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ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya05-May-2012

Match facts

Sunday, May 6
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Lasith Malinga has continued to be Mumbai Indians’ MVP•AFP

Big Picture

Wins for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in their previous games helped clear a few lingering doubts for both teams. Mumbai Indians just about held on, but got their opening combination to click. They had tried six combinations in nine games prior to that; with James Franklin and Sachin Tendulkar adding 50, they may have finally settled on one. But the middle-order collapse that ensued and the absence of Kieron Pollard due to injury pose another headache.Super Kings’ win over Deccan Chargers revived their campaign, helping them bounce back after a winless two weeks that involved two losses and a rained-out game. The win also kept them marginally ahead of competitors below them in the points table and with the tournament now well past the half-way stage, Super Kings need to achieve some consistency to retain that advantage.

Form guide

(most recent first, completed games)
Chennai Super Kings: WLLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLWL

Players to watch

It is probably safe to say that Lasith Malinga would be leading the wicket-taking charts this IPL had he played all of his team’s 10 matches. He missed three due to a back injury, but since his return has continued to be his side’s MVP, playing an instrumental role in his side’s two wins in that period.Suresh Raina, after an indifferent start to the season, has finally got going, making 44 and 32 in his previous two games. But he’s been relatively restrained on a slowish Chennai track, and will hope the Mumbai conditions offer him a chance to be play with more freedom.

Stats and trivia

• Seamers have taken 310 wickets thus far in the IPL, out of 464, almost 67%. Spinners, though, have been marginally more economical, going at 7.26 an over as opposed to 7.82 *
• Fifteen matches thus far in the IPL have gone into the last over.
  

  Quotes

  “Franklin gives us stability (in the top order), but we are still looking for a middle-order batsman who can fill Franklin’s spot. We have Dwayne Smith (he has joined the squad as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Johnson) and hopefully he can fill that slot.”
  “We have the best fielding unit in the tournament but still there are areas we need to improve like with our direct throws. For a team, there is always some scope of improvement.”

  * Stats do not include numbers from Saturday’s matches

Preview of the Twenty20 series between New Zealand and West Indies in Florida

The Preview by Sidharth Monga29-Jun-2012

Match Facts

Saturday, June 30, Start time 1500 (1900 GMT)
Sunday, July 1, Start time 1400 (1800 GMT)
Will the slow -and-low pitches handcuff Chris Gayle?•PA Photos

The Big Picture

Americans have previously claimed PG Wodehouse is American. Over the next two days, the claim they’ll lay to a sport Wodehouse wrote extensively and endearingly on will be of a slightly different nature. It will mostly come from those who have moved to America from cricketing nations, and the Caribbean people have a big presence in Florida. Which is why it makes more sense to have New Zealand – a team committed to development of cricket in US – play West Indies, unlike the last time when Sri Lanka and New Zealand failed to draw big crowds in 2010.Also, unlike the last time, the organisers will hope for more encouragement from the conditions. New Zealand Cricket did send one of their best groundsmen to inject some life into the slow and low pitches that made for dull cricket the first time around. Jacob Oram, though, is of the view the pitch hasn’t changed much. It will obviously take them time to get pitch preparation right in Florida, but it is arguable how much dull contests – with stroke-making difficult and little help for bowlers – will help spread the game there.New Zealand won’t complain about the slow and low conditions, though, because they should level the playing field a little. West Indies are the clear favourites on paper, with Chris Gayle and the many allrounders in their squad. New Zealand, on the other hand, are without Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and James Franklin. A slow and low pitch can help neuter the big hitters to an extent, and those saved and scampered singles will become more important if the T20s there from two years ago are any indication.This will also be one of the final chances for the two sides to identify their combinations for the World Twenty20 to be held in Sri Lanka.

