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Ravi Bopara warmed up for England’s two-match Twenty20 series against Australia later this week, and the NatWest series to follow, with 130 against Lancashire at Old Trafford, his highest List A county score since June 2008

26-Aug-2013Essex 297 for 4 (Bopara 130, Smith 78) beat Lancashire 227 (Smith 97, Phillips 5-42) by 70 runs
ScorecardRavi Bopara found his best form ahead of England’s limited-overs matches against Australia•Getty ImagesLancashire and Essex both failed to reach the Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-finals after Essex won a high-scoring contest by 70 runs at Old Trafford, underpinned by a superb 130 by England’s Ravi Bopara ahead of the one-day series against Australia.Tom Smith hit an excellent 84-ball 97 but the home side’s task was too stiff. Tim Phillips nipped in with 5 for 42 from 7.4 overs with his niggardly left-arm slows as Lancashire lost their last eight wickets for 41 runs, slipping from 186 for 2.Bopara warmed up for England’s two-match Twenty20 series against Australia later this week, and the NatWest series to follow, with his highest List A county score since June 2008, including nine fours and three sixes in 102 balls.After James Foster elected to bat, Bopara and Greg Smith ensured an impressive recovery from the early loss of India international Gautam Gambhir as they shared 159 inside 23 overs for the second wicket.Bopara hit Ashes-winning left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, who was playing in the fifth Test at the Oval 24 hours earlier, for six over long-on in the 18th over before hitting off-spinner Steven Croft straight down the ground for his second maximum. He later hit his third off Kabir Ali over square-leg, taking 22 off the former England man in the 36th over.After Kerrigan had Smith stumped for 78 off 77 balls, Bopara shared 61 in 5.1 overs for the fourth wicket with Ryan ten Doeschate before he top-edged Kyle Hogg to short third-man in the search for quick runs. Ten Doeschate also hit three sixes in 46 not out off 23 balls, helping to take 76 runs off the last six overs.Smith and Stephen Moore gave Lancashire a good platform with an opening stand of 79 in 11 overs for the first wicket, and despite Reece Topley getting Moore caught at long-leg and bowling Ashwell Prince inside four overs, Lancashire hadwickets in hand.An accumulative partnership of 95 inside 15 overs for the third wicket between Smith and Paul Horton kept Lancashire in the hunt. But when Smith was bowled by Topley to leave the score at 186 for 3 after 29 overs, things started to go downhill quickly.Phillips had Horton, Croft, Karl Brown, Arron Lilley and Kerrigan all caught playing expansively. Horton was brilliantly caught by a diving Bopara running towards the sight-screen from long-on to start the run of wickets and add further lustre to his magnificent day.

