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Both captains stressed on one thing in the lead-up to a virtual knockout game – the importance of composure

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jun-2017One lesson India would have taken from the defeat against Sri Lanka is to not get overexcited. India captain Virat Kohli had stressed that the 321-run target set against Sri Lanka was good enough and Sri Lanka had done well to chase it down. That might have surprised Kohli.Faced with a do-or-die encounter against South Africa on Sunday, at the same ground, on the same pitch, Kohli said if India have to win they need to be “composed”.”You need to have a good balance of being competitive and being passionate about the game, but at the same time, not getting overexcited,” Kohli said on Saturday. “The team that treats the game as normal as possible is the team that’s in a better position to get the right result.”Kohli doesn’t believe this is the biggest match of his short career as captain. Such matches raise the tempo and the spirit of the team, he said, and it is something he “craves” for. Kohli’s message to his players was to make sure they did not overstress themselves.”A lot of times, teams come in and they want to do something special and end up messing up the game in important situations. The team that can have most composure, I would say, to sum it up, will have a better chance of winning the game tomorrow. That’s what I’ve experienced in the past. You tend to get overexcited, and then you commit errors that can cost the team important runs, or you fail to grab all the chances because you’re overexcited and that can cost the team as well. I think composure will be the biggest word for tomorrow.”One other man at The Oval agreed with Kohli – AB de Villiers, the South Africa captain. That both men think the same should not come across as strange, only because they cannot afford to let their teams get carried away.De Villiers, more than Kohli, understands what works and what doesn’t in knockout contests. No other team has experienced the full range of emotions in do-or-die matches like South Africa has.”It is really important to stay calm,” de Villiers said. “Not get overexcited. The tendency will be there, because we all live for these kinds of moments.”Retaining the focus and the energy at key moments can be the difference between winning and losing, de Villiers said.”I’m expecting the same kind of intensity and hunger out there tomorrow but with a relaxed kind of mindset. I think that’s really important to remember we are playing a game of cricket, something that we love doing, and to get that smile on our faces out there when we’re playing. It’s going to be really important and I’ll try and lead that from the front.”

Nathan Lyon who came in for criticism from Australia coach Darren Lehmann and captain Steven Smith has admitted that Australia have been outplayed in all areas by Sri Lanka in the ongoing Test series

