All posts by h716a5.icu

There has been plenty of talk of playing the Ranji Trophy knockouts at neutral venues but that came to an end on Thursday with the BCCI confirming that three of the quarterfinalists will get home games

Amol Karhadkar02-Jan-2014India team members to skip quarterfinals

Four of India’s New Zealand-bound ODI squad whose teams have made the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals will have to miss the match since they will have to depart for New Zealand on the morning of the last day of the Ranji tie.
Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane (both Mumbai), Mohammed Shami (Bengal) and Stuart Binny (Karnataka) were keen to contribute to their Ranji teams in the quarterfinals, starting January 8. However, since the five-day match ends on January 12 and the Indian contingent is set to leave for New Zealand early on January 12, Mumbai, Bengal and Karnataka will have to make do without their star players.

There has been plenty of talk of playing the Ranji Trophy knockouts at neutral venues but that came to an end on Thursday with the BCCI confirming that three of the quarterfinalists will get home games.While announcing the draw for knockout stage, the BCCI declared that the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Moti Bagh ground in Vadodara will host the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, to be played from January 8 to 12. The first three venues will host a game involving the corresponding home team.The decision went against the demand voiced during the captains’ and coaches’ conclave at the end of the last domestic season. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh had also supported the idea of playing knockout games at neutral venues following Punjab’stame draw against Jharkhand in Jamshedpur during last year’s quarter-final played on a placid pitch.The technical committee, headed by former India captain Anil Kumble, had discussed the concept in detail on March 22.On Thursday, Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI general manager – game development, told ESPNcricinfo that the decision to play knockouts at neutral venues was never made. “This was one of the issues that was discussed threadbare. And at the end of it, it was decided that the chairman of technical committee will be consulted with while finalising a list ofpotential venues for hosting the knockout games,” Shetty said. “So it was always going to be a case of pre-decided or BCCI-decided venues, and not neutral venues.”Elaborating on the rationale behind playing matches at pre-decided venues, Shetty said the concept was to play all important games on “sporting pitches monitored by BCCI curators”. As a result, curators of ten grounds – Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Vadodara, Mohali, Indore, Hyderabad, Lahli, Jaipur and Mysore – had been asked to start preparing a wicket “almost three weeks ago”.Since the finalisation of the the venues, Daljit Singh, head of BCCI’s grounds and pitches committee, has been in Kolkata overseeing the track’s preparation. The veteran curator is scheduled to fly to Mumbai from Kolkata while PR Viswanathan, the South Zone representative in the committee, has been stationed in Bangalore. Similarly, Dhiraj Parsana will be in Vadodara till the quarterfinal gets underway.One of the quarterfinals will be played at a neutral venue, with Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir facing off at the Moti Bagh ground in Vadodara. “Since three of the four quarterfinals have home venues, we didn’t have to do too much of manoeuvring,” Shetty said. “If Punjab make it to the semis, they will also have an opportunity to play at home.”The quarterfinal line-up pits Bengal and Railways against each other though they were both in group B in the league phase. Shetty explained that the clash of two teams in the same group was inevitable due to the format of the draw. “Last year’s semi-finalists are always given seeding, with the top two set to play the two teams from Group C. Since only two teams from last year’s top four had qualified for the knockouts, the rest of the positions were decided due to draw of lots.”Knockout schedule:Quarterfinals (January 8 to 12)
1. Mumbai v Maharashtra – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (to be telecast live)
2. Bengal v Railways – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
3. Karnataka v Uttar Pradesh – M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
4. Punjab v Jammu & Kashmir – Motibaug, BarodaSemifinals (January 18 to 22)
Winner of 1 v Winner of 2 – Holkar Stadium, IndoreWinner of 3 v Winner of 4 – PCA Stadium, Mohali (to be telecast live)Final (January 29 to February 2)
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad (to be telecast live)

Sri Lanka were a wicket away from breaking Pakistan after lunch on the third day of the second Test in Dubai, but they could not take it