A round up of the Faysal Bank One-Day Cup matches on March 9, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2013Group AFile photo: Aizaz Cheema’s five-wicket haul gave Peshawar Panthers an 80-run win over Lahore Lions•AFPA maiden century by Mansoor Amjad took Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket win – and thereby top of the points table – over Multan Tigers in Ghari Khuda Baksh.Multan’s innings of 234 revolved around Sohaib Maqsood’s 91. The rest of the batting, though, couldn’t last long enough to provide him much-needed support. Wickets fell regularly after a second-wicket stand of 96. From 122 for 2, they would be reduced to being bowled out in the last over. All six of the oppositions’ bowlers were among the wickets.In reply, Sialkot struggled at 27 for 3, with offspinner Aamer Yamin taking two of those wickets. But Amjad and opener Yasir Aziz staged a recover with 102 for the fourth wicket, before the later was dismissed for 66. Amjad found able support through Adeel Malik (44), which helped them get home in the 46th over.An all-round show from Bahawalpur Stags took them to a convincing six-wicket win over Quetta Bears in Karachi. The foundation for the win was laid by seamer Mohammad Mudassar and spinner Faisal Elahi, who shared seven wickets between them to bowl the Bears out for 144, and an aggressive career-best knock of 93 by opener Imranullah Aslam.Quetta were behind in the game from the outset, as they were 6 for 3. Although a recovery stand of 49 between Taimur Ali and Abid Ali followed, the lower order couldn’t follow it up with any resistance.They picked up an early wicket in Bahawalpur’s chase, but that proved to be a false dawn, as Imranullah punished the bowlers in his 88-ball knock with ten fours and four sixes, effectively taking the game away.A responsible 71 by Sami Aslam was backed up by a decent middle-order batting performance asLahore Eagles defeated Hyderabad Hawks by four wickets in Hyderabad. This was the Hawks’ first loss in the tournament, and the Eagles’ first win.They had a shaky start to their chase of 238, with two wickets falling early, but Jahangir Mirza, who scored 54, stuck with Aslam to put on a 111-run stand. Later, the captain and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal also chipped in with a half-century, to help his side get home with two overs to spare.Hyderabad, with a 132-run stand for the third wicket between Taj Wasan and Rizwan Ahmed, got to a commanding 173 for 2 at one stage in their innings. But the next eight wickets fell for 64 runs, as the middle and lower order crumbled. Wasan finished on 69, while Rizwan finished on 73. Adnan Rasool was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 28.Group BKarachi Zebras won their rain-affected encounter with Faisalabad Wolves in Rawalpinidi by 1 run through D/L method, and moved to top spot in Group B.Karachi were put into bat, and started solidly to get to 105 for 2. The innings lost momentum thereafter, as Faisalabad struck regularly. Contributions from Tariq Haroon (37) and Anwar Ali (37) helped push the total to 215, as they were dismissed in 46 overs.Faisalabad, in reply, were in trouble at 18 for 3. They lost two more in quick succession to be reduced to 60 for 5. Zeeshan Butt’s unbeaten 67, along with Imran Khalid’s 42, did their best to steer the ship, as they put on a 97-run stand for the seventh wicket. However, once rain intervened, Faisalabad were 1 run short of the D/L comparative score.Islamabad Leopards won their rain-affected game against Abbottabad Falcons by 20 runs through D/L method, in Islamabad.Islamabad chose to bat, with opener Raheel Majeed scoring 47. A brace of wickets left Umair Khan batting with the rest of the tail as Islamabad struggled to string substantial partnerships. Khan’s unbeaten 91, supported by small contributions from other batsmen, and 31 extras, pushed their score to 275 for 9. Kamran Ghulam was the pick of the bowlers with a career-best 3 for 29.Abbottabad started strongly with a 102-run stand between Ghulam and Sajjad Ali. However, with the fall of regular wickets, they fell behind in the chase, which was revived by a 51-run stand for the seventh wicket. A late rally from Yasir Shah, with an unbeaten 66, tried to keep them abreast of the required run-rate. But once rain intervened they were found short by 20 runs on D/L.Peshawar Panthers comprehensively beat Lahore Lions by 80 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, to move up to second spot on the points table.Peshawar, after electing to bat, lost Israrullah for 4. Nawaz Ahmed and wicketkeeper Mohammed Rizwan combined for 118 runs for the second wicket to stage a recovery. Nawaz finished with 93, with further contributions from Rizwan (55), Iftikhar Ahmed (81) and Gauhar Ali (26). Aizaz Cheema took wickets both up front and towards the end of the innings, as Panthers finished with 294 for 7 in their fifty overs. Cheema had best figures of 5 for 61.Lahore Lions didn’t start assuredly well, as they lost opener Imran Butt for 10. They could not string together meaningful partnerships, as the top and middle-order struggled to keep pace with the soaring required run-rate. The innings was kept in check through the bowling of spinner Mohammad Adnan, who picked up 5 for 46, and Zohaib Khan, who picked up 3 for 33. Despite a late order hit-out from Asif Raza (30) and Agha Salman (42), Lahore folded for 214 in the 48th over.