Daniel Brettig07-Aug-2016Over the past few days, the only player singled out for criticism from Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann and captain Steven Smith has been Nathan Lyon, the touring side’s No. 1 spinner. If this seems harsh that’s because it probably is – Lyon’s nine wickets place him second behind Mitchell Starc among Australian bowlers; his 29 runs means he’s made only five fewer than Joe Burns and six fewer than Peter Nevill.But the reason for the criticism stems from the fact that Lyon’s returns are paltry next to those of Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan, the Sri Lankan spin trio who have made fools of a highly paid and seemingly well-prepared Australian batting line-up. The struggles of the batsmen have left Lyon and the rest of the bowlers with precious little scoreboard pressure on their side. Lyon, though, did not fall into excuses or the shifting of blame.”We’ve been outplayed in all areas,” Lyon said in Galle. “I’m not going to stand here and make excuses or blame anyone. We’ve been outplayed and you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. They’ve totally outplayed us. Yeah it’d be great to bowl with some runs on the board but that’s up to Nos. 1 down to 11 to get those runs.”Lyon spoke of four issues that have contributed to Australian struggles. First he admitted that he and his slow-bowling partner Jon Holland have failed to challenge Sri Lanka’s batsmen down the line of the stumps frequently enough. This angle of attack has been responsible for the majority of Australian dismissals, but precious few among the hosts.”As spinners, we need to keep hitting the stumps,” Lyon said. “If you look at their spinners, that’s what they do really well, they ask questions off the stumps. If I’m being honest enough, I don’t think Duck [Holland] and myself probably did that to the best of our ability in the last Test match. You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. Sri Lanka plays spin really well.”They know the conditions really well over here and they played really well and put us under pressure. We’ve got to combat that, come the third Test. It’s just about Duck and I finding a way how to best go about it in these conditions. We’re both open to change I guess. It’s different bowling in different conditions over here. It’s a learning curve. If we can keep learning over here and improving, that’s a big tick for us.”Secondly, Lyon acknowledged that the subcontinent method of spin, cutting under the ball on a flatter trajectory, rather than working the fingers up over the top of it in search of over-spin and bounce, was something he and Holland were yet to fully master. Lyon has an outstanding record in Australia where many an Asian spin bowler has struggled, but the reverse is true here.”I daresay there’s an argument for that,” he said. “As a spinner, you need to have all different variations. I’m comfortable going over the top of the ball and also around it. A lot of their spinners go around it and you get that natural variation with the ball going straight on. We’ve put it into play but unfortunately it hasn’t come off for us Australian spinners. If we can keep improving, keep learning from our mistakes in the first two Test matches then we’re going the right way.”I have been bowling with a fair few variations where a lot of people aren’t going to pick up on that. That is a subtle variation in my wrist. So, I think I can probably go a little bit more and experiment a little bit more – I am going down to training today to experiment more of how far my wrist can go underneath it, just to see how the ball reacts. I do believe that we have been doing that but, as I said, they have been playing quite well over here.”Thirdly, Lyon spoke about the use of the sweep as a weapon against his off spin. Lyon is himself a prolific user of the sweep shot, something tried by precious few of the touring batsmen. That and the reverse sweep were both glimpsed more often in the second innings in Galle, amid a rash of experimentation that indicated players racking their brains for better solutions.”I only sweep because I don’t trust my defence, and that’s my only scoring shot,” Lyon said modestly. “But you see the good players of spin, not only here with Sri Lanka, but you look at Younis Khan, Virat Kohli and these guys, they sweep well and they do that to try and out you off your lengths.”As a spinner, you need to be patient enough and be willing to be swept – it means you are hitting the right areas, so that’s the way I am looking at it. If I can keep putting it there, then hopefully, if I can get a couple of defensive shots out of them, I am in the game with the bat-pads and the slips.”Lastly, the issue of economy was confronted, as perhaps the most pressing problem that Lehmann and Smith have laid at Lyon’s door. A strike rate of a wicket every 44.6 balls is excellent for any spin bowler, but the leaking of 4.14 runs per over has lessened Lyon’s threat in a low-scoring series to date. Greater pressure needs to be brought to bear, as he acknowledged.”It’s a challenge for all our bowlers. We don’t like going at four an over, one of our goals is to bowl in partnerships and I don’t think we’ve done that well enough,” Lyon said. “Mitchell Starc was outstanding last game, Josh Hazlewood was brilliant bowling out there as well, but if we can bowl well in partnerships, try to tie down one end, we know they’re going to play some shots.”It’s that type of cricket, they like to hit the boundaries, so if we can try to cut that down then we bring about more patience and more opportunities around the bat.”

Zaheer Khan’s captaincy and the performances of young guns like Karun Nair and Rishabh Pant leave Delhi Daredevils in a good place as they take on Rising Pune Supergiants

