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While Shikhar Dhawan is set to return after an injury lay-off, Harbhajan Singh will lead Punjab in his first match of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2016 Harbhajan to lead Punjab on returnHarbhajan Singh will lead Punjab in the Group A match against Tamil Nadu in Nagpur in his first Ranji Trophy game of the season; the offspinner will be returning to the squad after a long personal break. Harbhajan will take over as captain from Yuvraj Singh, who will miss the matches against Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (starts from November 29) due to his wedding. Punjab are currently fourth in Group A with 16 points. Yuvraj is among the top five run-scorers this season with 672 runs, including a career-best 260 against Baroda, in five matches at an average of 84. “I am [still motivated],” Yuvraj told . “I got a career-best 260 just weeks ago. I’m not through with the game.”Gambhir set to lead DelhiHaving been released from the India squad, Gautam Gambhir is set to lead Delhi in their Ranji Trophy fixture against Rajasthan in Wayanad. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma was named the 16th member of the squad, although he is likely to stay with the national team as cover. Shikhar Dhawan, however, is a certain starter in the Delhi XI, having recovered from a thumb injury he sustained in the only Test he played against New Zealand, in Kolkata. Dhawan will be keen to prove his fitness in domestic cricket, in line with national coach Anil Kumble’s policy, and press his case for the hotly-contested opening spots.Mishra boost for HaryanaLegspinner Amit Mishra is set to turn out for Haryana in their Group C fixture against Goa in Ghaziabad after being released from the Test squad. Mishra picked three wickets in the first Test against England and his economy rate was over four runs per over in both innings. He was dropped for the second Test in Vishakhapatnam, and instead his Haryana team-mate Jayant Yadav was handed a debut. The match against Goa will be Mishra’s first Ranji game since February 2015. Haryana are currently placed second, behind Andhra, in Group C with 19 points from six matches.Vinay targets India returnKarnataka captain Vinay Kumar, who went past 400 first-class wickets with a nine-wicket haul in Karnataka’s 393-run win over Rajasthan, has now set his sights on a return to the national side. Vinay has made 41 appearances for India, with the last one in an ODI against Australia in Bangalore three years ago. “I am not going to be satisfied with this [400 first-class wickets] as my main goal is to make a comeback to Indian team,” Vinay told . ” I am feeling much better even though I am 32. Age is just a number. I will keep working on my batting and bowling and try to keep myself fit. I am never going to give up.”Krishna, Mathias included in Karnataka squadSeamers David Mathias and Prasidh Krishna have been called-up to the Karnataka squad for their Group B clash against Orissa in Delhi, with Abhimanyu Mithun still recuperating from injury. Mathias played two Ranji Trophy games last season, while Krishna is yet to make his debut in the tournament. Left-arm spinner Abrar Kazi, meanwhile, replaced J Suchith in a like-for-like swap. Karnataka are currently on top of the Group B table with 29 points.

The ex-wife of Lou Vincent, the disgraced former New Zealand cricketer, told Southwark Crown Court in London that Chris Cairns was “very confident” that he would get away with match-fixing because “everyone was doing it in India”

