All posts by n8rngtd.top

Kamran Akmal has threatened to sue former coach Intikhab Alam and his deputy Aaqib Javed after they hinted a lapse he committed during the Sydney Test may have been more than just a “cricketing error”

Cricinfo staff22-May-2010Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has threatened to sue former coach Intikhab Alam and former assistant coach Aaqib Javed after they raised concerns over a run-out he missed during the Sydney Test against Australia earlier in the year, hinting it may have been more than just a cricketing error. The questions over Kamran’s keeping were made during their meeting with the six-man committee set up to inquire into Pakistan’s winless tour of Australia, and had emerged in a video leaked to a leading Pakistan sports channel.”I am fed up with these allegations. My family is disturbed. I go out and people hoot me and I am mentally disturbed. I want to clear this unwarranted stigma with my name,” Kamran told . “I want an apology from these people. I will be speaking to the chairman of the board about this as they are employees of the board. If they don’t apologise I intend to go to court in my personal capacity.”The point is (if) these people suspected me of deliberately under-performing why did they keep on selecting me for other matches,” Akmal said.Kamran dropped Michael Hussey thrice in Sydney, enabling Australia to fight back and eventually beat Pakistan, but the lapse that aroused suspicion was when he failed to take off the bails to run out Shane Watson despite having collected the ball cleanly. When asked by the committee if Kamran’s lapse had been deliberate, Aaqib had said: “I’m not sure, but my suspicions are pretty high. They are high because of other things I know about the process, the people in the surroundings. There is a high percentage. These things are not new in Pakistan cricket. These things have happened and I was a victim of them. There is a question mark, yes.”When Intikhab was posed the same question, he said: “That run-out I saw, I was flabbergasted. If you see it, it is shocking….the ball came, he was diving so far out, what can I say? We couldn’t believe it.”The PCB, upon the inquiry’s conclusion, said there was no evidence of match-fixing and the chapter was closed. The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU), however, is currently investigating the tour to establish whether Pakistan’s performance was the result of what it called a “dysfunctional” team or “something more serious.”

West Indies have named an unchanged squad for the second Test against South Africa at St Kitts, despite losing the opening game in Trinidad heavily by 163 runs

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2010West Indies have named an unchanged squad for the second Test against South Africa at St Kitts, despite losing the opening game in Trinidad heavily by 163 runs. Fast bowler Kemar Roach has been retained, implying that he has recovered fully from the ankle injury which ruled him out of the five-match ODI series before the first Test.The frontline seamers in Trinidad, Ravi Rampaul and debutant Nelon Pascal, went wicketless in both innings. Dwayne Bravo took one wicket while the remaining 13 wickets which fell were accounted for by the spinners. Roach’s raw pace and ability to bowl yorkers with the new ball will come in handy for West Indies, should they play him at Warner Park.However, the batting has been the biggest worry. West Indies crumbled to 102 in their first innings in Trinidad and, chasing 457 in their second, managed just 293 with only the captain Chris Gayle passing fifty.Squad: Chris Gayle (Capt), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Shane Shillingford, Ravi Rampaul, Nelon Pascal, Kemar Roach

Muttiah Muralitharan is happy to retire while people are still asking him to play on

Sidharth Monga in Galle17-Jul-2010Murali the Magician. The Greatest Ever Bowler in the World. One and Only Murali. Spin Wizard. Thank you Murali. Another Milestone. I can bat too! A Glorious Cricketing Career.All the stands, temporary and permanent, at the Galle International Stadium, bear an imprint of Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketer. Simple hoardings with Murali on them and a message saying thank you and goodbye. There are, of course, small advertisements on these hoardings, but that is the reality of modern cricket.”Everything will be like Murali,” said Jayananda Warnaweera, the chief groundsman in Galle, on what was in store for the farewell.Muttiah Muralitharan is not overwhelmed. Not much has overwhelmed him in his career, but he likes what he sees. “I would like to thank the cricket board and the groundsman, [Jayananda] Warnaweera, for arranging such a great thing in Galle,” a not-overly-emotional Murali said. “It is a great honour for me to retire like this.”The last week must have been an interesting time for the offspinner, who is approaching the end of something special, something satisfying – a journey that brought trials as much as it did joy; brickbats as much as applause. Murali, though, said he hasn’t been thinking about all that. “I never dreamt I would be finishing like this,” he said. “I think I had a great finish because I have done very well in Test cricket. You can’t get the record easily; so many people have tried and I am the best at the moment. Because of that, I have no regrets.”God has given me everything, I am fulfilled with that. I am not sad, I am very happy with what I have achieved and I am glad I am going out in a good manner because people are not asking me to go. They are asking me to stay. Still I want to go because this is the manner I want to go out in. I am not dreaming about any past performance or anything. I am thinking only about the next match, finish well and retire properly.Starting the match eight wickets from the 800-mark, Murali, who has almost every aggregate record to his name, is not worried about numbers. Enjoying this last game, he said, was more important. “If I could take eight in the first innings, Sri Lanka will win easily. It is not going to be easy, they have such a good batting line-up.I will try all my tricks in the middle for the last time. Let’s see if it works or not. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I am going to really enjoy the game rather than thinking about how many wickets I am going to need. Just enjoy the game and not put much pressure on myself. If I didn’t get a single wicket or if I take five wickets, I will be very happy.”

