All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard

Saurashtra’s new-ball bowlers Sandeep Jobanputra and Sandip Maniar were the stars with the ball as Uttar Pradesh were bundled for 188, but by stumps, one of them was batting and the other – the last man – was padded up, as UP had Saurashtra tottering at 116 for 8.On a day when eighteen wickets fell – including four occasions when two fell in the same over – Saurashtra will rue letting UP recover after having them at 69 for 7.Saurashtra’s decision to field seemed to have paid off, with Maniar using the early morning freshness and the life in the wicket intelligently. He struck with the first ball he bowled, as Rohit Prakash opened the face and edged to wicketkeeper Sagar Jogiyani. A loose drive from Suresh Raina resulted in another edge to Jogiyani, before Amir Khan, playing in the absence of Tanmay Srivastava, was done in by one that pitched on the stumps and moved away. The first three dismissals had all come in similar fashion – caught Jogiyani bowled Maniar – as UP were reeling at 15 for 3.Mohammad Kaif and Ravikant Shukla then put together a sensible partnership, lifting the total to 69 in quick time. Kaif got a reprieve on 20 when he drove uppishly to wide mid-on; Rakesh Dhurv was late in moving and only got his fingertips to the ball. Shukla scored 29 off 28 balls with six cleanly struck boundaries, before he was out shouldering arms to Jobanputra off the first over after drinks.Piyush Chawla, promoted to No. 6, was caught on the crease to his first ball and Rahat Elahi didn’t stay long, edging a widish delivery off Maniar to Jogiyani. Praveen Kumar hit two fours before missing one from Kanaiya Vaghela as UP were reduced to 110 for 7 five minutes before lunch.The Moti Bagh wicket has a reputation for assisting the bowlers in the first and third sessions, and the first day’s play followed the script, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing his third first-class match, hung around with Kaif after lunch. He stuck to his task of playing second fiddle to Kaif: his first run came off the 17th ball he faced, the second off 29th, and the third from the 38th. The two put together 28 runs as Saurashtra let the game drift, allowing Kaif to take singles even off the fifth or sixth ball of the over.Kaif top scored with 80, and the lack of a third seamer hurt Saurashtra as Jobanputra and Maniar operated for the majority of the innings. Kaif, the UP captain, finally fell to a good diving catch by Jaydev Shah, his Saurashtra counterpart. They were lucky to nail him immediately after he had been reprieved: off the previous ball, Firoze Bhambhania had spilled a chance at mid-off off Maniar. The eighth-wicket partnership cost Saurashtra 49 crucial runs, with Bhuvneshwar contributing 14. UP were finally dismissed for 188, with Bhuvneshwar unbeaten on 33. Maniar took 6 for 88 and Jobanputra 3 for 60.Saurashtra were on top after bowling out UP for a low score, but it was now their turn to struggle with the bat. Praveen and Sudeep Tyagi took three wickets each while Bhuvneshwar took two. Praveen struck first in the third over, when Kanaiya Vaghela edged one which moved away.Shitanshu Kotak, who had batted for 796 minutes without getting out against Mumbai in the previous match, spent only two minutes and two balls in the middle this time. He was superbly set up by Praveen: the first ball moved away, and Kotak let it pass, but the next one straightened and trapped him plumb in front. Sudeep Tyagi then scalped the big wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara, who played on to one that was quicker and rose more than expected. Saurashtra were reeling at 7 for 3.Shah, who in a surprise move opened the innings and was the best batsman of the day, then began to rebuild the innings. He played with soft hands, and didn’t miss out on any scoring opportunity.With Jogiyani, Shah added 31 for the fourth wicket before Praveen struck again as Jogiyani missed an offcutter. Shah dominated another brief partnership but Bhuvneshwar took two in two to pull Saurashtra down again. Soon after Shah reached his half-century, Mohammad Kaif brought Tyagi back into the attack and he delivered, removing Shah and Kamlesh Makvana off successive balls. Jobanputra survived the hat-trick and hit a few lusty blows in an unbroken 29-run ninth-wicket stand with Dhurv, who was not out on 21 at the close.

