Category Uncategorized

Zimbabwe’s strike bowler Heath Streak will be able to bowl on the third day of their second Test match against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club after missing much of the second day because of a groin injury.Streak was on and off the field throughout the New Zealand innings, and Andy Blignaut fielded for him on all occasions he was off. Streak’s injury, which did not prevent him from taking 2 for 62 off 16 overs, although he would have undoubtedly bowled more had he been fit.His absence prompted Tatenda Taibu not to take the new ball before the close, keeping the old one, which had been used for 100 overs, with spinners Keith Dabengwa and Graeme Cremer doing most of the bowling. If Streak resumes at the start then Taibu will almost certainly take the new ball straight away.

Lunch Scotland 314 for 7 and 250 for 8 lead Netherlands 257 (Zuiderent 78, Watson 5-74) by 307 runs
Scorecard
Day 2 Bulletin
Holland’s bowlers kept Scotland in check on the third and final day at Aberdeen, with Scotland going to lunch at 250 for 8, a lead of 307 with 61 overs left in the game. Half-centuries from Fraser Watts and Bruce Patterson gave Scotland the advantage yesterday, but some accurate bowling by Holland and four wickets to Sebastiaan Gokke means that they are still very much in the game.Scotland lost Steve Knox early in their second innings yesterday, bowled by Schiferli in the first over for a fifth-ball duck (1 for 1), but Patterson and Watts added 115 for the second wicket to cement Scotland’s advantage. Patterson fell just before the close for a patient 51 (116 for 2) with Watts unbeaten on 60 and Ryan Watson on 9 not out. Watson was first to fall this morning, lofting a catch to Daan van Bunge at extra cover off the bowling of Schiferli (164 for 3). His wicket triggered something of a collapse, with Colin Smith out second ball for 1, caught by Luuk van Troost off Sebastiaan Gokke (168 for 4), and Watts trapped lbw by the same bowler for 79 (174 for 5).Cedric English failed to match his first-innings form, unluckily stumped off an inside-edge by Jeroen Smits for 17 to give Gokke his third wicket of the morning (209 for 6). Almost immediately after, Craig Wright was run out attempting a suicidal second run (210 for 7). Holland’s bowling was economical, and with a very defensive field runs were hard to come by. Greig Williamson was caught at long on for 21, trying to increase the run rate (234 for 8), but Ian Stanger (27*) and Majid Haq (5*) took the score to 250 at lunch without further loss.

The ECB is pleased to be able to report that in the Frizzell County Championship match at Riverside today, Durham Captain Jonathan Lewis acted within the Spirit of Cricket in exercising his discretion to allow Derbyshire CCC to change their side after it had been nominated to the umpires.Derbyshire batsman Chris Bassano was taken unwell after the nomination of the teams before he had even had the chance to take to the field of play and it was subsequently established that Chris would not be able to play any part in the match. Under Law 1.2 Derbyshire were only entitled to a fielding substitute, with a fully participating substitute only permitted with the consent of the Durham Captain.MCC’s preamble to the Laws of Cricket entitled ‘The Spirit of Cricket’ and Laws 1.4 and 42.1 state that ‘the captains are responsible at all times for ensuring that play is conducted within the Spirit of the Game as well as within the Laws’. In giving his consent for Steven Selwood to replace Chris Bassano in the Derbyshire line-up Jonathan Lewis provided a strong lead in upholding the spirit of the game.It is hoped that Chris Bassano will be fully recovered within a week.

Before leaving Dhaka the members of the national squad left a note of dissatisfaction that they were deprived of playing any practice match in home ground. The rain hardly showed any signs of letting up, therefore, the net sessions and practice matches were washed away with it.Moreover, after the tour in Zimbabwe the side was virtually out of competitive cricket. For almost three months they worked on fielding and fitness; giving scarce notice on batting or bowling. The inaugural Test against Pakistan is starting from 29th August and before that Bangladesh team got a single opportunity to hone their knack in another overseas pitch – and the result was not absolutely dismaying.The match against PCB-11 ended in a draw though Bangladesh had to struggle a lot for it. The opening day was utterly nightmarish for the tourists as they were stumbled to 161 in 65 overs. Aminul Islam, the only Test centurion for Bangladesh managed the highest 36 playing 118 balls in his 141-minute stay in the wicket. The other notable scorers were Javed Omar (27), Akram Khan (29) and the skipper Naimur Rahman (23). The tall and lanky fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed removed 3 Bangladeshi batsmen for 30 and Yaseer Arafat captured 3 for 17.Taufiq Umar propelled the PCB-11 innings by his spectacular 113. The top-order played some good and assisting knocks that helped the team to reach 268 in 95 overs to take a 109-run lead against the minnows of Test cricket. The veteran left-handed off-spinner Enamul Haque secured 4 wickets giving away 44 runs in his 16 overs. Skipper Naimur made a mark with the ball as well when he took 2 for 34.Bangladesh lost Javed Omar’s wicket at the dying stages of the second day. The hero in the Zimbabwe tour made 13 before Shoeib Malik outplayed him. The tourists were 30 for 1 at the stumps.To save the match Bangladesh needed to hang on to the wicket, which they did quite smartly. The third and final day was reserved for Mehrab Hossain and Akram Khan; both played very sensibly as long as they stayed in the crease. Mehrab’s 225-minute stay brought him vital 72 runs and he hammered six times to clear the rope on his way. Akram Khan, the burly right-hander notched up 54, Habibul Bashar got 33 and wicket keeper Khaled Masud put up a patient 27. Bangladesh finished the day with 239 for 9 in 102 overs and shunned the humiliation.The practice match singled out an important factor that Bangladesh team have to bat well in their first innings in Multan when they will take on a very strong Pakistani side. The pace attack of the hosts is really formidable and the batsmen of the tourists are not consistent. The one, who gets some good runs in the first innings, flopped in the second. The spinners were productive where the pacers were opposite.

