Rajasthan Royals bowler Siddharth Trivedi has recorded a statement at the Saket District Court in Delhi in relation to the case against his three team mates

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2013Rajasthan Royals bowler Siddharth Trivedi has recorded a statement at the Saket District Court in Delhi in relation to the case against his three team-mates – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – who were arrested on charges of fraud and cheating during IPL 2013. Trivedi will be a witness for the prosecution.Trivedi made his statement before a magistrate, which under section 164 of the Indian Penal Code means it is admissible as evidence. “He is not seen as a suspect, he had a periperal role and he never acted, he was refusing all the time,” SN Srivastava, a Delhi police official, told . “In their cases they had agreed to perform or under perform, in Siddharth Trivedi’s case he never agreed to perform at all.”Srivastava also said “nothing has come on any other player at this stage”.ESPNcricinfo understands Trivedi had declined multiple approaches by bookies and had also reported an approach by a bookie to the Anti Corruption and Security Unit during IPL 2012. Last year, Trivedi was among more than a dozen cricketers approached by undercover India TV reporters acting as bookies during a sting operation and was among those who turned them away. On Thursday, Trivedi travelled from his home in Ahmedabad to Mumbai and reached Delhi, it is believed, early this morning to record his statement before the court.The three players were arrested on May 15, soon after Royals played Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, for the alleged fulfilling of promises made to bookmakers during this year’s tournament. The players were allegedly promised money ranging from US$36,000 to $109,000 for their participation in spot-fixing.They were charged by Delhi Police under three laws of the Indian Penal Code: Section 409, which deals with criminal breach of trust and is a non-bailable offence; Section 420 which deals with deal with fraud and cheating; and Section 120B, which deals with deals with criminal conspiracy. The Delhi Police had registered cases against the players under Sections 420 and 120B. The charge under 409 was added to the list following Rajasthan Royals’ complaint against the three.

Ireland took control of the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands after building up a healthy 252-run lead at the end of the second day in Deventer

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGeorge Dockrell took three wickets as Ireland dominated Netherlands on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup match•ICC/Sander Tholen

Ireland took control of the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands after building up a healthy 252-run lead at the end of second day, on which 14 wickets fell, in Deventer.After bowling out Ireland for 332 on the first day, Netherlands needed an innings similar to John Anderson’s yesterday to get close to Ireland’s total, but they lost their first wicket in the 15th over when Lesley Stokkers was caught by Andrew Balbirnie off a John Mooney delivery. The situation got worse for Netherlands as they lost their next four batsmen for the addition of 27 runs to end the first session on a precarious 58 for 5. Ireland’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Mooney accounting for the openers.Netherlands continued to lose wickets through the second session and were it not for two brief, but crucial, partnerships they could have fallen before their eventual score. The first was a 30-run stand for the sixth wicket between Tom Cooper and Peter Borren and the second, a 38-run partnership between Cooper and Pieter Seelar. Cooper was the last batsman to be dismissed, stumped on a George Dockrell delivery, soon after he completed his half-century.Ireland had the option of asking Netherlands to follow-on, but with 35 overs remaining in the day, they came out to bat. The decision seemed to backfire as Ireland lost their first wicket in the second over. John Anderson and James Shannon helped the team to settle with a half-century stand, but Netherlands struck thrice in the last half an hour to limit the damage.

Muttiah Muralitharan believes the debuting Caribbean Premier League has a bright future but should aim for a window in international cricket to be able to attract the best talent from across the world

Renaldo Matadeen10-Aug-2013Muttiah Muralitharan, the former Sri Lanka offspinner, believes the debuting Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has a promising future but should aim for a window in international cricket to be able to attract the best talent from across the world.”The organizers should get a window on the international cricket calendar to add better players on contract,” said Muralitharan, who is playing for Jamaica Tallawahs in the ongoing CPL. “Also, seek assistance and funding for pitches. Hopefully, it will get better.”Muralitharan drew parallels to T20 leagues such as the IPL, where he played alongside Chris Gayle, Ravi Rampaul and Christopher Barnwell for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the BBL in Australia, where he played with Marlon Samuels for Melbourne Renegades.Muralitharan urged the Caribbean region to optimize home-grown talent, saying he was not in favour of overseas coaches. “I don’t recommend foreign coaches. Local coaches are good enough because they know the players involved. The international players are here to add hype to the tournament.”He was not so impressed with the standard of the playing surfaces, though. “The pitches have been a bit challenging. Some have not been so great but some have been better. It will only get more interesting.”Jamaica captain Gayle dubbed Muralitharan as one of the biggest assets in the dressing room. “He brings a lot of experience and positivity to the team and the younger players, even myself,” Gayle said. “He and Ahmed (Shehzad) inject a lot of life into us in the hotel and they’re always holding court and making us laugh. When we hear them speaking to each other, it’s fun but they’re serious out there. Murali helps me lead by example.”On his immediate future, Muralitharan, who retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup, admitted uncertainty. “I’m normally with the Big Bash (this December) but after that, I don’t know.”