Points TableDelhi 251 and 222 for 2 (Gambhir 126, Chopra 62*) beat Bengal 240 and 232 (Dasgupta 56, Shukla 51, Bhandari 5-61, Kunal 4-72) by 8 wickets
Scorecard
Amit Bhandari and Gautam Gambhir combined to power Delhi to a superb win against Bengal at the Eden Gardens. Bhandari took 5 for 61 as Bengal, resuming at a comfortable 190 for 3, were shot out for 232, losing seven wickets in just 11.3 overs this morning. Delhi then raced to their target of 222 in less than 50 overs, with Gambhir, coming in at No. 3, blasting 126 off just 111 balls with 20 fours and a six. Aakash Chopra played the sheet-anchor’s role to perfection, scoring an unbeaten 62 and adding 170 for the second wicket with Gambhir. With this win, Delhi moved to second in Group A and significantly increased their chances of making it to the last four, while Bengal slumped to last place and were in danger of relegation.Mumbai 292 and 264 for 8 dec beat Karnataka 166 and 185 (Joshi 45*, Powar 5-84) by 205 runs
Scorecard
Mumbai further consolidated their position at the top of Group A, beating Karnataka by a convincing 205-run margin at the Wankhede Stadium to register their fourth win in six games. Requiring an improbable 391 for victory after Mumbai declared at their overnight total of 264 for 8, Karnataka lost wickets at regular intervals and never had a chance. Sunil Joshi, Karnataka’s most successful bowler with nine wickets in the match, made a defiant unbeaten 45, but the rest of the batsmen crumbled against Mumbai’s spin duo of Ramesh Powar and Nilesh Kulkarni. Powar took five for 84 to add to the four wickets he took in the first innings, while Kulkarni’s three wickets gave him a match haul of eight.Uttar Pradesh 282 and 234 for 5 (Shamshad 78, Yadav 50) beat Maharashtra 394 and 119 by 5 wickets
Scorecard
Rizwan Shamshad and Jyoti Prakash Yadav led Uttar Pradesh as they completed a superb come-from-behind win at Karad. Trailing by 112 runs in the first innings, UP bundled Maharashtra out for 119 in the second innings, and then confidently achieved the victory target of 232, losing only five wickets. Shamshad made 78 and Yadav struck 50, but the crucial partnership came between Shamshad and Anurag Shukla. The two added 114 for the fourth wicket, taking UP from a wobbly 92 for 3 to a safe 206 for 4. From there, it was a canter.Railways 263 and 270 for 4 dec (Pagnis 145, Bangar 51) beat Andhra Pradesh 202 and 198 (Varma 50, Jai P Yadav 4-38) by 133 runs
Scorecard
Railways won their first Ranji game of the season, beating Andhra Pradesh by 133 runs at Anantapur. Amit Pagnis powered Railways’ second innings with a 175-ball 145, which allowed them to declare on 270 for 4 and give their bowlers enough time to take ten wickets. They managed that, thanks to Jai P Yadav, who took 4 for 38 as AP were bowled out for just 198. The win lifted Railways to fourth in Group A, while AP slid to sixth spot.Gujarat 353 and 124 for 1 (Joshipura 68*) drew with Madhya Pradesh 280 (Tomar 55*, Makda 5-69)
Scorecard
Gujarat took the first-innings points after their match against Madhya Pradesh ended in a tame draw at Ahmedabad. Resuming at their overnight total of 242 for 7, MP were bowled out for 280, 73 short of Gujarat’s first-innings total. A Makda and Hitesh Majumdar shared nine wickets, with Makda taking a five-for. For MP, B Tomar battled bravely to score an unbeaten 55. With nothing at stake once the first-innings lead had been obtained, Gujarat eased to 124 for 1 in their second innings.
Scorecard
Baroda completed a stunning fightback and enhanced their prospects of reaching the semi-final stage after a four-wicket win against Tamil Nadu at Vadodara. Having completed all their league games, Tamil Nadu will now await the results of the last league round. Chasing 272 for victory, Baroda were in a deep hole at 113 for 5 but Kiran Powar and Yusuf Pathan added 159 in an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand and sealed the win. Powar stroked 11 fours in his steady 90 while Yusuf, Irfan’s brother, cracked 81 in 124 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. For the second successive game Baroda came back from a low first-innings score to triumph in a thrilling chase. They take on Uttar Pradesh in the final league game, beginning on December 31, and need to win with a bonus point to ensure a place in the last four.
Scorecard
Hyderabad’s 60-run win in a low-scoring scrap gave them a great chance of entering the semi-finals. Chasing 278 for victory, Punjab couldn’t manage sizeable partnerships as Gaurav Gupta, who made a solid 87, lost partners at regular intervals. Gupta was stranded on 87 when the last wicket fell. Narender Pal Singh, the medium pacer, snapped up four wickets while Inder Shekar Reddy, the left-arm spinner, picked up three. Earlier VRV Singh, Punjab’s 20-year-old fast bowler, completed a great match with six wickets in the second innings, and finished with 13 for 115 for the game. The Punjab batsmen, though, faltered in both innings and though they were still favourites to make it to the semi-finals, big wins for Baroda and Hyderabad in the final league game would snuff out their chances.