Derbyshire celebrated their 1,000th one-day game with a crushing 81-run victory over fellow strugglers Middlesex in the Clydesdale Bank 40 league under the County Ground floodlights

25-Aug-2010

ScorecardDerbyshire celebrated their 1,000th one-day game with a crushing 81-run victory over fellow strugglers Middlesex in the Clydesdale Bank 40 league under the County Ground floodlights.Graham Wagg and Mark Footitt each bagged three wickets to blow away the Panthers who never threatened to get close to the Falcons total of 192 for 7 which was built around Wayne Madsen’s unbeaten 71 from 78 balls – his best limited-overs score.Madsen dragged the Falcons out of a hole after Pedro Collins had taken three early wickets, but there was no way back for the Panthers after Wagg reduced them to 29 for 4 and they were skittled for 110 in bowler-friendly conditions.The Falcons had also started badly in a Group B game reduced to 38 overs a side by rain when Collins exploited an overcast evening and a damp pitch to knock over the top order as the home side slumped to 49 for 4.Collins got the ball to swing late to bowl Stephen Adshead and Chesney Hughes before skipper Greg Smith gloved an attempted pull to the wicketkeeper. A stunning one-handed slip catch by Owais Shah removed Wes Durston for 18 but Madsen supervised an impressive recovery.Dan Redfern started the revival by scoring 23 out of a 51-run stand in 10 overs with Madsen before Wagg and Jon Clare provided some acceleration in the closing overs. Madsen anchored the fightback with a 61-ball half-century and with Wagg and Clare he shared stands of 48 and 41 in the last 12 overs.That left the Panthers to hunt down a victory target of 192 but Wagg matched Collins’s opening spell to shatter their top order. Scott Newman was caught behind for a duck off the second ball of the innings and Shah made only eight before he dragged the ball into his stumps.Dawid Malan drove away from his body to be caught at point, and the visitors were on the slide when John Simpson drove Smith tamely into the hands of short extra cover in the next over. Smith opted to bowl Wagg out to try to remove the last of the recognised batsmen but it was Footitt who condemned the Panthers to defeat by striking three times in his first two overs.Gareth Berg was beaten for pace and pinned lbw before Durston matched Shah’s earlier effort by pouching a great catch at second slip to send back Tom Scollay for a duck.When Shaun Udal edged a drive, Middlesex had lost three wickets for five runs and although skipper Neil Dexter scored 30, there were still 10.3 overs left when Derbyshire completed a resounding victory under the Duckworth/Lewis Method.

Cricinfo previews the first one-day International between England and Pakistan at Chester-le-Street

The Preview by Liam Brickhill09-Sep-2010

Match facts

September 10, 2010, Chester-le-Street
Start time 10.15am (9.15am GMT)Pakistan will be hoping that Mohammad Irfan’s introduction to the squad will bring smiles to the players’ faces in the first game of the one-day series•Getty Images