Form guide (most recent first)

West Indies LWLLW
New Zealand LLWWW

Watch out for…

Sunil Narine didn’t have the best of Test debuts when English conditions and the absence of pressure to score eight-nine runs off his each over got the better of him. Batsmen also kept watching for the thumb sticking out as he entered the delivery stride, which was a clear sign he would bowl an offbreak. Twenty20 on slow and low pitches might be a different story yet again.Nathan McCullum is another man who’ll cherish these conditions. He has been adept at opening the bowling in both forms of limited-overs cricket. In his last Twenty20 in Lauderhill, McCullum bowled four overs for 15 runs and Kumar Sangakkara’s wicket. He is now the 10th-highest wicket-taker in all T20Is.

Team news

Given the conditions, legspinner Samuel Badree should make his international debut to give West Indies an extra spinning option. If he does get the nod, Fidel Edwards is the likelier man to miss outWest Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt.), 9 Ravi Rampual, 10 Sunil Narine, and 11 Samuel BadreeNew Zealand will have to rely on atypical T20 batsmen like Kane Williamson and Dean Brownlie. Nor will these games feature sides that will start out in the World Twenty20 because McCullum, Daniel Vettori and Franklin will walk into that team. Tom Latham won the wicketkeeper race, and was ready to debut.New Zealand (possible): 1 Rob Nicol, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor (capt.), 5 Dean Brownlie/Daniel Flynn, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Tom Latham (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Tim Southee, and 11 Ronnie Hira.

Stats and trivia

• Statistical evidence points to a close match. Two of these sides’ three encounters have been ties and one won by New Zealand. The tiebreakers were split. This is the first time these times are playing a T20I against each other outside New Zealand.
• Martin Guptill is now the 10th-highest run-getter in T20Is, with 788 at an average of 35.81. Only six players have hit more sixes than his 67.
• Ross Taylor, with 29 catches, is the most prolific in T20Is.
  

  Quotes

  “I don’t think it’s going out there and trying to play any differently or showcase it just because it’s an American audience. First and foremost we’ve got to win. But I’d hope to say that we play a good brand of cricket anyway and we don’t need to worry about that. “
  
  
  “It’s been a big change. It was a very cold and damp summer in England. We barely had four or five nice hot days in two months so to come here is a big change but for most of the West Indians I think they’re at home in this.”

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its players have agreed in principle to the central contracts for the next year

Tariq Engineer17-Jul-2012Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its players have agreed in principle to the terms of the central contracts for the next year, bringing to an end almost five months of negotiations and avoiding a potential stand-off over Sri Lanka’s top players participating in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).The new contracts, which will run from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013, will bear the existing retainer and match fees, ESPNcricinfo understands.On Monday, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, had said the country’s cricketers might decide against taking part in the SLPL if the Sri Lankan board didn’t “settle” the players’ central contracts. The agreement between the two sides means the players no longer have any objections to taking part in the Twenty20 tournament.”Player contracts will be signed tomorrow or the day after,” Nishanta Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. “It has been agreed upon by the players and the board.” Sri Lanka host India for five ODIs and one Twenty20 game from July 21, and Ranatunga was confident the contracts would be in place for the series.There was a discussion about requiring the players to seek prior permission from SLC before speaking to the media, but that clause did not make it in to the final version of the contract. However, if a player does make comments considered detrimental to SLC, he could face a disciplinary committee hearing.The contract issue follows a year in which SLC ran into financial problems after running up debts of close to $70 million to finance the building of two international stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, for the 2011 World Cup. As a result the players were not initially paid their salaries for eight months. In December 2011, 42.36% of the fees due to the players from the World Cup to September 30, 2011 were paid. The payment of US$2 million was made directly into the players’ bank accounts, instead of routing it through Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on December 16.SLC claimed to have paid the remaining dues in March 2012 after the state-owned Bank of Ceylon agreed to release 600 million rupees (approx US$5.07 million) to the board, following discussions with sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. However, the players have not been paid since the previous contracts expired, as the new contracts are yet to be signed.The SLPL starts on August 11, with the final to be played on August 31. SLC had released a list of 112 local players and 56 overseas players who will take part in the event. The tournament, which features seven franchises this year, will have two more the next year, covering all nine provinces.Jayawardene, who is the icon player for the Wayamba franchise, said the focus of the tournament should be on developing the game in Sri Lanka. “While we say all good things about the tournament, let me caution everyone … While we are making financial gains, the commitment of the people involved should be to harness the talent, develop the game in the outstations, get every possible youngster involved and let them realise their dream of playing for Sri Lanka one day.”

