All posts by csb10.top

Dwayne Bravo lamented the sorry state of West Indies cricket, saying “too much politics” was killing the game in the Caribbean, and that the administrators needed to take a hard look at themselves.Bravo, who was asked about the team’s innings-and-212-run loss to Australia in the first Test in Hobart, said it was painful to see West Indies slip to one big loss after another despite having the personnel to compete. He pointed the gradual decline to a host of factors, including external interference and lack of infrastructure.”We’ve got the players to be up there with the best in the world, but there are a lot of things going on,” said Bravo, who is in Australia to play for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. “We don’t have proper grounds, proper nets or a proper academy. All these things are a part of our downfall.”The relationship between players, board members and management staff needs to get stronger and tighter. They need to have a lot more honesty. There are a lot of dishonest people in charge at the moment.”Bravo did not mince words when he said it was time administrators stopped talking up a glorious past and started looking ahead. His remarks follow those of Michael Holding who said the WICB was “dysfunctional, untrustworthy and not liked by the employees,” while Brian Lara squarely laid the blame on the administrators for “bad governance.””It’s painful to see this is the stage our cricket has reached, [given] at one point in time we were the best team in the world,” Bravo said. “If those in charge keep harping on about the past and not trying to do anything for the present then we’ll always have these type of interviews, we’ll have back and forth with ex-players saying this and current players saying that. The rest of the world will go on and we’ll always be backwards.”Bravo, who was West Indies captain until the tour of India in October 2014, was sacked after the team abandoned the tour midway over a payment dispute with the WICB and the West Indies players’ association. He was also subsequently left out of the World Cup squad and has not played an ODI since October 2014. He announced his Test retirement in January and said that he took the decision after not getting a chance to play the longer format after 2010.”Until earlier this year, I was still interested to play Test cricket, but I have yet to hear anything from any selector, what their plans are for me, what my position is,” said Bravo. “I just decided it’s time to move on with my life and try to channel my energy in different places. I would have loved the opportunity to play Test cricket again but since being dropped back in 2010, I never got the chance and I just decided to call it a day.”Despite being in the mix only for the T20s, Bravo said he had not given up hope on playing ODIs again. “I’m not shutting down my opportunities to represent West Indies, I still 100% want to play for West Indies in one-day internationals and T20s.”

Tim Phillips, the Essex left-arm spinner, will be out of action until June after undergoing knee surgery. He picked up the injury during a second team match against Surrey last week.”Tim underwent surgery yesterday [Wednesday] to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee,” said Essex physio Mark Thomas. “The surgery went well and he is expected to return to play in six weeks.”Phillips featured in Essex’s opening Friends Provident Trophy match of the season against Kent but is now unlikely to return until around the start of the Twenty20 Cup in mid-June.Elsewhere in the Essex camp there is better news ahead of the four-day match against New Zealand starting on Friday. James Foster has recovered from his thumb injury while Mark Pettini, the captain, is back to full health after missing part of the Championship match against Derbyshire with an eye infection.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

In the final installment of its 29-year existence, a series that has become a part of Australia’s summer culture came to a climactic end with a fitting humdinger at the Gabba.Twenty-three years after India’s last significant limited-overs title in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar helped script another memorable chapter with an innings of skill and determination. There was to be no repeat of his twin centuries against Australia in 1998, but his 91 set up a total which, backed by Praveen Kumar’s subtle-swinging accuracy, proved nine runs too much for Australia.In a game that ebbed and flowed wonderfully, James Hopes took Australia agonisingly close to victory with his maiden fifty after Praveen returned from an 11-run 45th over to snap a threatening eighth-wicket stand. Back when Australia dominated this tournament regularly Steve Waugh earned the moniker ‘Ice Man’ and under starry skies Hopes and Praveen gave it a modern context.Hopes battled on with comfortable sweeps against the spinners and some deft placement down the ground. There was not a trace of emotion on his face as he raised his fifty. Similarly, having given up 11 runs in his penultimate over, Praveen displayed awesome composure to bowl a three-run 47th, cleaning up Brett Lee.That left Australia needing 29 from 18 balls. Sreesanth picked up a second wicket but Hopes refused to bow down, flat-batting a six over wide long-on to ratchet up the tension. With 13 required off the final over, Irfan Pathan came back on. A single to third man exposed Nathan Bracken, who chipped a slower ball to midwicket. Hopes crossed and drove a manic couple to long-off but could only drive the fourth ball into the diving midwicket’s lap. Sinking to the ground as India whooped and cried around him, Hopes cut an endearing figure, a hero on a losing side, but the entire Brisbane crowd stood to applaud a pulse-setting, nerve-wracking game – and the deserving winners.The contest was set up by yet another masterclass from Tendulkar. In nearly three hours of nimble-footed driving, mainly to the off side, interspersed with soft on-side strokes, Tendulkar treated an appreciative crowd to a fine innings. India were steady during the Powerplays, scoring 36, 30 and 26 in three blocks, but made their best opening of the tournament. The ball didn’t speed away to the ropes when the openers leaned into their drives and so they smartly adjusted gears, keeping the outfielders busy through a mixture of full-faced dabs to third man and flicks to deep square leg.Tendulkar had a life on 7 when Ricky Ponting dropped a hard reflex catch at short cover, and he made it count. An utterly mistimed pull attempt off Nathan Bracken was the first sign of frustration but he quickly regained composure and decided to target Stuart Clark. His fifty came up from his 70th delivery and India had successfully chipped out a good start.