Michael Klinger’s century ensured Gloucestershire had no trouble in chasing 188 to beat Leicestershire by nine wickets at Grace Road, their first win of the season

03-May-2013Gloucestershire 280 (Taylor 61, Freckingham 4-69) and 191 for 1 (Klinger 103*, Dent 71) beat Leicestershire 250 (Thakor 75, Howell 5-57) and 217 (W Gidman 4-39) by nine wickets
ScorecardMichael Klinger, seen here for Worcestershire last season, steered Gloucestershire home•Getty ImagesAustralian Michael Klinger hit his first County Championship century to lead Gloucestershire to a nine-wicket victory on the final day at Grace Road.After surviving a tricky first half-hour, openers Klinger and Chris Dent shared a stand of 129 to ensure there would be no major problems chasing a target of 188.Dent was out for 71 to the last ball before lunch but Klinger hit the winning runs and reached his century at the same time with his 16th boundary. He was unbeaten on 103 from 172 balls.It was Gloucestershire’s first win of the season and earned them 21 points, while Leicestershire collected five as they slipped to their first defeat of the season following drawn games against Hampshire and Kent.With Gloucestershire starting the day on 16 for 0, Leicestershire needed to take early wickets if they were to have any chance of snatching an unlikely victory. Pacemen Ollie Freckingham and Robbie Williams bowled well without any luck early on a slow pitch starting to show signs of uneven bounce.Both batsmen played and missed on several occasions and three times the ball flashed through the slip cordon down to the vacant third-man boundary. But as the shine went off the ball, the sting went out of the bowling, and both Klinger and Dent began to play with far more confidence and assurance.Dent was the first to reach his 50 off 68 balls with eight fours and Gloucestershire captain, Klinger, brought up the 100 partnership with a well-timed square drive to the boundary off Freckingham.A neat late cut off Michael Thornely saw Klinger reach his 50 off 100 balls, and Leicestershire’s frustrating morning was summed up when Josh Cobb put down an easy slip catch offered by Dent off Jigar Naik’s off spin.Naik gained some revenge by having Dent lbw with the last ball before lunch. But Klinger remained in good touch, straight driving Claude Henderson for a six before square cutting another boundary off Shiv Thakor to reach his landmark century and clinch victory.

Diana Edulji, the former India Women captain, has hit out at the “discriminatory” attitude of the BCCI, and said the board is not interested in running women’s cricket beyond paying “lip service”

Abhishek Purohit29-Jan-2013Diana Edulji, the former India Women captain, has criticised the “discriminatory” attitude of the BCCI and said the board is not interested in running women’s cricket beyond paying “lip service”. She warned that the women’s game in India is in danger of dying out if the current situation persists.Edulji, one of India’s pioneering woman cricketers, was on the BCCI’s women’s committee and was also manager of the Indian Women team in 2009. It was a “dream” when the BCCI took over women’s cricket a few years ago – in line with ICC regulations – but now the bubble has burst.”The BCCI is running women’s cricket because they have to run it, because the ICC is now running both men’s and women’s cricket,” Edulji told ESPNcricinfo. “Otherwise, there is no women’s cricket. They cannot play under any other banner. I would say it is an insult to women’s cricket to be treated this way.”She was scathing about the gender-based double standards prevalent in the game’s administration. As an example, she spoke about how the India Women team preparing for the Women’s World Cup had been put up in a centrally-located but budget hotel before being shifted to the luxury Taj Mahal Palace hotel a couple of days ago.”I was driving and on Marine Drive I saw this whole bunch of red t-shirts coming. I realised it was the India Women team,” Edulji said. “They were walking from Sea Green [the hotel] to the Wankhede [Stadium]. I stopped my car, and the way they greeted me, I felt nice, but I also felt that this is the Indian national team, and they are walking on the street?”And where are they playing? Police Gymkhana, Hindu Gymkhana, Bombay Gymkhana? Would any men cricketers play there?”India’s international and domestic women cricketers had to make do with significantly lower match fees and other benefits, Edulji said, and combined with a sustained lack of exposure, there was little motivation to take up the game apart from pure love of the sport. “The players should be getting the maximum. The irony is, in women’s cricket it is the other way round; the selectors get the maximum, then come the match referees, and then come the players. So how are you going get girls to come into cricket? And what is the domestic match fee? Rs 2500 (US$ 47 approx). Where are you going to eat, if you stay in a four-star hotel? And for T20 it is even less, Rs 1250.”Despite consistently being among the top-ranked players in the world, Edulji said India captain Mithali Raj had little chance of being recognised in public due to the lack of visibility of women’s cricket in India. “I may be boasting. Still, when I go to movies or restaurants, I am still recognised. But I am sure if Mithali is with me, she won’t be recognised. It is sad. I still feel nice when someone comes up to me and introduces me to their children. And why shouldn’t these girls get the recognition? Jhulan [Goswami] is a Padma Shri [winner], she’s an Arjuna awardee, so is Mithali.”However, Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said the board was giving women’s cricket adequate support. “Women’s cricket has come under BCCI’s wings in 2006. Since then, the board has done an excellent job with it,” he said. “We have extended the best of facilities to women cricketers. All the state associations have thrown open all their training facilities to the girls. Besides, virtually every team has all the requisite support staff, including a coach, a physio and a trainer.”All the girls are very happy with these facilities. The board is focussing on shorter formats for women’s cricket because almost all the international calendar revolves around T20s and ODIs. And the women’s committee’s suggestion of splitting the inter-state competitions into Plate and Elite group has been accepted. Next year onwards, top 10 teams will play each other, thereby increasing the level of competition.”