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2015The ex-wife of Lou Vincent, the disgraced former New Zealand cricketer, has told Southwark Crown Court in London that Chris Cairns was “very confident” that he would get away with match-fixing because “everyone was doing it in India”.Cairns, who denies two counts of perjury and perverting the course of justice, also told other players that they would “never play cricket again” unless they agreed to take part in fixing, according to testimony from Eleanor Riley, who was married to Vincent until the couple’s divorce in 2012.Riley was recalling a conversation with Cairns in a restaurant in Hale, near Manchester, in 2008, when her ex-husband was playing for Lancashire and Cairns for Nottinghamshire.After raising her concerns with Cairns about Vincent’s activities, whom she said had a “tendency to talk to anyone who listened” she said she was also reassured by Cairns’ wife, Mel, whom she had met for the first time that evening.Orlando Pownall QC, Cairns’ defence lawyer, put it to Mrs Riley that she been mistaken in her recollection of the conversation with someone she had apparently just met, and suggested she was “infected” by alcohol. Mrs Riley, however, pointed out that she had just eaten a five-course meal. “When I’ve had a large meal it doesn’t matter how much I drink, I’m as clear as a bell.”Asked by Sacha Wass, QC, the crown prosecutor, whether she had any reason to lie about the conversation with Cairns, Mrs Riley replied: “No, not at all. I certainly wouldn’t come to a perjury trial to lie.”She added that she and Vincent had not separated on good terms, and when asked if she had any reason to support her ex-husband, she replied: “None at all.”Her first exposure to match-fixing had come in April 2008 when Vincent rang her in tears, claiming that Cairns had asked him to match-fix but that he hadn’t been able to follow through.”He said he had been approached by a man with a suitcase in Abu Dhabi. He [Vincent] said he refused, and told me that part of the training was how to handle situations like this – being approached for match-fixing.”Five days later, however, Mrs Riley claimed that Vincent had changed his story. “He was crying. He told me that he had lied, that he had taken the money for the match-fixing. He told me that he had stuffed a game up. He just hadn’t played how he was supposed to play.”He said that he was working with Chris – Chris Cairns.”Vincent had previously testified that he had been “under direct orders from Chris Cairns to get involved in fixing” and that he had on one occasion been threatened with a cricket bat after failing to fulfil his side of the deal.Prior to giving her evidence, Mrs Riley was given assurances by the court that she would not be charged by police for her knowledge of the money that Vincent had received for match-fixing. However, this was not part of an immunity deal for her to give evidence.She did claim, however, that Vincent had given his evidence in order to escape charges, adding that the ICC had written him “a letter to stop him from going to jail” in exchange for coming clean with the “big names”. Riley also agreed with Pownall that Vincent “hated” Cairns, because he believed he owed him money.The trial continues.

Sri Lanka women won a thriller against the West Indies in the last over of the fourth Twenty20 of the series in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSri Lanka women won a thriller against the West Indies in the last over of the fourth Twenty20 of the series in Colombo. Chasing 102, Sri Lanka were 79 for 4 in the 17th over and the match could have gone wither way as they lost two more wickets after that, but the hosts held their nerves to win with three balls to spare.Sri Lanka’s opening partnership was broken in the fifth over when they were scoring at under four per over. Prasadani Weerakkody made 16 of 32 and stitched a 32-run partnership with Nipuni Hansika (17). But Sri Lanka lost both the batsmen at the score of 47 which brought West Indies back. Shashikala Siriwardene and Deepika Rasangika steadied their chances by putting together 32 in 37 balls. Eshani Kaushalya was soon dismissed for nine by Stafanie Taylor but Rasangika made sure Sri Lanka won their first match of the series.Eerlier, West Indies were rattled in the first three overs and were reeling at 18 for 2 after both their openers were dismissed. Only Stafanie Taylor withstood the bowling attack with a 33-ball 40 as Kaushalya and Udeshika Prabodhani ran through the top order and Siriwardene took three wickets. Their highest partnership was of 21 for the fourth wicket and only three players managed to reach double figures.

New Zealand have retained their 14-man Twenty20 squad for the first two matches against South Africa this weekend

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2012

Squad

Brendon McCullum (capt & wk), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Andrew Ellis, Colin de Grandhomme, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson

New Zealand have retained their 14-man Twenty20 squad for the first two matches against South Africa this weekend. Ross Taylor remains sidelined with a calf injury, though he is hopeful of recovering in time for the one-dayers.Brendon McCullum continues to lead the side in Taylor’s absence, while the new faces like Colin de Grandhomme, Ronnie Hira and Michael Bates get more time in the national squad.New Zealand have been in top form in the current series against Zimbabwe, sweeping them aside in the only Test, the three ODIs and the first T20. The series ends with the second T20 in Hamilton on Tuesday.

Two matches, two close defeats, crucial mistakes in the final stages of both matches. South Africa have to be hurting