Some needless shots, however, allowed Australia back in. India would have preferred even 280 after this but having seized the initiative they allowed it to slip in a flurry of impetuous shots. Hopes allowed just one run in the 45th over, Bracken was accurate with his crafty mix of yorkers and slower deliveries, taking two wickets in the 48th over, and Lee kept it full as well.At the SCG Tendulkar backed the bowlers’ efforts with a sublime century and today they returned the favour. Especially Praveen, who for the second time in two high-pressure matches justified his new-ball promotion with the wickets of Australia’s three most dangerous batsmen. Adam Gilchrist’s final innings came to end with an edge and a walk but it was Ponting’s horrendous attempt at a pull shot that really set off the alarm bells.Michael Clarke’s ability to judge length has been his strength in the tournament but he lost his off stump, playing a crude swipe across the line to one that stayed low. Matthew Hayden made the most of a mess-up between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar, at first slip, when he was on 5, to keep the asking rate in control. Pathan was again the target of Hayden’s ire and went for 37 from his first five overs. Hayden put on 89 with Andrew Symonds, whose eventful season continued with him shoulder charging a streaker, and Australia looked to be in the game.At this stage Australia required another 138 and Michael Hussey showed there was fire in Australia’s belly. Paddling and sweeping his way energetically in a 76-run stand with Hopes, he threatened to take the series to Adelaide. Hunting a target at over eight an over finally got to him, and he under-edged Sreesanth for a cool 44 in the 42nd over.The rest turned into a tension-filled rollercoaster ride, during which India held their nerve to triumph. After a long and controversial tour Down Under, India now head home with their heads held high. For Australia, the last time they surrendered back-to-back series was 1983-84 and 1984-85, against West Indies, and 23 years later this loss would come as a chastening blow.

Match facts

Saturday, January 2, 2016
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

It took four weeks, but Sri Lanka put together their most comprehensive day of cricket on this tour and suddenly their outlook seems transformed. They lost so badly in Christchurch that this trip to New Zealand was threatening to become the tour from hell. In that handsome Nelson win on Thursday, there were signs it may instead be remembered as a journey of discovery.Chief among the promising new talents is Dushmantha Chameera, who was the third-change bowler when the tour began, but is now taking the new ball. He is not as fast as Adam Milne, but so far seems to have a better knack for taking wickets. Maybe he bowls the bouncer too much and the yorker not enough, but the coaches say he is eager to learn. Angelo Mathews also helped by using him as a strike bowler in the middle overs of the third ODI, instead of saving him for the death.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay troubled batsmen on a track that didn’t give him much turn, and Danushka Gunathilaka was poised and powerful at the top of the order. New Zealand will be wise to their weaknesses in their coming matches, however, and the young Sri Lanka players will want to prove they can’t be easily decoded.New Zealand have lost Tim Southee for the remainder of the series, but such is the depth in their bowling that the man replacing him is the bowler of the series so far. Matt Henry’s bustle ruined Sri Lanka’s innings in Christchurch. A slower, lower Nelson surface may draw some of his venom, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen would still probably have preferred it if he had remained outside the squad.Thursday’s match was also the first occasion in which the hosts seemed a little vulnerable. The middle order doesn’t look in great shape with Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi still searching for good scores. Mitchell Santner is promising, but perhaps he’s not quite ready to be the top spin option.With Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill and Henry all still playing well, New Zealand have more than enough quality to lock the series up. But they will now have to win on a used Saxton Oval surface that was beginning to resemble the slower, abrasive tracks Sri Lanka often find in their part of the world.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
New Zealand: LWWLW
Sri Lanka: WLLWW
Spot the missing ingredient: New Zealand’s batting has suddenly looked a little less threatening•AFP