The BCCI is likely to tread lightly on the Rahul Sharma drugs case, given the ambiguity in its rules and confusion over the specifics of what he is alleged to have consumed, and in what quantity

Sharda Ugra21-Jul-2012The BCCI is likely to tread lightly on the Rahul Sharma drugs case, given the ambiguity in its rules and confusion over the specifics of what he is alleged to have consumed, and in what quantity. Rahul is currently with the India squad in Sri Lanka and, though he didn’t play the first ODI on Saturday, he was seen practising with the team before the game.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the Indian board has contacted the police to ask for the specific test reports on the two cricketers – the other being South Africa’s Wayne Parnell – but was unsure of how quickly it would receive them. Rahul, an official said, would be eligible to play for India and not be recalled from the five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka until the board had more detailed information.Rahul and Parnell, both part of the Pune Warriors IPL franchise, are alleged to have tested positive or banned substances following a raid by the Mumbai police at a rave party on May 20. They were tested for cannabis and methylenedioxy/methylamphetamine (MDMA) or Ecstasy, but the police have not specified which of the drugs they tested positive for.Legal experts say they can be charged under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985. The penalty for the consumption of cannabis or MDMA is six months in jail or a Rs10,000 fine or both. However, this would be under the Indian legal system – a formal charging, indictment and conviction – and hence subject to delays and the possibility, if convicted, of an appeal.The two drugs are on the list of prohibited substances in the BCCI’s anti-doping code; cannabis is under a category called Cannabinoids and MDMA, under stimulants. However, they fall under the category of ‘in-competition prohibited substances’ and on the day of the raid Rahul and Parnell were both out of competition, their team having already ended its IPL campaign. Parnell was due to leave India the following day and Rahul due to return home to Chandigarh soon after.The BCCI official said the board was waiting for details of the quantity and precise nature of the drugs the players tested positive for, to see if the positive tests could have come from “passive smoking” in an environment where cannabis was being smoked. “That is why the quantity of the consumption is important in this case,” the official explained.A Pune Warriors team-mate said he was “very surprised” to hear of the positive test reports as both Rahul and Parnell were not seen drinking or smoking during the seven weeks of the IPL. “Ecstasy is consumed in a pill form and it is easy to spike drinks with them,” he said.Rahul’s Punjab coach Vikram Rathour told : “It is hard for me to believe knowing Rahul, who doesn’t even drink beer … it is surprising.”The Pune Warriors management said both players had been “released” from the team and would contemplate any action following the positive tests based on the direction of the BCCI.Mumbai deputy police commissioner Pratap Dighaokar told on Friday that the two cricketers had belonged to a group of 44 people who tested positive out of the 92 detained following the raid.There have been mixed reactions to the news that Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell tested positive for recreational drugs while at a rave party in Mumbai on May 20. As with almost anything dealing with Indian cricket, the reactions occupy extreme positions on either side. As of now, the only facts that are known are that the two players have – according to the police – returned positive results when tested for cannabis and MDMA or ecstasy, both recreational drugs; the alleged offence came at a time when they were not in competition (their IPL involvement was over) and the charges are yet to be formally pressed and will then run the full gamut of Indian law. Including, if convicted, the right of appeal. Those are the facts of the case at this point but there are several missing elements, which could reduce or remove culpability even in the face of a positive sample. For example, the quantity of the substance found is not yet known; a small quantity can be explained by passive smoking (in the case of cannabis). Nor is it clear whether they have tested positive for MDMA, which can be mixed in drinks.In this context, the reactions of the BCCI and of Pune Warriors – the IPL franchise that employs both players – have been temperate and rational. In essence, their stand is this: let the law take its course, let us get the facts and then act. How they will act is also flexible: though both drugs fall under the BCCI’s list of prohibited substances, they relate only to in-competition offences. For reference, it can look at England’s Football Association, which hands out a minimum of a warning and a maximum of six months’ suspension for a first offence of this nature. At the moment, the Mumbai incident is a potential violation of the law of the land and so the case must rest with the police. Both players have maintained their innocence from the day the story broke, and in any case are innocent till proven otherwise. The BCCI’s next step will be important, and will be watched by the rest of the cricket world: never the most dexterous of organisations, it must balance its stealth with full application of the law if the charges are proved. Till then, the waiting game is the best option.

