All posts by csb10.top

Matt Berriman, a former Australia Under-17s player, has won the right to pursue a personal injuries claim against Cricket Australia. AAP reported that a Victorian Supreme Court judge ruled the statute of limitations be extended to allow Berriman to take action over a shoulder injury.The court heard that Berriman, 23, suffered a dislocated right shoulder during a water polo game at the Academy in Adelaide in April 2001, when he was 17. Berriman claims Cricket Australia should not have allowed him to take part in the game because he had already had a shoulder problem in 1999 as a result of playing soccer.Berriman claims as a result of the injury he quit his job and had a limited ability to perform everyday activities such as showering and working on a computer. The application was granted by Justice Jack Forrest, who ruled that the statute of limitations should be extended because Berriman only became aware through a doctor’s report this year that the 2001 injury had caused his current disability.Cricket Australia argued that their defence had been prejudiced by the delay in initiating proceedings, but Justice Forrest said he did not believe it would cause significant prejudice.

The coroner’s inquest into the death of former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has been extended by another week, with coroner Patrick Murphy to continue his summation of the evidence on Monday.The inquest in Kingston, Jamaica, heard evidence from 57 witnesses and statements from seven other persons. The 11-member jury is expected to deliver its verdict within a week.Woolmer died hours after he was found unconscious in his Jamaica hotel room on March 18, a day after Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat to Ireland at the World Cup. Dr Ere Seshaiah, the government pathologist who conducted the post mortem, declared that Woolmer was murdered but three independent pathologists all concluded later that Woolmer died due to natural causes.

Western Australian left handers Adam Gilchrist (109*) and Simon Katich (105*) have scored twin centuries to help avert outright defeat for their team on the final day of the Pura Cup match against Queensland in Perth. Displaying icy-cool temperaments on a warm afternoon, the duo forged a vital, unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 166 against a tiring Bulls attack after they had been joined with their side deep in trouble twenty minutes before lunch.Having been part of a side that had been out-thought, out-batted and out-bowled for the majority of this match, the sterling efforts of Gilchrist and Katich effected quite a transformation. Indeed, in defying the near-inevitable, the pair probably ensured that it will be the Warriors rather than the Bulls who will be leaving the WACA tonight in the happier frame of mind.In short, this was a day which featured some excellent, iron-willed batting from the two highly regarded Western Australians. Katich dropped anchor and was content to act as the mainstay of the innings, displaying an impeccable understanding of which deliveries to play and which to leave. In the way of attractive strokemaking, there was nothing particularly appealing in itself about his ninth first-class century. But the twenty-five year old’s concentration and discipline were without fault. In an unusually dour exhibition, Gilchrist matched his partner – initially at least – for circumspection before exploding into scoring life late in the post-lunch session with a flurry of boundaries.By contrast, it was a lacklustre finish to the match from the Bulls who, strangely enough, not only looked listless but also delayed taking the second new ball for as long as eighty minutes. Before finally electing to do this, they had attempted to prise the Western Australians out with a succession of overs of spin from Matthew Anderson (0/90) and Andrew Symonds (0/38) at the Members End. But, although they were able to almost completely dry up the flow of runs, neither of the two slow bowlers genuinely beat the bat very often.On the lifeless pitch, amid the enervating conditions, and with their energy levels continuing to be sapped by their long unbroken stint in the field, the Bulls’ predicament was exacerbated as Gilchrist slammed the normally miserly Adam Dale (0/65) down the ground for four stunning boundaries in succession twenty-five minutes before tea. To add insult to the havoc wreaked upon the medium pacer’s figures, he then repeated the dose with another three consecutive shots to the fence two Dale overs later. It was a measure of the extent to which the wicketkeeper-batsman had assumed command of the situation – not to mention the differing styles of the two players’ innings – that he ultimately beat Katich to his century despite having conceded more than a three hour long start.In many ways, the two points that were achieved for a first innings win seemed like an inadequate reward for close to three days of sheer domination from the Bulls. Inspired by a pair of centuries of their own from Jimmy Maher (175) and Stuart Law (128), they had been able to establish domination from early on the first day as they racked up 442 with the bat before dismissing the Western Australians for 195 and then reducing them quickly to 3/43 a second time around.From there, though, it has to be said that they uncharacteristically squandered their opportunity – something which they barely even looked like doing at any stage of a record-breaking run last summer. Martin Love’s dropped catch at slip on the stroke of tea yesterday – when he allowed Damien Martyn (then at 25 on his way to 78) to escape a tightening Queensland noose – assumed very expensive proportions. Law’s tactics in frequently setting defensive fields today and resisting the chance to take the new ball immediately also provoked some consternation. Paceman Andy Bichel (4/54) continued to bowl excellently, gaining the only two wickets to fall on the final day, but did not receive quite enough support in conditions that continued to favour batting. In the final analysis, the Queenslanders left themselves the arduous task of snaring five wickets in the final session and, by then, even the presence of some more attacking field settings had the whiff of bolting horses and open stable doors about it.

