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Craig Simmons scored his second century of the tournament and sent Perth Scorchers to the Champions League 2014 and ensured they host their third successive BBL final

The Report by Alex Malcolm05-Feb-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCraig Simmons scored his second T20 ton of the season•Getty ImagesCraig Simmons produced another extraordinary performance with the bat to score his second century of the tournament and send Perth Scorchers to the Champions League 2014 and ensure they host their third successive BBL final, against Hobart Hurricanes on Friday.Remarkably, despite Simmons’ innings, they were two minutes from elimination after an agonising downpour delayed the start of Sydney Sixers’ run-chase. The game had to restart by 10.37pm local time or it would have been abandoned and the Sixers would have progressed without facing a delivery. But the rain relented at 10.35pm and the Sixers were asked to chase 54 from five overs and fell five runs short.It would have been unjust if Simmons’ work was washed away in vain. Few could have predicted he could have produced another innings as spectacular as his record-breaking 39-ball century against the Adelaide Strikers. This innings was different in some ways, but so similar in others.The anomaly was his start. Halfway through the eighth over, Simmons had scored just 6 from 16 balls, having watched Simon Katich take most of the strike before he was caught at third man for 26, off 21 ballsSimmons then kick-started his barrage of sixes with a mis-hit over long-on off Trent Copeland. It took until the 11th over before his score overtook his balls faced. But thereafter, he hit 10 sixes in 32 balls. The only man who was spared was Mitchell Starc but he inside-edged the left-arm seamer to fine leg for four to bring up his century. Simmons received great support from Adam Voges who quietly accumulated 31 at the other end.The Scorchers’ euphoria of scoring 5 for 193 was quickly tempered as the rain fell swiftly and without interruption.The Sixers’ large chase was reduced to 54 from 30 balls and it initially played into their favour. Michael Lumb and Nic Maddinson took eight runs from Alfonso Thomas’ first over. Then Jason Behrendorff swung the game back in Scorchers’ corner with a double-strike in one over. Lumb and Ravi Bopara both holed out and Maddinson was also dropped at deep cover by the substitute Hilton Cartwright.That nearly proved costly as Maddinson smashed 36 from 16 balls to take the Sixers closer. He needed seven runs off the final two deliveries of the match having already found the boundary twice off Nathan Coulter-Nile in the final over. But Maddinson was run out trying to scramble back for two on the penultimate ball, with Sam Whiteman brilliantly gloving an awkward throw from the deep. Brett Lee failed to lay bat on ball, needing to hit the last ball over the rope.

Shane Watson has been appointed captain of Rajasthan Royals for the 2014 edition of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2014Shane Watson has been appointed captain of Rajasthan Royals for the 2014 edition of the IPL. Watson will take over from Rahul Dravid, who retired from all forms of cricket after leading Royals to the Champions League T20 final in October 2013. Dravid formed one-third of the core group that settled on the decision, along with head coach Paddy Upton and Royals CEO Raghu Iyer.Watson has been with Royals from the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, and was one of the five players retained by the franchise for this year’s tournament. He has represented them in 61 matches, the second-most after Siddharth Trivedi. He has scored 1887 runs for his franchise at an average of 38.51 and a strike-rate of 143.82, and has also taken 54 wickets at an economy-rate of 7.27. Watson was instrumental in Royals’ title win in 2008 and was named Player of the Tournament for his 472 runs and 17 wickets.”I am honoured to lead the Rajasthan Royals, an extraordinary team which has always given me amazing opportunities,” Watson said. “My aim will be to continue playing our best cricket and maintain the winning momentum. We all want to repeat the 2008 IPL success and last season, we were quite close to that. I am confident that we can do it again”Dravid will continue to be involved with Royals in a mentoring role, and will guide youth and talent development initiatives for the franchise. “Watson has been with the team since the first season and is familiar with the players and the staff,” he said. “The Royals Squad is a bunch of extremely energetic and talented players who know their roles perfectly well and I am sure they will thrive under Watson’s inspiring leadership.”