Jayaditya Gupta

Middlesex’s Neil Dexter will hope to complete his maiden half-century of the Championship season at Uxbridge on Saturday

03-Aug-2012
ScorecardMiddlesex’s club captain Neil Dexter took two wickets before reaching 45 not out in the second innings•Middlesex CCC

Middlesex’s Neil Dexter will hope to complete his maiden half-century of the Championship season at Uxbridge on Saturday where the hosts go into the final day of a turgid game on 104 for 3, with Dexter five short of his landmark.Division One leaders Warwickshire showed little or no enterprise in the opening two sessions of day three, scoring only 12 boundaries in the final 61.5 overs of their second innings as they reached 324 all out for a first innings deficit of 78. In stark comparison, Middlesex bashed nine fours in as many overs at the start of their reply before the loss of three quick wickets forced them to throttle back in the final hour.On a slow pitch of variable bounce, batsmen on both sides struggled at times for fluency, especially so against the new ball. Having made 95 first time around, Middlesex opener Joe Denly aimed to drive a full, swinging ball from Darren Maddy only to edge to the wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose and go for 16.Chris Rogers reached only 13 when he was snared leg-before by Chris Wright then, fresh from a century in the first innings, Dawid Malan succumbed to the spin of Jeetan Patel to leave the hosts wobbling somewhat on 93 for 3. Eoin Morgan, in possibly his last appearance of the season for Middlesex, and Dexter, the club captain, then dug in to see their side through to stumps with an overall lead of 182.With their noses barely ahead of Nottinghamshire in the race for the Championship title, Warwickshire supporters might have expected their side to force the pace as they resumed on their overnight score of 178 for 2.With Ian Westwood and Jim Troughton well ensconced in a third-wicket stand that had already added a hundred, the visitors were seemingly well placed to push on. However, once Troughton fell without addition to his overnight 60 and Westwood soon after completing his 317-minute century, the game simply dissolved into a war of attrition.Tim Murtagh, the pick of the bowlers on display, finished with 4 for 77 and Dexter, who bowled a full length and allowed the ball to swing, also chipped in with 2 for 16. Warwickshire finally succumbed just before tea, but by then many supporters had already turned to the pavilion television and the Olympics for some much-needed entertainment.

Peter Kirsten, the former South Africa batsman, thinks Richard Levi has developed a small technical fault which has contributed to his recent lean run

