Category Uncategorized

Vidarbha’s Shrikant Wagh has slammed the umpiring in his team’s match against Karnataka, holding it responsible for his side conceding the first-innings lead

Arun Venugopal in Bangalore17-Oct-2015Vidarbha’s left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh has slammed the umpiring in his team’s match against Karnataka, holding it responsible for his side conceding the first-innings lead. He said the standards of umpiring were poor, and they favoured the home side. Wagh also accused Karnataka wicketkeeper CM Gautam of claiming bump catches that accounted for Aditya Shanware and Shalabh Shrivastava.”The first three wickets were not out. We got the video footage,” Wagh said after the day’s play. “Ganesh Satish was nowhere near the ball, and those two catches taken by CM Gautam were taken one bounce. So that’s the main difference. You can say end of the day that’s 40 runs short.”I am very disappointed by CM Gautam. Champion side… you never expect them to do it. We are in shock. One bounce, he [Gautam] should say not out.”Responding to Wagh’s accusations, Gautam told ESPNcricinfo it all stemmed from “frustration”. “I felt it was out. That’s the reason I went up,” Gautam said. “The umpires, they consulted each other and took a decision because they are in the right position to see what’s happening.”I think this is coming out of frustration. They lost the lead. It has not been an easy game for them. I thought we bowled really well today. They couldn’t take that, I think.”Wagh said Karnataka applied “a lot of pressure” on on-field umpires Virender Sharma and Pashchim Pathak, both of whom, he said, gave decisions in favour of the home team.”You can see from outside even, in the second innings, that Robin Uthappa was plumb, but they [umpires] were not sure,” Wagh said. “Umpiring standard was poor, very poor and that has cost us. Umpires are confused and doubtful. Leg before, hardly you can see them giving [except] I think one or two in the match. I can say umpires favoured their side more rather than being mutual to both sides.”Gautam said Karnataka had taken umpiring decisions in their stride even when they went against them. He cited his own example from Friday, when he was adjudged caught behind. “Even yesterday, mine was not out,” Gautam said. “When I was batting, it hit the pad and they appealed for caught behind, they gave it out. I didn’t tell anything. The keeper was laughing, even Wasim Jaffer was laughing after that dismissal.”Plumb decisions went against us yesterday, Jaffer’s and Ganesh Satish. [But at] the end of the day, we just spoke about the game. We never spoke about the bad decisions or decisions going against us.”Wagh said Vidarbha would incorporate their complaints against the umpiring in the team’s report at the end of the match, but there was not much else they could do. ” (there isn’t a lot in our hands). End of the day match referee has power to do things. The captain knows the rules as to how much we can appeal and what we can include in the report. We will do our best.”He said poor umpiring had hurt Vidarbha in the previous season as well, when they finished as quarter-finalists. “To be honest, it’s [wrong decisions] happening a lot to our side rather than the opposition, with teams like Karnataka and Delhi. We have got the evidence, that’s what I am saying. We have got the footage.”