Pakistan have an experienced squad, excellent World T20 pedigree, and come into the tournament having acclimatised to conditions in Bangladesh. Will all that help them get out of a difficult group?

Umar Farooq20-Mar-2014OverviewPakistan have a reputation for unpredictability and for unleashing young talent onto the world stage, but their squad at this World T20 reflects a safety-first approach. This might have something to do with a makeshift selection committee at the helm amid all the administrative uncertainty and legal tussles that have swirled around Pakistan cricket over the last year or so.Led by Mohammad Hafeez, the world’s leading allrounder in the shorter formats, Pakistan’s 15-man squad offers a lot of flexibility while being centered around senior campaigners including surprise inclusions such as Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik. Pakistan have four allrounders, three of whom are spinners – a factor that might prove instrumental given the slow pitches.It remains to be seen where Kamran – if he takes the wicketkeeping gloves from his brother Umar – will bat, whether he will split the opening combination of Ahmed Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan or come in lower down. Hafeez is likely to bat at No. 3 while the middle order, containing Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, looks potent.Bowling has usually been Pakistan’s strength but their attack, particularly the seamers, has struggled for wickets in recent times. As recently as the Asia Cup, they took all ten wickets only once, against Afghanistan. Pakistan were dented by the absence of Mohammad Irfan, and they have gambled on Umar Gul to bear the strike bowler’s burden.Pakistan’s T20 squads, over the years, have had no exposure to the IPL. Hafeez suggested it was a missed opportunity for the players, but it hasn’t been a handicap in terms of their World T20 performances. This time around, they are part of the so-called group of death, alongside India, Australia and West Indies, with Bangladesh looking likely to join them.Key players Given the conditions in Bangladesh you can’t think beyond Saeed Ajmal but T20 is all about big runs and hard-hitting batsmen. Sharjeel Khan is the key man in the top order. He is relatively new to international cricket and only has a handful of T20s under his belt but his strike rate of 141.66 suggests he could buy Pakistan a few muscular starts.Kamran Akmal, who has played all the previous World T20s, is back in the team after a year in the wilderness. He last played for Pakistan in last year’s Champions Trophy and last played a T20 international in South Africa in March 2013. His inclusion in the squad is a surprise but it provides him possibly one last chance to re-energise a fading international career.Surprise package Pakistan’s bowling is full of variety, and 35-year-old Zulfiqar Babar’s left-arm spin could spice up the attack. He made a big impact on T20 debut last year, taking 3 for 23 against West Indies in Kingstown. A hand injury halted his progress, but he has returned and could possibly add a left-arm element to a strong spin attack alongside Ajmal, Afridi and Hafeez.Weakness Pakistan had a good Asia Cup, but showed flashes of their tendency to self-destruct against Afghanistan and in the opening game against Sri Lanka. Inconsistency still dogs the side. Fielding too has been a concern, and it has the potential to undo their good work in other departments.World T20 history Pakistan have featured in two finals, winning the 2009 title in England and losing the 2007 final, to India, in South Africa. They entered the semi-finals in the West Indies in 2010 and posted a mammoth total of 191 but a famous final-over assault by Michael Hussey on Ajmal cost them a place in their third straight final. They also reached the semi-finals in 2012, but hosts Sri Lanka halted their progress.Recent form As Hafeez has said, Pakistan already have momentum from the Asia Cup, where they pulled off emotional wins over India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The tournament also gave them good exposure to the conditions in Bangladesh and although they lost the final to Sri Lanka, they gained plenty of confidence, with all of their batsmen contributing at some stage.