The Preview by Sirish Raghavan04-May-20164:59

Zaheer leading Delhi from the front

Match facts

Thursday, May 5, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

After losing their opening match in horrendous fashion, Delhi Daredevils have turned their season around. They have put in six impressive performances, winning five of them and losing one by a run. They have been led admirably by captain Zaheer Khan, whose creative field settings, mentorship and positivity have yielded rich dividends. That is to say nothing of his own bowling, which has been mostly spot on. As young batsmen like Karun Nair and Rishabh Pant find form, the team increasingly looks to have most bases covered.The opposite is the case for Rising Pune Supergiants, who will make the trip to Feroz Shah Kotla for Thursday’s encounter. Supergiants’ campaign got off to a bright start, with a win over Mumbai Indians, but has rapidly gone off the rails and is now something of a shambles.The bowling has been a weak link, with the pacers leaking runs and the lead spinner, R Ashwin, struggling to make an impact. The batting looked strong, but with the injuries to three of their five leading run-scorers – Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis and Steven Smith – they have a massive hole to fill in that department as well. Having lost six of their eight matches so far, Supergiants are on the verge of entering do-or-die territory.Meanwhile, it is worth keeping one eye on the battle of the captains. Zaheer had served as the leader of the pace attack for India under MS Dhoni. Now, for the first time, he has the chance to pit his captaincy wiles against his former captain. An innovative bowling leader – experienced, yet new to the job – will lock horns with a veteran who has led many a title-winning team.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils WWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Rising Pune Supergiants LLWLL

In the spotlight

It is difficult to look past Zaheer Khan at the moment. He has combined figures of 4 for 48 in 7.3 overs in the last two matches, with his guile and penetration supplementing his returns. His captaincy seems to have rubbed off on his team. One feels that as long as Zaheer can continue to fire as bowler and as captain, Daredevils can continue to be greater than the sum of their parts.In a team bereft of fast bowling options, Thisara Perera will have an increasingly important role to play. He has bowled well in patches, including towards the end, and his 13-ball 34 against Royal Challengers Bangalore displayed his usefulness with the bat. Supergiants need him to combine these facets consistently and become the go-to bowling allrounder they desperately yearn for.

Team news

After an impressive all-round bowling performance that set up a clinical eight-wicket win, Daredevils have little reason to change their XI.Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rishabh Pant, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Sam Billings, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Mohammad Shami, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Shahbaz NadeemUsman Khawaja and George Bailey have joined the Supergiants set-up and are available for selection. Given Smith’s injury and Peter Handscomb’s unconvincing innings against Mumbai Indians, they might both slot into the playing XI.Rising Pune Supergiants (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Saurabh Tiwary, 4 George Bailey, 5 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 6 Thisara Perera, 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Scott Boland, 9 R Ashwin, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Ashok Dinda

Pitch and conditions

The Feroz Shah Kotla tends to favour spinners and slow bowlers. Interestingly, the last three matches played at this venue have been won by the team batting first, bucking the overall trend of this IPL. Two of them, though, were afternoon matches. The evening match saw Gujarat Lions prevail over Daredevils by one run. Temperatures on Thursday are forecast to hit the late 30s. There is a possibility of scattered showers in the afternoon, but that shouldn’t affect the match.

Stats and trivia

• Daredevils’ opening stands amounted to 58 runs in their first 6 matches. In the last match, openers Quinton de Kock and Pant added 115
• Supergiants’ economy rate of 8.14 is second best among all teams; their run rate of 8.38 is fourth

Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani feasted on a toothless Sri Lanka Women attack as Australia Women revived their World T20 campaign with a nine-wicket win in Delhi

The Report by Shashank Kishore in Delhi24-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning formed an unbeaten 98-run stand with Elyse Villani to take Australia home•IDI/Getty Images

Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani feasted on a toothless Sri Lanka Women attack to convert a tricky chase of 124 into a cakewalk as Australia Women revived their World T20 campaign with a nine-wicket win at the Feroze Shah Kotla in Delhi.The match was set up by legspinner Kristen Beams and Jess Jonassen, the left-arm spinner, who broke Sri Lanka’s back with the wickets of Dilani Manodara and Chamari Atapattu, who made 38 apiece. Then, an unbroken second-wicket stand of 98 that was studded with two belligerent half-centuries studded Australia’s dominance as they won with 14 balls to spare.Sri Lanka opted to bat, but didn’t help themselves by gifting wickets away on a platter after a platform was set by Atapattu and Manodara. The pair put together 75 off jut 61 balls as Sri Lanka’s hopes of touching 140 received a boost, before the slow bowlers, who were flat and fast to begin with, found their bearings to stem the run flow.Beams drew Manodara forward, only to deceive her in the air as a thin inside edge rattled into the stumps in the 11th over to give Australia brief respite. Then in her next over, she had Anushka Sanjeewani stumped as relief turned into delight for Australia. Atapattu’s wicket completed the collapse as Sri Lanka, motoring along at 75 for 1 hit a road block at 93 for 4.From there on, the innings was largely reduced to a struggle as the batsmen struggled to put bat to ball. Megan Schutt, was particularly impressive, as she brought out different variations of her cutters to pick up the wickets of Eshani Lokusuriyage and Prasadani Weerakkody to prevent a late onslaught. The last four overs yielded just 19 as Sri Lanka finished at least 15 short of what they looked set to get.Australia’s top order was blown away inside the first three overs in both their previous outings. But that had little bearing on their approach as Alyssa Healy and Villani came out playing shots. While Healy was bowled for 12 after being deceived by Inoka Ranaweera’s left-arm spin, Lanning threw the bowlers off guard by improvising on the face of a largely one-dimensional attack that failed to create enough opportunities.Eight boundaries in the first six overs gave Australia enough leg room to nurdle the bowling. But Lanning wasn’t in the mood for charity as she kept Australia in fourth gear throughout, displaying ability to not just bring out the big shots but also use her wrists and delicate dabs to pinch runs at every opportunity. Lanning’s effervescence seemed to rub off on Villani, whose belligerence left Sri Lanka with no answers, her fifty coming off just 36 balls, severely denting Sri Lanka’s net run-rate and with it their aspirations of a berth in the final four.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has offered annual contracts to 105 first-class cricketers in addition to the 15 national cricketers

