at the end,” he said. “That’s an approach that can work if the conditions are really docile like it was in Pakistan. As soon as the bowlers are a bit more into it, like we saw at Lord’s, it’s a very fine line between going out and playing aggressively and then getting out, as opposed to being more disciplined.”All that said, van der Dussen conceded that South Africa have not been the model line-up either. With only two centuries in their current WTC campaign and six from their last 19 games, they are lagging behind the other WTC contenders and know that more is expected of them.”We are not looking for excuses. We want to get more hundreds and more partnerships and score a lot more runs individually,” he said. “But if we can bat as a unit, and get our team across the line, that’s the main thing.”Scraping together small individual scores got South Africa a victory at Lord’s but it quickly proved not enough. They were bowled out for under 200 in each of their next four innings in England, where all three Tests in England ended in three days. That spoke as much to the quality of and assistance for the bowlers, as to the weakness in both batting line-ups. There were only two centuries in the series and in the final Test at The Oval, wickets fell every 4.2 overs – more frequently than ever before in a Test match. In the complete opposite to what took place in Pakistan earlier this week, bat dominated ball which is also not exactly what van der Dussen is advocating for. He punts for Test cricket that is “supposed to be a fair battle between bat and ball.”But what about the entertainment value?McCullum and Stokes have taken the approach that more proactive batting will put bums on seats and eyeballs on screens. Asked if he thinks that is the case, van der Dussen stuck to his stoicism.”I prefer the cat and mouse,” he said. “We played against the England Lions in Kent and they played the same way. It was a very flat and tame wicket that they prepared and the guys came out swinging. At the end of the day, you say well played but this is not the Test wickets we are used to. A week later we were at Lord’s and it was going around and the bowlers were much more in the game. That’s where the real quality batters will come to the fore – the guys who are disciplined in that fourth-stump channel, who can judge the length, who can play the short ball – short ball that can actually come up to head height and not just shoulder height. There needs to be some sort of risk element involved in batting.”And he hopes fans will agree. “People like seeing that – a lot of shots and a lot of runs – but the purist and the real Test fan likes it when the balance is even between bat and ball and the bowlers are in the game as much as the batters.”

Durham and Glamorgan to contest most downgraded one-day final in English cricket history

David Hopps18-Aug-2021Durham and Glamorgan contest the most downgraded one-day final in English cricket history when they meet under the Trent Bridge floodlights on Thursday – but Durham’s captain, Scott Borthwick, insists that it remains a prize worthy of a sleepless night or two.For Alex Lees, Durham’s opening batsman, it probably means a more disturbed night than most. With England’s top order in disarray, there are a few noises about England potential again, although the days when a Player of the Match award in a 50-over final could get you on a plane for a winter tour are long gone.With a sizeable chunk of professionals engaged in a Test series against India, or taking part in the inaugural season of the Hundred, county squads have been stretched to the limit. The Royal London Cup, a tournament that in recent years was already playing second fiddle to Finals Day in the Blast, is now further down the food chain.With the play-offs, semi-finals and final all crammed into a six-day period, and the final scheduled for midweek, Trent Bridge will be relieved to be more than half full, and the ECB are already indicating that there could be a return to a weekend final whatever the make-up in the tournament in 2022.This is now a tournament easy to knock, but the county game remains the lifeblood of hundreds of cricket professionals and is cared for by hundreds of thousands of followers. For many – maybe not enough, but many all the same – this final is not just an entertaining day out, but is fought out on their behalf by a club embedded into their lives.Borthwick, who is in his first season as Durham captain, sees a Trent Bridge final as further indication that county cricket’s most northerly outpost is putting troubled financial years behind it and can again become a powerhouse in the professional game.”From the outside it might look like the Hundred has taken the glory and rightly so because that has been an amazing competition and brings money into the game,” Borthwick said. “But every team has taken it seriously and playing in it feels important.”I’m sorry it’s not at Lord’s, it’s like an FA Cup final not being at Wembley, but having said that Trent Bridge is a fantastic ground and to captain the side in a final is a great honour.”Part of our plan at the start of the season was to win a white-ball competition and this was one of them. We just missed out on Division One but we played some outstanding cricket and the belief is coming back. We showed we deserve to be playing proper cricket with the big boys.”It is perhaps no surprise that one of the finalists, Glamorgan, have been raided comparatively lightly by the Hundred; Welsh Fire’s men’s team is most notable for not actually having many Welshmen. Durham have had to make do without a trio of pace bowlers in Ben Raine, Matty Potts and Brydon Carse, as well as their oft-absent England pair, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, although their top order has remained intact and has been a prime reason for their success.Related

