All posts by csb10.top

Bedfordshire’s Alex Wakely starred with bat and ball as England U19s overwhelmed their hosts, Malaysia, by nine wickets at Kuala Lumpur. On a rain-interrupted day, England won the toss and bowled first but were forced to withdraw their seamers early because of heavy cloud cover and bad light.And so it was over to the spinners, who took seven of the ten wickets to fall, with Wakely taking 3 for 20 in nine probing overs. Malaysia were bowled out for 104 with more than eight overs to spare, with Liam Dawson also starring with 2 for 21.Heavy rain in the interval meant that England’s target was adjusted to 100 in 43 overs, but opening the batting with Billy Godleman, Wakely made short work of the requirement, rattling along to 54 from 47 balls with eight fours and a six.Wakely would have been on hand to see his side to the finish but for a controversial run-out. With just 12 runs required, Malaysia’s wicketkeeper broke the stumps without the ball in his hands, but the umpire mistakenly upheld the appeal. It mattered not, however, as Godleman finished unbeaten on 32 as England eased home in just 18.1 overs.England’s next match is against India on Wednesday, a dress rehearsal for the Tri-series final on Friday.

John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, wants his batsmen to “start living above the line” of averaging above 40 on their tour of England and Scotland and beyond. He is counting on a young side, including the uncapped Aaron Redmond and Daniel Flynn, to flourish if New Zealand are to do well.”We’ve got to work above the line, and the line to be successful as an international batsman is 40-plus,” Bracewell told NZPA in Christchurch on Tuesday. “We’ve got to start moving in that direction. We’ve got to start living above the line.”Four New Zealand batsmen averaged above 40 in their latest Test series, against England earlier this year. Thirteen half-centuries were shared among seven batsmen, but only one – Ross Taylor – made a century.Redmond and Flynn now have their chance for debut. Redmond, 28, is almost guaranteed a start, as Bracewell has previously confirmed he will be the first-choice opener. 23-year-old Flynn made his ODI and Twenty20 debuts for New Zealand against England earlier this year but has yet to feature in a Test.Five players will join up with the squad in England on May 1, having been allowed to play in the IPL. Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills will arrive in time for the first-class warm-ups against Essex and England A. The first Test, at Lord’s as is tradition, is one of three and begins on May 15. They will miss two practice matches: a one-dayer against MCC in Arundel on Sunday and a three-day fixture against Kent which starts on Monday.However, Bracewell was excited about the experience the IPL offered, denying that it wasn’t good preparation leading into a Test series. “It’s going to be great for us,” he said of the experience the players would gain playing alongside such players as Australia’s Ricky Ponting.”We go from Twenty20 stuff to one-dayers to Test matches at the drop of a hat on a travel-to-play basis now and these guys are our most experienced players. They’ll be comfortable with their return to the team and what they’ve gained from that. It’s a landscape we’re reasonably used to, but not necessarily at this hype.”Bracewell is excited by “the adventure” of playing in England, and hopes this will fire up his squad. “I loved that bonding culture that you get out of busing around the place,” said Bracewell, who toured there three times between 1983 and 1990. “Those sorts of grounds, so steeped in history… It’s something that scratches my itch and I hope that it scratches the itch of some of our young players.”New Zealand head to England having lost 2-1 at home in their recent Test series. Their last tour of England, in 2004, resulted in a 3-0 win for the home side.

Worcestershire have given the go-ahead for New Road to host their next Championship game, against Lancashire starting on Friday, in spite of the recent flooding that caused the complete abandonment of their last home fixture against Kent.Following a meeting at New Road involving representatives from both Worcestershire and Lancashire, as well as the ECB’s Alan Fordham and Chris Wood, it was decided that the ground would be fit for an 11am start on Friday morning.The decision is something of a surprise given the controversy that was caused by last week’s washout against Kent. Although the ECB acted with leniency in what they described as “exceptional circumstances”, the decision to allow Worcestershire to replay the abandoned fixture was vehemently opposed by Yorkshire, who feared that a dangerous precedent had been set.Lancashire and Hampshire also backed Yorkshire’s stance on the decision. “It was a flawed decision and creates a precedent,” said a Lancashire statement, “opening the floodgates for future situations deemed ‘extreme circumstances’. We therefore urge the ECB to reconsider this decision.”However, Lancashire’s chief executive, Jim Cumbes, was more conciliatory after Monday’s inspection. “On arriving at New Road this morning I was surprised at how well everything looked,” he said. “It’s obvious that the staff at Worcestershire County Cricket Club have worked very hard over the last few days to get this ground and its facilities up to the standard they are.”There were one or two minor issues I had with the outfield,” added Cumbes, “but nothing a couple of days of drying weather won’t fix.”Worcestershire did have alternative venues on standby – at Kidderminster, Himley and Worcester Royal Grammar School, where a game against Sri Lanka A was played on Saturday. The forecast for Friday is more heavy rain.