Sidharth Monga in Cape Town19-Jan-2011Two matches, two close defeats, crucial mistakes in the final stages of both matches. South Africa have to be hurting. Batsmen freezing might just be the lesser of the evils. They pride themselves on their fielding, and tonight they dropped two catches they would normally take nine times out of 10. Zaheer Khan got reprieved on nought, Harbhajan Singh on 12, and the duo carried India home. Something similar happened when they were batting: after recovering well from an average start, they slumped from 198 for 4 in 44.4 overs to 220 all out.Graeme Smith chose to focus on that period – during the end of an innings – that has hurt them the most in this series. “I think 220 gave us a chance. The wicket was very difficult to bat on, had sort of plates on it, and its two-paced nature made strokes very difficult. It also had up and down bounce,” he said. “[But] we were really hoping for 240. I think 240 would have been a really good total there. JP [Duminy] and [debutant] Faff du Plessis played well together to take us to a decent total [rescuing them from 90 for 4]. Our Powerplay was poor again, we lost JP and Faff within two overs, and we only got 19 overs in our last six overs.”I really felt if we got 240 we were in with a real good chance of winning the game. We came real close, we missed two crucial chances at the back end, but I can’t fault the guys’ commitment tonight, their intensity and the effort they gave.”The commitment was of course there, in the way Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn bowled, in the way they caught, Steyn off his own bowling and Morkel at third man. Also pleasing was how – despite an expectedly nervous start – du Plessis made it easier for the selectors to pick him for the World Cup.”Terrific to see a guy like him come in,” Smith said. “He had a good domestic season, and just to carry that on here is good. He has prepared well, I have watched him in training. He will bring a lot to the squad I think. It was great to see him and play that well. Especially under pressure. We were under pressure when he came in. I think he has something special, which is good.”Smith said the key to bouncing back from such close defeats in back-to-back games was to not change what has been working for them. “I think it’s always important to keep doing the right things at training,” he said. “Keep reiterating the same point. The margins have been so small in the last two games, we could easily be 2-1 up or 3-0 up. Just got to keep training hard and keep doing the right things and hopefully the things will kick into place.”The World Cup squad comes out tonight, that will ease a lot of minds and stress on players. Hopefully free up a lot of players, and make them play with sort of freedom in the next few games.”They will need all the freedom because the opposition – an under-strength one at that – is sensing they are under pressure. “Our team is full of confidence right now,” Yusuf Pathan, Man of the Match tonight, said. “South Africa will obviously be under pressure because they have lost two matches, and we have done better in pressure situation. We made a comeback in the previous game, and here too. So the pressure will be there.”

David Warner and Steven Smith have been named as part-time scholars for the 2010 Centre of Excellence intake in Brisbane

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2010David Warner and Steven Smith are two of Australia’s brightest international hopes but they are being sent back to school this winter by the national selectors. Warner and Smith, who are both in the Twenty20 side, have been named as part-time scholars for the 2010 Centre of Excellence intake in Brisbane.Warner, who was sent home from the Academy in 2007, has played seven ODIs and 13 Twenty20s while Smith made his debuts in both formats this summer. Jason Krejza, the two-Test offspinner, Moises Henriques and Jon Holland are other players who have been chosen in Australian squads to be included in the 11-man part-time unit. They will spend four weeks in Brisbane and be available for the Academy’s matches.The 14 full scholars include a group of fast bowlers who have already made marks with their states and John Hastings, the impressive Victoria allrounder. Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Luke Feldman and Ben Cutting have caused trouble on the domestic scene this summer while the batsman Luke Pomersbach’s rehabilitation from a drink-driving incident continues after he was given a spot.”I’m excited about this group, which has a good mix of under-19 young guns and experienced players with first-class experience,” the head coach Greg Chappell said. “The lists highlight the depth of talent in Australia and shows that the next generation of Australian cricket is in good hands.” The full scholars will complete an 18-week programme that includes the Emerging Players Tournament and a training camp in India.Centre of Excellence 2010 squad Nic Maddinson (NSW), Jason Floros (Qld), Luke Pomersbach (WA), Nicholas Buchanan (Qld), Mitchell Starc (NSW), James Pattinson (Vic), Nathan Coulter-Nile (WA), John Hastings (Vic), Luke Feldman (Qld), Ben Cutting (Qld), Nathan Brain (NSW), Glenn Maxwell (Vic), Ryan Carters (Vic), Ben Dunk (Qld).

Part-time scholars Usman Khawaja (NSW), Moises Henriques (NSW), David Warner (NSW), Steven Smith (NSW), Jason Krejza (Tas), Mitchell Marsh (WA), Josh Hazlewood (NSW), Jon Holland (Vic), Peter George (SA), James Faulkner (Tas), Alister McDermott (Qld).

Development scholars Alex Keath (Vic), Sean Abbott (NSW), Luke Doran (NSW), Adam Zampa (NSW).