Firdose Moonda13-Sep-2012South Africa’s opening batting combination could be their biggest conundrum ahead of next week’s World Twenty20. They used two different pairs in their three matches against England but did not manage a stand of more than nine runs, with Richard Levi emerging as the biggest concern.Scores of 8, 0 and 1 meant that Levi was the first man out on all three occasions and the No.3 batsman had to perform a repair job, instead of being able to build on a start. “I really feel for Richard Levi actually, he seems to have a small technical fault,” Peter Kirsten, former South Africa batsman, told ESPNcricinfo. “He tends to play across the line early on and of course everyone expects him to hit boundaries every second ball.”Levi’s reputation was created when he played a belligerent innings against New Zealand in Hamilton in February. His unbeaten 117 is the joint highest T20 score of all time and in reaching it, he surpassed Chris Gayle’s record of the most sixes in a T20 innings.It was a display that earned him an IPL contract and got him noticed by other T20 leagues. While it was not a display that anyone expects him to repeat, it is also one he has not come close to replicating. Since then, Levi has scored just two half-centuries in domestic twenty-over matches.
In his last 10 innings, he has not managed a score higher than 39 in his last 10 innings, which included an A series against Zimbabwe and Ireland, matches for Somerset in the Friends Life t20 and South Africa’s three T20Is against England. All told, his international run has been lean.Levi’s reliance on leg-side play has been noted and he is now offered deliveries that are primarily wide of offstump, where he cannot hit to his favoured area of the field. Kirsten said “bowlers have worked him out now,” and Levi will have to learn to play more conventional cricket instead of his stand-and-deliver slogging. “Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis have shown that if you play good cricket strokes, you can still score quickly,” Kirsten said.Either of those batsmen could, and did, partner Levi at the top of the order. When the squad was announced convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson had said Kallis would open the batting in light of his performances at the IPL. It would result in Amla being pushed to No. 3.Kirsten would rather see Amla open and Kallis at No. 3. “That for me would be the right way to go,” he said. The alternative is that Levi is dropped altogether and South Africa opt for a more old-school pairing in Amla and Kallis. They will then to settle on a No. 3 batsman, what Kirsten called, “the key position.” AB de Villiers would be the obvious choice but Faf du Plessis, who was also in contention for a place in the top two, is another candidate.Du Plessis came to the selectors’ attention for a place in the T20 squad with his showings for the Chennai Super Kings at the IPL. He admitted that he would like to open the batting but conceded that, as a rookie in the shortest format, he would have to do as told. Now, he is not even assured of his place in the starting XI, after a torrid tour of England. Du Plessis compiled just 39 runs in six innings in the limited-overs portion of the tour and looked out of sorts.Kirsten said while Du Plessis has to make adjustments to his game quickly, there is no urgent need for concern over him just yet. “As AB de Villiers said, he knows what Faf du Plessis can do,” he said. “We’ve seen him clean up games, finish off games in domestic cricket. If he just plays a little bit straighter, gets those hands going through mid-off a little more, then he can fill that No. 3 spot as well.”With South Africa continuing to use the yo-yo middle-order method in shorter forms of the game – a strategy that worked for them against both Sri Lanka and New Zealand – the importance of having a fixed duo at the top is more pressing.”Flexibility,” is what Kirsten called one of South Africa’s biggest strengths and it has been their way of responding to criticism about being predictable, but he also acknowledged some degree of “certainty” will be useful as they challenge for major silverware. “After all the chopping and changing, I’m sure Gary Kirsten, Andrew Hudson and AB de Villiers will know exactly who they want to pick for the first game.”South Africa’s campaign begins against Zimbabwe next Thursday, before they play Sri Lanka on Saturday.

The Lions are the only South African team to have qualified for both editions of the tournament in the country

Firdose Moonda13-Oct-2012

The Big Picture

Alviro Petersen, the Lions captain, says the franchise call themselves the “veterans of Champions League at home”. They are not the only South African team to have featured in two CLT20s but they are the only ones to have qualified for both editions of the tournament in the country.In 2010, the Lions won hearts and some matches. They beat Mumbai Indians, who are also in their group this time around, in the tournament opener and missed out on a spot in the playoffs because of net-run rate.Since then, they have become a much-improved unit in all formats although they have no silverware to show for it. They dominated last season’s domestic twenty-over competition and beat the eventual champions, Titans, twice in the round-robin stage.Chris Morris, the seamer, was the find of the tournament. He topped the bowling charts with 21 wickets at an average of 12.66 and earned himself a place in South Africa’s squad for the unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe. Jacques Faul, CSA acting chief executive, mentioned Morris when speaking about future players for the national side.In the domestic campaign, the highest run-scorer for Lions was Quinton de Kock with 324 runs at an average of 36.00 and a strike-rate of 160. Neil McKenzie was not far behind with 250 runs at an average of 41.66. The lack of a finisher, such as Robbie Frylinck who played for them previously was probably what cost the Lions the trophy but they earned a spot in the Champions League.The winter saw a change of coach when Dave Nosworthy resigned. Now, former player Geoff Toyana calls the shots at the Wanderers and the players have taken to him immediately, describing him as “relaxed”. That is not too surprising, considering that Toyana has played with most of them, be it at club level for Soweto or provincial team level for Gauteng.Much like the umbrella body for cricket in South Africa, CSA, things behind the scenes at the Lions’ main home ground have not been running smoothly. The Gauteng Cricket Board, one of the two affiliates who make up the Lions, has been under administration and infighting has affected club structures this season. Petersen has kept the politics away from the Lions as far as possible and a good performance may help easing those tensions.