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said his team had effectively won the second ODI in Centurion in the first ten overs of the South Africa innings, when the hosts had lost four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2013Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said his team had effectively won the Centurion ODI in the first ten overs of the South Africa innings, when the hosts had lost four wickets. Mohammad Irfan, the left-arm fast bowler, inflicted the maximum damage with figures of 4 for 33 to restrict South Africa to 191, which Pakistan chased within 40 overs to seal an emphatic win after a poor showing in the first one-dayer. AB de Villiers, the South Africa captain, said he was expecting a backlash from Pakistan.”To take four wickets in ten overs was good,” Misbah said. “That’s where we won the game. Teams batting first struggle to come back from that.”Irfan removed Hashim Amla, de Villiers, Colin Ingram and Faf du Plessis in a lengthy opening spell that lasted seven overs to leave South Africa reeling at 62 for 5 in 11 overs. Misbah gave credit to the entire bowling unit, including the spinners, who didn’t let South Africa recover. Misbah himself played an important part in the victory, scoring an unbeaten 57.”We believed we would be able to come back and now we erased some doubts,” Misbah said. “The bowlers supported Irfan, especially the spinners. There is more confidence in the team now, especially because some batsmen who were not scoring runs, did. We had some starts and wickets fell for 20s and 30s. We really needed to take responsibility and just go on.”De Villiers gave due credit to Irfan, whose spell had thwarted South Africa’s plans of getting to a par score of 250. He said no team could afford to relax against an attack like Pakistan’s.”Irfan bowled really well and got wickets at important times. He really has the ability to get breakthroughs for his team. That’s what makes a good bowler a great bowler. At the right moments, he got wickets,” de Villiers said. “Pakistan have a very good bowling line-up and we’ve known that. It’s not new to face them but we have to apply ourselves better.”De Villiers, too, conceded that the first ten overs had all but decided the match. “The important thing for the next game is to start better, to adapt and to assess better. The four down in ten overs is unacceptable in ODI cricket,” he said. “Most teams would lose the match from there. We have to start better.”He said the Pakistan batsmen applied themselves better. “When we were fielding, the ball got a little bit wet which made it tough to swing away. If we got two more wickets, we would have been into the tail. We tried everything but Misbah played too well. He left really well. I tried all our seamers at different angles, I tried Robin Peterson and nothing worked.”De Villiers expected his side to bounce back in more seamer-friendly conditions at the Wanderers, the venue for the third ODI on Sunday. The one crucial setback for Pakistan is that Irfan has suffered a hamstring niggle, putting him in doubt for the third game.

James Tredwell said that an end-of-season phone call from Andy Flower gave him the belief that he could earn an England recall

Andrew McGlashan29-Feb-2012James Tredwell, who was named in England’s Test squad for their tour of Sri Lanka, has said that an end-of-season phone call from Andy Flower, the England team director, gave him the belief that he could earn an England recall. It was an ideal early birthday gift and Tredwell is determined to grasp the opportunity even though he could mix more drinks than bowl overs.Tredwell, who was told of his call-up on the eve of his 30th birthday on Monday, is one of four spinners named in England’s 16-man squad for the two-Test series, alongside incumbents Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar plus Samit Patel, the Nottinghamshire allrounder, who replaced Eoin Morgan. Tredwell last played for England at the 2011 World Cup and had seemingly drifted down the pecking order when Panesar was recalled for the series against Pakistan while young spinners, such as Scott Borthwick and Danny Briggs, were given chances in the one-day game.”I had a call from Andy Flower at the end of the summer outlining England’s plans and that I was still very much part of them,” Tredwell told ESPNcricinfo. “That really drives you on if you know you are still in their thoughts. You know that if anything happens to the guys in possession you could get a call.”Tredwell has not required his fellow spinners to suffer an injury or loss of form to earn a place. Instead England’s selectors have decided to give themselves cover for both Swann and Panesar. However, it will need one of those two – most likely Swann – to be ruled out of a Test for Tredwell to earn a second Test cap but that doesn’t mean he won’t be trying to put pressure on his team-mates in the lead up to the first match in Galle.”I may be going just as cover, I’m not sure, but I’ll certainly be going there to impress and get a game in my own right,” he said. “Pakistan went in with three spinners and they did well in the series [in the UAE] so they [England] may be looking down that route.”Tredwell is also seen as a solid cricketer to call on at the last minute, which is the most likely scenario for backup players on tour, instead of throwing in the raw talent of one of the younger spinners who played on the various Lions tours and one-day series during the last few months.”I’m a few years older and I’ve been through some highs and lows which stands you in good stead,” Tredwell said. “It’s great that those others have had a go in the one-day format but Test cricket is slightly different and they’ve gone for a slightly older man. I need to go out there and put my hat in the ring during practice.”Tredwell has had a curious international career to date with one Test, against Bangladesh in Dhaka, in which he took commendable match figures of 6 for 181 as a partner for Swann, and five one-day internationals. His previous England appearance came in a city he’ll shortly be visiting again, Colombo, in the World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka where the hosts surged to victory by 10 wickets.In the game before that Tredwell had produced his finest performance in an England shirt with 4 for 48 in the crunch group match against West Indies. It was his first game of the tournament – and he had yet to take an ODI wicket – but he claimed key top-order wickets, including Chris Gayle’s, as England secured a nailbiting 18-run victory to keep themselves in the tournament for a few more days. It is a match still clear in Tredwell’s memory and one that provides him with confidence.”This recall was a little bit of a surprise, I guess, having not been involved during the winter, but equally having played last year and done well in my second last game at the World Cup the belief was still there that I can do it at that level. With the tours the way they were this winter I knew that something may crop up.”