Saurashtra and Maharashtra played out a draw on Friday in a CoochBehar Trophy contest in the West Zone league, with the latter gainingfive points by virtue of their first innings lead.At Rajkot’s Municipal Stadium, Maharashtra won the toss and werebowled out for 273 late on the opening day. The top ten batters allreached double figures, AS Bhosale top scoring with 58. Saurashtra’sskipper Uday Karavadra, a National Cricket Academy graduate, picked up5/73 with his off spinners.Saurashtra fell away to 200 all out, notwithstanding opener and wicketkeeper AK Dawda’s 75. Maharashta’s own offie, Kashinath Khadkikarbested Karavadra’s figures with a haul of 6/69. The visitors showedno inclination to force an outright result, batting out the third dayto finish on 289/7.

Rajshahi secured their first domestic one-day title with a 140-run victory over Barisal in the ninth round of the National Cricket League at Barisal Stadium. The win gave them 16 points, and with second-placed Sylhet’s match against Khulna being abandoned, that was enough.Rajshahi, who have won eight games in succession after losing their opening match, were always in control after posting 280 for 9, Moniruzzaman and Raqibul Hasan putting them on their way with an opening stand of 80 in under 12 overs, and then Anisur Rahman anchored the middle of the innings with a 90-ball 75. A fourth-wicket stand of 113 between Anisur and Mushfiqur Rahman ended the match as a contest. Barisal were never in the hunt after a poor start, and they did well to recover from 38 for 6. Mushfiqur won the Man-of-the-Match award for his 48 and 4 for 33.Dhaka remained in third position despite slipping to a second straight defeat against Chittagong at the Fatullah Stadium. Dhaka struggled to build any momentum and were held to 193 for 9 after winning the toss, with Ahsanullah Hasan (4 for 36) ripping through the middle order. Gazi Salahuddin cracked an excellent 90 to set Chittagong on their way to a four-wicket win – only their second win in the competition – and Shabbir Khan saw them home with a well-paced 61 not out.Dhaka will have a chance to make amends when the penultimate round of the four-day Nation Cricket League starts on Wednesday. They need four more points from their remaining two games to retain their title.

Chippenham: Wiltshire v Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire 214-7 (DC Atkins 103) bt Wiltshire 138 all out by 76 runsManor Park: Norfolk v Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire 216 all out (EJ Wilson 54) bt Norfolk 110-3 on faster run rateThatcham: Berkshire v Hertfordshire
Berkshire 132 all out lost to Hertfordshire 133-4 (SG Cordingley 50*)by six wicketsWroxeter: Shropshire v Cumberland
Cumberland 179-7 (GD Lloyd*) lost to Shropshire 182-4 (MJ Marvell74) by 6 wicketsCopdock: Suffolk v Bedfordshire
Suffolk 216 all out (AD Mawson 72, PJ Caley 57) bt Bedfordshire 165 all out(AD Patterson 73) by 51 runsPorthill: Staffordshire v Herefordshire
Staffordshire won 4-3 on a bowl outChallow and Childrey: Oxfordshire v Dorset
Dorset won 5-3 on a bowl out