Mohammad Isam28-Aug-2012The Bangladesh Cricket Board has, for the first time, offered central contracts to 105 players from outside the national team, taking a major step towards decentralisation of the game from its present Dhaka-centric structure. The decision is aimed at increasing competition in the NCL, long called a “picnic tournament” because of the lack of seriousness among players preferring the Dhaka club circuit.The list includes cricketers from each of the eight designated regions of the country – Barisal, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rangpur, Dhaka and Dhaka Metropolis – that take part in the NCL.Cricketers with more than 11 years of first-class experience will be paid Tk 25,000 (approx $300) per month under Catergory A. Players with 6-10 years of experience will receive Tk 20,000 (approx $240) per month in Category B and Tk 15,000 (approx $180) per month in Category C for players who have played for 1-5 years.
The 2012-13 domestic season will begin in the second week of October, but the contracts will be effective on January 1, 2013. These salaries will be in addition to the match fees that the players will continue to receive.The BCB chief AHM Mustafa Kamal made the announcement at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur during a function attended by BCB directors, national selectors and some first-class players, who were handed the contracts.”This is just the beginning. We have given the players the contracts and soon we will be able to put in place the infrastructure across the country,” Kamal told ESPNcricinfo.Hannan Sarkar, who has played 17 Tests, 20 ODIs and 92 first-class games, spoke on behalf of the players and talked about the need for such a system.”We have waited a long time for such an initiative. We always wanted to be under the BCB’s contracts. We thank them on behalf of the players,” Sarkar said. “Every player now will want to be under the BCB’s contract. This is a big recognition for a professional cricketer. The competition that I felt as a salaried national cricketer will be replicated at the first-class level.””This is the start of a journey, so for those who are going to be enrolled in the future, it will be much better for them. And I also think the careers will be longer from now on,” he said.Former national captain Habibul Bashar, who is now a national selector, underlined the importance of this contract to the players. “From my personal experience, I have often seen that it is hard to motivate players in first-class cricket. We have talked about the lack of professionalism in this format, but from now on, I hope this question will never arise,” Bashar said.”The standard will be higher because everyone will be serious from this point onwards. I think this step will take Bangladesh cricket a long way ahead,” he said.First-class cricket began in Bangladesh in 1999 with the six divisional sides taking part in the NCL, which is now in its thirteenth season, and it is the only first-class competition in the country.List of cricketersCategory A (playing experience of 11 years and above): Tk 25,000 ($300) per month.Category B (playing experience between 6-10 years): Tk 20,000 ($ 240) per month.Category C (playing experience between 1-5 years): Tk 15,000 ($180) per month.Barisal: Shahin Hossain (category A); Syed Rasel, Nasiruddin Faruque, Shahfaq Al Zabir, Monir Hossain, Abul Bashar, Iftekhar Nayeem and Shahriar Nafees (category B); Ishraq Sonet; Tariqul Islam, Fazle Mahmud, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Bikash Sharma, Mohammad Sajib and Sohag Gazi (category C).Chittagong: Nafees Iqbal and Faisal Hossain (category A); Aftab Ahmed, Gazi Salahuddin, Yasin Arafat, Kazi Kamrul Islam, Raihanuddin Arafat and Rezaul Karim (category B); Sadid Hossain, Mahbubul Karim, Mominul Haque, Iqbal Hossain Rony and Noor Hossain (category C); Tamim Iqbal and Nazimuddin (central contracts).Dhaka: Imran Ahmed (category A); Mahbubul Alam, Hannan Sarkar, Mohammad Sharif, Anwar Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain, Uttam Sarkar, Raqibul Hasan and Shahadat Hossain (category B); Nazmul Hossain Milon, Rony Talukder, Saikat Ali, Taibur Rahman, Nazmul Islam (category C); Shuvagata Hom (central contract).Dhaka Metro: Mohammad Ashraful, Tareq Aziz Khan, Arafat Sunny, Arafat Salahuddin, Nadif Chowdhury, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Talha Jubair, Shamsur Rahman, Marshall Ayub, Arman Hossain and Sharifullah (category B); Asif Ahmed and Tasamul Haque (category C); Elias Sunny and Mahmudullah (central contracts).Khulna: Tushar Imran (category A); Nazmus Sadat, Sahagir Hossain, Ziaur Rahman and Nizamuddin (category B); Dolar Mahmud, Taposh Ghosh, Murad Khan, Mithun Ali, Anamul Haque (category C); Mashrafee Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Abdur Razzak, Imrul Kayes and Rubel Hossain (central contracts).Rajshahi: Anisur Rahman (category A); Mohammad Shahjada, Farhad Hossain, Junaid Siddique, Farhad Reza, Saqlain Sajib and Delwar Hossain (category B); Jubair Ahmed, Mizanur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Mukhtar Ali, Sanjamul Islam (category C); Mushfiqur Rahim, Jahurul Islam and Shafiul Islam (central contracts).Rangpur: Naeem Islam, Dhiman Ghosh, Sajidul Islam and Sohrawardi Shuvo (category B); Ariful Haque, Shuvashish Roy, Mahmudul Hasan, Tariq Ahmed, Tanveer Haider, Alauddin Babu, Saymon Ahmed, Naeem Islam Jr, AR Rahman Rony and Liton Das (category C); Nasir Hossain (central contract).Sylhet: Rajin Saleh and Imtiaz Hossain (category A); Ezaz Ahmed, Tapash Baisya, Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque Jr, Nabil Samad, Golam Rahman, Golam Mabud and Robiul Islam (category B); Abul Hasan, Sayem Alam, Abu Jayed and Shaker Ahmed (category C).

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.

The absence of several senior players during the tour of the West Indies provides an ideal platform for fringe players to show what they can do on the international stage, Suresh Raina has said