Big picture

It’s September, but with five one-day internationals still to be played the end of the English summer continues to appear some distance off. This is not the finale that anyone had planned with Pakistan exhibiting the malaise and confusion it was feared they would when the spot-fixing allegations that have rocked cricket’s very foundations were first brought to light.Appearing distracted and mentally unprepared, they were easily swept away by England in the short Twenty20 series in Cardiff and the autumnal end of what has been densely-packed summer is threatening to turn into a one-sided farce. A Pakistan team that includes the likes of Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and Shoaib Akhtar can never be totally written off, however, and England will still, surely, be wary of a backlash.But the scent of scandal hanging over the team will not dissipate any time soon, and though captain Afridi has suggested that just one victory would do wonders for the team’s morale it’s difficult to see how they could turn things round and regain their focus sufficiently to take this series the full distance.England probably wouldn’t mind a stiffer challenge to prepare them for a winter in Australia and, despite the notable run of their success, they still have questions to be answered and flaws to be ironed out. It is England’s batsmen, rather than the bowlers, that appear a touch unsettled, and there will be another shake-up as the squad switches to one-day mode and and Andrew Strauss returns to the helm.With dwindling crowds also a concern as the summer draws in, interested parties from across the spectrum want nothing more than a competitive and absorbing contest. Whether that will be the case remains to be seen.

Form guide (last five completed matches)

England WLWLL

Pakistan WLLLL

Watch out for…

In the course of the two Twenty20s in Cardiff, Michael Yardy appeared to come of age as an international cricketer. The effectiveness of his bowling in limited-overs cricket has not been in doubt since his recall, but his batting – which he insists is his stronger suit – is also becoming increasingly reliable. He was at the crease with Eoin Morgan when victory was secured in both games, and is well on his way to becoming a genuine international allrounder.For a player who has not yet been selected for the national side gigantic left-arm seamer Mohammad Irfan has already built up quite a following, aided by the spread of videos of his bowling online on sites such as Youtube. Although his exact height has not yet been verified, he is undoubtedly very tall indeed and the awkward bounce he will generate – allied to the left-arm trajectory – could prove challenging for an England line-up that is not quite firing on all cylinders.

Team news

England’s squad has, for obvious reasons, been by far the more settled during Pakistan’s visit but Kevin Pietersen’s absence, and Steve Davies’ introduction, has mixed things up a bit. Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott also return to the side for the one-dayers and with Ravi Bopara likely to keep his place it may be Luke Wright who is edged out for the time being.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Steve Davies (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Michael Yardy, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonThere is always a measure of uncertainty in picking Pakistan’s squad but apart from the introduction of Irfan, who was called up in the midst of a glut of injuries that added to their woes in an already turbulent summer, there probably won’t be too many changes. Asad Shafiq is likely to remain a reserve batsman, and while Fawad Alam froze under pressure in the Twenty20s, he showed in Pakistan’s warm-up against Somerset that, given time at the crease, he can be an effective limited-overs batsman and will probably be retained. Given his greater experience at the top of the order, Mohammad Hafeez could also be preferred to Shahzaib Hasan.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Mohammad Yousuf, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Shahid Afridi (capt), 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Umar Gul, 9 Mohammad Irfan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Shoaib Akhtar.

Pitch and conditions

Expect the bowlers to dominate in helpful conditions in Durham. The last match to be played at Chester-le-Street was a low-scoring CB 40 match in which both spinners and seamers picked up wickets. Overcast conditions could also help the ball to swing but, thankfully, rain is unlikely.

Stats and Trivia

• The vastly experienced Mohammad Yousuf is Pakistan’s second-highest runscorer in ODIs behind Inzamam ul-Haq with 9458 runs. He is also second to another great – Saeed Anwar – in the list of Pakistan’s one-day century makers with 15 in 275 games to Anwar’s 20.
• Graeme Swann passed 50 wickets in the summer – across all formats – during the Cardiff Twenty20s and now has 52 international scalps at a combined average of 16.46 this season

Quotes

“Despite whatever allegations have been out there, I still maintain that cricket generally is a very clean sport and that two teams are playing to beat the other 100%. If I can allay fears, I think there is no chance in my mind that these games coming up will not be played in that spirit.”
“Unless he’s dropped, he will play. If I’m told, ‘Don’t play X, Y, Z,’ they won’t play. If I’m not told, I’ll select the best team. But I’ve not been told anything. Let’s wait.”
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A round-up of matches from the first day of the BCCI Corporate Trophy