Ricky Ponting believes he can overcome the persistent threat of Harbhajan Singh despite falling early to the offspinner in the second innings in Melbourne. Harbhajan has dismissed Ponting six times in seven Tests and will play a crucial role alongside Anil Kumble as India attempt to level the series in Sydney.Harbhajan joked at the MCG he hadn’t seen enough of Ponting to have a plan for him on this tour, but it is a serious matter for Australia’s captain. “He’s got a great record in Tests against me,” Ponting said of Harbhajan. “He got me first ball last week.”The 2001 contest, when Ponting scored 17 runs and slipped five times against Harbhajan in three Tests, is one of his few international scars, but he is not bothered by the problems against offspin. “It’s a long time from that series in India six years ago, where he had the measure of me,” Ponting said. “But it could be my turn here. It’s just a matter of time before I get some runs.”Ponting picked up two half-centuries against Sri Lanka in November, but was the only Australian batsman to miss out in Melbourne, scoring 4 and 3. “I have got a good record here, I’ve made five hundreds on this ground,” he said. “Hopefully that can be the case this week. It was lean last week, I had almost as many catches as runs. But I had a good net, I’m coming off a couple of hundreds in the ODIs [against New Zealand] and I’m feeling good to go.”The slow start has not convinced India to downgrade the Ponting threat and Kumble remains wary. Kumble knows how potent Harbhajan is against Ponting, but will wait to decide whether to bring him on as soon as the captain enters.”It all depends on what’s happening at that stage,” Kumble said. “We understand that Ricky is the key and it’s important we get him early.”Harbhajan also has a strong record against Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, who have been dismissed seven times in eight Tests, but he had less impact in Melbourne, taking three wickets to Kumble’s seven. The visiting spinners will have a huge say in whether Australia can equal the world record of 16 consecutive wins, which was set by Steve Waugh and ended by India in 2001.”The only thing wrong with discussing it is that it takes the focus away from the game,” Ponting, who has tried to avoid talk of the achievement, said. “When you’re facing a ball, or starting to bowl, you need a nice clear mind. I don’t mind a bit of talk about it, but if it gets too much, I would like to put it down.”

It’s not a tag you would want to hand any young cricketer, but Stuart Broad’s success in the early days of his international career is already getting him dubbed as Andrew Flintoff’s successor. Although he has some way to go to match the all-round performances of Flintoff, it is Broad’s efforts with the ball that are raising expectations.He has claimed six wickets in the first three ODIs against New Zealand; he was the one shining light in the opening six-wicket defeat in Wellington and played a key role in the comeback win in Auckland with 3 for 32. His first spell in that match was an outstanding 7-1-12-2 and helped set the tone for England’s victory.After 24 matches Broad has 36 wickets despite taking just five in his first six matches. Among England bowlers with at least 30 ODI scalps, Broad’s strike-rate of 33.8 puts him second behind Flintoff by just one decimal point. However, the most important thing for Broad is that he is continuing to learn and develop his bowling.”At first, I barely picked up a wicket and I wondered where one was coming from,” he told . “I think the more you play, the more you learn how to take wickets in different scenarios. I feel I’m learning when to bowl balls and when to bowl a bouncer a bit better, but it does depend on which role you’re doing.”Coming on first change, when Jimmy [James Anderson] and Ryan [Sidebottom] have bowled well up front, it’s a lot easier to come on when the pressure is on the batsman and get some wickets so that has helped me out massively.”Broad didn’t escape the hammering that England’s attack received during the second ODI in Hamilton when Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum slammed 165 in little more than 18 overs. His three overs went for 32, but it isn’t the first time Broad has had to come back from some severe punishment. During the ICC World Twenty20 he was clubbed for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh and quickly pushed it to the back of his mind.”International cricket is a fantastic place to play because you know that if you’re not at the top of your game, you get punished and it makes you keep your standards high,” he said “You learn from your mistakes and you learn quickest if you bounce back. County cricket is still a very good standard but you can still get away with a few things.”International cricket really makes you nail your variations. I’ve come in and worked on different cutters and slower balls and not running up and bowling at the same pace with the stock ball – little things like that really help and hopefully when I go back to county cricket, I will implement them there as well.”