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2011The absence of several senior players for the upcoming tour of the West Indies provides an ideal platform for fringe players to shine on the international stage, Suresh Raina, India’s captain for the limited-overs leg of the Caribbean tour, has said.”It’s a great opportunity for the youngsters who have done well in domestic cricket,” Raina told the media ahead of the team’s departure for the West Indies. “I am happy with the side, as we have some very good batsmen in Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath and Shikhar Dhawan, all of whom have done well in first-class cricket.”Raina, has led a similarly second-string Indian side in the past, for a tri-series Zimbabwe in May-June 2010, though India performed poorly on that tour, losing both matches against the hosts and one against Sri Lanka.This time, India are without the services of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan, who have all been rested, in addition to the ill Yuvraj Singh, and the injured duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for the lone Twenty20 and the five ODIs that follow. MS Dhoni will take over the captaincy from Raina for the Tests, and Zaheer will return, but the other seniors will miss the Test leg as well.Raina said he has learnt a lot about the art of captaincy from Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni, and was prepared for the challenge.”West Indies have players like Gayle missing, but it will be a challenge for us,” Raina said. “There’s always pressure and we have done well under pressure. It’s for us as players to execute the plans of the coach well. We have to play our natural game.”The tour will be the first assignment for India’s newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher, who said he was a supporter of the rotation policy. “While I was in England [Fletcher coached England between 1999 and 2007], I started the rotation policy resting senior guys,” Fletcher said. “I was heavily criticised by the English authorities. It’s important to do that considering the heavy schedule. We need to look into the matter as we go into the future.”He said he looked forward to working with the youngsters, but cautioned against complacency. ” Any team playing at home is difficult to beat. We should not be complacent. There is a lot of talent in India and my job is to prepare these youngsters.”Yes, we would like to beat England in England and Australia in Australia. But the first job is the tour of the West Indies. It’s very important not to look too far down the road. India have a plan to stay at the top. The young players have the potential and this tour will show the depth of talent we have.”He also said that the club versus country debate is something that just has to be dealt with. “That’s the way it is in modern day sports. We have to ensure that all the players are fit enough.”India’s tour of the West Indies kicks off with a T20 game on Friday in Port of Spain.

At stake during the hearings is the playing future of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir as well as the reputation of the ICC as a governing body

Osman Samiuddin in Doha05-Jan-2011The hearings into the spot-fixing scandal involving three players from Pakistan will begin from Thursday in the unlikely setting of Doha, Qatar. At stake during the hearings is the playing future of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir as well as the reputation of the ICC as a governing body able to deal with a problem that strikes at the very heart of the game.Michael Beloff QC, the head of the independent tribunal and chairman of the ICC’s code of conduct commission, addressed the media at the Qatar Financial Centre Civil and Commercial Court, where the hearing will also take place. The briefing was a formal one, merely outlining the procedure the hearing will follow.Beloff outlined the history of the charges against the trio, stemming from a News of the World investigation into the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England in August last year, as well giving brief profiles of the other members of the tribunal, Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa and Sharad Rao from Kenya.The hearing will be held behind closed doors, with only the tribunal, the ICC’s lawyers Jonathon Taylor and Ian Higgins, the players and their lawyers and witnesses present. The process, Beloff said, will begin with an opening statement from the ICC presenting its case against each of the three players. The players will each then be entitled to respond.”Thereafter, the ICC will present all of the evidence that it has prepared in support of the charges it has brought,” Beloff said. “That will take various forms and will include hearing from witnesses ‘in person’ and over the telephone.”Witnesses from the ICC are set to include representatives from as well as teleconferences with Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan limited overs captain, and Waqar Younis, the team coach.The players will then be expected to present their defence, and will be open to cross-examination by the ICC’s lawyers and the tribunal, before closing statements are made. Though January 11 is the last working date of the hearing, a decision could conceivably be arrived at before that. Alternatively the judgment could also be reserved till after the final date.The players arrived in Doha on Tuesday and as they have done all along, again protested their innocence. Butt, who was captain at the time of the Test and will be represented by London-based barrister Yasin Patel, told AFP, “I have always played the game for the love of it and have never been involved in any wrongdoing.”I am confident that I will soon be playing for my country. I have been practising all through this difficult phase of my life so that whenever I am cleared I am able to play.”Amir, who along with Asif is alleged to have bowled the deliberate, pre-planned no-balls, said, “This is the toughest phase of my life. My elders tell me that such phases come in the life of a professional, so I am bravely facing this situation and will hopefully come out of it to play for Pakistan.”Shahid Karim, Amir’s lawyer, said the incident had affected Amir emotionally. “One of the mitigating factors is age and the other mitigating factor is Amir’s previously unblemished record,” he told AFP.”Emotionally he is drained, he’s been affected badly by it, but he’s coping as best he can and above all he is very confident that he will come out of this clean.”The hearing is taking place in Doha because the third player, Asif, is not allowed to enter the UAE after he was deported from Dubai in 2008 because of a drug-related offence.The three were provisionally suspended by the ICC soon after the scandal emerged and though Butt and Amir contested that decision, their appeals were rejected. If found guilty, they could be banned for anywhere from five years to life.This is the first time such a case is taking place with the ICC effectively the prosecutors. Past offenders, such as Salim Malik and Hansie Cronje, were punished by their own boards.

