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Makhaya Ntini feels he is uncertain of his standing in South Africa’s plans, having not heard from the selectors since he was dropped from the national side for the last two Tests of the England series over the winter

Cricinfo staff01-Jun-2010Makhaya Ntini feels he is uncertain of his standing in South Africa’s plans, having not heard from the selectors since he was dropped from the national side for the last two Tests of the England series in January.After being dropped he bounced back immediately, helping the Warriors win the MTN40 and the Standard Bank Pro20 and recently starring for Kent in the first division of the County Championship with 24 wickets in five games at 19.75.Ntini was hoping that a good outing in county cricket could prod the South Africa selectors into rethinking their decision but he told the Kent website that he is unclear of his position.”My main reason for coming was to show that I am still capable of doing a good job and was not going downhill,” he said.”I’m slightly disappointed because I’ve never been told by Cricket South Africa that they don’t need me – yet they didn’t come to watch me with Kent. I would like them to tell me what I should be working on and to help me get back in.”Ntini, 32, is a giant of South African cricket, having taken 390 Test wickets in 101 games, but there was a feeling that his best days were behind him after he was unable to finish the England tail off in the drawn first Test at Centurion in December and he performed badly the game after, which South Africa lost by an innings and 98 runs. Over the last two years Ntini has played 14 Tests and taken just 46 wickets at 36.02, which compares unfavourably with his overall average of 28.82.Yet Ntini insists the decision was harsh, saying “it is unfair to drop someone for failing in one Test match.” It was thought, at the time he was left out, that he would retire and join Middlesex but he instead vowed to earn back a place in the national side. He did not feature, however, in South Africa’s following series, against India, and was not included in their squad to tour West Indies.Instead South Africa opted for three inexperienced pacemen –
Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe – to back up the two new-ball bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in the Test squad.

Yorkshire’s run of three consecutive Friends Provident t20 victories was ended by Leicestershire who beat them by six runs at Headingley

Cricinfo staff27-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Yorkshire’s run of three consecutive Friends Provident t20 victories was ended by Leicestershire who beat them by six runs at Headingley. Nathan Buck did most of the damage for the visitors by firing out the first three home batsmen in his first two overs with the new ball.Although Yorkshire never quite recovered from this early setback, the result was in doubt right to the final ball which Richard Pyrah needed to hit for six to tie the match. It was delivered by Leicestershire captain and former Yorkshire and England bowler Matthew Hoggard, and Pyrah lashed it high towards cow corner where it was calmly held by James Benning.Yorkshire ended on 169 for 8 as they chased a target of 176 and the Man of the Match was Leicestershire batsman James Taylor, who got his side out of trouble with a sparkling unbeaten 62 from 28 balls with three fours and four sixes.Buck’s second ball was looped by Adam Lyth to Wayne White at cover and his
sixth dismissed South African Herschelle Gibbs leg before wicket attempting
to sweep. His third victim was Anthony McGrath who was also lbw to one which nipped back, the 19-year-old fast bowler finishing with 3 for 20 in only his third match in the competition.Andrew Gale and Jacques Rudolph put on 53 for the fourth wicket to steady the ship but Rudolph was then lbw to Benning and it became 88 for 5 when Gale was run out, perhaps unfortunately, for 52 from 39 deliveries with five fours and a six. White hit the stumps with a direct hit but replays suggested that the bowler, Claude Henderson, may have first disturbed a bail.An enterprising knock from Jonny Bairstow renewed Yorkshire’s hope, and Ajmal Shahzad, released from the England one-day squad, cracked two consecutive sixes off Josh Cobb. In his solitary over, Cobb had already dismissed Bairstow and he also accounted for Shahzad who holed out to Taylor on the boundary edge.Winning the toss, Leicestershire were given an encouraging start by Brad Hodge and Benning who had added 55 together by the ninth over before Adil Rashid struck with the first of his four wickets which came at a cost of only 20 runs.He owed his first success to the athleticism of Lyth who caught Hodge’s
towering hit on the long-off boundary. Before his momentum took him over the line, Lyth tossed the ball into the air and caught it again when he came back inside the rope.Will Jefferson belted Rashid for six in the legspinner’s next over but then
immediately fell lbw sweeping and the bowler signed off with two wickets in his final over as Benning was bowled for 41 off 31 balls and Paul Nixon trapped in front.Taylor quickly retrieved the situation for Leicestershire and he was particularly effective moving well outside his off stump to hit to leg. He took consecutive boundaries off Tino Best and hooked and cut Shahzad for two sixes in one over before thrashing Steve Patterson for two sixes and a four in an over which cost 21.He was given solid support by White whose contribution to an unbroken 81 stand was 23 from 19 balls with a four and a six.