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Neil Snowball, the ECB’s MD of county cricket, has called the Thursday final “a one-off” but an awful lot more debate will take place before the latest jumble commonly known as the English cricket season is revealed to the world.Much attention will focus on Durham’s prolific opening pair, Lees and Graham Clark, who can boast the most runs and highest averages in the competition. Lees’ early years at Yorkshire brought praise from that most demanding of judges, especially when it comes to opening batters, Geoffrey Boycott, only for him to lose his way and head further north to Durham. Clark, who like Lees is 28, has had no such England pretensions, but he is enjoying the most successful period of his career.”The way the two of them dovetail is lovely,” Borthwick said. “They have got us off to a fantastic start time and again. Graham has come out and played his shots and gone really hard and Alex has had a strong season.”I think Alex has the ability and mindset to play Test cricket. He is a very strong character. He is a much-improved player over the past couple of years. He is a mature batsman, knows his game and wouldn’t let anybody down. He has turned himself into a very consistent run-scorer in four-day cricket and the white ball as well.”Graham didn’t actually get a big score in the T20, he got us off to flyers. I spoke to him before the competition and wanted him to keep playing the same way but if he got to 20 or 30 to realise he could kick on. His tempo has been brilliant. He has had the ability to make those starts into big scores.”

Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate dropped; David Delany misses out as he continues his recovery after an injury

Matt Roller10-Jul-2020Ireland have left Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate out while naming an expanded 21-man squad for a three-match ODI series against England this month, while David Delany is missing the trip as precaution following an injury.

Ireland squad

Mark Adair, Andy Balbirnie (capt), Curtis Campher, Peter Chase, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Jonathan Garth, Tyrone Kane, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young

Curtis Campher, the South Africa-born allrounder who was awarded an emerging contract earlier this year, has been included in a senior squad for the first time after having represented Ireland A against Namibia in February, while there is another new face in legspinner Jonathan Garth – whose sister Kim quit Irish cricket to take up a contract with Cricket Victoria last month.Ireland will arrive in Southampton on a charter flight from Dublin on July 18, and play an intra-squad warm-up match and a fixture against England Lions before the group is separated into a 14-man squad and seven reserves. They will play three ODIs – the first game in the new ODI Super League – at the Ageas Bowl, before returning to Dublin on August 5.”The selectors were delighted to have been able to meet once more to select a squad for international action. We have lost so much cricket this year, so to have a series – let alone such a major series as this – to look forward to is a great relief for all,” Andrew White, the chair of national men’s selectors, said. “This lack of on-field action since March – and the short lead-in programme to the ODI series – influenced our thinking on the broader squad. However, the unique circumstances of the situation has allowed us to involve more players than we would normally bring on such a tour.”White also said that some players had been selected to “help our batters prepare for the type of opposition we’ll be facing”, which seemed like a nod to Garth’s inclusion. He is one of two legspinners in the wider party alongside allrounder Gareth Delany, while England have also named two in their 24-man training group in Adil Rashid and Matt Parkinson.”The form shown by several players in the Caribbean in January, Wolves tour in February and the Afghan series in March really bolstered their case for selection,” White said. “We’re delighted that our top wicket-taker in 2019, Mark Adair, returns after recovering from ankle surgery, and feel we have the right squad balance for these important fixtures – keeping in mind that they are World Cup qualifiers.”Thompson and Getkate’s exclusions might come as a surprise, not least given that both have central contracts for 2020-21 and that both have been regulars in white-ball squads in recent years.”While a number of players like Stuart Thompson and Shane Getkate are unfortunate to not to be travelling, the experience that will be gained on this trip by a number of the younger players will be invaluable in their development,” White said. “Additionally, David Delany was not considered for selection this time. As a result of his previous surgery, and the subsequent extended lockdown period, we were not fully confident that he has had the time to complete the necessary amount of preparation in order to safely play in these matches.”As well as the task at hand, several Ireland players will hope that strong performances in this series can provide them with a springboard towards contracts for the T20 Blast. Paul Stirling’s overseas deal at Northants is one of only a handful yet to be cancelled in the competition, and ESPNcricinfo understands that some names in this squad have been floated to counties in recent weeks as possible options to replace their bigger overseas names.