The Report by George Binoy10-Jan-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSri Lanka were a wicket away from breaking Pakistan after lunch on the third day of the second Test in Dubai, but they could not take it. Having conceded a first-innings lead of 223, and then slumped to 19 for 3 in the second, Pakistan were on the brink. Their old guard dragged them back from it. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq batted with focus and not flash to whittle the deficit below 100 but because of the spectacular top-order failure their job was far from done. Their 113-run association spanned 41.1 overs, but Sri Lanka were still a wicket away from breaking Pakistan.The events that unfolded on the morning of the third day showed Pakistan what could have been had their wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed not dropped Angelo Mathews off Rahat Ali the previous evening. The Sri Lanka captain was on 5 at the time, his partnership with Mahela Jayawardene was 12 and their lead was 74. Rahat drew a similar edge from Mathews this morning, before the batsman had added to his overnight score, and Sarfaraz dived to his right to successfully take the catch.Pakistan went on to dismiss Sri Lanka by taking six wickets for 70 runs in the first session. Between those edges from Mathews, however, he had moved to 42 and his partnership with Mahela had grown to 93, swelling Sri Lanka’s lead towards 200. By the time the visitors were out for 388, 20 minutes before lunch in an extended session, their advantage was such that Pakistan required an escape act similar to what Sri Lanka pulled off to save the Abu Dhabi Test.Those prospects took a hit in the three overs Sri Lanka bowled before the break, when Rangana Herath got the new ball to rip and bounce sharply away from Ahmed Shehzad’s front-foot prod, grazing the outside edge on its way into Prasanna Jayawardene’s gloves. They trooped off the field a merry bunch, their bowlers beginning to drive home the advantage earned by Mahela’s century.After lunch Nuwan Pradeep continued the trend of the Sri Lankan quicks gaining more assistance from the pitch than Pakistan’s did, by bowling two deliveries that seamed away just enough to draw edges from Mohammad Hafeez and Khurram Manzoor, giving Prasanna two more catches.Perhaps it was the change of ball in the 13th over, but there were few alarms thereafter. Misbah joined Younis and the pair went about restoring stability by playing percentage shots. Younis was extremely careful at the start, scoring 2 off 20 balls before playing several fluent off and cover drives against the seamers. Misbah, on 3 off 16, planted his front foot forward and hit Herath with the turn over the long-off boundary, and then went past 3000 runs in Test cricket.Despite his experience, though, Misbah had a brain fade off the last ball before tea and was lucky to survive. He ran after pushing close on the off side but the bowler Suranga Lakmal had got to the ball quickly and Younis did not respond. Misbah’s sprint to safety would have been in vain had Lakmal directly hit the stumps. He was on 41 at the time.Misbah-ul-Haq was left with the responsibility of rescuing his side•AFPYounis and Misbah had scored at more than three runs an over before tea, but they added only 47 runs in 21 overs in a final session curtailed by bad light. A feature of their innings was how they played Herath, lunging forward to sweep and driving with the turn through the off side. The batting and its pace appeared homogenous, with Younis reaching his half-century off 109 balls and Misbah getting his off 108. They were the only reason Pakistan were not lost.Sri Lanka’s position of comfort in this match was largely due to Mahela’s century, during the course of which he passed Steve Waugh to move to No. 8 on the list of highest run-scorers in Tests. He added only 23 to his overnight score of 106 though. With Sri Lanka losing three quick wickets in the morning, Mahela began to pull and chip over the infield and also farm strike. He welcomed Saeed Ajmal with a sweep to the boundary but when he tried to play the reverse in the offspinner’s second over, he missed and was bowled. The dismissal ended a 77.2-over wicket drought for Ajmal.Pakistan lost Bilawal Bhatti to a hamstring niggle shortly after he bowled Shaminda Eranga, who scored 14 after being dropped on 8 by Hafeez at slip, but the rest of the attack gradually worked its way through the Sri Lankan tail. Pakistan desperately needed to eat into the deficit with most of their wickets intact but their top order failed them, leaving Misbah and Younis to toil for a great escape.