The trio complete an 18-man squad, with no one missing out from the squad that played T20Is against Bangladesh in July

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2021Sean Williams, Brendan Taylor, and Craig Ervine will be available for Zimbabwe again after being named in an 18-man squad for their limited-overs tours of Ireland and Scotland this month. Zimbabwe are due to play five T20Is to start the tour against Ireland from August 27, followed by three World Cup Super League ODIs at Stormont. They will then head to Scotland for three T20Is.Taylor had been rested from Zimbabwe’s T20I squad for the home series against Bangladesh last month, while Williams and Ervine missed out on all three formats against Bangaldesh after coming into contact with people who tested positive for Covid-19. The rest of the touring squad is the same as the 15-man squad that played against Bangladesh in the T20I series under Sikandar Raza.Zimbabwe have not qualified for the upcoming T20 World Cup, but the ODIs against Ireland will be a chance for them to drag themselves off the bottom of the World Cup Super league points table and push for qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup. In their most recent ODI series, Zimbabwe were swept 3-0 at home by Bangladesh. As for Ireland, they are placed seventh on the Super League table, although they have had the benefit of playing 12 matches; Zimbabwe have played only six.Zimbabwe squad: Brendan Taylor, Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tarisai Musakanda, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Sean Williams

Opening day of Surrey vs Warwickshire defined by two allrounders and outstanding signings

Matt Roller10-May-2024This was a day defined by the performances of two allrounders who have been among the outstanding county signings of the modern era: Jordan Clark, the underestimated linchpin of Surrey’s back-to-back Championship titles, and Ed Barnard, who needs four runs on Saturday to complete his maiden first-class hundred as a Warwickshire player.Clark showed some promise as a red-ball cricketer in his Lancashire days: he dismissed Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow as part of a Roses hat-trick in 2018, which proved to be his final season at the club. But when he arrived at Surrey, the defending champions, it was hard to see how he would become a regular feature in their Championship side.He has done that and more, playing a pivotal role in their recent success. His batting and bowling averages for the club are near-identical (28.20 and 28.23 respectively) and he has thrived as a first-change bowler in a four or five-man seam attack. Last week, he struck 106 not out off 102 balls in Surrey’s convincing victory over Hampshire.Related

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Clark burst this game open for Surrey after Warwickshire’s bright start, racing to 50 for 0 in 10 overs after being asked to bat first. He struck in his second over, going wide on the crease and nipping one back past Alex Davies’ leave to uproot his off stump; when Sean Abbott trapped Rob Yates lbw in his next over, Warwickshire had lost both openers inside three balls.Sam Hain made his return to the Warwickshire side after missing the start of the season for personal reasons, and started brightly after twin hundreds for the seconds last week. But he was incorrectly given out caught behind on the stroke of lunch to Kemar Roach, who then had Jacob Bethell caught at second slip – after Dom Sibley parried the initial chance at first – after lunch.And Clark struck regularly through the day, as if to prove his worth: he trapped Dan Mousley on the knee roll, had Will Rhodes well caught at slip by Sibley, and induced a chop-on from Michael Burgess with the old ball which left his leg stump on the ground. That left Warwickshire 222 for 7, and in danger of missing out on a single batting bonus point.But by the close, Barnard had guided them to 318 for 8, scoring heavily through cover-point. He added 50 for the eighth wicket with Aamer Jamal and an unbroken 41 with No. 10 Craig Miles, and should complete his sixth first-class hundred – and first since leaving Worcestershire – on Saturday morning, as Warwickshire target a third batting point.Rhodes was Warwickshire’s captain at the time they brought Barnard in, and recalls a queue of counties attempting to sign him. “That sort of cricketer comes few and far between and to have him here is fantastic,” he said. “It’s a massive help for the team if he can score these runs at No. 6 and then contribute with the ball.”With Tim Bresnan moving on, we were looking for that No. 6 or 7 who could bowl a lot of overs, and he’s probably one of the best in the country in the role. When he cropped up and said that he was looking to leave Worcester, we jumped at the chance to get him. He’s been an outstanding signing.”It is a running joke in the Warwickshire dressing room that Barnard always “misses out on flat ones”. At the start of the season, he made 1 off 4 balls in a team total of 698 for 3 declared against Durham at Edgbaston. “But he certainly cashed in today,” Rhodes said with a smile.Warwickshire have been involved in four draws out of four at the start of this season but this match looks likely to have a result. Their 318 for 8 is already the second-highest score that Surrey have conceded this year – behind Somerset’s 351 all out – and they have an opportunity to stamp their mark on this game on Saturday.