Round-up of the third day of the fifth round of Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2010Water and Power Development Authority have gone clear of Habib Bank Limited at the top of the table after an innings and 82-run victory over Karachi Blues at the National Stadium in Karachi. WAPDA had won their prior two matches in just two days, and needed just 38.1 overs on day three, this time, to bowl Karachi out for 189 in their second innings. WAPDA captain Naved-ul-Hasan took 4 for 54 to take his match-haul to eight wickets, while seamer Umaid Asif finished with figures of 3 for 62 in the second innings. WAPDA had shown their intentions of winning the match early after declaring on Tuesday, 271 runs ahead. Karachi started the day on 19 for 1, and lost wickets consistently, their tail finally capitulating as the final four wickets fell for nine runs. Karachi opener Rameez Raja managed to hold up one end for a while, scoring 58, but the next highest scorer was extras with 25, as Karachi did little to improve their first innings batting performance, which saw them get 128. Karachi are just three points off the foot of the table.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited suffered a dramatic collapse as they fell to 57 all out, giving Islamabad a 73-run victory at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Islamabad seamer Nasrullah Khan took 7 for 31 to finish with ten wickets for the match, and Rauf Akbar chipped in with the other three wickets for Islamabad. SNGPL started the day on top and got Islamabad’s last wicket without too much damage, leaving themselves a target of 130. The match had been a low-scoring affair till the third morning, with neither team having gone past the 200-mark in their first innings. SNGPL lost three early wickets, but a 20-run sixth-wicket stand put them in with a chance at 53 for 5. Nasrullah, though, ripped through the tail as SNGPL’s last five wickets fell for four runs. The win gave Islamabad six points, which takes them up to sixth in the table, just one place behind SNGPL.Multan’s dismal season continued, as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited consigned them to their fifth consecutive defeat, at the Multan Cricket Stadium. ZTBL neded just 28 overs on the third day to complete the nine-wicket win, after having reduced Multan to 149 for 7 on Tuesday. Multan at least forced ZTBL to bat again as debutant Mazhar Bashir scored 71 off 77 balls, to set target of 40. ZTBL seamer Iftikhar Anjum, who has played 62 ODIs for Pakistam, took Multan’s last two wickets to finish with four for the innings and six for the match. ZTBL are now level on points with Habib Bank Limited in second position.The run-fest at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha continued as Faisalabad moved to within 35 runs of National Bank of Pakistan’s first-innings total of 467, with five wickets still in hand. Faisalabad look set to pick up their first points of the season as Asif Hussain’s unbeaten 149 took them within touching distance of a first-innings lead. Faisalabad had responded well to NBP’s big score, reaching 151 for 0 on Tuesday. And, after a couple of wickets fell early on the third day, Hussain held fort, batting through the rest of the day, and adding 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Faisalabad captain Naved Latif. The hosts’ strong reply means that Kamran Akmal’s double-century for NBP in their first innings may go rewardless.Rawalpindi seamers Rizwan Akbar and Nasir Malik set up what should be an upset against Habib Bank Ltd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Akbar and Malik had shared seven wickets to bowl out HBL for 164 on Tuesday, and repeated the dose on the third day of the match, taking three scalps apiece to reduce HBL to 265 for 8 after the hosts had enforced the follow on. HBL are now just 39 runs ahead, and barring a miraculous recovery by their tail, Rawalpindi should have a fairly easy chase tomorrow. Malik and Akbar followed a similar formula to HBL’s first innings, with Akbar getting the early wickets, and then Malik coming in to dismantle the middle-order. Aftab Alam and Khaqan Raja got half-centuries for HBL, but there was little back-up from the rest.Sialkot got their foot in the door against Pakistan International Airlines, taking four wickets in the last session, after PIA had done well to dismiss the hosts for 274 in their first innings. Sialkot’s opening bowlers, debutant Waqas Ahmed and Prince Abbas, struck early in PIA’s second innings, reducing them to 3 for 2 at one stage. Ahmed struck again, as did fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, to leave PIA at 55 for 4 at stumps. PIA’s first innings total of 388 means they have a 169-run lead, and Faisalabad will need to strike early tomorrow to make sure they don’t have to chase too much. Sialkot had started the third day at the Jinnah Stadium at 142 for 3, and PIA seamer Ali Imran and Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, took four wicket each to get them out for 274.