While Gautam Gambhir finally made some runs against Rajasthan Royals, he and his side have had just two days to recover from the Super Over, and also shift base from the UAE to Ranchi

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit01-May-2014Match factsFriday, May 2, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)6:08

Agarkar: Openers doing half the job themselves for CSK

The Big PictureLosing a match on the boundary count after the scores are tied even in the Super Over can be immensely disappointing. Especially when you needed 16 going into the last two overs of your chase with six wickets in hand. Five days before going down in this manner to Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders were riding the opposite extreme against Royal Challengers Bangalore, who needed 29 off 26 with eight wickets remaining but were stopped short by two runs. As their coach Trevor Bayliss put it, Knight Riders have seen the “highs and lows” of the T20 format in these two games.The UAE was almost exclusively low for Gautam Gambhir, but he broke his horror run of 0, 0, 0 & 1 by making 45 against Royals. While he did consume 44 deliveries, his knock has to be a big positive for Knight Riders just as the IPL shifts back to India. Gambhir and his side have had just two days to recover from that Super Over, and also shift base from the UAE to Ranchi.Knight Riders will not have fond memories of Ranchi. The last time they played here, Yusuf Pathan was given out for obstructing the field against Pune Warriors in a close defeat that effectively ended the 2012 defending champions’ chances in their 2013 campaign.Their opponents, Chennai Super Kings, are in familiar territory close to the top of the table with four wins from five games. Only Glenn Maxwell has been able to down them so far. This is the first time they will be playing an IPL match in their captain’s hometown. Ranchi has already voted in the ongoing federal election; it has to be seen what the turnout is with the local favourite on show.Players to watchMS Dhoni will play his first IPL game in his hometown Ranchi•BCCIAfter the Royals match, Bayliss said that Suryakumar Yadav is one of the better finishers he had seen. Yadav’s 110 runs in the tournament have come at a strike-rate of 177.41. While his sweeps and reverse-sweeps against quick bowlers have deservingly caught attention, it was Yadav who holed out needlessly to kickstart the late collapse against Royals after having scored 31 off 18 till then. He will have to take Knight Riders home in a few chases to develop as a finisher.Super Kings have relied a lot on finishing strong. Their line-up has become even more potent now with the presence of Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith at the top of the order. The pair averages 64.60 in five innings at a run-rate of 8.38 an over, with one century stand and two fifty partnerships.Stats and trivia Chennai Super Kings’ first-wicket aggregate of 323 runs this season is almost double that of next-best Delhi Daredevils Kolkata Knight Riders have conceded 7.31 runs an over in the final four four overs of an innings, the lowest this season Yusuf Pathan’s 72 in Ranchi against Pune Warriors remains his only half-century for Knight Riders in 54 innings

MS Dhoni is perhaps the best finisher in the limited-overs game, and when Chennai Super Kings needed a big hit in the final over, he duly obliged

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran10-May-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
6:48