In the spotlight

Doug Bracewell hasn’t been New Zealand’s most penetrative bowler, but he has made himself useful with the bat. He has contributed a good score every time he has come to the crease on this tour. Bracewell’s sober 30 from 34 balls on Thursday helped push New Zealand towards 275, after they had threatened to be all out for less than 250. He has been good in the field as well, though that hasn’t always been a strength for him.Aside from one very expensive over to Martin Guptill in the second game, Jeffrey Vandersay‘s introduction to international cricket has so far been smooth. His legbreaks aren’t the most controlled, or biggest-turning, but he appears to be the kind of bowler that likes to outthink batsmen, if he can’t out-skill them. Sri Lanka are facing a minor spin-bowling crisis, as Rangana Herath moves into the twilight of his career. Having picked Vandersay over two more experienced spinners on Thursday, the selectors may feel he is the man to step into Herath’s shoes.

Teams news

As the pitch is expected to take more turn in this game, there is a chance Sri Lanka may add a second frontline spinner to the attack. More likely they will keep the same XI and rely on Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, and Tillakaratne Dilshan’s part-time offbreaks.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka , 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Chamara Kapugedara, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan PradeepNew Zealand may be without their regular captain Brendon McCullum again, as he recovers from a back injury. If he does return, Tom Latham may be the man to make way. Legspinner Ish Sodhi is likely to play in place of one of the seamers.New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendon McCullum (capt.)/ Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ish Sodhi

Pitch and conditions

The strip had begun to take good turn towards the end of the third ODI, and will probably become lower, slower and more given to spin still. Sunny Nelson may belie its moniker however, as showers are forecast throughout the day.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand played Sri Lanka in 11 ODIs in 2015. Sri Lanka won only three of those games.
• With Martin Guptill (1489 runs), Kane Williamson (1376 runs), and Tillakaratne Dilshan (1207 runs), this series features each of the top three ODI run-scorers of 2015.

Quotes

“On the whole 2015 was probably a good year, but we’ve got a game the next day, so we won’t be doing too much reflecting.”

Opening batsman Connor Williams with a superb unbeaten 96, steeredBaroda to a four wicket victory over Saurashtra in the West Zone RanjiTrophy one day match played at the GSFC ground in Baroda on Saturday.Chasing Saurashtra’s score of 225 for eight in 50 overs, Barodareached their target with five balls to spare.Put in to bat by Baroda skipper Tushar Arothe, Saurashtra got off to abad start. Rakesh Patel bowled Sudhir Tanna, who had scratched aroundfor 19 balls without scoring a run.Captain Sitanshu Kotak, who came in at No 3, played a responsibleinnings of 68 off 106 balls with three boundary hits before he wascaught by wicketkeeper Milap Mewada off the bowling of Rakesh Patel. Aseries of valuable partnerships helped Saurashtra to maintain areasonable run rate. But it was Sudip Mehta who really gave the runrate a big boost. Coming in at No 7, he hit a whirlwind knock of 51off just 30 balls with the help of six fours and a six. before he wasout in the final over. Rakesh Patel (3/32) and Hamid Ali (3/40) werethe pick of the bowlers. Ajith Bhiote bowled a miserly spell of 10overs that cost him only 26 runs.Former Indian player Atul Bedade gave Baroda an explosive start byhitting 24 off 15 balls with five hits to the ropes. He was out at 32in the sixth over. Baroda lost Himanshu Jadhav 12 quickly but a thirdwicket partnership of 71 runs from 14 overs between Jacob Martin andWilliams stepped up the run rate. Martin was out for 30 (40 balls).Harendra Jani, who dismissed Martin, picked up two more wickets butWilliams stood like a rock and guided Baroda to victory. Towards theend, Williams received able support from Darshan Mulherkar who hit 22off as many deliveries with two fours. The two added 37 runs for theunbroken seventh wicket off 6.3 overs. Harendra Jani finished withthree for 50 from his ten overs.

Rajasthan’s stars consider returning home
Darren Berry, the Rajasthan Royals’ team manager, says there is a “real option” three of the team’s highest profile players – Shane Warne, Shane Watson, and Graeme Smith – will not return to Jaipur following a series of bombs that killed about 80 people in the city on Tuesday. Berry is on a four-day break in Goa along with the three players, and said the group had considered “getting on the plane and getting out of here”.Carry-bags banned from IPL matches
According to a report in , the IPL organisers have banned spectators from bringing carry-bags to their venues in the wake of the Jaipur blasts. The organisers reportedly decided to take the measure following an advisory from various security and intelligence agencies.Kolkata taken to court for alleged copyright violation
The Kolkata Knight Riders franchise have been taken to court by the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) on grounds of copyright violation for playing 14 popular Hindi songs without its permission during the IPL matches at the Eden Gardens. However, Justice Sanjib Mukherjee of the Calcutta High Court refused to grant an injunction against the use of the songs, and directed the parties concerned to file affidavits stating their position. Appearing before the judge, Kolkata’s counsels said that the franchise already had permission to play nine of those songs from Super Cassettes, whom they said had the copyright. Kolkata will now have to file their affidavit within two weeks, after which the IPRS will be given a week to submit its reply. The matter will then come up for hearing in July, by which time the inaugural edition of the IPL will be over.