New Zealanders endured poor passages of play in the latter stages of either innings, but did enough to seal victory against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in their first match on tour

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2010
ScorecardNew Zealanders’ seamers had the home batsmen in trouble early on•AFP

New Zealanders endured poor passages of play in the latter stages of either innings, but did enough to seal victory against Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in their first match on tour. The win was easier than suggested by the eventual three-wicket margin, as Ross Taylor and Scott Styris struck fluent fifties before the visitors crossed the line with 72 balls to spare.BP XI elected to bat first, but did not account for their opponents’ inspired fast-bowling pack. Things began to go awry in the third over when Daryl Tuffey breached Mahela Udawatte’s defence with nine runs on the board. Dinesh Chandimal was run out for two in the next over, exposing the middle order. They did not fare too well as three wickets fell for the addition of just one run: Lahiru Thirimanne edged Tuffey behind, while Chamara Silva and Thilina Kandamby did likewise against Tim Southee and Jacob Oram respectively. The score read 34 for 5 in 12 overs and BP XI desperately needed a repair job.Kosala Kulasekara put his head down in the company of Milinda Siriwardana and they steadied the ship, adding 29 in 10.4 overs before Clint McKay got into the flow of things, getting the former to give Gareth Hopkins his fourth catch behind the wickets. With both teams having twelve players to choose from, BP XI were batting fairly deep and it worked in their favour. Farveez Maharoof kept Siriwardana company for a 64-run stand for the seventh wicket, off 93 balls. Just when they looked set to step up, New Zealanders managed to dismiss both batsmen before they could reach fifties.That the hosts had something to bowl at was down to the effort of Thisara Perera who stunned the bowlers with an impressive assault. Southee suffered the most damage, going for 64 while the rest of his colleagues finished with respectable figures. Perera smashed eight fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 39-ball 62, as the last 7.5 overs went for 81 runs. Seekkuge Prasanna gave him good support, lashing a six and two fours in his 18 as BP XI finished with 219.New Zealanders’ chase faced an early setback when Nuwan Pradeep got BJ Watling to nick one behind for four. However, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor made light of his fall, adding 65 at better than a-run-a-ball. Guptill struck three fours in his 33-ball 26 before Prasanna struck him in front of the stumps. Thereafter Scott Styris laced into the bowling in an aggressive partnership with Taylor to put the result beyond doubt.Taylor played some pleasing shots, picking seven fours and a six before Kandamby sent him back after a partnership of 95 in 14.1 overs. Styris smashed two sixes and five fours, racing to 57 off 45 balls before he too fell to Kandamby’s wiles in the 30th over. New Zealanders had a few nervous moments, losing Grant Elliott and Hopkins, with 23 runs still to get. Oram however held one end up while Tuffey lashed four fours to ensure there was no upset.

Greg Chappell could go back to the future after being given an interview for the newly-created job on Australia’s national selection panel