Andrew Gale made his first century as Yorkshire captain to transform his side’s fortunes on the second day of the County Championship encounter with Somerset at Headingley

16-Apr-2010
ScorecardAndrew Gale made his first century as Yorkshire captain to transform his side’s fortunes on the second day of the County Championship encounter with Somerset at Headingley.Yorkshire were in a difficult situation when the fall of their fifth wicket at 142 left them still trailing by 130 on the first innings but the arrears were then cleared in a sparkling 149 stand between the left-handed Gale and all-rounder Tim Bresnan. The pair had moved the score on to 291 when Gale was out for 101 from 157 balls with 16 fours, Bresnan departing soon afterwards for 61 as Yorkshire closed on 320 for 7, a lead of 48.The weather was much brighter when Yorkshire resumed in the morning on 17 for 1 and Joe Sayers and Anthony McGrath could make only slow progress against a keen pace attack, although McGrath still managed to punish the occasional loose delivery.The former captain appeared to have settled in well but, having reached 21, he
was lbw to one from Charl Willoughby which kept a shade low. Sayers continued to bat patiently and Jacques Rudolph was also becalmed before he opened his account with a cut for four off Willoughby from the 21st delivery he had received.It continued to be a tough battle for supremacy and Sayers managed to go to his
50 off the final ball before lunch when Yorkshire were 106 for two, but he departed lbw to Damien Wright soon after the interval without addition to his score, his 51 coming off 119 balls with seven fours.Rudolph, having progressed smoothly to 33, then played too casually outside off
stump at Alfonso Thomas and was caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter. Gale’s first three scoring shots were all boundaries and Jonny Bairstow helped himself to two consecutive fours off Wright before playing round a ball from Peter Trego to become the fourth lbw dismissal of the innings – and the ninth out of 15 wickets to fall so far in the match.There was an escape for Gale on 23 when Willoughby saw him dropped at cover by Trego but it was a rare mistake by the captain and the sixth-wicket pair really began to flourish with the arrival of the second new ball, which came with the
score on 231 for 5 from 80 overs.Bresnan reached his 50 with his seventh boundary, a powerful off-drive at Thomas’ expense, but it was Gale who dominated the scoring with two fours in an over off Thomas and three off Willoughby to give his side the lead, 47 runs having gushed from the first seven overs with the new ball.A scampered single brought Gale the seventh first-class century of his career to loud acclaim from his team-mates but, just one run later, he flung back his head in despair as he smacked a long hop from Zander de Bruyn straight to Wright at cover.The 300-mark brought Yorkshire a third batting bonus point but at 304 Bresnan was lbw attempting to force Wright. He had used up 155 balls for his 61 with eight fours, leaving Adil Rashid and Ajmal Shahzad to bat out the remainder of the day.