Cricinfo staff01-Sep-2010Group A

ScorecardA dominant India Cements crushed State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) by 125 runs in a Group A match in Visakhapatnam.A double-century opening stand at more than a run-a-ball between Tamil Nadu batsmen Arun Karthik and Abhinav Mukund put India Cements on their way to 324 for 6 in 50 overs. Arun made 112 off 108 deliveries while Mukund got 86 off 99. After their departure, Dinesh Karthik and Rahul Dravid ensured India Cements went past 300. Dinesh made 42 off 34 while Dravid remained unbeaten on 32 off 23.SBH started poorly as Tamil Nadu bowlers Lakshmipathy Balaji and Yo Mahesh struck to leave them struggling at 29 for 2. Wickets fell regularly thereafter and SBH were reduced to 123 for 6 at one stage. Srihari Rao’s rearguard effort of 40 off 53 deliveries took his team close to 200 but India Cements’ victory was never in doubt.Group B
ScorecardAjinkya Rahane’s century helped Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) easily overhaul Tata Sports Club’s (TSC) 280 for 3 in a Group B game in Chennai.Rahane added 94 runs for the first wicket with his Mumbai and IOC captain Wasim Jaffer in 13 overs. Jaffer made 48 off 37 deliveries. Rahane then shared a 128-run stand with Uttar Pradesh batsman Ravikant Shukla who made 84 off 91. This stand effectively sealed the chase for IOC. Rahane was eventually dismissed for 105 off 117 with nine fours. Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 32 off 29 as IOC cantered to victory in 48.2 overs with only four wickets down.TSC, after opting to bat, lost both openers with 42 runs on the board. Punjab’s Mandeep Singh and Jharkhand’s Ishank Jaggi then combined in a 187-run partnership for the third wicket. Singh made 91 off 100 deliveries and Jaggi was unbeaten on 110 off 130. Nishit Shetty’s late strikes took TSC to 280 but the target hardly troubled IOC’s batsmen.Group C

ScorecardArindam Das’s century was in vain as Air India beat Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited by 29 runs in a high-scoring Group C game of the BCCI Corporate Trophy in Hyderabad.Chasing Air India’s 314 for 5, BSNL were off to a strong start with Bengal batsman Das and Monish Mishra, who plays for Deccan Chargers in the IPL, adding 131 runs in 21 overs. Air India struck, removing Mishra after he had made 60 off 66 deliveries. BSNL lost wickets regularly thereafter with the next highest partnership being only 38 runs, between Das and Brijesh Tomar. Das was dismissed after making 103 off 113 deliveries. BSNL eventually finished with 285 for 9 in 50 overs. Haryana offbreak bowler Ajit Chandila was the most successful for Air India, taking 4 for 36 in ten overs.Three Air India batsmen earlier scored half-centuries, helping their team post 314. Captain Mohammad Kaif top-scored with 75 off 92 deliveries. Former India batsman Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Rajasthan Royals’ Naman Ojha also got fifties. Ojha’s late charge ensured Air India went past 300, as he struck four sixes in his unbeaten 58 off only 26 deliveries.
ScorecardIn another Group C match played at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad, a disciplined bowling effort helped Chemplast defeat State Bank of Mysore (SBM) by 67 runs.Set a target of 187 in a match shortened to 25 overs, SBM were never in the chase after being reduced to 25 for 5. Tamil Nadu duo Ganapathi Vignesh and Rajagopal Sathish rocked the SBM top order as the first five batsmen failed to cross double figures. SBM ultimately managed 119 for 7, Talpa Sai top-scoring with 33.The Chemplast innings was steadied by Hemanth Kumar after they had lost their openers for 38 runs. Kumar made 53 off 47 deliveries but was dismissed with the score on 102. Captain Sathish then smashed 40 off only 17, hitting five sixes. By the time he got out, Chemplast had added 65 runs in 34 balls, which enabled them to finish with a formidable score.Group D