Hattangadi: Pollard and Anderson not utilised well

It’s a tight Saturday prime-time IPL match involving the two highest profile franchises in the tournament. Guess who delivers when it’s a big game? MS Dhoni is perhaps the best finisher in the limited-overs game, and when Chennai Super Kings needed a big hit in the final over, he duly obliged, as he has so many times in the past. It came down to 11 off the last over, and Dhoni responded by calmly whacking a six over deep midwicket before wrapping up the victory with three balls to spare.The last time Mumbai Indians lost an IPL game at the Wankhede Stadium was back in 2012, so long ago that their openers were Sachin Tendulkar and Herschelle Gibbs. The 10-game winning streak at home was built on muscular batting and depth in the bowling, neither of which were in evidence today.After the peerless Lasith Malinga had produced another superb Twenty20 burst to drag them back into the game, Mumbai had to turn to Kieron Pollard for the final over. #BreachTheFortress Super Kings had been tweeting all day, and when the fortress had to be defended from Dhoni in the final over by amiable medium-pace, there was only going to be one winner.Dwayne Smith struck his fifth fifty of the season•BCCIMumbai didn’t help their cause by again keeping their biggest guns in the holster too long – Rohit Sharma came in towards the end of the 12th over, Kieron Pollard got a look-in only in the 18th, and Corey Anderson even later. When Rohit walked in, the run-rate was still hovering around six. The inclusion of Lendl Simmons worked better than the ill-fated experiment with Ben Dunk, but they will still expect quicker innings than a run-a-ball 38 from their specialist overseas batsman.On a surface where Super Kings brought in an extra spinner in Samuel Badree, and on which R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja got plenty of assistance, Mumbai’s spin department featured only Harbhajan Singh. Though chances of qualification for the play-offs are becoming remote, there were a couple of heartening things for Mumbai fans – Praveen Kumar showed he can be venomous with the new ball, and Ambati Rayudu shrugged off a run of lean scores with a half-century that anchored the innings.Super Kings looked to be in control for much of the chase, helped along by a stop-start Dwayne Smith half-century, though they were rocked by a couple of woeful umpiring decisions. Brendon McCullum was sent on his way though the ball was clearly headed down the leg side, and the third umpire decided Suresh Raina was stumped though the replays suggested otherwise. They were also helped by the umpiring in the 17th over, just as the nerves were beginning to jangle: Jadeja was dead plumb to a full slower ball from Malinga, but the umpire somehow thought the ball would miss the stumps. He wasn’t misled by Jadeja waving the bat as if to suggest he hit the ball, and the call of leg-byes only made the decision even more inexplicable.Before the late drama, perhaps the highlight of the match was the astonishing range of boundary catches and drops – Mithun Manhas put down a sitter at long-on, Harbhajan Singh misjudged the line and could only get one hand on a midwicket six at a crucial juncture of the chase, Samuel Badree judged the ball perfectly at third man but could only push the ball over for six early on, Jadeja caught the ball at deep midwicket but failed to let the ball go before crossing the line, Simmons juggled three times before pocketing the ball at long-on, Raina took a couple of difficult tumbling efforts at midwicket, and the biggest wow-moment was Faf du Plessis flying across to catch a brutal hit at long-on before releasing the ball mid-air as he headed for the rope.While the packed house roared on all that athleticism, they had come to see a Mumbai win. They got the second best thing – seeing the biggest name in Indian cricket do what he does best.

Murali Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-20143:05

Indian cricket’s nearly man

Murali Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Kartik, 37, played eight Tests, 37 ODIs and one Twenty20 international for India. His first-class career, which began in 1996, spanned more than 17 years.Kartik’s career coincided with the dominance of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in the India side, and as a result, he never got a sustained run in Tests. He played four Tests in 2000, making his debut against South Africa in Mumbai but had to wait for more than three years for his next chance, which came against Australia in Sydney in January 2004, where he had a return of 1 for 211.He bounced back with a solid showing against the same opponents at home later that year and his seven wickets were crucial in India winning the Mumbai Test in November. The first Test against South Africa in Kanpur later that month turned out to be Kartik’s last, although he made a short-lived ODI comeback in 2007.The comeback brought about his finest ODI performance, also against Australia in Mumbai, where he claimed 6 for 27 and then made an unbeaten 21 in a match-winning ninth-wicket partnership with Zaheer Khan.”The Mumbai Test (match haul of 7/76) where I won the Man-of-the-Match award will always be special as we were able to restrict an Australian side chasing 103 (107),” he said, when asked to pick out his career highlights. “Also when Sachin presented me with my India Test cap and Kapil Paaji (then coach) presented the India hat.”Kartik was also a key member of the Railways side that made successive Ranji Trophy finals in 2000-01 and 2001-02, both times against Baroda. He played a vital role in their maiden title triumph in 2001-02, taking 5 for 51 and 3 for 7 in addition to scoring 69 in the second innings of the final.In all, he played 203 first-class games and took 644 wickets at an average of 26.70. Nearly a third of those wickets were for English county sides Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey and Lancashire. He was also a handy batsman and was even used as an opener at times. He made 4423 first-class runs at an average of 20.19 with a highest of 96.In the latter part of his career, Kartik also enjoyed success in the shortest format in England. He was part of Middlesex’s T20-winning squad in 2008, and made two finals with Somerset in 2010 and 2011. He has represented Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors in the IPL and was picked by Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 auction. Kartik has said he will be available to play for Kings XI in the forthcoming Champions League T20.