Ireland are out of the World Cup after losing to South Africa, but their captain William Porterfield says he is proud of the performances his team have put in during the tournament

Firdose Moonda at Eden Gardens15-Mar-2011An Irish journalist, one who has followed the team through their various divisions, arrived at Eden Gardens with hope in his heart, but reality in his head. “It’s not like the last time,” he said. “Then you only had to win one of our three games to get to the next round; now even if you win three games you are not assured of a place in the knockouts.”The “then” he was referring to was the 2007 World Cup, when Ireland’s stunning win over Pakistan, and later Bangladesh, shook the cricketing world. So surprising was their performance that it may have played some part in the 2011 tournament structure. The two groups of seven, with the next round being the quarterfinals, is a format designed to send the Full Members through to the knockouts and the Associates home.By its very foundation, this edition of the World Cup was built to disadvantage the smaller teams. If they wanted to challenge the system, it would require a consistent effort over a month of competition, in which they would face four Test playing nations. It means that they wouldn’t be rewarded for one case of luck; they’d need to show that good fortune is matched with good skills and that they are able sustain their intensity over a period of time.Ireland were the one Associate that stood a chance of doing that. After pushing Bangladesh to within 27 runs of a loss, they beat England, gave a respectable account of themselves against India and lost a by a margin of less than 50 runs against West Indies. Their last chance to qualify for the quarterfinals was to beat South Africa, a task as daunting as they get, and after a crushing 131-run defeat, the sparks they lit at the tournament have been put out. They still have a match to play, but it will have no impact on whether they qualify for the knockouts. The dream is over, but there is time for reflection on the highlights.Porterfield was a proud man despite the weaknesses his side displayed.•Getty Images

“We knew today was a final for us in terms of keeping hopes alive for qualifying,” William Porterfield, the Ireland captain said. “We’ve done a lot of good things in this tournament. The result against England stands out, but the way we bowled and fielded throughout the tournament, especially our ground fielding has been right up there with anyone.”Ireland’s commitment was on display again on Tuesday, when they threw their bodies around Eden Gardens from ball one, when Gary Wilson prevented a run from being scored. The effort they put into cutting off the run flow was undone by the two catches they dropped and it’s that kind of consistency that Ireland lack.They’ve been able to play well for periods of matches, but only once, against England, did the whole package come together. Issues of finishing, both with bat and ball, are some of the concerns they need to address, and Porterfield spoke about wasted opportunities.”We got ourselves into a lot of winning positions. In the game against the West Indies we were right in the game. We should have won the game against Bangladesh in the end too.”
Against South Africa, they had big name opposition with their backs against the wall at 117 for 5 but then let them accumulate 272.Porterfield was not unhappy with the bowling, even though they did not bowl South Africa out, saying that he was satisfied with the effort they made to take more wickets. “Boyd [Rankin] came back; he is our principle wicket-taker. We wouldn’t have done things very differently. We weren’t too distraught at half-time.”Their chase, dented by wickets, is what Porterfield thinks should have gone better. “Throughout the tournament, we formed a few good partnerships but we never backed up one partnership with a second.” Their highest partnership against South Africa was 41 runs, between Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson, but they have had two century partnerships, against England and India, in the tournament.Porterfield was a proud man despite the weaknesses his side displayed. He felt his team had played with a lot of heart and that they will benefit from the experience as a whole. “The more we play against [big] teams, the more we are learning as a unit. We are going to take a lot out of this tournament.”Their last match, on Friday against the Netherlands, will be their last hurrah, for this World Cup and possibly for a long time, as the fifty-over tournament will become smaller from the next edition. That match, which is all about playing for pride, will have a much deeper context to it, because the two teams that meet may disappear from the ODI stage for an indefinite period. “It’s not going to be difficult to get the guys up for it,” Porterfield said. “It’s probably the first match we are going into as favourites.”