Stuart Broad, looking sharp and contented again, ripped out New Zealand’s tail to finish with six wickets and secure a first-innings lead of 211 for England

The Report by David Hopps15-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsStuart Broad cleaned up New Zealand with six wickets•Getty ImagesStuart Broad, looking sharp and contented again, ripped out New Zealand’s tail to finish with six wickets and secure a first-innings lead of 211 for England. Alastair Cook faced a tricky decision at tea about whether to enforce the follow-on. Understandably, he opted to put New Zealand in again; an unsettled weather forecast, particularly on the final day, must have been a decisive factor.For his own sanity, it is to be hoped that Cook did not follow-up by studying when England last enforced the follow-on in an overseas Test: Durban in 1999, with Gary Kirsten marking the end of the old millennium by making an unbeaten 275 out of 572 for 7. England tried nine bowlers, including Nasser Hussain, a repentant captain.In seeking to avoid unsettled weather, Cook instead had to oversee an unsettled England pace attack, which was underpowered second time around, with James Anderson, ankle strapped, grumbling wearily about the footholds and labouring with a sore back.England’s only wicket in 33 overs fell to Monty Panesar, a scintillating catch around the corner by Ian Bell to dismiss Hamish Rutherford, and cheering as well for the new vice-captain, Matt Prior, who held up the game to press for the position. Panesar, for all his economy, will hope to find more turn as the match progresses.Broad finished with 6 for 51, his third-best figures in his Test career. His pace was around 135kph, but his control was immaculate and there was a zing in everything he did. This was Broad Total, exploring the cavities in New Zealand’s line-up and freshening the air with optimism. He was a walking advertisement for the benefits of England’s rotation policy and they will be desperate that his mood persists through back-to-back Ashes series.Brendon McCullum was the key wicket for England, dismissed for 69 from 94 balls as he forced Steven Finn off the back foot and offered a comfortable catch to Jonathan Trott at second slip. In a Test distinguished by fine counter-attacking cricket by two excellent wicketkeeper-batsmen, McCullum played just as pugnaciously as Prior had for England on the second day.Smart stats

Stuart Broad’s 6 for 51 is eighth on the list of best bowling performances by England bowlers in New Zealand since 1970. It is however the best bowling performance by an England bowler in Wellington in the same period.

Broad’s 6 for 51 is his third-best bowling performance overall and his best in away Tests. In 25 away matches he has picked up 68 wickets at 35.70.

The 100-run stand between Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling is the eighth-highest sixth-wicket stand for New Zealand against England. It is also New Zealand’s second-highest sixth-wicket stand against England in Wellington.