The Zimbabwe national side has been invited to take part in this season’s South African domestic competitions according to The Star newspaper. But they will not, as reported elsewhere, take part in the main domestic competitions.The South Africa board are set to offer Zimbabwe the role occupied by Namibia last year and participate in the lower tier of provincial matches, the SAA Provincial Challenge. It is also first-class, but the three-day matches involve the 12 South Africa provinces’ amateur teams. Brian Basson, Cricket South Africa’sSA’s director of playing affairs, confirmed to Cricinfo that the invitation was not for the top-tier tournament.”I am hoping to expose the young players to this level of competition because this is good for the development of the game on our side,” Robin Brown, the Zimbabwe coach, told the Harare-based Herald. “I am not yet sure of the sides that we are going to play but our first game will be next weekend in Bulawayo and we are going to play six matches with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.”The tournament games are played on a home and away basis and we are going to play the first three games before the Christmas holidays then the other three next year.”

ScorecardJames Taylor showed a cool head to guide his side home•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire breathed new life into their NatWest T20 Blast campaign as they won a last-ball thriller by three wickets over rivals Lancashire at Old Trafford. With six needed off the last two balls, captain James Taylor hit successive boundaries to seal victory.Nottinghamshire, who lost the toss, won for the sixth time after reducing the hosts to 13 for 3 to move level on points with fourth-placed Lancashire on 12 points from 12. Lancashire are only ahead on net run-rate with two North Group matches left after failing to defend 137 for 4 on a slow pitch, a total which included a pair of 51s for Karl Brown and Steven Croft.This was their fourth home defeat in six this season, having previously never lost more than twice at this venue in a Twenty20 campaign.Former Lancashire allrounder Steven Mullaney excelled in returning 1 for 14 from four overs of canny medium pace before Notts made hard work of the chase.They lost three wickets for 19 to slip from 63 for 1 in the 11th over and ended up needing 13 off the last against Kyle Jarvis. Taylor kept cool to finish 33 not out off 21.Early wickets for Samit Patel, Harry Gurney and a run out hurt the hosts as Ashwell Prince chipped to mid-off, Paul Horton chopped on and Alex Davies was run out without facing a ball going for two. But Brown ensured Nottinghamshire did not have things all their own way as he hit all of six boundaries accrued in a Powerplay score of 36 for 3.In fact, the in-form right-hander scored all of Lancashire’s first eight boundaries on the way to a 39-ball fifty, his third in a row, as he helped them reach 69 for 3 after 11.Unfortunately for the hosts, Brown holed out to long-on in the next off the medium pace of his childhood best-mate Mullaney as the score slipped to 70 for 4 and ended a 57-run partnership with Croft.They went without a four or six from the fifth ball of the 11th over to the third ball of the 17th, although Croft and James Faulkner shared 67 unbroken for the fifth wicket to carry their side to something to bowl at.Notts lost Michael Lumb to a Jarvis slower ball in the third over of their chase and only reached six overs at 28 for 1. At halfway, they were 61 for one, needing 77 more with Alex Hales (30) and Riki Wessels together. But they lost 3 for 19 inside three overs to put the game back in the balance at 82 for 4 in the 14th.Wessels cut Jordan Clark to point, ending a 47-run stand with Hales, who then miscued Stephen Parry’s left-arm spin to midwicket, before Patel also cut Clark to point.The target went to 45 off the last five overs and 21 off 11 balls when Faulkner yorked compatriot Dan Christian and had Mullaney brilliantly caught at deep midwicket by a running Arron Lilley – leaving Notts 117 for six in the 19th. Chris Read also fell in the last over but the visitors made it home.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