Essex have recorded an “immensely disappointing” loss of £216,000 for 2009 but are confident they will be able to withstand the tough financial conditions

Cricinfo staff22-Mar-2010Essex have recorded an “immensely disappointing” loss of £216,000 for 2009 but are confident they will be able to withstand the tough financial conditions.Their position is in stark contrast to Surrey, who announced a profit of £752,000 on the same day, and Essex’s sums show the split that is start to appear in the county game – largely between those with Test grounds and the other, smaller, venues.On a positive note for the club was an increase in membership income and strong attendance at Twenty20 games. They are hopeful that their position in Division One of the Championship will provide a boost along with tour matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan.”It is immensely disappointing to announce a six figure loss of 216,000 pounds for 2009 after investment results and a tax rebate,” said Keith Brown, the club treasure. “Cricket is not immune from the recession and this impacted our corporate income, including sponsorship and advertising.”However, our membership income was up and we attracted high attendances at the Twenty20 matches. Our cricket costs were impacted by the absence of exceptional ECB income we received in 2008 and additional contract payments at the end of 2009”.”While other counties have produced similar losses this is no consolation and our 2010 budget process has been very robust with the aim to return to profit.”But Brown took the opportunity to issue a further warning about the potential listing of the Ashes and the subsequent reduction in broadcasting revenue. “However, there is one word of warning. If cricket is forced onto terrestrial television it will have a devastating impact on our income, which will mean we will have to make some very hard decisions.””Promotion achieved one of our objectives for 2009 and it was pleasing to see our home grown players make an impact on the international stage,” added chairman Nigel Hilliard. “Financially the club has had a difficult year, importantly there were no surprises in the accounts the committee were aware that 2009 would be loss making and the final result was a considerable improvement on our budgeted numbers.”

Select committee chair concerned that club will renege on commitments to diversity and inclusion

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2024The ECB has been warned by MPs to keep a close eye on Yorkshire in the wake of Colin Graves’ re-election as chair, to ensure that the club does not renege on its commitments to diversity and inclusion.Yorkshire were last year fined a total of £400,000 and handed points deductions by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), following their handling of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations of institutional racism at the club.Graves, who previously served as Yorkshire’s chair between 2012-15, was last year sanctioned by the ECB for dismissing allegations of racist incidents during his tenure as “banter”, but issued a “personal and unreserved” apology to all victims of racism following his return to the post in February.Graves appeared before the DCMS select committee shortly after his reappointment in February, where he was challenged by MPs on his plans for Yorkshire’s refinancing – including an immediate cash injection of £1 million, followed by further investment worth £4 million. His family trust, which is managed by independent trustees, is still owed nearly £15 million by the club.In its Equity in Cricket report, released on Friday, the committee said: “We expect the ECB to closely monitor Yorkshire CCC to their work and ensure that there is no return to the ‘business as usual’ that allowed a culture of discrimination to take root and thrive at the club. We urge the ECB and the cricket regulator to pay particular attention to the future performance of Yorkshire CCC in relation to inequality.”In June 2023, a report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) castigated English cricket on the grounds of class, race and gender, with Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, describing its findings as a “wake-up call” and an opportunity to “reset cricket”. It has been recommended by the committee that the ECB publishes a progress report on the anniversary of the publication, addressing each of its 44 recommendations.Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, the committee’s chair, said: “The ECB has made welcome progress on fixing the problems facing cricket identified so powerfully in the ICEC report. To achieve its ambition for cricket to be the most inclusive sport in the country and truly welcoming to all it must be open on how it is backing up its words with actions.”The start of the county cricket season is always a time for optimism, and we hope that members at Headingley can look forward to a successful future, with a board committed to a member-led club and a continued focus on tackling discrimination. The ECB should keep a close eye on progress to ensure Yorkshire continues going down the road to reform.”The report was released on the same day that the UK government announced a £35 million investment into grassroots and state school cricket, with the aim of enabling 900,000 young people to play cricket over the next five years.Responding to the report, Thompson added: “We welcome the ongoing support and scrutiny from DCMS following the publication of the ICEC Report.”We are keen to forge ahead and continue with the changes we have already been implementing in our ambition to become the most inclusive sport in England and Wales.”