A round-up of the Premier League Tournament matches that ended on February 16, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2014Group BFile photo: Prasanna Jayawardene hit eight fours and a six during his unbeaten 61 in Colombo Cricket Club’s first innings•AFPOffspinner Maduka Liyanapathiranage finished with a match haul of eight wickets to help Colombo Cricket Club to a 10-run win against Colts Cricket Club in Colombo. Liyanapathiranage first picked up five wickets to dismiss Colts for 157 in their first innings, and then ran through the team’s top order in the second to help Colombo successfully defend 234.Colombo, put in to bat, managed 228 in the first innings, thanks to fifties from Gihan Rupasinghe (64) and Prasanna Jayawardene (61). Akila Dananjaya was the pick of Colts’ bowlers, and finished with 4 for 7.Colts, in reply, could only manage 157 as barring a 49 from Milinda Siriwardana, none of the other batsmen could produce more than 25. Colombo, however, fared poorly in their second innings as seven wickets from Sachith Pathirana restricted the team to 162, setting Colts a target of 234.Pathirana then contributed with the bat, scoring 70, but was ultimately unable to take the team home as Dinuka Hettiarachchi and Hasantha Fernando chipped in with three wickets each to bowl the team out for 224.Lahiru Lakmal’s maiden first-class hundred gave Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club first-innings lead in a drawn match with Badureliya Sports Club in Maggona. Badureliya batted first and despite being 129 for 5, put on 345 on the back of a 109-run partnership between Andy Solomons (131) and Imesh Udayanga (59). Sri Lanka Air Force started strong with a fifty from opener Thuppahi Nadeera (77) and Lakma’s knock. A useful 47 at No. 8 from Sahan Jayawardene helped them score 430, with a lead of 85. Left-arm spinner Ranil Dhammika took four wickets for 109 runs.Badureliya batted with better intent in the second essay as England batsman Greg Smith scored a hundred (119) and they declared at 269 for 7, setting Sri Lanka Air Force a target of 185. Sri Lanka Air Force made 39 runs in 13 overs for the loss of three wickets when the match ended in a draw, and took 11.7 points, while Badureliya earned 4.37 but both are still placed at the bottom of the table.Another draw ensued, between Moors Sports Club and Sri Lanka Army Sports Club in Panagoda even though Moors took home 12.335 points on first-innings lead and moved to the top of the table.Batting first, Moors saw several useful scores from the lower order, particularly from Suresh Niroshan (81) and Irosh Samarasooriya (41), which took them to 295. Their bowlers were led by a six-wicket haul from left-arm seamer Vimukthi Perera who notched his best first-class figures of 6 for 68. This meant that Sri Lanka Army were restricted to 220 after a fifty from Manjula de Zoysa (69). Moors then came back and scored another 272 with two fifties – 80 from Isham Ghouse and 72 from Harsha Cooray. Sri Lanka Army were set a target of 348 and the match ended when they were 214 for 5 on the third day.Group AAn all-round display from Sinhalese Sports Club helped them crush Panadura Sports Club by 115 runs in Colombo. Sinhalese, batting first, rallied to 272 on the back of fifties from the captain Tharanga Paranavitana and Kaushal Lokuarachchi. Sinhalese then enforced their advantage by bowling Panadura out for 191 to wrest an 81-run lead. Sammika Ruwan top-scored with 60, but only four batsmen reached double digits as Charith Jayampathi snared three wickets to help dismiss the team in 44.3 overs.Left-arm spinner Gayan Sirisoma picked up six wickets to rattle Sinhalese in their second innings, but the team still managed to reach 215, thanks to another fifty from Lokuarachchi, which set Panadura a formidable 297 for victory.Panadura’s chase was hampered by wickets at regular intervals. Most of their top and middle order made starts, but none of the batsmen could build on and score a fifty, as Kasun Madushanka finished with 5 for 52 and Ranindu Kumarasinghe notched four scalps to skittle Panadura for 181 in 32.4 overs.Ragama Cricket Club and Chilaw Marians Club played out a draw in Colombo. Ragama, batting first, put up 452 on the back of centuries from Lahiru Thirimanne (135) and Chanaka Wijesinghe (117*). The team made that advantage count by dismissing Chilaw for 185 in the first innings, as Nilanka Premaratne, Alankara Asanka Silva and Malinga Bandara each snared three wickets.With a 267-run lead in hand, Ragama enforced the follow-on in hope of securing an innings win. However Shashrika Pussegolla scored 103 not out to steer the team to safety.Shantha Kalavitigoda and Gayan Maneeshan both scored hundreds to help Sri Lanka Ports Authority Cricket Club thrash Bloomfield by an innings and 30 runs in Colombo.SLPACC, batting first, were dominant right from the off as Kalavitigoda and Yohan de Silva built a second-wicket stand worth 151 runs. Kalavitigoda fell for 132, but Maneeshan put up big stands with Gayashan Weerasekera and Sachithra Serasinghe to lift the team to 593 for 7 before they decided to declare. Maneeshan hit nine fours and three sixes during his quick 102, while Suraj Ranjdiv was the pick of Bloomfield’s bowlers, finishing with five wickets.Bloomfield, in reply, could only manage 273 in their first essay, as Chanaka Komasaru took a five-for to dismiss the team in 71.1 overs, with Adeesha Nanayakkara’s 91 being the only score of note. Following on, Bloomfield needed at least 320 to make SLPACC bat again, but wickets at regular intervals stunted their progress. Randiv scored an unbeaten 106, but received very little by way of support from the other end as Komasuru picked up a further six wickets to take his match tally to 11 and bowl Bloomfield out for 290.