In Tests played in New Zealand since 1970, England have gained a 200-plus lead on five occasions. It is the third such occasion in Wellington. Click here for the list of matches when England have batted first and here for a list of matches when they have bowled first.

Watling’s 60 is his fifth fifty-plus score in Tests and his third such score in home matches. He now averages 32.66 with one century and four fifties.

McCullum’s 69 is his eighth half-century against England in 11 Tests. He has also been dismissed twice in the nineties against England (both at Lord’s).

Basin Reserve was full for a Test, the first time that had happened in New Zealand for several years. It helps when the capacity is only around 11,000 and there are several thousand England supporters in town to help persuade the locals that there is a game on worth watching.Packed to the brim, the ground had a more intimate atmosphere than ever. The strong second-day breeze had also lessened, adding to the convivial feel as spectators strolled around. But New Zealand supporters only had to glance at the scoreboard for this sense of well-being to depart. England are well placed to go 1-0 up in the series unless Cyclone Sandra – or perhaps Hurricane Brendon – has a say in things.New Zealand, 66 for 3 overnight, needed another 200 to avoid the follow-on. They had produced much to admire on the second day, only to find themselves well behind the game by the close. They were even further behind the game at 89 for 5 when Kane Williamson and Dean Brownlie fell in the first half hour.Broad was given an immediate opportunity after his wickets of Rutherford and Ross Taylor had allowed England to finish the second day on a high. Williamson looked well drilled, at 22 a decent batsman in the making, but fell to a sharp reaction catch in his follow-through by Broad, who clung on around chest high and looked delighted at the realisation that the ball was nestling in his hand.Three balls later, Brownlie followed. He is a fine back-foot player, but there is a length to bowl to Brownlie, as South Africa can also testify after New Zealand’s recent tour, a length when he routinely plays back when he would be better forward. Anderson found it, and found some reverse inswing to defeat his defensive shot. Asad Rauf’s lbw decision was marginal because the ball had struck Brownlie just above the roll, and the batsman opted for a review, only for DRS to conclude that the ball would have clipped the top of middle.It would have been 95 for 6 if Cook had not been such a conservative captain. Evidence of this match suggests that McCullum, his opposite number, would have posted a third slip to Anderson but Cook did not. Watling edged at inviting height, and the ball scooted away to the third man boundary.McCullum’s solution soon became evident. Beaten on the outside edge by Broad, he crashed his next ball for four and then hooked him for six. The pressure built by Panesar at one end was released by Finn at the other. McCullum took advantage and reverse-swept Joe Root to reach his fifty shortly before lunch.Anderson ‘s strenuous efforts after lunch went unrewarded. England lost a review for an lbw appeal in the first over after lunch when McCullum was on 58. They chose not to review when Anderson came close again the following over and then had Watling, on 21, dropped low at second slip by Trott. When McCullum fell, New Zealand still needed 77 to avoid the follow-on with four wickets remaining. Tim Southee soon followed, unwisely hooking Finn with two fielders back for the shot.Watling had been very much the junior partner in a stand of 100 in 31 overs with McCullum. While McCullum bristled against the quicks, Watling’s passive resistance against Panesar provided a monotonous undercard. Only when McCullum was dismissed did he grow in ambition, reaching 60 before he edged Broad to the wicketkeeper.Neil Wagner became Broad’s fifth victim, caught at the wicket for nought. New Zealand’s last pair were 12 short of the follow-on mark when Broad’s bouncer befuddled Trent Boult, whose fend confused Panesar at mid-on even more. Broad, unusually when things go wrong, saw fit to smile and defeated Boult’s haymaker with his next delivery to end the innings.