Match facts

Sunday, February 14, 2016
Start time 0900 local (0300 GMT)4:21

Dikshit: Kishan’s form will be a worry for India

Big picture

Two questions will most probably be answered in the final of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. How long can West Indies Under-19s continue their World Cup campaign with flair? And are the India Under-19s are saving their best game for the final?Ishan Kishan’s side have won all their matches in the tournament so far and in the few times that they have been tested, for instance in the first 45 minutes of their semi-final against Sri Lanka Under-19s, their awareness of the match situation helped them get through. Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant and, at times, Armaan Jaffer have led the team’s batting front but there hasn’t been a combined effort that pushes the opponent out of the contest. The India team management has had to take the tough call of dropping Ricky Bhui, who made only 47 runs in the first three games. His replacement, Anmolpreet Singh, though, has done the job at No. 3 and will target a big score in the final.India’s bowling attack, Mayank Dagar, Avesh Khan and Mahipal Lomror, have done well together and will be expected to stop West Indies’ fast-scoring batsmen. Keeping Gidron Pope, Shimron Hetmyer and Shamar Springer quiet for long periods of play will be a stern test for India, and will be the most interesting sub-plot in the final. Pope has regularly given West Indies strong starts with the bat, while Springer and Hetmyer have held together West Indies’ middle order.West Indies’ bowling, too, has flair, especially with Alzarri Joseph and Chemar Holder who bowl with pace and bounce in the first ten overs. Keemo Paul has been effective in the death, which means that India will have to do much of their scoring in the middle overs. Given the strength of the sides, and a Mirpur pitch that offers bounce but remains slow, the final will be a compelling match.

Form guide

India: WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)West Indies: WWWWL

Talking points

Collectively India are still to put together a great batting performance, but their bowlers have done a good job of keeping the opposition at bay. Avesh, Dagar and Lomror have come together well while Rahul Batham and Khaleel Ahmed have been useful supporting acts.The West Indies batsmen have shown the ability to bat together to form a good total or chase down a target. They would like a big knock from at least one of their in-form batsmen but the side has the ability to win through fifties and cameos from their batsmen.

Star performers

Left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar is not high up on the wicket-taking charts but has the lowest average (9.75) among the bowlers with a minimum of eight wickets. West Indies have said that they are more confident against spinners now but Dagar offers a big challenge.Shamar Springer enjoyed his match-winning role against Bangladesh in the semi-final, and will once again be West Indies’ go-to all-round talent in the final. He bats with a lot of freedom, and has shown the ability to find gaps under pressure. His medium-pace will also come handy, backing up the first spells from Joseph and Holder.

Key players

Anmolpreet Singh said after the semi-final that he wants to play a long innings and the final will be a great chance for him to do so. He has so far played two good knocks in knockout games, after replacing Ricky Bhui in the side. His offspin and fielding have also been impressive.Gidron Pope has been consistent in giving West Indies a fast start with the bat, though he has struck only two half-centuries so far. If he can carry a fiery start into the middle overs of the final, it could put West Indies in an dominant position.

Underperformers

Washington Sundar has had limited opportunities with the bat coming in slightly later in the innings, but in the final, he will be expected to bat at a higher strike-rate and pick up wickets with his developing offspin.Now that Shimron Hetmyer has found form, West Indies would like Michael Frew to do better than his 27 runs and two wickets in the five matches so far. His side would feel safe knowing that when the opportunity comes up in the final, he is prepared and in good touch to get them to a good score.

Pitch and conditions

West Indies and India pace bowlers have extracted bounce from the Mirpur pitch which is likely to be a slow surface. There will be less focus on the toss if the weather doesn’t dramatically turn on the morning of the final, as otherwise teams have won batting and bowling first four times each.