Mohammad Kaif, the former India batsman, will contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh’s Phulpur constituency on a Congress ticket

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2014Mohammad Kaif, the former India batsman, will contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh’s Phulpur constituency on a Congress ticket. Kaif is one of 194 Lok Sabha candidates whose names were released by the Congress Party on March 8.”I was born and brought up in Allahabad. I have played cricket in the streets of this city. People looked at me with pride when I played for India. I am hopeful that they will support me,” Kaif told PTI. “After cricket, politics is like a second innings for me. I hope to be as successful in politics as I was in cricket.”Kaif, 33, is an active domestic cricketer for UP. He played the Ranji Trophy in 2013-14 and a Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Vidarbha on March 5 this year. He last played for India in 2006, having ended his international career with 13 Tests and 125 ODIs.

Muktar Ali said he would have slammed a few more big hits had someone told him that he had equaled the record for most sixes in a first-class innings

Mohammad Isam15-Apr-2014Muktar Ali said he would have slammed a few more big hits had someone told him that he had equaled the record for most sixes in a first-class innings, during his 168 that helped Rajshahi Division beat Chittagong Divison by 403 runs in an NCL match. Only three other batsmen – Andrew Symonds, Jesse Ryder and Graham Napier – have hit 16 sixes in a first-class innings.Despite the regret, however, Muktar said he was happy to finally hit a first-class century after missing an opportunity in a previous game. Against Chittagong, he batted for less than three hours and took 148 balls to make 168 runs before he was finally dismissed by Ali Akbar, caught behind by Irfan Sukkur in the 136th over.”I am regretting my dismissal because I had no idea about the world record,” Muktar said. “Why won’t I feel sad about it? If I had known that 16 sixes equals a world record, I would have hit at least five-six more sixes. I could do anything I wanted at that stage.”There were two reasons for going after a century in this innings. I had missed out in a previous game when I got out for 96. I was so sad, I couldn’t sleep for three nights. I just wanted to score the century as soon as possible. The other reason was Sanjamul Islam, my good friend and roommate. He was teasing me after he made 172 the previous day, but I never realised I would make such a big score.”Muktar’s main role in the team is that of a fast bowler and, with the new ball in hand, he dismissed Chittagong captain Nafees Iqbal and Mahbubul Karim off his first two deliveries in the game. Mominul Haque avoided the hat-trick, but was caught behind in Muktar’s next over.He wasn’t the only star for Rajshahi, however. While batting, Muktar shared a 224-run partnership with Farhad Reza, who won Player of the Match for his career-best 259. His stand of 347 with Sanjamul was the catalyst for Rajshahi’s revival in the game and also equaled the record for the second-highest partnership for the seventh wicket in first-class cricket. shared by West Indies’ Denis Atkinson and Clairmonte Depeiza, against Australia in the 1955 Bridgetown Test.Records, though, were the last thing on Farhad’s mind as he prepared to get his side out of a hole at 77 for 6.”There was no thought about scoring a double-hundred or setting a partnership record. I just wanted to stay at the wicket, and keep Sanjamul along for company. We tried to minimise our mistakes and not give away a wicket at that stage,” Farhad said.

Ben Stokes and Matt Prior, two players whom the England selectors viewed as likely starters in the first Test against Sri Lanka, hope to return to action towards the end of the month in a bid to prove their fitness for the Lord’s match in June