Peter English16-Aug-2010Greg Chappell could go back to the future after being given an interview for the newly-created job on Australia’s national selection panel. Chappell, a former Test captain, was one of the men who installed Allan Border as leader in 1984, but he stood down in 1987-88 after becoming upset with the game’s administration structure.He is currently the head coach at the Centre of Excellence and his place on Cricket Australia’s list has been confirmed to Cricinfo. While the new full-time role comes with a spot on the selection panel, it also includes being a national talent manager and working with the states. Chappell does part of that already in his post at the Academy and as the Australia A coach.Andrew Hilditch, David Boon, Merv Hughes and Jamie Cox are the incumbents on the panel that will undergo a mild restructure. Over the past two years the Test team has dropped from first to fourth on the rankings, and could go to fifth if England, who currently lead 2-0, cleansweep Pakistan in their four-match series.The selection quartet works on a part-time basis, but Hilditch is not applying for the vacant job and said the redesign would not change his duties as chairman. “I look forward to having a full-time selector in the sense there are a lot of issues with workload management and our roster system and making sure we’re covering all the cricket,” Hilditch said earlier this month.”[The new appointment] will have a role on the panel like any other selector, but a very important role in talent management and managing the state talent managers. It’s a pretty big role straight away – a massive role. I think it’s a big development for Australian cricket and I’m very excited.”Chappell, 62, is due to be interviewed this week. He was appointed at the Centre of Excellence in 2008, a year after he finished an eventful term as India’s coach.

Kevin Pietersen’s bid to get in valuable batting time was frustrated by the rain at Bristol

14-Sep-2010
ScorecardKevin Pietersen’s bid to get in valuable batting time was frustrated by the rain at Bristol. Pietersen, on a short-term contract with Surrey following his departure from Hampshire, had hoped to get time at the crease ahead of the Ashes in the winter after being left out of England’s one-day series against Pakistan.But not a single ball was bowled on the second day of the County Championship match at Bristol where Surrey had been due to resume the second day on 112 for 3.Pietersen was left on 40 not out after steady rain fell throughout the morning and umpires Michael Gough and Steve Gale ordered an early lunch before abandoning any prospect of play early in the afternoon.

The Pakistan squad has returned home after completing one of the most acrimonious tours in history, with limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi calling the four-month trip to England the “most difficult” of his career

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2010The Pakistan squad returned home after completing one of the most acrimonious tours in history, with limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi calling the four-month trip to England the “most difficult” of his career.”It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with. Every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us,” Afridi said on arrival in Karachi. “The best part of the whole tour was that the players showed unity even in difficult times and gave a good fight in the one-day series against England.”Pakistan’s coach, Waqar Younis, said the tour had taken a toll on the team’s support staff as well because of the effort needed to keep the players upbeat amid the barrage of allegations. “If you take into account the tour to Sri Lanka [for the Asia Cup] before we went to England, it was four months on the trot and the tour of England was difficult both on and off the field,” Waqar, who flew into Lahore, said.”We had success against Australia which was pleasing, but because of the controversies it was tough against England. You needed that extra effort to gee up the players when you see a report in the newspaper every other day.”Pakistan’s next international assignment is a home series against South Africa in the UAE in October-November. Afridi, who ended a four-year hiatus from Tests this year when he led Pakistan in the very first Test of the summer against Australia only to retire again from the format immediately after losing it, did not rule out another comeback for the Test leg of that tour. “I will think about it and if the team needs it, I may consider playing the Test series against South Africa,” he said.The tour of England had begun positively for Pakistan, with victories in the two Twenty20 internationals against Australia. Despite losing that first Test at Lord’s and Afridi’s retirement, Salman Butt took over the captaincy and led Pakistan to a series-leveling victory at Headingley. It was Pakistan’s first Test win over Australia in nearly 15 years.The Test series against England began poorly, with defeats at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston before Pakistan kept the contest alive with a victory at The Oval. During their defeat at Lord’s, however, the series was plunged into scandal when a British tabloid ran a story alleging that Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were involved in spot-fixing by bowling deliberate no-balls.The players under scrutiny were questioned by the police and provisionally suspended by the ICC before the Twenty20 series between Pakistan and England began. Pakistan lost both Twenty20 matches, and the one-day series that followed was at 2-1 when the ICC announced that it was investigating the Oval ODI, which Pakistan had won, after receiving information from another tabloid that bookies were aware of certain scoring patterns that would take place before the match.It was decided that the last two ODIs would be played but, before the fourth game at Lord’s, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt alleged that England’s players had thrown the third match as part of a wider conspiracy to “defraud Pakistan and Pakistan cricket”, plunging the tour deeper into controversy.The ECB reacted by issuing a strong statement deploring the allegations and said it would seek an apology from Butt or take legal action. There was also an altercation between Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz and England batsman Jonathan Trott during a net session ahead of the Lord’s game.Pakistan eventually leveled the series 2-2 before England won at the Rose Bowl to take the series.