An eleventh-hour surge put Basnahira Greens in touching distance of victory, but ultimately Kandurata Maroons’ 124 for 8 proved just enough on a used Premadasa pitch that has steadily deteriorated

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Aug-2013
ScorecardAn eleventh-hour surge put Basnahira Greens in touching distance of victory, but ultimately Kandurata Maroons’ 124 for 8 proved just enough on a used Premadasa pitch that has steadily deteriorated. As has been the case during the tournament so far, the chasing side could not secure a situation of dominance throughout the innings, and for Basnahira, it was the five wickets they lost between the 9th and the 14th over that sealed their fate.Kithuruwan Vithanage attempted a valiant resurgence from No. 6, hitting 37 not out from 30, but in the end, spinners Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Shehan Jayasuriya had dismissed too many of his teammates for his innings to pay off. Basnahira lost by two runs, leaving Kandurata with two victories in as many matches.Although his spinners had been the most effective bowlers on this surface, Lahiru Thirimanne opted to hand Dhammika Prasad the last over of the innings, with Basnahira needing 21. Isuru Udana struck two sixes off the first two balls – the first a monumental straight strike – and having not threatened Kandurata’s total for most of the chase, Basnahira needed only 9 from the last four deliveries. Basnahira managed only two runs from the next three balls, with Udana falling off the penultimate ball. Vithanage needed to hit a six off the final delivery to tie the match, but could only get it behind point for four.Jayasuriya could not make an impact with the bat, earlier in the match, but his spell of 3-0-7-3 broke the back of Basnahira’s chase, which had begun steadily. In between Lokuarachchi had Angelo Mathews stumped for the second time in the tournament, and also dismissed Janaka Gunaratne and Sachithra Senanayake – both dangerous batsmen. Lokuarachchi finished with figures of 3 for 25 from his full quota.Earlier, Milinda Siriwardana had propelled Kandurata’s innings beyond 120, after it had threatened to stagnate during the middle overs. His unbeaten ninth-wicket stand with Prasad was worth 23, and the pair took 21 from the last 12 deliveries, with Siriwardana playing primary aggressor.
Opener Upul Tharanga had helped lay the foundation for the innings with 27, before Lahiru Thirimanne ensured the scoreboard kept moving during the middle overs, with a 17-ball 22.

Former Bengal allrounder Kalyan Mitter has died aged 77 after a long battle with leukemia

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2013Former Bengal allrounder Kalyan Mitter has died aged 77 after a long battle with leukemia. Mitter played 51 first-class matches for Bengal and Bihar in a career that stretched from 1953 to 1969.He was an attacking right-hand batsman and an offspinner, and he scored 1698 runs and took 50 wickets. He helped Bengal reach two Ranji finals, losing both to domestic heavyweights Bombay, and also coached Bengal to the Ranji final in 1993-94, again losing to Bombay.Mitter also served as a curator for Bengal in the mid-90s, and in the first season of the IPL. He was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award by the Cricket Association of Bengal in 2011.