South Africa’s white-ball captain has promised a different, more-assertive style of play in ODIs against England

Firdose Moonda26-Jan-2023Temba Bavuma will continue as South Africa’s white-ball captain for as long as his team-mates and management want him to. Bavuma, who said he would not make a rash decision about his leadership future after South Africa were booted out of the T20 World Cup at the hands of Netherlands in November, has since had “conversations with the relevant people and remains committed to the role.””At the T20 World Cup, the question [about captaincy] was asked. It was obviously quite an emotional time. It was a bit unfair to be asked that question right after walking off the field after a loss,” Bavuma said ahead of South Africa’s World Cup Super League series against England. “Conversations were had with the relevant people and I am still in it. I’ve said to the guys if they would still like me to be the guy to lead, I am happy to do it. I’ve never ever made it about me, it’s always been about the team. I don’t think you’ve ever heard me say that it’s about me and I.”However, Bavuma, who is under more pressure in T20Is than in ODIs, indicated that if the new coaching staff wants to move on from him, he will accept that decision. “If the team wants to go in a different direction with a different leader, I am happy to step away,” Bavuma said. “Ultimately it’s up to the coach. We have got a new coach and a new coaching staff; the coach will have his vision and he will need somebody to drive that vision. At the moment the coach has entrusted me with that role so I will continue doing my best. Fortunately, I have got a bunch of guys that support me. For me, it’s business as usual for now.”Related

• Temba Bavuma finds form, and South Africa try out pacer workload management

• Temba Bavuma stays the course to deliver his definitive century

• Focus on 2027 ODI WC and No. 1 Test spot as Conrad and Walter take charge of South Africa

• Magala back in South Africa's ODI squad for series against England

• Jofra Archer rates himself 'about 80%' fit ahead of England comeback

Last week, South Africa unveiled Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter to the national men’s red-ball and white-ball jobs respectively. Walter will only arrive in South Africa in February so Conrad has been entrusted with overseeing the England series and no major changes were made to South Africa’s ODI squad. Bavuma has promised a slightly different approach, as South Africa look to be more assertive in their style of play. “It’s something that has been spoken about – wanting to be a lot more positive, wanting to be a lot more brave and always looking to take the option that puts either the batter or the bowler under pressure,” he said.But he did not go as far as saying South Africa will look to emulate England’s uber-aggressive blueprint, which they have adopted in all formats.”They are the pioneers – not just white-ball cricket, even in red-ball cricket,” Bavuma said. “We are South Africans. We have our way of thinking, our way of doing things. There’s nothing wrong with us taking a little bit from England, putting it together and seeing what comes about. With the personnel we have, guys going out and expressing themselves…if that equates to a South African Bazball way of playing – to use a stupid term – then so be it. If it means we are going to go out there and block the shit out of the ball, so be it.”The latter is unlikely to serve South Africa well in what are crucial matches if they hope to automatically qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup. South Africa are currently 11th on the points table and need to win at least three of their remaining five matches to secure a spot in the top eight. That means they must win at least one of the three matches against England in the next week to stay in the hunt, with two matches to come against Netherlands at the end of the summer.While Bavuma is aware of the critical state of South Africa’s World Cup qualifying campaign, he has not made it the sole focus of the series and instead wants them to concentrate in building a new brand of cricket as they enter another new era. “We know where we stand in terms of how many games we need to win,” he said. “We’d like to shift our focus a little bit, looking to the World Cup. It’s an opportunity for us to clear up our identity and how we would like to play and we would like to use these games as an opportunity to do that. We know what we need to do and if it means in June we are playing in the qualifiers, that’s something we are prepared to do. That’s something everyone is prepared to do looking at the decision that was made to make way for the SA20.”South Africa forfeited three ODIs in Australia in January so the national squad could return home for the start of the new T20 franchise tournament. Bavuma was snubbed at the auction and did not get a deal for the inaugural edition which he said left him feeling “let down” at the time. He has gone under the radar as the tournament kicked off and used the time to “take it easy and connect with family,” but “tried to watch one or two games at the SA20 and it was quite fun.”