The batsman appears to have become the frontrunner to keep wickets should Quinton de Kock pick up a mid-game injury at the World Cup

Liam Brickhill20-Mar-2019The South Africa squad for the World Cup has not been announced yet, but it seems increasingly clear that Quinton de Kock will be South Africa’s only specialist wicketkeeper at the tournament, with David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen around as potential back-ups.Of the two, van der Dussen has kept a few times at the provincial level, but Miller could well be the first choice should someone need to step in mid-game if de Kock picks up an injury. Miller has done the job before, first for KwaZulu-Natal Inland Under-19s and once for Dolphins in a three-day game. He was also the South African team’s keeper at the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes tournament in October 2012.So, it had been a gap of almost seven years when Miller took up the gloves during the second ODI against Sri Lanka at Centurion – de Kock had bruised a finger – and he has been repeatedly field tested in the subsequent games. During the first T20I on Tuesday night, it was Miller who took the field as wicketkeeper, with de Kock fielding at mid off and midwicket. De Kock very nearly taking a catch in the outfield too, and later took back the gloves for the Super Over.While he had previously filled in at the end of games during this series, on Tuesday night Miller was behind the stumps and under pressure from ball one. When ball two, bowled by Dale Steyn, brought an edge and a regulation catch that was safely pouched, a bit of that pressure dissipated. Miller, however, appeared a little surprised and unsure how to celebrate.”I’m not too sure, it’s still a bit unknown to me,” Miller said of his wicketkeeping experience. “I was surprised [by the catch second ball] and I wasn’t sure how to celebrate. I’m just trying to make sure the ball gets in the hands, and I’m trying to be as neat as possible. It’s a good challenge and it’s good fun.”I prepped pretty well to be honest, so it wasn’t shock [to take the catch]. But a lot of excitement, emotion and all that. It’s a new challenge that I’ve been asked to do, that I’m not going to turn down. Quite a relief, and I’m pretty happy with it. [When I threw the ball up to celebrate], the ball didn’t end up in the right place. I wanted it to go straight up, but it ended up behind me. But anyway.”He wasn’t done. In Imran Tahir’s third over – the 13th of the Sri Lankan innings – Miller read a googly that had flummoxed Kamindu Mendis and pulled off a sharp stumping to get rid of Sri Lanka’s top scorer. “I actually prefer standing up than back,” Miller said of keeping to Tahir. “And I’ve played a lot of domestic cricket with him at the Dolphins and obviously numerous years with the Proteas, so I can pick him pretty well. I was very stoked with that. The stumping was a highlight for me.”Kamindu Mendis top-edges a six over wicketkeeper David Miller•Getty Images