The Quaid Trophy match between Sheikhupura and Lahore Blues ended in a draw after no play was possible on the fourth and final day due to fog at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Thursday, according to a message received here.Umpires Salim Badar and Kamal Merchant waited until an hour after the scheduled tea interval before finally calling off the match.Sheikhupura, who earned a vital one-run lead on the firstinnings, claimed three points.

The Indian Premier League may have eased several restrictions on media coverage for the forthcoming event but the Editors Guild of India has condemned the clause that prevents news agencies from supplying pictures to cricket-specific websites.The Guild has also come down hard on the limitations imposed on television news channels, one that has prompted all the outlets to put their coverage on hold.”[The Guild] regrets that the news agencies have been barred from supplying pictures to one set of subscribers, namely standalone specialised websites, as the news agencies should have the total freedom to supply news and pictures to all their subscribers,” KS Sachidananda Murthy, the Guild secretary-general, said in a release. “The Guild notes that the news agencies are in negotiation with the IPL organisers to remove this clause also from the terms and conditions.”Similarly the sole telecast rights license has put new conditions on giving feed to news television channels. These are not acceptable, and the Guild fully supports the stand taken by the News Broadcasters Association.”Meanwhile the News Media Corporation, which reacted to the fresh guidelines on Tuesday, is set to discuss the issue on Wednesday evening. As of now, though, they feel the restrictions are unacceptable. “As the Guild has said, the terms remain unacceptable,” Barry Parker, the South Asia bureau chief of Agence France-Presse (AFP), said.

The Hong Kong women’s team will tour Bangladesh for eight days starting next week. Between 20 and 29 March the side will play four one-day matches against the Bangladesh women’s team.The Bangladesh Cricket Board has selected 14 players for the training camp ahead of the tour, while there will also be four reserves.Bangladesh women Shathira Zakir Jessy, Shukhtara, Ayesha Akhter, Salma Khatun, Irin Sultana, Chamily Khatun, Rumana Akhter, Panna Ghosh, Shamima Akhter Pinky, Jahanara Alam, Lily Rani, Tithi Rani, Papiya Haque Babu, Mina Khatun.Reserves Fatematuz Zahora, Rifat Ara, Mahmuda Khan, Lata Mondal.

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann will join the squad in New Zealand after being cleared to travel following his diagnosis with deep-vein thrombosis. On Saturday afternoon, Lehmann will arrive in Wellington, where the Australians will be playing the second ODI that day, and he will remain in the city until the first Test, which starts there on Friday next week.Michael di Venuto, who has been acting coach in Lehmann’s absence, will remain in that role for the third and final ODI in Hamilton on Monday. Lehmann was hospitalised in Sydney before the fifth ODI against India last month, and Australia have not won a match since then: they lost the Sydney ODI, the three T20s against India, and the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday.”We’d love to have our coach here,” captain Steven Smith said after the Auckland defeat. “There’s no doubt about that. He’s unwell at the moment obviously and he’ll be back soon enough. So we’ve got to move on, I don’t think today was him to blame. It was certainly the players. We didn’t adapt well enough and we were outplayed.”Although Australia were clearly outplayed in Auckland, they did not help themselves by neglecting to ask for a review for an lbw decision early in their chase, when David Warner was given out to a ball that was clearly sailing over the top of the stumps. Initially it appeared that Warner’s batting partner George Bailey advised him against asking for a review, but Bailey said on Thursday that was not the case.”I said, ‘What did it feel like?’ And he said, ‘High’. So I said, ‘Go for it’. And he turned around and walked off,” Bailey said on radio station . “So, I don’t really know what more he wants from my end.”Bailey said after his own dismissal he had discussed the incident in the rooms with Warner.”He said, ‘I wasn’t that confident in what you said’. I said ‘I’m not really sure what you’re after’,” Bailey said. “I can’t be any more explicit than saying ‘go for it’ … You know, I reckon, if you’re out or even if it’s close and it’s up to you to make that call.”