Andrew McGlashan13-May-2014Ben Stokes and Matt Prior, two players whom the England selectors viewed as likely starters in the first Test against Sri Lanka, hope to return to action towards the end of the month in a bid to prove their fitness for the Lord’s match in June.Stokes has not played since breaking his hand after the final T20 against West Indies, in March, an injury that ruled him out of the World T20. The healing process has been slow but James Whitaker, the national selector, said the aim was for him to be playing some form of cricket within the next weeks although he remained cautious about a return to the international stage.”He’s on the road to recovery. He’s had a positive scan only yesterday so it’s slowly slowly at the moment, more pressure each day and monitor it over the next week or two,” Whitaker after the announcement of England’s T20 and ODI squads to face Sri Lanka. “But he will be reintroduced to cricket over the next 10 or so days, very gentle, netting, perhaps an academy game, but he’s another one we have to take good care of in the future.”We’re always balancing aren’t we, the risk and reward, but better they come back fully fit so it helps them regain form. Let’s get them back fully fit first, I think that’s the right way to go.”Prior has not played since Sussex’s opening Championship match of the season, against Middlesex at Hove, where he scored a hundred but did not keep wicket, due to an achilles injury. He has recently been training with an anti-gravity running machine to try to aid his recovery and is pencilled in to play against Middlesex from May 26.If his comeback is delayed much further it is unlikely England will be able to select him for the first Test, which then leaves a conundrum over who will keep wicket. Jonny Bairstow remains the man in possession having kept in the Sydney Test in January, and has regained the gloves for Yorkshire in this round of Championship matches, while Jos Buttler made a half-century in tricky conditions against Middlesex but concerns over the pair’s glovework remain.”There’s a number of viable candidates for the role – the guy that holds the spot at the moment is keeping wicket for Yorkshire,” Whitaker said. “Matt Prior is injured and coming back and hopes to put himself into contention for the first Test by playing a couple of games. He decided rather than come back sooner and just batting let’s try and clear it up so when he does come back he can keep and bat at the same time.”Whitaker also had words of encouragement for Liam Plunkett who has impressed with his pace and stamina for Yorkshire this season, although said he had not come into serious consideration for the limited-overs squads.”He has made good progress and if he carries on like this he will be talked about more and more. It is great to see him playing well and you have to pay compliments to Jason Gillespie and Martyn Moxon because he looks a reinvigorated force.”Full credit to Kevin Shine and all those guys at Loughborough for working with him on the performance programme in the winter and selecting him for the Lions. He really did a good job on some flat wickets, his energy was fantastic and he got some vital breakthroughs and his batting was a bonus at the end. Yorkshire have made a great signing.”It is all about his state of mind. He is very relaxed now, his bowling his terrific, and long may it continue. The more options we have for all forms of the game the better, especially at that pace.”

Back on home turf at Wankhede Stadium, the venue of their unbeaten run previous year, Mumbai Indians’ batsmen held their nerve at the death to give their franchise their first victory of the season in six attempts

The Report by Abhishek Purohit03-May-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKieron Pollard’s blows hauled Mumbai Indians over the line•BCCIBack on home turf at Wankhede Stadium, the venue of their unbeaten run the previous year, Mumbai Indians’ batsmen held their nerve at the death to give their franchise their first victory of the season in six attempts. Mumbai Indians needed 41 off the last three overs but Kieron Pollard and Aditya Tare catapulted their side home with five deliveries to spare and ended Kings XI Punjab’s victorious five-game run.The home side lost their openers cheaply before thirties from CM Gautam, Rohit Sharma and Corey Anderson revived them. The asking-rate climbed again after Rohit and Anderson departed in the 16th and 17th overs, but Pollard and Tare were around to ensure Mumbai Indians were not letting it slip away.It was Tare who wrested back momentum for Mumbai Indians when he lofted L Balaji for four over extra cover and pulled him over deep midwicket for six in the 18th over, which went for 16. Kings XI had Mitchell Johnson for the 19th, and Pollard has often been found wanting against quality pace from the likes of Dale Steyn.But the allrounder never let Johnson get on top, lifting the first ball of the over, a full delivery, for six over long-on. Johnson followed up with a wide down the leg side. Pollard ran twos off the next two deliveries before inside-edging a yorker for four. A pull to deep square leg for four more and a single to keep strike made it 20 off the over. Pollard completed formalities by launching Sandeep Sharma’s first ball of the final over for six over long-off. He ended on 28 off 12 while Tare was unbeaten on 16 from 6.Gautam and Rohit had come together at 23 for 2 after the openers departed to Sandeep’s swing and added 47 in 41 before Gautam fell to Rishi Dhawan. Rohit and Anderson took a six each off Dhawan’s next over but the real push Mumbai Indians needed came in the 13th over bowled by Akshar Patel. Anderson slogged the left-arm spinner for four consecutive boundaries, and the 20-run over brought down the asking-rate to eight-and-a-half from ten.Kings XI fought back as Balaji, Johnson and Dhawan put in four tight overs, which earned the wickets of Rohit and Anderson. The rate shot up to nearly 14 after Dhawan completed his spell in the 17th, but Mumbai Indians had more ammunition in the form of Pollard and Tare.They also had Lasith Malinga, who gave away just eight runs combined in the 18th and 20th overs of the Kings XI innings. It meant that despite taking 20 off the penultimate over – bowled jointly by Zaheer Khan and Pollard after the left-armer left the field midway clutching his shoulder – Kings XI were not able to have the big finish they needed.Their innings went similarly as Mumbai Indians’ was to, barring that final surge. The openers could not do much before Glenn Maxwell and Wriddhiman Saha rebuilt. Even as Saha struggled to rotate the strike, Maxwell kept hitting fours and sixes with ease. He had motored to 45 off 26 before he mishit Harbhajan Singh to long-on.George Bailey’s move to promote himself ahead of David Miller did not work. Saha took over now, moving from 12 off 23 to 59 off 47, sweeping and pulling Pollard for three fours in the 14th over. His acceleration wasn’t enough in the end.