How they qualified

Runners-up of the South African domestic twenty-over competition, after losing to the Titans by 45 runs in the final.

Key Player

There is nothing about the Lions that does not involve Neil McKenzie. Whether he is strapping his bat to the ceiling of their changeroom to pander to his superstitions or using it in the middle to further their cause, McKenzie is to the Lions what bread is to a sandwich. He is the backbone of their batting, a former captain with inspirational ability to motivate youngsters and is the highest run-scorer in twenty-over cricket at the Wanderers stadium, where the Lions will play two of their group matches. Usually when McKenzie succeeds, so do the Lions and they will hoping for more than a bit of both.

Surprise package

The cricketing world is looking to under-19 sensation Quinton de Kock . De Kock rose to prominence at age group level as a wicketkeeper who could bat but also has a reputation for sometimes giving it away. While immensely talented, he is still a rookie and may play as a batsman only.Instead the focus could be on Thami Tsolekile, national wicketkeeper in waiting, who is the Lions’ first-choice wicketkeeper. Tsolekile kept for the Lions during their campaign last season and is known in the shorter version of the game as a finisher. He has been in good form with the bat and will want to prove himself in that department, especially since it is seen as the only thing keeping him out of the national side. He is vastly experienced and has acted as captain of the franchise.

Weakness

Lions have previously struggled to bowl teams out, which becomes a problem when they are defending a total. They have taken steps to rectify that, with the inclusion of Sohail Tanvir and Dirk Nannes but now they can also rely on the promising form of Chris Morris, Pumelela Matshikwe and Ethan O’Reilly. Their spin contingent looks strong with Aaron Phangiso and Jean Symes but whether they can produce results remains to be seen.Self-belief has been another issue at the franchise. They last won silverware in the 2006-07 season, when they were champions of the domestic twenty-over competition. Since then, they have reached two more twenty-over finals and been outplayed in both. Mid-table hoverers in the other formats, the Lions have mostly lacked the will to go one better. This tournament could see that change.

James Anderson has asked his team-mates to watch against admiring Sachin Tendulkar too much because that can sometimes “dull the competitive edge”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2012James Anderson, the England fast bowler, has asked his team-mates to watch against admiring Sachin Tendulkar too much because that can sometimes “dull the competitive edge”. “There is no question in my mind that he has been one of the best batsmen — if not the best — for 20-odd years,” Anderson wrote in his column in . “But we have to make sure we do not treat him with too much respect in the middle.”Anderson is no rookie when it comes to bowling to Tendulkar. He has squared up against Tendulkar in 19 Test innings and has dismissed him seven times for 207 runs. In his column, he wrote about an Andrew Flintoff anecdote, which according to him sums up the feeling when competing against Tendulkar. “I heard an interesting quote from Freddie Flintoff recently about what it felt like to bowl against Sachin,” he wrote. “He said: ‘I wanted to get him out, for sure. But I wanted to earn his respect as well. I wanted to impress him.’ It almost sounded like Freddie was looking for the Tendulkar seal of approval.”Anderson wrote he had never personally felt that way, but didn’t rule out that possibility for others. “I cannot relate directly to what Freddie said, but I know what he is getting at,” he wrote. “I do know that people have said they love watching him bat, and maybe too much of that kind of admiration could dull your competitive edge.”I’ve never been aware of succumbing to that myself but maybe subconsciously, because you respect him for what he has done in the game — 100 international centuries is some achievement — and the way he has conducted himself, you want to get him to respect you back.”The Sachin factor is quite something to experience. I’ve played in games here in which the Indian supporters seem more interested in his batting than how their team are doing, when Sachin getting out is the signal for a mass exodus.”Anderson won’t mind bowling in front of empty stands if that’s what it takes. “I will be seeking to make myself pretty unpopular with the locals in the weeks ahead,” he wrote. “The bottom line is that we treat everyone with the same respect, whether they’ve played one Test or 100 — and that goes for trying to earn their respect, too.”