ScorecardState Bank of Patiala (SBP) defeated Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) by 13 runs in a close Group D encounter in Bangalore.Captain Pankaj Dharmani top-scored for SBP with 46 off 78 deliveries and was the last man to be dismissed as they were bowled out for 187 in 48.1 overs. No other SBP batsman went past 22 on a pitch where scoring proved difficult. Jharkhand offbreak bowler Sunny Gupta took 3 for 45 in ten overs.MRF began their chase poorly, collapsing to 44 for 4 at one stage. Tamil Nadu’s Sridharan Sriram and Umashankar Sushil combined in a 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket. At that juncture, MRF needed 81 runs with more than 23 overs remaining. However, Sushil fell, and Sriram later followed with the score on 125 after having made 46 off 67. A last-wicket stand of 23 raised MRF’s hopes but last man Prasanth Chandran was dismissed with 14 runs still required.
ScorecardIncome Tax hammered Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) by 171 runs in a Group D match in Bangalore.Defending a target of 293, Baroda’s Ajitesh Argal and Gujarat’s Rohit Dahiya ran through the ONGC batting, dismissing them for 121 in 30.4 overs. Argal took 4 for 38 and Dahiya picked up 3 for 16 as six ONGC batsmen made single-digit scores. ONGC were reduced to 61 for 7 at one stage but Sarandeep Singh and Vikramjeet Malik took them past 100.Maharashtra’s Ameya Shrikhande and Hiken Shah – who started with Mumbai before moving onto Jammu and Kashmir – earlier shared a 106-run opening stand for Income Tax. Shrikhande top-scored with 58 off 79 deliveries while Shah made 47 off 63. Dahiya’s unbeaten 56 off 28, which included six fours and three sixes, enabled Income Tax to post a challenging total.

Steve Tikolo rolled back the years with a dominant all-round show as Kenya surged to an easy six-wicket win against UAE in the first of four one-dayers in Mombasa

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2010
ScorecardSteve Tikolo and David Obuya hit half-centuries•Thota Sreenivas

Steve Tikolo rolled back the years with a dominant all-round show as Kenya surged to an easy six-wicket win against UAE in the first of four one-dayers in Mombasa. Tikolo snared 4 for 18 in seven overs of tidy offspin before sealing the victory with an unbeaten 69 off 77 balls after David Obuya set up the chase of 183 with 72.UAE’s decision to make first use of the pitch ran into rough weather early as Arshad Ali was run out by Hiren Varaiya for one. Amjad Ali, the other opener, found the going tough in his 17 off 40 balls before falling to Thomas Odoyo. Swapnil Patil hend the innings together and his fifty-run stand with Saqib Ali, who contributed a quick 33, set UAE up for a good total. The innings, however, ran into a rut in the middle overs as Tikolo took charge.UAE’s listless running was another issue they had to contend with – there were four run-out victims in all – and it was down to Amjad Javed’s late hitting to lift them close to 200. Javed contributed 30 with five fours and a six, before Tikolo had him caught by Nehemiah Odhiambo as the innings folded in the 47th over.Kenya lost Alex Obanda early in the chase, but David and Collins Obuya ensured UAE could not make any further quick inroads with a partnership of 46 for the second wicket. Tikolo, who came in at the fall of Collins’ wicket, then added 83 with David in a productive phase that gradually put the game out of UAE’s reach. David struck eight fours in his innings that came off 98 balls, and though Maurice Ouma departed cheaply after his exit, Tikolo ensured he was there till the end.