New Zealand have brought in seamer Neil Wagner for legspinner Ish Sodhi as they hunt their second series victory in the Caribbean

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria25-Jun-2014Match factsJune 26-30, 2014, Barbados
Start time 1000 (1400 GMT)Brendon McCullum scored only 31 runs in the first two Tests•WICB Media/Randy Brooks PhotoBig PictureA six-Test winning streak and the World T20 title had signaled the possibility of a change in fortune for West Indies in 2012 and 2013. It was not to be. They lost four of the next five Tests; Darren Sammy lost the captaincy and retired from the format. The wholesale changes – a revamped bowling attack – did not produce immediate success in the first Test against New Zealand in Jamaica, but West Indies battled through five days to level the series in Trinidad. The third Test in Barbados brings with it the hope of a morale-boosting win for the hosts.There’s a lot at stake for New Zealand too. They have won only one series in the Caribbean, in 2002, and arrived for this tour with a reputation that has gained weight over the last two seasons. They added to it with a “nigh perfect” performance – in Brendon McCullum’s words – at Sabina Park but faltered in Port-of-Spain, highlighting the difficulty of winning an away series. New Zealand will be raring to take the opportunity and need the captain McCullum, their only batsman without runs, to lift his game.West Indies were heartened by the manner in which their batsmen responded after the problems in the first Test. They brought in two in-form players for the Trinidad Test – Kraigg Brathwaite and the uncapped Jermaine Blackwood – and reaped immediate rewards. Brathwaite scored his maiden Test hundred while Blackwood impressed with 63. The others chipped in too – Darren Bravo made his first Test century at home, Kirk Edwards’ aggressive fifty was a statement of intent, and Chris Gayle smashed his way through to the target. With Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor, the bowling looks in good shape.If the Bridgetown pitch promises to be as seamer-friendly as it is said to be, the contest may be decided by which team handles pace better. New Zealand, with more technically sound batsmen, would consider that to be a head start.Form guide (Most recent first)
West Indies WLLLD
New Zealand LWDWWWatch out forJerome Taylor’s return to Test cricket has been positive. He is the leading bowler in the series with 10 wickets and has kept batsmen under constant pressure with his accuracy. Taylor has swung the ball, old and new, at pace, and on more fortunate days he would have had more wickets to show for it. He is eight short of 100 and will hope the Bridgetown curator prepares the ideal surface for him to reach the milestone.Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor were the stars of New Zealand’s home summer prior to this West Indies tour. Taylor’s three centuries, including a career-best 217, set up a 2-0 win against West Indies, while McCullum 224 and 302 helped beat India 1-0. They have had no success in the Caribbean though. Despite getting some runs, Taylor has appeared scratchy. McCullum’s form has been worse – 31 runs in four innings. Considering how long the offspinner Mark Craig batted in the second innings at Port-of-Spain, similar resolve from the New Zealand captain could have helped his team save the game.Team newsWest Indies are unlikely to tinker with the XI that squared the series irrespective of the availability of offspinner Shane Shillingford, who missed the last Test due to a niggle. Shannon Gabriel, who replaced Shillingford, was the least threatening of the three West Indian seamers, but he found life on a dying pitch towards the end of the Test. With Barbados likely to have the most pace-friendly conditions, and Shillingford blunted due to the ban on his doosra, Gabriel’s case is stronger.West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kirk Edwards, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Sulieman Benn, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shane Shillingford/Shannon GabrielThe difference between West Indies and New Zealand’s XIs in Port-of-Spain was the make-up of their bowling attacks. New Zealand played two spinners to West Indies’ one. The visitors have changed that for Barbados, bringing in left-armer Neil Wagner as the third seamer in place of the legspinner Ish Sodhi, whose four wickets were expensive in Trinidad. Mark Craig was wicketless in the second Test but his marathon batting effort in the second innings went in his favour.New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Neil Wagner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mark Craig, 11 Trent BoultPitch and conditionsRain is likely over the next five days, but if forecasts are to be believed the weather will not disrupt the Test too much. It is the pitch the teams will be keeping a careful eye on. “Kensington always has a little bit in it for the bowlers as well,” Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, had said. New Zealand will not mind that either.Stats and trivia This will be West Indies’ 50th Test at Kensington Oval. They have won 22, lost 10 and drawn 17 New Zealand registered their first Test win in the West Indies in 2002, at Kensington Oval New Zealand beat West Indies six times in 30 Tests till 2000, and six times in 14 games after the turn of the centuryQuotes”It’s beautiful, a great atmosphere. Good wicket to bat on at all times. Barbados is very passionate about the game. A fantastic ground, love playing here personally, you get quality for your shots.”
“The opposition is not going to allow you to play that sort of cricket (second Test) all the time but that’s the cricket we want to play and that’s what we will set out to do.”