Quotes

“If initially me and [Rishabh] Pant stay till the 12th over then 300 is possible because we know how to rotate the strike, and when to hit. Our calculation is good. So, the focus will be to concentrate for the initial part of play. [A score of] 270-280 will be good, but we will go for 300.””We have talked about it yes, but nobody tends to have that pressure in them. The team is very confident and positive after the last two wins, going into the final. Pressure has not got into anyone and let’s hope it stays that way.”

The coach John Dyson has defended his bowlers after they let Sri Lanka off the hook in the second Test, leaving West Indies needing 253 to level the two-match series. The visitors were struggling at 32 for 4 before recovering through Thilan Samaraweera’s 125 and boosting their chances of a 2-0 cleansweep.The West Indies bowlers gave away too many opportunities to score and struggled to maintain their line and length when Samaraweera and Chaminda Vaas completed a 138-run partnership. “In talking about patience, when I watch Caribbean cricket all round, that’s an aspect that’s not there in any Caribbean cricket,” Dyson said. “So to suddenly take these players and put them in the Test arena against some very good teams and expect them to have that patience is a tall order.”Dyson said the players have talked about the zones they need to hit, but the changes “don’t happen overnight”. “It takes time for people to get confidence in bowling plans,” Dyson said. “Maybe my ideas are different to the people who were there before, but we’re consistently working on the areas we bowl and the patience involved in the whole game.”The guys do work hard in the net sessions we have, I’ve seen consistency with that. In the middle sometimes we bowl some brilliant stuff, at times perhaps too good, where players just can’t nick them. We need to achieve more consistency throughout the whole innings. We tend to bowl some really good spells and then let ourselves down with bowling a bad hour that cost us a lot of runs.”Jerome Taylor was the best of the home attack, picking up 4 for 52, and Dyson was pleased with his progress. “Jerome is a very good cricketer,” Dyson said. “If you look at him as a total package he is a bit like ‘Vassy’. He has the ability to bat and I’ve seen him change his approach in his batting, and his bowling is always very, very good.”The performances of Taylor have also impressed Samaraweera. “The most difficult right through this series has been Jerome Taylor,” Samaraweera said. “He bowled well, lovely line and length, and his balls move both ways.”West Indies have a tough challenge to level the series and Dyson was hopeful of a successful chase. “What I’d like to see,” he said, “is some good sensible batting over the whole day.”

SuperSport Series

Dale Steyn might have a bad game one of these days, but don’t count on it. Having eviscerated the New Zealanders by taking 20 wickets in two Tests, Steyn’s next trick was to grab 14 scalps for the Titans against the Eagles at Bloemfontein. Granted, the pitch must have made the bowlers think the summer solstice celebrations had come early when 20 wickets fell on the first day. But Steyn’s haul of 14 for 110 – the sixth-best analysis in a senior South African domestic first-class match – remains a remarkable achievement and one that will have added a furrow to the brows of the approaching West Indians. The Titans were dismissed for 118 in their first innings, but Steyn’s career-best return of eight for 41 snuffed out the Eagles for a measly 89. Conditions eased on day two, and the Titans’ second innings endured into the third day before they were dismissed with a lead of 385. Re-enter Steyn to take six for 69, including the first hat-trick of his career, as the Titans surged to victory by 231 runs.Play was significantly more stoic at Paarl, where the Cobras and the Warriors circled each other like tranquilised sharks before settling for the draw. Johan Botha, who scored 91 not out and 69, and Robin Peterson, who made 55 and 48, twice steered the Warriors out of trouble. In the first innings the visitors were 187 for six before Botha and Peterson put on 103, and they had dwindled to 180 for six when the same pair added 62. Doughty efforts though those were, they also helped dull the contest. Andrew Puttick’s 104, JP Duminy’s 71 and half-centuries by Ashwell Prince and Vernon Philander, who also took seven wickets in the match, bolstered the Cobras’ first innings.Rain allowed just 29 overs on the first day at Durban, where the Lions were put in to bat by the Dolphins and reached 77 for three. Not a ball was bowled for the next two days while the rain lashed down, rendering Kingsmead sodden and the match irrelevant. The sun came out on Sunday and the Lions declared at lunch on 210 for nine. The Dolphins’ hearts weren’t in their reply, and they were dismissed for 147. Scorecard watchers might be interested to know that Doug Watson batted at No. 11 because of a stiff neck.Player of the week – Dale Steyn
We try to shine the spotlight on lesser known players, but in this case that would be as silly as John Cleese trying not to be funny. So, take a bow Dale Steyn. It’s good to know that he doesn’t reserve his nastiness for foreigners. Then again, everyone’s a foreigner if you’re born to Zimbabwean parents in the mining dust of Phalaborwa.