Australia’s Test team appears increasingly uneasy about playing cricket against an understrength, predominantly black Zimbabwe side, with Adam Gilchrist, the vice-captain, revealing that he is “really confused” about whether or not the tour should be abandoned.In his unghosted column for Fairfax newspapers, Gilchrist wrote this morning: “I’m confused. Really, really confused … Having arrived in Zimbabwe several days ago and having had the chance to experience first-hand the mood of the country, I’m no more certain as to what is a right or wrong decision.”The revelation represents a significant turnaround from Gilchrist’s previous forthright insistence that the tour should proceed. It comes only four days before the first Test is scheduled to begin in Harare.”The moral question has been presented to us over and over again, and I guess we’ve made public our answer by fronting for the tour,” he writes hesitatingly. “We feel we can tour Zimbabwe, or any country, and not be seen to be supporting the local political regime. It’s a game of cricket.”But Gilchrist then issues what could be interpreted as a cry for help: “If those in the game of politics want to overrule, please go ahead as that is your mandate, and I’m sure we would follow your lead.”He says the Australian players have spent “many hours thinking of the people of Zimbabwe who have reportedly suffered. The knowledge of alleged heartache and pain felt by many has registered deeply with the members of our team and has only made our decision-making more difficult.”Meanwhile Darren Lehmann, the only Australian player until now to have hinted publicly at serious concerns within the team, said he decided not to boycott Zimbabwe after speaking with Andy Flower, their former champion batsman. “I had a good chat with him before coming and he thought it was good to come for the people, that they’d certainly get a kick out of seeing the Australian team here,” said Lehmann. “He said: ‘You’re not political pawns, you’re a cricket side.’ That sort of confirmed my thoughts, and I’m here now.”Until today, that was Gilchrist’s position too. In his column of three weeks ago, the day after Stuart MacGill announced his conscience-based decision to make himself unavailable, Gilchrist wrote: “I believe I can do more good by completing the tour … I’m sure that our presence will be welcomed by local Zimbabweans.”Back then, he said Zimbabwe had been a “competitive” side and it would be “a shame” if they were lost to world cricket. Today he seems less than upbeat about the country’s cricketing future. He notes that Zimbabwe’s national newspaper, preoccupied with South Africa’s successful bid for the 2010 soccer World Cup, devoted only “one small column of match reports” to this week’s second Test slaughter by Sri Lanka’s cricketers.”It’s no secret that soccer is the most followed sport in these areas,” Gilchrist writes, “and now … I suspect cricket will be under even more strain to survive.” He concludes his column with the words: “Call me a fence-sitter if you like, but please don’t call me neglectful or naive, as some have, about what’s taking place around us. Perhaps just really, really confused.”As the minutes count down, and the realisation sinks in that Australia are poised to play a Test match against a team seemingly chosen primarily on the basis of skin colour, it would seem that doubts, fears and tensions that have previously lain dormant can no longer be shrugged off.

Queensland have promoted Clinton Perren to the top of the order for the first Pura Cup match of the season against New South Wales at the Gabba, starting on Friday.Perren, who made 721 runs at 37.95 in 2003-04, will partner Jimmy Maher, the captain, as he continues to make the transition from attacking middle-order batsman to reliable opener.Queensland’s selectors have made one change to the team that defeated New South Wales by two wickets in yesterday’s ING Cup match, with the pace bowler Joe Dawes coming into the twelve for Craig Philipson.New South Wales have named Jason Krejza, the uncapped offspinner who was a surprise consideration for the India tour, in the squad behind the No.1 spinner Stuart MacGill, who became the leading wicket-taker in the ING Cup yesterday.Queensland Jimmy Maher (c), Martin Love, Andrew Symonds, Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Chris Simpson, Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Shane Jurgensen, Joe Dawes (12th man to be named).New South Wales Brad Haddin (c), Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Phil Jaques, Jason Krejza, Grant Lambert, Greg Mail, Stuart MacGill, Matthew Nicholson, Aaron O’Brien, Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely (12th man to be named).