David Collier has revealed that “seven or eight counties” could have gone out of business had the ECB not made changes to the running of the English game

George Dobell12-Aug-2014David Collier, the out-going ECB chief executive, has revealed that “seven or eight counties” could have gone out of business had the ECB not made changes to the running of the English game.In a wide-ranging and exclusive interview with ESPNcricinfo, Collier reflected on a decade in the role and admitted his regrets over the Allen Stanford episode, his true feelings over the lack of cricket on free-to-air television and his pride at the pioneering support that England has given to the funding of women’s and disability cricket.And while Collier conceded that not everyone in the game was sorry to see him go – “everyone is happy,” is how he put it – he generally reflected with great satisfaction at the vastly increased stability of the game in England and Wales over the course of his period in charge.That is understandable. When Collier was appointed chief executive of the ECB towards the end of 2004, the organisation was in debt, participation in the game was falling and England had not won the Ashes for nearly 20 years.A decade later, the ECB has a surplus of £40m, participation has doubled, the Ashes have been won four times and, despite the recent decline, England have enjoyed spells at No. 1 in all three formats of the game. Of course there are negatives, too, but those facts are compelling.That £40m surplus has caused controversy within the game, however, and created resentment towards Collier from some counties. The counties, many of whom have undertaken extensive redevelopment programmes, would like that money to be distributed among them to help with their debts.But, as Collier explained, the ECB felt the need to insulate the game from unforeseen events, some which can make cricket seen very insignificant but could have had serious repercussions for the game, and that surplus actually exists to protect the counties”So many events occur that are outside our control,” Collier told ESPNcricinfo. “Consider the spot-fixing episode during the 2010 series against Pakistan or the Mumbai attacks in 2008. In my very first summer in the role, we had the 7/7 attacks and then 21/7. There was a real possibility that Australia would go home and not play the rest of the series.”If that had happened, we would have had issues with broadcast partners, with sponsors and with the venues. Seven or eight counties would have gone out of business. It really could have been that bad. There were no reserves.”The game is much safer now. Much more stable. We are in a position where the impact caused by big shocks can be more easily withstood thanks to our reserves and that means the game is more sustainable.”Collier was a good enough sportsman to captain the British Universities at hockey and cricket – “not many people have done that,” he said with understandable pride – and played 2nd XI county cricket. A highlight was taking four wickets in five deliveries, including John Wright and Geoff Miller, while playing for Loughborough University against Derbyshire.David Collier on…

Broadcast rights
“It would be nice if domestic channels showed more interest in cricket. It would be nice if they wanted to show it, but we can’t force them. There is a very good highlights show on Channel 5 that is shown at peak time and gains that channel some of their highest viewing figures but yes, in an ideal world, of course it might be beneficial to show some live cricket on free-to-air TV. Whether Sky would chose to do that is a matter for them, but they did show some of the Ashes series over the winter on Pick [a free service] so the ability to do that is there.”