A round-up of the second round of National Cricket League 2012-13 matches in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam05-Nov-2012No. 3 batsman Anamul Haque struck a crucial second-innings century to help Khulna Division beat Rangpur Division by five wickets at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna. The 19-year-old smashed 7 boundaries and 6 sixes in his 123-ball knock after they were set 232 runs to win.The target was within their reach when they bowled Rangpur out for just 92, after seamer Soumya Sarkar, who claimed his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak took nine of their wickets. Rangpur had earlier taken a 139-run first innings lead: Naeem Islam’s 127 had powered them to 388 runs and seamer Alauddin Babu picked up six wickets to bowl Khulna out for 249.Rangpur captain Suhrawadi Shuvo was fined his entire match fee for being guilty of using abusive language after being given out in the second innings.Unseasonal rain in Dhaka, Savar and Rajshahi meant no play was possible on the third and fourth days in the other three games.Tamim Iqbal, though, found enough time to hit an unprecedented third hundred in a row in Chittagong Division’s drawn game against Sylhet Division in Savar. The left-hand batsman struck 183 almost at a run a ball, which included 13 boundaries and 12 sixes. He was the lone beacon in the first two sessions on the first day after Chittagong decided to bat first. After they were reduced to 59 for 4, Tamim added 95 for the fifth wicket with Aftab Ahmed, before adding 125 more with Sri Lanka all-rounder Milinda Siriwardana, who scored a 63-ball 64. When Tamim was finally dismissed in the 57th over by Enamul Haque jnr, he had scored two-thirds of the team’s runs. Left-arm spinner Enamul took 6 for 98, his second haul of five wickets or more in an innings this season.Sylhet Division replied poorly with the bat, scoring 188 runs in 66 overs. The opening bowlers, Siriwardana and Arafat, shared seven wickets between them: Siriwardana took four of them while Arafat claimed three. For Sylhet, only Rumman Ahmed provided some resistance with a half-century, and Alok Kapali remained unbeaten on 40.At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, a result almost seemed possible within three days after Dhaka Division and Dhaka Metropolis lost 17 wickets on the first day, and nine more on the second. But the two rained-out days ensured a draw with Dhaka Metropolis gaining the bonus point for bowling Dhaka Division out for 165 in the first innings.Put into bat, Dhaka Metropolis struggled for two sessions before being dismissed for 205. No. 3 Asif Ahmed, who scored 86, was just one of the four batsmen to reach a double-figure score. His 109-ball effort held the innings together before his wicket became the ninth one to fall. Seamer Shahadat Hossain took five wickets.But his side fell into a rut quickly, ending the first day on 113 for 7 and being bowled out the next day for 165. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan was unbeaten on 68, though his 92-minute stay was unconvincing and he survived a number of close calls. Elias Sunny picked up four wickets while Arafat Sunny claimed three.Dhaka Metropolis were 128 for 6 at the end of the second day, but what was most disappointing was the lack of runs from the likes of Mohammad Ashraful and Mahmudullah – Test aspirants with a series knocking at the door.Junaid Siddique, on the other hand, made the most of his last opportunity before the West Indies Tests by scoring a big hundred in Rajshahi Division’s drawn game against Barisal Division at the Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi. This was the most rain-affected game as even the first innings wasn’t complete: Rajshahi made 466 for 3 in 133.4 overs before rain ruined part of the second, the third and the fourth day.Junaid batted for more close to eight hours to score 181, and struck 25 boundaries. He shared a stand of 267 for the first wicket with Mizanur Rahman, who scored 148 off 220 balls with 21 fours and a six. Jahurul Islam added an unbeaten 83. Offspinner Sohag Gazi picked up two of the three wickets that fell.