A round-up of the second day of the first round of matches in the Plate League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2010Rajasthan were in position to complete a humiliating defeat of Hyderabad inside three days at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, after the latter crumbled to 64 for 6 a day after being bowled out for 21 to set the record for the lowest total in Ranji Trophy history. Trailing by 382, Hyderabad lost both their openers with only four runs on the board. A partnership of 24 between Anirudh Singh and Arjun Yadav followed, but it would prove to be only a minor lull in proceedings. Debutant Deepak Chahar, who took eight wickets in the first innings, followed it up with another three wickets, giving him 11 in the match so far.Rajasthan’s total of 403 was built around former India batsman Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s unbeaten 193. He batted for almost nine hours, facing 377 balls and hitting 22 fours. Robin Bist kept Kanitkar company in a stand of 107 for the third wicket before he fell to Pagadala Naidu. At that stage Rajasthan were 267 for 3, but the rest of the batting failed to click, with no one getting more than 23, to leave Kanitkar stranded seven short of a double hundred. Alfred Absolem took five for 78, his fifth career five-wicket haul.A 189-run stand between Sangram Atitkar and Ankit Bawne put Maharashtra in control of their game against Jammu & Kashmir at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. Atitkar made 140 and Bawne an unbeaten 132 as Maharashtra ended the day on 457 for 4, giving them a lead of 185. The pair came together after Kedar Jadhav had played an entertaining cameo – smashing five fours and a six in his 28 – and proceeded to dominate the bowling, scoring at a tick under four runs an over. Medium pacer Raman Dutta finally broke the partnership when he had Atitkar leg-before, but there was to be no respite for J&K as Bawne and captain Rohit Motwani upped the tempo in a 90-run partnership from just 20 overs.Madhya Pradesh threw away a strong start against Goa but ended the day with a 158-run first innings lead at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Three of the top four batsmen – Naman Ohja, Monish Mishra and Devendra Bundela – made half-centuries, but MP lost their last seven wickets for 108 runs to finish with 328. Ohja and Mishra added 132 before Shadab Jakati bowled Mishra for a fluent 71 that contained 11 fours and a six. MP captain Bundela and Ohja had added a further 52 when Harshad Gadeka had Ohja caught behind 12 short of his hundred. Abbas Ali threw his bat around to make 26 from 20, but his dismissal triggered a mini-collapse as four wickets fell for 25 runs. Ankit Sharma and Bundela stemmed the rot with a 48-run partnership, and Sharma and Anand Rajan put on 31, to take MP past 300.Medium pacer Suraj Yadav picked up 6 for 86 on debut but a century from Sreekumar Nair pushed Kerala to 454 against Services at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. Nair made 137 and shared in two big partnerships down the order. He added 106 with Padmanabhan Prasanth for the seventh wicket and 94 with Sony Cheruvathur, whose 54 was his maiden half-century in first class cricket. Cheruvathur faced 92 deliveries and struck seven fours. In reply, Services were 16 for no loss at close of play.Varun Aaron took 5 for 17 as Tripura collapsed for 73 against Jharkhand at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala. Made to follow-on, Tripura slumped to 50 for 4, leaving them 212 runs behind Jharkhand, who were bowled out for 335, with Rahul Shukla top scoring with 72. Aaron took four of the first five wickets to fall in Tripura’s first innings, as they found themselves in a deep hole at 35 for 5. Captain Rajib Dutta was the only batsman to show some fight, remaining unbeaten on 24. In the second innings, Tripura lost both openers for 22 before legspinner Samar Quadri added two late wickets to leave them on the brink of an innings defeat.Andimani Pradeep led Andhra Pradesh to 370 in their first innings against Vidharba at the Vidharba Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. Pradeep was the last man to fall, bowled by Shrikant Wagh for 94. His 80-run partnership with captain Khatib Sahabuddin helped propel AP past 300. Wagh was the pick of the bowlers, taking 5 for 77. Vidarbha were 43 for no loss at stumps, with both openers Akshay Kolhar and Amit Paunikar on 20.

The family of Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has reported receiving threatening phone calls to the police

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2010The family of Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has reported receiving threatening phone calls to the police after Haider, who is still in England, said he would expose those involved in corrupt practices in Pakistan cricket.”Zulqarnain’s wife got three calls today, two from an unknown number and one from a number in Greece, in which the caller, speaking in Urdu, threatened her of dire consequences if Zulqarnain said anything about anyone,” Aqeel Haider, one of Haider’s brother, told .Aqeel said the calls were received after Haider had updated his Facebook page with a message saying he would blow the whistle on ” those who have taken money”. “All these people who are saying negative things about me, they should wait for five more days, then I will show them my background and status,” Haider wrote. “After five days I will show them their background and place, and also those who don’t take money and those who have taken money.”Haider had gone missing from the team hotel on the morning of Pakistan’s fifth ODI against South Africa in Dubai and resurfaced in London later the same day. He was said to be seeking protection in the UK after he was threatened by unidentified people following his team’s one-wicket win in the fourth ODI against South Africa. As a result of the threats Haider announced his retirement from cricket.