The schedule
“You won’t believe me but, in the last week, I’ve received a half-a-dozen letters complaining that there isn’t enough cricket. I think what you have to understand is that the game has to remain sustainable: if we want to invest in the England teams, the women’s game, disability cricket and the county system, then a full international programme is essential. We have reduced the workload in the next FTP by seven or eight days a year for England players and, as I understand it, England will fall to sixth in the table of the sides with the highest volume of international cricket. Sri Lanka will play the most.”

His departure

“I haven’t been sacked. I’ve chosen to go; I’ve chosen to retire. But, yes, there are always going to be differences of opinions and it is probably fair to say that everyone is happy with this outcome. If there is any opportunity to help the game at international level, I would be delighted to do that. But I remain heavily involved in hockey and I do not leave the ECB until the end of the summer.”

But it is not his personal achievements, the financial strength of the ECB or the success of the Test team that provokes most pride in Collier; not directly, anyway.”My most emotional day in cricket came when I went to the Ken Barrington Centre at The Oval in 2005,” he said. “And presented caps to our disability side.”Women’s cricket and disability have grown exponentially over the last decade. And yes, I am very proud of that.”People sometimes talk as if money is all we care about. But it’s that money that has helped us invest in better facilities for spectators, in better facilities for players, to ensure the on-going stability of the game, to invest in grass roots cricket and to lead the world in our development of disability cricket and women’s cricket.”Of course over 10 years I have made some mistakes and there are some things I would do differently. But when I look at where we were when I started and where we are now…”Still, the financial health of the game is not what many will associate with Collier’s time at the ECB. Rather, it will be the image of him glad-handing with Stanford, the disgraced Texan billionaire, when he landed his helicopter on the Nursery Ground at Lord’s after he was brought into the heart of the English game in 2008 – billed as a saviour against the threat of T20 leagues around the world.As history will forever record, England lost a million-dollar match against Stanford’s All-Stars in Antigua, at the end of a week of one uncomfortable moment after another, then a few months later, ironically while England were playing a Test in Stanford’s backyard of Antigua, his world came crashing down as fraud of astronomical proportions became clear.Collier wishes he could turn back the clock, but insisted that the warning signs were not there. “With the benefit of hindsight, we wouldn’t have done it,” he said. “But you have to understand the context of the time: he was involved in the sponsorship of sailing, yachting and polo.”He was triple A rated and had just been knighted. There really weren’t the red flags people suggest. And, at the same time, the ICL was very active. There was a genuine danger from unauthorised leagues. Yes, the way it all panned out I regret it, but we acted with the best interest of the entire game at heart.”Generally, however, a good administrator is much like a good wicketkeeper: they only gain attention when they make a mistake. Nobody goes into cricket administration for the glamour or the praise. After a decade working diligently in the background – and Collier’s habit of replying to emails at anything from 6am to 11pm betrays his dedication – Collier departs in the knowledge that he has left the game in a better position than he found it.

Veteran spinner Brad Hogg has signed on for another season with the Perth Scorchers, who have also secured Pakistan fast bowler Yasir Arafat for another year

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2014Veteran spinner Brad Hogg has signed on for another season with the Perth Scorchers, who have also secured Pakistan fast bowler Yasir Arafat for another year.Hogg, 43, has just returned home from the Caribbean Premier League, where he played for the Antigua Hawksbills, and he was also part of Australia’s World T20 squad in Bangladesh earlier in the year.”The body is feeling great and the mind is just the same as ever; it’s feeling like an 18-year-old’s,” Hogg said. “I’m really looking forward to getting back out in the middle and playing. I know my career is coming to an end; it’s going to come to an end quicker than it will extend, we all know that. I just want to enjoy every moment and I’m just excited.”Like Hogg, Arafat was a key part of the side’s BBL triumph last summer with his 12 wickets at 14.75, and Scorchers coach Justin Langer said both men were important signings for the 2014-15 campaign.”I’ve said from day one that, the way I’m watching the game, is that, in Twenty20 cricket, that experience is so important,” Langer said. “To be able to handle the pressure, whether you’re batting, bowling, fielding, usually it’s the more experienced heads that do that. To have Brad Hogg and Yasir adding that experience to our group adds great layers to our squad.”