While they are capable of the occasional flash of brilliance, Bangladesh’s problem has been their inability to build on the winning momentum

The Preview by Nitin Sundar07-Oct-2010

Match Facts

Friday, October 8, Mirpur

Start time 9:30am (03.30 GMT)Ross Taylor stands out in an off-colour middle order•AFP

The Big Picture

While the cricketing world had its eyes firmly focused on the riveting action from Mohali, Bangladesh were quietly adding a chapter to their own history in overcast Mirpur. Their victory against New Zealand in the first ODI was their 13th against top opposition. Seven of those wins have come in the last two years and, though the list includes three wins against a depleted-by-dispute West Indies, it indicates a progressive improvement in Bangladesh’s consistency.While they are capable of the occasional flash of brilliance, Bangladesh’s problem has been their inability to build on the winning momentum. Barring those three games in the West Indies, they have never managed to string two upsets on the trot. The euphoria of their other famous win this year, against England in Bristol, quickly evaporated when they were squarely thumped in the following game. Can Bangladesh buck that trend and hold on to their early lead in this series?Heavy rain is forecast over the next few days in Bangladesh, so much so that the National League matches scheduled to start on Sunday have been rescheduled. Even though Bangladesh haven’t managed to string together two wins on the trot against strong opposition, the weather could help them enter the third match of the series with a 1-0 lead.This is not the first time New Zealand have started a bilateral series in Bangladesh with defeat. In 2008-09, they managed to reverse the scoreline with convincing wins in the two remaining games. This series, being a five-match affair, gives them even more elbow room, but that does not mean Daniel Vettori will take Tuesday’s defeat lightly. Despite his singling out Shakib Al Hasan as a threat, New Zealand seemed without a plan against Bangladesh’s talisman allrounder in both departments. Vettori has said the tour of the subcontinent will give his side an advantage when the World Cup comes, but another defeat here will only create self-doubt ahead of tougher tests in India.

Form guide

(five latest completed matches, starting with most recent)
New Zealand: LLLWW

Bangladesh: WLWLL

Watch out for…

Despite their middle order’s stumble against spin, New Zealand were in the game as long as Ross Taylor was at the crease. Bangladesh did well to deny him boundaries, and his dismissal, going for his favourite slog-sweep, tilted the balance in the hosts’ favour. Taylor is unlikely to perish twice on the trot to his pet shot, but can he find a way past the spinners’ stranglehold to make it productive?Shahriar Nafees returned to the ODI side after over two years, but his touch and timing at the top of the order suggested he had never been away. With 1892 runs in 61 ODIs, Nafees is sixth in the list of highest run-scorers for Bangladesh, but of all their batsmen to have scored over 1000 runs, he has the highest average. Bangladesh can do with stability at the top, and Nafees, along with the currently-injured Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, can give them a formidable top three.

Team news

Bangladesh will be without their first-choice seamers, Mashrafe Mortaza and Nazmul Hussain, who picked injuries during the first match. The squad is, however, not short of fast-bowling options. Left-arm seamer Syed Rasel will expect to make the cut, while the remaining spot could be a toss-up between Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Imrul Kayes, 2 Shahriar Nafees, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Raqibul Hasan, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Rubel Hossain / Shafiul Islam, 11 Syed RaselGrant Elliott, BJ Watling and Shanan Stewart contributed two runs between them, in a passage of play that cost New Zealand the opening game. Kane Williamson should expect a call-up, but he is coming off a forgettable streak himself. Daryl Tuffey could be in line to replace Andy McKay whose nine overs went for 51 in the opening game.New Zealand (possible): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Grant Elliott, 5, 6 Kane Williamson / BJ Watling / Shannan Stewart, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Daryl Tuffey