Alastair Cook has called for “something to be done” about what he sees as personal attacks upon his ability as a captain by Shane Warne

George Dobell in Leeds19-Jun-2014Alastair Cook has called for “something to be done” about what he sees as personal attacks upon his ability as a captain by Shane Warne.Warne, who has a column in the and works as a pundit on Sky Sports, has been a persistent critic of Cook since he was appointed to the England Test captaincy at the end of 2012. Often describing him as “boring” and “negative”, he even suggested Cook should be replaced by Kevin Pietersen or Graeme Swann ahead of the winter Ashes series.Just as Warne used to test the patience and confidence of many England captains as a bowler, he has continued to trouble them as a pundit. While his recent criticism has been no more severe than normal, the repetitive nature of his comments – and he is nothing if not consistent – appears to have worn down Cook. The England captain finally snapped on Thursday in a radio interview with the BBC.”Something needs to be done,” Cook said, “because in three years I’ve been England captain I have just, in my eyes, been criticised for a hell of a lot of that.”Yes, when we lose games of cricket as a captain you get criticised. But I’ve also won a lot of games cricket for England, won more one-day games than anyone as England captain, won an Ashes, won in India away and that’s what I’m proud of as well. So to be criticised for three years, totally, with those results, I find quite hard to take to be honest with you.”Support and positivity is what this England team needs. The crowd at Lord’s were brilliant, the public there were fantastic, got behind the lads and they really drove off it and a bit more support like that will hold everyone in good stead.”Asked whether he thought the criticism was personal and whether a century at Leeds, where England play Sri Lanka in the second Test, would change anything, Cook replied: “Yeah, I think it is [personal]. It probably won’t change anything, which is sad.”Quite what Cook means by “something to be done” remains to be seen. The prospect of the ECB attempting to interfere in the editorial stance of independent media companies would surely be most unwelcome.It is unlikely Warne will be discomforted by Cook’s words. Indeed, he may delight in Cook’s irritation. Warne’s loyalty to Australia is never too far from the surface and there were times over the recent Ashes series when he appeared to be goading England to change the tactics that had served them well in the previous few years. The ‘mental disintegration’ he used to attempt on the pitch, he continues to deliver from behind a microphone. Cook will, at least, enjoy some respite in Leeds, as Warne is not part of the Sky team for the game.And while Cook may win some sympathy from those who find it ironic that Warne accuses anyone of being boring – suffice it to say his commentary stints are remarkably consistent – his somewhat intemperate comments risk making him appear weak and defensive. This was an occasion when Cook might have been better advised to play with the straightest of bats.

Days after they sneaked in a Super-Over win against Red Steel, Guyana Amazon Warriors sauntered to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over St Lucia Zouks, their third in as many games in CPL 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKrishmar Santokie finished with his first four-for in the CPL•LatinContent/Getty ImagesDays after they sneaked in through a Super-Over win against Red Steel, Guyana Amazon Warriors sauntered to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over St Lucia Zouks, their third in as many games in CPL 2014. The win against the Zouks was crafted by their bowlers, especially Krishmar Santokie, who struck in each of his overs to finish with returns of 4 for 11, his best in the CPL. Martin Guptill’s unbeaten 50 then steered the side to the target with four overs to spare.Amazon Warriors’ decision to put the Zouks in to bat paid off almost immediately when Santokie dismissed Henry Davids and Andre Fletcher in consecutive overs. After an opening spell of 2-0-7-2, Santokie was replaced by Veerasammy Permaul but the Zouks hardly fared better, losing Johnson Charles and Keddy Lesporis in successive overs. The score of 36 for 4 at the end of the seventh over turned to 53 for 5 in the 10th and it was only some late hitting from Sohail Tanvir and Mervin Mathew that pushed the innings along.Tanvir came in to bat at the fall of Darren Sammy’s wicket in the 11th over and struck the first ball he faced for four through point. With the side struggling at 80 for 8 in the 16th over, Tanvir attempted a late surge, with a six and a four off Jimmy Neesham, but fell in the next over.The other brief flourish came from Mathew, who brought up the Zouks hundred with a six in the penultimate over and took 18 runs off Ronsford Beaton. The hopes of any last-over charge, however, ended when Santokie dismissed Mathews for 21.Guptill and Lendl Simmons set the template for a quick chase with an opening stand of 76 in 9.1 overs, in which more than half their runs were scored off boundaries. Guptill, who had not exceeded a score of 4 in his previous two CPL innings, finished with 50 off 47 balls, which included two fours and three sixes.

Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, will be unavailable for selection for Kolkata Knight Riders for the Champions League Twenty20

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Aug-2014Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh allrounder, will be unavailable for selection for Kolkata Knight Riders for the Champions League Twenty20. Even though the BCB this week relaxed the ban imposed on Shakib by allowing him to play domestic cricket form September, he still needed a fresh No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the CLT20.The BCB reduced Shakib’s six-month suspension by three-and-a-half months, allowing him to be available for selection from September 15. However, the BCB’s ban on NOCs, required for Shakib to participate in overseas leagues, remain in place until the end of 2015.”Clearly for Champions League Twenty20 he is not available to us,” Venky Mysore, the Knight Riders’ chief executive, said. “Although we have the options it is unfortunate considering he is an important player for us. We just have to respect the BCB’s decision.”Shakib was an important contributor to Knight Riders in their title-winning 2014 IPL season, scoring 227 runs at a strike rate of 149.34 and taking 11 wickets with an economy rate of 6.68.It is understood that technically the existing NOC submitted by Shakib to the franchise is valid till December 2015 but due to the stringent posture taken by the BCB with respect to his recent actions, Shakib would have needed to get a fresh NOC in order to make himself available to play for Knight Riders.Incidentally, even if it is an extenuating circumstance, the tournament rules do not allow the Knight Riders to seek a replacement for Shakib. It is understood that only players who have featured in the IPL can be called up as replacements.

Following India’s defeat in England, BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur has voiced concern over the performance of the team’s support staff. He said he felt “some introspection” is needed

PTI18-Aug-2014Following India’s defeat in England, BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur has voiced concern over the performance of the team’s support staff. He said he felt “some introspection” is needed.”Not only as a BCCI official, but just like millions of fans, I am extremely disappointed with the Indian team’s performance in this Test series against England,” Thakur told PTI. “I think some introspection is needed in order to get back to winning ways.”Thakur felt the role of coach Duncan Fletcher had to be looked into, to see if some alternative options could be worked out. “Obviously, there are questions about the role of support staff after such a performance. If you ask me, I would ideally like an Indian support staff to work in tandem with Fletcher, which might help him to prepare better for the future tour,” Thakur, who is also the president of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, suggested.Asked to elaborate, Thakur explained, “What I feel is that a former cricketer of repute should be working with Mr Fletcher. It necessarily does not have to be a coaching role but some well-defined role. We have a lot of former greats and they have an idea about the psyche of the Indian players. The focus will be on those former players who have done well in overseas conditions.”Since they have been there and done that, they can talk to the players, understand their technical problems. They can act as a bridge between the players and the chief coach. I believe a reputed former Indian player is necessary to improve the communication.”He agreed that a demoralising defeat, like the ones at Old Trafford and The Oval, will play on players’ minds but a good show in the ODI series can change that. “The ODIs will start and right now what one needs is to lift the spirits of the players. A good performance in the limited overs is needed to boost the confidence,” Thakur said. “Hopefully, the support staff will be able to lift the morale of the team.”Thakur was non-committal on whether MS Dhoni should continue as the captain of the team. “That is a call that selectors have to take and I can’t individually comment on that,” he said. “If there are any suggestions that I need to put forward on this issue, I will do it at the appropriate forum and not through the media.”