Half-century from Gayle not enough as Udana holds his nerve

Aadam Patel26-Nov-2021It may have taken a week but finally, after five wins out of five, the winning streak of Team Abu Dhabi came to an end courtesy of the Bangla Tigers.That was despite a thrilling knock from none other than Chris Gayle, who – with an unbeaten 52 off 23 – threatened to pull off another remarkable chase for the Abu Dhabi outfit. But he ran out of partners as the Tigers continued their winning run to move to within two points of Team Abu Dhabi.With 18 needed off four and Gayle on strike, no one would have counted out Team Abu Dhabi. Not least after Gayle and Jamie Overton – with two sixes off the last two deliveries – plundered 18 off the final over from Dwayne Bravo on Wednesday evening to seal a stunning victory. This time however, there was no Overton to pull off some last-over heroics and instead Isuru Udana held his nerve to take the Tigers to a fourth consecutive win.Buoyed by a capacity crowd and after losing the toss, the Tigers’ batting order took on the attack from ball one as Johnson Charles dispatched a short delivery from Ahmed Daniyal for four, but he was gone the next ball hitting one straight to Marchant de Lange at long-off.Will Jacks, in fine form, began with two unconvincing scoops to the boundary, before remarakbly getting dropped twice by Muhammad Farooq off the bowling of de Lange in the same over. But there was nothing unconvincing about the way he dispatched Liam Livingstone for consecutive sixes in the next over.Many a batter has struggled with the England international throughout the recent T20 World Cup and at the Abu Dhabi T10, yet Jacks showed what he was all about, first slogging Livingstone over cow-corner and then dancing down the track to loft one back over the bowler’s head.Jacks ended with a blistering 43 off 17, and accompanied by Hazratullah Zazai with 41 off 20, set up the Tigers, before a late flourish from skipper Faf du Plessis with 22 off eight, enabled them to put up 130 for 5 off their ten overs.Team Abu Dhabi opened without the in-form Phil Salt who, coming off the back of two player-of-the match performances, injured himself after taking a hit to the knee in the field. And when James Faulkner removed Paul Stirling and Colin Ingram in successive deliveries, the Tigers were well and truly in the driving seat.Livingstone may have taken a beating with the ball in hand, but he ensured he would have his say with the bat. Luke Wood was smashed for three sixes in a row. The last one the pick of the bunch – majestically lofting a fuller delivery off long-off. Yet, with the following delivery, Wood took a little pace off and deceived the Team Abu Dhabi skipper. Livingstone swung and missed and saw his stumps go flying. Wood, was ecstatic, roaring past Livingstone in a mix of relief and jubilation.Despite losing regular wickets, the league leaders kept themselves in the chase with lusty blows from Gayle and a fighting Salt, who courageously came in at No. 6. Benny Howell was fantastic, bowling two overs for just 13 and dismissing Chris Benjamin and Salt. The latter bowled after looking to scoop.With 37 required from two overs and the self-proclaimed “Universe Boss” still at the crease, anything was possible. Mohammad Amir was clubbed for 18 off the penultimate over as Gayle effortlessly used his pace to send the ball to the boundary and the crowd were treated to yet another last-over finish with Team Abu Dhabi.Crucially, the 42-year-old was not on strike for the beginning of the last over and perhaps the two balls he didn’t get to face off Udana saved the Tigers. Gayle had earlier hit three boundaries in the Sri Lankan’s first over. This time, he could only manage one more maximum, which brought up a quite brilliant half-century in 22 deliveries, but it was ultimately not enough.For Tigers skipper Du Plessis, it was the first time he had reached double figures in the tournament and crucially, his two sixes in the last over proved to be the difference between winning and losing. “It’s a big step in the right direction for us, especially after losing the toss,” he said.Eight years ago to the day, he played one of the great match-saving Test knocks with 110* off 466 deliveries against Australia, at a strike rate of under 30. This time, du Plessis ended unbeaten with a strike rate of 275. If the Tigers are going to use this momentum to the Abu Dhabi T10 title, then they will need one of the most versatile multi-format cricketers of this generation to showcase more of his class with the bat.

All the best stats, graphics and chat from Old Trafford with ESPNcricinfo’s live blog

Valkerie Baynes24-Jul-2020