England’s women managed a consolatory victory in the third one-day international against Australia at the WACA, chasing down 213 with two overs to spare for a seven-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2011
Scorecard
Lydia Greenway top-scored for England with 59•Getty Images

England’s women managed a consolatory victory in the third one-day international against Australia at the WACA, chasing down 213 with two overs to spare for a seven-wicket win. Lydia Greenway passed fifty before she was dismissed and captain Charlotte Edwards continued her sparkling form, finishing unbeaten on 48 and striking the winning runs to ensure a measure of honour in the 2-1 series scoreline.Danielle Wyatt led an early charge with the bat as England’s openers put on 47 in under 10 overs. She struck six boundaries in a rapid 30 – her highest score for the national side – and had few problems against the new ball before she was sent back attempting a quick single in the 10th over and run out by a distance.Greenway was soon into her groove to keep the runs flowing, greeting the introduction of Shelley Nitschke’s left-arm spin by jumping out of her crease to loft a boundary. She also found the middle of the bat with a pair of perfectly executed reverse sweeps and was soon outscoring the more circumspect Heather Knight.They had put on 66 for the second wicket – the highest partnership in either innings – when Knight attempted to crack Lisa Sthalekar’s offspin over the top but picked out Rene Farrell to depart for 33. Greenway enjoyed some good fortune as she was dropped by Sarah Coyte at long leg and chopped a no-ball from Ellyse Perry onto her own stumps, but took advantage of the let-offs to register a sixth ODI half-century.After she was caught at long-off by Leah Poulton, Edwards was joined by Jenny Gunn – who was batting with a runner – and together they sealed the result with an unbeaten 53-run stand. Edwards took her series run-tally to 188, easily the highest on either side, and hit the winning run off the final ball of the 48th over. Edwards, who scored 50 in the first match and 90 in Friday’s nine-wicket defeat was named Player of the Series, while Greenway’s fifty made her Player of the Match.England’s bowlers were on a hiding to nothing in the midst of Nitschke and Meg Lanning’s 151-run opening stand two days ago, but were far more incisive this time around as Australia experimented with their top order. Alyssa Healy, opening for the first time in national colours with Lanning rested, cut Isa Guha in the air to gully where Gunn held a sharp catch in the third over and soon afterwards Poulton swiped across the line to be caught by Holly Colvin at mid-on and give Guha a second wicket.Australia had stumbled to 5 for 75 in the 26th over before the experienced Sthalekar and Jess Cameron prompted a recovery with a 65-run partnership. Sthalekar batted particularly fluently before she was dismissed for a 75-ball 60 in the 45th over, while Coyte ensured her team passed 200 with a tenacious 30, but a spate of run-outs pegged back the Australian innings and they were bowled out for 212 off the final ball of the innings.”We obviously wanted to get the series whitewash and finish the one-day series on a positive note, but England came out and played very well today and we will look to bounce back,” said Australian captain Alex Blackwell. “We lost early wickets and didn’t quite post the total we would have liked and we didn’t quite get it right with the ball either but we’re not far away and we’ll take the confidence of a series win into the Twenty20s.””It’s a nice feeling to come away with the one-day series win; last time we were in England we were soundly beaten so it’s nice to come back and play well at home. We head to Adelaide tomorrow for the first of the Twenty20s on Wednesday and we can’t wait.”We were in a bit of trouble when we lost five wickets fairly early and needed a couple of players to stand-up and build a partnership,” she added. “Lisa is a very experienced player and a key member of our middle-order and it was great to see her make a good score, especially during a very important part of the innings when we needed someone to rebuild.”She played very well and scored quickly, working well with two of the younger players in Jess and Sarah who also played well to help get our score over 200. We didn’t quite execute how we would have liked to and things didn’t quite go our way early with a few near misses. We’re really looking forward to the Twenty20 series; after the Twenty20 World Cup win last year we are really happy with how we’ve been going in that form of the game.””I’m really proud of the team’s performance today,” added England captain Edwards. “We all dug deep to beat a very good Australian side. We weren’t at full strength but the team have responded well to overcome setbacks and we will be looking to carry some momentum forward into the Twenty20 series.”I feel in really good touch at the moment and the wickets out here have been excellent to bat on. I’m looking forward getting out on the park at Adelaide on Wednesday. It’s always a great atmosphere to play in a double header with the men.”There will be an unavoidable change to England’s squad for the Twenty20s, with Caroline Atkins coming in for Beth Morgan, who will return to England for treatment after sustaining a shoulder subluxation during the second ODI.”This is a great opportunity for me, I can’t wait to get out to Australia and join the squad,” said Atkins. “I have some good memories of playing out there in 2008 and am very much looking forward to playing out there again. It’s a great shame for Beth, I wish her a speedy recovery.”