Titans bounced back from being all out for 123 to beat Brisbane Heat by four runs in the most exciting finish of this year’s tournament

The Report by Mohammad Isam24-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMarchant de Lange bowled Alister McDermott to win the game for Titans•BCCI

Less-than-perfect batting and excellent bowling usually make for tight contests and today was no different, with both teams being dismissed on a fast Mohali pitch. Titans bounced back from being all out for 123, to beating Brisbane Heat by four runs, in the most exciting finish of the tournament so far. The loss, the Heat’s second, drastically reduced their chances of making the semi-finals.Heat had lost their first match in similar fashion, too, failing to chase Trinidad & Tobago’s 135. Today’s pursuit posed a similar challenge, but they disintegrated against controlled fast bowling. They needed 10 of the final over, bowled by Marchant de Lange, but they lost three wickets instead, two because of run-outs. The match ended with de Lange bowling Alister McDermott.Titans needed a strong performance to defend a low total and de Lange led the way, pulling his team out of the batting rut with pace and verve. Debutant Matthew Gale’s four wickets had put the Heat in a strong position, but their wayward batting cost them on a quick surface, the kind Australian sides are supposed to be familiar with.Titans captain, Henry Davids, once again opened the bowling with Roelof van der Merwe’s left-arm spin, but it was Rowan Richards who provided the breakthrough by dismissing Joe Burns. De Lange then hurt the chase by striking twice in his first over: Peter Forrest’s uppish clip was caught at square-leg, and Cutting top-edged an 89-mph ball he didn’t know much about.James Hopes, the Heat captain, and Daniel Christian attempted to revive the innings, and they almost did with a 44-run stand for the fourth wicket, but they fell in quick succession. Christian’s stumps was shattered by Richards, while Hopes fell to van der Merwe after having survived a missed stumping the previous ball.The rising asking-rate needed to be brought down but the Heat lower order continued to struggle against pace. Morne Morkel and David Wiese bowled well too, picking up a wicket each, but de Lange and Richards were the most impressive. De Lange finished with three wickets, including bowling a tense last over.Heat’s batting failure followed a dramatic Titans collapse after the South African side had made a strong start. Gale dismissed Jacques Rudolph in the second over, but Davids and Heino Kuhn counterattacked immediately during the fielding restrictions. They were particularly harsh on Alister McDermott, who conceded 16 in his first over, the sixth of the innings.The second wicket had added 69 in quick time when Kuhn skied Ben Cutting after making 31 off 27 balls. Davids followed soon after for 39 off 31 balls, run out while attempting a risky single.Wickets tumbled quickly thereafter, with the big one – AB de Villiers – also getting run out after a mix-up with Farhaan Behardien in the 15th over. The rest of the batsmen threw their wickets away, with the last three falling in the 19th over bowled by Gale. A total of 123 seemed below par at the time, but Titans’ quicks proved it was just enough.

A ton from Kusal Perera and a half-century from Ashan Priyanjan guided Sri Lanka A to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan A in the first unofficial ODI in Matara

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2015
ScorecardFile Photo – Kusal Perera struck 18 fours and a six during his 88-ball 114•AFP

A ton from Kusal Perera and a half-century from Ashan Priyanjan guided Sri Lanka A to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan A in the first unofficial ODI in Matara.Chasing 204, Sri Lanka’s didn’t start well as they lost Shehan Jayasuriya and Dhanuskha Gunthilaka for single digits inside six overs. Perera then had an unbeaten 152-run partnership with Priyanjan for the third wicket. He struck 114 from 88 balls including 18 fours and a six, before retiring hurt in the 30th over.Priyanjan played second fiddle to Perera in the partnership, scoring an unbeaten 57 from 77 balls with four fours and one six. Milinda Siriwardana and Priyanjan saw Sri Lanka home after Perera retired hurt.Pakistan A had chosen to bat and found themselves at 66 for 3 in the 17th over. Umar Amin and Fawad Alam then put on 62 for the fourth wicket, a stand that ended with the fall of Amin’s wicket, leaving them 128 for 4 in the 32nd over.A couple of 30-plus partnerships took Pakistan past 200 but they were bowled out for 203. Their captain Alam top-scored with a 74-ball 58. Tharindu Kaushal, Lahiru Gamage and Jayasuriya picked up two wickets each while Dushmantha Chameera ended with figures of 3 for 34

Even at 12 for 3, Brendon McCullum was not thinking about purely trying to save the first Test at Lord’s – something that ultimately proved 9.3 overs out of reach in one of the finest Tests staged on the ground.