Younis Khan’s recall was the only surprise when Pakistan’s selectors named a 16-man squad for this months’ tour of New Zealand. The side leaves on December 11 and during the six-week trip will play two Tests and five one-day internationals."Younis has been recalled chiefly because he enjoys excellent record in New Zealand," explained Aamir Sohail, the chairman of selectors. "The team management is also of the view that they might need some more experience in the middle order."Sohail explained that the team was picked on the basis of improvements seen in recent months. "The set of players which we have provided have been playing together for the last six or seven months and have shown remarkable improvement," he said. "Although we realise that it will be a tough tour as some will be making their maiden appearances there, we are confident that under the guidance of Inzamam-ul-Haq and coaching of Javed Miandad, the boys will maintain their good performance."This is the best combination we can provide considering the conditions in New Zealand. There are plenty of options for the team management in all the departments to field a winning team."Pakistan squad Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Saleem Elahi, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Asim Kamal, Younis Khan, Moin Khan (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umar Gul.*Azhar Mahmood will be added to the squad for the one-day series.

The International Cricket Council is considering a proposal to allow teams to appeal against three umpiring decisions per innings, giving captains the right to refer the decisions to the third umpire. The plan is likely to be discussed at the meeting of the ICC Cricket Committee next year.A similar system is already in place in the American National Football League, with teams allowed to `challenge’ two refereeing decisions per half. If it is approved, the proposal would probably go the same way as the ICC’s other recent innovations – the wiring up, via earpieces, of umpires to the stump microphone, and the adjudicating of no-balls by the third umpire – and be trialled in one-dayers. The Evening Standard, a London newspaper, quoted an unnamed source as saying the appeals proposal was “recognised as a serious option”.But some umpires are concerned that the increasing use of technology in making decisions will demote their role in the game. Simon Taufel, the ICC’s Umpire of the Year, told BBC Sport: “I wouldn’t say I’m anti-technology, but I’m cautious about it. Technology is all about replacing the skills of the umpire and I’d like to think I’ve worked my way up this far to employ those skills.”Why de-skill that part of the game just for the sake of an extra two or three correct decisions per game?” he added. “There are undoubtedly pluses, but we need to sit down and stack them against the minuses.”

The Essex fast bowler, Ashley Cowan, has retired from first-class cricket due to a persistent knee injury. Cowan, 31, toured the Caribbean with the England squad in 1997-98, but never played a Test.Born in Hitchin, Cowan appeared in 102 first-class matches following his debut against Derbyshire at Chelmsford in August 1995. After a decade as the spearhead of the Essex attack he made his last first-class appearance in May 2005 against Worcestershire.”I am retiring due to a chronic knee injury,” Cowan told the Essex CCC website. “I would love to continue my first-class playing career but sadly it is just not possible for me to perform anymore.”After a major operation in 2003, Cowan had a year out in rehabilitation and returned to action during the second half of the 2004 season. He struggled, however, in the 2005 season and spent the first half of 2006 attempting to see out his contract.”I have had a fantastic 12 years in the game but now is the time to give the youngsters a chance,” added Cowan. “Unfortunately every cricketer’s career comes to an end but for some it’s earlier than others. I’ve had some fun along the way but my body has told me enough is enough.””It is very disappointing that Ashley has had to announce his retirement,” added Essex’s chief executive, David East. “We all knew that the radical and experimental surgery that he undertook in 2003 was never guaranteed to be a success and despite giving himself every opportunity to make a full recovery it is evident this is not possible.”Cowan was awarded a benefit for this year, and his fundraising chairman, Mike Smith, said: “Ashley’s popularity on and off the pitch has been evident by the support we have seen in his benefit year. I thank all Essex supporters for showing their appreciation to date and encourage anyone still wishing to do so to check the benefit website at www.ashleycowan.org.”