Lancashire‘s hopes of their first outright Championship title since 1934 are fading with every passing day at The Oval. Surrey declined to enforce the follow-on after dismissing them for 234 before extending their lead to 214.Surrey bowled tidily as a collective, with Matt Nicholson and Chris Jordan particularly impressing. Nicholson exploited the early swinging conditions, and a lifting pitch, to remove Steven Croft for a duck and to trap Mark Chilton for 4. Stuart Law and Paul Horton rallied with 45 and 48 respectively, and it was left to VVS Laxman (53) and latterly Dominic Cork (46 not out) to limit the first-innings deficit.Laxman batted with his customary authority until he fell, pulling hard to long leg off the rapidly emerging talent Jordan, who has slotted right into first-team cricket. Those in the know are already tipping him as Young Cricketer of the Year for 2008.Like Nicholson, Jordan used the conditions to bowl with pace and hostility; his last two victims – Oliver Newby (0) and Gary Keedy (2) – were both beaten for pace and fended through to the keeper, although replays showed the ball had brushed Newby’s arm. Cork was the lone battler and he enjoyed the challenge, even smacking an audacious six for good measure. But not for fun: Lancashire badly want this title.It’s not of their reach yet, however, although if they do prosper it will be in spite of Mark Ramprakash’s gleaming best efforts. He fell short of his double-hundred, making 196. Still, it could prove ultimately costly, given he could have been run out on nought, and was also dropped on 4.Sussex had another excellent day against Worcestershire at Hove as they continued to press their own title claims. They gained maximum batting points thanks to Robin Martin-Jenkins, who will at once rue, and be delighted with, his 99 and Chris Liddle, who demonstrated an eye for the big occasion with his maiden first-class half-century.Following Mushtaq Ahmed’s dismissal (382 for 8), Sussex needed a further 118 for five points; Martin-Jenkins and Liddle duly delivered, with a ninth-wicket partnership of 120. Worcestershire showed heart with an opening stand of 79 and they had reached 93 for 2 by stumps; Moeen Ali (1) soon following Stephen Moore (48) to the hutch.Michael Carberry’s unbeaten century for Hampshire was the highlight against Yorkshire on day two at Headingley. After finishing off Yorkshire’s first innings for 195, Hampshire drew level with four wickets down. John Crawley also contributed a fifty.Dale Benkenstein struck a century to hand Durham the lead following another tidy day against Kent at Canterbury. By the close, Kent had come close to erasing the deficit in their second innings; they now trail by ten with seven wickets left.

Former West Indian players Ian Bishop, Desmond Haynes, Andy Roberts and Courtney Walsh are back on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) cricket committee. The four players from the era when West Indies dominated world cricket were replaced last November but WICB president Julian Hunte has confirmed they were reinstated after he met with them in Antigua on February 22 to discuss the issue.Haynes said the meeting had been “very frank”. “We got to understand each other’s position,” he said. “We have always been very keen to contribute to the advancement of West Indies cricket and felt that we could more properly do so as full members of the committee, rather than as consultants as the president originally offered.”Hunte asked the four to meet with him “in the spirit of inclusiveness” after a report by this correspondent last month in which they expressed surprise and disappointment at their removal.”I would be the last person to deny our former great players the opportunity to contribute at any level of West Indies cricket,” Hunte said at the time.Hunte pointed out that the WICB had drafted a new strategic plan and that the cricket committee had to be at the centre of “plans, policies and programmes for cricket, not just the playing and player aspects, but in terms of our development”.Hinting at the reason why the four had been replaced, Hunte told Bishop that the committee needed to meet face-to-face frequently to deal with “the many issues confronting us now and to develop the blueprint for the future”.The implication was that the four had not always been available for committee meetings but this had been refuted by Roberts and Walsh.Whatever the differences, they were settled at the February 22 meeting and four individuals with 338 Tests between them are now back on the committee that is headed by Clive Lloyd, captain in the era of excellence in the 1970s and 1980s.