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's25-May-2015Even at 12 for 3, Brendon McCullum was not thinking about purely trying to save the first Test at Lord’s – something that ultimately proved 9.3 overs out of reach in one of the finest Tests staged on the ground.When Ross Taylor was lbw to Stuart Broad before lunch it was not McCullum who came down the pavilion steps at No. 5 but BJ Watling. But the plan was not to shut up shop but to try and form a platform for a “second launch”. For a while, as Watling and Corey Anderson added 107 in 27 overs, McCullum dared to dream that another incredible New Zealand story could unfold only for the match to end in a defeat that would have been scarcely believable 48 hours earlier.”It just organically happened that we realised it was probably a little bit beyond us,” he said. “But at least when Corey was batting, he’s such a free-scorer and with the field the way it was, who knows, if he’d been able to manufacture a partnership, how close we may have got. I thought our No. 10 and 11 did well to hang on there as long as they did and BJ Watling for me, it was another example of how important he is at soaking up the pressure which is why we promoted him to try and set up for a second launch.”To England’s credit they were too good for us in the crucial stages but I’m still really proud of our guys and the way we kept going. I thought it was a fantastic Test to be a part of, to play five days in front of full houses at Lord’s and for it come down to the final 10 overs is a testament to how good it was.”New Zealand still only have one Test victory at Lord’s, the win in 1999 that helped them secure the series victory. The best they can hope for this time, in a two-match series that deserves to be longer, is a share of the spoils from Headingley and for all McCullum’s positivity this will always be a match that got away after their dominance on the second and third days.”It hurts a lot, I won’t lie,” he said. “At the same time there’s an element of pride that we continue to play a style of cricket that gives us our greatest chance. There will be times when teams can stand up to you and withstand the pressure and come out on top. You just have to doff the cap, say well played and make sure next time you get the chance you go hard again and ask the same question. Who knows, at Headingley we may see a different result but I’m sure our guys will continue to play the same style.”McCullum said there were some “sore bodies” in the dressing room, among them Watling with his knee and neck and also Anderson with a back niggle. The three frontline quicks all bowled more than 50 overs in the match, with Trent Boult sending down 63, but McCullum insisted the team would be ready to go again”Emotionally our guys are really steady and that’s allowed us to be able to play some good cricket so that will be the message, no knee jerk reaction to a performance like this because we were pretty good for most of it.”

Batsman Ed Joyce and fast bowler Tim Murtagh have announced their retirement from Twenty20 cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2015Ireland’s Ed Joyce and Tim Murtagh have announced their retirement from Twenty20 cricket. Both men’s decision took into account their country’s prospects of more 50-over cricket and a long-format debut.”With potentially more ODIs in the next few years and the possibility of Test cricket in the near future as well, I feel like I’d be able to contribute more in these formats if I stop playing T20,” the 36-year old Joyce said.He had made his T20 international debut in June 2006, in England colours. His first game for Ireland came six years later against Kenya in February 2012. He tallied 404 runs from 16 matches at an average of 36.72 for Ireland, the country’s best, and was part of two World T20s. And although its next edition is due in 2016, Joyce was confident Ireland have enough resources to pose a threat.”Added to this is the emergence of exciting young batsman Andy Balbirnie, so I know the T20 team should be in good hands going forward,” he said. Balbirnie, 24, is yet to make his 20-overs debut for Ireland but was part of their impressive World Cup campaign, with back-to-back half-centuries.Murtagh, the 33-year old fast bowler, cited the increase in the amount to cricket and hoped the decision would help him be at his best for his county Middlesex and Ireland.”I haven’t played much T20 cricket for Middlesex recently,” he said. “There’s such a busy schedule these days, and with a lot of cricket coming up for Ireland and Middlesex, I’m now maybe at an age as a bowler where some formats of the game are having to take priority.”Murtagh played seven T20 internationals and picked up as many wickets. His first appearance was in June 2012 against Australia and his last was against Netherlands in the World T20 in March 2014.Ireland’s chairman of selectors Alan Lewis expressed no surprise at this development. “Wise men make the right decisions at the right time and this is no different. I can’t speak highly enough of both,” he said, “Both players are the wrong side of 30 ,but the heartening piece for us is their total commitment to the longer formats and ultimately our desire to play Test cricket in the future.”