West Indies produced a near-perfect one-day performance as they claimed the series against England with a handsome 93-run victory at Trent Bridge. Set up by another well-paced batting display, built around contrasting innings from Chris Gayle and Runako Morton, West Indies’ bowlers then lifted their game to a new level as England never threatened to approach the target.The result was a triumph for Gayle, who was focussed on his task from the moment he faced up to the day’s first ball. He anchored the innings by batting 42 overs for an uncharacteristically sedate 82 before marshalling his team expertly in the field. He may have fallen out with his board, but whatever problems he has encountered over the last two weeks have been used as a major motivation and his team played with a huge smile on their face. After the drubbing at Lord’s there would have been long odds on West Indies taking the trophy and there are flickers of a brighter future.The most pleasing aspect about this win for West Indies was that Shivnarine Chanderpaul contributed only 33 – a relative failure given the riches of the tour – but others stood up to take the slack. Morton played a mature innings, exploding in the final 10 overs as West Indies outdid their Edgbaston effort by smashing 116 runs, then Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards showed the duel threat they can pose.West Indies’ innings was rounded off by a flourishing stand of 92 in less than eight overs between Morton and Dwayne Bravo and from the outset they were pumped up in the field. Powell steamed in with the new ball and Matt Prior fenced outside off stump to hand him his first wicket, but it was his fifth over which provided the most compelling viewing.Alastair Cook slashed hard to backward point after making another start, and the crowd readied themselves in anticipation of Kevin Pietersen’s arrival on his former home ground. Powell greeted him with a rapid bouncer, which reared over Pietersen’s head and Denesh Ramdin’s gloves as it flew away for four byes. The next delivery was quick and outside off stump, Pietersen couldn’t resist having a flamboyant drive and the resultant edge travelled at high speed to Devon Smith, at second slip, who held on at the second attempt after spinning around to take the rebound.As at Edgbaston there was constant chatter from West Indies towards the batsmen and the huddle after Powell removed Pietersen was the most exuberant of the tour. Bell and Owais Shah produced a brief rally – Shah elegantly pulling Powell into the stand – but Edwards broke through, at the end of a fine over, when Bell drove loosely to backward point where Dwayne Smith held his second low catch. Shah, one of the positives from this series for England, reached his third ODI fifty off 63 balls but any faint hopes they retained of making an impression vanished when he top-edged a lap off Smith.Paul Collingwood scurried and scampered the best he could, but a quicker delivery from Bravo ended his series providing confirmation, if any were needed, that the job of lifting England from the bottom of one-day cricket will be a long and arduous assignment. The contrast between the teams was emphasised by Gayle’s reflex slip catch to remove Dimitri Mascarenhas and Marlon Samuels’ low swoop at deep midwicket.

England were off the pace throughout the day, their performance typified by a fielding display that included three drop catches and some shoddy out-cricket when the fielders were put under pressure. Both Gayle and Morton were offered lives on 4 and made England pay. The tone was set early when Cook dropped a fierce drive off Gayle at short cover, then on 20 when Bell missed a straightforward effort at backward point. Bell had earlier held a smart catch to remove Devon Smith, but made a complete mess of the second offering and barely got a hand on the ball.Gayle picked off anything over-pitched from the England bowlers and Chanderpaul quickly carried on from where he left off at Edgbaston. Liam Plunkett managed to extract a rare edge only to watch it fly wide of Shah at the lone slip, and when Monty Panesar was given a bowl it didn’t take long for Chanderpaul to deposit him down the ground for the day’s first six.One of the few moments to go England’s way was Chanderpaul’s top-edge which was well taken by Pietersen, over his shoulder at midwicket, and they levelled proceedings by removing Samuels early. However, Gayle’s 85-ball half-century was holding the innings together and, when Gayle was Plunkett’s third wicket, Morton took over to ensure his captain’s hard work wasn’t wasted.The fifth-wicket stand of 92 with Bravo put England under severe pressure as the pair ran smartly between the wickets and took advantage of any fumbles. Morton took 17 off Stuart Broad’s eighth over, including a brutal straight six, and Bravo freed his arms through the off side with a string of powerful boundaries. It was another momentum-changing passage of play and West Indies didn’t loosen their grip. There are many problems for them still to confront, but for one day at least they have all be forgotten.