Tasmania have finalised their contract list for the next year, with the former Queensland wicketkeeper Ben Dunk joining the Tigers on a one-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2012Tasmania have finalised their contract list for the next year, with the former Queensland wicketkeeper Ben Dunk joining the Tigers on a one-year deal. Dunk was the final addition to Tasmania’s squad, which had gradually been revealed over the past fortnight, and the local batsman Beau Webster was the last man to join the rookie list.Dunk is the fourth interstate player the Tigers have secured, along with the batsman Aiden Blizzard from South Australia, the fast bowler Timm van der Gugten from New South Wales, and fellow fast man Andrew Fekete from Victoria. Dunk, 25, has captained the Bulls in the past but was not offered a new contract by Queensland.His opportunities may be limited, with Tim Paine fit again and ready to resume his place behind the stumps for Tasmania, but the departure of Tom Triffitt to Western Australia meant there was a place available as the back-up gloveman. Tim Coyle, the Tasmania coach, said he was happy with the squad the Tigers had put together.”To retain our important players from our program over the last few years, which was the absolute priority for us, was great but to then value-add to the list as we have to give us depth in both forms of the game has been an outstanding result,” Coyle said.The Tigers announced in April that they would not offer new contracts to a number of players, including Brendan Drew, Nick Kruger, Brady Jones, Jon Wells, Ben Laughlin, Ashton May, Matthew Day and Marc Simonds.Tasmania squad George Bailey (capt), Jackson Bird, Aiden Blizzard, Luke Butterworth, Steve Cazzulino, Mark Cosgrove, Ed Cowan, Xavier Doherty (Cricket Australia contract), Alex Doolan, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus (CA), Matt Johnston, Jason Krejza, Adam Maher, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting (CA), Timm van der Gugten Rookies Harry Allanby, Sam Rainbird, Jordan Silk, Beau Webster.

Centuries from Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels set up a comfortable win for West Indies

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran07-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels both made centuries to power West Indies to 315•WICBIt is a rarity these days for West Indies to enter a series as overwhelming favourites but it hasn’t taken them long to show how much of a gulf exists between them and New Zealand. On the same Sabina Park track on which New Zealand stuttered to 190 two days ago, West Indies bludgeoned 315 in the second ODI. It was a more comfortable win than the 55-run margin suggests, and despite BJ Watling’s enterprising innings, New Zealand never really threatened to pull off a win.Contrasting centuries from local heroes Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels kept the Jamaican crowd entertained in the morning, as the innings unfolded with the noisy chorus of vuvuzelas in the background.In the blockbuster , the police chief memorably deadpans, “We are going to need a bigger boat,” on seeing the giant killer shark for the first time. International bowlers will have similar sentiments on seeing Chris Gayle walk out to bat. Once again he made a cricket ground seem tiny as he hit nine sixes in another exhibition of his ability to make power-hitting look effortless.With his father, sister and several other family members watching, Gayle destroyed New Zealand’s listless bowling to reach his 20th ODI hundred, a new West Indian record as he went past the great Brian Lara’s tally. It was also his fifth fifty-plus score in six innings since his international exile ended last month.New Zealand’s bowlers were looking to exploit some of the early morning moisture in the track, but their only success was dismissing Lendl Simmons. He fell for his sixth successive score under 20 after returning to the West Indies side, chasing an away-going delivery from Tim Southee in the fourth over. Any hopes of keeping the batsmen under pressure were swiftly and brutally dashed. In the next over, Gayle launched New Zealand’s bowling spearhead Kyle Mills for three sixes over mid-off.Though he repeatedly dispatched the ball into the stands, Gayle’s innings was not all slam-bang. There was plenty of discretion as he regularly let deliveries go through to the keeper or watchfully defended them. When he did decide to attack, his shots were almost always in the V, unlike the Twenty20-era slogger’s preferred thwack to midwicket.After the early punishment, New Zealand’s quicker bowlers adapted their line to Gayle, targetting the middle and leg stump as they managed to slow him down a touch. Still, there were the gentle offerings of an array of part-time slow bowlers for Gayle to feast on. A murderous straight hit off Daniel Flynn took him to 98, and a tickle down to fine leg for four off Kane Williamson in the 30th over brought up his century. He did a celebratory jig, before sinking to his knees with his hands aloft as the Jamaican crowd cheered their biggest cricketing idol.Gayle had plenty of time to go on past his career-best score of 153, but in the 38th over, one of his shots – finally – didn’t carry past the rope, landing instead in the hands of deep midwicket. That only allowed the other Jamaican batting star, Marlon Samuels, to take centrestage.Unlike Gayle’s boundary-filled innings, Samuels’ knock was more about the singles – taking 51 of them, and even pushing Gayle to come back for several quick twos. Though Samuels didn’t maintain as high a strike-rate as Gayle, he wasn’t too far off a run-a-ball. He reached his half-century off 57 deliveries, though he had hit only a couple of fours and a six.Even when Samuels started finding the boundaries regularly, there was a marked difference to the Gayle style – three consecutive cover-driven fours off Tim Southee in the 39th over were all about timing and placement, and little about power-hitting.Two of West Indies’ middle-order powerhouses, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, failed to make an impact, and New Zealand managed to shackle the scoring as Samuels slowed down in sight of the century. Samuels scored only in singles in the last seven overs of the innings before finally reaching his first ODI hundred since 2006 in the final over. Despite Darren Sammy’s quickfire 31, West Indies gathered only 33 runs in the final five overs, but the total still proved far too much for the inexperienced New Zealand batsmen.The chase got off to a reasonable, though not explosive, start. Rob Nicol fell early after hitting a couple of boundaries, Daniel Flynn played an edgy innings before departing in the 12th over with the score on 62. New Zealand then lost momentum as Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson struggled to pull off the big hits. When Guptill was dismissed midway through the innings, the asking-rate was nearing eight, and the game looked lost.Williamson and Watling tried to revive the innings through a quick 70-run stand, but though both compiled half-centuries, they had too much to do. Williamson was done in by a full swinging ball from Rampaul in the 37th over virtually ending the contest, though Watling improved his highest score in ODIs for the second game in a row and kept fighting till the end.