Mark Boucher, the former South Africa wicketkeeper and current Titans coach, has worked with Miller at training sessions this season, while de Kock has also helped out wherever possible to get him prepared to keep wicket in a match situation. While he appeared slightly flat-footed at times, Miller’s performance with the gloves was functionally flawless, and the preparation has clearly paid off.”It’s not a natural thing that I’ve done,” Miller said. “I’ve been a keeper in the past, when I was growing up. But it’s not professional cricket. I’m as comfortable as I can feel. But I’ve prepped pretty well. It’s not something that they’ve just decided to stick me in as keeper and I haven’t prepped. I’ve prepped pretty well. And the more I work on it, the more it’s going to feel comfortable.”His captain Faf du Plessis didn’t deny Miller’s nerves ahead of the audition, but praised the stand-in’s ‘perfect day’.”We’re working with Dave behind the scenes to explore that option,” du Plessis said. “He was nervous to do it in a full match, but what a way to start with that nick off Dale, and a perfect day behind the stumps.”When asked whether the trialling of Miller as a wicketkeeper meant he would be the back-up at the World Cup and de Kock would be the only specialist, du Plessis’ response was typically forthright: “Bru, I don’t know. I’m not a selector, I’m not anybody. I’m just a player.”Should de Kock pick up a major injury in England, South Africa would be able to draft in a new wicketkeeper to their squad according to the ICC’s World Cup regulations. But if something were to happen to him during a game, the evidence suggests that Miller would be a more-than-handy back-up.

Dushmantha Chameera blasted out the top order, Akila Dananjaya squeezed through the middle overs, and debutant Shehan Madushanka closed out the tournament with a hat-trick as Sri Lanka defended 221 to win by 79 runs

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated Press

Dushmantha Chameera blasted out the top order, Akila Dananjaya squeezed through the middle overs, and debutant Shehan Madushanka – playing only his seventh senior cricket match – closed out the tournament with a hat-trick. That the Sri Lanka attack had seemed incapable of menace in the first two matches of the series is a distant memory now. Defending 222, the bowlers constricted the Bangladesh chase, dismissed the opposition for 142, and propelled Sri Lanka to their third victory on the trot and the tri-series title.The Bangladesh batting effort was hamstrung by the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, who landed heavily on his bowling hand while fielding in the 42nd over, and sustained an injury that will keep him out of the first Test. The remainder of their batsmen though, did not have the measure of this slowing Mirpur surface. Mahmudullah alone prospered, scoring a valiant 76 while wickets fell around him. His was the last act of the tournament, chipping Madushanka into the hands of extra-cover with Bangladesh needing 80 runs to win.The victory also highlights a potential blind spot in international cricket’s regulations. Chandika Hathurusingha was Bangladesh’s coach only three months ago, and is now with the Sri Lanka side. His knowledge of Bangladesh conditions, and of the opposition, were clearly instrumental to this victory. Perhaps the question ought to be raised whether there must be a cooling-off period before coaches can switch sides.Hathurusingha’s acumen aside, Sri Lanka were animated and energetic during the defence of this score. The fielding was dynamic, with two run-outs – including one from a Thisara Perera direct hit – pulled off. It was Chameera’s bowling, though, that set the tone for Bangladesh’s innings. With the pitch responding to his natural short length, Chameera had Tamim Iqbal top-edge a pull to midwicket before Sabbir Rahman fell in similar fashion a few overs later. In between the wicket-taking balls, there were few loose deliveries. Chameera bowled six overs in his new-ball spell, and conceded only 13.Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim – the two remaining senior batsmen – attempted a recovery from 22 for 3, but the partnership was laboured, and soon the pressure to hit out had built. This was when Dananjaya struck. Having already raised a close lbw shout, he had Mushfiqur top-edge a sweep to short fine leg. Soon after, Mehidy Hasan offered Dananjaya a return catch, when the ball stopped a little on the pitch. With Bangladesh having slipped to 90 for 5 in the 29th over and no batsman but Mahmudullah appearing comfortable on this surface, the hosts were in an increasingly difficult spot.Mahmudullah battled on for a while, hitting two calculated sixes off Dananjaya and one off Suranga Lakmal, but the required rate was now touching seven, and the pressure was too much. Madushanka, who bowled accurately enough and with sharp pace, was the beneficiary of poor lower-order strokes. Mashrafe Mortaza sent a thigh-high full toss into the palms of midwicket, then Rubel Hossain attempted a huge heave first ball only to be bowled. Mahmudullah’s wicket – off the first ball of the next Madushanka over – completed the hat-trick.That Madushanka was played at all was a Hathurusingha move. The bowler, who is of little repute, was handpicked by Hathurusingha ahead of the tour, and deployed in the final, probably as a surprise.Bangladesh will rue their scrambled batting, after their bowlers had been intense through the back end of Sri Lanka’s innings. Rubel Hossain delivered a spate of searing yorkers as he collected figures of 4 for 46. Mustafizur Rahman used his cutters intelligently through the middle overs and collected 2 for 29. They had been outstanding during Sri Lanka’s last 15 overs, in which seven wickets fell for only 64 runs. It was clear at that stage that run-scoring had become tough, but in dismissing Sri Lanka for 221 – the last wicket coming off the final ball of the innings – Bangladesh will have felt they had given their batsmen a good chance.Sri Lanka’s batting was largely laboured, though there was one flash of belligerence near the start of the innings. Perhaps attempting to attack himself into form, Kusal Mendis struck three sixes and a four off successive Mehidy Hasan deliveries, on his way to a nine-ball 28. Sri Lanka’s two senior batsmen – Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal – spent the most time at the crease, scratching away for a combined 173 deliveries to return scores of 56 and 45 respectively. Niroshan Dickwella was the other serious contributor, making 42 off 57 balls, but largely failing to score with the cute behind-the-wicket shots he favours because the ball came so slowly off the pitch.This trophy is Sri Lanka’s first in ODI cricket since November 2016, when they had won a tri-nation series in Zimbabwe. Bangladesh will be bitterly disappointed to miss out on the title, after securing rollicking wins in their first three games.