Haryana were in a position of considerable strength at stumps on thesecond day of their North Zone Cooch Behar Trophy match against Jammu& Kashmir at the MA stadium in Jammu on Monday. After being in arrearsby 218 runs on the first innings, J&K were 31 for two in their secondinnings at close.Resuming at 61 for no loss, Haryana declared at 346 for seven.Manvinder Bisla (45) left early but the other opener Bhuvnesh Sharmaand captain Ishan Ganda added 114 runs for the second wicket off 31overs. Sharma was then out for 78. He faced 137 balls and hit 12fours. Sumeet Sharma (13) did not last very long but Ganda and DeepakJoon compounded J&K’s agony by some fine strokeplay. Ganda reached hiscentury but retired hurt when his score was 101. He faced 186 ballsand hit 12 of them to the ropes. Joon’s 40 was compiled off 70 ballsand Amit Mishra contributed a valuable 28 inclusive of two fours and asix.In J&K’s second innings, opening bowler Nitin Aggarwal dismissedMudassar Ashraf and Vimarash Kaw in the space of three deliveries forducks, leaving the home team an uphill task to stave off defeat on thefinal day.

Wellington will host the State Championship final against Canterbury after they used their severely rain-affected match against Auckland as nothing more than batting practice. Grant Elliott, fresh from his Test debut, compiled a career-best 196 not out and Neal Parlane continued his prolific campaign with 110 as Wellington reached 444 at the Basin Reserve. Auckland needed a victory to have any chance of overtaking Canterbury on the points table but there was little they could do as bad weather meant no play was possible until well into the third day. Auckland barely had time to have a bat, fizzling out to 23 for 1 when bad light ended their season.Canterbury were pleased with the rain in Wellington as they conceded first-innings points in their last preliminary match against Otago in Dunedin. They struggled against the all-round efforts of Warren McSkimming, who collected 5 for 56 as Canterbury stumbled to 247 having been sent in. McSkimming then helped rescued Otago from a precarious 134 for 6, scoring 71 and putting together valuable partnerships with Derek de Boorder and Bradley Scott to secure the lead. Todd Astle made an unbeaten 79 in Canterbury’s second-innings 215 for 3 as the match petered out to a draw.At McLean Park, the defending champions Northern Districts managed to avoid finishing on the bottom despite giving up first-innings points to Central Districts, who were left propping up the table. Brent Arnel finished with ten wickets for the match, his first such haul in first-class cricket, but the star was Ross Taylor. His 152 from 111 balls – he reached triple-figures from 85 – brightened up a game that was always heading for a draw. Taylor’s effort came as Central Districts piled on 392 for 9 in their second innings, having scored 390 in the first, when Peter Ingram made 112. Arnel grabbed 6 for 82 in the first innings and four in the second, however his batting colleagues could not quite push in front of Central Districts and finished their only innings at 365, led by Daniel Flynn’s 109. Arnel finished the preliminary rounds as the competition’s leading wicket taker, with 33 at 20.93.