Stats and trivia

• Mahmudullah has become the 15th Bangladesh batsman to reach 1000 runs
• Kyle Mills, with 27, has taken most wickets in clashes between these two sides. Vettori comes second with 25. Shakib is the first Bangladesh player in the list, with 17
  

  Quotes

  “We had a reasonable start and to restrict them to less than 230 was a good effort. We expected to win, but we let ourselves down in the second half of our batting effort. “

Mohammad Yousuf has been ruled out of the Test series against South Africa after picking up a recurrence of an old groin injury

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2010Mohammad Yousuf has been ruled out of the Test series against South Africa after picking up a recurrence of an old groin injury moments before the toss of the first match in Dubai. He requires at least two weeks to recover and will fly home but no replacement has been named.Yousuf, 36, returned to the Test side during the tour of England when he played at The Oval and Lord’s following his retirement after the disastrous trip to Australia which he captained. The initial groin injury meant he wasn’t able to take his place in the one-day squad against South Africa until being drafted in for the deciding match last week.”Its an old injury Yousuf sustained before the one-day series last month and since it will take two weeks to heal we are sending him back and there will be no replacement,” the team manager, Intikhab Alam, said. “It is indeed disappointing because Yousuf has been Pakistan’s most reliable batsman and we needed him for this series.”It is hoped that the return of Yousuf, and Younis Khan who resumed Test cricket in Dubai after patching up defences with the Pakistan board, will make Pakistan more competitive after an inexperienced line-up was regularly exposed in England with a string of sorry displays. But the wait goes on for the two experienced players to appear together again.

Northern Districts joined Auckland at the top of the points table after they comprehensively beat Canterbury by eight wickets at in Hamilton

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2010Northern Districts joined Auckland at the top of the points table after they comprehensively beat Canterbury by eight wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton.Northern Districts won the toss and chose to field, after rain delayed the start of play and the match was reduced to 18 overs. It looked like James Marshall had made the correct decision when Robi Nicol, coming off a match-winning half-century against Otago, was dismissed by Graeme Aldrige in the second over. Canterbury were 37 for 3 at the end of six overs and looked in danger of collapsing cheaply. However, Ryan ten Doeschate combined with Shannan Stewart and Carl Anderson for handy partnerships of 44 and 38 to steady the innings. But once ten Doeschate was dismissed on 119, the Canterbury innings fell away and they could only reach 138 for 8.Opener Daniel Flynn blasted 45 off 19 balls to get Northern Districts’ chase off to a cracking start. Flynn and David Warner added 54 runs before Flynn was dismissed. South African import Herschelle Gibbs at No. 3, together with Warner, cemented Northern Districts’ win with a 79-run partnership. Warner was unbeaten on 52 as Northern Districts completed an easy victory in just under 14 overs.

Imran Tahir, the Nashua Dolphins legspinner of Pakistani origin, has been granted South African citizenship by naturalisation and is now eligible to play for the country

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jan-2011Imran Tahir, the Nashua Dolphins legspinner of Pakistani origin, has been granted South African citizenship by naturalisation and is now eligible to play for the country. Tahir has also fulfilled the ICC’s regulations for representing his new country, having not played for the country of his birth at any level for more than 4 years.Tahir, 31, has been one of South Africa’s most prolific domestic bowlers in recent times, with 535 first-class wickets at 25.09 from 127 matches. He was picked in the South Africa Test squad to play England in January 2010, but was left out at the last moment owing to issues over his residency paperwork. Those problems have been resolved now.”Imran has made South Africa his home and has been married for some time to a South African,” Gerald Majola, CEO of Cricket South Africa said. “He has been a leading wicket-taker in the top South African domestic competitions for the past few seasons and is highly respected by both his colleagues and his opponents. He certainly becomes a contender for selection to the Proteas squad now that he has met all the government, ICC and CSA regulations regarding his new nationality.”Tahir, however, won’t be considered for the Cape Town Test against India that begins on January 2. “That will not be fair on anyone since the squad has prepared, but he will be considered for the one-dayers,” CSA’s convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson told ESPNcricinfo.