Glenn Maxwell has been fined by Australia’s team leadership group for his criticism of Matthew Wade

Daniel Brettig03-Dec-2016Australia’s captain Steven Smith has criticised Glenn Maxwell and the team leadership group have fined him an undisclosed amount for comments deemed disrespectful to the team’s gloveman and Victoria captain Matthew Wade.In what Smith clearly hoped would be the end of an unseemly episode that began when ESPNcricinfo reported Maxwell had tried to leave the Bushrangers for New South Wales outside the approved window to do so, he explained that he had told Maxwell and the team as a whole that more respect had to be shown for each other. Smith also declined to confirm whether Maxwell would be playing on Sunday, stating only that he was “available for selection”.”Everyone was disappointed in his comments, I’ve expressed that to him myself and spoke to the team,” Smith said on Saturday ahead of the first Chappell-Hadlee ODI. “One of our values is respect, having respect for your team-mates, your opposition, your fans, your media.”I thought what he said was very disrespectful to a team-mate and his Victorian captain. The leadership group got together and we decided to fine Glenn, we thought that was sufficient punishment, so we’ve gone down that path. I was disappointed with the comments that he made.”Maxwell had stated that it was “painful” batting behind Wade in the Victorian Shield batting order, among sundry other comments about his uncertain role in the state team and his ambitions to return to the Test team. “Wadey was pretty disappointed as well like all the other players,” Smith said. “I talk about a respect for your team-mates and particularly the captain of your state, and he was disappointed.”[Maxwell] was a little bit shattered with what he said. I don’t think he thought the words came out the way they actually did, but we’ve moved on from that now, we’ve fined him and expressed our disappointment, but moving on and trying to focus on this game tomorrow.”Smith is believed to have been one of the players Maxwell canvassed about moving to NSW during the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour earlier in the year, but he was not interested in re-opening the discussion on Saturday. “I’m not really concerned with that right now,” Smith said. “It’s about getting through this season, and if things happen like that at the end of the season we’ll deal with that then.”Maxwell’s sanction did not meet with universal approval. Notably he was supported in his words by Mitchell Johnson, who has been a critic of punitive action against players since he was one of the four players suspended from a Test match in India three years ago – something the coach Darren Lehmann also criticised at the time.
Turning his attention to New Zealand, Smith said the combination of cagey experience and pace-filled youth in the visitors’ bowling line-up would have to be watched closely. “They’ve got some quality players in their line-up, a lot of the time they bat around Kane Williamson, he’s the glue in their middle order,” he said.”They’ve got some dangerous players up top in Guptill or Latham if he plays up top. They’ve got some experience in their bowling line-up in Southee and Boult and some pace in this young fella I’ve heard about, Ferguson. They’re a quality team and we’re going to have to be at our best.”One figure Smith is eager to command once more is the fast man Pat Cummins, making his latest return to the team amid a string of injuries. “He bowled pretty quick in the nets yesterday, he bowled beautifully in the Matador Cup at the start of the season, and he’s got that x-factor about him,” Smith said. “He bowls with great pace and good aggression and I think he’ll complement the other quicks really well and hopefully have an impact in this series.”