It’s 75 years to the day since India made their entry into the Test fold. It was a glorious summer day in 1932 when CK Nayudu walked out to lead a bunch of novices against England at Lord’s.The MCC is marking the 75th anniversary by commissioning a Pataudi Trophy, named after the Nawab of Pataudi Snr, who played for both England and India during his 14-year career. Interestingly India will soon embark on a full-fledged tour of England, opening the three-Test series with a game at Lord’s.In that debut Test the efforts of India’s two opening bowlers, Mohammad Nissar and AmarSingh, was soon to enter folklore. Nissar, an aggressive fast bowler from Lahore, had England hobbling at 11 for 2 before Singh added the big wicket of Wally Hammond. Nissar’s son, Waqar, who’s currently settled in Lahore still flicks through his father’s scrap book, and even presented a copy of it to Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, recently.Singh, who named his son after Vijay Merchant, one of India’s finest openers, died at the tender age of 29 after contracting typhoid. Merchant reciprocated his feelings for Singh by naming his own son Amar.Several players from the team ended up in Pakistan, after Partition in 1947. Jahangir Khan, India’s first-change bowler in that match, was one of them. His son Majid Khan had an illustrious career for Pakistan while his grandson Bazid made his Test debut as recently as 2005. The Ali brothers – Wazir and Nazir – also settled down in the western side of the border. Wazir’s son, Khalid, managed two Tests for Pakistan in the 1954 season.

Naoomal Jaomal, one of India’s openers, however, reversed the trend – he was born in Karachi but settled down in Bombay. However, he did his bit for Pakistan too: coaching them in the late 1950s and guiding players such as Hanif Mohammad and Nasim-ul-Ghani. India’s other opener in that game, Janardhan Navle, was also their first wicketkeeper. He managed just one other Test and sadly, according to veteran statistician Vasant Raiji, “died in penury, uncared for in his final years”.Lall Singh, the only Test cricketer to be born in Malaysia, didn’t play another Test but will always be remembered, according to reports, as India’s “first outstanding fielder”. But if there’s one man permanently associated with the Test it will be Nayudu. “He always used to take pride in the fact that India’s Test journey began with him,” says his daughter Chandra, a retired professor in English and the author of the book .”Though it was the Maharaja of Patiala who was the designated captain and the Ghanshyamsinhji of Limbdi the official vice-captain, both made way for my father to lead the side. It was indicative of his abilities as a leader and the readiness with which even princes were willing to give way to a common man,” she told Cricinfo. As more and more youngsters make it to the national side from hitherto obscure parts of the nation, India’s cricketing saga continues even as the game’s popularity continues to soar.

Ricky Ponting says Phil Jaques will not be under significant pressure in the first Test against Sri Lanka as he is the only one of Australia’s potential new openers in form. Jaques will play his third Test when the series starts at the Gabba on Thursday and Ponting advised the newest member of his top order to “relax”.”[Chris] Rogers, [Brad] Hodge, [Shane] Watson and himself were the four mentioned, and he is the only one that has done anything at the start of this season, so he thoroughly deserves his opportunity,” Ponting told the . “If you look at things at the moment he’s the only one who has grabbed that opportunity.”Rogers might have had the edge over Jaques at the end of last summer having topped the Pura Cup run tally with 1202 at 70.70. However, he made 9 and 17 in Western Australia’s opening game this season and was then struck down with appendicitis.Another hamstring injury ruled Watson out of the race, while Hodge was in poor form in the ODI series in India. Hodge tried opening in Victoria’s Pura Cup match last week – he made 2 and 0 – and although he managed 162 on Saturday for his Melbourne club side Jaques already had the Test position sewn up.After a strong Australia A tour of Pakistan, Jaques opened his Pura Cup season with 167 for New South Wales in the same match in which Rogers failed. “I don’t think there is any pressure on him now,” Ponting said.”The pressure was on him in the first couple of games of the season, and now that he has been picked he can relax into things and hopefully get some runs in the first couple of Tests. He deserves his chance and he’s a guy that loves batting and usually when he gets in he makes big scores, so hopefully he can do that for Australia.”

Jon Lewis will have an operation on his left ankle to remove some troublesome bits of bone. Lewis, the England seamer and Gloucestershire captain, will undergo the surgery next Thursday.Gloucestershire expect him to be out of the game for two to three months. It’s obviously not great timing for the county season, but the club’s physiotherapist, Steve Griffin, explained that this is the best course of action for the long-term.”Hopefully it will resolve the issues that have been causing him problems over the winter months. The rehabilitation process following the surgery is very important and we will not be rushing Jon back until he is completely ready. “