Day 3
Scorecard

A superb bowling performance helped South Zone crawl their way back into their match against East Zone in Mumbai. After an eventful third day, the game was evenly poised with South needing another 160 runs to win with seven wickets in hand.East were in command when the day started, having secured a handy 114-run lead with all their wickets intact. However, they let their advantage slip with an inept batting performance. Only one of their top six batsmen got a start – Anustup Majumdar – as they crashed to 79 for 6.No. 7 Halhadar Das, who made 93 in the first innings, top scored again with an unbeaten 52, including eight boundaries, to add some respectability to the East total. Tushar Saha also chipped in with a 28 to help set a target of 273. South’s bowlers kept the runs under check; Ashwin Raghu finished with impressive figures of 3 for 33.South’s pursuit got off to a bad start with Murali Vijay falling in the first over to former India international Debasis Mohanty. S Badrinath, the South Zone captain, and Ravi Teja stitched together an 81-run stand for the second wicket. Teja was aggressive – making 54 in 59 balls and lashing eight fours and a six – before left-arm spinner Saha trapped him in front. Arjun Yadav made 12 before falling in a similar manner. Badrinath remained unbeaten on a sedate 42 with wicketkeeper Prasad Reddy keeping him company.
ScorecardA spirited performance from England Lions’ gave them the edge going into the final day of their match against Central Zone. Chasing a stiff 296 for victory, they reached a confident 146 for 1 by stumps in Vadodara.Joe Denly was the only Lions’ wicket to fall, trapped in front by left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta for 15. Michael Carberry and captain Michael Yardy then forged an unbroken 116-run stand for the second wicket to lead the Lions’ pursuit. Needing to score the highest total of the match to win, Carberry and Yardy both played patient knocks to ensure there was no repeat of the second day’s batting collapse. Carberry, who made 35 in the first innings, didn’t throw away his start this time, finishing on an unbeaten 71, including 12 fours and a six. The experienced Yardy had reached 57 by stumps.Central had started the day in control after gaining a 115-run first-innings lead but were kept down to a moderate 180 in their second. With a top-order collapse seeing them at a parlous 39 for 4, Mohammad Kaif, the captain, tried to salvage the situation, top scoring with 42. The tail also resisted with a 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Jalaj Saxena (27) and Sanjib Sanyal (37).All the Lions’ bowlers chipped in, with Graham Onions being the most successful, taking three wickets. Monty Panesar was expensive but got the big wicket of the in-form Kaif while legspinner Adil Rashid made short work of the last two wickets.

Yorkshire have confirmed Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistani fast bowler, will be available to play for them in the 2008 season. Naved-ul-Hasan’s participation was in doubt after he signed up for the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL).Meanwhile, another ICL player from Pakistan, Mushtaq Ahmed has been given the go-ahead to appear for Sussex. In Mushtaq’s case, the confirmation was a mere formality, as the Pakistan board had issued a second No Objection Certificate (NOC), which the county had forwarded to the England board.Yorkshire revealed in a statement that the decision on Naved-ul-Hasan had been conveyed to them after protracted negotiations between the England and Pakistan boards. The move means the PCB has issued an NOC for Naved-ul-Hasan to play in England’s county season. It had been thought the PCB would refuse an NOC in view of his ICL links, and even when Mushtaq was granted it last week, it was believed that was not relevant to Naved-ul-Hasan as he had played international cricket more recently.Naved-ul-Hasan’s registration with Yorkshire is subject to his obtaining a valid work permit, which the county believes will not be a hurdle given his previous spells at Sussex. “I have maintained throughout the last few weeks that I would be allowed to play cricket for Yorkshire and that my participation in the Indian Cricket League would not get in the way of that dream,” Naved-ul-Hasan said. “I am not contracted to the PCB and could not see why they should wish to prevent me from playing the game I love in Yorkshire.”Yorkshire have said that they will give the player time and assistance to recover from the shoulder injury he sustained while playing for Sussex at the end of the 2007 season. He has been bowling for the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL, but Yorkshire will take no chances. “We are conscious that he needs time to fully recover from his shoulder injury, which is why we have Morne Morkel for the early weeks of the season, but a fully fit Rana will be a huge boost,” Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire coach, said. “He has proved in India recently that he can bowl and take wickets but we want to be satisfied that he can also cope with the demands of fielding, especially throwing, before we play him in the first XI.”He is a very determined man and his desire to play for this club and cut through all of the politics involved, has been particularly impressive.”