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan’s scheduled meeting with BCCI president Shashank Manohar had to be deferred following protests at the BCCI office by the Shiv Sena

Amol Karhadkar19-Oct-20151:02

IPL chairman condemns Shiv Sena protest

A protest by the Shiv Sena, a regional political party, has muddled the fate of discussions between the BCCI and the PCB over the proposed India-Pakistan series in December.On Monday, talks between PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and BCCI president Shashank Manohar were deferred after 50 workers from the Shiv Sena stormed the BCCI office in Mumbai, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and demanding that the BCCI cancel the series.Neither Manohar nor Khan spoke with the media after the Shiv Sena protests. But conflicting statements came out of the BCCI. While the IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said the meeting would be held in Delhi on Tuesday, the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said there would be no official meeting.”The talks have not been called off,” Shukla told . “Mr Manohar and Mr Khan will speak to each other in evening today and tomorrow they are coming to Delhi for another round of talks. “In no way the dialogue will be stopped. BCCI has never compromised with national interests.”Thakur, however, contradicted Shukla a few hours later.”Officially there is no meeting scheduled in New Delhi,” he told reporters in Delhi. “If the talks happen, they will take place in Mumbai at BCCI headquarters. The BCCI and PCB have some outstanding issues. The PCB chief wanted to meet the Board president to discuss those things but those have been cancelled now.”Manohar is supposed to be in Pune for a family function on Tuesday.The protest occurred soon after Manohar reached the BCCI office on Monday. Shaharyar, along with Najam Sethi, the head of the PCB’s executive committee, were advised not to leave their south Mumbai hotel, which is a five-minute drive from the BCCI headquarters. They were supposed to meet Manohar there to discuss the possibility of India’s scheduled series against Pakistan in December.Later in the afternoon, the PCB delegation headed to the airport to leave for Delhi amidst heavy police security. Minutes after their departure for the airport, Manohar left the BCCI office and reached the same hotel, where he had also been staying.The Shiv Sena has also threatened to stop the Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar from officiating in the fifth and final ODI between India and South Africa to be played in Mumbai on Sunday.The party has a history of anti-Pakistan protests. In 1999, it dug up the pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi before the start of the India-Pakistan series, and in 2006 threatened to disrupt Pakistan’s Champions Trophy matches in Jaipur and Mohali.In April this year, Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam’s concert in Pune had to be called off in the wake of such protests, and singer Ghulam Ali’s concert, scheduled to be held in Mumbai on October 9, was also cancelled after party workers threatened to disrupt it.Last week, Shiv Sena activists smeared columnist and writer Sudheendra Kulkarni with black ink, during an event he had organised to launch a book written by the former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