A typhoon-like Johannesburg thunderstorm swept across the Wanderers Stadium five minutes before 3pm on Saturday afternoon to force the domestic one-day cup to be shared

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers15-Dec-2012 Scorecard A typhoon-like Johannesburg thunderstorm swept across the Wanderers Stadium five minutes before 3pm on Saturday afternoon to force the domestic one-day cup to be shared. The match was being re-played after it was also rained off on Friday.The Cobras were defending Champions and the Lions were on the hunt for a first piece of silverware in five seasons, so both teams will be equally aggrieved at sharing spoils. But, they were truly split. The Lions had the upper hand in their first attempt while the Cobras were in front in the second chance.On Friday, the Lions won the toss, chose to field and reduced Cobras to 64 for 4 when play was stopped. Hardus Viljoen accounted for all four wickets. That counted for nothing because the fixture had to be restarted from scratch on Saturday.In the repeat, Cobras put Lions in to bat, with both teams having unchanged sides. Defending 242, Viljoen could not repeat the performance for Lions. Richard Levi crunched him through point in his first over to show immediate intent. He was too full to Andrew Puttick and then too short to Levi. Pumi Matshikwe also struggled to adjust his lengths and the Cobras raced to 61 after 8 overs without losing a wicket.It was only when Imran Tahir came on that the brakes were applied. Tahir had an appeal for lbw against Puttick turned down that looked close. Later in that over, he appealed again and Puttick was given out, although the second appeal appeared to be missing leg. A wicket-maiden was fine redemption for Tahir’s performance in the Adelaide Test.In his next over, Levi drove a poor ball straight to Viljoen at mid-off. Having clawed their way back, the Lions may have been keen to restart but, despite the best efforts of the groundstaff, the outfield was too wet.Earlier, Stephen Cook and Gulam Bodi took on Dale Steyn with no fear, dispatching him to the leg-side fence as soon as his deliveries strayed on to the pads. Bodi led the boundary charge and looked in imperious form until he tried to hook Johann Louw over fine leg but top-edged instead. Five balls later, Cook chopped a Rory Kleinveldt delivery onto his offstump and the Lions had to rebuild.New international Quinton de Kock had the experience of Alviro Petersen to guide him. While de Kock batted with freedom, especially on the lofted drive, Petersen showed more caution. The pair put on 68 before de Kock was caught by Robin Peterson in the covers.Neil McKenzie’s arrival in the 27th over should have signalled the Lions’ most solid period, but it turned out to be a shaky one. McKenzie had scratched his way to eight when Vernon Philander appealed for an lbw against Petersen, who tried to steal a single. McKenzie had advanced halfway when Petersen sent him back, and an accurate throw from Justin Ontong saw him run-out at the non-striker’s end.From there, the Cobras took control. They restricted the Lions to 80 runs in their last 18 overs with Philander and Kleinveldt squeezing them. Jean Symes tried to accelerate against Steyn. He sliced him to the third man boundary, pulled him through midwicket and gloved him over the keepers’ head. Steyn had the last laugh when Symes failed to move his feet to a full one and was bowled.Zander de Bruyn furthered the stagnation and only Petersen could change things. He brought up his half-century and then swung wildly only to miss. Kleinveldt hit. Aaron Phangison scored the only boundary of the last seven overs, a slog over the Kleinveldt’s head, but 241 appeared below par.