The South African team has decided to remain in Sri Lanka till anindependent security evaluation judges whether it’s safe for them to stayor not.Following yesterday’s bomb blast in the heart of Colombo, barely 2 kms from where they were staying, the South Africans had wanted to pull out of the triangular series and head home. They were awaiting former ICC approval in this regard, when pressure from different quarters forced them to review their decision.Brian Basson, Cricket South Africa’s Cricket Affair’s General Managersaid today: “Police and security officials have assured us that the highestlevels of security in Sri Lanka are now in place to ensure the safety ofthe Proteas.”We have also been advised by the South African Commission HighCommissioner in Colombo that all indications are that the team and cricketin general do not appear to be targets in the general unrest in Sri Lanka.The safety of the team has been paramount in all our deliberations and wehave been assured that upgraded security levels for the team willachieve this.Under these circumstances the team will remain in Sri Lanka while theupgraded security measures are being evaluated.”Basson added that the opening match of the tournament between South Africa and Sri Lanka, which was scheduled for Tuesday but had to be postponed following the bomb blast,will now be played as the sixth and final match of the league on August29. The finals will be held on September 2.The South Africans are due to play their first match against India onSaturday should a decision to stay in Sri Lanka be taken.Meanwhile, Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa, was due to flyto Sri Lanka at the earliest to discuss the situation with Sri Lankan andIndian officials, and also his own players.The South Africans had been expected to head back home, with the consentof their board, but it now emerges that pressure from the South Africangovernment has forced a rethink. According to sources close to the team,Sri Lanka Cricket had asked Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president who is also aunion cabinet minister in India, to contact the South African governmentand urge them to reconsider the decision to abandon the tour.The news hasn’t gone down well with the players, who were wandering aroundColombo’s upmarket shopping arcades with the air of demobbed men. Thesecurity consultants travelling with the team have apparently said thatthe situation is such that the team’s safety cannot be guaranteed, and thechange of heart from their own government – even as attempts were beingmade to find tickets for everyone on the same flight home – has causedmuch resentment.It’s understood that the senior players are those most keen to leave, withsome suggesting that they would hop on a plane even if their cricket boardwent back on its earlier stance and asked them to play. The situation isslightly different with the younger bunch, many of whom see the tournamentas an opportunity to make an impact with several key members of the sideabsent injured.The players’ association in South Africa is sure to become involved in anydiscussion, with Graeme Smith – captain since 2003 – supporting his team’swish to return home. The South Africans may also point to a recentfootball precedent to bolster their case. Liverpool were scheduled to playa Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa on August 22, but UEFA,the European game’s governing body, has since moved the game from Israelto Kiev in the Ukraine after the team’s players, management and boardflat-out refused to travel to West Asia.

Stuart Clark, the New South Wales fast bowler, will finish the northern summer at Middlesex as a replacement for Scott Styris, the New Zealand allrounder. After making his first appearance with the county last season, Clark, 29, will return with the aim of getting in form for the Australian domestic scene as well as being on standby for Australia.”I’m excited by the opportunity of playing county cricket again,” he said. “I’ve been watching the matches involving Australia and I’m keen to test myself bowling over there. My time in Middlesex will hopefully be great for the club and leave me in good stead for the coming domestic summer.”Clark, who has represented Australia A, is a former nationally-contracted player who took 40 wickets in the Pura Cup last season at an average of 24.77. “You never know when Australia may need a replacement bowler,” he said. “It will be handy for the selectors if they require someone at short notice given I am bowling well.”

Craig McMillan has dismissed fears over his disappointing form on the tour of England so far. Two failures in the seven-wicket defeat at Lord’s, as well as a duck and 12 in the warm-up game at Kent, hasn’t done his confidence much good, but he insisted he is in the right frame of mind to get back in the runs.Talking yesterday at Grace Road, where the New Zealanders are playing Leicestershire, McMillan said, “It was a disappointing Test from my point of view, but I’ve had those before and bounced back so I’m not going to go searching.” He continued, “I felt fine. You can miss out in two knocks easily and it’s not the end of the world. It’s important to stay positive and not change too much, because then things can fall apart.”It’s simple, I missed a straight one then got a little bottom edge. You can over analyse about why those things happened and get down on yourself, but that’s not doing anyone any good.”McMillan was out lbw to Matthew Hoggard in the first innings, and then played a loose sweep shot to Ashley Giles to be caught by Nasser Hussain second ball. At the stage of the match, it wasn’t the most sensible choice of shot.McMillan, 27, averages over 40 in Tests, and he insisted the current match against Leicestershire was important to get him back in some sort of form for the second Test at Headingley next Thursday. “A few of us missed out and we didn’t score the runs we wanted from our middle order. England did, and that’s an area where they outshone us,” he said. “It was a hurt dressing room to be honest. Rightly so, we were pretty confident at the start of the day and thinking 280 was going to be enough to put them under real pressure. We didn’t put them under any real pressure at all. We didn’t bowl as well as we would have liked.”However, McMillan refused to write off their chances in the rest of the series. “Quite often this team performs best when our backs are against the wall. I’m sure the guys will come out swinging, even though it’s not an ideal position.”