The full statement made by Mervyn Westfield after reluctantly agreeing to give evidence in an ECB hearing called to consider Danish Kaneria’s appeal against his ban for match-fixing

22-Apr-2013The following statement I ask my barrister Yasin Patel to make on my behalf.I, Mervyn Westfield, in February 2012, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court and was soon after, sentenced to four months imprisonment. It is in relation to the facts of those proceedings that I have been forced to attend here today.The Hearing taking place today is in relation to an appeal brought by Danesh Kaneria against the English Cricket Board to overturn the ban imposed by them.My presence here today is the third time that my help and assistance has been sought in order to assist the English Cricket Board. I have made it abundantly clear to the ECB that I have no desire to participate in this hearing or to provide any further evidence to that which I had previously done in June 2012.The ECB have this time decided to take the hostile route in seeking the help of a High Court Judge who has signed a court summons in order to secure my attendance. As I understand, by not attending today, the ECB would return to the High Court and a warrant for my arrest would be requested. I am not sure what the ECB are hoping to gain by these actions.I have heard that Essex County Cricket Club, together with the English Cricket Board and the Professional Cricketers Association were fully aware of the situation I was falling into but stood back until my involvement reached the point of my guilty conviction. No-one wished to protect me at any stage. Where was their duty of care to me as a member of their staff?I am here today not because of the summons, nor because of any other party. My family have stood by me throughout the torture I have been made to live with this. No one else has given me any support despite all the promises a year ago. I am here to bring to an end the pain and suffering that I am forced to continuously suffer and in the hope that after today my family and I will never be subjected to the humiliation and hurt we have gone through in the last three years.

Jamaica and Barbados will contest the final of the Regional Four-Day Competition after winning their semi-finals by large margins

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2012Jamaica entered the finals of the Regional Four-Day Competition by beating Guyana by 133 runs in three days at Sabina Park. They took control of the game after the first day, on which they were dismissed for 196 after choosing to bat. Donovan Pagon and Tamar Lambert scored half-centuries but Jamaica collapsed from 131 for 3, losing seven wickets for 65 runs. Three Guyana spinners – Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Narsingh Deonarine – took three wickets each.Guyana, however, were shot out for 126 in their first innings, conceding a lead of 70. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, unbeaten on 47, was the only batsman to pass 20. Nikita Miller claimed 3 for 16 for Jamaica, while David Bernard took 3 for 35. Jamaica could not improve on their first-innings performance in their second, though, getting dismissed for 189. Bishoo took 5 for 62, and Permaul added three more to his match haul. Xavier Marshall top scored for Jamaica this time with 59. Their lead, however, ensured Guyana would have to make the highest total of the match to reach the finals.Chasing 260, Guyana were dismissed for 126 once again. Miller took 4 for 28, and Odean Brown had figures of 3 for 42 for Jamaica, ensuring the match did not enter the fourth day.Sulieman Benn took 9 for 63 in the match to help bowl Barbados into the final with a 227-run victory against Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval. Having chosen to bat, Barbados made only 223 in the first innings. Most of the top-order batsmen got starts but nobody carried on, and Jonathan Carter’s 47 was the top score. Ravi Rampaul and Kavesh Kantasingh took four wickets each for T&T.The Barbados bowlers, however, gave their side a huge lead by dismissing T&T for 84. Benn bowled with the new ball and took 5 for 28, while Carlos Brathwaite had figures of 4 for 12. T&T were 63 for 3 at one stage and then lost seven wickets for 21 runs.Barbados made 216 in their second innings, setting a target of 356. Carter once again top scored with 52, and Brathwaite followed his success with the ball by making an unbeaten 45. Shannon Gabriel was T&T’s best bowler, taking 5 for 78.The target was always likely to be out of T&T’s reach and they fell massively short. They collapsed once again, from 79 for 2, and were dismissed for 128. Benn took 4 for 35 in this innings; Javon Scantlebury-Searles contributed 3 for 22.