England’s captain Andrew Strauss, whose lack of runs became a source of debate on the winter tours in Asia, will seek to regain form in a full programme of county matches ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on May 17

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2012England’s captain Andrew Strauss, whose lack of runs became a source of debate on the winter tours in Asia, will seek to regain form in a full programme of county matches ahead of the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on May 17.While some players, such as Ian Bell, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara, Steve Davies and James Tredwell will be available for this week’s round of championship games, others – such as James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Alastair Cook – will be rested until the start of May.Full availability of England squad
James Anderson (Lancashire): Available for championship match against Nottinghamshire (May 2-5)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire): Available for all cricket from April 16 up to and including CB40 match against Derbyshire (May 13)
Ravi Bopara (Essex): Available for all cricket
Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire): Available for championship matches against Kent (April 26-29) and Leicestershire (May 2-5)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire): Currently unavailable, continuing rehabilitation following calf injury. Expected to be available in early May
Alastair Cook (Essex): Available for all cricket from May 2 up to and including CB40 match against Worcestershire (May 13)
Steven Davies (Surrey): Available for all cricket
Steven Finn (Middlesex): Available for championship matches against Durham (April 19-22) and Worcestershire (May 3-6)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex): Currently at the IPL commitments. Available for all cricket from May 15
Monty Panesar (Sussex): Available for all cricket
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire): Available for all cricket
Kevin Pietersen (Surrey): Currently at the IPL commitments. Available for championship match against Worcestershire (May 9-12)
Matt Prior (Sussex): Available for championship matches against Warwickshire (April 26-29) and Lancashire (May 9-12) and tour match against West Indies (May 5-7)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire): Available for championship matches against Lancashire (May 2-5) and Middlesex (May 9-12)
Andrew Strauss (Middlesex): Available for all cricket from April 16 apart from CB40 match against Netherlands (May 14)
James Tredwell (Kent): Available for all cricket
Chris Tremlett (Surrey): Currently unavailable, continuing rehabilitation following back surgery
Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire): Available for all cricket from April 23 up to and including CB40 match against Derbyshire (May 14)

Mumbai Indians’ captain Harbhajan Singh said that his side is still looking to strengthen their middle order