A seven-wicket haul from Yasir Shah helped Pakistan run through Sri Lanka’s second innings and romp to a 10-wicket win in Galle

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:15

Arnold: Sri Lanka’s approach after lunch was a shocker

A seven-wicket haul from Yasir Shah completed an emphatic turnaround from Pakistan, who took the Galle Test by 10 wickets after recovering from a precarious position at the start of the fourth morning. Pakistan had been five down and 182 behind Sri Lanka’s first-innings total at the time; few could have predicted then that their openers would waltz to a target of 90 at eight runs an over a day and a half later.The revival, sparked by Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq’s sixth-wicket partnership and carried forward by Yasir’s fizzing legbreaks on the fifth afternoon, also vindicated Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to bowl first. With the first day washed out, Pakistan’s best chance of winning lay in batting just once. As it happened, they almost pulled off an innings win; Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad only needed 11.2 overs to polish off the chase.Last year, in a Test match between the same sides at the same ground, Sri Lanka took an 82-run first innings lead. At the start of the final day, Pakistan were 4 for 1 in their second innings. A draw looked the likeliest result, but Rangana Herath spun Pakistan out for 180 before Sri Lanka galloped to their target of 99 at a run a ball, with rain lurking around the corner.Now, the circumstances were neatly reversed, and Pakistan needed someone to step up and match Herath’s performance. Yasir showed the earliest possible sign that he would be that man; his first ball of the morning was a perfectly pitched topspinner. Dilruwan Perera, the nightwatchman, didn’t pick it, and shouldered arms. It went through with the angle and pegged back his off stump.From that point until lunch, Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne dealt with Yasir’s threat comfortably enough to suggest that the turn and bounce that had been in plentiful evidence on the second and third days had slowed down considerably. But their comfort level at the crease didn’t translate into easy runs. The bowling was probing throughout, and Zulfiqar Babar and Hafeez tightened the screws by giving away only 10 runs in seven overs as lunch approached.This spell of constriction may have had something to do with the shot Thirimanne attempted as soon as Wahab Riaz came on for his second spell of the morning, an ambitious on-the-up drive that resulted in an edge to first slip. Wahab produced extra bounce with that ball, but it was still an unwise shot under the circumstances.That became a theme during the second session. There was some controversy in the manner of Angelo Mathews’ dismissal, but it was the shot selection of the younger batsmen that hurt Sri Lanka the most. Karunatne gritted it out for 173 balls before getting stumped attempting an atrocious heave against Yasir. Trying to hit himself out of the vice-like grip exerted by the spinners, Kithuruwan Vithanage holed out at deep square leg. Had they stayed in for a further 20 overs, cumulatively, and scored an extra 50 runs, Pakistan’s fourth-innings task may have been a lot more challenging.But the Mathews wicket was still pivotal, both in terms of importance and timing. Wahab had dismissed Thirimanne minutes before lunch, and had broken a 69-run fourth-wicket stand; now Mathews was facing the second ball after lunch.Mathews was done in by the limits of two-dimensional replays to determine what happened in a three-dimensional world. The ball from Yasir slid on with the angle and as Mathews pressed forward to defend, it either brushed his inside edge or slid past it, before bouncing off his front pad into short leg’s hands.Umpire Richard Illingworth gave it out, and Mathews immediately reviewed. Split-screen replays suggested Mathews might not have edged it, with the ball appearing to have passed the bat while viewed from the square-on angle when bat and ball were closest together from the front-on angle. Whether that was conclusive evidence or not is debatable; the third umpire thought not, and Illingworth’s decision stood.Sri Lanka were now 144 for 5, effectively 27 for 5. Yasir, who had looked a little flat since dismissing Dilruwan with the first ball of the day, was re-energised. The zip was back, the ball was dipping on the batsmen when they came down the track, and ripping past their edge when they pressed forward to defend.Dinesh Chandimal was finding ways to score runs at one end, defending solidly and using his feet well when the ball was tossed up, but the lower order gave him no support. Dhammika Prasad ran down the track to Zulfiqar Babar, slogged, and missed by a mile. Herath slogged Yasir straight to deep midwicket.Eventually, Yasir produced one that was too good for Chandimal, drawing him out with flight and defeating him with dip and sharp turn. Chandimal groped in front of his body and tried to whip against the turn, to no avail. Sarfraz completed his third stumping of the innings, Yasir had picked up his first seven-for in first-class cricket.