Chris Green, making a rare appearance for his state, picked up four wickets

AAP17-Nov-2022Daniel Hughes smacked yet another century before spinner Chris Green weaved his magic with the ball to lead New South Wales to a crushing 160-run win over Tasmania in the one-day clash at Blundstone Arena.Just days after missing a Sheffield Shield clash due to Covid-19, Hughes scored 101 off 114 balls as the visitors reached 8 for 300 after being sent in to bat.In reply, Tasmania were skittled for 140 in 28.1 overs, with Matthew Wade (42 off 49 balls) the only home batter to post a score of any substance. Green starred with the ball, finishing with figures of 4 for 20 off nine overs.NSW entered the match yet to taste victory this season in either the one-day competition or the Sheffield Shield.But the 207-run opening stand between Hughes and Kurtis Patterson (92) put the Blues on track to end the rut. Hughes has now posted three one-day centuries this season and he can consider himself unlucky to be overlooked for Australian selection following Aaron Finch’s retirement.Thursday’s innings took his average to 67.8 for the past four seasons with only Shaun Marsh having more one-day domestic centuries – 10 to Hughes’s nine – of current players.The left-hander was strong square of the wicket, cutting, pulling and pushing off the back foot whenever Tasmania dropped short.Sitting pretty at 0 for 194 after 32 overs, the runs dried up slightly for NSW after Patterson picked out the man on the legside boundary while trying to pull Tom Rogers.It kickstarted a collapse of 5 for 35 in the next six overs as Rogers, Nathan Ellis and Tom Andrew pulled back the Blues. Jason Sangha and Baxter Holt were the only remaining batters to pass 20, as NSW took just 63 runs from the last 10 overs.Tasmania’s run chase started poorly with the home side crashing to 3 for 35. Wade sent a scare through the camp when he was struck on the side of the helmet by a Liam Hatcher bouncer. The veteran had raced to 21 off just 11 balls but struggled for fluency after being hit.Wade even fell to the ground later that over while evading another Hatcher bouncer and he eventually holed out 10 overs later in the search for quick runs.The bonus-point win lifted NSW (five points) off the bottom of the ladder, but they are still five points adrift of the third-placed Tasmania (10 points).

Kent fast bowler’s slower than expected recovery from knee surgery prompts decision

Matt Roller20-Jul-2021Tim Groenewald has called time on a 15-year professional career by announcing that he will retire from professional cricket with immediate effect.Groenewald, 37, had surgery on his knee in April and said that despite “amazing support” from Kent’s medical staff, his recovery has not been sufficient for him to resume his playing career.Born in South Africa – and educated at the Maritzburg College in Natal, the same school as Kevin Pietersen – Groenewald juggled his early county career with winters back home but he made a breakthrough in 2006, making debuts for Warwickshire in all three formats, and played for the club as a non-overseas player thanks to his English mother.He left for Derbyshire at the end of the 2008 season where he quickly became an integral part of their bowling attack across formats, and took 42 wickets in their promotion season in 2012. He led the attack in Division One but turned down the opportunity to extend his contract and joined Somerset on loan in 2014 as a precursor to a permanent move.He became a fan favourite at Taunton, not only for his whole-hearted efforts with the ball but also for his knack of playing match-winning innings with the bat, dragging them to famous one-wicket wins against Surrey in the Championship and Gloucestershire in the Royal London Cup in 2016, with Jack Leach and Jamie Overton for company respectively.Groenewald joined Kent on a permanent deal ahead of the 2020 season and took seven wickets in his nine appearances for the club. Paul Downton, their managing director, confirmed that he would stay with the club in a coaching capacity until the end of the season.”I feel privileged to have played professional cricket for 16 years,” Groenewald said. “I will always be extremely grateful to the clubs I’ve represented and the opportunities they have afforded me. I’ve made some lifelong friends and memories along the way and will cherish those forever.”Groenewald retires with 625 career wickets, 403 of which came in first-class cricket at an average of 29.53, with 16 five-wicket hauls. While England Lions selection eluded him, he was part of the North v South series in the UAE in early 2017 after earning a spot through his performances in the Royal London Cup.