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2012Mumbai Indians’ captain Harbhajan Singh said that his side is still looking to strengthen their middle order. Mumbai Indians edged out Pune Warriors by one run on Thursday, despite their middle order imploding on a slow wicket and leaving their bowlers with just 120 to defend.The middle order failed to build on the decent start from Sachin Tendulkar and make-shift opener James Franklin, who put on a 50-run stand for the first wicket. The duo was kept quiet by Warriors but took Ashish Nehra and Ashok Dinda for an expensive over each to ensure the run-rate did not suffer too much.”We have tried a lot of things which have not worked for us,” Harbhajan said. “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.”Frankie [Franklin] and Sachin gave us a good start today, unfortunately we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. Hopefully we don’t make the same mistakes [in the future] and we score 170-180 without losing too many [wickets].”Allrounder Kieron Pollard’s shoulder injury, which he sustained against Deccan Chargers on April 29, has only compounded Mumbai’s woes, as he is expected to be out for another week. “Pollard is doing well, he’s recovering well, there is no tear and no muscle strain, but there’s a bit of swelling in his shoulder,” Harbhajan said. “We can’t wait to have him back on the field as he is a great asset for us. When he clicks, he’ll win us games singlehandedly. His bowling has been fantastic and we definitely miss him.”Defending 120 on Thursday, Mumbai’s bowlers struck regularly, ensuring Warriors failed to string together substantial partnerships. “From the bowler’s perspective, I think getting Michael Clarke and later on Sourav Ganguly’s wicket was the turning point for us,” Harbhajan said. “It wasn’t a good Twenty20 wicket where batsmen could score runs at their [usual] pace. There was hardly any bounce for fast bowlers and it was difficult [for batsmen] to rotate strike. I think the wicket played a big role in this game.”Harbhajan, who picked up two wickets in the match, took on his critics for writing him off due to a string of poor performances. “I am happy [with my performance]. People have criticised me as if I’ve never taken wickets in the 12 or 13 years I’ve played cricket. There are other players in this competition also who have not taken wickets either, it’s not only about me,” he said. “It takes a lot of character to lead the team from the front. I just want to work hard as I believe that if I could survive for these 12 years, I can still survive.”

Jamie Cox has cleared the way for a complete overhaul of Australia’s selection panel by standing down and declaring he will not reapply for the role of part-time selector

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2011Jamie Cox has cleared the way for a complete overhaul of Australia’s selection panel by standing down and declaring he will not reapply for the role of part-time selector. Cox’s decision means that all four of the Australian selectors who picked the side during last summer’s disastrous Ashes campaign have now moved on.The Argus report last month recommended a five-man selection panel with a full-time chairman, a move that ruled Andrew Hilditch out due to his business commitments, while there will also be no place for the national talent manager, Greg Chappell. The fourth selector, David Boon, had already quit during the off-season to become an ICC match referee.Cox spent nearly five years as a selector, but it was far from a successful tenure. He was the selector on duty at The Oval in 2009, when he was responsible for leaving Nathan Hauritz out of the side on a dry pitch that proved to be of great assistance to the spinners; Graeme Swann took eight wickets in the match and England’s victory meant they won the Ashes.Cox also faced criticism over a potential conflict of interest, as he juggled the selection role with his full-time job as South Australia’s director of cricket. By declaring he won’t reapply for one of the two part-time positions on the new selection panel, Cox has ensured Australia can make a clean break from the Hilditch era, although he will stay on until the new panel is appointed.”There is a clear mood for change and I think it’s time for a new panel to be given the opportunity set its own direction without links to the past,” Cox said. “It has been a true privilege to serve Australian cricket in this role since the 2006-07 summer and whilst the transition from our era of dominance has been challenging, I leave the role strong in the belief that we have a terrific group of young men emerging, to lead Australia back up the Test cricket rankings.”Cricket Australia’s new selection panel, which will include the captain and coach, won’t be confirmed until after the appointment of a general manager of team performance, a new role that will be created as a result of the Argus report.